Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-04-12
ANOTHER. MYSTERY.
Josiah C. Hutchinson of Wins
low, Missing from Home.
Tracks Found Leading from His
House to the River Bank.
May Have Drowned Himself, Through
Dependency of III Health.

| Winslow, Me, April 11.-tSpeciaD.
This town has added one more mysterl-
Gus disappearance case to the several
that have developed in Waterville dur
ing the past few weeks JOSIAH e.
/ hutchinson, aged 81. one of the towns
Oldest and most highly respected citl-
Zens. disappeared from his home about
three miles down on the Kennebec road
! from the WinsloW station, between 4
and ) O'Clock Tuesday afternoon, and
| no trace of him has as yet been found.
! The only clue are tracks leading from
the house t. the bank of the Kennebec,
n short distance across the fields in the
rear Of the buildings. These are be
lieved to have been made by him and
for this reason it is thought by his
friends that he has been drowned.
Mr.. and Mrs. Hutchinson have been
living alone on the farm where they
have spent the whole of their married
life. They were alone Tuesday. when
Mr.. Hutchinson went out to the wood
shed. He was gone longer than his
wife thought he had reason to be and
oiiNTs1 " lis Fiii SCtii II vi bili but 1odl'
find no trace of him. She thoroughly
searched all the outbuildings and the
barn in vain. and then becoming
alarmed went to the nearest neighbors
a short distance away and informed
them of what had happened.
The eneighborhood was Immediately
aroused and a searching party organ
fZe6i. The fields and surrounding coun-
try Were gone over thoroughly, the
work continuing until about 1 O'Clock
wednesday morning. The search was
gSatn resumed at daylight and contin-
Enedt through the day. In the afternoon
1.-THE tracks We're found leading from the
house to the bank of the river. Three
footprints that correspondent to those
I that would be made by Mr.. Hutchinson
were found on the edge of the water
and one track was discovered in the
mud under the water.
When the tracks were found the the
Dry that the missing man had been
drowned was generally accepted and
the work Of dragging the river in the
vicinity was concerned. Not much
could be done, Thursday, on account of
the Indictment weather, but the work
! WIS TtiltNetl, ana was kept up
all day Crews of men We're at work
with graphing irons, dragging all parts
of the river where it was thought a
body might be found if it had gone in
where the tracks indicated, but with
out success.
| An attempt was made to secure a
diver, but none could be secured. The
water at the point where the tracks
were found is very swift, the current
| being especially strong at this time of
| the year. If Mr.. Hutchinson was
drowned at the point where the tracks
enter the water it would be very diff
cult to locate the body. If the grap-
ping irons fail dynamite will doubtless
be used to cause the body to rise if it
is in the river.
But although the disappearance is
mysterious, the cause is not difficult to
locate. The health of Mr.. Hutchinson.
who had been a very energetic, hard
working man all his life began to fail
about six weeks ago, when he suffered
a general breakdown. After his long,
active life he felt the weakness bit
terly and worried over it a good deal.
His mind apparently failed with the
| leSSenlIlS OF MS pHyslcai strength ne
was troubled good deal by trifies, as
there was nothing of Importance to
worcy him. He was in easy circum-
stances being one of the most prosper
Gus farmers Of the town.
All his business affairs We're in good
condition and only his failing health
could have caused him to worry as he
did. For instance, he seemed to have
CONTINUED on page ~