Evening star., 1896-08-26
Floating Corpse Found in the Poto-
mao Near Great Falls.
IDENTIFIED rs N. c. WHEELER
A Young Employe Of the Smith
sonian. Lately Despondent.
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS

the Office of the controller of the currency.
The Identification was made by the father
of the boy, but the body was in such bad
state Of decomposition that the father at
first did not recognize the corpse. He.
however, recognized the silver watch which
was taken from the body of the drowned
man, and on closer examination identified
the Shoes stockings and pants which
clothed the lower extremities Of the float
Ing object.
Left Home on August 10.
The young man left his home at 1913 9Th
street Monday morning. August 10. at
o'clock, since which time his friends have
never seen him. He left his home with a
bundle Of laundry, and the last place he
was known to enter was branch laundry
house on 7th street. He left this place
at about o'clock in the morning. and
nothing more was known or heard Of him
until the identification Of the body this
morning. The father of the boy, who has
been anxiously searching for his where
abouts since his disappearance, after read
ing the description of the body found at
the Great Falls yesterday. felt quite GER
tain 1t was that of his missing son. In
company with friend, he started out in a
buggy this morning, only to find that his
suspicious were verified, and the body that
of his son.
Young Wheeler was not quite twenty -one
years of age, and his father attributes his
self-destruction to temporary attack Of
insanity Last September year ago,
while engaged in sport, the boy was over
come by the heat, his mind being affected.
He was confined to- the Bloomingdale
Asylum for period of three months since
which time he has been living with his par
ehts OF late his actions We're not unusual
n
all right again. The family has been liv-
ing at 1913 9th street up to a short time
ago, when they moved out TO Riverdale,
Md. Young Wheeler was attached to the
people who remained in the house, the fam
lily OF Mrs Hough, and he stayed with
them.
Farewell Note
Saturday the Sth instant. young Wheeler
called at the residence of Dr. j. T. Winter
on 9th street. The next day Dr. Winter re-
ceived the following message by special de-
livery mail:
Dear Doctor: When this reaches you l
shall in all events be resting beneath the
the river above the Aqueduct bridge
YOURS, NJ. c. WHEELER"
A Postal Card.
With the same mail Dr. Winter received
a postal card, in which the writer stated
mind. and to please take no notice of the
contents of the letter. Though DR.. Winter
received these letters Sunday afternoon he
did not tell the father of the boy about
their receipt until the following Friday
Mr.. A. NJ Wheeler. the father Of the boy.
Is considerably incensed over the action Of
the physician, for had he received the let
ters Immediately. he says, he could have
prevented his son from leaving his home.
as the boy did not leave until the next
morning. He said that when he asked Dr.
Winter why he had not been notified soon
er. the physician replied that 1t was not in
the line of his professional duty to do So
According to Mr.. Wheeler, DR.. Winter ac-
knowledged that the boy was not in his
right mind when he called on him Satur-
day afternoon.
Other Notes.
Monday morning Mr.. Wheeler received
the following postal card from his son:
Papa, 1 have not much strength, you
know. and 1 am not well. 1 am overcome
Your son,
MORRIS"
A brother Of the drowned boy, living at
Indian Head. Nd, received the following
the same morning:
Dear Artie: VIII you write to papa and
Rosebud, telling them that it is all right
with me. and not to bother. If you do not
want this bill, burn it,
Seemed to Change His Mind.
In the same mail both parties received
postal card. which stated: in the same
mail with this you will receive a letter
which was written while l was in an un-
fortunate frame of mind: please take no
notice Of it."
Where the young man has been since his
disappearance nobody knows. and no one
can tell how he reached the place where
his body was found.
Discovery of the Body.
The body was discovered by Thomas
Jackson of the Great Falls Hotel, and
from its position it was evidently clear
case Of suicide. The corpse was found
floating between two rocks in the first eddy
above what is known as catfish .hole,"
V fich is fully two miles from Great Falls.
ard at point near the river directly op-
posite the Anglers Club House Mr. lack
time, and as soon as he found the body he
notified Deputy Sheriff VIM. r. Embrey.
An Inquest.
Shortly after 5 o'clock yesterday after
noon an inquest was held over the body by
Justice of the Peace Luther NJ. Offutt.
me jury consisted Of Ernest Wheatley,
foreman: Harry Morgal Arty Fisher, E. G.
iodine. James Bodine, Thomas jackson.
Val. Collier. William T. Lynch and Richard
Andersen. There was no evidence outside
that Of Thomas Jackson, VINO discovered
the body. and verdict of death by drown
ing was returned.
Body in n bad State.
The body was in a terrible state Of de-
composition. and had evidently been In tho
water for ten days or more All of the
flesh had disappeared from the head. leav-
ing only the bare skull. The hands had an
tirely dropped off. leaving only the bones
In the arm o'
Means of Identification
The body was so badly discolored that ~
was hard to tell whether it was that NJ q
white or colored man. When searched q
silver watch. with the initials IN. G. W"
engraved on it. night latch key and three
car tickets were all that was found. and
these were turned over to the father this
morning. package of cigarettes was also
found In one of the pockets, though the
father stated that the boy never smoked
them.
For the Burial.
A rough box IVES constructed by Mr.
Bissett, and the Montgomery county off,
cials were to have inferred the boiy this
morning had not the father appeared on
the scene and claimed the body. Under
taker Wright was notified and he startad
out this afternoon for the Falls to secnra
the body. SSoAS