Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-04-19
WILSON'S BODY FOUND
MISSING CHESTERFIELD FARMER
WAS DROWNED IN THE DOCK.
THE REMAINS TAKEN OUT YESTERDAY.
u,. Wife, Son, and Nephews POSI-
lively Identify the Dccensed-More
rn.u 800 Found I'm the Pockets
DixprOvcs Foul Play.

\
Disprovcs Foul play.
The body Of John T. Wilson, the ,Ches
terrified farmer who disappeared 50 mys
teriously early in March, was foun'
floating in the dock yesterday morning
and is now lying at the undertaking
rooms OF Charles j. Billups. on lower
Main street
Professor ID. ~ yassar, Of the Rich
mond Theological Seminary, discovered
the body. He was standing at the foot
of Nineteenth street watching the work
men in their labors at the ship-yards when
his attention was attracted to an OBJ
ject slowly rising from beneath the
water OF the dock. II took him but a
short time TO discern that the object was
the body of human being, ana he called
for assistance to rescue the bOoy. Mr..
]. y. Stanfeld and VI. T. Bryany, who
were near by. responded to his calls, and
procuring a boat, rowed out to where the
body was floating and towed IL TO shore,
| where a large crowd soon c0ngregatcd.
| Among those who viewed the remains
was Mr.. W. r. Johns, an engineer at the
| tobacco factory of MIR. w. L. Hancock.
and he at once identified i as the body
Of his uncle, John T. Wilson, for whom
search had been made throughout VIZ
! gina.
THE BODY SEARCHED.
Coroner Taylor was summoned and soon
| responding. ordered the body removed 10
| Billups's undertaking rooms. There
search was made and II was found that
| the deceased wore calfskin boots that
had been half soed; two pairs OF pants,
blue in color. the under pair worn at the
bottom and torn at the knee blue coat
and vest. black tie. white shirt, ce'luloid
collar and Undertaking. In the trousers
pocket was found a black leather pocket
book with clasp. containing several dollars
in silver and a large roll of notes Sc
curely tied Up in an oil-skin bag. The
roll Itself was neatly wrapped i'm oil paper,
a SO bill being on the outside of the toll
and plainly visible through the wet paper,
which. with everything else was soaked
by it's long stay In the waters of the
canal.
The clothes and body were thickly COW
cred with mud. and the body was much
decomposed; indeed. the face was past
recognition. and but for the clothes, the
money, and certain articles on his per-
soma scent piece. a pair Of silver spec
tacles bearing the mark Of a Petersburg
ieweller. a large fOur-bladed knife, and
plug of homespun tobacco-it would have
been impossible for identification to have
been made.
THE SON SUMMONED.
There is. however, no doubt that the
body Is that Of John r. Wilson. Another
Of his nephews Mr.. T.. J. Johns, viewed
the remains after they had been removed
to Billups's. and he was, like his brother,
positive in his Identification. Coroner
Taylor took charge of the contents OF the
decoased's pockets and telegraphed to
Mr.. j. NJ. Wilson. the dead mans son. at
Norfolk. requesting him to come here by
first train.
Mr.. Wilson arrived shortly before Z
O'Clock and was accompanied by his
mother, who boarded the train at Peters
burg. The two went directly to Blllups's
undertaking rooms, where they positively
identified the remains as the husband ana
father. and they then repaired TO Coro-
ner Taylors Office. where they identified
the articles taken from the body as hay
ing been the property Of John 7. Wilson.
The money taken from the body was
opened by the Coroner in their presence
and the wallet was found to contain
y3l970.
The remains will be taken to Matoaca,
the former home Of the deceased, for
burial this morning. Mr.. Wilson IS sur
vived by his wife and six children, all |
Of whom are grown. Two are sons.
SPREE WITH HIS BROTHER.
Mr.. Wilson came 10 Richmond on March |
2d TO visit his brother, Mr. william VIII |
son. an inmate Of the Soldiers Home. |
Ills visit was i'm response 10 letter from |
his brother, requesting him 70 come ara
bring dollar for the purpose of paying |
,xpressagc on a lot of shoemakers' tools |
he desired sent here from Crewe. The |
two brothers met, and started out to en-
low themselves together They drank |
rather more than was good for them, and |
were seen i'm an intoxicated condition IN
q pool-room on Broad street Later I'm the |
NIGHT they We're seen in the Capitol |
Souare in company with two or three |
strangers. Nothing was seen OF Mr.. John
Z. Wilson after that time until his body |
was found in the dock yesterday morning.
Mr.. William Wilson returned TO the |
Soldiers Home, and after a day or so,
was taken ill., and on the Sth of March |
died. He said however, that the last he
saw. of his brother was In the Capitol
Square. He related that one OF the two
men I'm company with himself and brother,
had put his arms around him and
walked with him a short distance and
that when he returned to seek his brother,
he had disappeared, together with the
other stranger.
son SUSPECTED FOUL PLAY.
On April 81 Mr. j. NJ. Wilson, the son,
came from Norfolk and began search
for his father lie related that the elder
man had about $500 on his person, and
described his clothing. which TALES with
that found on the dead mans person. He
was inclined to the boiler that his uncle
had died from the effects Of Knockout
drops administered 20 him. and ?ppeared
to think that his father had boen robbed
and foully dealt with There seems, how
ever. TO be no ground for this belief Eow,
as the dead body bears no marks Of foul
play. and the money found on the body
certainly shows that no robbery was per-
petrated. Coroner Taylor expresses the
belief that the man wandered into the
dock while intoxicated.