The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-01-22
SOME CASES OF 'sMIssINGs. "

Almost every dav one reads OF me
mysterious disappearance. OF
known citizen. but YOU nave oiiS -
follow the case tor a few days TO hna !
+raf there were good reasons why ne
should drop out OF sight Ahefe ~ ~
mystery where the mal is an ellpeA1A1l
or defaulter. or has become lhIat s9-
with an adventures 80
The case of Milo Hastings was one
which hundreds of people pasted away
in their scrapbooks, and whicn scores
OF sheriffs and detectives have reason
70 gr0wl over .-...4..
HASTINGS was young man twenty
three wears old. steady and temperate
pud serious minded. He was half owner
n a foundry at Jeffers son City, Mo, ana
at the time of his disappearance was
ma king lots of money and was engaged
to a handsome girl who would pflng
' one de law 81 June. 1867. he called at the
hank and DEPOSITED $4,000, which had
Just been paid to the firm. ne had
nrivafa account of over $4,000 in the
same bank He owed no man dollar.
had never had quarrel with anybody,
and his health was excellent He had
Ieft the bank a. o'clock win smile
on his face and up to this hour ms
case is an unsolVed mystery. He went
eornewnere but Where2 He did not go
bv boat or train. He did not drive or
ride on horseback. Fifteen minutes af-
ter he let the hank he was asked for
and could not be found.
The first theory IN Hastings case was
shat he was involved financially. The
next was that he wanted to evade mar
iiagc The third that he had been de-
coyed to some Mace and robbed and
murdered The fourth that he was
victim Of temporary insanity.
None Of the theories would bear inves-
tigati0n 1t was proved that ne was
anxious for the marriage to take place;
that his financial situation was Al; that
there were no particularly bad men in
Jefferson city Just then. and that his
mind was never clearer and stronger
than on that day.
why did he go?' was asked by
thousands. and Where did he go to-"
by other thousands. but TO this date
there has been no satisfactory answer.
There were those who held that he COM
mitted suicide by jumping into the river.
For three weeks the stream was watch
ed and natroled for a distance of 80
miles The search covered every acre
of ground for miles around
Every highway was travelled and in
Quiries made. Thousands of circulars
having his photogra ph and description
We're sent out and the reward stood fOs
year at 100000 The best detectives in
the country spent weeks on the case and
could not trace him beyond the doors
of the bank First and last over fifty
men were arrested at different points
and held for Identification, but none Of
You viii say with others that he must
have gone somewhere and that some
trace ought to have been discovered,
but the fact remains that nothing has
been learned
a reasonable theory of the case is
that he left the bank to go aboard a
steamer on a business errand. and that
in crossing the gangplank or while NOV
ing about aboard he fell into the river
and Wes drowned. That his body was
not discovered only shows that it might
have caught fast on a snae at the bot
tom or aoated past the watchers in the
night
It is now about eighteen years since
the Conductor Mystery" occurred. and
the solution is as far away as ever.
A railroad conductor named George
Hopkins lived in Bowling Green. KY
AT the age Of Is he was married to a
girl Of good family and established a
home Hopkins was a sober. steady
man and well liked by all who knew
him. AS far as any one could Judge his
home life was all that could be desired.
while his position as conductor was Sc