St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-02
EDISON'S MISSING PROTFGE.
Mysterious temperance OF the
Wizards Right Bower.

Mysterious temperance of the
" izard's Right Bower.
New YORK, Dec. lone of the most
mysterious disappearance ever re-
ported to the police is that OF Frank
McGowan, who was last seen on Jan.
Is, when he boarded a Christopher
street car on his way to his home in
Orange n. J. For ten years McG0wan
has been i'm the employ of Thomas A.
Edison. He was the hero of the re-
markahle series of adventures that be-
fell the exp ditinn sent to South Amer
lea by Edison in search of a neculiar
species of bamboo to be used in his
electric light system. McCfOWan. who
was a prOtpge OF the great inventor. en-
dearpd himself to Edison by succeeding
in a dangerous undertaking where other
agents had failed. So Indispen-
sable was this rare variety of bamboo
fiber that Edison sent two expeditions
to ScOur the world in search of it. v hen
they both returned unsuccessful, Me
GOWan volunteered to head party.
After hunt OF two wears. during which
he endured hardshDS enough to kill
dozen men, he located the growing
place OF the bamboo, and returned
home. after traverSipg nearly the whole
of South and Central America. His
health was completely sheltered and he
felt somewhat discouraged. for, while
his search had been successful, it was
50 prOtracted that
EDISON'S FERTILE MIND
had had time to invent substitute for
the peculiar species of bamboo that he
bad ventured so much TO discover. Edi-
son remembered his achievement by the
Of q nj Ctn in
his company, and McG0Wan went to
Bath beach for the summer in search
OF health. This he apparently re-
gained. for be had grown as robust
as ever when he went to Orange last
September and supeTntended the cree
ton of some bull lingS that Eds, was
putting up. On Jan. - McGowan called
at the cigar nlanutactOry If Ernest Rau.
13l Clinton place, and after trauSacting
some business there left for his home.
Since then nothing has been seen or
heard of him. Wyen it became known
for sure that he was lost Mr. Bachelor,
of the firm of Edison. Bachelor IL
Johnson, inaugurated Il systematic
search for McGOwan. All the hospitals,
aSylums and other public institutions
within 100 miles were visited; circulars
containing a description OF the missing
man were distributed, three of Pinker-
toms detectives were employed. and In
spector Byrnes sent out the second
alarm, but so far not trace OF Nc
GOWan has been discovered. John +.
McG0wan, the missing mans cousin,
knows more about Frank than any one
else but he is altogether in the dark as
to the reason Of his strange disappear
anCe. lie is also of the notion that the
man has been murdered for his money.
He said: There was a
ROMANCE IN HIS LIFE
which paid little attention to at the
time. but now see that it might per-
haps account for his strange disappear
ance. He contracted a fever while in
South America, ami when he was lying
ut the point of death beautiful native
girl took pity on the young American
and nursed him back to life. Frank
never tired Of speaking Of the devotion
of this girl. He said he had seen many
beautiful women during his voyages
around the world, but he had never met
one who was quite as lovely as his little
nurse. | used TO laugh at him for his
sentiment, but he merely smiled and
went on singing her praises. 1t might
be that he felt a longing to see his pre-
server again and started off on the spur
of the moment. hut that is very improb-
able. There was no reason for his am-
ploying any secrecy about such a step.
No one would have tried to prevent his
gong, and none knew better than he
the folly of making such trip without
the necessary preparations"