The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-06-18
MAY HAVE BEEN MURDER
Body Found Sunday Night Identifi-
ed as That of James Lally.
Friends Say He Was Murdered.

The man whose body was found on
the Lackawanna tracks, near the Lin
den street bridge, on sunday night,
VAS identified late yesterday afternoon
as being James l.aily, aged twenty-one
years, Of 1910 Iittston avenue, son of
Mr.. and Mrs. Myles LalN.
lie did not return homt. on Saturday
night. for the first time in his parents
memory, and when some of his friends
learned This yesterday they went to
Cusick's undertaking establishment
and discovered that it was his body
which was found.
The dead young man was employed
at the South mill, and was recognized
as one of the best amateur ball play
erS in the county. He had been catcher
for the South Side base ball team for
several seasons. His friends maintain
that he was an especially quiet and
exemplary young man and that he was
never known to have been seen in
toXicated. He went home early every
night. very early, they say, and came
over To the central part Of the city but
a few times year.
He WAS paid on Saturday and turned
over all his money. with the exception
Of dollar. to his parents, who are
both old and whose whole and only
support he was. These facts would
tend To disprOve the theory that he
wandered onto the wall in an intoxi-
Gated condition and fell off after lay
ing down to sleep.
Coroner Roberts performed an au-
topsy yesterday afternoon and found
no other injuries upon the body except
the wound on the head and the broken
neck. He said that the broken neck
was undoubtedly caused by the fall and
was also the cause of the mans death.
The wound on the head might have
been caused by the fall or by some
blunt instrument. Just which he was
not prepared To say.
Patrolman Schmidt. who was on duty
on Penn avenue on Sunday morning.
was notified about ! a. III. that there
was some trouble near the Linden
street bridge among some men. He
went 10 investigate. but could find
nothing wrong. nor could he sec any
body. besides the man who had noti-
fled him at first. who knew anything
about it. The watchman who is on
duty between the bridge ana Center
street had heard nothing.
The police say that if the man had
h'tl IoNHH t'dll WIFI ana ms DDuN
thrown over the wall that it would
have been discovered during the day
1t must be remembered. however. that
there was a eight train standing on
the track, about three feet from the
wall, all day sunday ana that il Is very
possible that the body could have lain
where found all day without being OBJ
served, 1t WAS only discovered acct
dentally on sunday night by Il ear
checker, VINO stumbled over t.
There WAS Il train ON the Mi in ave-
nue. switch all day sunday. also. and
the space between it and the edge Of
the wall at the point where the dead
mans shoes We're found. and from
where the body fell. was only about
three feet 1t is hard to imagine how
an intoxicated man could have walked
out this far and retained his balance
at all.
The police hosl however. that the
finding of the shoes on the wall proves
that the man WAS drunk. took them off
To so to sleep. and then fell OF the
wall His friends maintain. however.
that he was foullN dealt with though
they can suggest no motive for a
crime. 1t was stated i'm yesterdays
Tribune that the pockets Of his troIlS-
erS We're TUNED inside out. The police
said Yesterday that they turned the
pockets out, looking for something tha,
would lead 10 identification.