Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-01-13
HOUSEBOAT is HEARD FROM
Mysterious Vessel Associated with Burke
Murder New Down South.
SPOKEN FROM wIcKLYFFE, KENTUCKY
Friends of Dead Man GO There 20
See Parties, but Miss Them
and Hasten In Pur-
suit.

The mysterious houseboat which is al
legged to have figured somewhat In the
Herbert G.. Burke murder at Florence Oc-
tober has again been heard from at Wick
Tyne, KY
Waterman Daily at the water works re-
ported having seen the houseboat and at
the request OF the two men travelling with
Il he watched IL the night Of the death of
young Burke up TO o'clock when he went
off duty. He also said the boat had come
: pletely disappeared the following morning
early, but where It had gone no one knew
and in fact no one knew anything about
the houseboat, neither had anyone seen it
but DAILY.
The clue was sufficient however, to war
rant an investigation by the friends of
young Burke. It will be remembered that
this story Of the houseboat did not come
to the surface until some six or eight
weeks after the death of Burke. A visit
was made to Sioux City, from which point
the houseboat had departed, and It was
learned that a young physician and his
friend had actually left Sioux City in
houseboat with the purpose of making a
journey thereby to New Orleans. The ply
stefan was an amateur photographer and
also a writer, and he arranged with one of
the Sioux City papers to furnish occasional
lelIefB on Lne way QOWu. Inns dbItts Win
the statement made by Daily that one of
the parties claimed to be a newspaper man.
Expected to Go to WiclNIyRe.
It was further learned at Sioux City that
the young man accompanying the physician
had written back to his home at Sioux
City from some point on the Mississippi
river above st. Louis, stating they ex-
pected to make quite a stop at Wicklyffe,
KY, and that mail could reach them there.
The letter also told a story to the effect
that the voyagers had stopped at Florence
the night Of october or s, with the inten-
ton of spending Sunday there. They tied
up the boat at the water works inlet house
and asked one of the men there to watch
It. They then went up into Florence, WIS.,
dted the water works pump house and got
their supper and about 10 o'clock started
back for the boat To their surprise the
boat was gone. They searched up and
down the river some little distance for 1t
and then started down the river bank to-
ward Omaha, thinking that it might have
broken loose and drifted down stream.
About a quarter Of a mile down the old
railway track that skirts the river there
they met two men who said to them:
Looking for Dead Body.
1--WE are looking for a dead body. Have
you boys seen anything of one?"
The voyagers had not seen any dead
body and so told them and asked them If
they has seen a house boat adrift down the
river. The two men did not answer and
after going a short distance further down
the river bank they discovered the house
boat tied up to the bank. They took pos
session of It again and continued their
voyage down the river. The letter had
made the further inquiry as to what was
the outcome of the finding of a dead body
at Florence and asked for newspaper re-
ports of the matter II there was any truth
in the story.
A friend of the Burke family went to
Wicklyffe, KY, with the hope of meeting
and comforting with the voyagers, but ar
rived there too late to meet the parties as
they had left there a day or two prior to
his arrival. This friend will go to New
Orleans to see the parties on their arrival
In that city.