, 1891-05-03
DEAD OR ALIVE ?
A Peculiar Controversy Concerning
a Gifted New Yorker.
His Friends Insist He Perished in a
Wyoming River.
Other People Think That He is
Still Alive.

1850
that OF the gifted young New Yorker, yet
there are those who will not accept this
decision as fnal and conclusive and insist
that Hamilton Is still alive.
The New York Sun takes this view Of
the case, and as the question is one of
great interest to a large number of its
readers, it is making an investigation on
its own account which will likely end in
clearing up the mystery.
Following the report of Hamilton's
death the members of the Hamilton and
Schuyler families of New York sent two
com missions to this state to get iniorrna-
ton about the matter. The first commits
sion returned with word that the ranch on
which Hamilton had been living, and
which was owned by a man named Ser
geant and himself, was inaccessible on &C
count of heavy SHOWS. A second commits
sion was sent out which has Just returned
TO New York with the testimony of three
men, who assisted in burying the man
drowned IN Snake river, and who were
positive the body was that of Hamilton.
They also identified positively the watch
and clo;hing as belonging to Hamilton.
Despite these apparently convincing
proofs a number OF people are still doubt
full. The Sun points out how the quss-
ton could be positively decided. 1t says:
MIR. Hamilton's teeth had been filled by
a dentist who, it is said. could have Iden-
tilted the filing; and this Is not unusual
or extraordinary testimony. Beyond this
Mr.. Hamilton had suffered a peculiar
compound fracture of the left leg, caused
BY a fall from a horse which he was riding
in the Central Park a few years ago,
which gave him a certain hating walk In
later years II the left leg of the body
found 10 Snake river by DR., Green, which
now lies buried on the Wyoming ranch,
showS-as a broken leg always must show
evidences of fracture, her it would be
safe to say that Robert Ray Hamilton is
dead. But it no such evidence is to be
found, it is safe to say hat Robert Ray
Hamilton still lives. There is but one
way to meet the difficulty. If Mr.. Ham
llton is dead, let his body bear testimony
to that fact"
The apparent Discrimination of those d.
rectly interested in the Identification of
the body to have a complete aud thorough
Identification is strong evi lence that the
body found was not that OF Hamilton.
Knowing that Mr.. Thomas Cooper of
this city had been 10 the vicinity of Ser
%geant's ranch at the time the drowning
occurred. a LEADER reporter found him
Yesterday and learned some interesting
facts concerning the affair which now
possesses almost a national interest.
Mr.. Cooper says hat at the time Of the
drowning aud recovery OF the body no
had no suspicious that all was not just
what 1t seemed, but when he learned of
other circumstances in connection with
the case he began to have doubts as to
whether any one was drowned at all.
When the accident occurred Sergeant,
who was Halnilton's partner, was away
from the ranch. When he returned aE-
ter an absence of a week and learned that
Hamilton had been missing for four days,
he instituted a search and sent Tor a party
OF hunters and trappers, whom Cooper
was with, to aid in the search, Hamil,
tons horse and dog we're found on a little
island in Snake river. Whoever had last
ridden the horse had killed an antelope
aud tied it on the saddle. Tracks we're
seen where the horse had stepped off the
island into deep water and where he had
scrambled back on the island. The saddle
with the antelope tied to it had turned
under the horse. The dog had STAYED
with the horse, eating the antelope. The
lody supposed to be Hamilton's was
found at the bottom of the river close by.
The spurs were caught in the grass on
the river bottom, preventing the body
from coming to the surface.
The body was very much decomposed
and mont OF the men who helped take it
from the river could identity 1t positively
as being the corpse of Hamilton. Ser.
gcant, however, said it was Hamilton.
BY what now seems a strange coincidence
DR.. Green. a New York friend of HCmil-
toms. came upon the scene and also said
the body was that of his friend.
Cooper says that Mrs, Sergeant thought
AT examination should be made to see if
the body contained any wounds or showed
any evidence of foul play, but her request
was UNDECIDED aud the body was buried as
found, with the clothing, boots aud spun
on 1t, just as taken from the river.
A ranchman living in the region who
knew Hamilton is positive he saw the
latter at Green River after the time the
body was found. A report was also re-
ceived that Hamilton had been seen ID
Australia.
To many OF the residents of the re-
gion who at the time suspected nothing
it has since seemed strange that a man SO
well connected as Hamilton, wealthy and
with wealthy friends, should lay buried
on a hillside in the Snake river valley
when his body could easily be removed
East, 1t has seemed strange that his
body should have been dumped so I'M
tremendously under ground dressed in
ranch clothes, boots and spurs by friends
like his partner and Dr.. Green. 1t has
seemed strange too that the body should
have become so much decomposed in the
few days it lay in the cold waters of Snake
river. MANY of those peoDle are now