The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-03-29
.LOYELACE A
LIVELY CORPSE.
Supposed Suicide Turns Up In
Eastern oregon.
QUESTION OF IDENTIFICATION
Big Mystery Surrounding the Death
Of the Man Supposed to Have
Been Missing Engineer.
QUESTION OF IDENTIFICATION

The body OF the supposed suicide.
found in the river near the Astoria
railroad round-house on Wednesday.
Of last week. later Identified by one
J. s. SIMPSON as that OF X. W. Love-
lace, an ex-Southern Pacific engineer
and still later buried by Coroner Pohl
as the remains Of said Lovelace. turns
out to be the body Of an unknown
man. and all the evidence adduced TO
show that II was case Of deliberate
suicide is not only worthless for that
object but tends TO awaken apprehen-
sion that the man may not have volun-
tarily taken his life. In fact. Coroner
Pohl says that the evidence. in the
absence of all Identification. and con-
sequently all reasons for suicide, might
apply equally as well to foul play as
20 self-destruction.
The first intimation received that the
Identification Of the body as that Of
II. W. L0velace was wrong. was in a
letter printed in the oregonian Of Port
land from their correspondent at Wen
10. II reads as follows.
IF F. w. Lovelace. late locomotive en-
gineer OF the Southern Pacific railway.
is corpse. confess he is the most
lively corpse that l ever ran across.
Since coming among US and beginning
work here with the railroad contractor
he has performed his duties faithfully.
conducted himself as gentleman, and
Is esteemed by all with whom he has
come in contact. Credentials that he
possesses from the Southern Pacific
officials preclude the idea that he is
In any danger OF filling an early grave
from strong drink"
When ]. S. SIMPSON was seen rela-
tive to his Identification OF the body
as that OF Lovelace. ne said that the
remains were so decomposed when he
viewed them that he was guided main
ly by the clothing on the body. He
admitted that he did not know Love-
lace had been drinking hard but had
understood so. The story as to Love-
lace being here out OF work and send
ing his wife home, he insisted was
correct.
Coroner Pohl said he did not know
what to think about the matter. "The
Identification was seemingly so COM
plete and the reasons for the suicide
so plausible that never thought Of
holding post mortem on the remains.
especially as they were in such a con-
diIion as to battle surgeons except in
case Of stabs. bullet wounds or frac-
lures. Wounds Of the first two classes
were absent but the skull might have
been fractured. There was an abra-
sion back OF one of the ears but this
was thought to have been caused by
the man striking timber in jumping
overheard and no examination of 1t
was made. There was nothing In the
tieing Of the weights that would pre-
clude the man having been foully dealt
with, although l have no idea that
such was the case. The fact that the
mans pockets had been emptied and
all traces Of his identification destroyed
would, under the circumstances, be
the most natural thing for thugs to
do in case he was sandbagged and
thrown overheard.
SO far as l am concerned" con-
tinued the coroner, but one thing is
left for me to do. namely, change the
burial permit and booking from Love-
lace to unknown. II the police want
the body exhumed for further exami-
nation. IL will be disinterred at any
time"
There is no question but what Love-
lace was in sore straits both here and
in Portland and had talked Of suicide,
whatever may be his condition in
viento now. SIMPSON says that he
was here broke and refused job at a
dollar day just before he; SIMPSON,
left on a trip. He admits he knew
nothing of Lovelace's whereabouts or
his success or failure to obtain work
thereafter.
In Portland, Lovelace talked about
the "black ball" shutting him out
from work and seemed despondent. He
talked to a number of men and no one
who had met him was surprised to
hear of his suicide.
What complicates the case, now that
1t is positively known that the dead
man is not Lovelace. of California. is
the fact that no missing man has been
reported to either the police or the
coroner in weeks and hence there is abb
solutely no possible clew as to the iden-
tity of the body found.
What will be done in the matter is
not known but the facts in the case
having been sent to all the leading
newspapers on the coast. If there is q
missing man anywhere that will fit the
description Of the deceased the case
will undoubtedly be heard from.