Verbatim

The officer who investigated the case found a car that had been parked for several hours. All doors of the automobile were locked. In side was the body of a man, head turned back. On the seat beside him was a revolver and a red mass that the policeman took to be coagulated blood.

As the policeman sought to pry open one of the doors, he was startled by the sudden revival of the “suicide.” Explanations followed.

The man was a penitentiary guard and he had removed his gun from its holster and placed it on the seat beside him in order to relax in the car while waiting for the ferry. He had fallen asleep and the ferry had made numerous trips during the night without awakening him.

But what about the mass of blood? Here again coincidence played a major role.

Arriving at The Dalles late last night, the guard had purchased a pot of strawberry jam, to use as a spread on some bread. It had been on the seat beside him when he fell asleep and had overturned, spilling its contents on the upholstery.

The embarrassed man was allowed to continue his trip. He did not divulge his name.

 — The Dalles Daily Chronicle, May 25, 1946