The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-03-31
THE BODY IN A BOX.
Thought to Be That Of Oliver
Pike. Formerly of Seattle.
ONCE sTElLAcooMAr ATTENDANT
he Went Ont One Night in 1898 to se.
Friends and Has Never Been
Heard Of since.

chicago. March a.-Almost conclusive
proof has been adGucesi that the body of
the man found in the box recently bought
Tor unclaimed freight by Austin, H. spec
ulstors Is that Of Oliver Pike. OF Stella
COON. Wash, and the murder mystery IS
In a fair way 10 be solved Two persons
who had known the man intimately since
since childhood AND were almost constants
~ with him up 10 the time Of his departure
Tor Washington have identified the re-
mains. and after most exhaustive seraI-
tiny pronounce .he. cody that of their
friend and relative II the question of the
truss found on the body is answered susfi-
GENTLY, the deputy coroner will cffer no
further objections 10 the burial OF the body
by the relatives and viii take the proof as
ample
The Chscago express package sale. whic,
resulted in the discovery of corpse in a
box, which was shipped from salt Las,
to man named Morsan continues 10 at
tract attention all over the country. and
from the dispatches sent out 1t is plain
that there is a strong belief the corpse
is none other than Oliver Pike. of Seattle
The Post-inteiligencsr stated last SUNDAYS
morning that the police OF this city hal
no record OF a man named Pike having dis
appeared That WAS true. but al the same
time i; was equally true that Oliver Pike
accountable manner. and has never been
heard from. An attempt is now being
made In Chicago TO make II appear that
Pike was the man who disappeared about
the time of the death OF Commissary Saa-
die, al the SisilacouTn insan. asylum. and
who was supposed to be murdered. The
Chicago people have got things badly mix
ed. Pike disappeared in 1898. and Shade
did as much anyone to discover his
whereabouts. The man who was found
dead In Tacoma. and whose death was used
to make up a sensation which involved the
insane asylum officials. was named Bart
lett, not Pike. and hi, body was buried at
Tacoma.
Mr.. and Mrs. o. VI. Jones. who live on
Yesler way. in this city. know as much
about Pike as any people In the state. Ii
was Mr Jones' who saw him last. at
O'Clock on the afternoon of July 3. 1885.
when he started down town to meet some
friends from Port Blakeiey. and II was
Mrs. Jones who saw Pike write letters. and
pick up his violin box a few moments pri-
or to his going away never TO return.
Mr. Jones used 10 be an attendant at
the Steilacoom insane asylum. He
there when Oliver Pike worked there as
an attendant. Jones resigned and came
10 Seattle to live. After Pike left he was
in the habit of stopping at Jones' house
when he came TO Seattle.
vi loHi tiaeS pttVi u =. lcfv
Pike made his appearance at Jones house
on Yesler way. He had come. he said
from Everett. He told Mrs. Jones that
he had decided to remain in Seattle, and
took a room. He did not have his trunk
with him. but explained that ii had been
left by the steamer Mabel at Snohom'sh
through accident Thursday evening he
took Mr.. and Mrs. Jones TO the theater.
July 3 he remained in the house during
the morning and did considerable writing
at MIR. Jones desk. The remainder of he
time up to O'Clock in the afternoon he
spent stretched at fun length on the sofa
reading one of Dickens novels. \ short
time before o'clock he said he was going
down town to meet son.e of his old friends
from Port Biakeley. who we're coming over
to spend the Fourth. Before going he
picked up violin that he had left at the
house some time before, and remarked
that he would take II down town and sell
il. Mrs. Jones said he was In good Spr-
its when he went out on the street. Jones
talked a moment with Pike as the latter
left Pike said he was going to meet
some friends from Blakeley From thar
moment Pike is a missing man. His rela-
tives have searched. his friends have made
inquiries, but all to no purpose.
Mr.. Jones wrote TO Port Blakeley about
him. but learned nothing. Then he wro;e
TO MIR. Shade ai the insane asylum. Sha-
die Is said TO have reported the matter 10
one OF the deputy sherifs of King county.
No trace of the missing man was ever
found More than "A year after this Sha-
die died of apoplexy at the insane asylum.
1T is ridiculous" said o. NJ. Jones last
evening. TO try and mix Pike up In that
alleged scandal at the asylum. II is all
bosh | was at the asylum when he was
there and after We left he stopped at my
house 'Of course IL is a mystery what
became of Pike, but 1t seems to me Ike
going a good ways for sensation to try
10 mix his disappearance up with the death
of Shade and Bartlett. | think they have
Pike and Bartlett COMPOUNDED.
What do you think of the chances of
Pixies body being In that Chicago box"
Mrs Jones was asked
Il think there is about ore chance In
one thousand she replied. Il do not think
Pike was a man who would get into any
difficulty that would terminate in such u
manner He was a man Of good habits.
so far as we know. econornical, possessed
~ knowledge OF the world and well liked
bv those who knew him. He was about
; feet or 6 inches tall, rather tatck-set.
had very black glossy hair bright black
eyes dark complexion. black mustache,
and wore dark clothes.
Did YOU ever hear Of any reason why
Pike would want 10 drop out Of sight
NO. not one single reason He did not
owe A dollar mat know Of. ana Mr.. shade
urcts Us that he owned some property az
Aberdeen. free of membranes His peo-
f,ie have always been very anxious about
him. and We have written them IN 'inie