The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-14
GEORGE MATTHEWS
TOOK HIS OWN LIFE
Probably Thought That He Had Killed
Mary Jane Roberts
BODY WAS FOUND IN A RESERVOIR
ills Likely That on the Day That
Matthews Hit the Woman with the
Hatchet He Threw Himself Into
the Reservoir, Thinking That lie
Had Killed Her--Coroner Long
street Held an Inquest.


brutally assaulted Mary Jane Roberts
with whom he lived, about $50 o'clock
on the morning of Jan. 5. 1898, and
escaped, was found yesterday morn
ing.
Not alive, however, but an evident
suicide. A greater hand than that OF
the law had dealt with him.
Yesterday morning about o'clock as
William Langstaff, jr., was passing the
Langstaff reservoir, situated about o0O
feet north of the Diamond breaker,
he glanced into the water and noticed
peculiar object protruding about
three inches above the salm surface,
His curiosity was excited, and what,
at first glance, appeared to be cab
bage head, upon closer scrutiny proved
to be the top of human head.
He was Mortified by his discovery
and quickly notified Fireman Daniel
Logan, who tends to the boilers of the
breaker nearby. They procured a rope
| and a hoop and managed to fasten 1t
about the ghastly object and drew the
body to the edge of the reservoir.
In doing this they pulled the head
and shoulders out of the water. That
was sufficient evidence for them, and
sickened with the sight they left it
anchored there.
Mr.. Langstaff, jr., notified Patrolman
James Saul, who is on day duty at the
West Side police station of the grim
| discovery, and also added the opn-
ion that he believed it was the body of
the escaped colored man, George Mat
thews.
| AUTHORITIES NOTIFIED.
| Patrolman Saul notified Undertaken
William Price and Coroner Longstreet
and then went to the scene of the dis
covery, The coroner was away on an
other case and did not reach there I'M
til 10 o'clock. He Immediately empan-
elled jury and gave orders for the
removal of the body to Prices under
taking morgue.
The pool of water in which the body
was discovered under such peculiar
circumstances is about % feet in dia =
meter being circular in form and about
IA feet in depth. 1t is built in but not
covered and used to supply water for
the Diamond breaker boilers The body
when removed was tinted white though
the characteristic form of the fea-
|
coarse moustache clearly indicated
the negro.
Shortly after removal the face and
hands grew black and it was then a
simple matter to identify the body
which was fully clothed even to hav.
ing a fairly good pair Of rubber boots
upon the feet.
Coroner Longstreet held an autopsy
at Prices morgue last evening anC
there being no marks of violence any
where upon the body, decided that
death must have been due to drowning
At the junction OF the neck witt
the head livid mark almost an in
cision seemed to indicate slash of thu
throat. This, however, could be attri
buted to two things. First, to the rop'
used in pulling the body to the surfac,
and again to the possible fact that tn
dead man had tied a weight arounC
, his neck previous to plunging into tn
pool. His hands had the appearance
of having clutched at something jus
, as death intervened. The organs al
, were i'm a natural state, except tha
decomposition had set in.
The act of suicide must have fol
, lowed remorse for his vengeful dee,
which Matthews probably though
was murder when he pounded the hea
! of the woman on that fateful morning
in January when in jealous passion
| The man must have committed suicid
either that same night or the mex
, and the body had been concealed an
| partially preserved in the cool waite
below the ice during the two month
and eight days since the assault.
BODY IDENTIFIED.
Several persons who claimed the
had known Matthews in life identlfie
D him, and Lieutenant Williams, VIII
had had cause several times to arres
, him, was positive and as If to max
, such assurance doubly sure a paw
, ticket dated Dec. 81, 1897, and numbere
24,144 from Green's pawn shop, had tn
, name Matthews written on it, Thi
: was the only scrap Of evidence of th
kind about his person. The ticket calle
, for $3.50 on a silver watch.
? The dead man was about feet
9 inches in height, of a heavy, powerf
, build, and about 90 years of age, a
cording to a docket record at the tin
of one of his arrests in September, 1S9
, He had no relatives hereabouts, but
/, woman he called mother. resides or r
a sided in Poplin, w. Va, and he sa
she was formerly a slave woman. /
q was a comparatively sober man al
e worked quite regularly, being last en-
9 ployed as a teamster for Frank Ca
lucci.
, The assault was committed in Il
- lower rooms of a house at 9OS Jacks'
street. He had threatened Mrs. Ro
erts several times, being jealous of Il
attentions of another cOlOred mi