The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1909-02-04
Body of F. W. Raether, Former
Kenosha Man, Found Float.
ing in Lake at Waukegan
IDENTIFIED BY WEDDING RING
Former Assistant Keeper Of the Keno
sha Light House Disappeared
From Waukegan More
Than Year Ago

The mystery surrounding the disap-
pearance of f. W. Raether, formerly
assistant keeper Of the Kenosha Light
House and later keeper Of the Wauke
gan Light House, who disappeared
from Waukegan on the night Of Dec.
Is, 1907, was solved on Friday when
the body Of the long missing man
was found floating in the mouth Of the
Waukegan harbor. The body was
found by Charles Tesnow, one of the
assistants at the Waukegan Light
House, and while it was terribly de-
composed it was possible to identify it
by a ring which still chung to the finger
Of the dead man.
It is rather remarkable fact that
the storm which stirred the body from
the lake where it had lain for SO many
months was storm similar to the one
which prevailed when Raether disap-
peared.
The body was taken from the water
by the men in charge Of the Light
House at Waukegan and removed to an
undertaking establishment where it
was positively Unidentified by Capt. L.
N. DeDeimar formerly keeper of the
Kenosha Light and by Attorney
Ben Parmalee who had been a personal
sented his wife as an attorney since
the death of the husband.
1t is supposed that the body had
been held at the bottom Of the lake
every since Raether fell into the water
more than year ago as it came up
within a few feet Of the place where
Raether was last seen.
The dead man was a son of Mrs.
Augusta Raether, who resides at II
Middle street in this city, and the
aged mother has been notified of the
finding Of the remains of the son.
Raether was about IS years of age
and spent much Of his life in Kenosha.
He was a son Of the late August Raeth
er of this city and for over fifteen
years he served as an assistant at the
Kenosha Light House under L. n. De-
Deimar. At the time Of the removal
of his former chief Raether was sent
to Kenosha, to take care Of the Keno
sha Light House and he remained here
until late in the fall Of 1907 when he
was transferred and placed in charge
Of the Light House at Waukegan. On
Dec. 10 Of that year he left home early
in the morning to go to his work at
the Light House and while it was claim
ed that he was seen walking on the
pier an hour later he never returned
to his home and was never heard from
again until the body was found float
ing in the lake on Friday. The cap
which was worn by Raether was found
floating in the harbor and his coat was
found near the end Of the harbor pier
At the time a terrific northeast storm
was raging and it is supposed that he
went out on the pier to attend to some
duty and was washed into the lake by
the waves which were beating over the
piers.
Search for the body was taken up at
once and Captain B. G.. Cameron, then
in charge of the Kenosha Life Saving
Crew, organized a volunteer crew and
went to Waukegan and for days
searched the beach for several miles
about Waukegan in hopes of finding
some trace Of the body. Finally the
search was abandoned, but several
time it had been reported that body
had been seen floating in the lake near
the entrance Of the harbor and it was
thought that this was the body of
Raether.
The estate of Raether was admins
tered in the Kenosha County Court and
the proof Of DEATH while not positive,
was thought to be so strong that the
insurance companies in which the miss
ing man carried policies finally decided
to pay the policies and this money was
turned over to the widow more than six
months ago. Mrs. Raether and her
children are now living at Grand Ha-
ven, Mich, but they we've called to
Waukegan Friday evening to make
positive the Identification.