The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-07-10
mYSferY Of a Swamp
Blue neektie Only message TrOm Cost Boy


a bit of blue ChambTsy wet It IS the
dearest treasure OF Mrs. Harry W.
Clark of Beverly. Mass. for it came to
her from the great Chebacco swamp
like d farewell message from her baby
boy
Since June il. 1902. she has not seen
him. no one has been able To explain
his remarkable disappearance. and the
police of Massachusetts admit that
they axe confronted with a mystery
which bids fair TO equal the historic
case of the lost Charley Ross. The old
Bay state has a lengthy list Of un-
solved crimes on its records, but moth
ing as absolutely inexplicable as this,
10 which official attention Is recurrent-
" directed by reason Of renewed ru-
mors of the child's whereabouts.
Scores of stories of q blue-eyed, fair
haired child i'm some gypsy camp have
sent Mr.. Clark post haste to investi-
gate, but always only TO be disappOiDJ-
ed. The police are almost hopeless,
and certainly helpless.
But the mother still clings to the bit
of blue chambray and fOndly believes
that some day she VIII clasp her boy
again iu her arms.
That little Wilbur was kidnapped is
practically certain. but the circum-
stances under which he was taken are
q EALLltr 10 EDAhE ~ MIN an NiANAIctf "a
has been vain
only five minutes elapsed from the
time the child was-seen until the search
began. and yet he had disappeared as
completely as though the earth had
opened and swallowed him.
This happened i'm the very heart Of
the exclusive North Shore summer col
ouy. and milliOuaiTes from various
parts Of the country became interested
arrF1E+4usrr0f
wards Tor the return of the boy.
Special trains carried thousands from
Boston 90 the scene of the disappear
auce and the whole country was
secured far and near. but the blue
chambray necBtie Is the only cleW-
On the afternoon of June i. 1902. Mr..
Clark drove from his home in Beverly
To ChebaccG lake. some seven miles
away. with his wife, his wife's mother
and three children. Wilbur, aged 4:
Russell. aged 2. and the baby to spend
a few hours at this charming spot
on the south side Of the like lies
Chebacco swamp 5000 acres in extent
traversed only by hunters and tenanted
10Y ar least one band Of quas1-crlmln-
ais. a trolley line and park resort lie
10 the north Of the lake Many cot
taEes line the shores and hotel STANDS
AT the western end
Mr.. Clark drove to the cottage OF eX-
Councilman Ryan Of Gloucester on the
south shore Of the lake. and the two
Women. with the children. enScOnced
themselves on the piazza OF the cottage,
Mr. Clark leading his horse about fifty
teer into the woods to unharuess it
Mr.. Ryan's two boys were splashing
about on the little sandy beach in front
of 5ise cottage. and Wilbur Clark want
ed 10 Join them. He ran out TO his
father TO ask permission and was told
10 go back 10 his mother and wait Un-
iii his father had embarrassed the
horse.
OF he started toward the cottage,
which was in plain sight among the
trees. I'm three or four minutes MIS-
Clark called out from the cottage;
Where is Wilbur
Somewhere close by answered 8Tr.
Clark. and he shouted the little fell
lows name.
But no answer came, nor has any
answer vet come TO the heart call of
the father and mother for their child.
Search was at once instituted, and IL
was thought the boy might somehow
have reached the lake and there lost
his life. 4 score Of men were dragging
its waters the next day. when a tele-
phone message from exclusive Man
chester-by-t he-Sea. four miles away,
told of finding the boys blue necktie
on an old wood road in the swamp
Then the lake was no longer the center
Of attraction.
Walter J. Mears. who resides near
hv. found the tie ana pointed out the
sDot as nearly two miles from the Ryan
cottage where the boy disappeared It
hung on a branch five feet from the
ground. and was as fresh as when
9iaced ON the child's neck the day be
fore. Evidently it had not been all
night exposed in the swamp Little
Wilbur. only : years old. never could
have reached alone the place where II
was found for. in addition to the dis
lance. the trau was almost unused. and