The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-03-26
GOES TO DEATH
1 IN ICY ICY CURRENT /. / 4 |
Many Believe lie, This III sisthe.. il,
Fate Of Aged Truman
StOdldllard. I
iCREPT FROM I. HOME 4 K } y L,
I; EARLY y u; MORNING Q ! II '(,i
Z acked +to3 3 Rivers Ed dge BY Foot
prints in$snow:- olices 4 oti- {
land Scar ch,is Pressed |. |.
E. :By| Them and al q Also
3 Many 81 His
. Friends. III.
&


N1r.xTrulnant stodddrd, !. q years. Of &c. &c.
5and int tweli-knownar resident Of 1siclmontdI.
rs missing from his home and Ills frie,is ends
fand relutivcs are cl,clincl TO t!,e belief belief
8that hc.ahas committed suicide.
@s11e lived. with IFS. on-in-law, tN1r. y:
Lester Taylor, at No. 220 Soutll}Sg p tfth =
Street and sfor !. the past several month y
had been In declining health Hc4 SUI I
Tered much wjth#pa lns, in his legs and
gould not sleep well. ne mace sthe
1Sron,arl:iS :iSthat lie was i going to commit
Suicide And 3end all of hts trouble and
pain. butsnonc of the relatives thought
seriously OF Ills thereat although lie was
watched closely byalis aged wife and his
daughter. s
yesterday morning shortly after four
+ O'Clock, after having walked the lloor
4 of Ills room for All hour or 80, sunerlng
from pains In the legs, he lett ithc
house. Mrs stoddard heard him pass
out the front door and Immediately
called her son-in-law Mr.. Taylor. Inc
latter was out of the house, five mihutes
after Mr. Stoddard left E.sI
Mr.. Taylor traced his father-in-law
down to Sixth Street ty his "a tracks III II,
the snow but here lost the trail.ss ga ear
to end Ills life by jumping into the river
fat some point near, Mr.. Taylor searched
. carefully along the banksfo Of the stream
until late in the morning. Before I'VE
o'clock in the morning and less than an
hour n after Mr. Stoddard had left the
house, Mr. Taylor had searched the banks
OF the river north Of Seventh street ttor
some trace OF the man. He could not
find any clue.
Police Searching for Him.
Chief OF Police Werner was notified sot
the disappearance of Mr.. Stoddard and
8at once%detailed several men % ssearcn
r f01rt the man. Tile entire police force wa s
acquainted with the fact that me man
was missing, and every officer made IN
auiries through the day.
II the earth had opened up and swal-
lowed the man, his disappearance could
not have been more complete.
Only once, so far as Is sfknown, was he
seen after leaving his home. lie passeh
n gentleman at the north end OF the
foot bridge at the foot Of Seventh Street.
The gentleman. who knew Mr.. Stoddard,
injured where he was going at such an
early hour, and received the reply me me
same place that you are gong. No.
The wa lehman on the island nt5tne
elnctric plant saw Mr.. Stoddard on1shc5
bridge and would not allow tl@mto cross.
He turned back from this point, and
nothing has been heard Of him since. g56
The aged wife Of Mr.. Stoddard IS pros
trated with grief. The relatives Of the
man have been notified and are expected
In the city as early .as practicable
Offers a Reward.
Mr.. Taylor is greatly worried over me
disappearance Of his fathcr-in-law and Is
inclined to the belief that he has conf
mitted suicide. He has offered q reward
Of SOS for&nny information that VIII lead
10 the whereabouts OF Mr.. Stoddard.
When he left home, he was dressed IN
n dar!: suit and wore a ikht hat, with
4 blue band around It. Myt Stoddard IS
scventy-two years old andshas gray
beard about four inches long.
| For hfty-six years he was employed as
| miller ut the Ciallcgo Mills, and Is sober
ana steady in his habits. For the past
fcw months he has been in lll-llealth, ana
this fact weighed heavily on his mind
He was we'll known to many citizens
and when, the alarm was given YESTERDAY
thnt he was missing froE, his home. there
we're scores who Joined in the search for
him.
The general opinion Is that he jumped
from the free bridge into the James Rlver,
nnd that his body was washed down oS
the swollen current.