The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1874-11-20
A SAD NARRATION.

another poor wretch had been added Il
the long list who have lost their lives by
the use of that fell destroyer, Rum.
The name of the person who met
such an untimely and horrible death,
and in such a desolate place, was
CHARLES PORTER, or as Others give it,
ENos PORTER He came TO this city
about two weeks ago, and was engaged
in selling soap for cleaning clothing. He
went about among our people, offering
his wares, and as his appearance denoted
poverty, he was generally well patron
lied. He had not been in town but a few
days, however, until he was seen in a
state of beastly intoxication. This was
his condition when last seen alive.
On Wednesday evening, RUDOLPH
HAHN, a son of Charles Hahn, the cigar
maker on Main Street, while hunting in
Hagerman's woods, up the river, discov-
cred the body of a man lying near a
fence with his head half covered with
leaves
A few feet from the body was an emp
ty bottle, and near by a hat. The man
was lying on his breast, with his head
half turned over His coat was lying
under him.
From some cause the boy did not make
an examination of the body, but came TO
town and told a couple of men whom he
met that ''there was some one lying up
in the woods either dead or drunk" he
didn't know which. The men said they
had no time to go to where the man lay,
and young HAHN went to a man named
WEIGH, and told his story. Together
they went to the place, and WEIGH
made an examination of the body, and
found life was extinct, as stated before.
They Immediately informed theCoroner,
Frank ]. Karst, who had the remains
brought to town, and deposited in the
Court House. The body was laid out
on board, the ends of which rested ON
two chairs. The scene after the corpse
was brought in beggars description. 4
large crowd had assembled to catch
sight of the remains. People pushed and
jostIed each other, and crowded so close
to the corpse that they almost pushed it
from the board Rude jokes and ribald
remarks were INDUCED in even by those
who had been companions of the de
ceased. The few lights in the room
threw ghasily glare over the same, and
gave it O wierd wildness that was sicken-
ing.
After some delay, the Coroner sum
moned a jury, and they proceeded to
their duty. Drs. Detwiler. Galloway and
Ballard, were called, and examined the
body, but found no marks of violence
upon it. They then made a post mOrtem
examination, but could find nothing
about his heart or lungs that would cause
death. After the physicians had finished
their work, a number of witnesses were
heard. The most of them identified the
body as that of Porter, the ''soap man."
He was last seen on our streets on Sat
urday last, and was then intoxicated
He had been in the habit, since he had
been about here, of staying in the woods,
near where he was found. There he had
a kettle, and cooked and eat what pro-
visions he could get. Porter had gone
10 l.a rrno1S ar Snn-
day, and took with him some oysters
and bottle of whiskey, and no more
was seen or heard of him He was a man
about thirty two Years old, five feet five
inches in height, and weighed about 135
pounds. He had dark hair, nearly black,
brown mustache, and goatee. He had on
a dark suit of cashmere clothes, much
worn. He also wore white over and I'M
dershirts. He was crippled in both hands.
Porter was sent to the Penitentiary
from this county in 1868 for burglary
he with others having robbed the house
of Claude Bouvier, in Marion township.
While lying on the board dead, his head
rested within foot of the place where
he had stood when Judge Mott sentenced
him to years confinement in the State
prison. Porter was from Mt. Vernon,
Ohio, where it is said he has wife living
Where he purchased his liquor no one
save him that sold it can tell. The victim
has gone to give an account TO his God.
but left no message behind that told who
sold him the poisonous liquor that sent
him from earth. We stood by the ply
sicians as their keen lancets were search
ing for other causes of death than that
of rum, and we remembered the many
prayers that had gone up to heaven for
such poor wretches, and for those who
trafiicked in the demon Drink, and We
thought that if they had needed the
kindly words that had been spoken, this
mans blood would not now be on their
souls.
After hearing the evidence, the coro-
ner's jury brought in verdict of death
from intemperance, want and exposure
The circumstances that surround this
mans death are sad to reflect upon. He
was in the prime of life; but intemper
ance, with its accompanying vices, had
weakened his constitution, brought him
almost to beggary, and so exhausted his
energies that he died miserable death,
nnheard in his last hours, and uncared
for by a single person whom he could
have called friend. The empty bottle
found near him was labeled "Hunkidori
Bitters," fit title indeed fer the contents
which caused the death of the unfortu-
nate victim.
There is no use in trying to smooth the
matter over by saying as one man said
to us during the post aortsm, that ''he
was a poor devil who was not worth sa-
ing anyhow" the fact exists that rum
was the prime cause of his death, and
some ,ChtSkey seller in FiRdLdy is in
great measure responibls for It.
A coffin was provided, and PORTER
was buried on Thursday morning in the
'potters' field" of the Cemetery.