St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-30
An Unknown Man Plunges
Into the River and Dis
appears.
The Deed Seen by Several
Witnesses and a Group
Of Children.
at a Late Hour the Affair Had
Not Been Reported to the
Police.
The Man Absolutely Unknown
Where the Body May
Be Found.

"Good byew This was the last ut
terance of very strange man as he
plunged into the river from scow
moored at the foot of Eagle street at
6:30 O'Clock last night. With the close
OF the day this singular-looking man
shut out the past in the depths of the
Mississippi. The mystery which sur,
rounds all possible clue to his identity
necessarily makes the account of the
suicide, so deliberately carried out, a
vague item of news. But these are the
positive facts and features OF the tragedy
and that they are will be clearly proven
when the police recover the body to-
day. tes .,
At $50 o'clock last night a man APP
parently thirty-fve years old, five feet
seven inches high. with an attractive
head of black, curly hair, brown SLOUGH
hat and dark clothes, was seen wander
ing down the Sioux City tracks near
Eagle street. He was particularly OBJ
served by Carl Johnson, the son of q
boatman, who is at present employed III
the wood yard which shuts off Eagle
street from the river Young johnson
says the man was talking to himself as
he stumbled along down the tracks in
the direction of the Eagle street cross
ing. Between the last woodpile and
the river several little girls and boys
were picking up chips near an old barge
which stands at the f0ot,of Eagle street.
Toward these
The strange Man
turned his steps. AS he approached the
group of chip gatherers they were seen to
run, young johnson still watching the man
from a distance. When the man reached
the barge he made several assuring remarks
to the frightened youngsters, and then
climbed over the barge railing and walked TO
The outer edge of the boat. From there he
calmly surveyed the water, then turned his
head about and watched If any one was ap-
preaching. Before him lay the eighteen feet
of water, which was open for a distance OF
forty feet to where the ice still extends in
tact across to the island. The little girls
and boys had crOuched behind the wood
pile, fearful of the mans next
act. All were terrified save one, who ven
tured out of his hiding 20 watch the stranger.
With the composure of a monk, the strange
man stepped to the very edge of an extend
ing plank, and turning TO the little fellow
who was glarng at him, said. "GOod-byeo
and Down he went-who? AT this juncture
| the children raised Cry and ran toward the
barge. From there they saw the man come
up three times as he fioated down the river
| The second time he came to the surface
his hands were clasped III the attitude of
prayer. They watched the body until 1t
reached the bow of the sanitarian barge. just
back of the ruins of the old flour mill ON
| West Third street, where it came up the third
| time and then sank The SLOUGH hat foated
down stream, being pushed by the wind over
| toward the ice on the opposite shore or the
island. There it will probably be found this
| morning.
The Body Lies
about thirty feet from the shore In direct
| line sonth of the bow of the sanitarian barge.
| When Carl johnson arrived at the scene of
| the tragedy, the children, dismayed and
| terror-stricken. told him all about it, and
| sure as fate he could see the hat moving
down dow toward the opposite Ice. Young John.
son told his father, who summoned Mr.. Par
| ker, q neighboring boatman. Officer Hoenck,
| of the Eagle street beat. was Informed OF the
| suicide and he in turn dispatched messen'
| ger to the police headquarters. Who is the
man? A GLOBE reporter met the MESSENGER
| while on his way to report the suicide to the
| police, and from him learned some
| of the facts. A careful investigation
among the families living in the vicinity and
| along the river bank, corrobOrated young
| Johnson's story ana the general belief OF
| those who heard the stories of the children
the actual witnesses of the affair. Mr.. John
| son is positive he can locate the body with
| ease and Mr.. Parker and others will assist in
graphing for it when the authorities make
their search. After bunting down the de-
tails of the fatality GLOBE reporter made
diligent inquiry among the hotels saloons
| and hangouts which harbor men who are EN-
| ployed in the railroad yards and the boats.
| The men about Scheffers hotel were moi
| able to say who of their number was missing
but granted that man of the strangers APP
| pearance was boarder at neighboring no
| tel The reporters search followed sc
shortly after the tragedy, that the lapse OF
| time between them, was not enough TO re-
veal the absence of a regular guest at these
hotels. at any rate, it is a positive fact that
Some Man Jumped
from the barge into the river with all hi:
| clothes on. 1t is also evident that he was
drowned. and that his body sank at or neal
the bow of the sanitation barge. and there il
will be found. AS to who the unfortunate
| man is, or what was his motive for such de
| liberate self-deStruction, no one, of course
| knows The recovery of the body will prob
ably clear the mystery. The statements OF
the little boys and girls who were interviewed
! by the reporter were frank and honest. Ont
| little girl said: 'Oh, he had black curly hair
and no beard, and his clothes were worn out
| He laughed kind 'er when he said good bye,
and seemed glad he was going in swimming
Upon later investigation it seems that the
police were not notified of the tragedy unit
very late last night.