Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-02-03
CHAPTER vi.
MYSTERY ON MYSTERY.

ML YIN Al L.
The hundreds of columns of space
devoted by the New York morning
papers to the great event could have
been condensed into few para
graphs, so far as any true explanation
of the mystery was concerned.
Six men, whose combined wealth
was yariously estimated at from
$sO0,ooO,0Oo to $1,25O,OOOoO0, had dis
appeared as suddenly and completely
as if the earth had opened and
swallowed them. Four of them
Messrs. Pence, Kent, Haven and Nor
ton-had been in the latter's office
about four O'Clock on Monday after
noon. Mr.. Morton's secretary was
sure they held no conference at this
time, and said they soon left the
building. He thought they left to-
gether, and supposed they went away
in carriages or in an automobile. 1t
was not uncommon for men distin-
guished in the world of affairs to
meet at Mr.. Morton's office. Mr..
Morton had arranged for an impor-
tant conference with some railroad
men at his Office for the following
morning at IL o'cblock. The CORE
spondence files showed that fact con-
clusively. Mr.. Morton had telephoned
to his residence that he would not
be home to dinner. This was not un-
usual. That was absolutely all that
ments or plans.
|
John NJ Rockwell was in his Office
from II o'clock until about two in
the afternoon. He transacted bust
ness as usual and had planned to
start on a trip to Chicago the follow
ing day. His private car had been
ordered to the Pennsylvania depot.
Andrus Carmody was to accompany
him on this business journey. Both
of these gentlemen had left word at
their residences that they would not
be home to dinner. Hiram Haven did
not leave his Office until nearly four
o'clock. This was about his usual
hour, and there was nothing IN his
correspondence or instructions to in
dictate that he would fail to be on
hand at the regular hour on Tuesday
morning.
Mr.. Kent's failure to arrive at his
Office nearly drove his brokers dis
tracted. They admitted that he had
left them certain commissions to fill
on Tuesday morning, but the nature
of them or how they were executed
they declined to make public. He
left his Office about four o'clock Mon
day afternoon, but did not say where
he was going.
For the first time in 40 years Simon
Pence failed to come home. Only on
rare occasions did he remain away
from home dinner. He had stated
that a business engagement would
keep him in the city during the even
ing, but that he would be back at a
seasonable hour. The police officials
were notified at midnight of his fail
ure to return to his residence. Not
fully approaching the significance Of
this event they made no search for
the missing man, and classed it
among the cases of this kind so ia
miliar to the hardened members of
the night police force of the metrop-
oils.
This completes all that was known
concerning the mystery.
That the panic was beyond control
was apparent long before the Stock
Exchange opened Wednesday morn
ing. The governors met and solemn
ly discussed the ACCESSIBILITY of clos
ing the Stock Exchange until some
light was thrown on the mystery.
They dreaded to take this step, but
the situation was unprecedented. In
ordinary emergencies the banks,
trust companies, life insurance com
panies and other representatives of
capital had been able to meet and
adopt plan to protect the market
and thus avert panic disastrous to
all interests. But the great heads of
the money power had vanished. The
smaller lights who remained were
in state of physical as well as finan-
cial panic. Each imagined himself
| the next victim. Special policemen
guarded all the offices, and every Wis
itor was scrutinized as possible kid
napper. Hundreds of extra police Off
GERS were thrown into the financial
district. All suspicious characters
were arrested. Crowds We're not per-
mitted to assemble and a condition
approaching marital law prevailed.
The governors of the Stock Ex-
change finally decided to open the
session as usual, reserying the power
to suspend business if conditions
warranted such procedure. The
market opened from two to five
points below the close of the previ-
Gus day. Several failures were an
nounced. Street & Rogers bought
| about 100000 shares of stock in the
| first hour and then stopped. With
their support withdrawn the panic
Increased. There were rumors that
Street & Rogers were heavily 'long'