The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-06-26
TELLS A STRANGE STORY
RETURN OF FRANK CONNOLLY, WHO
WAS MOURNED AS DEAD.
Former Treasurer of Keene's Dra-
matte Company Explains an Alb
sence of Fourteen Months.

- LII oAos oo1o 49,
spring of 1898. says the Post Dispatch. Frank
Connolly, treasurer of the Thomas w.
Keene Dramatic Company, walked out of
Mcvicker's Theater in Chicago with the APP
parent purpose of going to the Gault House.
a hotel on West Madison street, about four
blocks west of the Chicago river. He had in
his pockets about $500. that being the COM
pany's share of the receipts for the evening.
He also had jewelry on his person worth
several hundred dollars. He was sober and
cheerful. Since that time he has been
mourned As dead by friends in nearly every
city in the United States. The announce
ment that he is alive and well and i'm St.
Louis will astonish a great many people.
When Mr.. Connolly did not report at Nc
Vicker's Theater the day after he disap-
peared his employers were at first puzzled,
then annoyed. then alarmed. He was not
erratc, and had always been punctilious in
his attendance to business. A messenger
was sent to the Gault House and returned
with the information that Mr.. Connolly had
not been there. After waiting until Ii was
practically certain that he disappearance
was not the result of unwonted and undue
conviviality. Connolly's friends called in the
police. His books were investigated and
were found straight. The door of his room
was forced, and in his effects was found
more than enough money to reimburse Mr..
keene for the amount that had disappeared
with the treasurer. 1t was manifestly. not a
case OF embezzlement If Connolly had pur-
posely disappeared ne would certainly have
taken with him all the money he had. The
inference was that he had been murdered.
1t was supposed that this was Frank Con-
noiiys late. His friends mourned for him,
ana newspapers In nearly every city in the
United States published long articles telling
now he was probably met on the Madison
street bridge by footpads; how he was told
to hold up his hands; how he made re-
~sistance and was slugged and thrown over
the railing into the dark waters of the river.
flesh, with his face clean shaven and very
much sunburned, and says he hasn't been
dead at all. He doesn't like to talk about
himself, but to friends who questioned him
he told this remarkable story. Directly
after he left Mcvicker's Theater that MEM
ora6le night he met a woman he had known
After that it was all a blank to him. He
doesn't know where he separated from the
woman nor under what circumstances. He
is morally certain that he was drugged,
but he is unable to form an idea as TO when
where or how. When he recovered his senses
he was in a freight car on a siding, very i'll.
him. debating as to the best thing to do
with him.. They decided TO send him TO a
hospitain After about a week he was pro-
Meanwhile he learned that he was in Mat
toon. ILL.,, and that he had about $40 in
money orders. BY examining a calendar he
since 1.-THE lights vent out" He was very
much ashamed and felt himself disgraced.
He had never reen in such a predicament
before. aDu did not have the nerve to face
his friends. He thought he must have done
something disgraceful. He supposed that he
had forfeited his position. and that it wasn't
he had lost two weeks and he knew that he
wasn't a defaulter. The war fever was at
its height and he decided to go to Cuba. He
did so. and served as a correspondent for
various papers. He made no attempt to
conceal his identity. He called himself
Frank Connolly and signed his name so to
enough name, however, and the men who
received communications from Frank Con-
molly, Cuban correspondent, did not connect
him with Frank Connolly, the Snowman,
who was supposed to have been murdered
In Chicago. There was a legion of news
paper correspondents In the Antilles, and
that craft as they are on the rosters of the
American police departments. 1t is not
strange. therefore, that this Frank Connolly
should have been overlooked.
But the manner of the finding, OF Frank
Connolly is even queerer in one way than
his disappearance. 1t shows how a trained
molly came to st. Louis about two weeks
ago and registered at the Leclede Hotel.
AT least one newspaper man who knew him
met him and talked with him, but didn't re-
member that he was talking with a person
returned from the grave. There were prob
ably others. The one man who had seen
him mentioned the circumstance to another
man.. who was deeply impressed by the dis
appearance. This man didn't believe IL was
the right Frank Connolly. He went to the
Laclede Hotel. saw the man and talked to
him.
Mr.. Connolly said there wasn't any mys-
terry about his being alive. He didn't owe
anybody and hadn't bothered himself about
letting his whereabouts be known, He
wasn't hiding. and If anybody wanted to see
him 1t was that persons business to look
him up.