The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-15

'EX-Clty treasurer William >. Barton
is still missing, and the latest clue to
his whereabouts was told Spy man
last night
Two youngsters, Johnnie Case and
Grover Curtin. saw man answering
Mr.. Bartons description near Homer
A. Kings house in Tatnuck, and young
Case, after seeing the cut of Mr.. Bar
ton in yesterday mornings Spy, is GER
tain that he saw the missing man.
Young Case lives at Preston street,
and is a son of j. w. Case, the provi-
sion dealer He left his home early
Thursday morning with Curtin, to
pick huckleberries at Silver springs,
near Tatnuck
About 1890 o'clock both boys noticed
a man wearing black clothes and a
black derby hat walking in the road
in front of them, near Homer A. King S
residence, at the city line. AS they
full beard. wore glasses and carried a
small black satchel in his hand.
He walked slowly, and just as the
boys were going by him on the road,
he spoke to them. He asked where
they were ing, and they replied that
they were Utter berries. He asked if
they knew a good place, and they re-
piled that they did. They walked
ahead of him, and when they reached
spring inside a field about Is
minutes walk from Mr.. Kings house,
he at 10
some lunch. The man again caught
up to them and climbed over the wall
between the well and the street. He
again spoke to the boys, and then left
them, cutting diagonally across the field
in direction which would bring him
out near Paxton.
| Both boys We're impressed with the
| old gentleman and the quiet manner
| in which he addressed them. After
they got the berries they started home,
and neither gave the matter another
thought until yesterday morning, when
a cut of Mr.. Barton appeared in The
Spy.
When young Case saw the cut of Mr..
Barton in the paper he remarked about
| 1t to his mother, and was then certain
that the cut in the paper resembled the
man he saw. He told the story to Off
Ger Robert Mathews of Station /, who
Mathews reported the matter to Chief
of Police James NJ. brennan. The chief
did not act on the report yesterday but
it is probable that Mr.. Barton's fami-
ly will take it up today. This is the
direction Mr.. Barton was headed in
when seen by several people, as report
ed in yesterday mornings Spy.
Several clues developed yesterday
which were followed out by members of
Mr.. Barton's family and Officers Condy
Smith of Cherry Valley was awakened
from his sleep yesterday morning about
o'clock by noise in his yard He
got up and throwing up a window saw
man standing in the yard. Mr..
Smith asked the man what he wanted
and he replied, I'm in trouble, in much
trouble; I've lost. my hat and cannot
find 1t" Can you give me hat? Mr..
Smith asked him who he was and what
he wanted, and the man made made
some reply, which Mr.. Smith did not
understand, and being much disturbed
by being awakened out of his sleep
went back to his closet, and finding an
old light soft hat threw it out of the
window to the stranger. The man put
1t on and left the yard
After thinking the matter over, Mr..
Smith decided that it might possibly be
Mr.. Barton, and he told of the occur
Police James NJ. brennan, who notified
Mr.. Barton's family.
His son, William E. Barton, who has
been at Scituate on advice of his physi-
clan, did not know of his fathers dis
appearance until yesterday morning
He received a telegram yesterday
morning, telling that he was needed at
home on account of business, and when
passing through Boston, purchased a
copy of The Spy The first thing to at
tract his attention was the cut of his
father, which appeared on the front
page, and for an instant he thought
that his father had passed away. He
read the article through and was dazed
for a moment to read for the first time
of his fathers disappearance.
As soon as he reached home he start
ed for Cherry Valley with Blaze Bar
ton, nephew of Mr.. Barton's, and
spent the day looking for his father,
without result. Later in the day 1t was
reported to the chief of police that
two youngsters saw a man answering
Mr. Barton's description in the upper
part of the village, and he wore a hat
which correspondent with the descrip-
ton Of the one which Mr.. Smith gave
to the man in his yard early yesterday
morning Not the least trace of him
could be found by his son, and his
nephew and OfncerS C0ndy and Sui
Ivan, who searched around the vicinity
of Mr.. Smiths home, failed to find
anything that would tend to make
them believe that Mr.. Barton had been
there.
AS Mr.. Smith did not get a good look
at the man who awakened him from
his sleep, he has not been able to give
any description of him, but he thinks
there is a slight possibility that II was
Mr.. Barton
Another clue which is being followed
up independently of the police depart
ment Is one that may reveal something.
H. C. Fisher, the real estate dealer,
has seen Mr. Barton walking in the
vicinity of the Holden reservoir several
times. and yesterday Herbert L. Fiske,
who is a partner of Mr.. Barton's son,
with A. F. Dunkerton, searched in the
vicinity of the Holden reservoir all day,
but failed to find any trace of the miss
ing man.
| Another theory that is entertained
by some OF Mr.. Barton's friends is that
he might have gone over to Elm park,
a place at which the old gentleman