Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-26

ago." This will be met with the observa-
ton: ooh, go home; try and rember the
date, and when you do so come back, and
we will look in the book" The only ex-
cuse that can be given for this conduct is
| the way in which the book is kept. The
reports are indiscriminately scrubbed
down in the book just as they come in,
| without the slightest respect to order or
convenience. But probably the most Sc
rious matter connected with the misman-
agement of this bureau is the absurd Sc
cresy that is maintained. When mystic
| rious disappearance is reported at head
quarters people wrap a ten-fold cloak Of
! mere mystery around It; they make it SO
mTch . mystery that no one through them.
hears anything about ii evermOre. 1t is
| evident that no sane man or woman will
mysteriously disappear without cause, so
that in all such cases of disappearance,
if there is not crime involved, then there is
insanity, and consequently danger to hu-
man life. A man is either made away with,
or fees to hide crime or defeat the ends
of justice, or else he is insane and irrespon-
sible, and dangerous to be at large. The
latter is creature guided solely
by impulse, and the murderous or suicidal
impulse may come atany moment, as well
as any other irrational prompting.
"Could you tell me what per centage of
the persons who mysteriously disappear
turn up again at their homes or else
where?" was asked of Superintendent
Walling's clerk.
81 could not. We have no statistics that
would show that.''
"Do you try to keep any statistics at all
in this mart of the business p''
"No, and don't see how we could do it.
Persons are reported missing here who re-
turn home again, but their return is not
reported
'Then there are men-bankers, brokers,
merchants-in the city to-day, walking the
streets. mingling in society and attending
to business, who are officially dead or
missing, or at least supposed to be so by
the criminal and peace-preserving arm of
the government"
eyes, that would seem to be the case.
When a person is reported missing we
watch the newspapers to see if he turns up
again"
"Then you depend on the newspapers to
do your detective work? If that is the
case does it not seem to you quite incon-
sistent that you should refuse the newspa-
pers, as understand you do, all informa-
ton in regard to reports made to you of
disappearance!
''Oh, we keep them from the newspapers
because the most of people do not want
publicity"
"But are you not thereby cutting off your
very best means of assistance?"
"Res, but people don't want it,
"But should you not know your duty in
II, l. /
your instructions from people who do not
understand the subject, and who are gen.
orally in such state of excitement when
they come here that they can't reason on
anything?"
The official looked thoughtful, but did
not answer, and the reporter asked: "Do
you not see the simplest method in the
world by which you can learn in every
case whether missing person has been
found"' 'No, I don't know how we could
do that
care not your policemen supposed to
patrol every street in the city at least once
a day? Could you not give a policeman
the address of a person residing on his
post who might be missing, and it would
not be delay of more than a minute for
him to make inquiry there at least once
''That's a good idea," the official re-
sponded, looking as if a great flood of
light had broken in upon his mind. He
added: CPL make that suggestion to the
superintendent, and think it would work
we'll. Wonder we never thought of that"
The reporter then proceeded to the morgue
in further investigation of the subject.
eyes, them fellows at police headquarters
send all their reports of missing people
here,'' said the young man in charge at
the morgue in the absence of
Keeper White; ''but they never
send US word about who are found or re-
turn home. Them fellows don't know any
thing about their business. Here they
keep US examinin' every stiff that comes
in to see if he is some man that may be
then safe and alive in the bosom of his
family. A man may be admiring Langtry
from an orchestra chair, or takin' in mill
at the Alhambra, and we here looking
for his corpse among the stiffs picked out
of the river
''How many unknown bodies are brought
in here in a year,"
"About 800; and about half that num-
Der are identified here from the reported
descriptions and by friends. About $50
unknown dead are buried in Potter's field
each year."
Trough on Rats
''Rough Rats" Clears out rats, mice,