Subscribe..
UMBRELLA MENDER DROWNS
[Welland Tribune, 14 May 1897]
Several itinerant umbrella fixers have been hovering about our town the past week, and on Wednesday night one of them jumped into the canal, swam to the centre of the channel and sank to his death.
The facts of the case seem to be about as follows: James Lennard and his chum, Dorrissy, were walking along the canal bank opposite Tuft’s old hotel, M.C.R. Junction, about 10.30 p.m., when Lennard, said, “I’m going to swim in the canal.” Lennard, Dorrissy says, then plunged in and swam nearly to the centre sinking beneath the water. Dorrissy called for help three times and two men from the tower responded, who said that there was no boat at hand. Dorrissy then met two men, and with them came to Welland and notified police officer White, who in turn notified Coroner Cumines. The latter ordered the body grappled for, but it was not recovered till about 9 o’clock yesterday morning. Lennard is a man of about 5 ft. 6 in. in height, reddish hair, and Dorrissy says is 32 years of age. The two chums had been drinking heavily in Buffalo and had agreed to come to Canada, together to “sober up”-Lennard at least fully carrying out his part of the promise. Dorrissy does not think that Lennard intended to commit suicide, as he was not drunk at the time, but of course was suffering from the effects of a debauch.
Dorrissy says Lennard is American born, but that he has no relatives in Buffalo or anywhere else that he knows of. The deceased had been boarding at 11 Peacock street, Buffalo, and was said to have been a plumber by trade.
The facts were laid before County Attorney Cowper, who deemed an inquest quite proper, and the hour for holding the same was fixed at 2 p.m. yesterday afternoon by Coroner Cumines.
The inquest was begun at 2.30 before Coroner Cumines, with John R. Dowd as fireman of the jury, and resulted in the following verdict.
“That the deceased, James Lennard, came to his death on the 13th day of May, 1897, at the township of Crowland, in the Welland canal, by drowning, while under a fit of temporary insanity.”
It was evidently a case of delirium tremens, Lennard having repeatedly stated somebody was after him; and in fact jumped into a creek a day or two prior, and was pulled out by his chum. It is now said that he was a grain shoveler, not a plumber.
The body was not claimed, and will today be shipped to the school of anatomy, Toronto.
Add A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.