Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1898-01-28
MEN WHO DISAPPEAR
MYSTERIES THAT BATTLE SHREWo
CITY DETECTIVES.

MYSTERIES THAT BATTLE SHREWo
CITY DETECTIVES.
Interesting Facts and Opinions From the
Chicago Police Departmental Woman
at the Bottom of 1t" Generally-The
Queer Cese of John w. Matthews.
Many u queer tale, moro weird and in
tercsting than any pcnl,cd by writers of
fiction, is hidden away in the records of
mysterious disappcarances Kept by the
Chicago police department.. Between 300
and 400 mon and women drop out of sight
every year in this city-disappcar ais COM
pletcly as If the earth had opened md
swallowed them. What becomes of these
people is IL mystery few detectives care to
attempt to explain. Foul play is the cx-
PLANTATION advanced by their relatives in
nine cases out Of ten, murder by footpads
being tho customary plea, but in few in
stances arc tho facts such as to Justify this
conclusion.
Wholesale killings for plumber could not
Ko on year after year without detection.
Sooner or later the bodies of some of the
alleged victims would turn up Or stolen
%valuablcs would be found in that market
for all thieves, the pawnshop. 1t is be-
cause Of lack of developments Of this kind
that officers experienced in criminal mat
tiers scout tho idea of foul play. But peo-
pie keep on disappearing at an alarming
rate, and the natural question is, What
becomes of thcm?
They AFRO not cmbczZlcrs or others who
have known cause for hiding themselves.
If the reports received at police hculquar-
tiers arc accurate, nearly all of these miss
ing people arc individuals free from finan-
cial or domestic troubles and to all out-
ward appearances happily situated in life.
"Mon do queer things at times" said
former Captain Elliott in discussing this
subject, land of all their freaks that of
mystcriously disappearing is the oldest.
Sometimes they really become insane and
actually lose their identity, but as Il rulo
those who disappear arc not afflicted men
tally. In nearly every instance where u
man Of sound mind disappears and no
murder has been committed close invcsti-
CATION will disclose the fact that he has
some real or fancied cause for getting out
of tho way. Wives arc always positive
their husbands love them, but l have
known instances in which mon who to all
OuUN opportunities Clo OCNOlCA 1uS.
bands were really weary of life with their
conjugal mates and quietly 'disappcarcd'
in order to get rid of them.
t"Thcy would not face the scandal Of tho
divorce court, and indeed had no cause to
base an action on. Men sometimes be-
como annoyed because their business af.
fairs arc not in good shape and seek relief
in voluntary retirement. Others, again,
are imbucd with love Of adventure, and
after spending years in quiet domestic sur
roundings suddenly become imbucd with
an u~nconqucrablc desire to SEQ other phases
of life. 1t is possible and even probable
that some of tho people reported us miss
ing fall victims tt footpads. but the mum
Der is small. Crimes of this kind are cas-
lily detected, and while tho perpetrators
may not be caught i'll every instance the
identity of the victim and the fact of kill
ing arc pretty sure to be quickly cstab-
lishcd.
"Suddcn insanity accounts for many
mysterious disappearance, but as a gen
eral thing you may charge them up to
women. Many men live double lives, and
when tho situation gets distusteful it is
only natural they should try to better their
condition by dropping out of sight SO far
as one of their female partners is con-
cerncd.
"Ono Of the quccrcst cases of mysterious
disappearance with which the Chicago po-
lice department has had to deal is that of
John w. Matthews, who quietly dropped
out of sight in this city in November,
1896, and has never been heard from. An
unusually vigorous search was made for
Matthews because he was an intimate
friend of Captain Campbell, secretary of
the department., and the latter interested
himself in seeing that the hunt was u
thorough one. Matthews lived in Mon
mouth, Ills, and was q nan of consider
able wealth. He came to Chicago about
the middle of November wearing q new
suit Of clothes and with $500 in cash.
Hero no met II talked with several
friends, all of whom aftcrward remarked
that he was in fine health and spirits.
Two days later Matthews was missing, and
no trace of him was to be found.
"Thc police were batlled, when a mind
reader gave them a clew which led to
strange disclosures. This person said Mat
thcws had been suddenly taken insane in
Chicago and had gone to a hotel in Madi-
son street, near Clark street, where he
registered under his proper name, but in
an undccipherable running hand, and had
Uteu dSslBuou W b IOOlu Oh Iue 1OurGu
floor. Before bedtime, however, he had
taken q car and gone to the lake near
jackson park, where he drowned himself.
Shortly after this, the mind reader said,
the body was washed ashore in the Calu-
met region, where it vas found by a fish
erman, who appropriated the money and
valuables ind then to save himself trou-
BILE buried the remains in the sands.
"Tho hotel, the spot where the suicide
occurred, tho appearance Of the fisherman
and the locality In which Matthews body
was washed ashore were all described with
much minutoncss by tho mind reader. His
story caused u great deal Of merrimcnt in
police circles until Captain Campbell i'll
sisted that it should be looked into, and all
the essential facts were found to be cor,
rect. Actual suicide and robbery of the
body were never established, and many Of
Matthew'S friends think he is still alive,
but in other things there was an exacti
tudo Of description that was alarming.
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