Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-12
SUICIDE OR ACCIDENT.
TAKEN TO THE ST. JOSEPHS
INFIRMARY TO DIE.

TAKEN TO THE ST. JOSEPHS
INFIRMARY TO DIE.
Mystery Surrounding the Death OF an
Unknown Ian-supposed to have Died
from Poison Taken at Lanes Boarding
HOuse-The COrOner's Investigation.
A stranger, weIl-d-essed and apparently
well-edueated, died at the st. Joseph's
Infirmary last night, it was supposed,
from poison believed to have been taken
at James Lanes boarding house on Bay
and Habersham streets.
A MORNING NEWS reporter learned
that the man had been taken
TO the infirmary in an insensible con-
dition BY direction Of DR.. Lincoln.
No one had been able to discover his
name. He was brought there in wagon
bv Lane. Coroner Sheftall= on being noti-
fed Of the occurrence. went to the lnur-
mary. and after making an examination
| of the body ordered that II be sent 70 the
| mOrgue, where an inquest VIII De helu
this morning.
feet eight inches in height and of slim
/ build. a moustache shaded the mouth
and the hair of the head was closely
/ shaver.
| MARKS THAT MAY TELL THE STORY.
There was a bruise near the eye, some
marks on the throat and other bruises
| about the body, suggesting the pos
/ sibility that the man had been
/ roughly dealt with, and that
/ the theory Of suicide was predicated upon
a somewhat fictitious story fabricated to
! conceal most diabOlical assault.
The reporter went TO the corner Of Bay
| and Habersnam streets, where he found
/ Mr.. Lane sitting near the private entrance
to his house smoking pipe very conpla-
| Gently and talking with his family. He
/ hailed the reporter and the latter IN
I qUired:
WHERE HE CAME FROM.
Scan YOU tell me where the stranger
sBne from whom you sent to the In
&mary tO-day%'
NsAliI know is that he was from New
York. 1 have some of his effects here.
A valise, such as dTummers carry, a num-
/ Der of tobacco samples and a memOran-
dunn book containing some orders that he
had taken at different places"
.'What kind of a looking man was hep
"a slim built. fair cOmplexiOned man,
about five feet eight or nine inches high,
with mOustache and his hair cut close
TO his head. He came here last Thursday
about night and asked for a room and
went to bed. The next morning he was
called and went out a short time after
getting up. He did not have much TO say.
That night he returned somewhat wet.
He said he had been on the st. Patrick
picnic and asked if he could go TO
his room. told him he could.
HABIT OF TAKING CHLORAL.
"He then said that he couldn't go to
| sleep easily and was taking chloride or
choral, ! am not certain which, and that
he wanted to take some then. He went
| into the bar and mixed the powders in
a glass and drank it. l didn't see much
more of him, as he kept his room most OF
the next day and didn't eat much. He
went in and out of the house, so l am
told. but on Sunday kept his room.
This morning l told the SER
want TO 90 and call him. when
word was brought nae that they couldn't
get him up. l went to SEE MIN, and, as
there seemed to be something the matter,
l sent for DIR. Lincoln.
SENT TO THE INFIRMARY.
'The doctor advised me to send him at
| once to the Infirmary, and l secured a
street wagon and sent one of my men
with him. That was in the forenoon. In
the afternoon 1 was Informed that he was
! dead"
ellis name was John W. JoHson-he
was at the Harnett House about week
before he came here, so L heard. have
been there and they told me that that was
the name he registered. He had been
drinking a good deal while there, and as
he kept his room a great deal, they
thought his conduct singular"
Mr.. Lane went on to say that he must
have drank a quantity of choral, as there
were a number Of empty bottles in his
room with that name on them from dill
| terent druggists. lone bottle" he said.
'.was labelled essence of lemon lie
must have bought the choral from diff
ferent druggists, so as to not attract at
tentiOn," continued Lane.
ACCIDENT OR SUICIDE.
$40 you think. he asked, that he took
an overdose by accident or with the Inten-
ten to end his troublesD
The reporter replied that he had no
theory to advance.
At the Harnett House the name
George w. Johnson, New York." was
registered on July %.
The clerk told the reporter that the
man acted strangely all the time while
there: that he drank a great deal and kept
his room so closely that hnally
Mr.. Harnett. fearing he might commit
suicide, requested him to leave. The yisl-
tor received the order in a manner which
showed that he was by education and
former associations perfect gentleman.
HIS sINGULAR CONDUCT.
"He seemed" continued the clerk, ''to
have been in the government ser
vice. One day boat was sent
/ for him from Fort Pulaski, but
an abcess had broken out on his leg and
he was troubled with rheumatism and
couldn't 90 down to the boat. He told
me one day that he had been to the Gus
tom house to get transportation to the
fort. l also got the impression that
he was drumming for the
Boston Bottle Beer Company, and that is
one reason / couldn't understand the man
and what business he was driving at.
A KNIGHT TESPLAR'S CARD.
"Here. - he continued. sis a card he left.
tits a knight Templar's card, with the
I name C. L. Herman, Westchester, u
/ sing sing, y. " 1t may lead to his iden-
tifcatiOn 1t may be the name OF friend,
or his own name. don't believe 'JOnsOn'
was his right name anyway"
CHANGED HIS DRESS.
The reporter ascertained that the stran-
ger. when he first came to Savannah, was
dressed in a light suit of clothes and a
/ checked shirt with a white necktie, and that
he was generally neat in his appearance
and very centlemanly in his man
I ncrs toward those with whom he
/ came in contact, and that one day he re-
I marked that he received his education in
Savannah. He was apparently about 81
or 40 years of age. The COrOner's inyes-
tigatiOn may throw some light upon the
strange case.
DROWNED AT QUARANTINE.