New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-12-05
OFFICIALS HAVE A THEORY.
SEARCHING FOR A A WHO RESEMBLES
JOHN TOWNSEND.

CT Ah(f1lNU tEOh N MAN
JOHN TOWNSEND.
HE WAS At THE UNERAL OF II DEAD LAW
YER BUT HAS SINCE DrsAPpEARED-THE
FAMILY SAY THEY KNOW NOTHING
OF SUCH 4 NAN.
Thu police. in investigating the mystery surround
ing the death Of John Townsend, whose BODY was iounu
NJ tho foot NJ the Palisades, near Euglewood, N. D., q
week ago. attach a great deal of Importance 10 t"o
movements OF an unknown man VINO oea's seinN"e
resemblance to the dead lawyer. TINS man appcsfo.
In Engicwood on the day when the funerai WIS s'oppc"
by the coroner, and appeared In some aesreo w.ep
resent the family Of the dead man, but now the author-
,tles cannot and him, The family Of Mr.. TOWNSEND
declare that they have no knowledge OF such a per
son. and saw that no relative Of Mr.. TOWNSEND 10
sembled him so as to be taken for his double
The fact moreover remains that Dir. Townsends
douhye was in EnglewoOd on the Gay In ques''oh' ns
striking resemblance to the dead man was comnen'eo
upon by q number Of persons VINO were pfesc"' .
the time. This man appeared conspicuous by hs Pc
cul,,r manner and conduct in the presence OF the ON
cia,s who stopped the funeral so that an inquest could
no held. He strongly opposed the interference OF inc
officials. and asserted that 1t was a clear case OF SIN
eide. and for this reason he declared that 'hc an'horf
ties had no right to interfere. lie also severely up.
braided the newspaper reporters VINO were preseh.
for making what he declared was "a sensation out OF
notbinc., He refused to divulge his name to tho re
rorters hnt the undertaken, Mr.. Taylor. told some OF
tHe newspaper men that the man was one OF the TOWN.
sends: that he was a nephew OF the dead man.
Mr. Townsend's double was very anxious TO nave tne
body buried the day following the identihcauoh. DO
fore Coroner Hin arrived from Hackcnsack, the under
taker was asked what he was going TO 40 with tne
body. His attention was also caiied 10 te
hu,Iei. hole in the head. His reply was that he
..,x .rxl,io0 ahnuf the hulIet- hole. lie Dd0 DetU
ordered to bury the body and he was going to get
q ont Of the way as soon as possible. Soon after TINS
tho Coroner arrived and he stopped the preparations
for the burial.
"Tims Coahley. tho hackman who drove the stranger
from the Englewood station to the Palisades, on the
day Mr.. Townsend met his death, Is IN te employ "
the undertaken. COakey was not called upon 10
view the body although 1t was generally supposed
that he had conveyed the dead man in his hack TO tmo
palisades before the man met his death. Coahiey
said yesterday that the stranger got on Oh the tram
from New York, due at Englewood at l.:lo. TIC Is
positjvc that the man wore a dark overcoat anu q uerpS
hat and carried an umbrella. His description Of ths
non eorresuonds exactly with that Of the dead lawyer.
Coakley also said that when the stranger got out OF Ills
hack At a point on the Palisades near the new Cohven'
building, he noticed that he held his head TO one slae
as II 10 avoid Identification. lie handed CoaRicy mS
fare and then walked away without speaking a "oro'
The spot where COakley left the man Is a lonesome one
and Oakley thinks that not another person was III
sight at the time. He has been summoned AT the Ill
oueet which will be held tomorrow In Englcwood.
County Prosecutor Campbell, Coroner Hill ana .
number OF newspaper reporters closely examined the
scene of the tragedy. The stains OF olood on VP III
the cliff we're found to be fifteen or twenty iee' iro"
the edge Of the precipiee, clearly showing 'na' vi.
Townsend was that distance from the edge OF the oni
when the bullet was fired into his brain. FUN INC
fact that the bullet wound caused him to become almost
i-unaiaknIy rpcopscious N Is Thought uliItSfSunooiO
that he should have thrown himself over the ehn'
IL Is known that william, or " Buck Lyons, Us nc Is
Familiarity called, who lives at Fort Lee, ana WHO Is
engineer on the Fort Lee ferryboat George WASH
ngton, saw a man closely answering the aescrPuo"
Of Mr.. Townsend cross the ferry on the Frfdsy aiVr
noon of Townsend's death. Lyons said that ne hSa
seen the same man cross The ferry on a number Oh
other occasions. He noticed that the man had a pc
eular shaped nose, and that at this time he wore a
light brown oyercOat and o derby hat. lie hsd d
heavy mustacle. light brown hair tingei WIN gray
and mutton-chOp whiskers. Lyons sara the HAL aP
peared TO be middle aged, and when he saw the picture
Of Mr.. Townsend he concluded that IL was tne same
man who had been a passenger on his boat. lie haa
never spoken to the man. and did not know MS name.
The officials In their investigation are pcrplexed az
the contradictory statements made by the Normars,
father and son. The boy was the first to announce
Mr.. Townsend's death. His first statement was 10 the
effect that he saw an 0vercoat thrown from te top
Of the cliff and almost Immediately the body of Mr..
Townsend fall from the same place and strike among
some rocks at the base of the high precipice. Tile boy
has since made contradictory statements so that he
cannot be relied upon 10 tell Just what occurred at the
time. although IL is generally believed that he saw the
body fall.
The elder Norman first reported that he found a
dark overc0at hanging to a twig some distance down
the rocks. lie now says that he found the 0vercoat
wrapped up and lying on top Of the cliff and that a
- .---. 1-ipO ON nj n IA cn4t-
lie also says that an umbrella was hanging from the
limb of a tree on top Of the rocks.
II being generally believed that Mr.. Townsend was
murdered, the authorities are now directing all heir
efforts 20 tracing all the movements Of Mr.. Townsends
double. The supposition on which the officers are
working is that Mr.. Townsend left his home, at In
! wood. TO visit his favOritc resort, the Palisades. Ihas
He came down on the railroad to the Fort Lee Ferry,
| crossed the latter, and, as was his custom. strolled Over
the hills OF Fort Lee, to the Palisades. Meantime, 1t Is
believed that his double, being well acquainted with
| Mr.. Townsend's movements, started for the Palisades
rcttiuc on az the Engiewood station, hired Coakley to
| drive him to the Palisades, where the two met. II is
| reasoned that some one must have shot MI. Townsend
auH sstar exchanging overcoats with his victim. thrown
the body over the cliff and then made good his escape.
coat seen by James Haggerty, a boy, at about A;
O'clock on the afternoon OF the tragedy, was none othe;I
and 3 O'Clock when the man seen by Lyons. and be
ieved to be Mr.. Townsend, was seen walking up w
between those hours that Coakley arrived with nh
mysterious passenger at the Palisades. IL Is though
tie murderer would have just time TO have Killed hi
victim and to throw the body over ting Gun ana tneL
reach the point on the road toward Coitsviue wher
tie strange man was seen by young Haggerty.
The motive for the murder Is pulling the detectives
1T is conceded that Mr.. Townsend was not killed, by
a tramp or an ordinary criminal. The detectives
are working on the theory that the murderer wa
greatly interested in Townsend's affairs and that nj
murder was necessary TO serve q purpose. III va
said last night that New-York detectives Will be EN-
ployed on the case.
AN OLD MANS MYSTERIOUS DEATH.