The Osceola times., 1885-09-12
TALE OF TWO CITIES.


Jobn +. O'Rourke, of st. Louis. and Miss
Mary Larned. Of Chicago, Go for Boar
Ride on Lake Michigan and Fail to Re-
,urn--rbeir Boat Pound on the Lake
shore Partially Filled With Water and
Broken Oar.
CHICAGO, Ill, Septem ber John T
O'Rourkc, lawyer from St Louis, ana
Miss Mary Larned, daughter OF Albert
Larned, 25i6 Dearborn street, went IN
row-boat from the foot OF Twelfth street
for a row on the lake Friday afternoon
aud have not been seen since. Mr..
O'Rourke is thlrty-flye years old, has
wife and three children at Kirkwood,
Mo-, a suburb of st. Louis, practices law
In the st. Louis courts, and is said to be
In wealthy circumstances. Miss Larneo
is twenty-six years old. Her father Is
Secretary aud Treasurer of the w. E.
Frost Manufacturing Company, corner
Canal and Twelfth streets. Miss Larned
was a boarder at a ladies' seminary In
Kirkwood for the school year ending
June last and during her residence
there became intimately acquainted with
the O'Rourke family, who occupy hugh
position in Kirkwood society. Mr..
O'Rourke is an expert oarsman and an
owner of several boats, which he keeps
for his own amusement Miss Larned
and other friends were FIRE quently
treated 10 boat rides on the Missls'
sippi by Mr.. O'Rourke dur.
ing her stay in Kirkwood.
O. h.,v In
when school closed, and in July Mrs.
O'Rourke spent week in Chicago as the
guest of the Larned family. Mrs.
O'Rourke was delighted with this city
aud desired her husband TO settle here
Mr. O'Rourke came here Tuesday last
with the expressed intention OF buying
property here aud making this place his
permanent residence. lie put up at the
sherman and was a frequent visitor at
Mr.. Larned's. Thursday evening, when
at supper at the Larned residence, he
spoke of negotiations he was en-
gagged in for the purchase OF
property on Lake Park avenue,
near Twenty third street. He ar
ranged to take Miss Larned for Il boat.
ride Friday afternoon and return in time
for supper at Mr.. Larned's, at G;30 or I
o'clock. He hired a boat from Jno. Fer
haux, at the foot of Twelfth street, and
started, as Ferhaux's slate shows, at
5:25. The boat was a good, well-built
row-boat, sixteen feet long and three and
a half feet beam, one that would be dif-
1cult to capsiZe. There was no sail
taken, nothing but pair of oars, and
O'Rourke and the lady evidently intended
to be back within an hour.
Fernaux and other boatmen on the
shore commented on the expert manner
in which Mr.. O'Rourke handled the oars.
They saw him row aroupd the Twelfth
street pier and head directly south, and
that was the last seen of the boat or its
occupants. Yesterday FernauX had a
number of men searching the shore as
far south as South Chicago, but the boat
was not found. Several theories are
propounded to account for the
disappearance. One Is that an oar
was broken, and the occupants OF the
boat picked up by vessel bound for the
other shore Another is that Mr..
O'Rourke, who is said to have suffered
from heart affection, after severe physl-
cal exercise may have been overcome
when far out on the lake. Another is
that he lost his way in the fog-thcre
was slight fog that evening-and
rowed the wrong way. There are
other theories, equally vague
and unsatisfactory. Mrs. Larned,
the young woman's mother, is
almost distracted, as she believes both
are at the bottom of the lake. The fact
that the boat has not been found fayors
the theory that the two are still alive,
but there is grave reason TO believe that
a serious accident has occurred There
was neither wind nor storm Friday after
noon or evening. Mr.. Larned telegraphed
the facts yesterday to Mrs. O'Rourkc's
brother in st. Louis.
CHICAGO, Ill, September THE boat
in which J. II. O'Rourke and Miss Larned
went for a row Friday afternoon was
found yesterday afternoon on the beach
at the foot of Sixty-third street. 1t was
rlgh. side up aud half full of water, and
contained the row.locks and broken
oar. Mr.. Larned isnow satisfied that the
missing couple are still alive. lie be.
lieves they broke an oar when far out on
the lake and were picked up by a sailing
vessel bound north, in which case they
may not be heard from for some days.
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