Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1880-09-24
BILLMIRE'S VOYAGE.
Strange story OF n Baltimore Man
VINO. ina Company with Several
Thousand Dollars. Had Been Miss
ing.

VINO. ina Company with Several
Thousand Dollars. Had Been Miss
ing.
New York sun.
w IL. .. Bllmire, the sexton of
Mount Vernon Methodist Episcopal
church, who disappeared last October
with several thousand dollars which he
had collected from the peN-rcnters, ar
rived home to-day, to the great surprise
of his friends anG the authorities who
had been anxiously looking for him as
a defaulter and abscondcr Billmire
| had been sexton of the church for
many years was Il communicate. and
was looked upon us Il consistent Chris
tian up to the time of his disappear
ance. To-day he related his experience
to 4 member Of the church and to the
civil authorities, which, if true entities
him 70 public sympathy. Ills nara
tive, however, has several glaring in
consstencies, and it is probable that
the eX-seNton will he compelled to sub
stantiate the truth of his statements in
a court of law. In conversation with
the correspondent OF the Sun, to-day,
Blllmrc gave in detail the history of
his experience, which is substantially
us follows:
On the night Of his disappearance he
had IN his possession about $1,000 bc-
longing to the church which lie had
collected from members Of the
congregation for pew rent.
The money he took to u
lodge meeting, and while there received
Il note informing him that his brother
had been injured by a fall nj Locust
Point, was in Il dying condition. and
wished to see him. Billmire saws that
he was also informed that hack was
waiting ut Bamum'S hotel to take him
to his brother, Tie hurried to where
the hack was waiting, and what follow
Cd is best told in his own words:
II was accOstcd by IL man who wish
ed to know if was Mr.. Billmire. |
told him that was my name. He said
he had been waiting for some time for.
me, and was glad had come. ask
ed him how my brother was hurt. and
he told me in a very polite manner to-
step into the hack and he would tell
neal about it on our way down to
Locust Point. noticed, as stepped
in that there was another man iasidc.
and that the blind was down over thc
door. He gave orders to drive to I.o-
Gust Point as fast us possible. He he
gan to tell me how my brother was
hurt, and said that when he left him
he was under the influence of chloro-
form. He asked me if did not detect
the smell of it ON him. This happened
on the lonely part of the road after
leaving Federal Hill going to Locust
Point leaned forward as lac held
his hand ont 10 smell when the man
beside me Init me on my head with
some heavy instrument, suppose Il
billy, and knocked me on the opposite
seat. ! struggled and fought with great
strength, and was only overcome bv a
handkerchief saturated with chloro-
form thrown around my face. When
| revived | found myself ON board
vessel, and upon examination dis
covered that | had been robbed of
every article of value mx nrrson.
After Il while the cabin where MAS In
ing was entered by il man who, III an
swer t. my questions, said that had
been put on a vessel which was on the
Chesapeake bay, by my friends, who
said had killed a man in Baltimore in
Il fight. After the vessel got into the
ocean | was taken with brain fever, and
when recovered found that was ON
another vessel which had picked me
up adrift in an open boat at sea- This
was the ship Antioch, Capt. Weeks,
bound for Hong Kong
Bllnirc says that he was treated well
Nv Capt Weeks, who allowed him 10
help the steward do the cooking for
the ships crew They reached Hong
Kong on Jan. 10, 1850 and loading with
rice sailed for Victoria British Columbia.
where they arrived on June 1 last, and
Captain Weeks furnished him with
suit of clothes. He had previously Civ
en- him c5. lie started from Victoria
from SAN Francisco, where he arrived
June 5. -Four days after reaching
Victoria he wrote 10 his wife III this city
giving brief outline Of his adventures,
which substantially agrees with the
above.
Harry Billmire il son Of the missing
man, while fishing in Jones falls, last
May, fell overheard and was drowned
before assistance could be rendered,
and his death was unknown to his
father until his arrival here. He ac-
counts for the length Of time between
his arrival in san Francisco and his ar
rival here hy saying he was pcnnilcss
and compelled q work hiS way 70 Bal
timore Many members 81 the church
credit Billmire'S story. He has Il wife
and five children living.