Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-21
A CLEAN OF HOPE.
Mr.. Hanchette's Death Not
Yet Conceded.
His Friends Still Hopeful For
His Safety.
The Body Found in Lake Michigan
Not Identified as His.
Cases of Other Mysterious Disappear
ances Cited That Eventually Turned
Out All Right.

The friends of II. Jay Hanchette have
a gleam OF hope that, after he left the
Santa Fe ticket Office on the evening OF
the 7th instant, he was seized by sort
of mental syncope, and that, whilst
memory had come to standstill, other
faculties enabled him to steer his course
in the direction of some point his fancy
had seized upon. 1t might have been
that under such condition he went to
New York or some other port and took
ship for some remote part of the world.
Two cases actually occurred in this state
of character similar to the one out
lined above.
Some twelve years ago Mr. Knight, an
extensive wool dealer in Sacramento,
whose warehouses were situated on the
city front, disappeared. His family re-
sorted to every means OF publicity 10 get
word of him; rewards were offered for
the recovery of his body il he was dead,
or news of his whereabouts If living.
Nothing came OF the quest, and his
friends settled down to the belief that
he had been murdered apter leaving his
warehouse and his body thrown in the
river, whence it had been washed into
the tules, never to be recovered.
Nearly year had elapsed, and all but
the mourning family of Mr.. Knight had
let the incident fade into the past. But
one day Mrs. Knight, to her delight and
surprise, received letter. She recog-
nized her husbands hand in the super
scription as soon as she glanced at it.
1t came from Australia, and informed
her that he was alive and we'll in Mel
bourne. The story of his disappearance
was told in the letter. Mr.. Knight had
no recollection OF leaving Sacramento.
The last thing he remembered was leav-
ing the warehouse, and when next his
full faculties came to him he found him
self on board ship sailing for Aus
tralial
The alteration OF mind in his case, of
course, could not have been complete.
He must have had the power of observa-
ton and speech, and have, perhaps,
presented nothing strange or peculiar to
the casual observer. He had gone on
the vessel, spoken to the captain, and
taken his passage to Melbourne in a
species of trance as far as the knowledge
OF things about him was concerned.
The other case was that of Jerome
Carroll, brother of John Carroll, also
of Sacramento. Jerome left his family
suddenly, and was gone for several
weeks. No trace could be had of him,
although every means of discovery pos
sible had been resorted to-. At length,
after couple OF months, letter
reached his wife from Washington ter
ritory. 1t was from her lost husband.
He had wandered off unconsciously, and
only came to his senses after he had
reached the territory.
Somnambulists have been known to
make long journeys, and to appear in
perfectly normal condition to those who
passed them on the road.
THE CARNIVAL ACCOUNTS.
President Wells was seen by HERALD
reporter yesterday. and urged to furnish
a statement of the carnival finances for
publication, for the sake of silencing
rumors, if for no other reason. He re-
piled that the directors had nothing to
conceal, but that it would be unjust to
furnish partial statement only, and
until Mr.. Cook, Major Jones and himself
had held a meeting, finally closing up
all the accounts and auditing few bills
remaining at this end OF the line, COM
plete statement was impossible. In the
natural course OF events such a meeting
would not take place until Monday
next, but Mr.. Wells yesterday sent word
to Mr.. Cook, at. Glepdora, to come to
LosAngeles today and meet Major Jones
and himself to settle up the accounts.
A statement will probably be published,
therefore, tomorrow.
%AdR. BROWNS DISAPPEARANCE.
On Sunday Mr.. Frank Virgins tele=.
graphed G. d. Hanchette at Chicago to
see young man named Brown who had
been employed by the carnival managers,
nand who had assisted Mr.. Virgins in
placing Mr., Hanchette and his baggage
in coupe, and starting him off for the
Dearborn-street depot. 1t was thought
that Brown might be able to identity
the driver of the conveyance, and thus
furnish the police with more material to
work upon. Yesterday, however, it was
learned that young Brown had also dis
appeared from the Leland hotel where
he had been staying, and could not be
found.
HANCHETTE's SAN FRANCISCO RELATIVES.
Mrs. Griffith, principal OF the Golden
Gate-avenue primary school, and mother
of Mrs. H. J. Hanchette, said yesterday,
saws the San Francisco Examiner of
Tuesday, that she had received several
letters and kilograms from Los Angeles
regarding the strange disappearance OF
her son-in-law. She is firm in the be-
lief. however, that he is on his way
home by one OF the northern routes, and
that the dispatch to his wife--which she
is confident he must have sent--has mis-
carried.
Some time ago, Mrs. Griffith says, an
important telegraphic dispatch was sent
by Mrs. Hanchette to her in this city,
but by some unexplained reason it did
not arrive here, nor could the cause of
the miscarriage be traced.
"Mr. Hanchette' long connection with
newspaper work, and his thorough
knowledge OF the world" Mrs. Griffith
concluded, "precludes the supposition
that he has been made a victim of foul
play, in spite of the fact that some may
have supposed that he held the receipts
of the orange carnival. He has always
been most exemplary husband, or his
continued absence would not be regarded
as out OF the way. He wrote to his
brother-in-law, DR.. Griffith, of McAllis-
ter street, a short time ago, complaining
that he was not we'll, and asking for a
prescription. This was sent to him."
Mrs Griffith further stated that Chief
Crowley was an intimate friend OF the
family, and that he had been requested
to urge the chief of police of Chicago to
use every effort to find a trace Of the