Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-07-01
TIE DISAPPEARANCE OF DAMON
Copyright, 1899, by the Author.
CHAPTER II.

At the breakfast table the following
Friday morning the medical students
were discussing a disappearance
81 can't imagine what has become OF
Damon" said Ben Rice. His friends
haven't seen or heard anything of him
since Wednesday night. 1t looks to me
like foul play. Damon was man OF
steady habits and the last fellow You
would expect to drop out of sight this
way. l don't believe he has done it in
tentionally.
Professor Gilman was eating break
fast over at his table. He happened to
be alone at the table, and the students
spoke loud enough for him to hear what
was said.
Just then Mrs. Maxwell and her
daughter came in to breakfast, and
Rice, after saying good morning to
them, asked, Miss Maxwell, did you
hear about Luther Damons mysterious
disappearance
The girl turned quickly and faced
Rice .sNo." she said. Tell me about
it.
"Why, he hasn't been seen at college
nor at his boarding house since last
Wednesday night. He boarded just
around the corner, at S26 Wallace street,
you know. The servant there says that
about 8 o'clock Wednesday night
man called at the door and asked for
Mr.. Damon. She says he stood in the
shadow while he was talking and that
he can't describe his appearance. She
wouldn't know him if she saw him
again She called Mr. Damon. who was
up in his room, the man waiting for
him outside meanwhile. Damon put on
his hat and went out. and that is the
last that any one has seen Of him. The
police have been notified and are search
ing for him, but have found no trace
of him so far.
Rice, who had finished his breakfast,
now came over and sat down in one of
the vacant chairs at the other table.
"What gives an ugly look to the busi-
ness" he continued. "is the fact that
the day before Damon disappeared he
uuarreled with student named Mutt,
who boarded at the same place and
whose room was next to Damon's. Just
what the quarrel was about isn't clear,
but high words between them were
overheard by Nuts roommate, who
was in the next room. He says he heard
one of them say: Take care! Don't go
too far or you II be sorry for itl' But he
can't tell which one it was.
1.-The next night Mutt left the house
directly after dinner and didn't return
till 10 o'clock. One of the other board
ers who came home about the same
time saw him and thought he looked as
if he had been drinking. The servant
who saw the unknown man about 8
O'Clock is quite sure it was not Mutt
whose face and voice she is perfectly
familiar with. though she denies that
she should know the man if she saw
him again The police have no idea the
man was Mutt, but what they want to
find out now is who was the man. They
believe Mutt knows, and that he and
the unknown man can tell what became
of Damon.
"Nutt is popular among the stu
dents, and we don't any Of US like to
think he has done anything criminal
but circumstances make it look rather
black for him.
Josephine Maxwell had listened in
tently, and when Rice paused she said
"Why, isn't it awful Luther Damon
was such a nice young man too
Eyes" said Rice. "He was a very
bright fellow. Of course we all hope he
will turn up again safe, but there is ap-
parently no reason for his absenting
himself from college, and altogether;
it is very puzzling."
Professor Gilman had listened to all
that Rice said. and now he asked:
"Where does this Mr.. Mutt claim to
have spent Wednesday evening-the
time that he was absent from his board
ing placer
"He says that when he left the house
after dinner he went to the Lincoln ho-
tel, where friend of his was staying,
and spent the whole evening with him
in room 49, This friend, a man named
Mason, was in the city for only short
time, and he left for Mexico the follow
ing morning He told Mutt the name of
the place he was going to, but Mutt
says it was some difficult Mexican name.
and he can't remember what it was
That makes it impossible to communi.
cate with him
"The ho.el register shows that man
named Matthew Mason, who registered
from New York, occupied room 43 that
night, and that Thursday morning he
was taken in one of the hotel carriages
to the station of a railroad that has
connection with road running to
Mexico Nothing further is known of
this man Mason at the Lincoln hotel
He had never been there before. so far
as the hotel people know. The clerk de-
scribes him as a young man with smooth
face, blue eyes and brown, curly hair,
of medium height, and says he wore a
brown check suit and brown derby hat
No one at the hotel remembers seeing
Mutt there that night, but Mutt ex-
plains that he knew the location of No
43 and went right up to the room with
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