Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-05-18
PRESTON KING.
Recovery of the Body Ofthe Late Col
leetOr King of New York APP
Pearanee and Identification of the
Body.
From the New York Herald May ISL

No little excitement prevailed through
out the city yesterday afternoon upon the
fact becoming generally known that the
body of Preston King, late Collector of the
Port of New York, had been recovered.
1t will be remembered that Mr.. King com
mitted suicide on the 18th of November
last, by jumping into the river from the
deck Of the Hoboken ferry boat Paterson,
since which time until discoyered-justs six
months-his remains have lain in the
water.
THE RECOVERY OF THE BODY.
The body was picked up at the Atlantic
dock, Brooklyn, at five o'clock yesterday
morning, by officer Kenny, of the Allan
tic dock police. When first discovered
the body was drifting in through the gap
from Buttermilk channel, and was imme-
diately taken to the south side of the dock
near Masters elevator B. Here the re-
mains were secured, and Captain Thomp-
son notified. After making a superficial
examination, Captain Thompson became
satisfied that the body was that Of Preston
King, and started at once for New York
to communicate the intelligence to the
Custom House authorities, and, if possible,
to get some person who knew Mr.. King
to go over to the Atlantic dock and iden-
tify the remains.
APPEARANCE OBJ THE REMAINS.
The body was that of a short, stout
man, having on a black sack overcoat,
blue, s~wallow-tail undercoat with brass
buttons, blue pants and vest, and having
| on woollen socks and calfskin boots,
which latter were very little worn. The
clothes were not SO much decayed by the
water, considering the great length of
time they had been exposed to its destruc-
tive influence; but the toes of the boots
were completely worn away, caused, no
doubt, by the continual contact with the
sand and rocks on the bottom of the river.
The body was in a very advanced state of
decomposition, but was very little eaten
BY the fishes. The hair of the head had
all been worn off, and the flesh on the face
was partially peeled, but the eyes were
closed and some of the fingers had rotted
of. Under the overcoat and over the I'M
der coat was tied a twined string, of spun
yarn, which, being passed around the neck
and waist, united about the lower portion
of the chest. This Irvine had the appear
ance of having had something heavy at
tached to it, and is probably the same to
which was suspended the twenty-five
pound bag of shot which Nj. King had
fastened to his person before taking the
final plunge. The string had evidently
parted bv the motion given TO the body
by the tide.
IDENTIFICATION OF THE
The officers of the Custom House hav-
ing been notified, Mr.. Preston King Web
/ ster and Mr.. j. r. Lydecker proceeded to
the Atlantic dock, where they identified
the remains as those of the late Collector.
They recognized beyond the possibility of
a doubt, the clothes, the size and build of
the body, and also the contents OF the
pockets. The contents of the pockets con-
sisted of the following articles; A pair
of gold spectacles, a gold tobaccobox, a
pocket knife and an empty pocketbook.
Mr.. Webster and Mr.. Lydecker identi-
fed these articles as belonging to Mr..
King. Mr.. King was a large man, weigh
ing two hundred and sixty pounds, and
was sixty years of age.
THE REMAINS TAKEN To O-GDENsBURG.
After the post norton examination had
been concluded the body was given in
charge of an undertaken, who had it prop
erly washed and laid out. Mr.. Preston
King Webster will start in an early train
this afternoon for 0gdensburg, New York,
with the remainswhere the funeral services
will be held and the body inferred. Og-
densburg is the place where Mr.. King
was born, and where he always resided
when not employed in publis affairs.