Omaha daily bee., 1897-08-22
ITHACA MAN IS MISSING
Agent for B, & NJ, Railroad at that Place
Mysteriously Disappears.
HIS ACCOUNTS FOUND TO BE ALL RIGHT
After balancing Books He Gives the
Cash to His Wife and
Has Not since Bcen
Seen,

leaving not the slightest trace behind him.
Burlington officials in this city are all ex-
citement over the sudden and mysterious
disappearance of Louis l.. Roy, operator and
station agent of the b. & NJ at Ithaca Neb
So far as is known he has not been seen
since IL o'clock on Thursday night. and up
to date all search has proved utterly fruit
less.
Columbus Hardy of the auditing depart
ment of the H. & NJ. and John ODonald of
the auditing department of the Adams EX-
press company returned to Omaha yes
terday from Ithaca, where they had
been since Friday morning. After
thorough examination of Roy's books, ac-
counts and cash of each company the two
auditors state that there is not a penny of
shortage in any account and that every ac-
count is in satisfactory condition All the
books wero balanced at $50 o'clock on
Thursday, and the money left behind CORE
spends with the amount called for by the
various balances on the railroad and eX-
press books.
In speaking of the case yesterday Mr..
Hardy said at is one of the strangest cases
of disappearance | have ever known. No
trace whatever can be found of the missng
man, and no cause for his disappearance can
be learned. The last seen OF him was on
Thursday night at IL o'clock He was then
helping to load car of stock on the freight
train bound for Ashland. After the car was
loaded, he sealed it, and then went into the
ticket office and put away the seals. He
closed up his Office put out the lights, but
instead Of going upstairs to his home above
the station, he. went around the other side
of the freight train. That was the last seen
of him. The train men state that they are
positive that he did not get on the train
All the cars were closed and sealed and
none were shown to have been opened at
the end of the run. At the next station the
train stopped TO do some switching, but the
missing man was not noticed about there.
SPECULATION AS TO CAUSE
He had been in poor health a few days
prior to his disappearance. and that night
while loading the train complained to one
of the tranmen that his head hurt him very
much. Superintendent Bignell has sent his
description all along the line, and the sta
tiou agents everywhere are locking for him
but so far there is no clew.
zone theory entertained by the people at
Ithaca is that he was kidnapped. A short
time before II o'clock that night the people
of the town heard team of horses drawing
light carriage dash through the place 1t
was on a mad run, and some of the people
profess to have heard it stop near the rail
road station. This theory is that there were
two men in the carriage, that they stopped
and picked up Roy and carried him away
into the country, believing that he would
have the money belonging to the office about
HIS person, as ne nau CLOSED the once up and
never left the cash in there over night
LAS a matter of fact Roy did not have a
cent with him. Before going out to help load
the train he had carried the money of the
office upstairs and given it to his wife, If
he was kidnapped the men who carried him
away never got a cent for their trouble be-
cause he ives entirely without money
The people of Ithaca and the entire vi
cinity are greatly excited over the matter
There was no business transacted there YES
terday at sll. All the stores closed, and
everybody turned out to look for the missing
station agent. The fields and the creeks
near there were all searched. but disclosed
no trace of him. The railroad track for
quite distance has also been gone over
but nothing has been found to indicate that
he met with any accident there Roy was
well liked by the people there He was
sober and industrious and enjoys good
reputation. He has a wife and one child
and his domestic relations have always been
most happy. He has been in the employ of
the Burlington railroad for ten years. He
formerly station agent at VISTA later q,
Bellevue, and then at Garrison. He
har been stationed at Ithaca about two
years. He Is q years old, five feet eleven
inches in height is dark compleXioned, ha@
brwn hair and slight mustache and was
dressed in ordinary working clothes His
description has been sent all over the coun-
try, and every effort will be made to find
the missing man.