Los Angeles herald., 1905-09-10


about to be held in Chicago young
gentleman named Hanchette was Sec
retary of the chamber of commerce.
He resigned the position of city editor
of The Herald to take charge of the
chambers affairs. His selection was
one on account of his remarkable eff
ficiency and gracious manners, circum-
stances which also led to his being
chosen to take charge of the Los An
geles exhibit at the exposition. He
acquitted himself of the duties of this
post to the great satisfaction of the
chamber, to all visitors, to the public
and to the press, being particularly
lauded by the press, of whose guild he
had been a oreditable member. He
closed UP his affairs and started for
home.
From the time he left his lodgings
to the present day no hide nor hair of
him, to employ the current slang, has
ever been seen of him. He never ar.
rived at the depot from which he was
to start for California. His affairs
were found to be in perfect shape. He
was known to be devoted to his family
For half dozen years there were re-
curing accounts, not one of them
authentic, that some one had seen him
here and another had seen him there.
These were undoubtedly all cases of
the "nigger minstrel" interlude of
1.-The Man That Looks Like Me-"
I knew Hanchette we'll, I knew that
he was particularly fond of his boys,
and I never had a moments doubt
that he was murdered, or that his
body was dropped into the Illinois river
and then some one, knowing that he
spoke the Spanish language fluently,
would suggest that the poor fellow
had gone down to South or Central
America and taken up with some cap
tivating senorita, with the purpose of
leading a double life. But to his
friends such supposition was not in
accord with what they knew of Han
chette.
Tragic Family
One would think that, in all con-
science, this was enough tragedy for
one family, and that thenceforth there
should be surcease of the threnody.
But not so. The death of his wife was
undoubtedly owing to that of her hus-
band; and on top Of it all, several
months later, one of Hanchette's
boys committed suicide after killing his
wife. Such were the successive af-
fiictions which were poured upon the
head of Mrs. Aurelia Griffith, the
mother of Hanchette pere's wife, and
the grandmother of Hanchette fills, the
suicide and murderer. This much
tried and indomitable old lady was for
years an ornament of the teaching
guild of San Francisco. She has been
retired on a pension and is living in
her own tasteful cottage in Los Ange-
les. She has, indeed, had much to bear
withal.
Having got into line of lugubrious
reminiscence, I will close that chapter;
and, singularly enough, one of the
principal characters in it was also a
reporter on The Herald. In order to
avert implication of hoodoo in con-
nection with the most progressive
daily in Southern California, will add
that as long as they continued their
connection with that paper they were
happy and prosperous, as far as any
one could discover.
About fifteen years ago a handsome
and capable young fellow named Nc
Gregor came to Los Angeles from Chi
cago and was engaged on The Herald's
repertorial staff, and later on that of
other local journals. All at once the
town was startled by the announce
ment of a double suicide, the parties
named Benjamin, both taking poison.
Singularly enough, this was the sister
Of Benny Benjamin, at present sport
ing editor of the San Francisco Chron-
icle, who had filled the same position
on the Los Angeles Herald. I have
| forgotten the poison which was en-
ployed, but both these young persons
kept a journal of their sensations un-
til they lost consciousness. They
formed a sad spectacle as they were
laid out on a bed in downtown hotel
as 1 saw them few hours after they
had consummated their foolish hero
les. Whether or no they were mar
ried I have never learned.
As to Rainfall
One of your correspondents objects
to the accuracy of my statement that
the highest rainfall we have had in the
Los Angeles valley falls slightly short
of forty inches, viz, 1918. He says
that I have claimed at some time oil
other as high as flfty-three inches In
a single season. have no recollection
of having done so. My figures are
based on those furnished by the United
States signal service station here. The
seasons of greatest rainfall ever re-