The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1867-10-04

He had written them of his intention to
accept place which hid been offered him
/ in an expelitionto> set out from Stl Paul,
but they had not heard from, him after he
lefsA StsLcuis knowing his acquaintance
with Van Solen, parties in St. Louis wrote
/ to IIafcourt's family in England, giving
Van &len' 81 address In due time the
young man received 'aaetter from Rev. DR..
Peck, q friend of the Harcourfs IN Eng
land, Expressing the greatest anxiety about
the son Henry, and desiring him tg,furDish
all possible information aseft him. To
this Van Solen made the following reply:
-- St Paul, Ang. 26. 1867.
Hrs f. Ha,conrt, Alton, HINTS England:
/ Dear Madam The letter of Rev. DIR.
Peck is received this day. l hasten to an
swer | am exceedingly sorry that [ am
wherea bonts.< He was in ST. Paul in Au-
| gust, 1865, but did not go on any expedi-
| ton, as there was no such expedition to
start fromthere or ST. Louis as represent
ed, He. lefti,there without informing any
| one where he was going. [ having some
| important business with him., tried TO find
out his whereabouts, but failed in doing 50.
He had some trouble in ST Louis, Nilsson
ri, and that is probably the reason that
none of US could find him. I have been to
St. Louis. but could find nothing out from
his friends there. The impression, nowev-
err. at St Paul was that he bad either gone
to England or to Montana Territory to the
gold mines He had a considerable amount
1 Of money with him. If, perchance, | hear
from him will inform you. Ishould much
like to meet him myself With high esteem
| remain, very respectfully, your obedient
J servant, a... b......-f
GEORGE i. VAN SoLEN, NJ. D..
z. 0. Box 1898, st. Paul, MINI, America.
| The foregoing letter, if the writer per-
| formed the deed for which he will soon be
tried, is, certainly indicative of coolness
| and assurance without parallel The al,
lusion to Harcourt's trouble with people in
st. Louis is stated to be as false as the 9TH
er portions of the letter. As Harcourt, be-
| fore he left St. Louis had sent home his first
letter from the fictitious Secretary
civilian f. Masters, they were at once
enabled to make comparisons between the
two letters, and to take particular note of
the fact that the number OF the box to be
addressed was the same in both letters. -
The fears that SEINE great evil had bcfallen
Harcourt were now fully confirmed Steps
were at once taken in England to investi-
gate the case The family friend, Rev.
DR.. Peck, submitted the facts and CORES
pondence TO Minister Adams at London,
and thence, by way of Secretary Seward,
the facts reached Governor Marshall, of
Minnesota. Since that date an inyestiga-
ceeded with Harcourts acquaintance
With Van Solcn was ascertained, and ev-
erything was learned up to the date of his
sudden disappearance from st Paul, and
! the subsequent finding of the body OF an
unrecognizcd man in the river. Facts re-
garding the movements Of Van Solen were
thoroughly inquired into. 1t was ascer-
tanned that directly after the visit of Har-
court he lodged complaint at police head
quarters in St. Paul that supposed
friend of his named Harcourt had stolen
from him sos, and had run away. This
was accompanied with a fictitious descrip.
ton, pertaining to a man az unlike Har-
court as possible. Van Solen remained
about ST. Paul for months afterwards, lead
ing fast life, and some Of the time a dis
sipated one. In the winter of 1866 he Wis
tied ST. Louis, and there told a story Of
Harcourt' S leaving him when they we're out
! hunting ducks together. After his arrest
on Sunday he stated that he and Harcourt
were fishing together, Van Solen having
his gun With him. The latter went ashore
to hunt ducks and Harcourt pushed the
boat away from the land and left him there
in fact, ran away from him.
Fer the past three. months the chief of
| police OF St. Paul, Major J. p. McIlrath,
has given minute attention to work up
this case. Van Solen has !atterly kept
away from tie vicinity of home, as if fear
full that circumsis noes would develop the
| truth about the missing Harcourt:. lie has
been in various large towns iii Limos, as
Stunning to be physician, but was found,
as stated, on Saturday in a very seedy con
dition engaged as night clerk at the
Wheeler House. ss. q. .a..t. ..e ..
When Major McIlrath arrived in this
city on Saturday morning be applied at the
Central Police Station for assistance. At
ten o'clock in the morning detective Ellis
received photograph of Van Solen taken
two years ago. was told that he answered to
the familiar name of Doc" and that he
was about one of the less prominent hotels
here, near depot With this information
Ellis started out, and forty five minutes af-
forwards returned to the station with his
man. Van Splen asked Ellis what he want
ed of him. Ellis replied that it was little
matter at the police station--he didn't
know exactly what. Van Solen said he
presumed it was about business difficulty
he had with doctor regarding some medi-
cines. Perhaps it was, sam said Van
Solen had had one or two interviews with
McI!rath, in which he has admitted that
he wrote the letters herein given, puTport-
ing to be from Masters and Harcourt, CIV
ing no plausible reason in classification. He
seems disinclined to reveal anything far,
ther regarding the supposed murder, ex
cept to tell the one improbable story. He
is evidently under great mental excitement,
but is outwardly calm. Major McIlrath
has a rcqnisition upon the Governor of this
state for Van Soen, and will Immediately
proceed to st. Paul with him. where the
investigation Of the case will excite lively
interest
The strangest part of the mystery is the
intricacy which apparently attends the
finding of an adequate motive for the deed
with which the prisoner stands charged
The murderer could scarcely know that
the victim of his wiIes would bring large
sum money with him indeed, it was
improbable that he would do so, and little
could be counted on exceptthe Instruments
r,,b al IL, rn,,lI Ii