Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-18
Il. JAY HANCHETTE
His Whereabouts Thus Far
Unknown.
Not Heard From Since Leaving
Chicago.
No Clue to Him Since He Entered a
Carriage.
An Inexplicabie Disappearance--Neari a
Week Overdue-The Chicago Police
Fail to Find Amy Clue.

HI. Jay Hanchette, the secretary OF
the chamber of commerce, has disap-
peared. For ten days past his friends
in Los Angeles and the east have en-
deavored, by liberal use of the telegraph
and every agency available, to ascertain
his whereabouts. Friends of the we'll
known and universally liked gentleman
who have been importunate to know
when he was expected to arrive in Los
Angeles have been put off with evasive
answers and q statement that he was
expected in day or two. The mem
bers OF the press were, Of course, aware
that something unusual had delayed
the arrival OF Mr.. Hanchette, but not
until yesterday was it decided to make
public the fact that his whereabouts
were unknown, and then it was only
done in the hope that thereby some
trace of the missing man might be OBJ
tanned.
Yesterday word was received from the
police department and other agencies at
Chicago which have been at work on
the case, that no trace OF Mr.. Hanchette
had yet qeen discovered, and last night
the Associated Press sent the facts, so far
as known, to the newspapers all over the
country, in the hope that the press
might succeed where the police had
failed,
WHEN LAST SEEN.
As far as now known, Mr.. Hanchette
was last seen at 1850 O'Clock on the
night OF the 9TH, at the Santa Fe railroad
depot in Chicago. Frank Virgins, the
superintendent of the chamber OF COM
merce exhibit, at 2 O'Clock on the after
noon OF the same day, saw him enter
coupe, which was to take him to the
depot. In conversation with Mr.. Wig
gins, Mr.. Hanchette expressed a wish
to change his tickets SO as to return to
Los Angeles over the northern route.
He then said he should change his ticket
if he found it possible.
While in Chicago Mr.. Hanchette
stopped with cousin, Mr.. Elbert @.
Smith, Chicago broker. This gentle
man saw him at $40 on the night
of the 9TH. The train on which MY.
Hanchette and Mr.. Wells were to have
started for Los Angeles left at 80. Mr..
Smith was to have seen Mr.. Hanchette
OH at that time, but as Hanchette
failed to appear he assumed that the
plan for changing the tickets had sue
ceeded. Some inquiries were made, how
ever, and the boy at the parcel room
stated that man answering the
description OF Mr.. Hanchette had
taken the 8 O'Clock train, which
leaves over the Wabash route
for st. Louis. At this Mr.. Smith
became alarmed. and at once set investi-
cations on foot, which up to yesterday
had proved fruitless.
LETTER FROM HIM.
The last word received from Mr.. Han
chette in this city is one addressed to his
wife, dated on the 9th, in which he ex-
presses his regret at being unable to
start on that day, and says that he will
start on the 9TH and will let no claims of
business, pleasure or politeness delay
the same date he expressed the same in
tention.
MRS. HANCHErrE's STATEMENT.
Mrs. Hanchette was seen by a HERALD
reporter last evening. She is bravely
trying to bear up under the suspense
and, uncertainty, and to attend to her
work faithfully. She stated that she
first began to worry about Mr.. Hanchette
last Wednesday, she having expected
him to arrive on Monday. She further
said that the only theory she had
formed regarding his disappearance was
that he might have been taken sick at
some point en- route, and be unable to
communicate with his friends. Asked
about the possible trip to st. Louis, she
said that in one of her husbands letters
he had spoken OF man from st. Louis
who had been talking with him relative
to setting up an ice-making machine at
Los Angeles, and that It was barely pos
sible that he had gone that way in order
to see this man.
Mr.. and Mrs. Hanchette have been
seldom separated for any length of time
since their marriage, and if the separa-
tion was for more than three days, he
never let day pass without dispatch
ing letter or telegram to his wife.
During the orange carnival he wrote a
letter every day to Mrs. Hanchette, and
telegraphed ten or twelve times, so that
she was naturally alarmed when the
letters ceased to arrive, and Mr.. Hanch-
cite also failed to put in an appearance.
OTHER STATEMENTS.
Mr.. Virgins when seen said that the
last two days before his disappearance
Mr.. Hanchette enjoyed better health
than at any previous time during the ex-
hibition; that he was in excellent
spirits, and seemed to be happy over his
expected departure for home.
Mr.. Herve Friend, who was the pho
tographer of the carnival and who ar
rived in Los Angeles yesterday morning,
had conversation with Mr.. Hanchette
the day after the close of the carnival,
and remembers that he said that he
might possibly visit his brother, @. d.
Hanchette, who lives in Michigan, but
Mr.. Hanchette saw his brother several
times during the exhibition, and had
certainly given up the idea Of going to
visit him. Furthermore, telegram was
received from @. d. Hanchette since the
9TH asking if Mr.. Hanchette had gone
south, and Mr.. @. ID. Hanchette is now