The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-05-29
DID HE COMMIT SUICIDE =?
THE DIsAPPEARdNCE OF STUDENT
or THE STEVENS INSTITUTE.
John &. Putnam's Intense Application TO
study mud Remarkable sensItiveness-The
Boat that He Hired Found Ia Mid-River.


Boat that He Hired Found Ia Mid-River.
As party OF watermen were rowing
down the North River at about 10 o'clock on
Tuesday night they discovered vacant fiat
bottomed skin moored to the third shad pole of
tho foot OF Forty-second street. The oars had
been shipped and lay along the seats at either
side OF the boat. A Russia leather pocketbook
containing visiting card bearing the name
" John @. Putnam. Stevens Institute OF Tech
nology." six three-cent postage stamps. and
several tickets Of admission to Congress Park
were found on the stern sent. Near by a small
piece Of white pasteboard. on one side Of which
were printed in lead pencil the words:
Pense return this boat to its owner" and
on the reverse: Elysian Fields. Hoboken."
The letters we're In tremulous and almost H.
legbe hand. and had evidently been written by
person in n state OF great nervous excitement.
The mysterious boat was taken to the Elysian
Fields where 1t was recognized by Joe James
as his property. At about 10 o'clock on Tues
day morning he said. he hired It to a young
man who said he wished TO take an hours ex-
ercise. As the young man did not return. James
concluded that his boat had been stolen and he
was much surprised when II was towed to his
font by the watermen. boy who heard OF the
occurrence. and who was acquainted with Mr..
Putnam. hastened to the latter's boarding house
at 427 Gardner street. Hoboken. and informed
MIR. John Moore. schoolmate OF the missing
man. TINT he had probably committed suicide
Yesterday Chief Donovan and Coroner Wig
Sided with Ave OF his fellow students. II is a
fine brown-stone building. and is constantly oc-
eupled by the wee,thier ind more iorinnste
showed the officials TO Putnam's room. q large.
airy airy apnrtment IN the second story, A rlch
sayn ch rdos o H. .s nr he sr
seNeIa SnIoiihoS oh tie Wnlisi NhIW.A N.hI We ulack
walnut bedstead stood round library tab,e. on
capetiiy .prnnant ~ tb huraou y" ict,s1
rom mas, 20 iSr M Son, nhv pt,r M ~ ,sg
ns n vnI M /. auut ~ VIZ t son W s hS i
read as follows;
HoBoKtS, May 81, 1873
nv DEAR MornER Ihave been very busy lately that
s9uu no, @ NM ~. ue 70 wiis hau NY ,Ssu'f saen az Ill s5
stniyirs ~" k Tug sR W ys,,n tomorrow ~ Y gvc.
aud continue. Received Bcnnie's letter also pagers
Thanks Your loving son. JonN
| An irregular scran Of crumnled naner TINT
was picssd from the hoor contained the follow.
ing inscription; in separate lines:
| ~ ~ 4 ,,,s ,m s'' '''"' ''''S'u'e' N-'
Go to work.
| Go 10 hell
| go home.
lhaVe made serious mistake Life hangs on 1t
The first five lines had been partly erased. In
| putnam's trunk were letter addressed to his
| mother, and a brief note to Mrs Walcott the
| landady. The latter which was unscaled read
as follows:
. HohoKHs. May ~ isIa
i, phta NAphs 9u nave trusted me nhaiy ann az, an
81 much ,,oa,s 5., III sisrnrs5 ay,, @ ~ snNros I 4,
viii ever be understood or appreciated % had be tier
say little Ienclos $40 for washing aut board Please
DO me the Kindness 10 see that my letter 70 my parents
reaches mem' Yours Ae,' Jons q fvrSh
Prof. Leeds. whose lectures Putnam At
| tended, was found by reporter foI THE Sun
| yesterday in the laboratory OF the institute He
said that he was astonshed TO hear Of his pu-
| pills disappearance.
| Putnam" he continued. /" WAS a prominent
member Of the third or sophomore class in the
| Department Of Mechanical Engineering, He
| entered the college in the autumn OF 1871 and
| ever since that has applied himself with extra
ofeinary diligence TO his studies. His standing
| ine dsluslon thhi MS career was failure. and
MS en9rls i1tile. Inc most ZOE, consptcuons fen
He devoted himself exclusively TO his scientific
| exercises. MS worH was always done IN a snt-
| lslactoty manner put ns cu9ulu never pe IN
duced TO thlk OF himself. HIS proficiency in
tue subjects me ne studied WAS renarkablr. he Is
anatlVe ot Davenport Iowa. where MS parents
who are SAID 10 ne wealthy, reside. He was
~ years OF age. he hnd an hHecton ,ot the
eyes thM rendsted y iimpossihle i9r & hlm 10
read by ghsllght ana uils caused hlm much
annoyance. lie usually dressed neatly but not
IN SNOWY style ana when ne was was l9st seen ne
wore dark clothes ana SOFT lett hat
In hrsi Malcous $ p,,. house ths repofter iound
SIX sehoo!mntes ol futnhm ahN,pusly dIscuss-
ing the fate Of their companion. Joseph Procey,
one OF them' rtlnted an hnecdote illustrative OF
futnhms sensitive, ulsposlugrn', Durlng the
recluttion on chenmlstrY on ItuRy afternoon
last, boy asked froi' Leeds Mhether chlorlde
OF TN was noi the same MS putty powder. Put
nam, VINO had been nlcknamed Futty by MS
tempted r"ne,tlon on himself. ana became very
Indignant. FOR several DAYS pc ,urooded over
thtAln,ldrnt' ana frequently ASKED ms trends
what they would do under the circumstances II
the{ were Ia his plaIps. - .,,,,o. ,,.....,
We called MN futS, hho'her clhssnhte
explained. because he was z sticker. and TO
ms HtlcklnR quhltes ne proohny owes MS
death, Constant stuIy had undoubtedly de-
ranged ms nIlnu ne WAS mphomhnlac IN
one respect he trmy believed that every per-
son spoke unihvorRhy OF MN. NO matter what
topic was under discussion, ne took me most
lnnoceht REMARKS; tms most lule laughn'r. as
directed at hlmsrli. We hll houceu poor tutty
melanchoy ana 10 ulspel ~ II posslble, we
lnnde up a party ana invited MIN 20 20 with US
70 the tneadre We went 70 near Aimee. al the
fhrk. Al nrst' fuuy phld no attehtioh 10 the
| periormnhcs. out seemed % ne M suite OF
broiound ABSTRACTION, Inc song fretty rs
flc'urei n9WssNer' SCI MN on c4ul ulpirtly, ana
ne applhuuel 20 VIGOROUSLY anu prIslstrhuy'
that we feared the police would put us all out.
A. the iisl htnl"'lc ghihes Iul'S was 'h!ereI l9r
the mlle race ana re cainr on the trhck IN
tlghdS. some one uhue q JoHIhg comment on
hls ngure: ana ne lhthruiAteiy , prcaIne SO ue.
| JecWu tnh' NC WIS unnole W W run anu hhu u'
| OF ths plues lur Wrrk. ne usru 70 70 over "
BROOKLYN every SUNNY. hhd WIS lIrqnrhs AZ
tenaant at beecher churcn ana NJ tue lhher-
nacle. AIter ne returned IRON thrsee services,
ne would slt lor 1purs sHehuS fenHc1lhg on
|