Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-06-21
FINDS NO SOLUTION
Of DEATH MYSTERY
Coroner's Jury Unable to Es-
tabIish Identity of Man
Taken From River.

Mystery in the killing of the I'M
identified man whose body was taken
from the river a short distance be-
low the railroad bridge spanning the
river from Potomac Park to Virginia
the morning of June has not been
solved. Coroner hewitt is inclined
to believe the man was murdered, he
said, although it is possible. but hard
ly probably, that he was killed by an
automobile or railroad train.
Detectives E!nbrey and Thompson,
who visited the scene of the finding
of the body and helped to make
search of the clothing for marks of
identification, appeared before a cor
oner's jury at the morgue yesterday
afternoon and said they had been
unable to get the body identified.
what appeared to be the name.
S. c. Hege, written in inde!ible ink
on the collarband of the shirt. had
identification. No such name appears
in the city directory, nor could the
name be found in directories of other
cities at police headquarters.
Gives Result of Autopsy
DR.. A. Magruder Macdonald. who
assisted at the autopsy performe ed
on the body. told the jury that death
and not to drowning, there being no
water in the lungs. Death occurred
before the body was placed in the
river, the jurors were told.
The autopsy disclosed a compound
fracture of the right side of the skull
and depressed fracture of the left
side, resulting in shock and cerebral
hemorrhage which caused death.
There was nothing in the appear
ance of the body to suggest the
probability of the man being vic
tim of an automobile or railroad ac-
cident. Coroner hewitt stated. the
clothing being intact and the coat
buttoned. The pockets of the cloth
ing had not been disturbed, so far as
they appeared at the time the body
was found.
Jury Returns Verdict
In the absence of any definite testi-
mony, the coroner's jury reported a
solve the mystery. The body was
inferred in potter's field several days
ago, the superintendent of the morgue
retaining bits of clothing. the laun-
dry marks and penknife and comb
taken from the pockets of the dead
mans clothing. They are held at the
morgue for Identification.
Detectives and Coroner hewitt think
the establishing of the mans identity
probably would lead to solution or
MS death. II IS DeileNeO the ihd y
was not a resident of this city and
that he probably was killed at some
distant point and his body conveyed
in an automobile or other convey
ance to the river and thrown over
board. The body was in a standing
position when found.
1t was said at the time of the re-
covery of the body that death prob
ably had occurred within four days at
the most.
Inspector Clifford L. Grant, chief OF
detectives, has copies of the dead
mans photograph, and has sent de-
scription of him to the police of other
cities in an effort to learn his identity.
1t is believed that the man was be-
tween forty-five and tifty-five years
old, medium height and build. and
having dark gray-mixed hair and red
dish mustache mixed with gray. His
trousers and coat were of dark striped
material, and the vest was of her
ringbone. He wore blue and white
striped shirt and black silk tie. A
gold bridge in his mouth. the police
say. should help in Identification.