The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-11-02
DROPPED FROM SIGHT.

-'-s .>s'SPP$os ososaSS w - ''s~sA
Who Went Out to Get o Little Fresh
Air Ono Sunday Aftcrnoon-Hc Prom.
iscd to BE Hack for Dinner. hut Wns
Not Heard of for Two Years. When llo
Cumc to Himself In Singular Manner.
From the Medico-Legal Journal.
Within the past few years the number
or cases Of mysterious disappcarances,
NANNY OF people occupying social or civil
positions OF prominence, has been SO great
ana the circumstances connected with
their disappearance have been, as rule,
so mystifying, that the matter would
seem to call for special analysis outside
the usual methods employed to account
for such occurrences.
The object Of this articlce Is to record
some facts in connection with a case OF
| mysterious disappearance in person and
| under circumstances well known to the
writer, and to refer to psychological fea-
lures associated Herewith.
He was man passed middle age. mus
cular. but Of angular" outline, Of strong
powers OF endurance. In rugged health
ana, so far as known. free from any per-
sonal or Inherited homeopathic taint. For
| a number Of years he had resided in q
thriving town suburban to Philadelphia,
and. by strict application to his trade (that
| lated considerable means. As his sons
| grew up they shared in the business, and
at the time of his disappearance had ma
terially assisted him in the execution ot
some large contracts, from which he rea-
lized handsome profits. For years he had
enjoyed ordinary good health, and was
not known to possess any eccentricities
or morbid tendencies. His domestic re-
| lations were harmonious. his social better
than ever before, his financial ditto, and
he was not known to have any secret, i'm
moral or Illicit indulgences Of any kind
whatever. The Sunday of his disappear
ance he had remained in the house all day,
| as 1t was dull gloomy November day,
with his younger children, to whom he
was greatly attached. Along about 4
O'Clock In the afternoon he got up from
the lounge on which he had been reclin-
ing. reading. changed his house jacket for
an ordinary business day coat, slipped on
an easy pair of shoes. and. to his wire 8
| questions. stated he was going out for n
| short walk on the street "for little fresh
| air." Noting the time. she cautioned him
not to go far. as. according to the two
| meals on Sunday" custom, they would
soon have dinner. He promised not to
keep them waiting, declared he'd surely be
back in few moments, and that he was
only going for a little turn on the main
street, on which his combined house and
| store faced. He quietly and leisurely
stepped outside the door and, although a
conspicuous figure In the town, and per-
fectly we'll known to nine-tenths Of the
| people of the vicinity, he disappeared as
| mysteriously as though he had, as they
say, vanished into thin air." None of
| the townspeople saw him, although the
streets were alive with the usual Sunday
stituted reasonably early. His absence
| continued the next day. the most vigilant
| searches were instituted, detective agen-
cies were called into play, and, as the days
| wore on and the search became more and
more unayailing, every possible means of
| apprehension were resorted to, but with
singular futility. No one could be found
who had seen him after he left the house
no clue. He simply stepped out into the
| great unknown" One OF the most singu-
lar features was the fact that-although
| the town contained some 5000 Inhabitants.
thickly settled in all directions. that he
was we'll known to the people of the coun-
try villages, owing to his long residence
in that section Of the State. and especially
intimate with the trainmen on the rail
road connecting with Philadelphla-yet no
one recalled having seen him after he left
the house on the Sunday in question. Re-
wards proved unavailing. Innumerable
theories were advanced by wiseacres and
amateur detectives. but they, after being
run to the ground, only served to make
the affair more inexplicable-to render
confusion more confounded. Months pass
| ed and still no sign-no clue. Being neces-
sary to wind up the affairs Of the estab-
L
no money, but that his wife and family
| were handsomely provided for. In due
course Of time the business was finally
disposed Of, the property sold. and the
of the older sons settling on the Pacific
coast. The family gave up all hope OF
| ever finding even clue to the long-lost
husband and father.
Two years had almost passed when the
following startling circumstance was en-
| acted In a tin shop In a town In one OF
the far Southern States. A number OF
men were engaged at their trade, when
suddenly one Of them dropped his work
and cried, as he pressed his hand to his
God! where am I? How did I come hore?
This isn't my, shop. Where am I? What
| does It mean"
At first the men were disposed to laugh
| at the tall reserved man, who had worked
| for several months so quietly by their
| side and Of whose history not word had
they been able to learn. but when they
saw his changed expression. the perspir-
yous twitchings and noted all his piteous
appeals. they realized that 1t was all
something far from Jest, and, as he was
| known as a sober, most exemplarily be-
with inebnty. They called him bv q name
that was now strange to him. and they in
sisted he had told them such was his
| name. 20 g.
At last trembling with suppressed emo.
tion. he made his way to the proprietor
| mans talk and manner as mad been the
| men below. It was H--.who after months
| Of wandering and of work combined, dur
Ing which period he had aged consider.
ably, was now awakening from-what
shall we say-his somnambulistic sleep
! 1t was with some difficulty that he made
| the proprietor understand his true condi-
tion or to believe his story Of Northern
Il Co.. tI,, II
ness. he proprietor only knew him as a
wandering timer, who had drifted into the
town, sought work at his trade. was en-
| ployed and proved to be reliable. skilled
and attentive workman; regarding whose
| auired, and the workman had not volun-
teered any statements. Under fictitious
name that H. had given he had been
known and paid. H had no knowledge
| Of the past. He remembered nothing.
But at last dim recollection came over
him of that fateful Sunday. his rising to
go out. the request to come back to dinner,
his promise to do so In few moments
and then all was blank. He had nc
for some months In this shop and had
been paid good wages. What he did with
his money, I believe. has never been dis
covered, for H.. after ascertsining the
for Chicago. where. at the last accounts
] had of him, he was living his usual life.
| Somewhat mystified over his realiza tion
Of the strange freak in which he figured
although feeling we'll and apparently In
normal mental balance. he yet realizes
that ne has beene the central figure In
some over-strange phenomena. quite mys-
terious enough to make him at times doubt
his sanity.
So far as have been able to ascertain.
there are no facts explanatory Of the
| prime cause Of his disappearance. to ac-
count for the failure Of his neighbors to
wandering, or to solve the conditions OF
his return TO his normal self So far as