The times., 1897-04-27
MISSING BANKER ELLIOTT
A Thorough Search Thus Far Fails
to Locate Him.
Mystery OF His whereabouts a
Puzzle to the Police as Well
AS to His Friends.

The case of Thomas Elliott, the Winns-
boro, s c., banker, who mysteriously dis
appeared from the Sixth street depot in
this city last Friday morning, has de-
veloped into one of those difficult prob
lens which the police department s some
man is being searched for in a thorogun
and systematic manner in this as well as
neighboring cities, and the territory ad-
Jacent to this city and Alexandria has been
exhaustiveiy secured, but so far the police
and his relatives are entirely at sea as to
his whereabouts.
Messrs- A. F. Ruff, OF Rock Hill, S. C..
hrother-in-law of the missing man,
and f. II Ketchm, of Winnsboro, s. C, a
cousin of Elliott. came up from that State
Sunday morning TO assist In the search
AT about 6 O'Clock Sunday morning,
While their train was passing Brick ha ven
postoffice, about three miles south of the
Long Bridge, Mr.. Rurf saw man standing
on the west side OF he track who 50 Closely
him rush to the platform OF the train, then
going at a slow rate ,ofs speed, with the
intention OF jumping off ana experimenting
the stranger. He was Withheld from jump
ing, however, by the colored porter, who
detained him on the ground that the train
was going faster than Mr. Ruff realized
When the train slowed up at JackSon
City Mr.. Ruff leaped to the ground and
FASTENED back to BTickhaven, where he
learned that a gentleman answering the
description of Mr.. Elliott had been around
the brickyards of the vicinity during the
early morning hours, but had left few
minutes prior to the arrival Of Mr.. Ruff,
having taken the pike to Alexandria. The
stranger was described as being a we'll
dressed gentleman, who was apparently de-
mented He had told a group OF colored
men, whom MI Ruff inter viewed. that be
had no money, but that he had ma,le three
trips In getting from Baltimore to Washing
ton. Mr.. Ruff learned from them, however.
that the stranger had worn pointed black
shoes, whereas Mr.. Elliott had worn broad
toed shoes at the time of his disappearance.
A thorough search of the vicinity failed
to reveal the whereabouts of the missing
man, and Mr., Ruff reluctantly gave up the
endeavor about 10 O'Clock and came en-
by electric train to this city, where he
joined Mr.. Ketchim at the home of Mr..
Charles A. Douglass, at No. 1901 Vermont
avenue, where Mrs. Elliott, wife Of the
missing man, is still stopping.
At noon yesterday Messrs. Ruff and
Ketchim went to Alexandria, engaged q
team, and spent the entire afternoon scour-
Ing the territory around that town. They
left Alexandria In southerly direction
and making wide detour. re-entered the
town from the Washington side
While returning to Ale xandria they
stopped at Jackson City. where colored
man, who gave his name as Joe, said
that he had seen a weil-dressed gentleman
walking along the pike early yesterday
morning. He had stopped at a store at
the south end of Long Bridge. He thought
the stranger acted in peculiar mann er,
but could not say whether he WAS mentally
deranged An old colored woman, living
inst this side OF Four-Mile- Run, said that
She had seen genteeI looking man wan
dering along the pike Sunday morning.
She said that he wore "hghtish'' clothes.
Perhaps the most important clew was
that furnished by switchman Finks, sta
tlCucU dt tile btickIdVcn HW1tcn.
said that Sunday morning, about Z o'clock,
he saw q gentleman walking along the
railroad tracks. The stranger finally left
the tracks a MI took to thepike, along which
he proceeded leisurely and finally disap-
peared arounda curve. This statementand
that made by the colored woman near Four
Mile Run have led Mr. Ruff to believe that
Mr.. Elliott is not many miles distant from
this city.
Mr.. Ketchim does not take so sanguine
view of the matter and entertains the idea
that the missing man through some insane
freak has used the two mileage tickets
in his possession in an extended trip
This, however, does not seem feasible. in
view of the fact that he had only So in
addition to the mileage tickets.
1t has been learned that the satehel car
ried by Mr. Elliott to the Sixth street depot
on Friday morning, and which was said
to have been taken away by him at the
time of his disappearance, was not taken
away, as was supposed, but is still at the
depot.