The Indianapolis journal., 1902-07-28
MAY SOLVE A MYSTERY
ALLEGED FAREWELL NOTE FROM
MISS ELY AND HER NEPHEW.
Woman and Boy Who Disappeared
from Evanston, ILL.,, on July 13,
1901, and Never Were Found.

CHICAGO. July PA discovery which
may throw some light upon the fate of
Miss Florence Ely and her nephew, Frank
Rogers, who disappeared from the home Of
the boys parents in Evanston last year
has been made at Racine, Wis. A piece of
cardboard found near the river there bore
the following:
"Oct 10 1901
PA and Ma: Meet us in heaven. We are
going TO commit suicide
MISS FLORENCE ELY and
FRANK ROGERS
Miss Ely and her nephew were traced to
Racine, where they stopped at a hotel
They took car north from there, and no
further trace Of them could be found. The
Rogers family has given up active search,
after spending a fortune in running down
clews. The question why a handsome boy
approaching fourteen years should inspire
such an affection in his aunt of thirty-seven
years has been taken UP by alienists, and
they disagree in their analysis.
The immediate cause of their going away
was the suggestion of the boys mother
who is Miss Ely's sister, that he was get
ting to be big boy now,'' and should be
bundled off to a boarding school. AS a
matter of fact the parents had observed
with anxiety the growing infatuation of the
boy and the woman, and desired to separate
them. They had been constant compan-
ions since the lads infancy. AS a baby she
nursed and fOndled him. AS he grew older
she would scarcely allow him from her
sight. An expert musician, she taught mu-
sic for years, and then her growing passion
for the boy killed her ambition in music.
During the two years before the disappear
ance she kept the boy with her all the
time. Mrs. Rogers was forced to stand
aside and see her sister act mother,
sweetheart and guide to her son.
While the police still say they are work.
ing on the case, it Is rumored that the boy
has been found and is in a private school.
This is denied by the father, who says that
he is still searching for his son. He has
sent detectives into nearly every State east
of the Rockies. Arrests have been made in
a score of cities of strange women and
boys, but they never were the missing pair.
Il am in hopes of finding my some
time, but il is so diScouraging," said Mr.
Rogers. His aunt, Florence Ely, is mo-
nomaniac, and the boy was her idol. He
thought a great deal of her, too, and
seemed to take more to her than he did to
his mother. The last two years he grew
rapidly and got to be quite a lad We no.
ticed then that his aunt did not go around
as much she used to and associated less
with people. While she did not shun So
ciety she finally went nowhere without the
boy, and when they did go anywhere it
monstrated at times with her about ii, but
it did no good. The boy was willful and
she was obdurate. The only thing left for
us to do was to send him away When
his aunt found that out she appeared al
most hysterical. We know now that she
set deliberately about taking the boy away
to prevent the separation.
For months after the disappearance de-
tectives from Chicago and Evanston scat
tered throughout Wisconsin, Michigan and
Illinois. The search was carried into the
Dakotas, where several arrests of a woman
and boy had been made. From there 1t was
carried to a clew in New Orleans, ST. Louis
and Denver. Detectives were sent into
Ohio and Pennsylvania.
The boy, a well-grown youth now four
teen, is the son of James c. Rogers, and
disappeared from his home, No 713 Hinman
avenue Evanston, with his aunt Miss
Florence Ely, Saturday morning July 49,
1901. Three days after the disappearance
the pair were seen in Wabash-avenue
restaurant, in a music store and are said
to have spent the night at the lie Grand
Hotel. Nothing definite about them has
been found since. a bundle of clothes was
found underneath the platform of the cleo
Mrs. Rogers identified as those worn by
the boy and his aunt when they disap-
peared.
The discovery led the police to believe
that Miss Ely and Franklin were posing as
mother and son. The package was wrapped
in newspaper dated Oct. IL, 1900 1t con-
tanned an article on "Affinities" which had
been blue penciled. Among the discarded
clothing was a petticoat, stocking and COL
lar. All the marked clothing was left so
that it might not betray them when sent
to the laundry
Miss Ely and her nephew evidently
planned this change of clothing some time
before they left home. Neighbors say that
they saw Franklin several days before they
disappeared leave the house with a bundle
and return without ii.