The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-10-07
THE WASDERER.
A Hoy That tH Claimed by Three Moth.

A Hoy That iS Claimed by Three Moth
| erx.
PiTrsnundiI, October Cone OF the mos
remarkable cascs OF mistaken identity TIM
Inns ever been heard Of in Western Penn
sylvania IL that Of tho boy who was killet
by a train on the Slh Of July lust at tit
Pennsylvania Railroad station At Johns
lown.
Innumcrable letters asking for dc
scription Of tho boy were received aud sew
cral persons visited Johnstown to SEQ II /
was their missing son WHO had beer
killed. Ofllesc persons no less than iou
we're positive that tho dead boy was the
one they were In search Of, and they
monrned for him with all parents sor,
row.
First the boy was supposed to he Johnny
Skclly, md the luther identified him as
such. 1t afterwards was shown that Mr.
Skelly wus mistaken. Then n Mr.. Wood
head said It was his boy Willie, and he
was very positive in the matter Of iden,iH
cation. The body was taken 10 Bristol
and was buried there by Mr.. Woodhead
In n few days Willie Woodhcad came
home III propria ptrsonts. lie had run away
and was very sorry and did not want any
more adventures Of that kind. Mr.. Sea.
burn, Il gentleman who lives in Sharon
was the next to claim the body as
that Of his son Eddie Seaburn. He had
the body taken out Of i,s grave at Johns.
town and after careful examination
was certain that his lost boy Ind been
found at lust in this sad way. The father
had all in readiness for funeral at Sharon
when his prodigal son also came home from
his wanderings in the South, and his dc.
lighted parents discovered they too had
been mistaken. A gentleman named
Daniels, OF Towanda, whose son frankie
has left home also, thinks the body is that
OF his boy and he has gone TO Bristol 10 in.
vestigate. The body had scar on the fore.
head and and one on the arm and bad pro.
truding teeth, and strangely enough each
OF the. four gentlemen named were certain
they were correct in their Identification be.
cause their boys were marked in a precise
ly similar manner.
The latest claimant for the body is Mrs.
Caroline korb, Il widow from Cleartield.
She arrived III Johns,own OH Thursday to
make inquiries about the boy.
The probability is that the remains,
which were removed to Bristol and re.
Inferred under such peculiar circumstances,
and subsequently re'exhumed by Mrs.
Seaburn, will be again disturbed, lis Mrs.
korb is satisfied that the victim was her
boy, and has expressed her determination
of going to Bristol ut once and having the
body taken up, believing that her mothers
instinct would recognize it, no matter how
badly decomposed it might be. Mrs. korb
visited Poor Director Early, Undertaken
Bloch, Miss Lizzie Skelly aud several other
persons who saw the deceased after the nc.
cident, and their statements have confirmed
her in the belief that he was indeed her
son. Mrs. korb started for Bristol las,
evening, but she may be too late, us Mr..
Daniels, the other claimant, was expected
10 arrive ut Bristol this week and remove
the remains to his home. ~
Mrs. korb isa German, and the MISSING
lad, whose name was Willie, was her only
child: In several important respects VIII
lies description tallies with that OF the TN.
known lad, but Mrs. korb says that he was
not much over twelve years Of age; while
the deceased was generally supposed to be
about sixteen years old. Mrs. Korb saws,
however, that Willie was quite large bow
and that, MS children always look larger
when laid out for burial tliun when in life.
she believes the Johnstown people were
mistaken. The points Of resemblance are
the complexion, hair, eyes, clothing, and
presuming MIR. Seaburn's story 10 be true,
prolruding teeth, scar OH the forehead, and
scared mark on one arm. The mark on the
forehead was made by large dog, which
attacked Willie when lie WIS i've Years old.
This mark was visible to Mr.. Seaburn
when he had the remains raised The
mark OIL the arm was made by red-hot
poker with which the flesh was scared by
some boys who were initiating Willie into
the mysteries OF Il juvenile "Odd Fellows"
society. This mark Mr.. Seaburn also
found. Mrs. korb says that Willie ran
away from homo in May last, and that he
was seen to board westward bound train.
She thinks he went to Fairmount, Clarion
county, as he had been there once before
and had worked in coal mine in that
vicinity. She njectuses that he had again
got tired Of the work, and while on his way
home was killed ut the station here,
Mrs. korb has as good case as any OF
the others who hare been so oddly mis-
taken, and perhaps better one. She iirm-
ly believes she is on the right track, mud
| her fuCe bears evidence NJ tha ltannoct