The Springdale news. [volume] (Springdale, Ark.) 1887-1990, 1918-07-19
DEAD MAN FOUND
IN WHITE RIVER
springdale Boys Discover the Body
Last Sunday.-Had Probably Been
in the River a Week.

The dead body of man who an
peared to be between forty and FORTY
five years of age was discovered in
White River last Sunday. The body
was found by Dorr Jarvis and Ira
West, Springdale boys who had went
out to the river Sunday morning to
fish. 1t was found about a hundred
yards down the river from the new
bridge east of Sonora and was in
quiet water near the bank with cloth
ing partially caught on lown hanging
limbs of trees.
The boys notified Undertaken Joe
Nix at Springdale and the sheriff at
Fayetteville. Mr.. Nix immediately
went out to the river and with the as
sistance of others succeeded in tow
ing the body upon a gravel bar. AS
soon as the sheriff, accompanied by a
deputy and the coroner arrived a jury
was empaneled and verdict rem
dered that the dead man had
met death from unknown causes, but
that death was probably caused by
drowning. A small hole in the mans
forehead between the eyes brought up
the theory that the man had been
shot, but the hole was probed by the
undertaken and was found not to pene-
trate the skull and was probably caus-
by turtle or fish while the body was
in the water.
The body was fully dressed and a
heavy over coat was secured around
the body with straps taken from the
dead mans suitcase, one strap being
placed above the knees and the other
above the waist, the man evident
Is wished to be SIRE that he would
sink. The pockets of the clothes
were searched for some clue to his
identity and in pocket of his coat
carefully folded was found the last
page of a letter from the father of
the deceased, which read as follows:
well Charley, l am sending ssou 10
dollars, postoffice order. would
send you more but I don't get my
check till next month. Well, as soon
as you get this letter answer it right
away. This, from your father,
George Kendall to his son, Charles,
Kendall.
"By by, son. God bless you and help
you to get well.
1888, 8th and Locust, Quincy, ILL.,
A small sum of money and other
personal belongings were found on the
body and a fiber suitcase which had
softened and come apart was found
near where the body was discovered.
A shirt and a badly worn pair of ov-
erals and a few toilet articles were
fished out of the water where the suit
case han sunk and all the articles were
buried with the body.
The body was badly decomposed and
burial was accomplished as soon as
possible, being made in the Sonora
cemetery Sunday night about 10 o.
clock. A number of people from
Springdale and vicinity went out to
the river Sunday afternoon to view
similar sights decided they did not
the body, while others who had seen
care to see it.
Undertaken Nix notified the father
of the dead man of the tragic fate of
his son and Wednesday morning re-
Iceived the following letter, confirm
ing the identity of the dead man and
the impression that he took his own
life:
"Well. Mr.. Undertaken, l received
vour telegram, and | guess from the
description you gave of him that Is
nv son. whose postoffice address was
Cass. Ark, He has been sick ever
since early last spring and bad sick
The last letter / got from him, he
told me that he wished he were dead,
for he never would get well. sent
him some money about two months
ago to help him out. / wrote him
letter to Cass, Ark. 1t laid in the
lpostoffice ten days, and was returned
back to me two weeks ago. l guess,
without doubt that is my son.
guess he committed suicide to get OUT
of his misery and trouble. Please tell
me how far it is from Cass to where
where his body was found. | am SICK
and crippled, myself and rs years old.
He wasn't a married man. He was
bachelor. | will close. This from
George Kendall,
mo. 8 and Locust, Quincy, Ill.
Cass is in Franklin county due south
of st. Paul in Madison county, and
about so miles southeast of here
The man was first seen IN the vicinity
where he met his death on Tuesday
july 9. when he stopped at Spring
Valley to buy some tobacco. III
also stopped at a farmhouse to pur-
..a hraod and was not seer