The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-12-21

OF tanRleu eTdpcNIHcs' hh chpip w
recover the hat developed the head
and face OF woman. Brown, some,
what startled, at once informed
Warden Wesley Reedy, OF the County
Asylum, having in mind the fact that
inmates of the asylum have sometimes
been found in the river at different
periods. :,
institution, Warden Reedy at once
surmised that the body was perhaps
that of Mrs. Louella Kcyser. He
made ready two boats, and, accom-
named by Brown and Clarence Mann,
an emplOye of the house, rOwed down
10 the island. They reached the body
at about 7o'clock, finding it entangled
! In the grapevncs, as described TO the
warden by Brown. 1t was very heavy,
recurring an effort upon the part OF
two men TO remove it to the boats.
| The hat only was removed.
Upon returning TO the asylum the
body was removed from the boats to
the Black Maria and taken TO the
house, where it was placed on "A
stretcher and carried into one OF the
rooms in the basement.
Having sheltered the body, Warden
Reedy notified Deputy Coroner Weeks,
who. with MesSrs. w. w. Taylor,
Barney McKeon, w. }. Dumphy, Of
the Times, and Others as a jury, drove
down to the asylum TO view the re-
mains. A FREE TRADER reporter had
Immediately preceded them.
The scene in the room Of death was
impressive. The body Of little woman
Law upon rough couch in the center
of "A brick-walled cell at the end Of the
corridor. About 1t were grouped the
coroner, the jury and half dozen or
more inmates Of the asylum. Then
John Henders, who had accompanied
the coroner, came forward. one look,
a sob, and kiss upon the cold lips.
He had recognized his daughter.
"DO you identify the body" asked
Deputy Coroner Weeks.
"Yes; it is my daughter, Louella
Keyser."
All eyes were upon the corpse. The
head was turned to the right. The
limbs were partially drawn up. The
arms were bent aud partially raised as
if she had struggled against death.
Beside her was the walking hat with
It's feathers. The dark hair chung in
great damp waves to the temples. The
black double-breasted jersey coat and
the green dress were there. Upon her
feet were neat shoes and pair OF
rubbers, evidently new.
1--WE will turn the body over to Mr..
Henders," said Coroner Weeks, and
the jury returned to Ottawa. Later
the body was removed to the home of
John Henders on La Sale street.
Louella Keyser kissed Maude Sand
erson goodbye at the corner of La
Sale and Jefferson streets at 8 o'clock
on Tuesday morning. She was seen
at the cemetery at noon. jacob
Christmann saw her at half past nine
in the evening. She was then walk
ing rapidly westward on Jefferson
street.
Her body had the appearance of
having been in the water about forty
eight hours. She had visited her
brothers grave. He had been drowned
in the Illinois river three years before.
Laboring under fear of her husband,
brooding over her unhappy marriage,
still grieving over her brother-the
companion of her girlhood-this
woman had evidently sought his grave
in Ottawa Avenue Cemetery on that
dark and rain-swept Tuesday evening.
Perhaps she sat beside her brothers
grave and wept. She had suicide in |
mind-perhaps she medtated self-de-
when she left her fathers |
house at 8 o'clock in the NOR ming |
How long she sat beside that grave no
one can know. Before the dawn she |
had leaped from the bank into the |
muddy waters Of the Illinois.