The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-05-25
CONTRACTOR DISAPPEARS.
Charles Mitchell Writes His
Wife He Has Been Robbed
and Must Work.

Charles Mitchell, a contractor, who has
built most of the houses on Duncan Ter
race and a large number OF those In the
Johnstown section of Jersey City has
mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind
him a wife and two children, q number
of unfinished houses and some debts. 1t
is thought tina his liabilities Will amount
to over $1,000. His wife is almost desti-
tute.
The Mitchells lived at No. Is Gautier
avenue, in one of the houses Mitchell
built. He did not own the house but
| rented it from Walter Condiet, for whom
he has built a number Of houses In that
| vicinity. Now that Mitchell has gone his
wife will be obliged to break up her home,
sell her furniture and go to her relatives
who live at a distance from Jersey City.
| Mitchell has been absent since Saturday.
1t did not become known that he was
away. however, until yesterday. On
Friday he finished a large apartment
! house at West Side and DuRcan avenues,
and received the last payment on 1t,
He promised to pay his men off on Satur-
day morning. He deposited the money In
the Hudson County National Bank on
Friday. He paid the painter, a man
ramed Teal. on Friday by check. He also
drew a large sum, about $500, to pay some
of the men and to liquidate a bill for lum-
Der. Saturday morning he left the house
| saying he was going to New York to buy
some glass. He told his wife that he
would not be home until late, as he was
| going to stop and pay his lumber, bill and
| pay the rest of his men.
Some of the men he paid before going
TO New York. Mrs. Mitchell has not
seen him since Saturday morning. Before
he left she asked him for a little money.
He told her to wait until he returned.
| When Saturday night came and Mitchell
had not returned his men began to be-
siege Mrs. Mitchell to know where he was
and how they were to get their pay. She
could tell them nothing about her hus-
band. She became worried when he did
not return home. She had no money her
self and could not purchase ever the
things she needed over Sunday. Sunday
passed and still Mitchell did not appear.
Monday morning an army of men, work
men, merchants and tradesmen, began to
flock to the house in search of him. He
had a number of men at work building
a new house on Delaware avenue, near
Gautier avenue. When they reported for
work Monday morning they had no one
to direct them. They gathered around the
building and remained there several hours
then went home.
+ No hight was thrown on MitchelPs
disappearance until yesterday when Mrs.
Mitchell received a short letter from him.
Until she received the letter she was as
completely in the dark as any one else.
She has been married thirteen years and
her husband never before caused her the
slightest anxiety. He has never been
guilty of a dishonest act, and has always
stood high in the esteem and confidence of
his employers. Mrs. Mitchell did not
know what to make of her husbands dis
appearance. but she could not believe him
guilty of any crime.
The letter she received yesterday re-
lievedi her mind greatly in that respect.
Mitchell wrote from New York. He said
that he had been unfortunate and had
lost a large sim of money which he had
drawn from the bank to pay a lumber bill
with. He did not know how he lost it.
He regretted that he had drawn such a
large amount of cash instead of paying
the bill by check. Having lost the money
he did not dare return, as he could not
nope to replace so large a sum. He would
try and get work and would send his wife
such money as he could. He advised her
to sell her furniture to meet her 1mmedd-
ate necessities, and to go to his mother.
found on investigation that her husband
had not drawn n money except that
which he was to have paid out on Satur-
day. She believes that he was robbed.