The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-06-20
Unknown Man Thrown From
Rock Island Train.
Name Supposed to Be w. e.
Phillips.
FOUND IN THE YARDS.
Switching Crew Picked Him Up
at Midnight.
Died at Hospital Without Re-
gaining Consciousness.

w. E. Phillips is believed to have
been the name of the man who was
found unconscious by the Rock Island
track near the foot of Buchanan street
about midnight Sunday and taken to
Stormont hospital, where he died four
hours later. He did not recover con-
seriousness and his Identification rests
upon the name, found in three places,
upon scraps of paper in his pockets
and the initials w. E. P. tattooed upon
his arm
1t was shortly after midnight that
the crew of switch engine plying
in the Rock Island yards found the al
most lifeless man. He was bleeding
little from wounds on the left side of
the face and the flesh was discolored.
1t was judged that he had fallen or
been thrown from a moving train and
left to be found by the switchers. Sub
sequent examination by DR.. H. B.
Hogeboom discovered a fracture of the
skull extending across the bridge of
the nose and to both parietal bones.
That E. Phillips, or w. e. Phillips
II either was his name. was a waif
OF fortune on his way to the western
Kansas harvest fields is the guess of
those who have Investigated his case.
He must have spent some time in Kan
saS City and worked as a clothes clean
er on some occasion, as slip of paper
from his pocket showed that he had
once secured such employment at 20
cents an hour through the agency of
the Helping Hand institute at 40S410
Main street. Another piece of paper
gave several names and addresses on
Kansas City streets, possibly places to
which he had been directed in search
of work. A separate paper bore the
name of d. e. Ely, Larned, Kan. Pre-
sumably, it was an address given him
where he expected to find work as
harvest hand.
A description of the body, which now
lies in the PenWe1l undertaking estab-
lishment, was taken today. 1t shows a
man of near 30 years, dark brown hair
pounds and stood slightly under feec
6 inches. On the right forearm are
tattooed three letters, w. E. P, and just
beneath them is design. representing,
apparently, The Jack of Hearts," II
is done in blue ink with much blurred
detail and in the center of the design
is a small red heart On the lefs fore
arm is a representation of a woman's
head with considerable intricate design
worked about it.
The clothing taken from the body
was of the poorest A coarse black
shirt,sa black SLOUGH hat on the band
of which were the letters D. c., blue
overallS. coarse wooden drawers and
heavy shoes composed his wardrobe.
From his pockets were taken a few
valueless articles, a cheap comb, pipe,
pencil needle and spool of thread
and looking glass. Besides these was
found a small black purse with So cents
and a small metal badge in the form of
shield with link by which it might
have been fastened to a chain. The
badge bore the insignia of a lodge with
the letters P. o. S. of A. These things
and a copy of a Kansas City paper Of
| June Is make up the possessions of the
| dead man
His body will be held for a few days
| by the PenwelI undertaking establish
ment in the hope Of Identification.