New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-23
LOS

LOST.
Whether any gentleman of sufficient fame or
notOriety to make his movements of interest to
the public has a right to disappear, is one
question. Whether the public has occasion to
become tremendously excited because lawyer
does not happen to be ut his Office, and his
clerks do not know where he can be found, is
another question For two days n considerable
portion of the great City of New-lork has
been agitated by the fact that Mr. A. Oakley
Hall, a well-knOwn gentleman of the bar, had
gone away without leaving precise information
of his destination. The newspapers have pub
lished column after column of curious mix
ture of fact and conjecture, tho latter
greatly preponderating. Biographies of Mr..
A. Oakley Hall have been written and
printed. All his personal friends have been
interviewed" The privacy of his home has
been invaded by enthusiastic seekers for in
formation. Some thought that he had been
murdered for his money. Others were of
opinion that he had sailed for Europe Still
others believed that he had only gone to Bos-
tom The more acute supposed that he had
absconded to avoid his creditors-the fact
that he had no creditors to speak of
not being supposed to initiate in the
least against this theory. If Mr.. Hall has
passion for being talked about, dissectcd,
paragraphcd, and otherwise reprinted, for
being as familiar in mems mouths as house
hold words, for creating sensation or for
starting mystification, he must ut this mo-
ment be one of the most thoroughly satisfied
men living. Yesterday one of the count
less dispatches informed us that MIR.
Hall was at Islip, Long Island COM
fortably quartcred at the S0uthside Sports
mans Club House and intent upon the
destruction of trout. Another assures us that
there is not word of truth in the trout
fishing story Really Mr. Hall has made a mess
of things. He has the reputation of be-
ing a good-natured man. We do not think
that he would willingly make trouble, but if
he should happen to read this we beg him to
take notice that he has made great deal. II
is doubtful whether lie has really a right
to turn up under the circumstances
Here he has been universally re-
GREETED and the object of great deal
of sympathy, has caused no end of telegraph
ing, kept busy for two days the detective
forces, driven the reporters to desperation,
exercised the keenest faculties of the New
York mind, had sketches of his career printed
fully equal to frst-class obituaries, and, after
ALL it is now believed that he will come back
sound in limb, sound in mind, and altogether
as right as a trivet OF course he knows
the law, and he knows also we do,
that there is no statute against bis returning
if he sees fit to do SO. Perhaps, however, he
owes it to the public not to burst upon 1t too
suddenly. He made hasty exit but we think
that he should reGntcr gradually. People who
have had cOnjectures and theories will not like
to have the life taken out of them all at once.
There should be the relief of few contradic
tory kilograms. There should be the charm of
a few more uncertainties until at last we can
settle down into full assurance of Mr.. Halls
personal safety, with the comfortable feeling
that we shall not be called upon TO hear or
read anything more upon the subject
Circumstances, Mr.. Hall should have remem-
bered. have made the public little nervous
about mysterious disappearance, OF which we
have lately had too many. 1t seems to be
quite the fashion to vanish, and bad fashion
it is, occasioning a great deal of painful
doubt, unpleasant anxiety, troublesome search
and public and private expense. Everybody
Except the coIOncr) will be glad to know that
Mr.. Hall is neither a fugitive, maniac, DOR
n corpus cold and inanimate. No man has
more friends or has kept more of them, in
spite of manifold misfortunes; and on the
whole the personal traits of few men better en-
title them to keep friends but his careless
ness of the feelings of this tender-hearted
community is worthy of the seveIcst repre-
hension. He sees now that he has no right to
he missing, if he can help it. Nobody has,
for whom anybody cares. SO the next time
he feels a passion for retirement getting the
better of him, let him 90 before some magis-
trate and give bonds not to bolt, or get some
court to issue an amcable writ of ne Great
against his person.