Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-17
DROWNED IN EASTERN BRANCH.
The Body Of the Missing Pay Clerk,
Benz. A. Jones, Found and Identified.

The indictment found some weeks ago by
the grand jury against Benjamin A. Jones, the
defaulting clerk Of Paymaster Goodloe. will
soon be nolle pressed on suggestion of the
death of the defendant. The badly decom-
posed body Of the missing man was discovered
yesterday morning in the Eastern Branch near
the end of the Baltimore and Potomac railroad
bridge, not far from Bennings, by Capt. Smith,
the yard master at Bennings, who notified Ser
gesnt Mulhall A telephone message was at
once sent to Sergeant McCathran at the
substation in Uniontown. The corpse
was taken from the mud in the
branch and conveyed to the morgue in the
ninth precinct patrol wagon. At the morgue
the body was stripped Of its clothing and
placed on the table, to be kept there for identi-
fcation.
THE REMAINS IDENTIFIED.
The body was badly disfgured and the cloth
ing was SO muddy that the color Of
the goods could hardly be distinguished.
The articles taken from the pockets of the
clothing and stud taken from the shirt bosom
dlspelled all doubt to the identity of the
body and afforded proof positive that the re-
mains were those of the missing pay clerk.
Among the articles found in the pockets were
PAIR OF eyeglasses. pocket comb, 40 cents
and an advertising match safe that was distrib-
uted during the Knights Templar conclave last
October.
Mr.. Frank Schwartz, an intimate friend of
Joms, was satisfied after viewing the articles
mentioned that the body was that of his friend.
This morning Mrs. Jones and her son visited
Lieut. Kelly s station and identified the stud
and other articles taken from the clothing.
Mrs. Jones son viewed the body and further
satisfied himself that it was that of his step
father.
JONES DISAPPEARANCE ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
~ol
from his home, 76l It'll street southeast, on
Christmas day. He had been suffering from
neuralgia during the day and in the afternoon
he wrote letter to his wife before leaving
home. He mailed the letter almost within
sight OF his own home and was afterward seen
In restaurant on Sth street near the marine
barracks He was last seen going in the direc
ton OF the Anacostia bridge. That was after
dark and that was the last time he seen
allve. Between and O'Clock that night
three men on their way across the bridge
heard splash, but, on account of the darkness,
they could not see whether the body
OF person crosse to the surface or
sound, but two or three days afterward. when
they learned that Jones missing, recalled
the circumstance. The failure of Jones to re-
turn home that night greatly distressed his wife
and when she received the letter the next
morning she was fully convinced that her hus-
band had jumped overheard, for he wrote:
when this letter reaches you l will be cold
and stiff IN the Potomac dead
The splash heard near the bridge that night
was undoubtedly made by Jones jumping from
the bridge. The next morning Jones SLOUGH
hat was picked up off the arsenal point by the
captain of a tug boat
trlor to has disappearance his honesty had
never been questioned, but his accounts were
soon afterward examined and found to be
more than $1,000 short
CERTIFICATE OF DEATH BY SUICIDE
This morning Coroner Patterson investigated
the case and gave certificate of death by
suicide. In looking over the. clothing taken
FROM the dead mans body cuff was found with
Jones name written unon il