The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1894-06-08
FOUND BELOW THE FALLS,
The Body Seen Floating in the River
Found Below the Great
Falls.
The Body Not Yet Identiied--Ar-
rival Of Edward Ryan from
Boulder.

Mention was made 10 THE TRIBUNE Ct
Thursday regarding the body Of a wom-
a n being seen floating down the Missouri
river last Wednesday. That evening
Harry Fitch, in company with Myron
Brown and another man, went down to
the river bank below the Great falls to
gather float wood out Of a slough fol- med
by the high water. As Mr.. Fitch was
pulling out a large piece of wood he no.
ticed a strange looking object close by
and, with the assistance Of a pole, turned
1t over and found it was the body Of a
woman. The corpse was swollen and
badly d%iscolored, making it almost al
impossibility to identify 1t. Mr.. Fitch
then blocked up the mouth of the
slough 81 that the the body would not
float away, and early Friday morning
came to this city to notify the coroner.
Undertaken Powers, Deputy Sheriff
Carrier, A. w. Paul and Kid Roach &C.
comranied Mr.. Fitch back to the Great
falls taking a coffin with them for the
body, returning to the city late in the af-
t%ernoon and leaving the body in Powers
undertaking room.
BY Fridays train from Helena Mr..
Ryan arrived from Boulder, as in his
anxiety he had concluded to come in
this section to find out the result of the
search for the body, and also il found
whether it was the n of his lost daugh-
ter.
The body was found to be that of a
woman, but the features by being
swollen could not be identified. On the
right foot was a black stocking and a
shoe, and on the body a black corset,
and ONE underclothirg. 1t was ex-
pected that il it was Mr.. Ryan's daugh-
ter, that she would be recognized by
some rings the girl was accustomed to
wear, and with the character of which
the neice Of A. w. Paul was acquainted
with. These were not found however.
Other ways Of recognition we're then
thought of, and Mr.. Ryan remembered
that the dentist at Boulder had formerly
filled his daughters teeth, and 30 last
evening he telegraphed to the doctor al
Boulder to send him a description OF
number of teeth filled, etc.
Later.
Saturday the body found in the Mis-
souri, was identified as that of Nellie
Ryan Of Boulder. Her father received
a description from her mother of the
clothes worn by their daughter and they
correspondent with those on the corpse
DIR. G. l. Jones also received a telegram
from a dentist at Boulder describing the
tooth, which was identical with the one
in the head of the body.
The remains were shipped to Boulder
Saturday afternoon.
The following are the particulars Of
the drowning Of Miss Nellie Ryan ano
her brother on the Goth Of April, while
attempting to ford the Jefferson river d,
Three Forks.
On Thursday, April 2G, Joseph Robin
son, Miss Nellie Ryan and her brother
Edward left Three Forks to go to 9
ranch some distance up the valley. Miss
liyan accompanied the party to visit {
sister, Mrs. Carpenter. They made thu
trip in a wagon with four horses. Wher
they reached the Jefferson they founo
the bridge washed out and attempted
to cross the river at a ford with which
they thought they were quite familiar
In making the crossing the wagon wal
overturned and swept away. Robinson
made an effort to save the young woman
but the swift water carried her ava,
and he nearly drowned himself. Young
Ryan was drowned almost Immediately
and three of the horses were also lost
Three weeks after the accident tn,
body Of young Ryan was found at Gal
latin City, about three miles from
the scene Of the drowning
but the body of Miss Ryan was no
recovered until Thursday of this weel
when it wal taken from the river below
the Great falls, over 200 miles from tn
place where she WAS drowned, beint
%thirty-fve days in the water.
> The disinterested action Of Mr.. Harr,
Fitch in refusing the 5000 reward offer
cd by MIR. Ryan for the recovery of thu
body Of his daughter, is highly credit
able to him, and will leave one ray O
sunshine in the now dark moments OK
perienced by the bereaved family.