Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-04
B O DY I'D ENTITLED
The Man Killed on the Long Bridge Was
John Ellis.
Probably Jumped From the Nov ing
Tpain-Some Talk Also of
Foul Play.

This morning number of persons called
at the morgue, in rear of the sixth pre-
c.nct station, to look at the dead body of
man, and one of the callers recognized
him as John Ellis, but could give very little
Information about him. The dead mans
body was found near the north end Of the
Long bridge last evening about 40 o'clock,
and while it is generally supposed that a
railroad train inflicted the wounds, which
were necessarily fatal, it may be that the
man was foully dealt with.
Soon after the train from Quantico
passed over the bridge the switchman had
occasion to walk down the track a short
distance. and lying near the track he found
the body of the man, the right side of
whose face was badly battered and whose
skull had been crushed. The switchman
did not stop to make a complete examina-
ton of the mans injuries, but hurried to
the telegraph station and nOtifieu the Off
cials at the depot of what he had found.
Word was sent to the police, and arrange
merits were made for the treatment of the
nan at the Emergency Hospital, but when
DR.. Boarman. the railroad physician, reach
ed the scene of the fatality, he saw at a
glarce that life was extinct, and the body
was removed to the morgue.
Every effort made last night by the police
to have the body identified proved futile. 1t
was stated last night that the man had
teen seen with Charles Matthews of 43
Pierce street, but no such person lives at
the address given.
When the body had been removed to the
mCrgue the police started out to make an
investigation. 1t was not certain that the
man had been killed by railroad train al
though the police think that he was killed
in this way. The right side of his skull had
been crushed in. already stated, and his
right hand showed slight bruises.
His clothes Were not torn, nor was there
any evidence that he had bsen dragged by
a train. He may have jumped from q NOV
ing train. however, and landed against the
right side of his face and in this way his
hard might also have struck against the
ground.
There was nothing prepossessing about
the mans appearance. He wore rough
clothes, and his appearance indicated that
he had not enjoyed the services of bar
hef for some time. In mis- pockets the Of
several policy slips. --......
The presence of the policy slips in his
pockets made 1t apparent that he had been
across the river to Jackson City or AleXan-
dria, where gambling dives are permitted
to exist in OPEN violation of law.
Members of the crew of the Quantico
train that passed over the bridge only a
few minutes before the finding of the body
are certain that the train did not strike the
man, and the police have an idea that he
came across the river on the train from the
policy shops and jumped off while the train
was moving.
The person who identified the body as
man had once lived in Goat alley, but that
lately h had been spending most of his
time about the Central Union Mission.
Coroner Hammett viewed the body today,
but will probably wait until tomorrow be-
fore finally deciding upon what he will do.