Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-03
QUEER APPEaRANcEs.
Men Have Apparently Been Swallow
ed I'D by Mysterious Means.
From the New York Pres,


When man or woman is whisked
away at a moments notice. when he or she
leaves his or her Office or house to go To
the next street and thereupon yanishes
from the face OF the earth, there is a Pc
culiar fascination attaching To the case
| There was Mr.. Conant, editor Of IIarper's
Weekly. He left his office one day to 10
to his home in Brooklyn and from the mo-
ment he crossed the threshold of his office
to this moment no living eye has seen him
as far as can be found cut. He stepped into
Franklin Square and was swallowed up
| utterly.
In big cities like New York and London
hundreds of people vanish in the course of
| a year. A considerable number Of these
establishments" for cause, but others
are lacking in a motive and are weird in
their mysteriousnesS. There are plenty of
diSappearanceS in which the character and
the environment of the victim absolutely
preclude any supposition of a voluntary of-
Placement.
A few years ago the disappearance OF
George Fitch. wealthy stock broker star
tied London. The missing man was of quiet
habits and had a substantial balance at his
bankers. So far as is known he had
domestic worries. There was no reason why
he should not have lived "a prosperous gem
tleman," but he left his Office one evening
for his home in the suburbs and disappear
ed. He never reached his home. and, though
ne was well known. no person ever
found who could swear that he had seen
him after he had passed the door of his
office. No trace of him from, that day to
this has ever been found, though reward
of 5000 was offered for any clue that
might throw light on the mystery.
A few years ago romantic and painful
case of mysterious disappearance was en-
gaging the attention of the British foreign
Office. c. Fitzgerald an English newspaper
man of repute, had set out On journey
from Sofia, Bulgaria, 10 Vienna. He never
reached his destination, and although every
effort was made to trace him his movements
and his fate after he left Sofia remain a
mystery to this day. 1t Is said that he
carrying important dispatches for the Bull
garian government, and If that is true the
mystery remains a mystery no longer. for
he probably fell victim to one of those
oath-bound political organizations with
which that turbulent principally is honey
combed.
Fftzgeralds case brings to mind the case
of Benjamin Bathurst. kinsman of Lord
Bathurst, who fell off the earth" early in
the last century. He was sent on a secret
mission to Vienna at the time when Eng
land wished Austria to declare war against
Napoleon a diversion from the campaign
In Spain. On reaching Preleberg. In Bran
denburg. a couple of sentries were told on
to guard the inn in which he rested. On
setting forward on his journey toward
nightfall Bathurst thanked the sentries and
ted them that they might withdraw. They
did so. and while the people Of the inn were
on the alert TO see him off he walked be-
NOnu Tue Circle OI liEltS ana NaTlsnsG. IN
the midst of all the people assembled Mr.
Bathurst stepped few feet out of a circle
of lights and vanished as completely
if the earth had swallowed him up. Eng
land offered $4,000 and Prussia half that
sum for any clue that would lead to a So
luton Of the mystery, but none was ever
forthcoming.
But a more weird and uncanny disap-
pearance than these is the case Of an En-
glish farmer named Williamson. living in
Surrey. One morning he started TO cross a
big meadow near his house TO give some
instructions to workmen on the other side.
He trudged along, whistling and singing.
to the middle of the field and there sud
denly and unaccountably vanished There
was no wall, no ditch, no bush even, that
could have concealed him for a moment.
His wife, who was standing at the door OF
the house with her baby in her arms was
watching him ana she suddenly screamed
out. Hes gonei What an awful thing!"
and fell to the floor unconscious.
When she revived her reason had fled.
Two neighbors, who had been looking over
the field when Williamson started to cross
it, also saw the strange occurrence and
We're so frightened that for weeks after
ward they Were unable to work. No light
was ever thrown on this mystery. and the
memory OF IL haunts the neiglrborhood
Another uncanny case which is well au-
thenticated is that of boy, Charles Ash
more. He lived on farm in Sussex, Eng
land. and one day was sent to bring q pain p
of water from a well about 100 yards from
the house He did not return and the fam
lily becoming anxious the father went out
with lantern to seek the boy. A light
coating OF snow covered the ground, though
none was falling then, and the tracks made
by the boy were plainly visible up to a
spot half way between the house and the
Wen. AT this point they suddenly ceased and
nothing but the unbroken surface of the
snow was visible Nor was any trace of the
boy found from that day to this. He never
reached the well, FOR 1t was found frozen
over. and the ice had not been broken.
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The Gender of an Aufo-