Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-12-19
ROYAL C0WLES.
THE MISSING CLEVELAND JEWELER.
Facts Concerning Hm-DiscOVered by
His Friends to be an Inmate Of
the Belmont County Infrmay.

The readers Of the REGISTER are al
ready familiar with the story OF the old
man "Ralph," at the Belmont County
Infirmary. The following additional
particulars OF his case are taken from
Yesterdays Chronicle, published at st.
Clairsville:
During the delivery Of temperance
lecture the fore part OF last January, in
Bellaire, a stranger who was IN the au-
dience became excited, and went out up
on the front doors and windows of the
saloons of the city, breaking glass and
doing other damage, until he fell into
the hands OF the police. The stranger
possessed intelligence, and had the air
OF refined, cultivated and scholarly
gentleman, but was unable TO give any
account OF himself or even to tell his own
name. He seemed to know that some
body, whom he designated as Ralph, "
was in some manner connected, but IT
could not be gathered from his CONVEX
sation whether his own name was
Ralph, or whether it was the name OF a
relative. The stranger had lost his own
identity. In most respects he was clear
headed, and had evidently been man
of business qualifications and standing.
The case was one which elected the in
terest and sympathy OF the officers, ply
sicians, and a number OF the citi-
zens of Bellaire, and instead OF being
punished for an offence against
the ordinances of the city, he was
transferred to the County lnfrmary,
where he came under the notice
of DIR. A. II. Hewetson, the intirmary
physician. The case was such remark
able one that the doctor wrote an ac-
count of it for the New York Medical
Gazette, which was extensively copied all
over the country, and which elected
nearly hundred letters from those who
had lost friends. The article from the
Medical Gazette came under the observa-
zion, at Lexington, Kentucky, OF run
ner for a jewelry establishments Cleve-
land, and he thinking that the descrip-
ton answered that Of man who had
mysteriously disappeared from Cleve-
land, on the first of January, 1879, the
day before the stranger was noticed IN
Bellaire, wrote DIR. Hewetson TO that
effect. The Doctor immediately wrote
to Cleveland jeweler, who forwarded
his letter TO the supposed sister of the
strange man at Sandusky Shortly al
terward a photograph OF the brother
was sent to DR.. Hewetson, and was rec
ognized as the man who had lost all
knowledge OF his personal identity, and
was the inmate of our Infirmary. He is
a well Known citizen OF Cleveland, and
is said TO have been at one time prom
inent jeweler of that place. No reason
is assigned for the unbalanced state OF
his mind, save, perhaps, financial en-
barrassment. His true name has not
yet been divulged to him. Arrange
ments are being made by which he will
be restored to his friends at an early day.
The following account from another
standpoint, seems TO sustain the theory
some time ago advancedin the REGISTER,
that the man had not at all lost his
knowledge OF his own existence, but
was playing part. The story below Is
from the Cleveland Leader OF yester-
day:
Almost q year ago Mr.. Royal Cowles,
a we'll known jeweler of this city, sud
denly disappeared-nO one knew where.
The community was thrown into con-
siderable excitement over his mysterious
absence, and all sorts OF speculaticns
were INDUCED in concernino the event.
1t was reported that domestic trouble
and financial embarrassment were at
the bottom OF it all, and in the course
of time nearly everybody came to the
conclusion that he had committed sui
eide.
Some four or five months ago this pa
per published the fact that the
LITTLE DAUGHTER OF MR.. COwLEs,
living with her mother, had received a
letter from her father, informing her that
he was well and saying that he some
time hoped to see his child again. The
postmark was disguise and there was
nothing in the letter that could give a
trace to the whereabouts OF the writer.
As he stated himself, it was his wish to
remain where he was, unknown and
unmolested, until the time arrived for
him to return. 1t seemed almost a
hopeless task, but some OF his friends,
taking this letter for basis, began a
series of inquiries and diligent search
which has finally resulted in the dis
covery of the missing man. They first
gained information from Bellaire, Bel
mont county, that at about the time Of
Mr.. Cowle's disappearance man well
dressed and answering 70 his descrip-
ton alighted from the train one day
and proceeded TO the hotel, where he
MADE A CURIOUS STATEMENT
to the landlord. He explained that he
had met with serious difficulty by
which he had completely lost his ident-
ity; had forgotten who he was, where
he had come from, or whittier he was GO
ing. On any other subjects but these
he talked nationally, and the proprietor,
thinking that few days rest and quiet