October 4, 1867 Texas A sick man wanders onto the lawn of J. S. Donaldson and dies before being able to reveal his name Without a name, the man’s family could not be notified to lay his body to rest. It’s likely the community or Donaldson paid to have the stranger buried and to erect…
Unidentified woman found murdered, grave erected in her memory
August 15, 1821 Bedfordshire, England An unidentified woman is found with her throat sliced The well-dressed woman’s body was found under a tree in Blackgrove Wood, “her throat cut in two places, and otherwise much mangled and bruised” (Jackson’s Oxford Journal. August 25, 1821). An impromptu stretcher was fashioned from a door to bring her…
The murder of Wild Bill Hickok
August 2, 1876 Deadwood, Dakota Territory (present day South Dakota) Gunfighter, showman, marshal, and soldier of the American Old West, James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok is killed while playing cards Hickok had apparently insulted Jack McCall the day before his death; McCall had hit a losing streak while playing cards and Hickok suggested McCall quit…
Man dies from eating library paste
July 14, 1908 Goldfield, Nevada An unknown man dies after eating library paste Little is known about the man, though the county physician found he was “nearly starved” when he ate the contents of a jar of library paste. The paste was primarily comprised of water and either flour or starch, which may have prompted…
Premature infant abandoned on porch
July 8, 1954 Henderson, Kentucky A premature infant is abandoned on a porch The newborn weighted only 2.5 lbs when she was found crying "like a kitten's whining" on a woman's porch. Doctors placed her in an incubator and police promised not to hold the mother accountable should she come forward within 24 hours to…
