The Body in the Bay: Peter Samuelson's Mysterious Death
After nearly two weeks missing, a Port Townsend man was found dead on the shore, his boat capsized and his pockets still heavy with gold. A coroner's jury ruled accidental drowning.
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.
On Saturday, the 10th inst., a report was brought that a dead man was lying near the water, just inside the entrance. The Coroner immediately summoned a jury at six o'clock and repaired to the spot. The body was identified as that of Peter Samuelson, whose mysterious disappearance had been noted in our issue of a week before last.
The remains were lying extended on the bench, with the head toward the water, which was partly covered at high tide—probably remaining in the position in which he fell. The boat was lying near him, bottom up, partly filled with water, with its painter around his neck. A short distance from the body were his valise and a bottle of whisky. On searching the remains the Coroner found a gold earring, two gold finger-rings, a small silver watch-chain, some small keys, and ten gold pieces—three twenty-dollar pieces. An inquest was then held and a verdict rendered, of which the following is a copy:
"We, the jury, summoned to hold an inquest on the dead body of Peter Samuelson, do return our verdict that the said Peter Samuelson came to his death by accidental drowning. John [S.], Foreman. Port Townsend, June 10, 1876."
Owing to the decomposition which had taken place, it was found impossible to transport the remains from the spot where they had so long rested—some ten or twelve days, probably. A rude coffin was extemporized and they were interred nearby. Comment upon the sad ending of the unfortunate man is unnecessary.
“The boat was lying near him, bottom up, partly filled with water, with its painter around his neck.”
Port Townsend's waterfront was a place of arrivals, departures, and unexplained endings; today the same harbor is a heritage district. The story also reminds us how local papers once served as the only public record of a missing person—and how quickly a life could become a coroner's notice.
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