GC8GWTM A Murder in Phantom Canyon
Type: Traditional | Size: Small | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: d.digger @ | Hide Date: 12/11/2019 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N38° 31.595 W105° 07.586 | Last updated: 06/19/2022 | Fav points: 0
                       

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Nobody knows the exact location of this dastardly deed. The cover of the container screws off, please don't try to pry it.

Wednesday Feb. 14, 1894 Florence Oil Refiner

Was It Murder ?

"On Friday [Feb. 9] afternoon the body of John Connors was brought to the city from John Day's grading camp on the F & C. C. Railroad with a note from Orman & Crook's [the primary contractor] physician stating that deceased came to his death from too much whiskey and exposure. The body was taken to Deibert's undertaking rooms.

Soon there arrived laborers from the same camp who said Connors had been murdered. This report set tongues to wagging.

The coroner was notified, also the sheriff. Sheriff Blythe came down from Canon on Saturday and from information gained the cause of Connors' death was laid to one Flynn, a walking boss, who it was stated had hit Connors with a pick handle. A deputy went after Flynn and brought him to town on Sunday and for safe keeping was lodged in the county jail at Canon. Dr. Black, of Pueblo, held an autopsy on Sunday. He found nothing that would lead him to think that death had resulted from freezing or whiskey, but instead found a badly fractured skull."

Saturday Feb. 17, 1894 Florence Oil Refiner

Connors Murdered!

"The inquest in the Connors-Findley murder case was held on Wednesday [Feb. 14] afternoon, and from the testimony deduced it appears that Connors received a blow from Findley, walking boss of R. W. Day's camp and that the fall produced thereby caused a fracture of the skull. Connors, after being knocked down, was permitted to lie out in the cold from 6:15 until 8 P.M. when he regained consciousness and was able to walk to his tent, where he died about 9:30 Saturday [Feb. 10] morning. The following verdict was rendered by the coroner's jury after about twenty minutes' deliberation. "That John Connors came to his death by a stroke or strokes given by one Sam Findley, with his fist or some deadly weapon, held in his hand or hands, the blow being given on the back of the head or temple, and the killing was felonious. And the jurors further censure R.W. Day for criminal negligence in not caring for the man, knowing that he was injured".

03/28/2020 By JAMElement3
Found 3/28/20 tftc

03/17/2020 By dondjay
545th cache found. I was up on my way to get Phantom Canyon cache as it was the cache's birthday, but the road got real dicey, so collected this one on the way back down. Warning, there is a homeless man in the area. When I got to the cache with Lucy (the four legged member of the team, he came out and was acting a little erratic, I didn't get a chance to sign the log as I was worried about safety, but I will be back a little later this spring to sign it. TFTH

02/02/2020 By gnopolos
Another fun hiding spot. A fairly easy hike. Dropped a shell and took something to move.

12/12/2019 By Room1009
Second to find at 7:39 AM. I pulled into the parking area at 7:30 and started up the faint trail. I saw some fresh footprints so I knew I wasn't the first one here. I spent a few minutes looking a few feet away from the hide, but finally worked my way over to the correct area. I had read the description in the truck and I jumped a little when I spotted the container. That's a clever idea! I saw that I had missed being first by half an hour. I followed the trail farther up the canyon, but it didn't go very far. It appears to be primarily a game trail. There were many mule deer in the area.

The Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad holds some special significance for me. As a young man my grandfather came out from Kansas to work on this railroad. The work was very hard and he didn't last very long in the high altitude. He walked all the way back to Pueblo where he was able to catch a train back to Kansas. Life was quite different 120 years ago.

Several years ago I was hiking somewhere near here and came across a lone grave. I wonder if it could be John Connors' grave. I'll have to go back through my photos and see if the photo is geo-tagged.

12/12/2019 By 9-rushman&farmgirl79
FTF a little after 7:00 am. I haven't been up this road in a while. Quick find once I got close. Thanks for the new hide d.digger! Interesting story about the murder.[8d][8d] SL TFTC TNLN