Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-04-15
HAS DISAPPEARED.
A Prominent ST. Louis Business
Man Missing.
VICTIM OF WHEAT sPEoULAT1oNs.

He Drops $50. 900 or So in the Business
and Then Goes Out of Sight and Hear
ing Though the Earth Had Swal-
lowed Him-suicide Appreciated by
His Friends and Indications That They
Are Correct in Their Fears.
ST. LOUIS. Mo-, April 15.--Page Nc
Pherson, member of the firm of McPher-
son, Switzer IL Co., stock, bond, and
grain brokers at POS North Third street,
and who belongs to one of the oldest and
most asistocratic families in the state, is
missing. The firm is the st. Louis cor
respondent of W. c. Mccormick & Co., of
Chicago. Mr.. Mcpherson was heavily in
debt and unable to meet his obligations.
In fact, he has been in financial straits for
some time, and had borrowed everything
from his friends that they Were able or
willing to loan him. When called upon
by one of his creditors to pay up he was
unable TO do so. He had exhausted his
resources. There was no one left to
whom he could turn for financial aid.
He left home Friday and has not been
seen since.
He speculated in Wheat.
There was a good deal of excitement on
the mining exchange when the news of
McPherson's disappearance became gen
orally known. Mcpherson was treasurer
of the exchange and had in his possession
securities to the amount of So, 500 belong.
ing to it. President Mutually went to the
Missouri Trust company, where McPher-
son had private box, in which the ex-
change securities were supposed to be
kept. The box was forced open and
found to be empty McPherson's trouble
is due to speculation in wheat, he having
been on the bear side for months. One
man who knows him we'll places his losses
at $50, 900.
Borrowed Twenty Thousand Dollars.
To meet the demands made upon him he
has borrowed sums from various persons,
the aggregate of which is about $50, 900.
Thursday Mcpherson called at the Office
of Bauer Bros. and informed A p Bauer
that he would leave for Chicago that even
ing or Friday morning. At $50 a. m. Friday
Page left his house, and ten minutes later
he telephoned to Switzer, his partner, that
he would be little late getting down, as
there were come parties he wished to see
As he did not come down at all that day
day by Mr.. Switzer, which revealed the
fact that Mr. Mcpherson had not been
home since Friday morning, and that his
family was very much distressed over his
absence.
Has He Committed Suicide?
The revolver which he always kept in
his room was missing, and another re-
volver which he always kept in the vault
at his office was gone. As Mcpherson
never carried weapons, this fact was re-
garded by his friends and relatives as
significant of self destruction. He had
spoken very despondently to Frank Ross,
broker with whom he had ridden out in
the street cars Thursday evening on his
way home from the Office, and his manner
Friday morning was peculiar One of his
friends says he has not a doubt that it is
case of suicide.
Was a Member of the 100"
Mcpherson was given considerable no.
toriety in social way in the winter of
1SS9-9o by his connection with the Cinder-
ella club, and extremely exclusive organ
ization which became known as "McPher-
sons One Hundred" after Ward McAllis-
ter's Four Hundred. The membership of
the club was limited to 100 and
only members of the most exclusive and
arstocratic families of upper-tendom
were invited to join it. Mcpherson was
secretary of the club and his name was
the only one appended to the notices sent
out by the organization. The organiza-
ton was ridiculed to such an extent that
it disbanded after giving one seasons en-
tertaiuments