The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1913-03-02
LEAVES LETTER
| TELLING OF HIS
PROPOSEDDFATH
John Brown, Former Resident, Dis
appears Under Peculiar
Circumstances.
FATALITY BY DROWNING
Thought to Be Case; Epistle Depict
ing Such End Received By The
Bulletin From the Man.
FATALITY BY DROWNING

"Tell my PEOPLE, that under the
prevailing conditions and frame o.
mind, am forced to decide to dwell
in the region of and with the dead
rather than-in the land of the living
and have consigned my body to ths
waters OF the Ohio and have commit
ted my soul TO God"
! EXPRESSING such an ulterior mo-
tive regarding his purpose to cast
off the veil of mortality, John
Brown, former resident of Cairo In
the early days of its existence. com.
mitted himself to The Bulletin In
such manner. The information
was received in a letter delivered by
mail to this office yesterday morn
ing. 1t was written upon station
cry of the Planters hotel, this city,
! and was dated "2-2S-1913." The
signature was succeeded by the lines
is"City Clerk of Cairo, ILL.,. in the Six
! ties A direction to send copy OF
The Bulletein to Levi Brown, a
brother, r.. F. D. /, Box IS, Anna,
/, Ills., was contained, as was also 25
cents in money for defraying the ex-
pense.
/ II the aged man The was said to
he past 65 years of age) carried out
. his intent, his body is now probably
at the bottom of the Ohio river, held
down by the colder undercurrents,
or is floating upon the expanse OF
! the river southwark, the possibili-
ties Of its being discovered being
left 10 the uncertainties of fate.
Brown arrived in Cairo Friday
morning on Illinois Central train
No. 81 an hour or so before noon.
He registered at the Planters hotel
giving his res dence as Anna, Ills,
and renewed his acquaintance with
w. j. Hopkins, the proprietor, with
whom he had stopped on a visit to
Cairo about year ago.
I He partook of the midday meal
served at the hotel and afterwards
sat down at one of the writing desks
/ in the corridor of the hotel and
penned several letters and stamped
them for mailing. One of these, in
all probability. was the one received
by The Bulletin.
Late in the afternoon the man
seemed to labor under a nervous
strain az he walked up and down in
the hotel for an hour or more. at.
tracing the attention OF a number
Of guests who were in at the time.
/ Shortly after 6 p. m. he spoke to
MIR. Hopkins relative to his overcoat
asking that it be looked after until
he returned He then left the hotel
going out into the snow storm that
was raging at the time and nothing
more has been seen Of him.
Nothing was thought of the in
cident at the time and when the man
did not return ii was surmised that
he had used his own discretion In re.
naming away.
Yesterday morning Mr.. Hopkins,
thinking that something in the
mans overcoat pockets would lead
to information concerning his
whereabouts, since he did not show
up all night at the hotel after leav-
: ing early in the evening, searched
! the garment
| A note, with advice to notify his
relatives In case of his death and to
turn over his belongings found In
the coat, was discovered by Mr.
! Hopkins in the piekets.
In the pockets of the mans outer
garment was pocket book contain.
ing St.04 in money, a pair of spec.
tacles, watch, gloves and pipe
and a quantity of smoking tobacco
He is described as being past 65
years of age, medium height, wore
a new pair of shoes, overalls and a
slouch hat. 1t is said he looked tc
be in good health and that his hair
despite his age, was only slightly
streaked with gray.
Upon inquiry The Bulletin
learned yesterday afternoon from
several older citizens that Brown
was resident of Cairo over 40
years ago. He held the position of
city clerk, being elected in 1870 tC
the office which he held for year
being defeated the following veal
by an opposing candidate. Later h,
sought he position of city marshal
which at that time was an electiv,
Office, and was defeated by Andrew
Cain. At another time he was !
deputy in the office Of Circuit clerl
John q. Harmon, his brother-in-iaw
He married daughter Of Josepl
Mckenzie, a prominent lumhe