The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-12-13

Strange Disappearance and Reappear'
ance of f. t. Brown of this city, which
at the Time Caused Much Excitement
and which is Now Solved for the First
Time-Narrative which Tells How it All
Happened.
One of the leading features Of the
Horas Review for Christmas, which by
the WAY is a handsome number, is a
story by Foster Toler of this city. The
story is finely illustrated with an initial
letter characteristic Of the story. The
tale is entitled: 'FCan Such Things Be?'
OF Tale of Oiosessbon." All Wichita
people will recognize the mystery on
which II is founded, that of the strange
disappearance and Temperance Of z.
T. Brown. Following is the story:
If any one should doubt the probable
gty of 1.-THE story which I am about to re-
late ne is respectfully referred to the
Society of Psychical Research. No one
Will deny that truth is sometimes stran-
ger than fiction, and the very localities
where these remarkable incidents &C
CURED can be pointed out to any doubt
ing Thomas.
Henry Borden was a thriving real es
3 "a te broker i'm a prominent Kansas town
where he made considerable money dur
ing the famous boom a few years ago.
He was married and with his wife and
two children lived in a pretty cottage
tn the outskirts of the city, about five
blocks from the terminus Of the car
line.
On the afternoon of the 18th Of Deem
tod
business Of his office, played a few
games OF billiards with a friend at his
club and started for home about
o'clock. This was the last seen Of him
for a long time. Mrs. Borden sat up
late waiting for her husband, and when,
after a might Of anxiety, he had got ar
rived. She sent her little son to his IA
Tiers office Only the boy who took
care of the room was there, and he said
that Mr.. Borden had gone out about five
The evening before, intending to go
home. The driver Of the six O'Clock car
north reported that Borden had gone up
ON his car and got off at the terminus
as usual
The now Thoroughly alarmed wife call
ed in the neigihbors and search was
made which resulted in finding a black
derby hat belonging to the missing man,
with a cut in the crown as If made by
some blunt instrument, and lying near
by a, package Of meat A little fur
Their search discovered an iron coupling
pin with blood stains on it, lying in
some brush near the river bank.
Search PARTIES were organized and
fully a Thousand men and boys explored
every foot OF ground for miles in the
vicinity of THE Borden place.
The bereaved wife offered large re-
ward. but to no avail, no trace of the
missing man could be found. If tine
earth had opened somewhere and swal- |
lowed him he could not more complete
~ fIave disappeared. His business af- |
fairs were i'm excellent order, he owed |
no money, beyond the small item of a |
grocery bill. His family relations were |
pleasant and me was not a man TO be- |
come entangied with any woman. The |
whole affair was the nine days wonder |
of the town
Six months passed and the ever for |
getful public were interested IN new |
things, when one day the whole town |
was electrified by the news that Bor- |
den mad returned. A ragged dirty /
tramp had begged ait the Borden house, |
and Mrs. Borden had carried some |
bread and butter out TO him. He SEEM
I'D weak and i'll muttered something
which she understood as mo meafl No |
meaaI' and She supposed that he was
dissatisfied with the food she had given
him
AS he sat mllnlbEng and whining over
The bread. suddenly, by some trick or
expression, or manenrism, the wife rec
ognized in the wretched creature her
long lost husband
Nerved by excitement she half bragg
ed, half carried him into the house. got
him into bed and sent for a doctor.
Six months before. at his disanpear-
Rnce, Borden had weighed one hundred
and forty pounds; he was neatly dress
ed, wore diamond stud and cuff but
tons. and handsome watch and chain.
1Vre returned Borden was a verhtable
ske1eton- dressed In the filthiest of rags.
and not weighing over eighty pounds |
He had on an old worn out pair Of
boots, while his feet were torn and
bAStered as IL from a long and painful |
1t'aIrp- He was T-avenous from hunger
ana seemed TO have lost his memory
He was confined TO his bed for several
" eeks, and l visited him several times
before he got about. He regained his ]
normal mental condition very slowly.
put, strange TO relate. could tell nothing !
Of riding home ON the car on the night
al MS disappearance. nor could he tell
anything Of his life from four o'clock
December the 18th until the fouov-ins
d uly. when he appeared at his own door.
a beggar
Mrs. Borden and l formed the conrlu-
sion that her husbands words. mo meal.
no meat were IN reality know me.
KNOW me, and were rhe expression of
mis- struggle to make himself known.
Thus the Borden case stiu remained
a mystery and would have been .on4a nm
al mis- day. had not an accident nut me- |
IN possession Of the key. And even as II
as THE secret is still known only To ousa
other besides myself
There was At one time in W
physician named Darien. an exns~r
hypnotist. Who some times used his sift
IN MS practise. He was a man little Tx
eI IN me regular profession. which vot-
81 nm Qnack- But as he made some
marvellous cures his practice WIS c-,,,l |
anu ne seemed very successful in I;fa.
ie2'haps The members OF the regular
procession were jealous OF Darieu's su-
peFlor ana advanced actainments He
was dark. foreign looking fellow
whose young appearance belie,i mr., ,.,T.
TED experiences which he related. He !
was known 70 be a dabbler in occnl- |
ihiloSophy. and claimed 10 be OF Fast
Anusah origin. He was also fond q |
experlnenJS in viviSection. Abol,- !
] .lfS'e weeks prlor 10 the disan0earancs ! I
~ Borden, Or. narien suddenly 1sr, |
W and took UP his residence :, I
Denver. Colo. Borden was a patient ~
Ilarien s. and against the advice % his
Trends 90 terms OF somewhat cIoss {
intimacy with him. / was aware ~ -hs :
fact that Borden was sus-srt5hla 70 c
hypnotic Influence. IN fact. I had f,a- I
qeuntly seen Darien place am md
S:Tat state. and compel him 10 perform I
{ iaiI'oysint ft'ats Of remarka bic char /
aoter. Now II occurred TO me that = I