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Keeping ahead
of termites is always a Preservation priority and when the OBCCPS
called an exterminator for a precautionary inspection, the man found
more than a the typical Isoptera buffet.
In
the shallow depths of the 14-inch space and a few inches below the
dirt, exterminator Dennis Hoffington found some charred wood blocks,
a dry and brittle old shoe, a small medicine bottle and a few other
objects he thought were worthy enough to bring upstairs.
Upon examination, three of the objects appeared to be human vertebrae
and another (yet to be identified) bone about four inches long.
Mr. Hoffington immediately contacted the police and the bones were
then sent to the Department of Public Safety’s forensic laboratory
in Austin.
Until the results (any results) come back, everyone is free to speculate
on who the man or woman is / was.
It’s
not the first story of bones under public buildings in Texas.
In Fayette County
the legend persists of shackled prisoners that were drowned in the
basement cells of the county
jail. Silt from a long-ago Colorado River flood filled the jail’s
basement, and since the silt’s still there, the story stays alive.
But in Blanco’s
mystery, there are bones.
Was it a stranger seeking warmth on a cold winter night? Someone
awaiting their court date? Or could have been a smart-mouthed bailiff
that cracked wise once too often? There are probably many people
hoping that the bones will reveal lawyer DNA.
In the meantime, Blanco
has a mystery with tangible artifacts. It’s the kind of story that
some small towns would kill to have.
See
Blanco
County Courthouse
Blanco, Texas
© John
Troesser
"They
Shoe Horses, Don't They?" October
24, 2007 Column
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