Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-04-08
IDENTIFIED
The head|ess Trunk Of a
Man Found
At FeRRIsBuRGH
Was That Of Dennis DeshaW
a Veteran

pendent of the St. Albans Messenger
has revealed the fact that the headless
trunk of the man found at Ferris
burgh marsh Friday was that Of Denis
Deshaw and that he met his death by
drowning on September 21st last.
The Messengers story of the affair
is ia part as follows:
Joseph Lamay, section boss, and
two men were at work between here
and Vergennes that afternoon, Sep
temLer 81, and were driven to cover
by a severe rain storm. They remem-
Der now that a small man of light
plexion, with mixed gray and
sandy beard, passed up the track
about 3 O'Clock in the afternoon.
He was very feeble and could scarcely
walk.
He was near the railroad station
when the storm was at it's height and
was forced by the wind and rain into
the ditch beside the track, where he
might have drowned had not Herbert
Edgett, the station agent, gone to
his rescue.
After the storm was over the
stranger started towards the village,
going as far as the home of Mr.. Lam.
ay, where he talked with servant
girl, who said today that she remem-
bered him and that he asked for some
French people, as he could not con-
verse freely in English. She describ.
ed him very minutely, her description
of form and dress tallying with that
of the dead man, even to his large
shoes, having one buckle, and which
she noticed were many times too olarge
for bis feet. ~ sa'eat,4s'4i
From Lamay's house the stranger
returned to the depot and! thence to
the home Of Wilcot Deshaw, quar-
ter OF a mile west Of the railroad
track. To Mrs. Deshaw he is said to
have given his name as Deshaw and
asked for food and shelter, which it is
alleged we're denied him.
Leaving the house he went over the
hill toward the swamp, where the
body was found Friday Since that
day and hour no one hereabouts has
seen him. The Deshaws have moved
away and the rumor respecting his
call at their home cannot be verified.
In all human probability the body
found and the man then seen are
identical, the theory being that he
was old and i'll and having been de-
MED shelter among people whom he
thought might be his relatives, he
wandered away in the storm and was
overcome by the elements and gave
up his life.
Saturday coffin was sent up from
Vergennes and was taken by Reuben
Haight to his house and the body
placed therein. When he returned
to the railway station en- route to the
cemetery where the body will be buried
he was told of the discovery made b,
The Messenger reporter and that tn.
dead man was supposed to be the oil
man who called on Mr.. Lamay and
who said bis name was Deshaw, am
that he was looking for relatives.
When the stranger was described,
Mr.. Haight turned pale as with fear
and stammered out "My God, believe
the man in the box on my wagon is
my wife's father. My wife's name
was Minerva Deshaw. He left her
twenty five years ago and went to
Massachusetts, and now that you des-
c ibe him remember that Mrs. Will
colt Deshaw, who ran to neighbor's S
10 fear one day last fall when little
old man called at her house, described
Dennis Deshaw perfectly"
Dennis Deshaw was soldier in the
Civil War and on his return he found
his wife insane. She was placed In the
asylum at Poughkeepsie, N. Y, and
later sent to Ogdensburgh, where she
is now in an asylum. Mr.. Deshaw
went away and is said to have married
again, but only an occasional rumor
has reached his two children here re-
garding him.