The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-04
READ HIS OWN DEATH NOTICE.
Reporter Returns to the Club That
NIOurned Him as Dead.

Chicago Inter Ocean.
A short thick-set boyish-lookng man
walked into the room of the Press Club in
this city a few days ago, nodded pleasantly
to President w. w. Knox. and Immediately
began to make himself at home. The
stranger seemed much interested in the new
paintings hanging OH the walls, and he be-
gan a circuit of the big reception room, adj
miring the hangings and stopping for a
minute before each. His gaze was finally
directed toward a large photograph of the
Press Club monument in Mount Hopes Gem
which hung in black frames beside it. He
scanned the lists until his eyes rested on
the name of Frank r. E. Woodward. Then
he flushed and turned to trio who sat
spinning yarns near the center of the room.
You've made a mistake here. I'm not
dead, he said, addressing the president,
Mr.. Knox. The three men looked at the
man before them, but none appeared to rec
ognize him for a moment.
I'm Frank Woodward. You ought to
know me, all of you fellows he said.
The trio recovered from the pleasant
shock following this announcement. and
each jumped to his. feet and gave Wood
ward hearty handshake
Il see you've got me on the In Memoriam
list" he said, and all laughed. Woodward
was Immediately besieged for an explana-
ton of how he happened to be alive in con-
tradiction of the clubs records.
After explanations had followed President
Knox dug up some dusty records of the
club and presented Woodward with his
death notice. which was published in all the
Chicago papers of May &c. 1896. After this
notice nad been put into the cIuD RECORDS
resolutions regretting the death OF Mr..
Woodward were passed, and for more than
two years Chicago newspaper men had
mourned him as one dead. But Woodward
was very much alive. He announced his in
tentiOn Of remaining in Chicago and said he
would renew his membership where his
'untimely death ended it. In Minneapolis.
where Woodward formerly lived, are church
records showing that he had crossed the
dark river and that his friends mourned for
him at a full-hedged funeral minus one
corpse. which at that time eating sugar
cane with the insurgent army in the interior
of Cuba.
Woodward was we'll known as a reporter
in Chicago four years ago. About that time
he went to New York and became the
special correspondent of the New York
World in Cuba. He went to Santiago with
proper credentials and secret messages to
MaCeO, the Cuban leader. This was in the
spring of 1895. He was taken prisoner by a
gang of Spanish guerrillas while trying to
force his way into the interior to the in
was passed on him and his captors informed
him that on the next morning he would
cross the river StyX via the Mauser bullet
route. But Woodward decided during the
night that he was too young to die and by
hard work he succeeded in breaking away
from the guerrillaS and was soon out of
their way After riding several days he
Joined Maceo. delivered the messages he
carried and was made captain of Maceo's
staff While on a night march Woodward
ming a river A few days later, as he after
ward found out. an American bearing his
lost credentials was killed in battle between
the Spanish and insurgents. The body was
Spaniards. who reported the death of
Woodward at Havana, and from there it
was cabled to New York and all over the
United States.