Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1903-05-07
TWO Musings"
copyright, lsy5, by II. A. Jenks.1

- " " AAAANA
that there We're good reasons why he
should drop out of sight. There is 10
mystery where the man is an embez-
zler or defaulter or has become infatu-
ated with an adventures.
The case of Milo Hastings was one
which hundreds Of people pasted away
in their scrapbooks and which scores of
sheriffs and detectives have reason to
growl over
Hastings was young man twenty
three years old, steady and temperate
and serious minded. He was half own
er in foundry at Jefferson City, Mo-,
and at the time of his disappearance
was making lots of money and was en-
gagged to a handsome girl who would
bring him a fortune.
One day in June. 1867, he called at
the bank and deposited $4,000 which
had just been paid to the firm. He had
private account of over S12,0 900 in the
same bank. He owed no man dollar,
had never had quarrel with anybody,
and his health was excellent. He had
left the bank at 2 o'clock with q smile
on his face. and up to this hour his
case is an unsolved mystery He went
somewhere, but where? He did not go
by boat or train. He did not drive or
ride on horseback. Fifteen minutes aft
er he left the bank he was asked for
and could not be found.
The first theory in Hastings case
was that he was involved financially.
The next was that he wanted to evade
marriage. The third that he had been
decoyed to some place and robbed and
murdered. The fourth that he was
victim Of temporary insanity.
None of the theories would bear in
vestigation. 1t was proved that he
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 We're those who held that he
committed suicide by jumping into the
river. For three weeks the stream was
watched and patrolled for a distance of
fifty miles. The search covered every
acre of ground for miles around.
Every highway was Travelled and in
| quiries made. Thousands of circulars
having his photograph and description
| We're sent out. ana the reward stood for
a year at $4,000. 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 We're arrested at different
none of them proved to be the missing
man. You will say with others that he
| must have gone somewhere and that
some trace ought to have been diScov-
cred, but the fact remains that nothing
has been learned.
\ 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 gangplanll or while
moving about aboard he fell into the
river and was drowned That his body
was not discovered only shows that it
might have caught fast on 4 Snag at
the bottom or tioated past the watchers
in the night.
1t is now about eighteen years since
the conductor mystery occurred, and
the solution is as far away as ever.
y railroad conductor named George
Hopkins lived in Bowling Green, Ky
At the age Of twenty-five he was mar
ried to a girl of good family and es
Der, steady man and we'll liked by al
who knew him. AS far as any one
could judge his home life was all thai
could be desired, while his position as
conductor was secure and his salary
liberal.
He had been married about ter
months when he arranged to build ,
house. On certain Tuesday after
noon he let the contract to a builder
and entered into certain other business
agreements. He went out at 6 o'clocl
that evening, and his wife accompa
MED him 10 the depot. He spoke to sew
eral people on the train whom he knew
and there was nothing whatever in hi
looks or actions to attract attention.
The train reached Nashville on time
and Hopkins reported and got his or
ders as usual. 1t was half an hour aft
er the train had pulled Cut before b
| was missed. A telegram was sent back
but no news Of him could be had. Fiv
different people saw Hopkins three o
four times before his train pulled out
but no one saw him board any othe
train. After couple Of days the detec
tives were set to work. but they neve
: got the slightest trace Of the missin
man. Had he vanished into air lik
smoke his disappearance could not hav
been more mysterious.
Was Hopkins an embeZZler? NJ
On the contrary, the railroad compan
was in his debt Had he left his wifi
.. for another woman? That theory wa
worked on, but produced 60 proof. Wa
he 'off' in his head? All those VIII
had done business with him that da