Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-11-17

was that he had committed suicide by
drowning. and the river WAS searched ami
watched He had been a member OF the
Estey Guard, and had developed good
deaI of interest in military affairs BY
many il was though, that he had entered
the regular army, and senator Redheld
Proctor, then secretary OF war. who knew
the family well AMI had personal interest
in them, caused "a search 20 bee made
throughout the army To see whether he had
enlisted under his own or al assumed
name, hut no trace was discovered.
Along with this the entertaining part of
the case began TO develop Aggravated by
their own fears and natural distress OF mind,
and melted by the suggestions OF their
friends among the country folk, the Hum
phreys began to imagine that there had
been foul play with their son, and thai the
asylum officials were guilty of il or know
ing 10 it. The farm hands heard a carriage
drive rapidly away after Humphrey went
out on the night of his disappearance, and
the suggestion was that the boy was muir
dered and the carriage was used 10 carry
away his dead body. In point of fact the
carriage was Dr. Ora ,er's. who had return
ed from a ride, and the hostler was just
then taking il 10 the stable. II was sug-
gested that Humphrey had become pos
sesSed of some secret affecting the good
name OF the institution, and that he was
put out of the way either by murder or by
shutting him up i'm the institution itself To
settle this latter point two Rutland officials
accompanied the boy aunt TO BrattlehOrO,
backed hy letters from Senator Proctor and
eX-Judge Walker. 10 make a personal eX-
animation of the institution 10 see whether
Humphrey was seCreted there. a carpeu-
ter was brought along to thump the walls
and discover whether any new partitions
had recently been erected 10 wall the poor
fellow in. This sounds funny now. but il
is a sober fact. These officials and friends
We're given access 10 every part of the i'm
stitutiou. and they wen, away reasonably
satisfied that the missing youth was not
there. But the suspicion which always at
taChes 10 such an institution remained, and
found voice every now and then in the state
newspapers ,-Ofteutimes I'm the columns of
/ papers whose general standing and ability
should have caused them to discOunteuance
instead of encouraging any such morbid
feeling.
The Legislature Asked 10 Investigate.
There was a movement for an invesliga
ton by the legislature of 1890, and in an
: swer TO the petition of 80 Rutland citizens
/ joint resolution, introduced by Mr. Ma
loney of Rutland, passed the house for the
/ appointment of a special commission 10 in
/ yestigate the Vermont asylum To find out
whether any persons had been killed in the
| institution whose deaths had not been re-
/ ported, and especially ITO ind and investi-
/ gate and report all facts relative 10 the mys-
| terious disappearance Of one Arden II,
| Humphrey Appended To the petition
was an urgent personal statement from eX-
| Gov. Ormsbee that he considered the case
| "a very unusual one, about which there
was great mystery and urging for it 1.-The
earnest and considerate attention of the
/ general assembly, The senate refused TO
concur in the resolution.
In the spring of 1891 Brainerd Hum
phrey, the father sold his farm TO obtain
money TO continue the search for his son.