The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-06-28
TSKENTLOOMISDEAD?
Hamburg Report Says Body
Has Been Washed Ashore.
PLYMOUTH POLICE SAY DROWNED
Last Seen at Midnight ON Kaiser
Wilhelm II. June 10 on Eve
, of Ships Arrival at Eng
Iish Port.


WASHINGTON. June 2S. A dis.
patch from Hamburg says it is report.
ed there that the body of Kent ],
Loomis. Who disappeared from the
Kaiser Wilhelm IL. shortly before her
arrival at Plymouth on June 20, has
been washed ashore near Cherbourg
France.
A Bremen report says that all evi.
dence available there shows that Kent
j. Loomis, brother of Assistant Secre
tary Of State I.cemis, was last seen on
board the Kaiser Wilhelm II. about
midnight Of June 10, when he went
on deck after the usual captains din
ner had been given'on the eve Of the
vessels arrival
Shortly afterward William II. Ellis,
LOOMS companion, searched for Loo
mis-, but he was unable to find him.
| The captain and the head steward,
both of whom knew LOOMS well, were
standing at the gangway as the pas
sengers landed ut Plymouth, and they
both declare positively that LOOMS did
not land.
Government Councillor Mueller OF
Berlin, who was a passenger on the
Kaiser Wilhelm H., drew up a report
Of the affair. according 10 which Ellis
deposed that Loomis often sat in a
reckless fashion close to the rail despite
repeated warnings
| Ellis also saiu Loomis drank a good
deal the last few days preceding his
disappearance None of the other wit.
nesses, however, remarked this.
Mr.. Loomis. the assistant secretary
| of state, has had nothing whatsoever
TO confirm or contradict the rumOr that
| the body Of his brother. Kent J. Loo
| mis-, has been washed ashore on the
| French coast. and in spite of the ener-
| getic efforts of the combined foreign
| and consular service OF the state de.
! partment not the slightest clew has yet
been obtained with reference to the
mysterious disappearance. The fact
that nothing has been heard Of the lost
man is tending to confirm the fears Of
| his family that he was either drowned
or has met with foul play. The as
sistant secretary has denied very en-
| phatically a number Of reports emanat-
| ing from Parkersburg, w. Va, the
home of his brother, which stated that
the family of Mr.. Kent Loomis had re-
ceived word from him some days ago
that he was having trouble with Mr..
Ellis, with whom he was travelling.
The state department has had ad-
vices OF the sailing OF Mr. Ellis from
France for Dtiboutil, where he COM
mences his overland journey to Abys-
slnla's capital with the commercial
treaty which he is to deliver to King
Menelek This treaty was in the lug
gage of Mr.. Kent LOOMS which was
sent on to Paris Word was received
that Mr. Ellis had offered TO remain
on the scene for two weeks to assist in
the search for Mr. Loomis and had
offered TO have one Of his party return
to Plymouth to aid the authorities
there but 1t was thought that no such
assistance would avail in the search.
The police of Plymouth now say that
Mr. Loomis was drowned and that he
/ must have fallen overheard before the
vessel reached her anchorage After
n most exhaustive search and the in.
vestlgetion Of every clew they are con
fident that he did not laEd at Plymouth
Neither in London nor Plymouth has
anything developed throwing the slight.
est light OF lie situation, and where ii
was at first believed that a few days
would solve the question of the where
about of the missing man the gloom
lest view Is Row taken