The evening times., 1898-10-24
A MISSING Wife MYSTERY
Her Husband Believes She Has
Been Kidnapped.
YOUNG AND ATTRACTIVE
Strange and Sudden Disappearance
of Mrs COwan in Philadelphia
Puzzling the PoIice-A Southern
Wcmnn and tinnger in the Big
CITY.

Philadelphia, Oct. 24-Mrs. Gertie Cow
an, the wife of A. c. Cowan, a travelling
man, now in Philadelphia, disappeared
on Saturday, and the facts surrounding
the case are remarkable in their mystery
Though she was practically without
money, and an absolute stranger in the
city, the woman has gone as completely
as IL the earth had opened and taken her
in. Her distracted husband, who is ex-
hausting every effort to find her, believes
that she has been kidnapped and is be-
ing detained somewhere against her will.
While the police scoff at this idea they
admit that they can offer no reasonable
explanation of her disappearance. Mr..
Cowan's father resides in this city at 35lS
Market Street. With his wife Mr.. Cowan
came here on Saturday morning from Ha-
gerstown, Md. Both of them were
strangers in this city, and It was their in
tentlon TO go on to New York in the
evening. MIR. COwan took his wife to his
fathers home, where they left their bag-
Gage, ana then came down town together.
MI Cowan had some business to TRANSACT
~ ne took his wife 10 the Ninth and
Afch street Museum, telling her TO wait
inside Tor him until he returned He was
gone longer than he eXpected-about an
hour and half-and when he looked In
al the museum he could find no trace of
'Ie woman de made inquiries of the
a!'ehudhts, ana one of them informed
nilh mat a person answering his wife's
description had been waiting about for
some tine' and had finally gone to the
lower floor. The exit from here loads ,o
the street, and she, in all probability
Went OUT with the crowd
MT Cowan's natural thought was that
ms Wlte would go to his fathers house
ana ne hurried over TO West PhfladeInhio
10 ma that she had not been heard Of
'here' Becoming alarmed, he notified the
Polce' ana the usual flyers" were sent
around the station houses and The rsuaI
search of the hospitals was made. All
thls mas produced nothing. and Yesterday
the Sixth district officers started to make
systematic search of the lodging
houses.
Mr. Cowan Is naturally distracted. and
having absolute confidence in his wife. he
] lnchnes TO the view that she is some
/ where kept under lock and key. He
says: My wife was only twenty years
Of age and was woman of attractive
appearance. She was a small woman. nm
usually strong mentally, and a woman
with a good sense of direction, so / feel
that her first thought would be to go to
my fathers home, and | am sure she
would have 40 trouble in finding it.
My wife is Southern girl. Her home
was IN Frederick, Nd, and she is an ut
ter stranger in Philadelphia | cannot
conceive that she has gone away volun-
tarily, for all the money she had was a
quarter. Had she intended to run off is
1T not likely she would have chosen a
time when she had plenty of money? She
wore three or four rings on her fingers,
j but none of them was of great value She
did not use liquor, and / feel sure that
her mind is sound. | cannot but believe
she would come TO my fathers house, or
at least notify the police, if she were free
i cannot help thinking that she is being
kept a prisoner somewhere, but why, l
| cannot tell"
Mrs. Cowan wore a black silk waist and
light coat, with bunch of violets in
| the buttOnhole. Her skirt was dark blue
| in color, with two white stripes at the
! bottom. She wore a light-gray military
| hat, with a sash" band.