The evening world., 1889-05-10
RIVER MYSTERY.
Who Was This Old Man Who
Watched the Sky So Eagerly
Ills Body Found Floating In the Gray
Waters at Dawn.
" Black Silk Slippers, Embroidered
with Cold" the Police Clue.

The body Of an elderly, gray.haired, neatly
dressed man WAS found in the North River this
morning and the question Of his identity is puz-
zling the police.
He has been recognized as an old gentleman
who strolled down to the dock at the foot Of
West Twenty-fourth street late yesterday after
noon, and who aroused comment alike by his
actions and his attire.
He wore slippers instead Of shoes. and they
were of black silk embroidered with gold.
He was a pleasant old man, and rs he sat down
on the dock and with rapt gaze watched the
shipping pass half q dozen persons followed him
with their eyes.
There was a smile on his haggard face. AZ IL
hope and despair wero having a conflict in his
mind. The people who noticed him wondered
The gray-haired old man watched the sun set.
II sank in the west as n blood-red disk i'll the
sky. Darkness came and the river grew dim
The old man fingered in the night, and some
one went to HIM and spoke to, him.
and paid no attention to what was said to him,
and the auestioner went away.
That was the last seen of him alive.
In the gray dawn. at = o'clock thia morning, q
policeman patrolling the North River front saw
some object floating in the water near the West
that it was nothing more than a piece of float
ing wood.
He stopped and watched il closely, and saw a
white face above the waves. In a few moments
he had a boat and rowed out to the floating
figure.
The man in the water was dead. The police
boat.
The dead man more q pair Of embroidered
slippers and was the gray-haired and unknown
old, man. who had been seen on the dock the
night before.
.Klittle line Of red blood trickled from his
right eye, which had been bruised by the tide
driving him against the spile Of the pier.
His face was plG cid and wore a peaceful and
resigned expression He WAS rowed ashore and
No card, or letter, or scrap of paper was
found in his pockets TO indicate who he was. II
he had contemplated suicide he had taken all
means to CONCEAL his identity.
Tho news OF the discovery of the drowned mar
was at once sent to the Sixteenth Precinct Police
Station in West Twentieth street.
The police memorandum read like this:
Al 5 o'clock this morning the body of a man was founC
He was about ffty-fye years old. D feet 6 inches ii
height, gray hair and chin whiskers, gray sack coat.
gray trousers, red stockings and embroidered slippers.
A reporter of The EVENING Would went &c
the dock this forenoon to see if the, drowned
| mans identity had been discovered. Two police
officers were on duty there. One lifted the
handkerchief from the dead mans face.
reporter. and the reporter mentioned a we'll
known name.
know the man You mean. " said the police.
man. noticed. two hours ago that he looked
this man is not. Otherwise he looks enough lik,
Many people have called to see him, bu'
none know him. One man called, looked at tn,
6 %sS % %Rd had Snd I he Tf in % We're f + wnf thfs 9f street, Tn ot'
A reporter called at the number gwen. Onl!
one old man lived there. and he was cheerily
playing %pinochle in the top story.