The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-10
CHASTITY EASTER STORY.


door. wasea oc4zs o. 10 saezat space
uFdsr fsss ies;. 8 ~4 shfsyiga this door
that swanson era @assf
sgrxss-s.. Fx~~y 1.x.
TIE chBrea IL opemes1 everv morning at
alout & o'esoek rs yseng mar named p.
Maloney. ara remains sren Until sis al
night sarxsa-s are held every day. and
II ~ common fo- peapfe 70 coxae and 20.
MaioneT recalls that one San6ay night.
two or three weeks ago. he thought be
heard sorne one waking around In the
choir ioft. but ne dsJ not give the matter
mich thought
Services were held az usual day after
day bur nothing unusual was noticed. IN
I'll Fridas afternoon whsn j. r. hoesit-
zei. me eaoirmastsr. thought he detected
an unpiea.ant oder. re could not locate IL
however ard did not think the matter
called for investigation
sHorror tueoser~d.
Yesterday afternoon the choir met at I'D
O'Clock 10 rehearse fer The Easter services.
Mr.. HoblsizsH was going 10 the stairs, and
as he % ssed the ieor which leads under
the loft be was impressed with the fact
faat the osior he had noticed tae day De-
fore was more pronounced. Thinking that
a rat had died ne pushed the door. which
was partly open. back. anil III snasca-
Holding the match before him he stuck ma
head into the dark recess. and Was horrf-
fed to see the dark form OF human being.
clad I'm oiaak. stretched out on the focr.
This was the eo2rce of the stencil. and ne
sf1radered al the thought OF what his dis
coyery might reveal. The choir was as
ssm5lea and waiting for him. He realized
that one word about MS awful discovery
would psecipisate confusion. VITA rare
presence OF mind. he called his brother
Harmon ard showed him the body. They
called their 5rofher-in-iaw. j. AFvnisage.
aside and revealed the situation. IT vas
then decided TO keep the matter a secret
and go ON with the rehearsal.
Staging senr to Death.
The other members OF the choir were n
complete ignorance OF the secret under
their feet. and entered into the singing with
heartfelt; sarneatness. Their leader, nersed
20 outward composure. exhibited no signs
Of the strain under which he iabored. inc
chorus OF sacred music filed the church,
crept out through the windows ana doors.
Finally the last note died away ans TIE
rehearsal was over. The members o. ths
choir left the church With good wishes ID
each other and hopes OF "a pleasant Easter
When silence reisned In the temple Mr.
Hobiitzeii notified the police Of ms az
covery. IL was then about s;M o'cloc.-.
Grief Reed and Detective Barbee were at
Pos;-InfellIgencer reported followed t@esn
kios.iy and then came Deputy Coroner
C. h. yandel
A candle was secured. and then COM
menced the Investigation OF The dark.
.iust.eovered timber-strewn chamber of
death The body lay about five feet from
th.. door and to the left. ii vas thar OF
man about feet inches tall, rather thtcS
sci and dressed II. dark. Weii-WoFi
clothes The face was badly decomposea,
and the hair had commenced 10 fall from
the head The hais Was OF Eight brownisp
color There was beard OF perhaps TWO
weeks growth on the face, ana short
mustache.
Position Of the BODY.
The body lay on the left side, and UNI
de. /, was an ole guuny sack. The RICH:
arm was thrown over and rested on the
edge or an old back slouch hat that
touched the head The left arm was ex-
tended downward and away from the
body. The legs were drawn up. the right
ankle resting on the heel of the left
foot The shoes were vel, worn, and
when examined IL was discovered that
plasterug had stuck &c the sole of the
left shoe. This proved that the man
had used his feet IN reaching his death
bed.
There were no signs of disturbance
or anything TO show THAI the body had
been dragged across the hoor. Boards
Thar lay ON the floor between the door
and body showed. no signs of having
been disturbed.
Appearances Indicated that the man
had passed away without struggle, and
Chief Reed and Detective Rarbee came
To the conclusion that the man, whoever
he was. had crawied into tha chamber
and died. The case did not have the
imprint OF murder.
n was different matter TO get the
body out and down the stairs. Finally
thls was accomplished. and then the
clothes were searched Letters Were
found In an inside pocket and then came
"A little bundle wrapped In a colored pa-
per. Detective Bsrbee opened the paper
ard discovered an empty ounce bottle
lsbe.ed "I.auasnum'' In one corner
We're the skull and crossboneE. II had
been purchased at Ciosson & kel,y'S
drug store. bu; there WAS nothing 10
show the da.e.
corpse Identified.
The body WAS removed 10 Bsi;terworsh's
undertaking roams ana there the inVes-
tlsaton did not reveal anything to work
against the theory that the man had COM
mitted suicide by laudsnttm poisoning
,'hies Reed examined she letters and soos
discovered that the body was that Of Alicx
Mcksy Swanson, who was recently re-
leased from the insane asylum at Stella.
coom. The peer fellow came 10 Static
from Everett at the time Heller Beach
1aw, the soprano singer. wRs here. lie
saw the bills giving her wonderful range
OF voices and became impressed with the
idea that he had suddenly been endow "a
by tiod with voice the superior Of Miss
Saws. lie called upon her al the Raj
n.er-isrand hotel ard sked her 10 hear
him sing. Sht received him kindly and
finally got rid Of him by giving him n
ticket "a her concert. He attended and
listened with rapt attention "a every note
Then he came 90 the roSt-Inte'ligencer
eisice ard iTrSssted on giving an exhibition
81 his ability. II was really painful ID
hear him sins. The next thing ne IA was
- take A room at the Everett house. on
Fifth avenue. near Yesisr way. He
SCARED every body In The house by singing
and yelling are. Finally Capt Sullivan
took charge 81 h N and he was committed
81 the insans asyium HE was recently
Felease1 and nothing more was heard OF
him un;il h.s body Was found yesterday
III had evidently oeen wandering about,
ha1 starved as piece of meat vas
fo1nd ir cne II his packets.
1h~ Bread Mans letters.