The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-06-22
Rsrnnge. Very Strange.

THE STORY OF CHURCH SEXTON now TOLD
ACCOUNTING FOR HIS MYSTERIOUS DIsAP-
PEARANCE-sONE FAITH REQUIRED TO BE-
LIEvE THE MAN.
baltimore sun, yesterday
The disappearance OF Mr.. w. Fl. o. Bill.
mire, sexton of Mount Vernon Methodist
Episcopal church, in October last, was the
subject OF much comment at the time, and
every effort made by the police TO discover
his whereabouts was unavailing. A letter
has, however. been received by Mrs. Bill
mife, from her husband, dated at
san Francisco, and purporting to give
the reasons for his uDaccountable dis
appearance and long silence. 1t will
be remembered that on the night OF
his disappearance Mr.. Bll!mire left bis
home, 10 northwest Baltimore, TO attend a
meeting OF the Knights OF Honor, on Cam
den street. While the lodge was in session
a telegraph boy handed him letter, and
after reading il he stated that his brother
had been injured on the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad at Locust Point, and that
a carriage was in waiting at Bar
NUNS Hotel to take him there. After
writing IA few lines to his wife informing
her OF this he left the lodge.room, and was
not seen again. 1t was known that he had
in his poss ession when he left home up
wards OF 5000, which be had collected for
Mount Vernon church, and his friends in
sisted that he bad been abducted and pro-
baby murdered on that account. In his
letter, which is dated June 9th, he states
that after receiving the dispatch as to his
brother he went to the corner OF Fayette
and Calvert streets and found a carriage in
waiting for him. in which were two men.
They started for Locust Point, and after
passing Federal Hill one OF the men struck
him on the head with 4 heavy instrument,
aud placed 4 handkerchief saturated with
cblorOi0rnl over his face. He remembered
nothing more until he found himself in the
cabin OF a schooner, aud discovered that
his pocket-book (Which contained nearly
S6O0) and his watch were both gone. n
large man then came into the room, and in
answer to questions told Mr.. Billmire that
he had been put there by his friends, who
said he had killed a man in fight. For
several Gays he was fed on nothing but soup
and hard crackers, and 1T last was seized
with brain.fever. He knew no more until
long after he was picked up by Captain
Weeks, OF the ship Antioch, bound for
Hong Kong, on November 13, 1870. The
captain had sighted little boat with some
one in il. and bearing down on 1t found Mr..
B,llmire in it, raving with bran-fever. The
ship arrived at Hong Kong on January III,
| 1880, discharged cargo and sailed Tor We
toria, British Columbia, where it arrived on
June 4th last The captain gave him some
clothes and S25, ana he started for San Fran
cisco, arriving there on June Sth. The let
ter, which is very lengthy, ended by saying
that he cannot get work and has no money,
but that he hopes some way may open uI
so that lie can get home again.
About four weeks ago one OF Mr.. Bill
mire's sons was accidentally drowned III
Gwynn's falls, but the letter speaks OF th'
how rs II he was still alive. Mrs. Blllmlrt
saws the letter was in her husbands hand
writing, and that she believes his story
fully. She says she always felt confident
that he was prevented from writing to her
end that she will send money to him tC
bring him home. The police authorities
say that the reason they did not continue
their efforts to find BiIlmire was because
they felt confident he had lett OF his owr
yolition. They also state that the message
which was left at an uptown district tele
graph office for Mr.. Billmirc was ascertain
ed by them to have been handed in by
man in every particular answering Mr.. BIZ
mire's description. 1t is said that a BARI
named the Antioch, Captain Weeks, salle(
from San Francisco for San Jose de Guate
mala on March 10th last.