The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-04-13
NO TIDINGS FOR YEARS
A PETITION RECALLS DISAPPEAR
ANCE OF JUDGE AYREs's BROTHER.
Last Heard of in the wilds of wash
fngton Territory Nearly Ten
Years Ago.

Alexander C. Ayres, of the law firm of
Ayres & Jones, filed petition in the Circuit
Court yesterday evening. asking for an adj
ministrator to settle up the estate of his
brother, Franklin Ayres. The petition sets
out the fact that Franklin Ayres disap-
peared ten years ago and has not since
been heard of. The story of the disappear
ance is not told in the document filed with
the court. Franklin Ayres was a younger
brother of ex-Judge A. C. Ayres. In the
spring of 1856 he found himself in delicate
health and decided upon trip to the West.
He was then about thirty-five years of age
and unmarried. He left his home on the
Ayres farm southeast of the city with
view of locating in the West, If the climate
brought him health. After casting about
fo- some time in various parts of the North
west, he finally settled in Washington Ter
ritory, near the postoffice of Skagit, a viii
lage on the Skagit river.
Mr.. Ayres left here in February, 1886, and
until the middle of April of that year kept
his family informed of his movements. He
had chosen an isolated section of the terri
tory and travelling facilities were meager.
1t required ten days to get letter back to
civilization and the correspondence be-
tween the settler and his family here was
limited. However, two or three letters
passed between them, Mr.. Ayres writing
encouragingly. He told his people in one
letter that he had fully regained his health
and proposed remaining in the Territory.
Another letter informed them that he had
staked off section of government land,
had erected a cabin and was prepared to
live snugly. The last letter the family re-
ceased. Mrs. Ayres wrote several
FINALLY a letter came from the postmaster
at Skagit, accompanied by two or three
uncalled for letters that had been written
to Mr.. Ayres. The postmaster announced
that Franklin Ayres had failed 10 call for
his mail, and added that he had not been
seer on his claim for neaTy Gn and
Immediately began to make inquiry. In
response to letters forwarded to various
intelligence that the disappearance OF
Franklin Ayres was a complete mystery to
the neghhorhood in which ms elaim m Was tas
information that the friends of Ayres pc
lieved he had been murdered. No one
seemed to know where he had disappeared
or what had become of him. His cabin
was found undisturbed and the appearance
of the room and its belongings Indicated
that he left it with the intention of re-
turning The general belief prevailed
among his neighbors that he had been MUIR
dered drowned in the river, but no one
could advance a theory as to why he had
been foully dealt with. However, the opin-
ions of the settlers became SO pronounced
that the Ayres family accepted it seriously
and employed detectives to investigate the
disappearance. Every effort was made to
locate the missing man by both the detec-
tives and the people of Skagit, but nothing
ever came of the search. Once letter
was received at the Skagit postoffice from
a man who stated that he had seen Ayres
on a train several hundred miles from his
claim, but the people who had known the
missing man always contended that the
writer had been mistaken.
The Ayres family has given up all hope
of clearing up the mystery. FRANKLIN
Ayres owned property in Woodruff Place
and has an interest in the estate of his
parents, who both dead. 1t is to set
tie up his affairs here that his relatives
want an administrator appointed.