Connecticut western news., 1891-01-28
IS ROBERT RAY HAMILTON ALiVEf
A Newspapers Startling Theory That
 He May Have FeiRned Death.

the theory that Robert Ray Hamilton may still be alive. After reviewing the remark able story of Hamilton's liaison with Eva Mann, The Sun says: "Mr. Hamilton drop ped completely out of sight until the press again made 8 startling an nouncement-that of the death of Hamil- ton while on ranch in Idaho The brief est possible announcement of his death was made, and it came from intimate friends of the family. The news, when borne to his venerable and affectionate fa- ther, did not fall, apparently, like an over whelming blow. It seems almost as if it had been anticipated.
 The body was not brought home, the house was closed to all questioners, and no funeral notice was published until Oct. 6, thirty four days after the reported death, for the reason, as alleged, that Gen. Schuy- Ter Hamilton had been i'll for some time and had not had an opportunity to have the notice published.
 "Under the pressure of constant inquiry it was finally disclosed that in March last MT. Hamilton had made will in this city, and that late in the summer he had invited MT. Gilbert M. Speir, Jr, one of the execu- tors, to visit him in the wilderness of Ida ho. When MT. Speir arrived with another friend, MT. c. D. R. Moore, on the 5th of
 
 Hamilton's body had been found in the Snake river three days before.
 ''It was reported that Mr. Hamilton had left his ranch Aug. %, taking his horse and dogs, and had gone hunting and fishing alone, though he was unfamiliar with the region. Strangely enough, he took with him on his sporting trip his valuable gold watch and number of letters and papers regarding his litigation with his mistress or wife. When, on Aug. 27, his partner, MT. Sargent, came back to the ranch, he was told that Mr. Hamilton had gone hunt ing and had not returned. A searching party was organized, and on Sept. Mr. Hamilton's horse was found. The next day MT. Hamilton's body was discovered, and it was at once taken to his ranch and buried, because, as MT. Sargent says, he once told me that he would rather be bur- jed here if anything should happen
 ''It is remarkable fact that the body was found, not by MT. Sargent, but by MT. J. o. Green, son of Dr. Norvin Green, of the Western Union Telegraph company, another friend of Hamilton. On his way to the Yellowstone park he made detour to visit MT. Hamilton's ranch, found he was missing, and joined in the search for him. According to MT. Greens story, while looking along the Snake river he noticed Hamilton's body hidden under the over hanging branches of tree. It appeared as if it had been in the water four or five days, but MT. Green says he was able immedi- ately to recognize it: yet he particularly identified the watch and papers.
 "Mr. Green notified Hamilton's relatives at once, according to the statement tele- graphed in the dispatches of Sept IA last, and then quietly went on and continued his hunting sport. Although, according to this statement, the body was found on the 2d of September, MT. Hamilton's father in this city received his first notice of his sons death on the 18th of September! This was brought to him by another son, and he was so little interested Tn it, according to the interview printed at the time, that he could not remember the signature to the dis patch.
 "Two letters were forwarded to Sing Sing, giving what purported to be the facts in the case. One was sent by MT. Sargent to the attorneys in MT. Hamilton's suit to annul the marriage with Eva Ham, ilton, a marriage which his death annulled! The second was sent MT. Hamilton's urged that MT. Hamilton's body be not re- moved. MT. Moore said he knew that Ray had expressed wish to be buried here,' in Idaho. Why this strange wish? It is certainly most remarkable that MT. Hamilton's father did not receive prompt and full information of his sons death, and that friend of the family should have waited two weeks to notify him and then sent no particulars excepting by letter. Ut is peculiar that, instead of has. .ening home to tell the shocking story to the be- reaved family, both MT. Speir and MT. Moore decided to remain some time at the ranch, and MT. Moore, in writing to the brother of MT. Hamilton, said they staid because MT. Sargent seems to want us to. , Neither MT. HamiltOn's father nor his brother hastened to the west to bring the body home, leaving it to be buried at the ranch. As soon as MT. HamiltOn's death was announced MT. Vollmer returned from the west and produced the will, which was immediately presented for probate. As it made no provision for the woman claiming to be his widow she began a contest on her release from prison.
 ''The lawyers retained in behalf of the estate wrung from her the admission that she had sustained marital relations with a drunken vagabond before she met MT. Hamilton, and that therefore her marriage with the latter was illegal, and finally ob- tained her confession that the child she had presented as Hamilton's was neither his HUT ucIS I1cI CctSC W dS OulOWu OuO Ol court at once, and the surrogate decided that she had no claim on MT. Hamilton s name or fortune. Then came suggestive proceeding. MT. Hamilton's will was again presented forProbate, and the astonishing statement was made by the surrogate that the evidence of death was insufficient. Neither of the two men who said they had seen the dead body and recognized it was
 present. One of them, Mir. Hamilton $ partner in the ranch, was said to be showed up in Idaho; and the other, MT. Green, was in Europe
 "A commission was ordered to take the testimony of these two persons, and the end is not yet. If MT. Hamilton is not
 dead, he can now with safety return to his home and start in life anew. There are
 those who knew Robert Ray Hamilton we'll who have never believed for single
 moment the story of his death. They be-
 ieve he foresaw that his only and readiest
 way of escape from a most distressing
 situation was by hiding behind the shelter
 of an invented death. The tangle has all
 been skillfully unraveled, and, if living,
 the way of life for Robert Ray Hamilton is
 once more strengthened out before him." Rioting in Scotland.
 GLASGOW Jan 26-In riot between the railway strikers and the police at Greenock, {, | c 4 ~o~1s