University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 2005 Case of historical forensics : the identification of Rattlesnake Jake Susan M. Craun The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Craun, Susan M., "Case of historical forensics : the identification of Rattlesnake Jake" (2005). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 8907. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/8907 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Maureen and Mike MANSFIELD LIBRARY The University of Montana Permission is granted by the author to reproduce this material in its entirety, provided that this material is used for scholarly purposes and is properly cited in published works and reports. ♦♦Please check "Yes" or "No" and provide signature ** Yes, I grant permission % No, I do not grant permission __________ Author’s Signature: ^ Date: (o'T Any copying for commercial purposes or financial gain may be undertaken only with the author's exphcit consent. 8/98 A CASE OF HISTORICAL FORENSICS THE IDENTIFICATION OF RATTLESNAKE JAKE by Susan M Craun B. S. Oregon State University, 1988 presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts The University of Montana December 2005 Approved by: Dean, Graduate School _________ I Z - 3 -1- Q 5 Date UMI Number: EP39708 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI OisMrtation PuW«Nng UMI EP39708 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProOuesf ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 Craun, Susan M., M A. December 2005 Anthropology A Case of Historical Forensics: Identification of Rattlesnake Jake Chairman; Dr. Randall Skelton j< ^ ^ On July 4, 1884, the angry citizens of the burgeoning settlement known today as Lewistown, Montana, gunned down two men known as Charles Owen and Charles Fallon, aka Rattlesnake Jake and Buckskin Owens respectively. These two outlaws were buried in pauper’s graves outside of town. Approximately two weeks later, in response to protests of local citizens, the bodies were disinterred and dragged across the prairie, where they were unceremoniously dumped in a coulee. Dirt was thrown over the bodies and no graves markers were placed. Sometime in the 1920s or 30s, two skulls found their way to a display shelf at the Fergus County Courthouse. It was claimed that the skulls belonged to the two notorious outlaws. In the 1960s, one of the skulls went home with a courthouse secretary and the other went to the Central Montana Historical Museum. The one at the museum is claimed to be Rattlesnake Jake. The historical record presented Rattlesnake Jake as a white male, 35 to 40 years of age, with gunshot wounds to the head. After conducting the forensic analysis, the remains were most consistent with a male 30 to 35 years of age, of European and African American ancestries, with no gunshot wounds or similar trauma to the skull. Therefore, I concluded this skull might not be Rattlesnake Jake. 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank all the people who helped make this project possible. To Garry Kerr: Your wonderful, intriguing and sometimes morbid stories inspired this project. Thank you for continuing to teach facial reconstruction and casting class. Without it the world of forensics would not have the wonderful talents of Michele Hinojosa and many others. Nor would I have my wonderful concrete porch snake. To Dr. Randy Skelton. Your patience and willingness to listen and give gentle guidance helped me through the many rewrites, potholes, and speed bumps of this project. Your insight as my advisor and committee chairman has been invaluable. Thank you for your faith and trust in my education. To George Simonson, Margaret Seilstad, Nancy Watts, Sam K. Phillips, Jr., and all the other wonderful members of the Central Montana Historical Association at the Central Montana Historical Museum. Words cannot describe my thanks. Without your trust and curiosity, this project would be non-existent. To Dr. Kelly Dixon and Jennie Burroughs. Thank you for being members of my committee and being so patient with my procrastination. To Dr. Ashley McKeown. Thank you for pushing me to always strive for that next higher level. Your guidance and gentle patience have been invaluable and an inspiration for me. To Jennifer Sanders, Sarah has become a wonderful little girl under your tutelage and I would have never made it through grad school without you. To my other class mates and faculty/staff of the anthropology department that welcomed Sarah into your class and your hearts, we could not have done it without you. Thank you. To my wonderful husband and parents, without whom I would be lost. And to Sarah, this is for you. Ill TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. % HISTORICAL CONTEXT.............................................................................................1 FORENSIC ANALYSIS..............................................................................................12 Sex Determination ....................................................................................................16 Age Estimation .........................................................................................................20 Ancestry Estimation ................................................................................................. 22 Pathology and Trauma ............................................................................................. 26 FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION.................................................................................. 27 HYPOTHESIS.............................................................................................................29 MATERIALS AND METHODS..................................................................................... 30 INVENTORY..............................................................................................................30 SEX ESTIMATION METHODS................................................................................ 36 AGE ESTIMATION.................................................................................................... 39 ANCESTRY ESTIMATION....................................................................................... 40 PATHOLOGY AND TRAUMA................................................................................. 42 FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION.................................................................................. 42 RESULTS........................................................................................................................54 SEX ESTIMATION.....................................................................................................54 AGE ESTIMATION....................................................................................................56 ANCESTRY ESTIMATION....................................................................................... 59 PATHOLOGIES/TRAUMAS OBSERVED............................................................... 62 FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION.................................................................................. 67 DISCUSSION..................................................................................................................70 SEX ESTIMATION.....................................................................................................70 AGE ESTIMATION....................................................................................................71 ANCESTRY/RACE ESTIMATION........................................................................... 72 PATHOLOGY AND TRAUMA................................................................................. 73 CONCLUSION................................................................................................................75 APPENDIX A ..................................................................................................................79 APPENDIX B ..................................................................................................................80 APPENDIX C ..................................................................................................................81 APPENDIX D..................................................................................................................82 REFERENCES CITED.................................................................................................... 83 IV LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FIG. 1 Montana Historical