The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-05-02
LEFT OAKVILLE SATURDAY.
OnIy a HaIf-Hour's Walk, but Not
Seen Since.
PARTIES SEARCHING IN VAIN.
He Was a Clerk in Murphy, Grant &
Co.'s and Got Vacation on
Account of iii Health.

For the last TWO days searching paIteo
have been securing in vain the hills about
Oakville, Napa County, hoping to find
some trace of William Arthur, young
clerk for Murphy, Grant & Co., who has
been lost in that vicinity since Saturday
night last.
Mr.. Arthur has been employed In the
blanket department of the wholesale
house mentioned for several years past.
He was sickly man and Of late has been
suffering much from chest troubles. On
Saturdayslast he obtained two weeks,
leave of absence from his employers and
determined to take that time IN the
country. He settled upon Silver Springs
as the resort and left on the 4 o'clock
train for the pretty little place. He ar
rived at Oakville at Z o'clock in the even
ing The road from Oakville to Silver
Springs winds around the hill and is i've
miles in length.
There is shorter way by trail which is
only one and half miles in length. From
all accounts Arthur left Oakville soon alter
the train arrived as he found no convey
ance awaiting him. BE inquired the way
and finding that the trail was much the
shorter determined to go that way. he
started out little after o'clock and from
that time since nothing has been heard OF
him. He has dropped out OF sight as COM
pletely as if he had fallen into chasm
made by an earthquake.
d. Campbell. the proprietor of the Silver
Springs farm, to which the young man
was going, was notified by mail by friend
of Arthur's in the store that he had left on
the o'clock train. But Mr.. Campbell
evidently did not get that letter until
Monday morning. They only go into town
to get mail every few days. When Camp
bell received the letter he was thunder
struck He made inquiries which devel-
oped the state of affairs mentioned and
then organized several search parties,
which have been at work ever since, but
so far without avail.
There is but one theory to the mysterious
disappearance of young Arthur The trail
is very tortuous, intricate affair. He had
never been over it before. The belief is
that he lost his way and wandered into
bVways until at last exhausted he fell in a
faint to the ground. What happened then
can only be surmjsed. Weak from sick
ness and worn out from fatigue and hunger
young Arthur, after coming to himself, If
he ever came to himself. was unable to
move. The vegetation in that region is
the common chaparral. The fact that none
of the searchers have come upon his body
or some traces of him is regarded as
strange by those who know the country.
1t is a very peculiar thing that man
could so wander out of existence, so to
speak, in trail only one and half miles
in length, barely half-hour's walk.
The state of affairs was not known at
Murphy. Grant & Co.'s until yesterday
morning, when Mr.. Mcintyre came in
from Napa and called upon them to in
quire if they had heard anything of young
Arthur. The firm Immediately telegrsp hed
to the Silver Springs that they had nopewS
of the young man here and to wire back
inform alton of the progress of the search.
Up to O'clock last evening no word had
been received at the store, and the suppo-
sition that Arthur had met an untimely
death In the lonely chaparral became fas-
tened upon the heads and employees of the
firm.
William Arthur is about "a years of age
and a native of Glasgow, Scotland. He
has been in the employ of Murphy, Grant
& Co. several years. He has no family
here and no relatives as far as known out
side of Scotland.
He was very tall, but. as stated, has
been sickly of late, something being wrong
with his lungs. 1t was on account of his
health that young Arthur took bis yaca-
ton, which was freely granted by his en-
ployers, who spoke very highly of him
yesterday. Mr.. Boyd. the head of his de-
partmeDt. said: 81 cannot but think thai
poor Arthur has gone. l liked him very
much. He was good man at his bust.
ness and always prompt and willing. He
was quite sickiy and it was hoped that q
few weeks at the farm at Silver Springs
would do him good. He probably became
exhausted and fell down in the chaparra
1t looks very bad, for, you see. three days
have elapsed since he disappeared, and ne
man could live in his condition for thai
period without food"