Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-06-10
GU Nd IN RIVER
An Unknown Man With a Stone
Tied to Him.
SUICIDE OR POSSIBLY MURDER
Little Clue to Identity From the
Clothes and Effects.
IN THE WATER FOR WEEKS

In the discovery of the remains of n man
found floating in the Potomac opposite
Georgetown early this morning the police
are mystified as to whether they have
murder suicide case on hand. The body
| was found floating a short distance west of
the Aqueduct bridge about o'clock this
morning by one of the crew of the tug
beat William H. Mohler, Captain Robin
son in charge. A line was fastened to the
clothing covering the body by means of
wire nail, and the corpse towed to the
wharf at the foot of 32d street, where it
| was made fast and the police notified.
The corpse was in an advanced state of
decomposition, So much that il was a
| ruatter of impossibility to determine if it
was the body of WhI:s or colored person
| 1t had been in the water for such IA long
| time that the feet had disappeared, and
also the hands, while but very little skin
was left the face and the whole top of
the skull bone was completely exposed
Coroner Carr was notified without delay,
and around IL O'Clock he visited the wharf
| and aftsr viewing the romans gave GER
tihcate of death probably due to drowning
| The dead wagon from the Washington
| Asylum was teiephoned for. The man was
| lying face downward III :he water.
DIR. l.. B. Glazebrook, the deputy coroner,
| reached the place shortly before ! clock
and proceeded to search the clothing in
| hopes of securing some means of id4ntiti-
cation, but with very little success.
The Clues to Identity.
From indications it looks as though the
! body had been in the water for fully
| month, while DR.. Glazebrook ventured the
| assertion that the corpse had been over
| board since March. This assertion is part
| ly borne out by the fact that the body was
tel eI,l th..n COLL of
| which was turned up around the neck OF
the man.
The coat apparently was of light brown
color, though the long soaking in the walter
and the Id and dirt had changed the
color to a si6erably darker degree. The
clothing of the body appeared to be of
black cheviot, the coat, pants and vest all
| being of the same color.
One suspicious thing about the body was
| the sight of a 1ope tied fast around the
waist. 1t was evident that some weight
was at the other end, for when the corpse
was moved by the rope which neld it fas;
| to the wharf, as soon the Juggling ceased
| the body 1oated back, as If pulled by
| weight.
| DIR. Giazebrook, in examining the body,
| cut the rope, and pulled up heavy stone
weighing in the vicinity of fifty pounds.
| The rope was about half an inch in diam
| eter and comparatively new. 1t was fast
ened around the waist with sort OF
sailors sipknot leaving end of per-
haps six or seven feet, to which the heavy
stone was fastened. 1t was wondered how
| the body could float with such weight.
According to the statement of the deputy
| coroner the drowned man was about forty
| five years of age, and judging by the pro-
portions of the nose remaining his color
must have been white. In life the body
| was evidently that of well-built man,
with a heavy set face, the lower row of
teeth projecting in front of the upper row.
| The teeth were in fine condition, almost
perfect. The color of the hair on the head
was judged to be brown, and the face was
| covered with about a days growth of
| whiskers.
| In the Pockets.
| In searching the body a pair of colored
| cuffs were found in the overcoat pocket,
| the material probably being a large-check
| ed madras. A key and a spool of fine wire
| was also brought out amid quantity of
| mud. Six or seven meal tickets at Gattos
| restaurant, corner of Sth and E streets,
| were next produced and q handkerchief,
| which was unmarked. From the coat peck
| ct small milestone and a razor Were
found each wrapped in piece of old news
| paper. Nothing found in the vest, the
| bottom button of which was missing. The
| trousers pockets failed to produce anything
| additional.
The manufacturers mark on the coat
of black bore the inscription IS. II.
| & s., Tailor made" A rundown collar
| was worn around the neck. and light
| cClored four-in-hand tie. The laundry
mark on the collar, in indelible ink. show
| ed clearly the number 2S1. The shirt bore
| the number of 16l2, but no other mark
| could be found it. The bosom of the
| shirt was of the same material as the pair
! of cuffs found in the overcoat pocket
Failing to secure any means of identi-
| fication DR.. GlaZebrook ordered that Il
| large box be sent in which to carry the
| body away. On account of its condition the
| remains cannot be kept, and will undouot-
| edly be inferred without loss of time
| North and South Carolina.
| Senator Pritchard and other North Caro-
! lini1pS civ IN md