davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25
CHAPTER VI.
The Return.

On the afternoon OF Tuesday, July 3, 1889,
Mrs Brown and Mrs Captain Hotchkiss
were sitting IN the parlor Of the Brown
residence. a severe electrical storm was N
progress. The two saw a tramp walk
around the house from ;1e front 10 the
rear. Mrs. Brown went 10 the back door.
The man was seated on the back steps.
She asked him what he wanted. He an
swered feebly, cooking Up at her pitifully:
Starving, starving"
She went into the kitchen and brought
out three biscuits, opening the door and
tossing them 10 him one at a time. One
he caught. The other Two rolled 10 Ihe
Sidewalk He was very ragged. His
clothes were old and torn and d!scolored.
His shoes were mere skeletons and tied on
his feet. His hat was an old S9ouch one.
His hair was four inches long, his beard
four inches long aud his face brown, his
eyes hollow. He was sitting on the porch
in the rain wet to the skin He ribbled
at the biscuit, but could not eat it. She
went back TO her visitor. They both
watched the tramp. He got up and walked
toward the barn. There was something in
his gait which made Mrs. Browns heart
jump. That was all. 1t was physical, not
mental He went to the barn, went in,
examined a door carefully, came tout and
tottered back to the house. Mrs. Brown
met him. Her heart was aAame. The man
asked:
No meat?"
She shook her head intent more on
studying him than on the question.
mo meat?" he asked again.
81 have no meat" she said.
Know rne9'' he said.
The poor woman reached out her hand,
blind with happiness blind with fear, and
led the poor fellow to the porch and to
bench. On this he collapsed.
Quickly. feverishly, with her heart run
ming away, fearful to find her husband
in this tramp, fearful of not finding him.
she quickly went over the unconscious
form The little finger on one of Browns
hands had once been broken. To this she
went first. The tramps finger was the
same Mad with joy, Mrs. Brown exam
ined his clothes. They were of the same
wool as he had worn January 10 before.
The shoes were not the same She looked
to the hack of his head. There for the
length of about two inches the hair was
shorter. Suffused with Joy, she with her
visitor placed him on a bed in the house
and DR. Oldham was sent for. Brown had
weighed $40 pounds when he left. He now
weighed 70.
The greatest excitement ensued in the
town. Hundreds of people rushed to the
house. At first all were admitted. Mrs.
Brown telling each with the glad voice of
supreme happiness how he had come back,
and what he had said and what she had
said. Soon the crush became so great that
visitors were excluded. All that Tuesday
night Brown was unconscious. William
Dulaney and Charles Smyth watching by
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25
CHAPTER III.
The Wife.

The Brown home was thoroughly ran
sacked. The wife was suffering untold
agonies. Added 10 her misery, the failure
70 discover the body gave her hope and
this hope was magnifed by suspicion into
the belief among the people that she had
knowledge that Brown was not dead.
But she did not know what mad become
OF him. She believed he had been muir
dered and but for the eternal hope which
exists in all breasts, she would have given
up entirely.
She suffered frequent faintfng fits and
at last took TO her bed The community
which had been suspicious W. bout
grounds before, now relented. Mrs Brown
was not a party to the disappearance,
the community thought, and correctly.
Four forces were working on the case.
Sheriff Hays, the chief of police, the Nc
Mahan Detective Bureau and a Pinkerton
detective. These forces. assisted by
Browns friends, went carefully through
the Brown residence, believing that if
Brown we're not dead he would have left
some token of his plan in the house for
the discovery of his wife. Nothing what
ever was found 10 throw light upon the
mystery The prolonged excitement, the
crowds, the suspicion and cross-exami-
nations of supposedly shrewd detectives,
amateur and professional, wrought the
wife up to a dreadful pitch.
And after the first week, Mrs. Brown
gave up hope and believed that her hus-
band had been murdered.
What mad been done with the body?
The hat and the meat and the coupling
pin indicated the spot of thea encounter.
j was not impossible for Brown to have
been rendered insane by the blow, but it
was impossible for him to have wandered
off without being seen by any one. That
was not plausible. 1t was not possible.
II was not possible for his body to have
been secreted so completely. And yet APP
parently that had been done.
Brown wore about 500 worth of dia-
monds. The community finally came to
the conclusion that thugs had spotted
Brown, followed him up Arkansas ave
nue. and had murdered him and secreted
his body-probably taken it outside of the
county. Some contended that Brown had
been stunned and had wandered away and
others that the robbers had him alive and
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25
CHAPTER VII.
could live


Wednesday he recovered slightly an6 was
lucid at intervals Of four or FIVE minutes.
TIE first thing in the morning Mrs. Brown
took the children and reci;ed their names
over 70 him. At frs. he failed 20 under
stand. but later seemed 20 recognize thern.
and repeated their names He was asked
several times IL re knew Ms. Bcowa, and
finally he said:
no; II does not look ike her
when asked If he knew Fred Smythe he
replied:
Used to know him. Where is Charies?"
CReferring to Charles Smythe)
He recognized William Dulaney by face.
He recognized DR.. Oldham by his voice.
Oace that day he asked his wife: Where
have you been 50 !ong?"
She answered: L nave not been abe
to do anything for you for six months,
Ned; where have you been %
He made no answer. and seemingly did
rot understand. The second night Charles
Griffin remained with him. together with
Captain Hotchkiss. The second day be re-
covered more than the first he said he
remembered trying to sc; home; how far
back he could not ten. He said he knew
& was aome because ne saw his wife.
Asked why h. did not speak her name, he
answered: Il could rot speak it." He
was out of bed dressed in his old tramp
suit. A photograph was taken of him and
copies sent broadcast over the country. The
third day he was much worse; too many
had called upon him. His attendants the
third day were William Fawcett and Ar
thur lie Fevre The fourth day Brown was
out Of doors in a chair in front of his
home under the trees.
The recovery was rapid. The men who
never believed Brown had been assaulted
were vicious in their asseveration thai the
whole thing was fake. This was unkind
and uncalled for; Brown was not sham
ming.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25
CHAPTER v.
The Revelation.

The sensational features of the case died
first in the Brown house. Gradually the
searchers gave up. Many people mad been
at the house asking hundreds of silly
questions All Mrs. Browns friends called.
All Browns friends were here. too some
coming in daily, among them Texas Jack.
once residenter of Wichita and a friend
of Browns. But by the end of the week
the crowds Of the curious, and the anna
teur detectives had scattered.
Mrs. Brown became restored to health
Grief. fortunately can not last always.
Within one week Mrs. Brown had bright
ened up She had not slammed grief that
first week. She mad suffered terribly. In
one week she knew her husband was not
dead. The community began to forget the
case. Most Of the people thought Brown
was dead. The officers said he was not.
A Pinkerton said; 81 know where Brown
is. l can go and get MIN" Afterwards
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25
CHAPTER ".

Saturday night Mr.. and Mrs. Hale cow
ley, then prominent In this city saw on
Arkansas avenue at about the time OF Ia e
murder. a suspicious character. with his
hat drawn down over his eyes and appar-
emily seeking to be uRnoticed.
This link they gave TO the Eagle. who
gave it to the police and the police went
70 work to locate that man. In four days
they had one. George Tangsley, IN the
tolls Tangsley was "A town tough. He
was indignant at being arrested for the
murder OF Brown, and said that al1h ougd
they might hang him as high as Hannah,
he was innocent.
Detective McMahan. who arrested him,
said: You may quote me as saying that
Brown was murdered without a doubt and
the arrest of Tangsley has an important
bearing on the case" Tangsley lived on
Twelfth street between Water and Main
streets. not very far from Browns.
Harassed by hundreds of impertinent
and leading questions he insisted bitterly
that he was near Arkansas City the night
OF the murder and was not at home and
not on Arkansas avenue. Mr.. and Mrs.
Hale Cowley believed he was the man
they had seen near the scene Of the muir
der that Saturday night
Finally Tangsley, TO save himself con-
fessed he was a burglar, gave a list of
the houses in Wichita he had robbed and
the hiding place of his booty. These stolen
goods were recovered. He also assured
the police and all concerned that he was
not the murderer of Brown. He proved
to the satisfaction of the police that he
was not in Wichita that Saturday night
The case against him, so far as the Brown
mystery appertained, was given up. but
in dropping it the detectives dropped the
only clew they had. and consequently
dropped the whole explana ion of the mys-
terry. Mr.. and Mrs. Hale CoWley did see
a man bent on conceaGing himself on Ar
.nsas avenue the night of the murder
That man was undoubtedly the missing
link in the mystery. He met mis- death
afterwards in one of the most dramatic
events recorded in Kansas history.
But Tangsley, proving not to be the
man Mr. and Mrs. Hale Cowley saw, the
police and detectives, by some queer sort
of logic concluded that they saw no man
at all, and search along the only trail in
the whole affair was dropped. That mys-
ferrous man on Arkansas avenue that
night never came forward TO explain that
il was he. and the detectives never found
him. The mysterious man planned the
whole affair and carried it through with
d master hand.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25

car were Mr.. Coulter, DR.. HinsdaIe and
Monte HaIlowell. He was observed to
leave me car al Arkansas avenue and
disappeared. it was long thought forever.
n the darkneSs-in tee direction of his
horne--ast seen about fifteen feet from
the car.
1nese were the facts which the commu-
nifty and officers and Mrs Brown could
call settled All the rest was ia darkness.
1t was curious fac; that within six
hours after the search began party had
arisen in Wichita which contended bit
terly chat he was not dead.
The great majority Of people believed he
had teen murdered. But mis- bay could
not be found and therein the mystery be-
gan. And a search followed which has
never been pareneled in the history of
any western community.
The sheriff, after making a general
general search for me body. called for
volunteers. A. first il was a disorgsn-
lied search from curiosity. Rewards
which were soon offered amounting 10
s.. 900 made :he searching on the part of
many, a business proposition Sunday
afternoon searching parties gotten up in
desultory fashion discovered NJ trace Of
Brown. and nothing suspicious except the
story of a mysterious wagon which had
been seen on that street about the time
Brown disappeared, which wagon never
figured more than one day in the minds
of the officers. Monday afternoon Cole &c
Jones placed sign in front of their
store: Ten Thousand Volunteers Wanted
10 Hunt for the Body Of z T. Brown"
No such number responded, but a large
crowd did The searchers were divided
into groups with leaders and the terri
tory was sub-divided and assigned.
Charles Smyth led a large party; Mark
Oliver another: F. A. North another, and
NJ. 5. Rochelle another, while the sheriff
and his posse directed the rest.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25
He MADE A RECORD.
Tony Bruhn handled the oarrysll vehicles
around the corner Of Main and Douglas the
past week with the tact Of a general.


WICHITA TEN YEARS AGO.
". II. Sternberg got the contract for
! the county building. w5icn was to cost
Sls73ls
Walter Hubbard. a large manufacturer
Of Connecticut. and A Chamberlain. a
banker OF that state were the guests OF
II W Lewis and A {. Jobes-
The Union Hotel at the sock yards was
just completed. .. l. Hersey was the
owner
The Wichita Spice mills we're booming
their Java and Mocha blend
Harry HID aad begun 10 form his Wild
west show
The shoe store Of Lloyd NJ Brown On
Chicago avenue was burned 90 the
ground. Loss 2260a
William Harrison. well known a. the
disa pqeare9
The FaiTuount Tste- works system vas
completed and tested. showing pressure
q one hundred and twenty rounds
Speaking % funny things. this occurs
in the Eagle Of Sspternbsr IS. Isss. ~Jonn
Mckinley and Charles Bryaa were -
before the police court. boCa had enoGgn
money n keep out q re c-f1ler.-
Davis and Foatz opened saoe store 81
TIE rear Of Lock & Finselss store. souts-
west corner q First and Maz strseS
4 g J75es Dr.. 2 1Ia,toeSs and G. II
Davis we're electsd members q tae Board
OF trasle-
Hal Z AruSstronE. a VERY proltIeai
young ia~yer q sais city. Gies-
Tenant AID Brady ~ere drilling vel
for saI-
Mss Gar Caldwell Esv "a tea party.
He guess xere. Misses JsanEs SfeCsss
Jose Mcmillan. Louise Gray. Asrnasia
wr.zat Jea-se HasHa-rs a-s Aesz-s. o.
4 Esaca. 3 L keenan,. I z Jsczs3u.
: 2 Duue an. = 2 KeTsAzE. " d
Co0aey and G. 2 Csrtis - Cincinnati
= T FiEg ho1Ea: osst tas undertaking.
bzs.1ess - J 7 Holmes.
A; g Reqaa-1caa rally n Ticassz al
-aea zEo vote5 foT Bea HaT-ssoz's ErazS-
.4-tse- were izvltet % ~ o. tas stage
TIE following mea -esaoa1ez p
Watts ysscsssa. 2 z Gzseg5s. U-ieat:a,
a = cox. wt-aita. J 2 BAR wlaa.-a.
Hiram B.EesaE. Wac fsEzsasp. rs1-sel
stockazn. T-lcat.s. loan &lssaer. 24eA-
ss4s WEH4a wee Nfrnls4 Tss Essa
we.o voted ser Gag also EeTs G. X Ben
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25

nett. Wichita. George ". Norton. Wich-
fta; ]. G. Paxton. Wlchita. ". u. Hen
derson. Derby. c. :. Robinson. wichita.
Or. Hyperion. Wichita. Robert CaIoxe.i
Wichita. u. r. Allen. Wichita. james
belong. wichita. ard Dr. 7. J.. Andrews.
Wichita
man near the packing house took
Elmer NeH for a squirrel and shot MIN.
putting out one eye.
Work was about to begn On n Hydrau-
lie Avenue street car line. u was never
commended.
Born. 70 Mr.. and Mrs. I'd Davis a
baby sex not given in che neEspapcr.
Henri Ebeuhack % fhe p9.ice force was
ki.lcd b. John Thornton u tfse Meds1a7
patrol. Ebenhzck aad arrested Thorn
ton
\ gasoline stove exploded and severely
burned Mrs. Sanford
Born. % NJ and Mrs II -. Lewis. a
daoghier-
Hrs 4 Long gave parry 70 her son
william TIE Guests uerN- NJ ard NTs.
Pots Mr. and Mrs. Ru'IsSrs. NJ ard
Ms WehkinE. Mss Bel Neasl-x Mss-ea
Emma Robinson. Meills Ersets. Es.a KIN
ber, ErnEsa Potts. Fla Snyder. Fanule
and Jennse E4tIsdge. Evs Crezer. Hattie
Nurpay. Massrs Chsrles Lacy. Bert sns-
Ger, David Mn.er. Marvin Cregsf AID
Catley Weak.nE.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25

this man came back 70 town and laughed
at the friends OF Brown.
Dr.. Crabtree, q local detective. said he
knew wnere Brown was-ne was in New
Mexico. Il win he interesting later to
Eear how near he came TO guessing the
facts.
Occasionally in groups the men would
talk over the affair. There was feeling
that MS Intimate acquaintances knew the
truth Of the case. This they denied daily.
And for years they have insisted that rney
did not And the truth. is. they cid no.
Bat ne friends knew efas Mrs Brown
had quoted down great deal after Sle
first paroxysras OF misery. but The c.rcum-
stance ra.ss 50 small they attached 10
weigh; 70 =; The reward was Withdrawn
No attempt to conect The life insurance
was made.
February / nine days after Browns dis
appearance the local papers no longer
played il up" He had been murdered
aad that settled It.
There were many silly runors, announc-
ing tae finding of me body. but in eacn
case these were run down and found . be
fabrications So six months passed. tie
case being less and less mentioned.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25
CASH 5T-NDRFDs OF PENNIES.

There is quite a play" In this city. In
some places they call pay" gambling. Il
is an unwritten rule among all dealers
and the proprletors of such resorts that all
ooppers or pennies belong 10 the man who
happens 10 be dealing the particular game
in question Not long ago two dealers de-
oided 10 pool all the pennies that were
placed on their table. a few weeks rolled
around and the two tHen had l5t0 coppers.
They took them to the bank and got sill
yer dollars in exchange. Another man
saved the pennies which came ronto his
table and when he got ready 10 exchange
them for silver he got a reliable neNs5oy
to do i for him. He had So in ooppers.
Il cost him 7ve-doiIar note 10 set them
exchanged Il happened n this way: The
newsboy was a pretty smart sort Of boy.
He went % the bank and set $ n cur
rency. He then went back 70 the owner
and told him he stu had So LEFT in pen
Eies The man told him that every tlue
he got ; IN currency or silver that he
would give him dollar for his trouble.
The newsboy made s. and the dealer
sot Sc.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25
A MIGHTY KIND ACT

Superintendent Dyer Of the puplic schools
besides being a recognized educator 81 high
degree. is also something of a humorist.
and thoroughly enjoys a joke or a sijua-
ton in The ludicrous. one o. the pretty
and efficient lady instructors in one Of the
West Side schools has been giving oe Of
her classes gems 10 learn. the next day
requiring them TO tell OF some kind and
helpful deed done the previous day. This
part Of the program was Just commercin
oen day @ast week When Mr.. Dyer entered
the room and sat down 10 visit. One Of The
bright little girls was called upon for r
report, and with al the frsnkness and
candid innocence Of childhood slowingly
related how the afternoon before her nam
ma was dressing 70 go out and make some
ais, and as she had laced her corset so
tight she could not bend over TO tie her
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25
CHAPTER I.
The Man

Mr. and Mrs. E. T. Brown came 10
Wichita in 1856. from Lexington, Ken
lucky Browns father had just died IN
Kentucky and left his son one of MS ex-
ecutors. The family included three sons
and one daughter. Brown was about
thirty-six years OF age. He was success
full in Wichita On January l, 1889, ne
owned 10 feet on Central and Fourth ave-
nues, 100 feet on North Waco. 100 feet on
South Market, near Lewis street and his
home place on Arkansas avenue, his res
idence being valued at 5000. In the week
ending January q. 1889, he paid 500 in
terest on a mortgage. $57 on coal bill,
and as treasurer of the Wichita Gun club,
he paid to j. J. Mcnamara a balance due
from him as treasurer Of 500. Mr.. Nc
Namara succeeding him in that position.
He also paid a number of small bills. His
life was insured for 5000 in the Equita-
BILE.
Brown was crack shot. He was promi-
nent in the Wichita Gun club He wore
a large number of diamonds. He carried
$40 to 500 oojn in his pockets nearly all
the time.
He was a dashing, active mentally,
sleepless real estate agent, noted for his
quick decision in all matters and his gen.
eral companionabiiity He had many in
innate friends. His home life was known
10 be happy. He was believed TO be fnan-
oially beeled. He had a number of glow
ing schemes. one of which. not generally
known and never mentioned before in the
history of the case, played a vital part in
the whole mystery. He was known TO be
a man of superb self-control, of well bal
anced mind and easy, pleasant disposition.
Up and down the streets every one knew
him as a genteel, rustling neighbor, fell
low-townsman and friend.
One night the earth swallowed him, and
a period Of excitement followed in Wich-
tia never equalled in the history of the
town.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25
CHAPTER VIII.

The fifth day Brown made a statement
1t was as follows:
From the time OF my disappearance
do not remember anything. think, until
about one month ago. II may be longer
and IL may be less than a month. II was
in the country. There were farm houses.
usually good ways apart. The corn,
some of it, in tassel, and l remember see
ing them threshing about this time. I
knew 1 was not at home. and l would
inquire the direction to Wichita. Would
stop at farm houses and ask for some
thing to eat and sometimes I would get
il and sometimes 1 would not. I remem-
bered I Travelled a great deal at night.
when ii was cool. and also travelled in the
day. 1 would sleep on the grass mostly
and sometimes under covering. / dom
know what direction from here l was when
I can first remember, but 1 do think it
was long ways from here. As far away
as I can recall is the Second street bridge;
I remember l came across that in get
ting home. The sheriff told me he had a
trace of me at Bayneville, some miles
southwest. If he has. in all probability
I came from the southwest / think
ought 10 he able TO recognize something
if I should lgo over the country. l believe
when I get better l might so through the
country and find something about where
I have been. Think someone should re-
member me along he road. and in that way
also something should be learned. To no
one is it a greater mystery than to me-
The sheriff did take Brown over the
nize nothing. not even the place OF George
Ross. two miles this side OF Beynevine.
where Brown nine days before his arrival
in Wichita applied for food. People as far
south as Sumner county recognized the
tramp.
That ends the myster- The f, T.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25

well, but secreted somewhere and would
let him go when b1e excitement had saIo-
sided.
The detectives were following a number
of clews which promised nothing Then
something happened which had a bearing
on the case greater than any OF the de-
tectves then supposed. a pointer which
abstract Justice always throws OFT for the
solution Of q mystery, If only the man IS
present who can read the riddle. No one
was present in 6his case who could read
the riddle, and so it has passed until to-
day unsolved-
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25

would go without him. GO ahead" he
said. She started east and was soon lost
In the crowd. The remaining three talked
awhile, and then the second girl told him
he had better go with the girl.
She'll come back" ne said carelessly.
mo, she won't - said the girl
'IX bet she won't come back said one
of the men seated.
I'm bet you a dollar she will" said the
other.
They put up the money. The couple
started west, the deserted man accompany
ing them In ABOUT two minutes back
came the runaway girl hunting Tor her
lover. The successful bettor pocketed the
money.
The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-09-25
LAST SUNDAYS COINCIDENCE

Sometimes condolences appear right be-
fore peoples eyes URRoticsd. Such a one
occurred in last Sundays Eagle. but per
haps not ten people noted il. IN every
Sundays Eagle there IS . column headed.
Wichita Ten Years Ago" These items
are collected at random from back flies OF
the Eagle In this column last Sunday Il
was announced: Miss Alice Apple q
Pennsylvania arrived in the city 70 each
German in tae Wichita university"
on the front page u the same Eagle
there was a hgJle telsgr2ph.c note from
Lancaster. Penn. saying that Rev. Thom-
as Apple. one OF the mos noted taeoIogts1s
in ne Reformed chunca. had died that day.
daughter.