Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-24
HIS CASE LIKE BANKER BROWNS.
DR.. Lanes Extraordinary Wanderings
for which He Could Never Account.

From the Denver Republican.
The case Of E. T. Brown, the Wichita man
who disappeared for five months and on his
returning could give no account Of himself, is
not without precedent in the state of Kansas.
In the summer of 1869 little town named
Elston in Labette county, Kan, was laid out
and an acrimonious dispute terminating in liti-
CATION resulted between the original owners
and the town company.
DR.. J. H. Lane of Wyandotte. was then prac-
ticing medicine at Elston and was one of the
prime movers in the case. One night DIR. Lane
lay asleep in his Office, when two men came 10
the door and raped and summoned him 10 go
to a patient. child whom the doctor had been
treating and who they said. was worse. A lamp
IN the office was burning low. The men opened
the door and puff of wind blew out the light.
DIR. Lane asked the men to close the door so
that he might relight the lamp. They did so.
Inc doctor turned to the wall TO strike a match.
momentary sensation of intense brightness
flashed over the doctors senses, everything
around him seemed to collapse, and he lost
all consciousness.
When he recovered he found himself upon
the hoor, face downward. He arose and went
to the door. A strange feeling pervaded him.
He mounted his horse, which was picketed
near the door, and rode OFF. Consciousness
deserted him somewhere as he was leaving
u
idea of taking refuge at the house of q friend
living in the country. When DIR. Lane next re-
gained consciousness q heavy thunder storm
was in progress. He had been living asleep
under large tree, with his head resting on a
satchel. The rain had poured in torrents and
be was drenched to the skin and muddy
Gathering his senses he tried to recall the
events OF the preceding night and he walked
along TO see if be could recognize the place
where he was. Everything was unfamiliar.
HIS horse had disappeared.
He failed to recognize any feature of the
landscape. When he fell to the floor in his
office at Elston he had had SIS in currency on
his person. OF this he remembered $50 had
been III his trousers pocket and IS in his vest
pocket. When he awoke under the tree he
felt for the money; the IS alone remained. He
set out to walk through the storm and soon
reached highway. At several houses he
asked shelter, but was refused Finally he
found place 10 stop IN a shed near the cabin
of some negroes. There he lay down. feeling
strangely exhausted, and fell fast asleep. When
he awoke in the morning he heard the colored
people talking about the Fourth of July. The
manner in which they talked puzzled him. and
when be emerged from the she'd he asked an
old colored woman how long it was to the
Fourth of July.
Its done passed long time ago." she said
At short distance locomotive whistled.
What road is that?" asked the doctor
DE Missoo Petite" was the answer.
~ nat county Is thls!' quickly asked the
mystitied DOCTOR. He was told il was Franklin
''kansas?' he asked. and his manner must
have shown great agitation. for the old colored
woman hardly waited to tell him mo. Mis-
souri,, before she backed away from him and
screamed that the white man was crazy
Dr. Lane Immediately left the house and
went to tine railroad track, intending to walk
home. He dragged YEARLY along for a day
aud then found himself weak that he was
compelled to stop at a fuel station-Mount
Notwithstanding 10 take passage on the cars.
lie learned that the passenger train did not
stop there and he managed to get to the next
station. There he borrowed $40, giving his
watch as security. and returned home
When he left Elston the watch was in his vest
pocket; when he recovered under the tree he
found it carefully wrapped up in his yalise.
How il got there he did not know. Upon reach
ing Elston he approached his home cautiously.
He had a confused idea that some great crln..
had been committed and that he might be i'm,
plicated In 1t. He had been gone about three
months.
10 this day DR.. Lane cannot explain his
strange journey from Elston. Kan. to Frank
lin county, Missouri, which is about $50 miles
in direct line. How he travelled il DR. Lane
does not know. Two circumstances he remem-
beers appear to him as if they were fancies of a
dream. One his killing of a ratisesnake.
the other was his being nearly parched with
thirst and seeing a stream and stopping to
drink. He did not remember drinking but re-
membered bending to drink. DIR. Lanes health
was permanently impaired by the experience.
There were no Commissions on his head that
would indicate blows. When he returned the
litigation ended, and soon after Eiston as a
town site was deserted.