Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 10, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 October 1897 — Thought He Saw Messenger. [ARTICLE]

Thought He Saw Messenger.

Frank Chamberlain, of Mt Ayr, was in town Wednesday, and reported that the day before he and some other parties were on the Kankakee river fishing and that they saw a man on the north side of the river whom afterwards they concluded was Wm. Messenger, the San Pierre murderer. The man had a string of fish which he said he would trade at some farm house for a night’s lodging, and also said he had had nothing to eat for two days. He was about medium size, wore slippers on his feet and had a pair of red shoes in his pockets. He refused to come over to the south side of the river, which was thought to be suspicious. He was described as having a white mustache, and the general lightness of a Swede or Norwegian. He may be some person that is hiding from justice, but he evidently is not Messenger, as the latter is nearly as dark as an Indian. The man told Chamberlain and his companions he had found a “bee tree” which they could have if they wanted, and then in evident good faith showed them a big hornets’ nest hanging on a limb. No attempt was made to hive that swarm nor to gather their honey, it is needless to say. The real Messenger, by-the-way, has been in the woods of this country too long to have made such a mistake as that.