Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-01-30

the Chiffon building on Church street
yesterday morning there is little evil
dence upon which to base a belief 9TH
er than that death was accidental.
What interviewed between the time
that the dead man about midnight left
Fay Ientz, the friend with whom he
last talked and with whose
sister, Miss Edith Zentz, 1t is Sstated
he had spent the evening, until the
time that his lifeless body was found,
remains for the coroners jury in ses-
sion this afternoon to clear up or to
pass down as at present an unsolved
mystery.
Father of Keller Here.
Lester Keller, father of the unfortu-
nate young man, a prominent farmer
residing about three miles east of
Kirkville, arrived in the city yesterday
afternoon about o'clock, accompa-
MED by several OF his sympathising
neighbors and friends. He was almost
Frustrated with grief at the awful
news of his sons death which had
reached him shortly before noon.
Says Son Did Not Drink.
1t was with difficulty that he could
speak of the matter at all, ED. was
twenty-three years of age" he said,
ION December %. The last time that
he was home was during the holidays.
On December 10 he and came down
to Ottumwa, and worked for about five
days on the grade at the four mile
bridge for the Burlington. returned
home, and he continued working on
the steam shovel gang, believe. He
had lost but one day and a half from
his work since that time.
His death is a terrible mystery to
me-. cannot understand it. He was
not drinker. / never saw him under
the, effects of liquor. Fay Zentz. a
young friend of his, who lives in the
country not far from our place, met
him about o'clock Thursday
morning, on Main street, and
says at that time he was not under
the influence of liquor at all. He had
spent the evening with Miss Edith
Zentz, a sister of Fay Zentz. When
Ed. and young Zentz parted Ed. start
ed across the river to his rooming-
place.
Fay Zentz, the young man who met
young Keller and who so far as known
was the last to speak with him, con-
firmed the statement that he had met
the unfortunate young man late that
fatal night Keller" said he, had
spent the evening with my sister, Miss
Edith zentz. who works for family
on Maple avenue. / met him on Main
street. just about i o'clock and we
talked for little time. We parted
and he started across the river to his
rooming place. That was the last |
saw of him. At the time met him
he was not under the influence of
liquor at all that could detect"
Where Body Was Found.
The body was found beside what is
known as the Chiffon building on
South Church street. 1t was about
twenty feet back from the sidewalk
and about ten feet out from the south
wall of the building. The lot is about
ten feet below the sidewalk and at the
exact spot where the body was found
there is further depressed place in
in the center of this the body was ly-
ing. The face was upon the ground,
the body lying stomach side down and
tue feet extending from the building.
Extending from the sidewalk there
is steep outside stairway running
up the side of the wall. At the top of
this there is small square platform,
with a railing extending around about
three feet high. The suppose
ton and plausible theory is
that Keller in going home mistook this
building and stairway for the one just
one block farther down the street.
III nj tx CT, y{voer
The building is brick. there is group
of three or four buildings beside it and
just beyond it there is a vacant lot.
At night il would be very easy
matter to mistake the two places.
Keller, it is supposed. went UP this
wrong stairway, entered the building
by door located just as the one at
his roqming place except that IT
entered and walked back into the hall
and then discovered that he had made
mistake he started to retrace his
steps, stopping to lean over the
outside railing to get look around
and get his bearings. In case he had
lost his balance he would have struck
in exactly the spot and in all proba-
bility the body would have been ly-
was found.
Heard Noise in Hall.
That this is what happened is prob
ably the case. Frank Simpson, who
is the only occupant of the second
story of the Chiffon building, says that
he was awakened probably about 2
o'clock by the sounds as of someone
walking. Keller wore soft rubber arr
tics and his steps on the bare floor of
the hall would not make much noise,
not enough to attract especial atten-
ton. In the morning Mr. Simpson
found wash pan knocked down. in
the hail. small key of paint upset.
and a letter file case tipped over. In
the corner at the rear door of the hall
someone, presumably drunken man,
had vomlted. This Is the only evil
dence so far that Keller was possibly
intoxicated Mr.. Simpson heard no
sounds that would indicate scuf-
| fe and heard no voices.
The Funeral.
/ The remains are lying today in the
undertaking parlors of Scott & McIn-
tire. They will be taken to Kirkville
tomorrow morning and the funeral
services will be held in the Kirkville
Methodist Episcopal church at 2
o'clock The interment will be in the
Kirkville cemetery.
J. F. Burns, of Melrose, who has
been in the city on q short Business
2