Pine, Cleo

Note: Not a mining accident death, but related to the mines because the body was found at the bottom of a mine shaft. The mining field yielded a death mystery shortly before noon Saturday when the body of a man identified as Cleo Pine, 30 years old, Neosho Missouri, was found at the bottom of the shaft at St. Louis Mine No. 11, at Zincville Oklahoma.

Claude Smith, 30-year-old, Zincville, an uncle of the dead man, was arrested late Saturday afternoon by sheriff E. E. Simpson and brought to the county jail to be held for investigation in connection with Pine's death. Smith is a hard rock lead and zinc miner employed at St. Louis Mine No. 3. Pine's body was discovered by workmen who had gone down into the mine to look after a water pump. They notified the authorities who immediately began an investigation. An inquest to determine the cause of the man's death was begun Saturday afternoon, but was stopped at 5 o'clock at the request of A. L. Commons, county attorney, who said he wanted the testimony of several witnesses who could not be reached then.

The arrest of Smith followed the conclusion of the inquest session. Smith's testimony was conflicting, according to Commons, who said he was led to believe that perhaps Smith knew more about Pine's death than he chose to tell on the witness stand. Pine is said to have arrived at Zincville Friday afternoon to visit a brother, Roy Pine, a machine man employed on the night shift at St. Louis Mine No. 3. So far as can be learned, Pine was last seen alive shortly after dark Friday in a pool hall at Zincville. At that time he was under the influence of liquor, witnesses at the inquest testified. He was well dressed and had a considerable amount of money in his possession. No money was found on his dead body, it was testified.

Dr. D. L. Connell of Picher hospital staff, who viewed body, said it was his opinion that Pine had been dead 12 to 24 hours. The physician said he believed that Pine was killed when he fell down the shaft. He said there were no marks of violence on the man's body.

The mining shaft is 6 feet square at the top, it was testified, and is enclosed. Testimony tended to show that it was impossible for a man to walk into the shaft. Indicating that Pine either had been thrown into the mine or had crawled or rolled under the railing of the enclosure while in an intoxicated or dazed condition.

Pine was in Smith's company Friday night. Both men were believed to have been drinking, officers said, advancing the theory that the two men may have had an argument which led to violence. On the other hand it was pointed out that Pine may have been too intoxicated to know what he was doing and fallen into the shaft after leaving Smith. Besides his brother Roy Pine, Pine leaves his father, E. M. Pine, of New Mexico; two sisters, Mrs. Clifford F. McGilvie and Miss Ethel Pine; and two younger brothers, Ivan Pine, 13 years old, and Eugene Pine, 10, also at Neosho. Funeral arrangements have not been made. The body is at the morgue of the Todd undertaking company.

An inquest into the death of Cleo Pine, 30 years old, of Neosho Missouri, whose body was found Saturday at the bottom of a mine shaft at Zincville will be concluded tonight at 8:00 o'clock before Justice of the Peace, Hattie Henderson, at Picher Oklahoma. No new developments have taken place in the investigation which has been under way the last two days by county attorney A. L. Commons. Several important witnesses, it is said, will testify at tonight's hearing. No funeral arrangements have been made.

That Cleo Pine, 30 years old, of Neosho Missouri, whose body was found Saturday at the bottom of a mine shaft at Zincville came to his death "by means unknown," was the verdict returned by a coroner's jury Tuesday night at the conclusion of an inquest before Justice of the Peace, Hattie Henderson at Picher Oklahoma. The verdict leaves unsolved the latest death mystery. Claude Smith, a Zincville miner and an uncle of the dead man, held since Saturday for questioning in connection with the death of Pine, was released from custody following the jury's verdict...The testimony of seven witnesses was taken at the Tuesday night, hearing, but no light was shed on the mystery of Pine's death and nothing developed to cast suspicion upon anyone in connection with his death. The jury deliberated less than 15 minutes. Funeral services for Pine will be held Thursday afternoon, at Neosho Missouri. The body will be taken Thursday morning to the home of Pine's brother-in-law, Clifford F. McGilvie, at Neosho Missouri.