The record-union., 1892-08-29
Was HE MURDERED i?
Strange Disappearance of an Elk
Grove Clergyman.
His House Had Been Entered and Ran
sacl<ed-He Had Considerable
Money.

The people Of Elk Grove are greatly
disturbed over the mysterious disappear
ance from there of Rev. Frank McCallum,
especially so since there are indications
that warrant the suspicion Of foul play.
Recently Mrs. McCallum went to visit
friends at Redwood City, and has not yet
returned, unless she came up last night.
The last seen of Mr.. McCallum was at 2
o'clock on Friday afternoon last, at the
depot in that village. Where he went to
from there his closest friends cannot
even surmise
Although that was about the time of
the arrival and departure of the train for
Sacramento, it is not believed that he
boarded the train, as the agent is con-
fident the reverend gentleman did not
purchase ticket, which heretofore he
had always done before boarding train
There was to have been a business
meeting of the trustees of his church on
Saturday evening to close affairs for the
year, prior TO the holding of the confer
ence at Stockton this week. Rev. Mr..
McCallurn was TO have attended the meet
ing, as no business could be transacted
without him. The trustees waited for
him until a rather late hour, and then
visited his residence to see if he were at
home.
They found the front bow window
smashed in, and their suspicious of
violence were at once aroused. They
entered the house and found everything
| in confusion. Even bedding from the
upstairs rooms had been thrown down
stairs, and everything indicated that the
! house had been thoroughly ransacked by
robbers.
Fearing that possibly Mr.. McCallum
had been murdered in the house and the
body hidden, the citizens made a thorough
search, but found no body and no eVl-
dence of bloodshed. They then searched
the yard and barn, but obtained no clew
to the strange disappearance of the clergy
man. The latter's horse was loose in the
yard and nearly famished from want of
water
Dr.. Mckee informs the RECORD UNION
that the friends of Mr.. McCallum turned
out and searched for him all over the
neighborhood, but could find no one who
had seen him after he went to the depot
at clock on Friday afternoon.
Mr.. McCallum had been making col
lections for the Trustees of his church for
several days, and had several hundred
dollars in his possession, which fact was
doubtless known to several persons about
Elk Grove, and it is feared that he has
been put out of the way by thugs.
Yesterday Mr. McCallum's friends tele-
phoned to Rev. Mr.. Beechgood of this
city, asking If the latter had seen or heard
OF the missing clergyman. but he had
not; neither had MIR. McCallum been
seen at the Western Hotel, where he
usually stopped. On former occasion
he was taken i'll while on visit to the
city, and then stopped with family
named Davis, but his friends do not
know their address.
MIR. MCCallum was to have preached
his farewell sermon on yesterday, and
his congregation gathered at the church,
thinking that possibly he would show
up, bat he did not, and now they have
called upon the police of this city to help
unrave1 the mystery that surrounds his
disappearance.
Mrs. McCallum was informed yester-
day by telegraph of her husbands dis
appearance, and was expected to leave
for home at once.
Twice before Mr.. McCallum's house
was robbed during his absence, and it
looked as if the thieves have had him
specially marked for plumber. On this
occasion he was known to have con-
siderable money, and that he was about
to remove, unless the conference should
see fit to return him to his late charge
Just what to make of the whole matter
is aperplexing problem, which his friends
are unable to solve.