The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-01-12
A HORRIBLE FIND.
Corpse Discovered in the Mime
sofa River.
Identified as the Body of Patrick J.
McCloskey, of DeerfieId, Mich..-
Ia the Mud Several Weeks.

Two young boys made horri BILE dis.
cCyery in the mud near the mouth of
tire sewer Friday forenoon. They found
what turned out to be the partly de
composed body of man. who was af-
forwards identified as Patrick J. Nc.
Closkey, of Deerfeld, Mich How long
the body had remained where it was
found is mystery, but it is probably
several weeks
Cnauncy Fowles and Alex Thuemb-
Ter were walking along the bank of the
Minnesota river at about 11:30 o'clock
this forenoon, and when near the
pumping station and about thirty feet
below the sewer they saw what ap-
peared to be gunny sack lying in the
soft mud close to the bank. On closer
inspection, what seemed to be the
heels of pair of shoes were noticed
sticking out from the mud within a
fo 1T or two of the solid embankment
The two boys fastened to the city
he'll, where they found James Shoe
M ker and Geo. May, to whom they re-
lsred what they had seen and their sus-
pie ions that the body Of man was
concealed in the mud. These gentle
N n walked back to the spot with the
be $. but at first were unable to decide
" iether it was corpse or a dummy
thrown there to deceive and brighten
people To make sure, Mr.. May cut a
hole through the shoe and sock, and he
was rewarded by finding flesh.
Chief Brules was then telephoned for
and Coroner Kennedy was summoned
to the spot The body, for such it
proved to be, was turned over to Lamm
& Landkammer and taken to their I'M
dc taking rooms on Main street at 1:15
p. m. 1t was fairly we'll dressed, but
when the clothing was removed it was
seen that the outside of the body had
decomposed to a considerable extent,
rendering it almost unrecogniza BILE
Undertaken Day estimated that the
hos must have lain where found from
enc to two months, judging from it's
appearance, although it was possible it
had been there shorter period DID "A.
Hielscher, who saw the body, expressed
the opinion that it had lain in the mud
for six weeks. Christ Anderson, fireman
at the pump station, states that he saw
what appeared to be gunny sack ly-
ing in the mud where the body was
found all last week. The apparent
gunny sack was the mans coat.
A search of the mans pocket revealed
fifty-eight cents in money and
pocket book containing number OF
papers and brass watch chain and
locket, The latter contained the
photograph of a lady. Among the
papers was the photograph of two
young men standing side by side, one
in his shirt sleeves and the other wear.
ing a stove pipe hat. On the back of a
dance ticket was scrawled the words
Patrick McCloskey, Deerfeld, Mich. .
An Identification ticket given by the
Clapp, Swanson, Norstrom Co., of
Chicago, throws mucs light on the
case The blanks are filled in and in
dictate that P G.. McCloskey is a lab
orer, consigned to d. D Streeter, 1t is
dated Nov. gath, 1899 Mr.. Streeter is
the contractor who did the grading on
the Mankato & New Ulm and Nc
Closkey must have been among the last
bunch of laborers brought to the city
by the Chicago & Northwestern road.
The ticket gives directions that it is to
be destroyed if the holder finds work,
or to be sent back if he does not find
work AS neither was done, it is pre-
sumed that McCloskey had not yet
gone to work, and this view is sup
ported by the fact that his clothing
was good and that his money was
nearly gone
A receipt for the Times-J Journal, of
Deerfeld, Mich, Dated Oct. Is, 1899,
was found. A receipt for assessment
Sc received from Sir Knight P. j
MeCloskey, of Deerfeld tent No SO,
K. o. T. NJ" was also found. The re-
ceipt is torn and the middle figure of
the number of the tent is illegi BILE.
This receipt is dated Oct %, 1899, and
indicates that cCloskey was probably
in good standing in the Maccabees
Two assessments had been made since
then, but McCloskey had undoubtedly
made arrangements to have them paid
J.B Ogle, commander of the Man
kato tent of the Maccabees. was notifi-
ed of the fact that the dead man was a
Maccabee, and at once telegraphed to
the Deerfeld lodge for instructions re
garding the disposition of the remains
1t is said that Deer6eld is five to eight
miles from telegraph station, and it