The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-05-18
Was Surprised TO Find That He
Was Reported Dead.
HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED
Former Employer Positive
Grumbein Was Suicide.
Parents Back East Still Believe
They Have Dead Son.


for few months and on returning
after a trip to the far south have all
OF your acquaintances stop wild eyed
when they met you on the street and
put this question to you.
Why thought you were dead -
This is exactly what is happening to
David Grumbefn who left Topeka last
November for a trip in the southwest
and returned to the city today.
Grumbein is the young fellow who was
supposed 10 have been the man who
committed suicide in North Topeka,
November I. 1908. In fact his friends
and the different employers positively
Identified him as the suicide and he
was buried with that name registered
against him
But Grumbein doesn't believe it. He
came walking into the state Journal
office this afternoon and after a short
argument he convinced re-
porter that he was the only and real
David Grumbein and that he was not
the man who was found hanging by a
slender cord in an out house behind
the empty house at 722 North Monroe
street-in fact that he is still alive,
very much alive
To prove It all Grumbefn walked
around the room. made faces. talked.
laughed and acted in every way like a
human being The reporter touched
his hand and IL was warm and solid
So it isn't the ghost Of David Grum-
bein-ft IS the young man himself
CrrUmbein said he didn't have any
grudge against the State Journal re-
porter who wrote the story about his
tragic death. but all he wished To do
was TO have that reporter bring him
back TO earth agin and convince his
friends that he was still human and
was not walking the streets of Topeka
in trail OF the comet
The suicide of an unknown man oc-
Cured November 4. behind the prop
erty at 722 North Monroe street Boys
playing in the neighb0rhoOd opened
the door of a small outbufIdiug and
found the dead body The suicide
was rather heavySet- had brown hair,
black eyes and was about 25 years
old He wore 8 dark grey suit and
blue negligee shirt and tan shoes. The
suit bore the mark OF a Topeka cloth
ing firm.
4 few days after the discovery Of
the dead man in North Topeka.
farmer named S. c. Lands, living just
this side of Silver Lake came to To-
peka and. going TO the undertaking
rooms. he positively identified the man
as David Grumbein- This settled It
and with this name the man was cart
ed TO the potters field
Il am going to drop out and see
Lands when I have time" said Gruu-
helm TODAY 'Tt was really his fault
that I endured such q terrible death
and I am going out TO ask that he re-
lease me from the grave worked
for Lands for quite awhile before
came TO Topeka
There Is pretty little human ma
ture story behind the alleged suicide OF
David Grumbein and the result may
be the reunion Of two sad parents and
their son. who was given Up for dead
Left Home Years Ago.
Taf Al
home a good many years ago His
father, Moses Grumbefr- and his
mother lived in Lebanon. Pa. and
every since the boy left home he has
trv The call Of the West" brought
him out TO Kansas and away from the
old folks at home
For a long time there was no cor
respoudeuce between the boy and his
u4rents Then when rhe suicide took
place last fall the parents were notf-
fed by Topeka authorities Fully be-
Tievfug that their son had ended his
life and that he was lying in 4 grave
in topeka. the sad parents have
mourned for seven long months. not
knowing the truth
David was not aware that he had
been adjudged dead until he returned
to Topeka knowing that his parents
would be happy to know that their
son was still alive. he has resolved to
allow the State Journal to convey the
news Of the resurrection
Meanwhile David GruTbein is fran
tfcaIIy trying to convince his Topeka
friends and acquaintance that hc Is
alive and that they are not seeing
ghosts He does not know who his
namesake could have been
sI have q cousin who looks just like
ne but 1 took a look at the picture
in the undertaking rooms today and
know that it IS not nv cousin" he
said
As parting warning to the report
er Grumbein said
please don't accuse me Of commit
ting suicide again II am here in To-
peka to stay uow-anG you know that
Toueka IS too good q town to live in
without voluntarily ending your life 1
prefer to stay above grouEd for
awhile"