The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-10-29
Body Found in Pike River
Identified as That of Selden
Miller of Philadelphia.
STRANGE ENDING OF CAREER
Man Had Won Fame as a Boz Musician
and Had Held Many Places High in
Musical Circles-Fa Family Long Prom
inent in Philadelphia.

Only a year ago lionized by all
Philadelphia as it's greatest musician
and known to fame almost throughout
the world, Selden Miller, 20 years of
age, disappeared from his home in mys-
terry. This afternoon he went back
home again. 1t was rough pine box
that carried all that was mortal of one
of the most promising musicians that
America had given the world. His de-
parture for the long trip east brought
a solution to the mystery which had
surrounded the identity of the body of
the young man found floating in the
Pike river north of Kenosha a week
ago last Friday. Late Saturday after
noon just as twilight was dropping the
remains were taken from the narrow
grave in the potter s field at the city
cemetery and brother Emlen I'll. Mil
Ter, who had made the trip from Phila-
delphia to Kenosha, looked only once
at the badly decomposed remains and
turning away, said, IT am satisfied
What an ending for career.
He ordered the body removed to the
undertaking parlors of the Rutledge &
Crossin Company and covered with a
copper box the body left on the last
journey home this afternoon. Philadel-
phia will not know all of the story of
the sad ending of its idol until the
funeral service is held from the hand
some Miller home in Philadelphia on
Wednesday.
Selden Miller was a genius. He was
a member of one of the most promi-
nent families in Philadelphia. When a
boy he showed great talent as must
clan and as conductor. He was en-
ployed at the age of fourteen years
as choirmaster and conductor of the
choir at st. Clement s Protestant Epis-
copal church and two years later he
took a similar position in the St.
Luke's church, the most fashionable
church in Philadelphia. In 1909 he was
elected conductor of the Choral Union
VI u11duOlpnlo) VHO VI tnO SlOdU0oC
organizations of musicians in the
world. Then he made a trip abroad,
playing in the leading capitals of Eu-
rope and he won fame every place he
appeared. He returned to America in
1913 and for months was the idol of
the musicians of Philadelphia.
On the morning of Nov. %, 1913, he
left his home on Tenth street in that
city and this was the last seen of him
by any of his relatives until the pa
thetic scene was enacted by his brother
at the City cemetery on Saturday af-
ternoon. Even in the Identification of
the body and the start on the home
ward trip there was mystery The
brother concealed his every action
while in Kenosha and hid under a
cloak of mystery the story of the life
of the brother who had found rest
ing place in death in the shallow wa
ters of the river near Kenosha.
The brother held that the life was
a closed one and the facts in regard
to the name and fame of the dead
were brought out by investigation in
Philadelphia. The brother knew moth
ing of how Miller had reached Kenosha.
He had been living in Milwaukee I'M
der the name of ''Alfred Freeman, =
and under this name he had been en-
ployed as musician. There was none
of the glamour of his past about his
life in Milwaukee. He was Just the
piano player in moving picture
show" but the people who went to the
theatre went to hear him play just as
must as they went to see the pictures.
Less than a month ago the mother
of Miller who had been living at a
villa near Florence, Italy, died and her
remains are expected to reach Philadel-
phia just about the time the remains
of the long missing son arrive on We'd
nesday
The brother brought with him a pic
ture of his missing brother and when
this was shown to the Kenosha officials
they at once declared that the man
sleeping in the potter's field was the
man sought. Later the brother identi-
fed pair of cuff buttons which had
been taken from the body as pair
which had been given his brother by
one of the members of the family.
The whole story of the descent of
Miller down the social and professional
scale will probably never be known. 1t
is possible that the brother knew some
thing of the story, but if he did, he
managed to keep the facts secret
from people who came in contact with
him in Kenosha.
Before sunset this evening the body