The Ghost of the Columbia River
A body discovered near Wenatchee bears the grim marks of an unsolved murder and the symbols of a fraternal order.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The decomposed body of an unknown man was found floating in the Columbia River twenty-two miles below Wenatchee. The man was apparently 45 or 50 years of age, with a smooth-shaven face and false upper teeth. In his pockets were a carpenter’s nail, a pocket knife, and a prospector’s glass. On the left arm, below the elbow, were tattooed the letters 'I.O.O.F' (Independent Order of Odd Fellows) and the symbols of an all-seeing eye, three links, and two hands clasped. There were no papers on the body. It was evident that there had been foul play, and the coroner’s jury returned a verdict of murdered by parties unknown.
“The coroner’s jury returned a verdict of murdered by parties unknown.”
Unsolved deaths along the Columbia River were a haunting fixture of territorial news. Today, the stretch of river near Wenatchee is highly developed for irrigation and hydroelectric power, but the deep, cold currents still hold many secrets from the era of itinerant prospectors.
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