The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-10
DROPS ON STREET AND SOON EXPIRES Dead Man Believed to be B. E.
 GartrelI HE WAS FROM GEORGIA Deceased Was Identified By Letters on Ills Person-Had SPA In His
 Pocket-cltizens Rushed
 to Mans Assistance.
HE WAS FROM GEORGIA

There Is something of the mysterious in the death of a man believed to oe n' H' Gartrell of Dodge, Walker county 1eoi sia. He fell to the sidewalk at the corner of Morris avenue and Twentieth street shortly before o'clock yesterday alter noon and died a few minutes later The coroner will make a post mortem exam nation this morning to determine the cause of death.
 On the mans person was $l24.6o, and number of letters and papers which loeh- tify the deceased as B. E. Gartreli. "A letter and a postal card were addressed to him at Memphis and bear recent post marks. The letter is signed sister Mary, and was sent from Dodge, Ga. Its contents seem to indicate, according to the un- dertalSer, that Gartrell formerly resided In Dodge and had been at work in Mem phis. Accepting this theory, it Is believed the man was on his way home when stricken down. The postal card was ad- dressed to Memphis and gave informal tion about J. w. Logan.
 Besides the letter and postal. a letter of recommendation, signed by Chapman Bros, Memphis, was found in his pocket. Nothing was said in the endorsement about the mans calling or what he had been doing, but the writer intimated that he had known the bearer number Of years. A message asking for information was sent to Chapman Bros. last night and an answer is expected today.
 Writing on a piece of scratch pad paper, which was wrapped around sloO of the money found on his person, indicates that he has been working somewhere in a com mssary. At the top of the sheet was written: Parties that will not trade at commissary N. B." Under this were a number of names. The letters "N. B.. caused some of those present to believe the man had been at work in North Bir- mingham recently, and that he had not been in Memphis very long. This theory was also advanced by a bystander on the street, who saw the man few minutes after he fell. The pedestrian said he had seen the man in North Birmingham. There seems to be little or no doubt about the mans identity The addresses all tally and the roll of money, which was wrapped with paper. was in an en- velope on which was written "B. 10. Gartrell" The rest of the money, four $5 notes and S465 in silver, was in d purse. an which was stamped Souvenir of the Worlds Fair, St. Louis.''
 In addition to letters. papers and money. a large knife. number of pencils, diary and a number of other things were found in his pockets. The diary was right up to date, containing record of the deceased 8 expenses from Memphis to Birmingham A blank WAS left for his hotel expenses, but it was not learned at what hotel he had registered, if at any.
 A miners brass check caused an opinion to be expressed that he might have been miner. His clothes and the softness of his hands did not indicate, according to the undertaken, that he was a man used to hard work. The theory was advanced, though, that he might have been a trav- cling miner.
 Nothing is known of Gartrell prior to the time he fell on the east side of Twen- teth street. A number of persons on the street rushed to his assistance when they saw him drop on his knees and sink to the sidewalk. Some one telephoned Lige Loy & Go. for an ambulance, which was sent post haste. The man was still breath ing when the ambulance arrived and the | attendants tried to get physician. After waiting few minutes he was placed in | the wagon and driven to the undertaking | parlors on Third avenue. In the mean time a messenger had been sent for pr. | R. B. Hardness, who arrived about the | time the ambulance did. The man was al- ready dead. MT. Loy notified the coroner and had the body removed from the wagon.
 The clothes worn by Gartrel were of very good make. He was dressed in a black coat and vest a dark pair of trousers, with small white stripes and d slate colored shirt, with stripes The deceased had the appearance of A person who has been in i'll health. His face is thin and he wore a short mous- tache. He looked to be about 40 years of age.