St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-06
is STRANGELY MISSING.
Caleb P. Birchall, of the Lehigh Coal &
Iron Company, Missing.
HIS BOOKS IN BAD SHAPE.
Members Of His Firm Say They Can Not
Tell Whether His Accounts
Were Straight.

Caleb P. Birchall, in charge of the re-
tail department of the Lehigh Coal and
Iron company, in this city, has myster-
iously disappeared. He has been gone
since Thursday afternoon of last week,
and not the slightest intimation
of his whereabouts has yet
come to his distressed wife,
or his employers. Birchall came to the
Office, at the corner of Third and Cedar
streets. as usual on Thursday morning
and worked at the books during the
forenoon. AT 80 o'clock his assistant
in the Office, Mr.. Sweet, left to go to
dinner. When he came back at o'clock
he found note on the desk from Bir-
chall, saying:
| have gone home sick. Will be back at
| o'clock and finish up the coal book.
At his cosy home, 237 Western ave-
nue., Birchall'S wife received the follow
ing note by messenger during the noon
| hour:
! am very busy and will not be home to
| lunch to-day. viii eat down town.
These two messages, each belying the
! other, show that Birchall premedi-
tated his flight. Mr.. Sweet did not think
it very strange that Birchall did
not come down in the evening, and Mrs.
Birchall did not begin to look for her
husbands return home until dark. He
was not in the habit of remaining away
from home late at night and
the anxious wife became alarmed.
At II o'clock Friday morning she called
in Ernest Birchall, brother of the miss
ing man, and informed lin of her hus-
bands protracted absence. The brother
made inquiries everywhere, but failed
to find any trace. The police were no.
tilted, but the matter was kept secret at
the request of the family.
BADLY KEPT BOOKS.
When the officers of the Lehigh COM
pany learned Friday morning that
Birchall had not been home, a number
of expert 1bOOkkeepers were set to work
at once on his accounts. They are badly
mixed, Land balance cannot be obtained
at present 1t is the general opinion of
the officers that if there is any defalca-
ton, it is not for large amount. Sec
rotary Stewart, assisted by Mr.. Sweet
and two experts. was engaged on the
accounts at 10 o'clock last night when
GLOBE reporter called.
''We cannot tell how the accounts
stand for some days." said Mr.. Stewart.
"PerhapS it will take weeks to straighten
out the books and strike balance. The
ascertain the whereabouts of Birchall,
more than to know that the police were
notified of his disappearance. We do not
know enough now to say positively that
there is a shortage, but the books are in
very bad shape. Birchall handled all of
the cOmpany'S city business as an en-
plOye of the company, and was en-
trusted with the care OF considerable
sums of money"
Ernest Birchall, the missing mans
brother, said:
Il have called at the office several
times, but they refused to tell me
whether he is short in his accounts or
not. They give it out that he was very
careless in keeping the books and
that they can't tell. For some
fering from a sort of nervous affection
and had been taking bromide. l have
been told that he has been drinking to
excess of late, but so far as l know he
was not drinking man. He never
gambled, always came home early and
was very much attached to his wife,"
THE MISSING MAN.
Caleb Birchall was twenty-nine years
old and native of England, having no
relatives in this country except maiden
aunt and his brother Ernest. He came
to America seven years ago, and had
been in st. Paul for five years, four of
which were spent in the employ of
Griggs & Foster, who formerly con-
Quoted the business Of the Lehigh
Coal and Iron company. When the
company changed hands on the first
of last May Birchall was made manager
of the city business. He was trusted
by his employers and respected by his
acquaintance. He married his present
wife, who is an attractive woman and
moves in the best society, in st. Paul
two years ago. In view of these facts
there are some who are inclined to the
belief that he was not dishonest but in
sane, but there is no ground for the
theory that he has met with foul play.
He wore, on Thursday, a cutaway coat
and trousers OF a mixed material, the
vest being of different pattern; a
black overcoat with beaver collar and
cuffs, Derby hat and standing collar.
He was about five feet seven inches
high, had rudy complexion, reddish
hair worn long and slightly inclined to
be curly, reddish moustache and blue
ewes,