Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-04-11
TWO MlSSINGS''
rCopyrieht. 1909. bv II. A .1enks

copyright, 1903, by II. A. Jenks.1
Almost every day one reads Of the
mysterious disappearance of a we'll
known citizen, but you have only to
follow the case for a few days to find
that there were good reasons why he
should drop out Of sight. There is no
mystery where the man is an embez-
Eler 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 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 $4,000 in the
same bank. He owed no man dollar,
had never had quarrel with anybody,
and his health was excellent. He had
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. aFifteen 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 q
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 tor
by other thousands, but to this date
there has been no satisfactory answer.
There were those who held that he
committed suicide by jumping into the
river. For three weeks the stream was
watched and patrolled for 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
were sent out, and the reward stood for
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 were arrested at different
points and held for Identification, but
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.
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
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 a snag at
the bottom or doated 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.
A railroad conductor named George
Hopkins lived in Bowling Green, KY.
At the age of twenty-five he was mar
ried to girl of good family and es-
tablished home. Hopkins was So
Der, steady man and we'll 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 secure and his salary
liberal.
He had been married about ten
months when he arranged to build q
house. On a certain Tuesday after.
noon he let the contract to builder
and entered into certain other business
agreements. He went out at 6 O'Clock
that evening, and his wife accompa.
MED him to the depot. He spoke to sew
eral people on the train whom he knew
and there was nothing whatever in his
looks or actions to attract attention.
The train reached Nashville on time
and Hopkins reported and got his or
ders as usual. It was half an hour aft
er the train had pulled cut before he
was missed. A telegram was sent back
but no news of him could be had. Five
different people saw Hopkins three OF
four times before his train pulled out
but no one saw him board any other
train. After couple of days the detec
tives were set to work, but they never
got the slightest trace of the missing
man. Had he vanished into air like
| smoke his disappearance could not have