The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-03-27


Entire Funds, Gives Way to His
Despondent Feelings--An Awful
Hour Preceding Death--The Story
Told by His Wife.
When p E. Hayes went to his work
at 6:30 O'Clock Saturday, he found
corpse lying near the Minneapolis &
st. Louis track north of the city. He
sent word to Chief Yates, and the lat
ter, Coroner Paddock and FREE
PRESS reporter, with two muscular
railroad employees, manned a handcaI
and pulled up the steep grade. The
railroad men said that it was three
miles, but it seemed ten to the
neOphyteS who were trying to assist
on the rear bar, Before reaching the
bluff, and at a point between the
Omaha and Northwestern crossings,
the most desolate place on the entire
stretch of valley, corpse was seen
lying beyond the high barbed wire
fence to the left, seventy-tive feet
from the track. Investigation showed
that the throat was cut, deep incis-
ion about two inches long being ap-
parent below the adams apple"
well be. The figure had the appear
ance of some unfortunate tramp,
stretched on it's back, with it, head
toward the track and the arms out
stretched. The trousers were dusty
and ragged, the shirt and vest and
coat blood soaked, and the hat and
5 one rubber missing.
The coroner commenced the usual
search to find some means of identifi
cation, if possible, and the pockets
yielded up wealth of information on
this subject, which showed that the
unfortunate man was no wandering
Willie, struck by passing train, but
Mr.. Philip Lambert, the man who
took out the first ST, 900 license in the
city in order to start wholesale and
retail liquor establishment in the
building next to II. @. Akers' store.
In the pockets was found S26.2 "a In
money; handsome gold watch with
Elgin movement; certificate of first
citizenship papers issued in Cook
county, Ill.,, July IL, 1886; a note for
$500 given by The deceased to the
Pabst Brewing Co., dated Jan. 22nd,
1896, and evidently paid; a receipt for
81, 800 in payment of an account of the
deceased with Nelson. Brady & Co.,
Jan. 2lsU, 1896; and letter of recon-
mendation reading as follows:
CHICAGO, March 10th, 1896.
$40 Whom 1t Mag Concern:
The bearer, Mr.. Philip Lambert,
has been in our employ for some time.
We have known him for ten years and
we highly recommend him to anyone
needing his services, as he is indus
trious, hardworking and reliable.
JULIUS KESSLER g. Co."
The body was picked up and placed
on the handcar, ready to be taken
back to the city, and a search was in
stituted for further information. A
hundred feet up the track and on the
other side of it was found Lambert's
overcoat, and across the fence in the
edge of little pond of water and ice
was found his hat, and one rubber was
between the two. In the pockets of
the overcoat were found white silk
handkerchief, combination cork
screw and pry and knife, and a long
piece of rotten looking clothes line.
Bloody places were to be seen on the
ground in many places, showing that
the man had, after cutting his throat,
lived for some time. He had crawled
throught the barbed wire fence to the
pond of water and while washing the
blood from his wound there his hat
had fallen off. He had gone back and
walked up and down the track, and
finally gone under another fence to
the point where he died, He must
have lived some little time, and his
struggle wore his nearly new trousers
into rags, and turned his stylish
pointed shoes into rusty looking foot
gear.
The remains were brought back to
the city and turned over to Under
taker Klein, and Coroner Paddock
announced that the inquest would not
occur until nine o'clock tomorrow
morning. A number of witnesses
were summoned.
Mrs. Lambert occupies the front
rooms over B. Kohler'S shoe store and
was called upon by the reporters i'm
mediately after the return to the city.
She heard steps on the stairway and
came out and asked timidly whether
anything had been heard from her
husband. She had not slept during
the night and had. been to the tity
hall for information, as she had a
dread fear on her mind that some