156 Years Ago
The May 25, 1870 Colorado Transcript included the article, “Another Man Found Hanging.” That title implies that it was an unremarkable event…as does the fact that it appeared on page 2, second column, several inches down from the top of the page.
A railroad surveyor came into Golden to report finding “the remains of a man hanging to a tree…about two miles up Clear Creek Canyon.” The Justice rounded up a jury, and they headed into the canyon to view the deceased. He appeared to have been there for two or three years, as he was reduced to bones.
According to the Coroner’s report, he had been about 23. The head and three vertebrae were still hanging from the noose. The rest of the body was about ten feet downhill. They found $4 in his coat pocket, a silver watch, a Colt Navy Revolver, and a memorandum book containing the following words: “My name is George W. Hanchett. I live in Beloit, Wisconsin.”
Two men testified to having known the deceased. One said he believed Mr. Hanchett had been in possession of about four thousand dollars but lost it. He speculated that he didn’t want “his folks” to know what happened to him and so chose a remote place to hang himself. The inquest concluded that Hanchett’s death was a suicide.
The Denver News had a different opinion. In an article immediately below the aforementioned, an item reprinted from the Denver News said Hanchett had been “a freighter, a man of good character and well known by many of our citizens” The article said that Hanchett had last been seen two years ago. He had between $900 and $1100 in his possession and was intoxicated. He was seen with an unknown man and “there can be no doubt that this unknown man got Hanchett drunk, murdered and robbed him, and then hung him to a tree.”
Other than a June 1st report that his uncle had claimed the body, there were no more articles about the unfortunate Mr. Hanchett. We are left to choose whether to believe the inquest results or the Denver News version of his demise.
