Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1899-04-06
SUDDEN DEATH
OF a MAN OF WHOM LIT
TIE IS KNOWN,
Though He Had Been in This CITY for
Four Years-.Iohn Altenberg Dies in
His Bed at the Huntington Hotel,
and is Found by a Waiter-A Mys-
terious Man.

John Altenberg died suddenIytn his
bed at the Huntington hotel yesterday
afternoon we'll toward evening. His
death was sudden and unexpected and
created considerable excitement about
the hotel. The body was taken to the
funeral directory of Downing Il Son,
after the coroner had viewed the re-
mains
OF the antecedents or identity of
John Altenburg little is known. He
came to this city four years ago aud
He was a good workman, and with the
exception of an occasional spree. say
once q year, he WAS sober, industrious
and q good citizen. His little de
bauches injured no one but himself.
and those who knew the fellow con-
sidered him harmless, well-inten-
toned man. He had no confdants.
and to no one in this city had he told
whence he had come or whether he
had any relatives or friends anywhere.
He saved his money, and when not on
spree he did not drink drop of
anything of an Intoxicating nature.
He was apparently about forty five to
fifty years of age. The man who was
his closest aud most intimate friend
knows as little of the mans life as
chose who saw him for the first time
after he was found dead 1t is known,
however, that he was investing money
in . building and loan associal ion of
Da, ton, O.. and he had on his person
when found dead some forty odd dol
lars.
When he first came to the city he
boarded for a long time at the Bruins
wick hotel. Thence he went to a
private boarding house, Mrs L.ncas-
ter's, on north eighth street While
there he did not even tell them his
name, but in answer to inqueries as to
that important bit of information, he
answered "Call me jack About
ten days ago he went to the Hunting
ton hotel to board. He was just &C.
covering from one of his periodical
sprees, and as usual he was having q
hard time of it. He was in the habit
at such times of taking. chloral or
some preparation containing that drug.
to help him sober up. This time he
had been taking some sort or bromides,
containing chloral, and was apparently
He had eaten a hearty
meal in the afternoon, and when the
waiter went to his room about 8
O'Clock to call him to supper he found
him dead.
He left trunk at Lancaster's board
ing house that may contain some
maans Of finding ont whence the man
come ana Tn6 Wefe 1zs--1sss..n.s.)
xnff s n
Altenburg, - has be n found ont by
coronial investigation, was Swede.
His mothers letters in the Swedish
language were among his personal ef-
fects in the trunk above referred to,
and there is a photograph of an
lady supposed to be the mans mother.
The letters were from mother to son.
He had also been heard to remark
that his parents were dead. There
were letters and other personal effects
in the trunk that showed that he had
been in Fort Wayne, Racine, Wis. and
Dayton, o. principally at Racine Wis.
az was shown by his business letters.
He had evidently been something more
or less of rover in his tim,. There
is as yet nothing to indicate who
are his relatives or friends if
he has any. The coroner stated
that he would withhold any
statement as to the exact cause of
the mans sudden demise, as he is
looking into the matter very care
fully.
The funeral arrangements have not
yet been made.