The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1891-10-08
RETURNED TO LIFE.
HOW A KANSAS MAN PLAYED A
TRICK ON HIS CREDITORS.

supposed to have been been killed
by train at the edge Of Newton,
Kan, four years ago, brings to light
one of the most remarkable cases on
record. Wood has shown that 1t is
possible for man to disappear in
such manner that no doubt rests
; 10 the minds of any one as to the
fact of his death.
Four years ago the track walker
on the Santa Fe road discovered the
dead body of a man lying beside the
track just east Of this place and the
body was brought to town where 1t
was fully identified as that of George
Wood, prominent business man of
that city who had been seen on the
track about where the body was
found the night before. The man
had evidently been struck by a train
and his face was torn of in such a
manner that it was impossible to
tell who it was in that way but the
clothing was that of Wood and in
the pockets were letters and pa
pers which fully established his
identity.
The size and shape was just that
of Wood, and the fact that Wood
was gone was sufficient to allay all
suspicion of it's being any one else.
A coroner's jury came to verdict
in very short time, which was that
George Wood came to his death by
being struck by an engine on the
Sarte Fe road. The affairs of the
man were in bad shape and it was
discovered that ruin was inevitable
in few days. This led to the the
DRY that it was a case of deliberate
suicide and it Was supposed that
Wood was driven to desperation by
his business complications and took
this means OF ending his worries.
Woods affairs were Strengthened
out by the county administrator and
his creditors were paid only about
20 cents on the dollar. AS he had
neither wife nor children, and as
there was no complications and the
matter passed from the minds of all
who knew of the case. The popula-
ton changed, and at present there
are few who know of the case at all.
The story was revived, however,
about week ago when a stranger
appeared in the city and went to the
coroner's office and began asking
questions about the inquest over the
body of George Wood which was
held four years ago. The present
coroner was not then a resident of
the county, but the records were
searched and the case found and
read with much interest by the
stranger. When lie had finished he
turned to the coroner and said:
IL am that man and the man who
died is stranger to this town"
He then told the following strange
story about the supposed death of
himself and the reason therefor
He said that one evening when he
was almost driven to desperation by
the taugle into which his business
had gotten, he was considering
whether it would be best to kill
himself and TO end it all or to face
che music or to fee and let the cred
itors fight for what he had. While
in this mood he came upon the body
Of a man lying by the track and was
struck by the fact that it was al.
most the exact size and shape of his
own.
The face had been 50 dtsGgured
that it was impossible to tell who it
was and the thought came to him
to change clothing with the dead
man and then 60 away. The thought
was acted upon ana he fixed the
corpse to represent himself and then
started west in the guise of the
tramp with whom he had changed
places. He went to Colorado and
drifted to Leadville, but could do
nothing there, so he went to the
San Juan country and finally to
New Mexico, where be was fortu-
nate enough to make a good mining
ceal and was soon on the road to
fortune. He worked hard and stead
lily and now has enough money to
pay all mis- debts and still has a good
business in the mining country. He
has notified his creditors and is pay
ing off all his old Indebtedness. The
authorities are looking into the mat
ter to see if he can be held on any
criminal charge for changing cloth
ing with the dead tramp, but there
ia no probability of his hair - o,yo,+