Los Angeles herald., 1893-01-12
THE -D|SCOvERER OF HANCHETTE.
Bob Farrell Bobs Up Again
With His Yarn.
The Missing Man Hid in His Room
III Sacramento.
AS Yet He Has Not Appeared in Public
and there Seems Small Hope of
His Doing so-A Sense
less Canard.
BY the Associated Press.

oy Inc Assoclateu freBs.
The Associated Press dispatch pub
lished yesterday morning concerning II
Jay Hanchette, ex-city editor OF the
HERALD and secretary Of the chamber
of commerce, who disappeared mysteri
ously two years ago from Chicago, die
not create much excitement in this city
as nearly every one who read it con
cluded that it was but repro duction oi
the yarn spun here some time ago by
one Robert Farrell, and not worthy ol
belief. That Farrell is the author ol
the story is evidenced by special dis.
patch received by the HERALD from 9
reliable authority in Sacramento, yester'
day, and appended below.
Farrell is the individual who has
bobbed up in Los Angeles on several oc-
casions and pretended that he had dis
covered the whereabouts of Hanchette,
was in correspondence with him, and
that Hanchette would turn up in Los
Angeles ere long. To all entreaties on
the part of the friends and relatives of
the missing man Farrell turned a deal
ear, assumed mysterious air, and de-
clined to divulge the secret locked in
his breast.
His last visit to this city was just
prior to the election, when he hung
around the newspaper offices, posing as
the discoverer of the long-lost Han
chette and evidently seeking notoriety
by having his name mentioned in con-
nection with the Hanchette mystery.
Not succeeding very we'll in this, he
finally took himself off, and thereby
hangs a tale, which, if statement made
to HERALD reporter by firm of relia-
BILE publishers who employed him for a
portion OF the time he was in this city
as solicitor, be true, might set him in
serious trouble should he ever return
here.
Well, it seems that he has turned up
in Sacramento and is revamping the
story of the Hanchette discovery. At
last accounts Mr.. Hanchette had not yet
turned up. Following is the telegram
above referred to, which explains itself ::
SACRAMENTO, CAL, Jan. 11.-If H. J..
Hanchette is in this city he is we'll dis
guised or is keeping well in the shadows
of the fog which has hung like pail
over the city for two weeks. No such
name appears on the hotel registers,
and no one appears to know anything of
the missing man, except Robert Farrell.
Farrell has secured an appointment as
watchman in the senate, through Sena-
tor Carpenter. Some days ago Farrell
exhibited tin-type likeness of Han
chette to Captain Barrett of Los Angeles
and informed him that Hanchette would
be in the city in a few days with view
OF clearing up the mystery surrounding
his disappearance.
TIE reporter Farrell this morning said /:
"Confidentially, / will tell you that
Hanchette arrived in this city last night.
He is now closeted in my room with one
Of his Los Angeles friends. He is de-
termined that no one shall discover his
identity until the proper moment. The
confidence he has imposed in me was
not voluntary. 1 accidentally discov-
cred him in the northern part OF the
state in the employ of large concern,
and was about to cause his arrest. To
avert this be told me his story, and it
was reasonable that I agreed to keep
his secret"
In the course of the conversation Far
rell said Hsnchette's own wife would
not recognize him if she should meet
him on the street. He is clean shaved
and wears colored glasses.