The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-06-18
BABY FOUND
IN THE RIVER
Chas. PuIIiam Discovered a
Little Brown Package
LEG OF CHILD PR0TRUDING
Police Notified and Package
BroughttO Morgue.
WAS BUT FEW HOURS OLD
And Had Been in the Water
but Short Time.

About 300 yards south Of Lincoln street
in the Arkansas river, Chas. Pulliam
yesterday saw the foot Of a baby moving
with the current Of the river. and after
Investigation found a white baby wrap
ped in brown paper and lodged against
some trees that had been cut down and
thrown into the river. He Immediately
notified the police and Chief Burt and
Harry Sutton went TO the scene and
brought the little brown package TO Gilrs
undertaking rooms. where Coroner Nc
Collistor examined it. The baby was
packed in ice and today physicians will
make an examination and the matter Of
an investigation by the coroner will de-
pend on their decision
The child is white and not more than
Il hours old, if that much. 1t may have
been murdered. as there is a slight de-
preston on the left side Of the head,
showing where it had come incontact
with some blunt object The child may
have just been thrown into the river
and this wound caused by it striking
some object in the stream. The cause
Of its death and whose child it is. is a
mystery which the police are trying to
solve, although up TO a late hour last
night they did not seem to be any nearer
q clue than at O'Clock last night. They
are absolutely in the dark in the matter.
The body was wrapped in several folds
OF common brown wrapping paper and
70 the casual observer who might see it
would come the thought that it was sim
ply a piece of meat that someone had
lost, or just a roll of paper thrown irlo
the river.
Mr.. Chas. Pulliam was Of an enquiring
turn of mind He was fishing along the
river and came to this place where the
branches had fallen into the river He
thought that this would be a good place
to cast his line. and he was about ready
TO do so when he noticed a piece Of
brown paper floating against the branches
of the tree. he wondered what the
package contained. and stirred IL with
his fishing polls. and as the package turn
ed over the leg Of the baby protruded.
Leaving the package exactly as it was
he hurried to the police station and re-
ported his find and the officers went af-
ter the child.
Mr.. Pulliam lives at 9H South Market
street, and last night he gave the follow
Ing account Of the finding of the package
TO a reporter for the Eagle:
Last evening 1 went fishing, and about
half past SIX 1 was walking along the
river bank and came to this place where
the branches were hanging low in the
water / thought this YVES good place
to fish. and was just about ready to
throw I'm my line. when I noticed that
brown paper package. and I put out my
pole and turned it over. The leg Of the
child protrUded from the package. and
then ] knew what 1 had found I came
uP town as fast as I could and reported
the matter TO the police, and they went
after II.
THE water was not more than eighteen
inches deep. and the bank about three
feet high. There were a number Of cot
tonwood saplings on the hank. but some
one had chopped two or three Of them
down and they had fallen into the river
and the package was lodged against
these branches. The current Of the river
sets in pretty strong against the east
bank at this place. and I suppose that
the child was washed down almost
against the bank ard then in the eddy
was carried out farther and lodged
sgainst the trees"
The child is white. fully developed. but
could not be more than 70 hours old. IL
had not been in the water more than a
Few hours II was blue in the places
where the paper had been torn away by
brush. but where protected it was white /
The paper was of several thicknesses and I
securely tied.
Immediately on finding the child the /
officers began working on the case. al +
though they did NOT unwrap the package I
until the coroner came. He ordered the 4
babe placed in q box and packed with
Zee and left for an examination BY doc 1
tors this morning. The coroner asked a 4
few questions Of Mr.. Pulliam and the po- 4
lice who brought the package to this +
city. but would not give any opinion Of +
the cause of the chHds death until this /
morning when the physicians had COM
pleted their examination. Mr.. McColis-
eer inferred that In his belief the child +
had been deliberately thrown into the +
river by someone and that he would in
stitute thorough investigation.
QhNK tn QATTI EiCf0