The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1909-06-17
MYSTERY OF FOUR
YEARS CLEARED UP
BOYS DISCOVER SKELETON OF
EDWARD REED NEAR ARM
STRONG CREEK, WIS.
BONES FOUND IN SWAMP.
Former Railroad Engineer Disappeared
from Boarding House While
Demented.
LONG SEARCH HAD BEEN IN VAIN.

GREEN BAY, Wis, June 14.-[Spe-
cial. THE mysterious disappearance of
Edward Reed, a former well known rail
road engineer of Green Bay, which oc-
Cured during the deer hunting season of
1905, has been solved. His snowwhite
skeleton was found Il few days ago by
some boys WHO were fishing for trout at
Armstrong Greek, Wis.
Reed was a man with wide circle of
acquaintance and his tragic end will
be heard with regret by many. He had
been for many years an engineer in the
employ Of the Northwestern road, his
run being on the pennsular division. In
1905 he entered the employ of John
Herman, logging superintendent of the
Murphy Lumber company, which oper-
ated several camps at and near Arm
strong Creek.
Disappears During Night.
Jim Stevenson, then in charge of the
company's boarding house at the sta
ton, and Reed on the day in question,
had been out hunting, and instead of re-
turning to camp, Reed remained at the
boarding house, the guest of his friend.
1t was IA bitterly cold night and exhaust
ed from their long and arduous tramp
through the woods, Reed partook of the
stuff that cheers and benumbs. His sys'
TEN could not stand the shock and he
became delirous. Early in the morning
he was seen to jump out of "A window.
clad only in his night gown. Pursuit
was taken up ut once but though only
two or three minutes had elapsed before
Stevenson flew out of the house and aft
err him, nothing was seen of Reed.
Several wild and demoniacal yells from
the poor demented fellow coming from
the railroad trestle east of the station
and only 200 yards away gave his pur-
suers an idea as to the direction which
the fugitive had taken. There was snow
on the ground but no tracks were found,
indicating whether Reed had run. The
search was kept up until daylight. The
until then somewhat desultory seeking of
the runaway man from that time on be-
came Il systematic one under the dlrec-
ton of Mr.. Herman, who had been
routed out of bed in camp couple of
miles away. Operations in the woods
were suspended by him that day and in
stead some 300 odd men, employees of the
Murphy company. and various residents
near by, became man hunters in earnest.
No trace of Reed was found. For year
and longer Herman, whenever the OPP
portunty offered instituted inquiries,
but nothing developed. The fate of Ed
ward Reed remained unknown.
Skeleton in Swamp.
An eighth of mile south of Camp
No. of the Murphy company, and di
rectly south of the 500 track, lies q
small, but in the summer, almost impene
trable tamarack swamp. Through II
runs trout stream. Within fifty feet
of the 500 track the boys while making
for the creek stumbled over the skeleton
The bones are intact and have beer
identified by reason of "A peculiar de
formity of the one arm. But for the
fact that the swamp is even inaccessible
TO most animals, pprcupines probably
would have made Short shrift of The
bones.
During the search for Reed the edge:
of the swamp were carefully searched
but no track was found in the snow. /
is probable that in his frenzy he mad,
a mighty leap from the high road bee
and track, crashing through the dens'
growth of trees and landing in the deel
snow beyond and below where the in
tense cold soon made an end Of the un
fortunate man.