The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-10-15
IT WAS RAY HAMILTON
The Body Buried at Jackson's
Lake Disinterred.
PROOFS OF IDENTITY.
A Coroner's Inquest Held at the
Open Grave Five Days Ago

A U0rOueI AA4 uocV hoAu Nv VIZ
Open Grave Five Days Ago
s,--,e.l and Other Testimony SHOW Con.
.,u.,yeiy That tho BODY was That Of
u.pi,ton-B Buried with His Spurs On II
upse Box-Identiaed by the Teeth, BY
Fracture OF the Leg, and Other De
.,s,vs Evidence-Poinrul Rumors IN the
yor,hwest Finally Set at Rest-Drivins
through = snow storm to Perform this
last service-A Neglected Gravo-A Sun
R.,ort.r. Sent fron New York Settles
Forever tho Question OF Identity.
W.pKrrL LAKE Idaho. Oct 14.-Coroner Henry
Code Of Evanston. Uintah county. Wy. arrived
hereto.d day after journey OF two weeks du-
r,tion to Jackson's Lake In what is known as
J.c.son Hole in the northwest corner OF Wyo-
ming where he held an inquest over the body
,the late Robert Ray Hamilton OF New York.
Who was drowned in Snake River moro than q
rsar AGO. Tho story OF the last days Of Mr..
Hamilton, already partly known to the public.
is now complete
About tho 1st Of July. 1889. Mr.. Hamilton
hired rooms In the Noll Cottage at Atlantic
tity. He was accompanied by blonde woman
of middle age. a nurse. and an eight-months-
old baby On Aug. ~ there was quarrel be-
tween Hamilton's companion. then known
yariously as Eva Mann and Mrs. Hamilton. and
the nurse. Mary Ann Donnelly. The nurse
was seriously wounded in the abdomen by
Mrs. Hamilton with an ivory-handled dagger.
and Mrs. Hamilton was arraigned in court
upon charge Of felonious and atrocious as
sault Mrs Hamilton was convicted and sem
fenced to serve two years in the Jersey pent-
Tertiary. but was subsequently pardoned. Tho
nurse recovered.
Meantime it had appeared that Mrs. Hamil-
ton, previous to her marriage to Hamilton. had
led disreputable life. and that q baby. sup
posed to be Hamiton's was child purchased
for $40 to palm Off on Hamilton in order to in
duce him to marry the woman. Whatever the
facts in the matter really were. Hamilton. for
a long time. remained faithful to his wife. but
eventually brought suit to annul the marriage
contract on the ground that before his mar
rage his wife had really been the wife Of one
Joshua Mann. That she lived with Mann. and
had been known as his wife. was not disputed.
but to prove q legal marriage to him
was somewhat different While this
suit was still pending Hamilton fell in with
ono John Dudley Sargent. who said he had
been a stage driver in the Rockies and who
had tried Ito raise Shetland ponies on Green
River. Wyoming. ranch. and failed. but who was
then anxious to establish tourist resort
somewhere near tho Yellowstone Park" Just
how it came about it ia not known. but Haml-
ton and Sargent formed partnership. In
which Hamilton contributed the capital and
Sargent somewhat Of experience. and the two
cameto Market Lake. Idaho. and there secured
spsck train and went up the Snake River Valley
to Rixburg. thence through the Teton Basin
and over the Teton Range into Jackson's Hole.
then everywhere known as q resort Of horse
thieves and desperadoes At the north end Of
this valley lay Jackson's Lake. and on the
northeast corner OF this sheet OF water the two
pitched their tent and began building lodge
Of logs. They were to establish a hotel and
Quitting store at place where not a dozen
tourists passed in a season.
This was in June. 1890. and for some time
Hamilton dropped out Of the sight Of New
York people. The case at law had gone over
until October. and the public not unwillingly
forgot about the unpleasant details Of the
scandal attached to an illustrious name. So the
matter rested until the morning Of Sept. Is.
1890. when a despatch to The Sun from
Helena. Mont. conveyed tho startling intel
lgence that Robert Ray Hamilton had been
accidentally drowned in Snake River. In jack
sons Hole. some three weeks before.
AT first every one accepted the story as true.
Mr. j. o. Green. son Of President Norvin Green
Of the Western Union Telegraph Company. set
out to go into the Yellowstone National Park.
Entering by Beaver Cafon he turned south
and eventually arrived at Hamilton's lodge.
hamilton's people told him that Hamilton had
gone hunting. and had been gone some days,
80 Green started out hoping to meet him.
While camped below the lake. he fell in with
party OF tho residents Of tho hotel. and was
told that Hamilton was lost and that they were
searching for him. Thereupon Green under
took to assist In the search. and the next
day body was found lodged In the
branches Of a fallen tree In a bit of
still water in Snake River. which on
examination was found to be dressed In Ham
iton's clothing. to have watch and fly hook
belonging to Hamilton In the pockets. and.
moreover. to answer in every particular the
general description OF Hamilton. Although
the body was much decomposed. Mr.. Green
believed it to be Hamilton's and made
cath to that effect However. people be-
gan 70 take second thought and doubts as
!" The identity Of tho corpse arose. It is
Hus Sargent. Hamilton's partner. identi-
nsd the body, and SO did couple
Of Mormon workmen who had been en-
poyed about tho lodge; but people
began to question the statements OF these
men and not without reason. Thus ths briefest
possible announcement OF tho death Of the
'oung man was made ut the time the news was
ecelved. The story Of his death whom broken
@his father did not fall apparently like an
"efwhelmtng blow. Inquirers were told that
H.hsd no further facts to impart Tho fune-
'aaodce was not published until Oct 6. for tho