The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-03
FINDS A BODY IN A SWAMP.
Alec Bcaubien Tells u story of C~hicago's
Postontce site.

From the Chicago Chronicle.
Alex Beaubien, who Is a bailiff at Har-
rison street police station. wears a uni
form and claims to be not only the oldest
man on the police force, but also the old
est citizen of Chicago, was standing AT
the opening i'm the fence surrounding the
site of the new postoffice one day last
week intently watching the workmen en-
gagged i'm driving the piles for the new
building.
We'll. well. II doesn't seem possible"
he soliloquized. that ! once found "A man
lying dead I'm n swamp ON this very spot.
No. IL doesn't seem possible. hut it's true
and the old man shook his head. while a
number of bystandors gathered close
about him., their attention attracted by
his audible soliloquy.
Alec noticed the gathering throng and
moved away, for dearly as he enjoys
spinning yarns for his friends, he seldom
talks to strangers. As he walked away
and turned towards the police station one
of the crowd. his curiosity aroused by the
u~tterances OF the old man. followed him.
At the station he found a friend among
the I'M officers and asked for an in
PRODUCTION. and, after a little persuasion.
induced the old policeman To tell his story.
The story ran as follows:
Yes, 1 did find "A man lying dead I'm "A
swamp where the new postoftice will
stand, and I'll tell you all about IL. IL was
tdth ll iut SDtlflk OF lN8N. Yes, / m posi-
tive IL was rs. ] was only a little shaver
then, but big enough to run around and
do "A little hunting in the woods about
what Is now the corner of Van Buren,
and streets and i'm the lakes and
sloughs down neal Twelfth street. Ny
father lived in a house down near the
river. All this will seem rather startling
To you, but it's all true. just the same.
We'll. one fine day that spring I went
out with my dog for "A little hunting. We
spent the day down in the marshy ground
10 the south and along abou; shutdown
] started for home. | had done pretty
well, for | had shot several ducks, and
as I was hungry / hurried as fast as
could. j took a road that would be about
Clark street Is now. My dog ran
sohead. chasing around in the underbrush,
AZ dogs will, but ! paid little attention to
him until 1 got down about where Van
Buren, street is now I heard him barking
loudly.
Il whistled for him. but he did not
come. and so i set out to look for him. as
he was a good dog and I was afraid that
something might have happened to him.
l started out on a run i'm the direction
from which the sound Of his barking
came. looking everywhere for him. My
steps led me toward the marshy little lake
which lay at a point which would now be
about the corner of Jackson boulevard
and Dearborn street. As l ran l called
10 him. and soon | heard an answering
bark out near the edge of the lake.
Il followed the sound. but you may be
SURE that ] stepped very softly. for we
used TO say that the edge OF the lake was
all ~quicksand. So ] made my way along.
jumping from hummock to hunmock. un-
I'll i finally saw the dog staining IN the
water and smiling at something which
lay in front of him. ! called to him. but
ne wouldn't bulge. and curious 10 know
what IL was I made my way carefully
along until ! got within a few feet OF the
object. and then to my surprise and hor-
ror I discovered hat IL was the body OF "A
man lying there in the weeds and rushes
at the edge of the lake.
For a minute | was TOO surprised 20 do