Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1896-05-14
DIED FROM EXHAUSTION.
OVER THE HILLS FROM TIE POOR
HOUSE.

John Beltz-Ihe Long search Ihueu
Attempted suicide.
The worst fears concerning the man
lost from the poor house, John Beitz,
have been realized. His body was
found in the tailrace of the Griswold
mill on Grant river Thursday after
noon, May I. As told in this paper
last week the unhappy old man left
the poor farm Monday forenoon Of
last week and came to Lancaster.
Later in the day he travelled north
toward Grant river and was last seen
alive at Mr.. Drinkwater's.
Supt. Anderson prosecuted search
vigorously Tuesday and Wednesday
but could find or hear no trace of him.
On Thursday he came to- Lancaster
and asked for assistance. Accordingly
a searching party of about thirty men
was formed who proceeded to explore
carefully the hills and ravines of
Grant river Jas McGonigal with
that rare instinct OF being able to To-
cate and find whatever he goes after
that has made his name terror to
fleeing criminals said to one of Supt.
Alderson's drives: Take me to the
Grant bridge" After reaching the
bridge Mr.. McGonigal crossed it and
then followed the stream down the
valley. 1t appears now that he must
have taken almost the exact route
travelled by Beitz. About 500 yards
below the bridge and near the union
OF the tailrace and main stream,
tracks were found and then scraps of
a paper sack and half an apple. Turn
ing to the right and passing up the
race about forty feet he found the
little pail Mr. Beitz always carried
and in ii handkerchief, some bris-
ties such as shoema kers use and few
other trinkets. Mr.. McGonigal ex-
amined the pail and realizing that he
was no doubt in the presence of the
dead man, paused and looked about
him. Almost the first object that
met his eyes was the body of a man on
the other side, the north side of the
race. its feet in the water and lying
on the left side with face, and hands
clasped under the face, partially bur
led in the mud and slime.
Mr.. McGonigal's shouts brought to
him the other searchers, the majority
of whom had assembled for consulta-
ton at the waterworks engine house.
Mr.. Anderson returned at once to
town to notify the authorities and
have coroner's jury empanelled, while
others repaired to view the body and
examine the surroundings. AS the
party approached, water moccasin
that had apparently been the dead
mans only companion in his lonely
sleep, was scared from his watch and
slowly disappeared down stream.
The body was just under bank
and within fifteen feet of the road oyer
which Mr.. Alderson's team had passed
six times during the search. The
banks of the race gave evidence of
desperate struggle. The water is only
about foot or eighteen inches deep
but the banks are steep and muddy
On both sides were finger marks and
other signs of protracted efforts to get
out.
On the south bank near where the
little pail was picked up new dis
coveries were made. Here was found
a large black handled pocket knife
with only one blade about an inch
long, very sharp and ground to
point as fine as needle. Near it
was pool OF blood and scattered
about were tobacco sack, tobacco
box, snuff box, match box, stout
cane broken in two, and half pint
flask of whiskey about half full, un-
corked and within few inches of the
stream and little above the place of
the mans strugglos in the water. His
coat and hat were not found.
little before shutdown Justice
Wheeler, Attorney Lowry. DR.. Cronin
and jury composed OF Jos. Nathan.
Sr., J. S. Wright, r. Meyer, Jr., John
Muesse, Thos. Mcdonald. Jr., and A.
G. Morse arrived. The body was ex-
amined by them. Both wrists were
cut. In the left wrist large artery
Rad been opened while the right wrist
was only slightly cut. No other marks
were found. Several witnesses were ex-