The times., 1898-11-23
His IDENTITY A MYSTERY
Stranger Who Died Monday in
the Emergency Hospital.
WAS FROM CHARLESCOUNTY
brought Up ON Train Monday
Mornins-Man Who Accompanied
Him Refused to TniSe Charge of
the Body-Name Thought to De
in the Foot.

The body of Charles Roe, who was sup
posed to have resided in Charles County.
Nd. but about whom nothing is known
in Washington. lies in the morgue. await
ing buried in potters' fed, unless it is
soon claimed by relatives or friends. As
stated in yesterdays Times. Roe died at
the Emergency Hospital Monday morn
ing from exhaustion, due to loss of
blood from a gunshot wound in his left
foot received over a week ago.
Early yesterday morning the physi ians
at the hospital were notified by tele-
graph to meet the train from Charles
County which arrives at the Pennsyl-
vania station at S:31 o'clock. They had
the ambulance in waiting at the station.
The patient was lying on a mattress in
the baggage coach, and he was imme-
diately transferred to stretcher and
removed to the hospital.
A man. apparently blacksmith or me
chanical laborer, accompanied him and
said he would call at the hospital later.
An examination of the injury was made
as soon as the institution was reachtd
dition He was under the influence of
opiates, evidently administered by some
country physician, whose unskilful
treatment of the injury is responsible
for the mans death.
The wounded foot was wrapped in or
binary cotton waste, such as is used
around railroad trains to clean engines
and pack oil boxes. Just below the knee
4 sa1 yfrrf,T Tl.-
around the leg, evidently to check a
htmorrhage and when that was removed
II was found that gangrene had set in
The foot was in horrible condition.
On the left side great hole exposed the
ankle bone and tendons. which were part
ly decomposed and hanging out. From
the wound several deep cuts had been
made. evidently by the surgeon who ii 81
dressed IL, with a view of relieving The
Inflammation.
The mans overalls were slit up the
side of the left leg, and had evidently
not been removed since he receivd the in
jury. Besides the overalls he Wore car
digan jacket and a blue corduroy cap,
such as mechanics or railroad emp o. )
frequently wear. From his appear arce it
was thought that he was railroad en-
ploye.
He was in a semi-stupor from the ef-
fects of the morphine, and the physicians
reused him with difficulty. To one of them
he gave his name as Charles Roe, and
said that he had been shot in the foot
with the contents of a double-barreled
shot gun a week ago Sunday. Another
physician got his name as Dudley, and
ii is not known whether either is cor
rect
Roe was almost bloodless when received
rlN~
hausted that the surgeons had little hope
of saving him. Amputation of the foot
WAS decided upon Immediately. and the
operation was performed by DR.. W. p.
Carr. assisted by Drs. Glover, Morhart
and Thompson, of the house staff. Roe
was TOO far gone 10 benefit by the opera
lion, however, and died Immediately after
il.
The body was sent to the hospital
morgue, and few hours later the man
who accompanied Roe to the city called
and asked as to his condition. He said he
was a relative of the deceased. but did
not give any Information as to his iden-
tity or the manner in which he received
the injury. When asked what disposition
was to be made of the body he said he
did not know. He did not want ii HIM
self, he said. and the hospital authorities
might do with it as best they could.
He went away without giving mis- own
name or any further information. Yes
ierday morning the coroner gave a certi-
ficate of death. and the body was taken
10 the morgue. where ii now lies Unless
some one claims ii. it will be inferred in
a couple of days. in potters' field.
Roe is supposed To have come from
CoN's station, a small village on the
Pope's Creek line, near the Eastern Shore
of Maryland. This supposition is based
on the fact tnat the mattress on which
he lay while being brought to Washing
ton. was sent back to that place. No
other clew to his identity has been OBJ
tained, however and nothing has been
seen since Monday of the man that ac-
companied him.