Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1907-10-31
DIED OF EXPOSURE
John Mooney, Rich Farmer Found
Dead on Unfrequented Road,
Northwest of jamestown.

land owner of Stutsman county,
were found Saturday: lying at the
side Of an .unfreuuented road, about
fourteen miles northwest Of James
town. Life had been extinct for
some time. when the :. body was dis
covered, and death had evidently
been caused by exposure and..exhaus-
tion.
Deceased was seen alive last when
visiting th9 farm house of a renter
on one OF his own farms, and had
left there in the evening, and was
returning to his home. when over
come by weakness,a bout a quarter OF
a mile from the house lay down near
the side Of che road and there miser-
ably expired. When found the next
morning the body was lying fiat on its
back. He was poorly clad, wore an
old thread bare coat and overcoat.
His cap was lying a few feet away.
Deputy Sheriff Weber and a. F.
Meeker were notified and brought
the remains to Jamestown, Sunday,
taking them to Flint's undertaking
rooms. Upon examination about
sl5, 900 in certifca tes of bank depos-
its~-wc4e found in The clothes, and
there was no evidence .of anything
having been disturbed upon the body.
Coroner Todd was expected to arrive
from Medina Monuay, to hold an in
quest over the remains.
John Mooney was we'll known
charac ter in Stutsman and Sheldon
counties. noted for his wealth and
extreme penuriousness. He came in
the pioneer days to Sheldon, working
upon the Fargo and Southwestern
railway section crew and there got
his start saving nearly every cent he
earned. He came later to James
town and accumulated monev and
lano in tie county, shrewd invest
ments in mortgages bringing profits,
but his expenses we're in an inverse
ration to his income. He spent the
last winter in room over White &
Henderson's store of this city and is
claimed to have boasted that his ex-
penses for food werel less than 10
cents a day.
Besides bank deposits Mooney
owned nearly 1000 acres of valuable
land in Stutsman county lying most
ly in sections and 8 township l40,
range 65, and also had large open
account in jamestown bank, and it
is believed by.some chat he had other
valuables hidden away. -.
Deceased left will which was in
the care of his attorney, Ed. Pierce
of Sheldon. N. D., who has been no.
titled OF the death and is expected to
arrive at jamestown Monday, land de-
eide <on the disposition to to be made
of the remains. 1t is said that in
accordance with:t terms Of the will
a large portion of --the wealth will
20 to the Catholic church. Deceased
was about IS years old, and left no
relatives in this vicinity.
A number of friends of the late
John Mooney, the wealthy farmer
who was found dead last Saturday,
Assem- bled at the office of the county
treasurer N onday and made an exam
ination of the personal effects Of the
dead man and after a long search
among.his papers, letters, and other
valuables 10 a trunk, discovered the.
will which was known to have been
made. number of years ago, The
property is estimated to be worth be-
tween s35, 900 and $4,000. and the
will bequeatbs the property to the
Catholic orphans home at French
to IN near st. Louis, with the exceR-
tion Of $1,000 to each Of the nieces
and nephews Of the dead man. II is
understood that there: are three
i-s3.s