The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-11-08
HIS BROTHER is MISSING
Mysterious Disappearance Of a North
Yakima Man.
The FIX MYSTERY STILL UNSOLYED
a. q. FIX, Of Ambta, Ind. Is In ST.
Paul Locking for His brother,
who was Last Seen In the irwin
cities.

Ii. +. Fix al Ambia, Ind, is in the city
inquiring into the fate OF his brother, Alvin
L. Fix Of North Yakima, Wash, who dis.
appeared about Oct. 70. BY rather re-
markable subsequent event il is practical
~ settled that the missing man was in
st. Paul upon the date given.
A. l.. Fix was real estate dealer OF
North Yakima, a man of some wealth
and tolerably well known throughout the
State of Washington, having resided in
various parts OF that state since 1885. He
was widower and had one child. His
parents live at Ambia, Ind, and about
four months ago he arranged his business
affairs at North Yakima and went to see
the old folks. He remained at Ambia for
nearly three months, and about Sept. IA
left home, intending to stop at Chicsgo
and see his brother, r. w. Fix, real es-
tate dealer. Sept. % he wrote his father
that he would leave for the coast in day
or two. On the night OF Sept. ~ he left
his brothers home in Chicago with the
svowed intention OF taking train for st.
Paul, and it WAS supposed that he intend
ell taking the Wisconsin Central train, as
he said he was going to leave at II 80.
He had a scalper's ticket, but the brother
did not know whether it was to st. Paul
or through to the coas:. 1t was probably
to St. Paul, as he said he would stop
there.
Since Fix left his brother that night
in Chicago he has not been seen by any
one who knew him-at least so lar as can
be found.
Oct. Il j. l.. Cham berlain OF North
Yakima, Fix's father-in-law, telegraphed
to Ambia saying that Fix had not arrived
and inquiring Us to his whereabo
This alarmed the people at home, and
there Was some inquiry started, but the
case seems one OF those mysterious affairs
where man drops out of sight rs though
the earth had opened and swallowed him.
The investigation was carried on quietly
for several days and there was no public
ity given the matter.
Oct 26 ID. L. Mackinnon, well known
attorney of North Yakima, received a let
ter that did not in any way help the
search OF the missing man except to show
that he had probably reached st. Paul.
The letter was not very comprehensive
and was evidently written by q man who
knew nothing of the fact that there was
q search being carried on for A. L. Fix.
The letter was from James Rating; he
describes himself as brakeman on the
Missouri, Kansas & Texas railroad. He
said that he had been in the employ OF
the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy rail
road and had been in freight wreck on
that road on Oct. 10. He did not say
where the wreck took place, but did say
that in the smash up there was a boot
black who was stealing ride and he was
fatally hurt. The boy died shortly after
being hurt, but before he died he told the
brakeman that there was Silver Watch
Charm in his pocket which he found in
St. Paul just before leaving home. The
boy did not give his name, but said that
he lived in St. Paul and found the charm
there. The letter was written by a very
illiterate person and many necessary de-
tails were. omitted. Even the address
OF the writer WAS not given, and the letter
was mailed on train between DENIM
son and Hillsboro, Tex. In the enve.
lope was enclosed watch charm which
was worn by the missing man for num-
Der of years, and which he had on his
watch chain at the time of his disappear.
ance. 1t is of silver, and on the one side
there are some X. of =. symbols and the
number OF the lodge at North Yakima,
OF which Fix was member on the other
side was the name OF the wearer.
The Fix family at Ambia was notified
of the receipt of the letter, and II. F. Fix
then went TO work to settle the fate of his
missing brother. He satisfied himself
that the brother left Chicago, and that
he had with him when he took the train
$l25 in money, solid gold watch and
chain and the charm that turned up in
such mysterious wav down in Texas.
He was = short, heavy man, weighing
go pounds, and was dressed in gray
sack coat and trousers of darker gray.
He carried for baggage large grip, which
he generally checked when travelling, and
small alligator skin hand bag.
A fact that points to the probability
that the traveller got to St. Paul is that if
he followed his usual custom and checked
the grip, he certainly took it out of the
baggage room on his arrival here, as in
quiry at the depot yesterday showed that
the bag was not there. Inquiry at the
hotels demonstrated the fact that on Oct.
% there was no one Of his name at any OF
the houses which a man of his standing
would be likely to frequent.
The brother and the police are non
pIussed and don't know how much weight
to give the story told by the brakeman
down in Texas, who took the trouble to
send seemingly valueess piece of jew
elry, which had been taken from the dead
body of a bootblsck killed in a railroad
wreck in distant state, to the home of a
man who had mysteriously disappeared.
Why the brakeman did not give his adj