SUCH a sad, sad story appeared in the Spokane newspaper back on 22 March 1905: “Unknown Man Found In River.”
“The body of a man, as yet unidentified, was found in the north channel of the Spokane River, near the Centennial Mill, about 9 o’clock yesterday morning by an employee of the mill who reported the matter to the police.
“Considerable difficulty was experienced in getting the body out of the river, as the place where it had caught against some driftwood is in the swiftest current of the river and the bottom is very treacherous.
Alexander Turnbull, the undertaker who was called by Coroner Witter to take charge of the body, hired a man to wade out into the river and bring in the body.
The man was apparently about 50 years of age and was five feet nine inches tall. The body was in a bad state of decomposition. Absolutely no means of identification could be found on the body. It was buried yesterday afternoon in Fairmount Cemetery.”
What are YOUR thoughts as you read this? Are you missing a male ancestor born about 1855 who went missing in 1905 in Spokane? What about today…… with DNA testing and dental records, don’t you suppose they could have identified the man today??
Such a sad, sad mystery story.
Another Mystery
The Journal Times Feb. 10, 1921
Infants Body Found Buried In Stone Jar
The body of an infant was found last Thursday by Clarence Linville of Benge. It was contained in an earthen jar which had been sealed with sealing wax and buried in the yard near the residence.
Alcohol had been poured into the jar to fill the void so that body was in nearly a perfect state
of preservation. Its origin is a complete mystery. The body was interred in the potter’s field at Lind.
The first is certainly a sad story — too bad they had no idea what technology would bring and could have saved something to extract DNA from later. Wouldn’t that have been nice? The baby story I would guess to be a stillbirth and they did the interment themselves for lack of funding for a funeral. Of course, intrigue would be fund, but not as likely.