Description
Count Harris was for many years a conductor on the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad and known far and near for his kind and courteous bearing.
To the inexpressible sorrow of his many friends, he began to evince, about a year ago, unmistakable signs of insanity. He quit the railroad last winter, and left St. Joseph the 23rd of January. When last seen, he was walking along the bank of Platte River near Edgerton Junction, on the Rock Island & Chicago Railroad.
His friends, after his disappearance became uneasy about him and began a diligent search for bis body. Parties were sent out through Platte County, and the Platte River was dragged from Edgerton down to Platte City. The search was fruitless, although a reward of $1,000 was offered. All concluded the Count had been murdered and, with weights attached to his body, thrown into Platte River.
Last Sunday afternoon, while a little negro girl was playing on a sand-bar in Platte River, about a mile below Edgerton, she saw the body of a dead man, partially covered by the sand. She ran and told her mother; she told her husband, Harrison Brown, and the whole community soon knew it.
The body was recognized as being that of Count Harris, the long lost conductor. The friends of the dead man were sent for, a coroner’s Jury empaneled and a verdict rendered of death caused by an attempt to cross Platte River.
His watch, several hundred dollars in money, a diamond pin and other valuables were found, showing clearly that he had not been murdered for purposes of robbery. The body, now blackened and decomposed, was sent to Quincy, where it was buried. The reward, $1000 in cash, was paid over to the old negro.Date(s) of Creation
6/6/1874
