The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1868-02-18 00:00:00

IIifYSTERIOUti Digit PPRARANCRR.
The extraordinary disappearance of the Rev. H.
Spate, and the publio attention given to it, has elicatad
information of variono other disappearances under

equally mysterious circumstances.
mAy &to?.
.who
out.; loot hern t sun.n
exemplary character, went for a walk from Regent.
street, at 2 o'clock p.m. on the 4th of July, 1865, and
has been heard oisinoe. He took no money or
tywr:eteisrainathare
clothes with bin.; there woo no known reason for him
leaving, and his affectionate nature precludes the idea
that, if alive, he would leave his mother in suspense.
I had the ornamental waters dragged, and employed
divers to worth the deepest puts. Every hospital.
every workhouse, I went to myself. The police made
the usual inquiries, though they seemed to decide at
once it was • voluntary absence for which he certainly
would have required money, which be left behind. The
French vessels, the army and only recruiting service,
were communicated with —though his staid character
was quite against any supposition that it would be
successful. I advertised in the Times and daily pews,
and at intervals continued the advertisement in the
TIWIa, though I could not offer the large reward offered
by Mr. Spoke's friends. To the last advertisement I
received a letter, well written and spelt, dated from
' London,' cautioning me not to give money to • party
who would moot likely cell on me with news. The
writer said he woo • steward on board • Mississippi
steamer which had taken the young man 1,000 mass up
the country, and signed his name ' Bennett' only, saying
be was going into the country, and, in the meantime,
not to listen to any one or give money till I heard froze
him again, which I never Inv's, nor has anyone come to
me for money. A tall, dark-whiskered man was seen
watching my house some days after, but did not salL
I took the letter to Bootlandiard, but they seemed to
think little of It, erivising me to communicate with the
American police, which I did. Kr. Kennedy, the bead
superintendent in Amnia", took immense trouble and
great interest in the ease for which I feel most grateful.
He found, beyond doubt, there was no such name
as stoorsra on the Mississiipi steamers, neither had any
young Englishman for three yeen been In that locality.
My belief now is that there was some fear of one of
the gang giving information. I have preserved the
letter in case it might ever prove any
The story of Kr. Charles Jones, of Bristol, has been
revived. Mr. Jones was eighty years of age— • thin,
light man, of active habits. He resided at Stanley
House, Upper Easton, on the 7sh of December, 1866.
He left his house about eleven o'clock In the morning,
intending to cell on a WW2 named Nathaniel Rummies,
who kept a beershop known as the North Somerset
Railway Tavern. in Bristol. for the purpose of obtaining
psyoient for the sum of 4.130, which was due to him
from Mr. fthanden. Kr. Jones was seen to enter
Ramadan's house about three in the afternoon. He
woo afterwards seen in the yard adjoining the brerhouse
about a quarter to five in the afternoon. but from
that time to this he has been searched for in vain.
The pike searched the adjoining premises, where
there was a limekiln and furnaces used for melting fat,
kc. A Government reward was offered, the river was
dragged, but not the slightest endenos could be obtained
to show what had become of the miming man. Two
days after Mr. Jones disappeared the landlord of the
tavern, Mr. Ramsden, called on Kr. Ashamed, surveyor,
who had on some occasions sated as agent to Mr. Jonas,
and maid he had an appointment to met Mr. Jones at
Mr. Ashmead's office. He then stated that he had
paid Mr. Jones the money he owed him (C 330 and had
made a mistake and paid him £340, being £lO too much,
and he was to have his £lO back again. At the 11•1115
time Ramsden produced a slip of paper pdrporting to be
• receipt for the CM. Mr. Jones never called
at Kr. Ashmead's office, and has never been seen
111110 e.

Great excitement was caused in Crieff on Sunday
morning by the disoppearence of Ur. Brown, manager
of the gas works. It would appear that be has been
complaining, and been under medical treatment for
some time back, and hence the anxiety of his friends.
He left his lodgings somewhere about six o'clock in the
morning by means of the window, and, considering his
state of health, the alarm was given so soon as the
discovery was made. Scouring partiee are out in various
directions, but no trace of him has been found. He
paid • number of personal socounte on the Saturday
evening, and his books and cash at the work' have boon
found in • *erred *tate. —.Scotsman.
A "mysterious disappearance" is reported from
Bromley, in Kent, but in this ease the body of the
missing person (a single young woman, named Jane
Jackson) has been found. It seemed that she was
recently engaged sa • domestic servant, and would in •
few weeks have come into possession of £l,OOO, left her
by a relative. She was lost about • fortnight, and then
her body was found in • draw-well in the garden of
SandSeld Cottage, Mason's-hill, Bromley, in the
occupation of William Bparkes. There is no doubt hut
that it hod been the,* from the time she WU miming,
the Snorkels family all the time drinking the water until
they detected something disagreeable in the taste of it.
They then threw down a grappling-hook, and the body
was drawn up. The well is thirty feet deep, and has
ten feet of water in it. Judging from the sand in the
young woman's hair, and from the fact of its being im-
erosible for the body to have turned round in the well,
It was evident she went down bead foremost.. At an
inquiet held before Mr. C. J. Carter, coroner, it
appeared that • witness named Sarah Heal saw the
deceased about midnight in company with two men named
Partridge and thelmast, both of whom appeared the
worse for drink. Deceased bad lived at Partridgea's
house for the hod three months, and Dedman was •
painter and special constable living in the neighbour-
hood. They appeared to have pushed her out of
Partridge's house eboot eleven o'clock at night, and to
have dogged her about some time in • very cruel
manner. The witness Head told them they had no
be-ins to tioe the young woman in that way. About
one o'clock cries of "Murder" were heard by Mrs. Cook,
landlady of the Tiger's Held; by Mary Hayes, &neigh-
bour of Partridge's; by Henry Bennett, a labourer: and
Charles Marshall, a labourer, the latter of whom said
be lay in bed and listened for some time to the cries of
• woman and two or three other voices, and that he
beard cries of " murder" repeatedly. The coroner
expressed sureties that the witness did not get up
and go to see what was the matter. Drs. Ilott
and 80b.,, who made • post-mortem examination.
reported that death had been noised by drowning.
The jury returned an open verdict of " Found
Drowned," and severely censured Partridge and Dedman
for their ecindoet towards the demised.