Clinton County John Doe is a man who was found in Clinton County, Pennsylvania on April 4, 1925.
Case[]
The victim was found lying in the swampy part of Big Spring Hollow at 5:00 PM by Kingman Johnson of Farrandsville, Pennsylvania who was searching a suitable site for a hunting camp. The area is within Gallagher Township, Pennsylvania, about four miles west of Caldwell, Pennsylvania near the Samuel Swope farm, over a mile from the road leading to the Mohawk Hunting club, and between twelve to fifteen miles from Lock Haven. Johnson notified coroner John D. Bailey of his discovery. Johnson and Bailey, along with Undertaker J.E. Brown, Walter Conley, and another man named Simcox, returned to the scene and recovered the body.
Examination indicated the victim was deceased for several months and no violent marks were visible. People in the area and local members of the black/African-American community denied knowing who the victim was. However, some residents of Gallagher Township recalled a family from Kentucky passing through there last fall. As a result, it has been theorized the victim had ties to this family, wandered from the road and froze to death when trying to search for his family or a home. Him wearing three union suits would account for someone experiencing the change from a Kentucky climate to that of a Pennsylvania climate.
After a thorough investigation and a survey of Clinton County, Bailey determined an inquest was unnecessary. The victim was buried on April 8, 1925 at Dunnstown Cemetery in Dunnstown, Pennsylvania.
Characteristics[]
- Medium height.
- Two gold teeth in the front of upper jaw.
Clothing[]
- Gray coat.
- Black overcoat with black velvet collar.
- Blue-striped garters.
- Blue trousers with pin stripes sleeves sweater.
- Three union suits of underclothing.
- Black leather belt with silver buckle.
- Heavy wool socks.
- Tan shoes.