IN THE WILDS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13899, 10 May 1909, Page 3

IN THE WILDS.

MURDERED BY INDIANS

VICTORIA, 8.C., Feb. 26. Charles McLeod, the Edmond man who, while leading a party of prospectors through the wilds of the NorthWestern portion of this province, stumbled over the bones of his two brothers, murdered by Indians, three years ago, has returned to civilisation and tells a talc of the gruesome find that reads like a chapter from a romance.

One evening last summer, while "making" camp, McLeod discovered the remains of an old camp fire in the woods, and in a fit of curiosity began to scrape among the ashes, presently discovering on a tree close by an inscription consisting of the date, "May 1905," and his brothers' initials. Later on one of McLeod's party made the discovery of two skeletons «%i'nder a tree a short distance from the trail. This aroused McLeod's fears, and he hastened- to the spot. " Investigation revealed the fact that tho heads of the two skeletons liad been cut off, and were not to be found. The clothing had completely rotted away, and nothing but the weather beaten bones remained. In the vicinity McLeod picked up a watch and a ring, which he immediately recognised as having belonged to-his brother Frank. One of the skeletons had the breast bono shattered in such a manner as to suggest the work of a rifle bullet. On closely examining the trees in the locality McLeod found a "blazed" tree with more carving, but very little of these words were legible. Near the base of the tree he managed to make out sufficient to lead him to the belief that a complete deciphering of the message would mean a probable fortune. The words that were decipherable referred to the location yf valuables, but the murderers not only had taken care to remove from their victims' clothes every article of value, but had also cut the tree in such a manner as to make the -carving unintelligible. Near at hand, however, McLeod found a shaft from which the Indians had evidently taken gold quite recently. The Indians claimed that they had sunk this shaft themselves. A companion of the two murdered men is still unaccounted for, and a detail of -the Royal North-West Mounted Police will be sent to investigate.