The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1878-11-16

| MYSTERIOUS SUICIDE OF AN UNKNOWN MANOR
| Tuesday morning last, colored man named Bell
| while passing along Deals Shore on the south
side of the Middle Branch of the Patapsco, in the
18th district of this county, found the dead body
of an unknown white man lying a short distance
from the waters edge. He was about five feet
! high, and apparently thirty-fye years of age. lie
had a sandy beard and moustache, and wore a
| good hunting suit composed of dark and
under coats dove colored pantaloons, blue stock
ings and buckle shoes. Although attired as if he
had been shooting, no gun nor game bag could be
found.
The only effects on his person helping to carry
out the theory that he had been shooting were a
dog whistle and lot of No. ! pistol cartridges
found in his pocket, but these small cartridges, Of
course, could not have belonged to gun. Besides
these, his pockets contained buckskin purse con-
tanning German coin and a silver quarter, pair
of sleeve buttons made out of silver quarters and
enameled with the letter P. a horn-handed pocket
knife, French coin and baggage check on the
Philadelphia Wilmington and Baltimore railroad.
When found the body was. yet warm, and could
not have been dead over an hour or so.
Justice jackson, of Mount Winans, was notified,
and jury of inquest called 1t was found
that there was a pistol-shOt wound in the left
breast, just the heart, and the ball had gone
almost entirely through the body, as it could be
felt just under the skin in the back. There was
also bruise on the left arm, and another on the
neck Stranger than all, the clothing was wet up
to the waist.
The jury rendered verdict of suicide. Although
it was not so declared, it was agreed by the jury
that the man shot himself with small cartridge
pistol. The ball did not enter the heart, but went
very near it. The supposition is that he waded
out where the water was as deep his waist, so
that he might fall and be drowned if the shot did
not kill him instantly. 1t also appeared, judging
from footprints and other indications, that when
he fired the shot, which did not prove fatal, he
changed his mind and tried to save himself. So
he ran back out of the water and up the beach un-
til he fell from exhaustion caused by loss of blood.
Physicians says that the man lived several hours
after he was shot and evidences were found that
his death-agonies were intense. His identity is
still unknown
On Wednesday Justice Jackson went to the
baggage Office of the P. w. and BALTIC. railroad,
and presented the baggage check found on the
person of the deceased. The trunk was found, it
having arrived on Saturday. 1t contained a
quantity of clothing, on several pieces of which
the name "Wite" was marked in indelible ink !;
also number of photographs, among them one of
the deceased and one each of two men, supposed
to be his brothers. His own picture had been
taken in San Francisco, and the others in Nurn-
berg Germany. Justice Jackson will retain the
clothing and the picture of the deceased has been
left at the southern police station. Mr.. Emerich
the constable, will have the body buried in his
own lot at the Western Cemetery. The deceased,
it is thought, had only recently arrived from San
Francisco. Not scrap of writing was to be
found anywhere leading to identity the clothing
in the trunk was all new, nearly SO, and of
good quality.