Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1905-06-30
VIRGIL WHITE IS
| FOUND ON FARM
Mysterious Disappearance OF
DeS Moines Man Par
4, italy Explained,
HIS MIND HAD BEEN FAILING
Notation in a Note Book That Was
Found in His Room States That
RE Realized His Condition AND
Sought to Disappear.

| Sougnf TO disappear.
| Dies Moines, June 2S.--Henry Kirk,
| hart, the farm hand on the Will Fer.
guson farm near Defiance, is none
other than Virgil White, the promi-
nent Des Moines attorney whose body
was thought 10 be at the bottom OF
the Des Moines river.
Instead Of being the cold corpse
which his friends had pictured him. he
is mysterious nonepity His once
brilliant mind has broken down, and
he is now supposed 10 be stopping at
an Omaha sanitarium waiting for his
ciouded memory 10 clear.
The peculiar actions Of the Young
man--the mental phenomena which
caused him 10 rush TO the Des Moines
river, 10 there leave MS clothing be
meath ms overturned canoe, and 10
roam d stranger, unknown, through
the farm roads Uf Iowa, and 10 seek
finally employment at the farm house
il Shelby county-is all explained IN
a note book which was afterward
found il the room occupied by the
mysterious stranger at the Ferguson
home
y felt myself losing my mind, felt
my memory slipping and knew l
was doomed. Therefore ! took those
measures and these means of drop,
ping completely out Of sight, for
knew my mental doom was sounded
by the knell Of insanity"
That paragraph tells the tale 1t
explains why White deserted his
friends, why he left Des Moines, and
left behind him the impression that
his body would be found in the Des
Moines river 1t explains why he
drifted from Town to town, through
country roads. and finally sought EN-
pioyment as common farm IabUrer
Upon receiving information that q
young man resembling White had
been working for some days Oh the
Furguson farm, J. G. Hume went 10
Defiance yesterday When confronted
by Mr., Hume, White said:
How do you do, Nj Hume" list
lessiy, as if he was simply passing
Mr.. Iiume III the corridor Of rheir OF
nee building.
Upon the suggestion that he come
back to Des MONIES he positively re
fused to do 50.
Finally after hours Of wrangliug
White agreed 10 90 10 Omaha with his
friend. There they were al the lat
est reports which could be received
by long distance telephone.
But the mystery was not ended
there Mrs. Ferguson, whose heart
went out toward the unfortunate
young man whom fortune had cast at
her very doorstep, went to his room
and there found The memorandum
which told the story.
White had With it picture of him
self which he had had taken few
days before his disappearance, also a
copy Of morning Des Moines paper
containing his picture and telling of
his mysterious disa ppearance. In the
memorandum was found a complete
sketch Of his life, story of ambitions
and disappointment and the fatal no
tation Of how, finding that his mem
DRY was failing and his mind was be
ing destroyed, he chose this method
Of leaving his friends and dropping
into oblivion
The notes contained no reference to
any love affair and simply related
that since he had found his memory
falling. the only way he could retain
the thoughts and the history of his
ton Of such facts.
The note book was the clue which
untangled the entire mystery IT told
of low he had left the boat and the
clothing in The river and how he
started out tramping through the
country
Des Moines, June 29--The circum-
stances which have been woven about
the life of Virgil White and not in
sanity is the direct cause Of his disap-
pearance and is responsible for the
sensational episode in which the Des
MONIES attorney has been the principa
figure. Such was the statement of J.
c. Hume, who has been with him
since he was discovered at Defiance.
made by him on his return to Des
Moines last night from Sigourney
where he had seen Fred White, the
father, who returned with him, and |
had told him that Virgil White was
near Council Bluffs in safe hands and I
that he would remain there awaiting
him.
Virgil White will this morning be !
brought face to face with his father. |
There he will tell the story of his |
mysterious disappearance. What this !
now is no one knows save White and !
Mr.. Hume, to whom he confded the |
secret.