Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-06
F|NDMURDEREDMAN
AT LAKESIDE PARK
Boaters Pull Up Body Weighted
With Kettle Containing
Rocks and Bricks.
IDENTITY NOT ESTABLISHED
Stranger Was Shot Through
Breast Before Body Was
Thrown Into Lake.

The body of an unidentified white
man was dragged from the waters Of
the lake in Lakeside Park early last
night after most of the hundreds of
pleasure re-seekcrs. many of whom had
spent the Fourth of July rowing on
the lake, had left the park. ". >. Gum,
Norman Harris and Wilmer Trent col
ored succeeded in dragging it to ,he
bank after its discovery by G:nn and
Haiiis. Tho body bore every indica-
tion of a murder having been com
mitted. in the opinion Of County officer
Tiller and others who viewed it last
night but little was found in the
pockets to lead to an Identification
An iron kettle containing several
heavy rocks was bound TO the mans
waist by n wire, while two wounds.
one in the chest and another in the
back. pointed to the manner in which
the man had met death The wounds
are thought to have been made bv a
pistol or a shotgun fred at close range
Whether two shots were fred is not
known, but those who witnessed the
finding of the body are Of the opinion
that the dead man was shot but once
One of the wound openings was in the
left chest, just over the heart. while
the other was near the left side of the
back, opposite the kidncys
DO NOT BELIEVE DODY
WAS IN LAKE LONG
When the body was turned over, af-
ter it had been drawn out 10 the bank
Of the lake. blood oozed from each of
the wounds. leading TO the belief that
the dead man could not have been in
the lake any great length of time.
However. this opinion was offset to
some extent by the fact that the body
was swollen and blackened, a condition
found most often when bodies have
been in the water week or more.
There were no traces of violence, other
than those OF the pistol or gunshot
wounds. on the body.
E. G. Gum last night told The Times
Dispatch OF the discovery of the body
He said he had been rowing on the
lake during the afternoon with
friend when he happened to see a large
undiscovered object near one of his
oars. He prodded it off to one side,
and thought no more of the incident.
Later he learned that men in another
boat had seen the same object and had
prodded II also, removing some of the
mud and disclosing the hair of a mans
head The body was then about
twenty feet from the bank in ten feet
OF water.
SEXES BODY BY HAIR
AND DRAG IT ASHORE
The party at once gave the alarm
and summoned other people from the
shore. One of the men in the boat near
the body took hold of the mans hair
and dragged it after the boat while it
was rowed to the bank. There 1t was
at first found impossible TO drag the
body to the bank. Ropes were secured,
and line attached to the feet and
neck, after which the body was easily
drawn from the water.
In dragging il to the bank the men
discovered the kettle attached TO the
waist The mans coat was tied around
the kettle. while in il were found rocks
of considerable dimension, the weight
OF the rocks and kettle being estima ted
at about fifty or sixty pounds. With
the exception OF the wire around the
waist, there were no bounds about the
body.
c. T. Watkins. superintendent OF
Lakeside Park, was notified fthe find-
ing OF the body about 9 o'clock He
at once notified County Coroner J. Full
mer Bright, but the coroner, realizing
the impossibility OF making thorough
examination OF the body, Its clothing
and the property within the pockets,
gave permission FOR its removed to
Bliley's undertaking establishment 1t
was taken there shortly before O'Clock
this morning. and will be held until
this morning. when Or. Bright will
make an Investigation.
BODY APPARENTLY OF
MAN OF TwENTY-FoUR
The body is that OF man about
twenty-four years of age, Weighing in
the neigh borhood of IT'S pounds, and
being five feet ten inches tall Red
dish brown hair covers the head The
face is smooth shaven, and the hands
apparently those of a man used to
manual labor The mans features are
clcanly cut, the nose, however, being
slightly broad at the base
The suit worn by the dead man was
of shepherd plaid. and was bought from
o. H. Berry g. Co. The shoes are of
the low, tan, English variet and new
rubber heels had recently been put on
them.
The shirt was blue or black striped,
the socks Of blue lisc and the tie
black string four-in-hand The man
wore "A belt and no suspcndcrs and
neither vest nor hat was found with
the body. The collar was OF the un-
Numbered variety, and was Is l-2 I'm
size
But for the presence of small gold
scarf pin set with an opal. no jew
elry was found on the body No pa
pers, no purse or other articles we're
discovered in the pockets Of the dead
man.