The body of a man was found on a sandbar in the Missouri river near DeSoto, east of the J. E. Markel farm, yesterday afternoon by Freeman Tucker, a farmer living near there. Coroner E. C. Pierce and Sheriff Mencke went down and pulled the body ashore and searched it. The body was dressed in heavy winter clothing and a heavy winter cap drawn down tight over the ears and coat collar buttoned up tight around the face and heart. Coroner Pierce’s supposition is that the man had attempted to cross the ice last winter and met his fate. There did not seem to be any attempt to conceal identity, as letters of recommendation and a day book in which the man had kept an account of his labor was found on him. From the papers the man is supposed to be William Moffitt of New York City, among them being a typewritten letter to that name at Carthage, S.D., and sent from New York City, August 18, 1903. It was signed by W. S. Jones and was simply a letter of friendship and in answer to one received August 14. The letter of recommendation was first class and was given by Schiefffetin & Co., 110-112 William street, New York, December 23, 1897; was typewritten on the firm’s letterhead and stated that the bearer had worked for the firm eight years. In his time book was found a number of addresses, among them and the most plainly written were: D. A. Gilbert, Lake Preston, S.D., Amos Bliviam, Carthage, S.D., G. R. Yancy, 1027 Thirty-eighth street, New York City; Charles Goeller, 6856 Hundred and Forty-sixth street, New York City, and R. A. Holthnsen, 2670 Hundred and Twenty-third street, New York City. There was also a copy of the Chicago Sunday American of January 31, 1904. Besides the papers there was nothing found on his clothing except a tooth brush and lead pencil. – Omaha Bee, Oct. 8

Note: Since the actual death date was not given, an estimate based on the news article date was used.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~