The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-01-17
"GOOD-BY MEN. IN GONE
THE OGEECHEE CANAL SUICIDES
LAST WORDS.

Coroner Dixon Receivers the Body-It
is Supposed, from Note, to be That
of William Reese, a Baltimorsan-
"Ten Ny Mother That l Was Acc
dentally Drowned" the Strangers
Last Requsst-Ths Story of the Wit
nesses Of the DrowninE-Who Fred"
is, Not Yet Found Out.
Coroner Dixon drove up TO the Ogeechee
canal yesterday morning and recovered the
body of the man whose suicide the day be-
fore was reported in yesterdays MORNING
News. 1t is believed that the suicide is
Baltimorean named William Reese as the
note he gave to the colored man, Titus An
derson, for Fred. near the market" bears
that signature. The note was placed in the
hands of Coroner Dixon last night. 1t is
badly blurred, and the name Of the strest
could not be dsciphsred. 1t reads as fol-
lows:
WEDNESDAY, Jan. IS, 1890
/ throw myself overheard. Please telegraph
to Mrs. g. NJ Reese, my mother, 2l9 - street,
Baltimore, and say | was accidentally drowned.
] send this note so It could be found.
WILLIAM REESE
Evidently the sit" refers to the suicides
body.
A DELIBERATE SUICIDE.
The negroes who were chopping wood
for Lovell's brickyard say that the stranger
came walking up the canal bank from the
direction of the city, and passing them
of half mile. when he
retraced his steps and came back TO where
they were at work, and told them that he
was going to commit suicide. lie said that
he had been walking up and down the canal
for the last six months looking for work,
and that he had made up his mind co give
up and drown himself. After telling them
Of his intention he went over nearer
the canal bank, and sitting down
on the gnarled roots OF
stump he wrots the note which is repro
duced above, and asked first one of the col
ored men, ard then another TO take it, but
none Of them would touch it. Shortly
after colored man named Titus Anderson,
living on the White Bluff road came along,
and the stranger persuaded him to take it
TO his friend, Fred, whom, he said, lived
near the market.
JUMPED INTO THE CANAL.
Having arranged to get of the message,
the stranger went to the canal, and taking
off his hat, coat and vest. threw them into
the water. and crying out "Good-by, Pm
6Ohu, JdulbCn AubO l4u Chud4s
It is hardly believed now that the man
took poison, as the colorsd men supposed,
but that the vial that he took from his
pocket contained ink, as the note was
written with ink. The bat, coat and vest
were not recovered, and the theory Is that
a fat which went down the canal sunk
them, or they were picked up by some
one.
The negroes who witnessed the suicide.
aft 80 L. =.
not come out of the water after the cold
plunge, approached the canal, and, peering
into the waters, turned terror-stricken
away es they saw the body at the bottom.
AFRAID TO TOUCH THE BODY.
They might have taken it from the water
and resuscitated it, but instead of doing so
two of them hurried to the city to re-
port the facts to the coroner. and
when they returned either the darkness or
their superstition impelled them to leave
the body alone. 1t was taken out about 10
O'Clock yesterday morning by the coroner,
and was brought to the city, and as no one
could identify 1t, it was buried.
TIE SUICIDES APPEARANCE.
The drowned man was between 80 and IS
years of age, about feet inches in stature.
and his weight was between $50 and 100
pounds. He had a rather long, light
brown mustache, and brown hair. both
slightly tinged with gray. He wore a
dark blue flannel shirt over a
white dress shirt, and a
white merino undershirt. His pantaloons
were Of dark goods, held up by pair of
pink suspsnders. He wore brown socks
with dark stripes running through them.
His shoes were odd, one of them was a but
ton shoe and the other a CATER. The only
article found on his person we're . broken
and an empty tobacco pouch.
STRANGE COINCIDENCE.
There is queer coincidence connected
with the suicide. An employe of one of the
when he read an account of it in
yesterdays MORNING NEWS, telephoned TO
Coroner Dixon that he feared it was a
friend of his, and he wanted to see the body
when 1t was brought to the city. Afterward
he saw it. but it proved that his fears were
unfounded. The gentleman's name was
Fred, and he had friend who in a fit of
threatened, if prospects did
not soon grow brighter, TO commit suicide,
and as he had not seen his friend for some
days, he was afraid the threat had been
carried into execution.