Mystery of Huron River Victim Still Unsolved
Lansing, Michigan (United States):
The water of the Huron River flows quietly over the top of the dam just west of LeForge Road, passing the site where the paper mill once was and apartment buildings now stand. On the north side of the river is the shell of the old Edison power house, standing in Peninsular Park.
The park is a restful place, lining the river with trees and shade.It is a perfect place to stand by the river and watch the water flow over the dam, or drop a line to reel in some fish. It's hard to believe that it also is a place of death.
This part of the Huron River, where the Peninsular Paper mill once stood, has over the years been the site of several deadly accidents, drownings, and even murder.For most of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, someone died there almost every year. At one time, students at the Normal College, now Eastern Michigan University, were forbidden to bathe, swim or boat on the river, because, as the student newspaper phrased it: "The Huron has proven to be such an efficient student exterminator.
''As an exterminator, the Huron did not limit itself to students, as anyone else was as likely to be a victim.Melvin Campbell of Huron River Road was walking along the bank of the Huron River, west of where the Peninsular Paper mill was, on a Monday morning, Sept. 29, 1930, gathering bittersweet berries. He sighted the right arm of a body in the river, about 20 feet offshore, and 500 yards west of the mill.
Campbell notified police, and help was soon on the scene. By noon the body was pulled out of the river by Officer Walter Laidlaw with the aid of a pole and Campbell."The man taken from the water had no marks of identification, being clothed only in his underwear. He appeared to be about 40 years old, five feet four inches in height, weight about 130 lbs., and had a small crop of reddish hair with a tendency to be bald at the front of the head,'' reported The Daily Ypsilanti Press of Monday, Sept. 29, 1930.
The story was reported in the daily paper the same day the body was found.The next day, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 1930, The Press added to the description of the man: "The face of a woman was tattooed on his left forearm and a shield on his right forearm.''"It is believed,'' continued the first report, "that the man was swimming, gripped with a cramp, pulled under, and drowned. Police are now searching the banks of the river for possible discovery of his clothes.'
'The coroner was called but decided not to hold an inquest until authentic information as to the identity of the man was found. The coroner, E.C. Ganzhorn, said he believed the body to have been in the water for about two weeks, as the skin turned to a dark black as soon as it was exposed to air.Police made inquiries as to the possible identity of the man, but no missing person report had been filed with the police for the previous month.
Efforts were made by the police to learn if the man had been staying in the local "jungles.''The body was placed in a local funeral home, where it was to remain until identified. It is likely the body was there for some time, as it never was identified. The man was most likely a tramp staying in one of the camps near Ypsilanti when he died.
Those who knew him, if there were any such persons, possibly left the area before the body was discovered.In the end, the body was buried in an unmarked grave where it remains forgotten. All that is left is a small mystery.
Sept 26, 2005
James Mann, Ann Arbor News, Michigan
Lansing, Michigan (United States):The water of the Huron River flows quietly over the top of the dam just west of LeForge Road, passing the site where the paper mill once was and apartment buildings now stand. On the north side of the river is the shell of the old Edison power house, standing in Peninsular Park.
The park is a restful place, lining the river with trees and shade.It is a perfect place to stand by the river and watch the water flow over the dam, or drop a line to reel in some fish. It's hard to believe that it also is a place of death.
This part of the Huron River, where the Peninsular Paper mill once stood, has over the years been the site of several deadly accidents, drownings, and even murder.For most of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, someone died there almost every year. At one time, students at the Normal College, now Eastern Michigan University, were forbidden to bathe, swim or boat on the river, because, as the student newspaper phrased it: "The Huron has proven to be such an efficient student exterminator.
''As an exterminator, the Huron did not limit itself to students, as anyone else was as likely to be a victim.Melvin Campbell of Huron River Road was walking along the bank of the Huron River, west of where the Peninsular Paper mill was, on a Monday morning, Sept. 29, 1930, gathering bittersweet berries. He sighted the right arm of a body in the river, about 20 feet offshore, and 500 yards west of the mill.
Campbell notified police, and help was soon on the scene. By noon the body was pulled out of the river by Officer Walter Laidlaw with the aid of a pole and Campbell."The man taken from the water had no marks of identification, being clothed only in his underwear. He appeared to be about 40 years old, five feet four inches in height, weight about 130 lbs., and had a small crop of reddish hair with a tendency to be bald at the front of the head,'' reported The Daily Ypsilanti Press of Monday, Sept. 29, 1930.
The story was reported in the daily paper the same day the body was found.The next day, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 1930, The Press added to the description of the man: "The face of a woman was tattooed on his left forearm and a shield on his right forearm.''"It is believed,'' continued the first report, "that the man was swimming, gripped with a cramp, pulled under, and drowned. Police are now searching the banks of the river for possible discovery of his clothes.'
'The coroner was called but decided not to hold an inquest until authentic information as to the identity of the man was found. The coroner, E.C. Ganzhorn, said he believed the body to have been in the water for about two weeks, as the skin turned to a dark black as soon as it was exposed to air.Police made inquiries as to the possible identity of the man, but no missing person report had been filed with the police for the previous month.
Efforts were made by the police to learn if the man had been staying in the local "jungles.''The body was placed in a local funeral home, where it was to remain until identified. It is likely the body was there for some time, as it never was identified. The man was most likely a tramp staying in one of the camps near Ypsilanti when he died.
Those who knew him, if there were any such persons, possibly left the area before the body was discovered.In the end, the body was buried in an unmarked grave where it remains forgotten. All that is left is a small mystery.
Sept 26, 2005
James Mann, Ann Arbor News, Michigan
