Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-25
DEATH IN THE RIVER
Body Of Edward A. Fiuegan Found
Near Long Bridge.
HAD BEEN A RAILWAY BRAKEMAN
Affecting Scene When News is
Broken to His Mother.
POST-MORTEM ENAMINArI rION

The dead body of Edward A. Finegan a
railroad brakeman, was found floating in
the river rear the south end of the Long
bridge about o'clock this morning. A rail-
read man on duty on the bridge made the
discovery. ard the body taken to the
rlorgue in the dead wagon. \ letter found
on him was the means of Identification and
later two railroad men. ]. B. Murdock and
Fowler, positively identified the body as
that of tineSan. The letter found him
bore the address, S17 Madison street, Alex
andria, and it was afterward learned that
he had lived there at his mothers home.
When Superintendent Schoenberger OF
the morgue reached the Virginia end of the
bridge he had considerable trouble in get
ting the body from the water. 1t was his
opinion that it had been submerged four or
five days. How the body got into the river
no one can tell, and the superintendent Of
the morgue was unable to find anything on
the body that would help him solve the
problem.
1 think he's been foully dealt with was
the suggestion Of a Jackson City resident
while a raj road man present suggested that
he had probably been knocked from a car
while on the bridge. Superintendent Scho-
enberger was not inclined to believe that
either theory WAS correct. If the man had
been Knocked off a train he thought there
would have been some evidences of it on
his person. And the same would probably
have been the case had he been murdered.
All the evidence of possible violence he
could find without stripping the body was
a dlscolorat!on of one of the eyes. but even
this, he said, may have become discolored
after death.
On account of the condition of the body
no one was able to approximate the mans
age but friends said he was about thirty
three years old.
Two Letters in His Pocket.
In an enveope found him We're two
letters, one written by young lady. The
other he had evidently written in answer
to the one received and had neglected to
mail it. In the letter received by him the
writer requested that he bring her several
articles and used endearing terms. although
ii contained a suggestion of a misunder-
standing. The young lady was particularly
anxious that he should call last Wednes-
day. She told him of what was going on in
his clrc!e of friends and also informed him
that a second letter would be mailed with
it. The second letter was missing De
votedly Kid was the way she signed the
letter.
In the unmailed letter written by the man
apology was made for being unable to see
her Wednesday on account OF an extra run
he had to make, and he stated that he
would see her Sunday. This letter was
written at Edsalls Va, and was dated Sep
tember 20 This letter was signed Low
ingly, Ed
slip of Paper.
In the envelope in which the letters were
found was slip of paper showing an ex-
penditure of a small amount of money.
This statement contained several items
showing the purchases of beer and whisky.
In the young womans letter she told him
not to drink anything before he called on
her Because of the statement on the slip
of paper and the words of warning in the
letter the authorities suggest that the de-
ceased had probably been drinking
Coroner Carr viewed the body this after
noon and concluded he would have a post
mortem examination made before disposns
of the case. This examination will be con-
Quoted by Deputy Coroner GlaZebrook.
!. Mothers Grief.
A Star reporter called at No S17 Madison
street. Alexandria this morning. An
elderly lady, giving her name Mrs. Jos.
Finegan, responded to the knock on the
door. On being told the story of a man be-
ing found dead near the Long bridge this
morning. and some of the particulars Mrs.
Finegan began to cry. eXclaiming that the
unfortunate man was her son. She piled
the reporter with questions and after hear
ing that a letter had been found in the
dead mans pockets addressed to +. a. Fin
egan No. S17 Madison street, Alexandria,
Va. from a writer who signed KID she
said there could be no doubt to the
mans identity.
Wringing her hands in agony Mrs. Fin
egan told a pathetic story of a wayward
son and a mothers devotion. She said her
son had been employed the Southern
local freight train, running between here
and Mite heiis station. Wednesday was his
pay day. and he was due at home Thurs
day evening. bat did not come and his alb
sence excited fears as to his safety. She
had not him since last Tuesday. when
he left usual for work.
Mrs. Finegan stated that her was
wearing working clothes. She thought he
had about $40 in money. She stated that
her son. Edward by name, was tWGnty-sev-
en- years old He about six feet tall,
medium build, fair hair and light mustache.
He had crooked finger from the effects
of a railroad accident. Her son was mar
ried about nine years ago, she said, TO
Miss Lizzie Cilmartin. The marriage, Mrs.
Finegan stated, had been an unhappy one,
and later a divorce had been secured. The
couple had one SON
AS 70 the theory that her son had commit
ted suicide, Mrs. Finegan thought it was
Her son, she stated. had since
kept company with a young woman in
Washington to whom the mother objected.
On account of this a secret correspondence
was kept up between the two the woman
signing her name Kid
She had often discovered these letters in
her sons pockets. Mrs. Finegan said, and
she always burned them The lady stated
that her husband, Joseph Finegan works
in Baltimore, at the works of the Edison
Electric Light Company.
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