The Benton weekly record., 1883-03-24
MYSTERIOUs DISAPPEAR
ANCES.
Odd Cases Recalled in a Discus
sion by the Medico-Legal
Society.

Before the Medico-Legal Society last
evening DR.. O'Sullivan called attention to
the importance of medical supervision Of
schools and school buildings, and William
G. Davies read a paper Ton sMysterious
Disappearances and Prescriptions of
Death in Insurance Cases" 'sIt some-
times happens he said, that q man dis
appears completely from the world, with
out leaving any ground for conjecture or
any basis for imagintion. Two cases re-
Gently occurred in this city. In one man
left one dwelling in the evening to 90 to
another. His failure to reach the latter
excited alarm, and whitman hour the pc
lice were on his track. In the other man
left his home to take the train for Boston.
No clue has ever been found to either dis
appearances. Both were Happy in their
domestic relations, wealthy, free from any
causes for anxiety, and never suspected of
insanity; neither had large sum Of
money in his pocket at the time, and both
left ample means entirely in their own con-
troll. The police of many cities had been
called upon, but the search was fluitless.
One Of the most remarkable eases of dis
appearances occurred in London many
years ago, when a man III comfortable cir
cumstances left his home and was not
heard from. Seventeen years afterward
the widow received request for all ap-
pointment with a stranger. Both her
children were dead, and she had removed
to another part of London. The man who
wrote to her was her husband. He had
lived under al assumed name i'll London
from the time of his disappearance, in u
house from which he could look into the
window of his wife's rooms, aud had been
aw are Of the passage of laws regarding his
estate owing to his peculiar disappearance.
He was sane, and lived happily with his
wife afterward, but would never explain
the cause ofhis conduct. BY the laws of
England and America man who was ab-
sent from his country for seven years
without tidings having been received
could no longer be presumed to be alive.
Some years ago life insurance policies
contained provision that no presump-
ton Of death should arise from disappear
ances until the policy should have been
continued in force by the payment of
premiums throughout the time during
which the man could have been expected
to live, according to the company's table
Of mortality, reekoned from the date ofthe
policy. This appeared 80 be the fairest
rule, as it gave TO both parties what they
had right TO expect when the policy was
issued.
Ex-Snrogate Calvin asked If sailor
who left port ina United States man-o-
war could reasonably be expected to he
alive at the expiration Of seven years2
Judge Hull mentioned the case of Judge
Doolittle Of Utica, who disappeared from
vessel in mid ocean while On lis way to
Europe.
Gen. Geo. W. Palmer, Of the Custom
House said he was called upon few
months ago by an Englishman to search
for the passenger fist ola vessel which left
England in 1892, and in which the mans
grandsire had sailed. He had never been
heard from, and fourteen years after his
disappearance the courts administered his
estate. The name was found, and the man
was traced to Michigan, Where 10 bad ac-
eunlulated large estate ,sand left it to lat
er heirs. The action of both English and
American courts was oyegthrown, and
both estates were administered according
to law. Ex-surrogate Calvin read pa
per OH Expert Medical Testimony
gEGEsvr.G ELlsoTT,s BODY.