Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1913 — STORIES from the BIG CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

STORIES from the BIG CITIES

Disposition of Man’s Ashes Causes a Commotion

NEW YORK.—A dying man’s wish that his ashes be cast into the East river on his birthday caused wild commotion early the other day in the morgue and among the police of the East Twenty-second street station. The ashes were those of Alexander McConnell, who died in a New York hospital. He was a clerk for 30 years tn a store in Duane street, and it was nearly three years ago that he made arrangements for the disposition of ‘his remains with the undertaking establishment of Frank Campbell at 241 .West Twenty-third street The body was to be cremated, and the ashes to he distributed on, McConnell’s birth- ’ day. ’ Keeper Thomas Connelly was standling in the doorway of the morgue at (the foot of East Twenty-sixth street about midnight when a large black automobile drove up near the door and two fur-coated men In the machine in low tones with each

other. Their caps were pulled djown over their faces so he could not see them. “Are you sure there are no police around?” Connelly was sure he heard one of them say. "Everything Is all right,” the other(Said in a low tone. Then they opened the door of the automobile and after considerable tugging, acompanied by loud grunts, as Connelly told the police, pulled out a large bundle. Dragging it to the end of the pier, they shoved it into the river. , They stood there, a moment, re-en-tered the machine and turned it around. / ——~— For the first time the men then noticed Connelly. They consulted in low tones again, and one called Connelly to come over to the machine. The weird performance in the moonlight had been to much for Connelly. He said he had no - desire to risk being sent to join the mysterious bundle, so he hurried into the morgue and locked the door. By the time the automobile was leaving he was yelling for Superintendent Armstrong. When he was able to talk coherently he told the superintendent what he had seen, and the police were notified. The police got busy at once, and soon fathomed the mystery.