The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-25
DEATH OF BOY
IS SURROUNDED
WITH MYSTERY
Body of Charles SeinSoth Is
Found Half Embedded in
Snow and Ice.
MAY HAVE WANDERED
IN EPILEPTIC CONDITION
NEGRO SUSPECTED OF MURDER
MAKES ACCEPTABLE Ex-
PLANTATION.

The body of Charles Seinsoth. 1e years
old. stark and cold in death. and half
mantled with the freezing snow. was
found lying in the roadway about 100
yards west of the Capitol Hill grounds in
Second North street Thursday morning.
about 7:3O O'Clock h-
The, death. during the day, formed one
of the most ineXplicable mysteries TO con-
front the local police for years. the a
first strong evidence of murder being dis
PEELED by corroborative proof of the sup
posed guilty mans innocence. only to
leave a tangled maze of conflicting the
cries. until the post-mOrtem examination
held last night
From a confidential source il was
learned last night that the autopsy failed
to disclose any trace whatever that tine
young man had been the victim of either
drugs or foul play, but showed that the
evident cause of death was that while in
an epileptic fit he had wandered about the
streets until. while dsZed. unconscious
and tired. he had lain down on the snow
covered street to enter his death sleep
The death of Charles Seinsoth, the son
of Mr.. and Mrs William Seinsoth. re-
siding at 81 Concord street presented net
only mystery, but also was tragic in its
details.
The young man was an employee of the
Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone company.
occupying the position of office boy and
messenger in the office OF City Superils-
alive about AIS o'clock Wednesday after
noon, when in the discharge of his duty.
he was in the company of a Pullman car
porter. Charles Washington. a negro.
During ali of Wednesday night and until
the finding of his body Thursday morning
by two passing teamsters, J. H. Beverly
and officials of the telephone company
conducted a search for the missing boy.
Beginning of the Incident.
The incident leading TO the disappear
ance of the boy, and the later detention
of Charles Washington as the murder
suspect. occurred in the latters appear
ance at the central office of the telephone
company earlier in the afternoon of
Wednesday. when he held a long distance
telephone conversation with a woman
named Kennedy, at Twin Falls, Ida
When the conversation was completed
Washington was informed that the bill
amounted to $50. He had only 80 cents
with him, and stated TO City Superfntend-
ent Irwin that II he would send a boy
along with him he would get the money
sent out with the negro. and that was
the last seen of him. Being known as
one of the most reliable and faithful boys
in the employ of the company, when ne
did not return toward closing time, Mr..
Irwin began to be alarmed, and just be-
fore leaving the office he called up the
police station and notified IL of the cir
cumstances.
An hour or two later when Seinsctn
still failed TO put in an appearance and
it was found that contrary to his regular
habit. he had not been home for supper.
the anxiety turned to alarm, which Yves
shared by the parents. and a search.
which continued throughout the night.
was begun
Foul Play Suspected.
When the body was discovered. the first
thought was that of foul play. and sus-
picion fastened on the negro. Hearing OF
this. and while the officers were looki@s
for him. he walked into the police station
and voluntarily surrendered himself. but
declared that he was innocent of any
crime; that in fact he knew nothing OF
the disappearance of the boy. in state
ment Washington told of the Occurrences
of the previous evening as follows:
when ] took the boy to the Pullman
office to get my money, 1 found that ]
did not have my time book, and told the
boy if he wanted to go down TO the Rs-,'
Graude depot with me he cOul0. but he
said he would wait l took a car and
went TO the depot got my book and
was gone. and l was told that could not
get the money until today. I left the hoy
on the corner of State and Second South
and went to the American club, 42 Com
merciaI street and borrowed some nlone y
| from one of the boys When ] got back
/ the bog was gone. / vent back To thu
club -e1l ~ss'es ts~ss;--,,IS1tl about o'clock
and then went 10 Mrs SCOTS. She was
up when I got home and asked me if
/ wanted the water fixed for a bath. I
| told her I would wait until this morning,
and then | went to bed after writing a
| letter This morning / came up town.
and when l heard of the boy being lost
I didn't even wait for breakfast. but cams
right over here. can prove where 1 was
all the time.
Story Is Corroborated.
/ Washington's story has been corrobo-
/ rated as to his visits to the Pullman Of
fees the depot, the club and his room
/ at Mrs. SCOTS. and was told in such a
manner as to impress the police with IT'S
/ truth A further fact that gives color to
Washingtpns story is that no one has
been found who saw the man and youth
/ in company after the negro left him al
/ Second South and State streets.
! The body was found by two teamsters
/ G. II. Beverly and Oe Norris. who i'm
mediately notified the police station. Pa
| trolman Belts and Patrol Driver Moore
/ went to the scene and removed the corpse
| TO O'Donneil's undertaking establishment
where it is now lying.
Lay in the Snow.
When found, the body was lying y
| much the position of one who. grown
! tired. had lain down to rest and sleep.
Continued on Page 2.