Jamestown alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1878-1882, 1881-06-10

DEATH BY DROWNING.
Joseph Weninger Meets this Fate in the
James River.

Sunday forenoon Joseph Weninger
and three other parties named respect
lively, Nash, Smith and Feltllam, were at
the river about'opposite the old Post Gar.
den assisting the town herder to get a
COW out OF the river. Alter this Lad
been done the four first mentioned made
preparations to 60 in bathing and Nash,
Smith and Weninger got into leaky
fiat bottomed boat and went out into the
stream, while Fcltham swan out from the
shore a short distance above. The thr, e
in the boat had got about half way across
when it begau to fill with water and sink,
and they were compelled to jump out.
Nash and Smith We're good swimmers
and it was supposed Weninger was a.so,
but upon getting into the water he grab.
bed Nash and they both went under, and
by the time the latter could loosen him
self and come to the top he was So ex
hausted he was compelled to swim ashore.
Weninge: did not come to the top again
and although Smith and Feltllam swan
around the place for some time nothing
could be seen Of him This occurred in
the forenoon about 10 o'clock, and as
soon as it was known In town that a man
had been drowned in the river crowd Of
men hurried to the place and soon doz-
en- or moro were ia the river diving for
the body The river at this point is
about 40 feet wide and from 10 to 1G feet
deep, and the divers could not find the
body, SO that it was not until 2 p. IN.
that all that remained of poor Wcninger
was brought to the surface by the aid of
a hook fastened to pole. He was at
once carried tn the court house and Judge
Steinbach, in the absence Of Coroner El-
mer, empaueled jurv consisting of
Messrs. McGinnis, Hotchkiss aud Frey,
who, upon hearing the evidence Of the
parties in tue river III the morning
and those who assisted in recovering the
body, returned the following verdict:
THE VERDICT.
TERRITORY OF DAKOTA,
COUNTY OF srUTsMAN,
An inquisition holden at jamestown,
in Stutsman county, territory aforesaid,
on the 5th day of June, a. d. 1881, be-
fore Anton Steinbach, a justice of the
p ace of said county, upon the body of
Joseph Wcninger, then lying dead, by
the jurors whose names are hereto sub
scrbed The said jurors upon their oaths
do say that Joseph Weningcr came to his
death by accidental drowning in the
J mes river.
In testimony whereof the said jurors
have hcreunto set their hands, the day
and year aforesaid.
S. X McGINN1s,
II. Z. HoTCHKIss,
j. j. FREY.
Attest: ...
ANTON STkINBAcH, Justice of the
Peace, within and for Stutsman
county, ana Territory of Dakota.
The deceased was man 20 years Of age,
medium height, painter by trade and
was working IN company with Charlie
Wood. lie was from Siratfori, Canada,
coming here about five weeks ago from
Fargo. lie was married but short time
before leaving Canada, and intended to
have his wife come out here soon. He
had been stea:ily at work since his arr-
val in jamestown aud was we'll liked by
all who had made his acquaintance. A
telegram announcing his death and ask
ing what disposition should be made of
body was sent to his friends in Canada
last night, and IN the meantime the body
is at the court house