Rock Island daily Argus., 1893-04-10
A LONELY DEATH.
\. ID. Milier's Body Found at Port Eyron
Under Strange Conditions.

\. ID. Miiier's Body Found at Port Byron
Under Strange Conditions.
Coroner Hawes was summoned to
Port Byron Yesterday to hold an in
quest on the remains of A. ID. Miller
of that place. whose body was found
on the railroad tracks and in front of
the Milwaukee depot there. at
O'Clock yesterday morning. by Ed.
O'Brien n laborer who was walking
along the railroad track. There was
nothing about the. body to indicate
that it had been run over by the cars,
and from the testimony obtained no
train had passed along since Mr..
Miller had come to the place where
found. and where he died apparently.
The body was found lying on its back
with the h cad towards the south.
There was confusion under the left
eve, and another near the right cor
ner of the mouth. The hands were
clinched and there were evidences in
the sand near by of the man having
dragged himself or having been drag
ged along to the place where found.
The clothing was wet. though par
tally dried. The head was hatless.
DR.. Block who examined the remains
said that death must have occurred
several hours previous to the time he
was found.
No Distinct Evidence of Violence.
The confusion noted. the doctor
said could have occurred from a fall
on a projecting rock. rs we'll rs from
n blow. A superficial examination
revealed no distinct marks of Vio-
lence, however. The probable cause
of death. the doctor held. was from
exposure to cold and wet. While the
evidence submitted went to show
that the marks in the sand near by
were made by the man in supporting
himself. there were those who held
to the belief that there may have
been foul play, notwithstanding the
absence of any evidence or notice
for any act of violence on the part of
any one toward the deceased.
When Last seen Alive.
The last person who saw MIR. Miller
alive was. .Corea Sheehan. n farmer
living six miles from Port Byron. who
called at Miller's shop Saturday af-
ternoon and engaged him to convey
him to lie Claire. on the Iowa side of
the river. in the latter's boat. The
two went into Shannon'S saloon in
lie Claire, where they each drank a
glass of beer. 1t was the last Shee-
han saw of Miller. At O'Clock sun
dav morning Sheehan was brought
back to Port Byron in a boat by two
men he did not know and landed near
the depot.
Probable cause of Death
Coroner Hawes and his Jury COM
posed of c. Z. Albrecht. Fred Cass.
c. c. Covne. ID. A. Malarkev. John
Schafer. Jr.. and A. a. Olin. heard
this evidence and also the testimony
of Stephen Allen and c. c. Coyne re
lative to the finding of the body, and
returned a verdict that the deceased
came to his death from neglect and
exposure to wet and cold" the gen
eral suppOsition being that he be-
came intoxicated while in LIE Claire.
and coming home by himself in his
boat yesterday morning got into the
water near the shore. and being
chilled by the wet, got only up as far
As the railroad track. where he was
seized with n chill. fell and died.
Miller was about 55 years of age, a
widower and leaves several children,
one son of whom lives in Port Byron.
He was tailor and ran little shop
in the town and often crossed over to
lie Claire in his boat.