Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1932-05-12
HISTORY'S |
MYSTERIES |
II u~sslved 066bos Int 1tu puz1jo
Il AutAortss Mere rad Abrosd
What Became of William
Turner?


4 MONG the many interesting and
"A curious facts connected with the
history of individuals or nations there
are few which possess the grim, COM
polling qualities of the disappearance
cases''-the instances in which human
beings have apparently vanished from
the face of the earth. never to be
heard from again. BUT if in addition,
the affair is complicated by the iden-
tification Of body which Is supposed
to be that Of The missing person, the
matter becomes nue of national and
sometimes international prominence
But the apparent impossibility OF
identifying even near relatives IS we'll
illustrated by case decided In the
English viee.ehaneelor's court In con-
nection with Suit in which the plain
tin wished 10 establish the fact that
certain William Turner had come
TO his death.
Turner had last been seen on May
7, while he was being entertained at
Gulldford He then presented an
emaciated appearance, he was un-
kempt and nnshayen and there were
many who were Of the opinion that
his mind vas unsettled and weak. Ten
days later a body was found In the
River Wey anil, at the inquest which
was summonnued on the same day,
two men named Etherington swore
that the corpse was thar of their fa-
Their, who was missing at the time.
The friends who had entertained
Turner at Guildford, on the other
hand declared their belief that the
body was that Of William Turner. but
Ii was nevertheless inferred as that
of Philip Etherlngtor A colored
handkerchief WAS found around the
neck of the body and this article as
sisted IN the ultimate identification
of the corpse some months later
when Philip Etherineton, supposedly
drowned and buried walked calmly
into his daughters house and told a
rambling story of why he had not
previously appeared
The question as to the identity OF
the drowned man was then revived
in earnest. The proofs were. to the
minds of most people. clearly brought
out at lust for William Turner had
left behind him 1T Guildford a frag-
ment of handkerchief which was
found to correspond with the one dis
covered around the neck Of the
drowned man To the yice-chancellors
mind the chain Of evidence was COM
plete and satisfactory and judgment
was given that William Turner had
come 70 this death by drowning. Yet
the two sons of Philip Etherington
had positively identified this same
body AS that Of their father. whom
they had seen every day for more than
thirty years and with whose facial
and bodily characteristics they would
be supposed to he a familiar as with
their own.
Moreover. in spite Of the fact that
Turner WAS quite prominent In the
community must of those who knew
him agreed with the Etheringtons as
to the identity OF the body. despite
the fact that they also claimed that
there was little similarity between the
appearance Of Turner and Etherington
during life Nor did decomposition Of
the features enter into the matter in
the least, for tire common notion that
the human body decomposeS rapidly
in water Is contrary 10 the fact for,
especially during winter or in the
months when the water Is cold and
Ii the body remains below the surface,
the features were often remarkably
we'll preserved. Identification may
therefore be comparatively easy, be-
cause of-rather than in spite Of
the fact that tile body has been inn
mersed in water.
No case OF Il similar character ever
created the sensation in England that
the Turner affair did. for the reason
| that the body was not long enough in
the water 10 ulStorl tne features In
any way, yet neither the Turner's, the
Etheringtons nor their friends We're
able positively 10 identify the drowned
man. At first he was buried as Ether
ington and later the stone above his
/. grave was altered to read Turner
yet tile latter's family and friends
have never been wholly satisfied that
ii was his body that was inferred
there.
ticl BY the Wheeler syndicateA
-. ...n.-,.. ...h.. q lata summer sec