The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1950-03-23
man DROPS FROM
TRAIN; FIND BODY
FROZEN UNDER ICE
Reuben t. Burkholder Meets
Death Enroute From West
Coast on Visit
Body Found Along Railroad
Tracks i'm Wisconsin After
Two Weeks Search

A two-weeks' search for Reuben T.
Burkholder, 70, native of the Swiss
Settlement, northwest of Bluffton,
who disappeared while enroute from
his home in Everett, Wash, to visit
relatives here ended Monday after
noon when section workers found his
lifeless body along the Burlington
railroad right-of-way, three miles
outside Prairie du Chen, Wisconsin.
Mystery still continued to surround
Burkholder's disappearance from the
train, however, and word received
here by relatives indicated that police
officials Investigating the circum-
stances suspect foul play.
Missing since March 4, Burkholder's
body was discovered by section work.
ers who noticed dark object under
ice frozen over pool of water along
the railroad right-of-way.
Frozen i'm Pool
Breaking the ice, they discovered
the body of the man, identified as
Burkholder by personal papers and a
checkbook. Wearing only suit coat,
the aged man either had been thrown
or fallen from the train while it was
travelling at high speed thru the
Wisconsin countryside.
Burkholder's overcoat, hat and bag
left on the train when it reached
Chicago indicated to railroad officials
that passenger was missing, but
identity Of the missing man was not
established until after baggage check
ed thru to Lima arrived at that des-
tination and was unclaimed.
First indication that relatives here
had of Burkholder's disappearance
was when the Lima railroad office
notified brother, John Burkholder,
of Rockport, of the unclaimed bag
gage.
Relatives Notified
The search for the missing man
was on when local relatives checked
back along the route of travel, and
learned that one of the Burlington
passengers was missing when the
train reached Chicago.
John Burkholder had not been
notified in advance that his brother
was enroute here for visit, and
notification from the Lima baggage
office was his first intimation that
anything was wrong.
The mishap victim last had visited
here about two years ago. For many
years he was fruit farmer at
Everett, Wash, having gone TO the
west coast while a young man. He
was never married.
Body Identified
Truman Burkholder, west of Bluff
ton, nephew, was notified Tuesday
that the body had been identified as
that of his uncle, and a telephone
call placed later by Paul Diller, whose
wife is a niece, confirmed the identi-
fication.
An undertaken in Prairie du Chen
told Bluffton relatives that altho
there were head bruises it was i'm
possible to determine if they had been
sustained in the fall from the train,
or had been inflicted earlier.
Foul play was suspected because
there was no way a passenger could
fall from the train, without opening
doors in vestibules of the coaches,
and also because none We're reported
open by train officials.
Whether the body had been robbed
had not been learned by local relatives
Wednesday.
The body will arrive here the last
of this week and remain at the Diller
funeral home pending funeral ar
rangements. Services will be held in
the Ebenezer church and burial will
be in the church cemetery. His
brother in Roekport is the only near
S11ryiyoY.