Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-09-01

Charlie 4. Barker, above alluded to,
was formerly connected with the Chi
cago, Rock Island 4 Pacific railroad
in this city, and was general fayorite
with his employers and in society
For more than year past he has been
employed in the freight Office of the
Union Pacific road at Omaha, where
he stood high in the esteem and conf
dcnce OF the officers Of that thorough
fare, and was In theline Of promotion,
having been advanced as early as the
flrst OF the present month. His friends
and all those who know him best arc
confident that he has been foully dealt
with, or become deranged and wan.
dered away. lie wore an ordinary
business suit and carried small satch-
ell such as business man usually car
ries on business trip.
lie went away happy and contcnted,
and met friends all along the line of
the road. He parted with his old
friend Mccormack, train dispatcher,
as far down the road as MalcOm, and
nothing strange or peculiar was noti-
ced IN his conduct that was considered
unusual. His intention was to spend
Sabbath with his fathers family in
Moline. After having donc his bust
ness up town on Saturday-the day he
was last heard of, he did not write
them he was coming, having recently
made them visit. and intending to
surprise them-and for this reason he
was not missed for some days. He
had ON his person between 5000 and
$500, leaving several hundred dollars
In an Omaha bank subject to draft -
His friends here supposed he had ex-
tended his time and would soon re-
turn, snd his friends in Moline sup
posed him to be safe in Omaha. Thus
time passed aud his friends here grew
uneasy and telegraphed to Moline, and
the reply came back that Charlie had
not been there. Thus the search for
him had not begun until he had been
gone week, and now another week
has passed, and although the closest
investigation has been Instituted no
trace OF Charlie Barker has been dis
covered since he left Rock Island.
Tho Davenport Gazette of Thursday,
August ~, has the following in con-
nection with this deplorablc affair, the
facts OF which were in our possession
week ago, but which. for certain rea-
sons, VIC have RETAINED from publish.
ing.
Yesterday we learned the full par
tlculars of q very mysterious and re-
marable affair that has been slowly
unfolding itselfin Rock Island during
the past Two weeks. It's nothing less
than the sudden disappearance in this
city of Charles Z. Barker, q we'll
known young man, temperate and Of
i kooo AAoAA9 ~ lt0ONt thc lOAsa clue. 10
his Whereabouts or to the cause of hi.
strange taking of, or going off-whic
over IT may ee. The circumstances
which 60 to show, however, that he
has very probably been foully dealt
with, are as follows:
| lie LEFT OMAHA,
where he resided, about August IL
and csme to this city, registering al
the Harper House Friday night, Aug.
ust IL. His business here was TO pur.
chase furniture with which to set up
housekeeping-he being engaged to q
daughter OF Judge Baldwin, of Coun.
Gil Bluffs, to whom he was soon to bt
married. He took room at the Har.
per, and remained there over night. =
About 8 80 the next morning, Satur.
day, August l3-aftcr the regular
trains had gone out-he paid his bill
to Mr.. Frank Smede, assistant clerk
who recollects bis face we'll. He then
had his small travelling bag brought
down from his room, and took his de-
parture, being in apparently perfect
health, mentally a I'd physically. From
that minute
ALL TRACE OF HIM is LOST.
1t seems impossible to find any one
who has seen him to recognize him
since.
When he left Omaha it was his in.
tention to buy tho furniture here make
q flying visit to his father, Mr.. l.. H
Barker, Of Moline, and then return to
Omaha Immediately. After the day
for his return had come and gone sew.
eral days, Judge Baldwin and his
family became very uneasy and tele.
graphed to Mr.. Barker. of Moline who
returned the answer that his son
Charlie hadn't been there at all. This
made the matter still more uncertain
and increased the anxiety of his
friends. kilograms were then passed
between Moline and Omaha until
there was no doubt but that something
was wrong.
Accordingly, Judge Baldwin and
his daughter, who was engaged to the
young man, came to this city yester-
day. and together with Mr.. Barker,
did all they could to unravel the mys-
terry. They all identified the young
mans handwriting on the Harper
House register, and the hotel clerks
recognized his photo, which his father
had brought along. Then his father
went to all the furniture stores In
Rock Island, Davenport and Moline
but not the least clue could be obtained
He had not been to any Of these stores
Nor could any person be found who
had seen him after he left the Harper
House. ono week ago last Saturday
morning.
Although it is . bitter conclusion to
come to, yet his friends are forced to
think that he
| HAS BEEN FOBLLY DEALT WITH.
He had considerable money with him
when he left Omaha, and ii ia feared
that some one has put him out OF the
way for his money. That he has got
into bad company, and SO into trouble.
or that no has wilifully absented him.
self is not probablc--indeed, hardly
possible-for he was, we arc informed
a young man of the strictest moral
habits, did not smoke or drink. and in
every way led an exceptionally tenn
leratc life. Then, too his attachment to
Judge Baldwin's daughter was very
sincere and devoted, and 1t seems Ger.
tain that no circumstances which he
could have controlled would have pre-.
vented his immediate return, as he
promised, to the Judges family.
The conclusion that there was foul
play is strengthened by the fact that
the time he disappeared was Inn
mediately after Barnum's Hippodrome
was here and when the city and neigh
boring country was thronged with
| thieves and cut Threats Of the most
desperate character.
BARRIERS PERSONNEL.
He 10 Of medium hight, rather heavy