Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-01-02
Disappearance of W. A. Hamond of
Chicago.
LEFT HIS home EARLY THlS MORNING
Was Much Depressed When Last
Seen.
BELIEVED TO BE A SUICIDE

were Iound tnlS morning on the lake front
at the Dempster street pier, near his home
in Evanston. The recent sensational fail
ure of the bank. of which Mr.. Hammond
was vice president, is supposed to have
led to his disappearance.
Mr.. Hammond called on Percy Palmer,
his old friend and confidential adviser, at
o'clock last evening. He was evidently
very depressed about something, and
talked gloomily about his future prospects.
Mr.. Palmer talked encouragingly to him,
and about II o'clock Mr.. Hammond went
home, and about II 80 retired for the night.
Disappearance Discovered.
He and his wife have been in the habit of
sleeping in adjacent rooms. Early this
morning Mrs. Hammond woke up and
noticed the door connecting the two apart
ments was open. The door stood at a diff
ferent angle from that which it had when
she went to sleep. She left her bed and
looked into the room. The clothes on the
bed We're thrown back, and her husband
was not there. His night robe hung over
the rear of the bed, his watch was on the
table, but his trousers, coat and under
clothing were nowhere to be found. He
had not taken his shoes or stockings
This frightened the woman, and she at
once sent for Birney ]. Moore, an old
friend of the family, who was told of Mrs
Hammond's suspicious. He drove hurriedly
to the house of Mr.. Lord Of the firm of
Lord, Owen & Co. At the house he sent
police department. informing him of the
startling intelligence
Both men looked over the Hammond
house and satisfied themselves that the
worst was to be expected, and they at once
drove down Dempster street in the direc-
ton of the lake. They soon found a we'll
developed trail in the form of numerous
scraps Of paper which led to the end of the
a nf
The rain of the night had soaked the
scraps of paper, and they had clung to the
boards. but it had also made the contents
almost illagible.
Mr. Moore discovered scraps of p..per which
settled the conviction in his mind that Mr.
Hammond had taken his life.
A number Of pieces of typewriter doc
ument, on one Of which was Mr.. Ham
monds signature, were found. with other
scraps containing writing Which the men
recognized as that of the ex-banker He
had evidently torn a number of documents
INTO shreds, scattering the pieces as he
walked down the length of the pier.
Captain Lawson Of the nfe-saving de-
partment was then notified Graphing
hooks were procured and with the aid of
the police the life-saving crew began
searching for the BODY.
AT the home of Percy Palmer little could
be learned of what transpired between
him and Mr.. Hammond last night. AS
soon Mr.. Palmer heard of the disap-
pearance of Mr.. Hammond he left his
house hastily and came into the city.
Mrs. Palmer said she was not present
at the time the two men appeared to be
epgrossed in business matters, though she
spent an hour with them during the early
part of the evening participating in So
olal chat. She said, however, that Mr..
Hammond did not appear in a mood for
merrymaking. and he and Mr.. Palmer re-
tired as soon they found opportunity.
Mrs. Palmer could not say what they talk
ed about.
Mrs. Hammond refused this morning to
talk of her husbands disappearance. She
remained within her own room and left
the conduct of the matter in the hands
of Mr.. Moore.
The Talk With Palmer.
Mr.. Palmer said today that Hammond
called at the Palmer home in Evanston,
which is only few minutes walk from
that occupied by the Hammonds, about S
o'clock last night. He remained there until
II o'clock in conversation with Mr.. Palmer.
They talked of the future and what might
be done to place Hammond again on his
feet. Mr.. Palmer noticed that Hammond
frequently wandered away from the gem
eral theme and seemed at times to be en-
tirely oblivious of the presesce of any one.
He seemed to be making an effort to un-
derstand what was being said to him, but
Mr.. Palmer says he saw plainly that Ham,
mond's mind was weakened and that his
troubles were weighing more heavily upon
him than had been noticed before.
When Hammond arose to go to his home
Mr.. Palmer asked the privilege of accom-
panying him. This was denied him and
Hammond left the house alone. Mr.. Palmer
did not see him after this time nor did he
know of his disappearance uptil this morn
ing when Mrs. Hammond Informed him of
1t. Mr.. Palmer added that upon Ham
mond's arrival home he went directly to his
room ana Mrs. Hammond retired almost
Immediately afterward. She remembers of
Mr.. Hammond coming into their room
about o'clock this morning and kissing
their baby.
The supposition Is that Hammond left
the house Immediately after this attired in
only his underclothing and with dressing
gown thrown over him, for his otiier ap-
parel was found in his room apparently as
he had left it. 1t is thought by Mr.. Palmer
that Hammond went directly to the Demp-
ster street pier ard flung himself into the
lake.
Effect of Newspaper Publications.
When Mr. Palmer was asked as to a
statement that appeared In a local paper to
the effect that Hammond had feathered his
own nest to the detriment of stockholders
of the National Bank of Illinois. he said:
Hammond had no ready money to speak
of. All his savings were put directly into
National Bank of Illinois stock, Of which
he was the largest individual holder. His
home in Evanston was placed on the mar
ket for sale as soon after the collapse of
the National Bank of Illinois as it could
be-"
Mr.. Palmer said that it was his opinion
that Hammond carried In the neighbor-
hood of $60OOO of life insurance. Mr..
Palmer said that since local paper had
published articles rejecting on Hammond
he had not been himself; that he worried
about the feeling the publications had Gre
ated against him in the public mind.
Palmer said he had entertained grave
fears that it would result in Hammond
having nervous prostration or in his TAX
ing his own life.
OpiniOns at the Bank.
Mr. Hammond was the vice president of
the bank and active In the management: in
fact. Is said to have been the responsible
head since President Schneider was too
feeble to do mucn work. The large leans
to the Calumet Electric Company. par-
ticularly, >and to others, which resulted In
the closing OF the bank, are understood TO
have been made by Mr. Hammond.
Al the National Bank of Illinois the npfn-
lon was vouchsafe6 that the great mental
strain consequent upon tho recent fiuan-
Scia troubles OF the bank had proved too