Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-08-25
IN THE DOCK
MILES ID. WILCOX, A PREssMAN,
ENDS HIS LIFE IN THIS WAY.
EFFORTS MADE TO RESuSCITATE BIN
Doctors Work Hard 90 Bring Life
Hack To His Body--Joe EDWARDS
fortunate Man Was Drinking.

"Old man. don't you want a vest?'
These were the words Miles ID. VIII
cox. well-known pressman. who had
for some time been employed With the
o. Il. Flanhart Printing Company. used
TO an old negro named Joe Brown yes
terday afternoon about half-past
o'clock. Old Joe was fishing In the dock
between Eighteenth and Nineteenth
streets when the sentence was adj
dressed TO him, and he looked up with
n modest mo. thank you. boss" and
saw Wilcox. who was somewhat intoxi-
Gated and coatless, and had pulled or
his waistcoat. and was In the act Of
handing the garment to the fisherman.
The darky kept on fishing. Glancing
around at his strange friend, who had
developed such unexpected generosity.
he saw him lay his hat and vest upon
block OF granite nearby and plunge
headlong into the dock. Joe set up a
shout that there was a man In the dock.
and the report was carried on down
the waterfront until It reached the ears
OF Joe Edwards. the expert diver and
swimmer, who ran post-haste TO the
scene and jumped in with his trousers
on TO save. II possible. the unfortunate.
who was then at the bottom OF the
channel Joe Edwards was not long
finding the object OF his search, and
soon a lifeless form was laid upon tho
north side of the dock and IL was In a
minute or two surrounded by a large and
indiscriminate crowd OF people.
responded. with DR. Hord In charge, but
while IL was being waited ror sugar.
barrel was secured and the body was
rolled on that in the hope that all the
water might be gotten out and llfo re-
stored. Or. Hord upon reaching the
scene, applied electricity TO the man,
who had ere then been recognized by
fully dozen persons as Miles d. Will
cox, the pressman. Every possible ef-
fort was made to revive the inanimate
form, but there was not a sign OF life.
The words spoken TO old Joe Brown
were Wilcoxs last.
The physicians finally gave up hope.
and Coroner Taylor was telephoned for.
He viewed the remains, and. as he did
not think an inquest was necessary, they
were turned over 10 the relatives of the
deceased for burial. While all this was
going on Joe Brown was only a few feet
away with a corn-cob pipe I'm his mouth
and one end of long line IN his hands.
He looked meditatively into the waters
below. but he was still fishing. A small
bunch OF perch flutterlng upon a stick
just under the surface ~ the water told
of his luck.
WilcoX's body was taken 10 Bliley's un-
dertaking establishment and prepared for
burial. His family which was composed
Of only his wife and himself, lived I'm tho
most sdualid of apartments over "A gro-
Gerry store at No. 1iS north Eighteenth
street. When Mrs. Wilcox was seen by n
Dispatch man after the drowning she was
almost I'm Mysteries. She said she knew
her husband was drinking and fell into
the dock. He had not been away from
her more than fifteen minutes when she
heard Of the affair. He had never spoken
Of killing himself and. she declared.
there was no reason why he should haye
desired 10 do so. Mrs. Wilcox added that
three children had been born 10 her ana
her husband. but that all of them wero
dead. She was sick. and had been ever
since last Wednesday.
The deceased was 81 years OF age. and
was a faithful worker. Ills funeral VIII
take place to-day.