The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-05-18
HE IS PROBABLY DROWNED
4 YOUNG MAN HIRED BLAKESLEE,S B0AT-HAS NOT BEEN SEEN SINCE.

Tue Coat Worn by the Young Man Found at the Bottom of the Lake-Did Not Abandon the Boat to Keep From Paying
 for It-Lake Will be Dragged.
 Lake Whitney has another mystery and one which may not be solved for several days, if ever. Whether there is young man at the bottom of this picturesque sheet of water or not is what has been revolving in the minds
 of the few people who are acquainted with the magre facts that give the air
 of mystery to the rumor that man had been drowned in the lake. This rumor was heard on every hand yes- terday afternoon.
 The fact that gives color to the rumor that a drowning accident had taken
 place is that on Saturday evening about
 o'clock young man, about eighteen years old, well dressed, wearing a blue serge coat and vest, light trousers and Derby hat, went to George Blakes- less's on the shore of the lake and ask ed to hire a. boat, saying that he wished  to go fishing. MT. Blakeslee had no boat at the time
 that he wished to let for fishing pur- poses and so stated to the young man, who said that he would not fish if he hired the boat and as a guarantee of fered to leave the bait that he had with him at the landing. The boatman told him that he could trust him and so let the young man have one of his best boats
 One cushion was placed in the boat.
 and there was carpet in the bottom.
 The young man, who had the appear ance of a gentleman, set off from the landing unaccompanied. He said that he would come back in about two hours.
 That he did not do so did not worry the boatman or Mir. Blakeslee, as it, is not infrequent that boats are kept out all night, but yesterday morning, when the boat was not at it's landing, MT.
 Blakeslee sent his boatman to look for the missing boat.
 No signs of the missing boat were
 seen until the Whitneyville Congrega- tional church was reached. It was floating about half full of water and abandoned. The rudder and cushion were also floating, but the oars could not be found. The revealing of tragedies has result
 ed from the investigation of less suspi-
 cious evidence, and the idea of tragedy immediately took possession of the searchers mind. He could find nothing
 more, however, to indicate that there had been anything of this kind during the night, and he returned to the boat- house with the boat. The finding of the boat and how it was rudderless and cushionless, with the oars gone entirely, was the theme of an early Sunday morning story. It was recounted to the young Blakes- lees who rode up to the place where the boatman said that he found the boat
 The young men were making a close
 examination of the shore, thinking that the supposed suicide had gone ashoEe 1 and then turned the boat adrift. when | one of them espied what he thought was man lying at the bottom of the lake very close in-shore. Further ex- animation disclosed the fact that the object was only the coat worn by a man and 1t was fished out of the water. Near by the carpet was found, also sunk. This was fished up and a. more diligent search was made, but nothing else was discovered. There was no mark on the coat by which identif1ca- I tion may be made. The color of the coat corresponded with that worn by l the young man who hired the boat. The | The Blakeslees are very sure that the young man did not abandon the boat 1 voluntarily, as he had no cause to hav- | ing paid for it's use before he left the l landing.
 | The police have not been notified that | any one is missing.
 | It was said last evening that the lake l in the vicinity of where the boat was | found would probably be dragged to- 1 day.