Rockford (IL) Daily Register-Gazette, Monday, 19 April 1909, page 1
FIND BARBER’S BODY IN RIVER
REMAINS OF RALPH THOMPSON, LONG MISSING, FISHED FROM STREAM
SUICIDE THEORY IS HELD
Left Rockford Over Month Ago—Body Taken From River at Janesville Sunday
A telephone message from Janesville to Chief Bargren Sunday afternoon announced the finding of a body in the river there of a man supposed to hail from Rockford from the contents of the pockets of the clothing on the corpse.
Letters addressed to Ralph H. (sic Horatio R) Thompson, Rockford, Ill., 110 Central avenue, an insurance policy for $1000, some barber’s supplies, a razor, shears, etc., were found in the pockets.
Inquiry by the local police developed the fact that Ralph Thompson, son of Ralph H. Thompson (sic-Horatio R) Thompson of the meat market firm of Thompson & Eddy, had been missing for some six weeks, and as he was a barber by profession the conclusion was immediately reached that the body fished from the river at Janesville was that of the long missing Rockfordite.
Mr. Thompson proceeded at once to Janesville and identified the remains as those of his son. They were considerably decomposed and the supposition is that they had been in the water several weeks. A severe thunder storm raged at Janesville Saturday night and the body of the Rockford man as well as that of another unidentified man rose to the surface, the calm of Sunday revealing two corpses along the river bank.
Thompson was about 45 years of age ad is survived by a widow and one daughter, the latter a married woman. The wife separated from Thompson over a year ago and is maker her home in Chicago. Thompson was a barber y trade and had worked in various local shops, but had not followed this occupation for the past year. His last employment was with Samuel McDowell at the latter’s home bakery. The remains will be taken direct to Delmar, Ia., the former home of the Thompson family, by the father.
When the son left Rockford something over a month ago his departure was unexpected and he acquainted no one of his intention to leave the city or his destination. The surmise is that he omitted suicide soon after he left here as the remains indicated their having been in the water some time. He was a man of peculiar disposition and the suicide theory is given credence by acquaintances from the fact that he was known to have had attacks of melancholia.
* * *
There does not appear to be a marker for either Ralph or wife, Alice. And their graves are not recorded in the WPA records.
* * *
FIND BARBER’S BODY IN RIVER
REMAINS OF RALPH THOMPSON, LONG MISSING, FISHED FROM STREAM
SUICIDE THEORY IS HELD
Left Rockford Over Month Ago—Body Taken From River at Janesville Sunday
A telephone message from Janesville to Chief Bargren Sunday afternoon announced the finding of a body in the river there of a man supposed to hail from Rockford from the contents of the pockets of the clothing on the corpse.
Letters addressed to Ralph H. (sic Horatio R) Thompson, Rockford, Ill., 110 Central avenue, an insurance policy for $1000, some barber’s supplies, a razor, shears, etc., were found in the pockets.
Inquiry by the local police developed the fact that Ralph Thompson, son of Ralph H. Thompson (sic-Horatio R) Thompson of the meat market firm of Thompson & Eddy, had been missing for some six weeks, and as he was a barber by profession the conclusion was immediately reached that the body fished from the river at Janesville was that of the long missing Rockfordite.
Mr. Thompson proceeded at once to Janesville and identified the remains as those of his son. They were considerably decomposed and the supposition is that they had been in the water several weeks. A severe thunder storm raged at Janesville Saturday night and the body of the Rockford man as well as that of another unidentified man rose to the surface, the calm of Sunday revealing two corpses along the river bank.
Thompson was about 45 years of age ad is survived by a widow and one daughter, the latter a married woman. The wife separated from Thompson over a year ago and is maker her home in Chicago. Thompson was a barber y trade and had worked in various local shops, but had not followed this occupation for the past year. His last employment was with Samuel McDowell at the latter’s home bakery. The remains will be taken direct to Delmar, Ia., the former home of the Thompson family, by the father.
When the son left Rockford something over a month ago his departure was unexpected and he acquainted no one of his intention to leave the city or his destination. The surmise is that he omitted suicide soon after he left here as the remains indicated their having been in the water some time. He was a man of peculiar disposition and the suicide theory is given credence by acquaintances from the fact that he was known to have had attacks of melancholia.
* * *
There does not appear to be a marker for either Ralph or wife, Alice. And their graves are not recorded in the WPA records.
* * *
Rockford (IL) Daily Register-Gazette, Monday, 19 April 1909, page 1
FIND BARBER’S BODY IN RIVER
REMAINS OF RALPH THOMPSON, LONG MISSING, FISHED FROM STREAM
SUICIDE THEORY IS HELD
Left Rockford Over Month Ago—Body Taken From River at Janesville Sunday
A telephone message from Janesville to Chief Bargren Sunday afternoon announced the finding of a body in the river there of a man supposed to hail from Rockford from the contents of the pockets of the clothing on the corpse.
Letters addressed to Ralph H. (sic Horatio R) Thompson, Rockford, Ill., 110 Central avenue, an insurance policy for $1000, some barber’s supplies, a razor, shears, etc., were found in the pockets.
Inquiry by the local police developed the fact that Ralph Thompson, son of Ralph H. Thompson (sic-Horatio R) Thompson of the meat market firm of Thompson & Eddy, had been missing for some six weeks, and as he was a barber by profession the conclusion was immediately reached that the body fished from the river at Janesville was that of the long missing Rockfordite.
Mr. Thompson proceeded at once to Janesville and identified the remains as those of his son. They were considerably decomposed and the supposition is that they had been in the water several weeks. A severe thunder storm raged at Janesville Saturday night and the body of the Rockford man as well as that of another unidentified man rose to the surface, the calm of Sunday revealing two corpses along the river bank.
Thompson was about 45 years of age ad is survived by a widow and one daughter, the latter a married woman. The wife separated from Thompson over a year ago and is maker her home in Chicago. Thompson was a barber y trade and had worked in various local shops, but had not followed this occupation for the past year. His last employment was with Samuel McDowell at the latter’s home bakery. The remains will be taken direct to Delmar, Ia., the former home of the Thompson family, by the father.
When the son left Rockford something over a month ago his departure was unexpected and he acquainted no one of his intention to leave the city or his destination. The surmise is that he omitted suicide soon after he left here as the remains indicated their having been in the water some time. He was a man of peculiar disposition and the suicide theory is given credence by acquaintances from the fact that he was known to have had attacks of melancholia.
* * *
There does not appear to be a marker for either Ralph or wife, Alice. And their graves are not recorded in the WPA records.
* * *
FIND BARBER’S BODY IN RIVER
REMAINS OF RALPH THOMPSON, LONG MISSING, FISHED FROM STREAM
SUICIDE THEORY IS HELD
Left Rockford Over Month Ago—Body Taken From River at Janesville Sunday
A telephone message from Janesville to Chief Bargren Sunday afternoon announced the finding of a body in the river there of a man supposed to hail from Rockford from the contents of the pockets of the clothing on the corpse.
Letters addressed to Ralph H. (sic Horatio R) Thompson, Rockford, Ill., 110 Central avenue, an insurance policy for $1000, some barber’s supplies, a razor, shears, etc., were found in the pockets.
Inquiry by the local police developed the fact that Ralph Thompson, son of Ralph H. Thompson (sic-Horatio R) Thompson of the meat market firm of Thompson & Eddy, had been missing for some six weeks, and as he was a barber by profession the conclusion was immediately reached that the body fished from the river at Janesville was that of the long missing Rockfordite.
Mr. Thompson proceeded at once to Janesville and identified the remains as those of his son. They were considerably decomposed and the supposition is that they had been in the water several weeks. A severe thunder storm raged at Janesville Saturday night and the body of the Rockford man as well as that of another unidentified man rose to the surface, the calm of Sunday revealing two corpses along the river bank.
Thompson was about 45 years of age ad is survived by a widow and one daughter, the latter a married woman. The wife separated from Thompson over a year ago and is maker her home in Chicago. Thompson was a barber y trade and had worked in various local shops, but had not followed this occupation for the past year. His last employment was with Samuel McDowell at the latter’s home bakery. The remains will be taken direct to Delmar, Ia., the former home of the Thompson family, by the father.
When the son left Rockford something over a month ago his departure was unexpected and he acquainted no one of his intention to leave the city or his destination. The surmise is that he omitted suicide soon after he left here as the remains indicated their having been in the water some time. He was a man of peculiar disposition and the suicide theory is given credence by acquaintances from the fact that he was known to have had attacks of melancholia.
* * *
There does not appear to be a marker for either Ralph or wife, Alice. And their graves are not recorded in the WPA records.
* * *
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