New-York tribune., 1900-08-07
NO WORD OF BURKE ROCHE
FRIENDS ALARMED OVER HIS AP-
PARENT DISAPPEARANCE.

LEFT THIS CITY ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF
MAY, SAYING THAT HE WOULD BE GONE
ONLY A FEW DAYs-THEORY THAT
HE MAY HAVE GONE TO CHINA
While of course. there may be reasonable
explanation for it, the Hon. James Boothby
Burke Roche. Member of Parliament. has ap-
parently disappeared. For almost three months
his friends in this city have not heard from
him, and no word from him has reached his hotel.
Mr.. Roche has large interests in this country.
and for some years it has been his annual Gus
tom to visit America to look after them.
While in this city-and. in fact while in this
country-he always stays at and makes his
headquarters at the Holland House. This year
he arrived in America in April and took rooms,
usual at the Holland House In the first
month six weeks after that he left the city on
frequent trips. always. however retaining his
room. These trips usually lasted from three TO
ten days.
About the middle of May Mr.. Roche casually
said to the clerk at the desk that he was going
out Of town for three days. but that his
room was not TO be disturbed changed \
week and then two weeks went by, and nothing
heard from the absent man. The greater
part of his baggage was in his room. showing
that he had taken away only a temporary sup
ply of clothing. Mail and kilograms arrived and
could neither be answered nor forwarded as Mr.
Roche had neither left an address nor sent one
after his departure. Finally the managers Of the
Holland House reluctantly ordered his luggage
packed up and stored away in the baggage room
of the hotel. pending the receipt Of some word
either from himself his relatives. From the
time Of Mr. RoChe's departure in May up to yes
terday the hotel people had received word,
either directly or indirectly. from the missing
man They are seriously alarmed over his alb
sence. and fear that he may have met foul play
or that some harm has befaHen him.
CHARTER FROM CANADA.
Among Mr.. Roche's interests in this country
was a charter from the Canadian Government
to erect a telegraph line from a point on the
Canadian Pacific Railroad through TO Dawson
City some other point in the KIondike gold
region. He paid frequent visits TO Washing
ton while here. II was supposed for the purpose
of securing Governmental authority 10 extend
his line into Alaska. II is possible. Of course,
that he may be somewhere in the Far North
west looking after his telegraph scheme. Lit
tie clothing Is necessary on the frontier. and
this would account for the smallness of The bag
gage that he carried with him.
A friend Of Mr. Roche yesterday offered this
explanation for his disappearance, Il don't
believe anything has really happened to him.
and think that sooner later he will turn up
as TlSnJ as a ulNeI WN6J Tedliy JnlIh II
the matter is this: Roche probably went out
the Canadian Pacific to look the ground
and he must have struck the Northwest along
about the time the Chinese difficulty began to
come to a head. Roche is the sort of chap that
likes to see things for himself. and I wouldn't
be in the least surprised if he had simply
jumped n steamer at Vancouver and made
the run across to China. once there the rapid
march of events and the absorbing nature of the
II -
He may be in the fight for he saw service
in South Africa and other places when he " as
younger. In any event, he would stay until it's
over. for the knowledge gained there would be
tremendously important TO him as Member of
Parliament. and entitle him 10 speak cathe-
dra on Chinese affairs Anyway. don't believe
anything serious has happened 10 him"
While there may be a reasonable and logical
explanation for Mr.. Roche's absence. there is no
question that the managers of the Holland
House most seriously alarmed over his pro-
longed absence. =,
The Hon. James Boothby Burke Roche is the
second son of the first Baron Fermoy. He was
born on July Is 1880. and since his brother
the present Baron Ferrnoy, Is Childless. in the
course OF time either ne or his eldest son will
probably succeed to the barOny. Mr.. Roche is
very well ,.nown in this country, having lived
here off and on for many years. In company
with Moreton Frcwen and John Leslie he
punched cattle for a while in the seventies in
Wyoming. This in the days when there
for a while made large profits Later. how
ever they abandoned the business and went
their several ways MOretOn Frewen and John
Leslie married daughters OF the late Leonard
Jerome. The third sister married to Lord
Randolph Churchill and within ten days has
become the wife of CORVALLIS West.
HIS MARRIAGE HERE.
Burke Roche married on September % 1880.
Frances. daughter of Frank Work of this city
Another daughter married to p Cooper
Hewitt Of eX-Mayor A. S. Hewitt Mr..
Works only son. George p. the crack pigeon
shot, died from consumption last year in Switz-
erland
Mr.. and Mrs. Roche lived together for some
years. but finally separated 1t was said by
mutual consent. In 1891 the Superior Court at
Wilmington. Del. granted Mrs. Roche a di-
vorce her petition Their children are Cyn-
Maurice and Francis George Owins) born on
May 10, 1885. Edmund Maurice will some dav
in all probability be Baron Fermoy
Burke Roche was educated at Trinity College
Cambridge, where he took the degrees OF B. A
in 1873 and NJ. y. in 1876. He has sat as Mem
ber of Parliament for Kerry County East Kerry
Division (N) since March, 1896. Mr. Roche is a
good looking man. lie is tall, standing 6 feet 9: (
has clearly cut, finely chisened features and !
prominent Irish blue eyes. He wears a long
sweeping mustache. He does not look unlike /
the pictures of the Marquis de Galliffet until !
recently the French Minister OF War
There is story that has gone the rounds /
these many years that one of the brothers of /
Baron FermOy was employed by James j. |
COogan, president of the Borough OF Manhattan !
as doorkeeper. This story is absolutely untrue. /
So far is known, outside Of his children Mr. |