Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-06-07
RIVER GIVES
UP IT'S DEAD
Mystery Surrounds Recovery of
Body From the St. Joe

Inc st. Joe River gave up another
OF Its dead bodies yesterday and If
now lies at the morgue Of the Coeur
dAlene Undertaking Co, awaiting
identification. 1t was discovered by
the pilot of the steamer Flyer on its
return trip to the city, about six
miles from where the river emptles
It's waters into the Occur d'Alene
lake, and towed to the shore and
the offScers in this city notified. Yes
terday afternoon Deputy Sheriff
Dyer accompanied by Undertaken
Luce, of the Occur d'Alene Under
taking Co., secured the services of
the steamer Spray and left for the
scene. and the body was brought to
the city last evening and is now at
the morgue, where it will be held
until the circumstances surrounding
the death of the unknown man can
be Investigated by the officers.
Dead Man q WOdsman.
The body has the appearance of
having been in the water for a period
OF about a month or six weeks and
is In a bad state of decomposition.
On the nose and on the right temple
are wounds, but whether they were
received from coming in contact with
objects while floating In the river or
whether at the hands of a murderous
assailant has not yet been deter
mined. The attire of the dead man
is that of a woodsman. He wore
neither coat nor vest, and the shirt is
that commonly worn by those who
work In the woods, and so are the
boots, which have heavy calks in the
soles. An examination of the peck
cts of the clothes revealed a silver
dollar and some matches, but no
other articles or papers by which an
Identification could be made. The
dead man appears to have been
about 35 years of age and a little
over five feet in height and weighed
about $50 pounds.
Fight ON River Bank.
Whether the case is one of acct
dental drowning by some woodsman
while engaged in his employment
along the river, or whether it is
case of man becoming tired of life
in general, or whether 1t is a case of
murder, Is a matter of conjecture.
but to the sheriff's officials comes a
story of fight between two woods
men on the bank of the St. Joe river,
and in the light of that story and
other attendant circumstances the
officials are inclined to the belief that
it is the later, but do not care to dis
cuss the matter to any extent until
an investigation can be made. The
relator of the story that comes to the
sheriff's Office is said to be a citizen
of st. Maries, and. according to the
story he tells, about six weeks ago
two wodsmen were fighting on the
banks of the river and he stood by
and watched the contest at dis
lance. According to his statement
the two men fought for some and
then. when the battle was at its
height, the two men grappled and, in
each others arms. they fell over the
bank into the river According to
the story told, one of the eombatants
was seen to emerge from the Yater,
crawl up over the bank and depart
for the town, but the other was not
seen again. and the theory held is
that he was unable to swim, or that
he was injured to that extent that
he could not swim and went down
TO a watery grave. This is the story
that comes to the sheriffs' Office. and
By some IL Is believed that the Wouha
appearing on the nose and on the
right temple were received In the
fight on the river bank. II is also
pointed out that the fact that the
hght occurred six weeks ago and
that the body has remained in the
water about that length OF time. are
circumstances which lend belief TO
the story.
Story Is Verified
Coroner wenz arrived in the city
today at little before noon. and az
ter making an investigation Of the
body decided that the empaneling OF
a eoroner's jury was unnecessary.