Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1892-02-27
SEARCH THAT FAILED
DR.. Crawford's Whereabouts a
Blank Mystery Still.
TWO TRAILS THAT LEAD TO WATER

-"~-@~@FN @@~NNAH-
Both Followed Up but They Abruptly
End and Tell No Conclusive Tale--The
Doctors Last Letter Indicates an In
tention to End His Life with a Bullet.
HAvERsrRAw, N. Y, Feb. 27.-The mys.
terry surrounding the disappearance from
his home in Haverstraw on Sunday last Of
DIR. J. r. Crawford, a dentist, is as dark as
ever All the circumstances point to sui
eide, although there are some people in
Haverstraw who express the hope that he
is yet alive and to support their theory
cite the alleged fact that once before in his
career he disappeared without warning
from among his friends and was not heard
from for Eve years Yesterday a final and
exhaustive search was made for him. Il
was without result and win probably be the
last regularly organized searching party
sent out
The Search Led TO the River.
Twenty citizens, headed by W T. Purdy,
master Of the Masonic lodge of which the
doctor was a member, started on the search
Purdy was ia charge Of the expedition, and
among the volunteers were Samuel and
Aaron Snedeker, Frank, George and Josiah
Felter, Duke Babcock, Derouder Cali, W.
H. Jenkens. c. S sloat and Fred Waldron,
all well known citizens Of Haverstraw and
friends Of the missing man.
The party divided into three divisions and
secured the country for a circuit Of five
miles There were two shadow trails TO
work upon. One was the statement of
West Shore railway Waterman and wom-
an 10 the effect that they had seen the doc
Tor going down the West Shore railway
track toward the mouth Of the tunnel, which
is a short distance south of the Haverstraw
station.
South of the track footsteps which, II was
thought, might be those Of the doctor had
already been found They lead down by the
dynamite works which exploded with such
terrific violence not many months ago
From the dynamite works they led to the
river. There were steps showing a foot
about the size Of the doctors and they were
the tracks Of g man wearing shoes. The
doctor wore rubber shoes whNA he left his
home between II o'clock and noon on Sun
day last, after sending his servant girl with
a message 20 his wife who was staying with
her brother-in-law, B. J. Allison, of Stony
Point The steps led to the rivers brink
and there were no return steps.
The Footprints Found.
But in the meantime other footprints had
boon found These led around the south
side Of the tunnel and far down the Long
Glove. Then they were found on the aban-
doned roadbed Of what is known as the
zigzag railway being the old Jersey City
and Albany line. For a long distance they
followed the deserted roadbed. They were
the steps Of a man with a foot about the
size Of DR.. Crawfords, and they were the
steps Of a man wearing rubber shoes.
Il was the plan of the search party TO
trace these steps as well az to generally
scour the wild, bleak mountain sides and
their ragged tops In the previous searches
during the week the footprints were lost
sight Of on the zigzag road, but were found
again by party which struck of into the
woods and so across the mountains On the
mountain ridge and in a well beaten path
they were found again. They led along the
mountains for two miles and were followed
as long as there was light enough TO see.
The following day they We're traced all the
way 70 swarthout pond, where they were
again lost sight o.
Yesterdays search began by securing the
country an the way to Swarthout pond, and
while one party was doing this, another, led
personally by Mr.. Purdy, was making a
microscopic search for the missing footprints
beyond the pond. Il was partially success
full The footprints were found. There was
no installing them. They were clearly and
sharply defined. But the trouble was they
began nowhere and ended nowhere
Near the Knickerbocker Ice company's
barn at Rockland lake they suddenly ap-
peared for a short distance and as suddenly
disappeared. For hours the search party
CROPPED about the neighborhood, searching
every inch Of ground for a long distance in
all directions. But it was useless. The foot
prints were gone.
A Blank Mystery.
SO the doctors disappearance is as blank a
mystery ~ 1t was when his wife came home
last Sunday and found his watch and jewelry
on the bureau, a number Of sealed farewell
letters lying on the bed and the doctor him
self missing
One Of these letters was addressed TO
Corporal Tanner, and il was opened last
night. Il related TO the pension which the
doctor drew for bis services in the late war,
and urged the corporal 70 see that his pen
sion money got 10 his wife and TO his one
child, ten-year-old boy. The letter closed
BY saying that when the corporal received
It the writer would have been mustered
into the ranks Of the dead by a revolver
bullet
To his warm friend, DR.. Bailey, he wrote
long letter, closing by saying that it would
be no use to search for his body, as It would
be full OF lead and weighted down and alao
that it would be far from home.
Dr. Crawford had long been in a melan-
choly condition His eyesight failed him 50
that he was IN we io practice his -profes-
sion, and he coulo not get into any other oc-
cupaton. The result was that he found
himself, at ffty-six years Of age, fast drift
fs,r int I.I,1...,-o.-1