The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-26
THE WEDDING ON THE YUKON
SAN FRANCISCO GIRL BECOMES
MRS. VAN ALSTINE.
Honeymoon Trip to New York.
Mysterious Disappearance Of
the Young Wife and $685.
900 in Certificates.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

NEW YORK, Sept. 25.-There has
been much mystery during the last few
days over the visits of several of Cap
tain McClusky's ablest detectives to
an East Side private hospital and to
the Hoffman House, and it became
known to-day that they were in vain
quest fer a young bride of three
months, San Francisco woman, who
disappeared last Wednesday after a
brief stay at the hospital.
Charles Van Alstine, typical Klon-
dixie miner, and successful one, reg
istered with his bride at the Hoffman
House on Wednesday as coming from
Bootin, in the Klondike District. Van
Alstine, after a vain search of three
days for his wife, assisted by the en-
tire detective bureau, left the Hoffman
House on Saturday morning for the
West to continue the search for his
strangely missing wife.
1t was learned only to-day that Mrs.
Van Alstine had taken with her s3S, 100
part of the proceeds of the sale of one
of the valuable claims in the Klondike
which was owned by her husband and
four other Klondike miners.
While cruising down the Yukon River
Van Alstine met and was Smitten with
the charms of young woman who
was also a passenger. She told him
IIldC Sne Qdu llNeu III Sdi IdhCloCo,
but had gone to the Klondike on a
prospecting expedition and intended to
sell some real estate In San Francisco
and then return to the Klondike. 1t
did not take much persuasion on the
part of Van Alstine to induce the young
woman to change her mind, and par
son being conveniently at hand on the
steamer, the knot which made the
couple man and wife was quickly tied
Mrs Van Alstine, upon reaching San
Francisco quickly disposed of her
property, while her husband exchanged
his nuggets for drafts on New York
banks, and a train was taken for the
East, where 1t was decided that the
money should be invested, good time
enjoyed, and then Mr.. and Mrs. Van
Alstine would return to the klondike,
where he still holds valuable posses
sions which require his attention.
Last Monday, at Mrs. Van Alstine's
request, she was taken to a private
hospital claiming to be suffering from
nervous prostration. The following day
she disappeared, and search for her has
been unavailing.
= Van Alstine told the detectives that
he had exchanged the drafts which he
had obtained in San Francisco on local
banks into certificates of deposit
seven for $4,000 each, one for $1,000 and
one for $500-and had made them pay
able to his wife. He said that for safe
keeping he gave them to her to carry, and
that she always carried them In little
satchel which she took with her when
she went to the hospital. He admitted
to the detectives that he knew very lit
tie about his wife, having made her ac-
quaintance on a Yukon River steam
boat, but said that he was sure she had
met with foul play in some way by
persons who knew of her possession of
money.
The detectives are at a loss to solve
the mystery, and while they have
buoyed Van Alstine up with false hopes
they have found absolutely nothing
upon which to fasten a clew of any
sort. From the time the woman walked
out of the hospital she has been as com.
pletely swallowed up as though she had
never existed.