The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-04-04

mat f1o perSOnS disappeared anu
were not again heard of is the rather
startling information contained In
the annual police report of New York
City for 1905.
That In the last decade enough
persons have been completely lost
to friends and relatives In New York
to make n small sized city Is the
calm assertion made by police statis-
ticians.
Where do they GOT" is Che ques-
tion thousands Of persons ask. And
the police answer grimly:
"Oh, some kill themselves, some
start life all over somewhere else,
some sneak back after a few years
and live IN secrecy, aud some--why,
nobody knows what becomes of them
ALI They Just lose themselves"
And while Sergeant William II.
Sullivan, chief of the 'lost" depart
ment, was discussing the subject two
we'll dressed women entered.
81 want to report the disappear
ance of my son, aged nineteen" one
of them said. Hes a good boy in
every respect, doesn't drink or gam
BILE. He has been gone now four
days and not one of his friends has
seen him. We don't want to have it
known. He belong, as you can see,
to a good family. and publicity, while
1t might help, might, on the other
hand, also do a lot of unnecessary
harm"
Sergeant Sullivan, who is ideally
fitted for the job, gave comfort to
son would be found, and promised
to send word as soon as anything
was heard of him.
That's the way they come along"
said he. THAT boy probably has
run away and in a few days will come
back. But. on the other hand, he
may join the great army of the lost,
which is growing rapidly every
year."
Many Children Unclaimed.
OF the 164S persons who were
reported missing In 1906 In all bor-
oughs 1921 were from New York
and EST from Brooklyn. All but
SO of the Brooklynites were found,
while 327 of the missing Manhat-
tanites remained on the list of miss
ing.
Coupled with these figures are
others little less interesting. OF a
total of 2213 children who were
picked up on the street by the po-
lice 446 were unclaimed by friends
or relatives. They were turned over
to institutions.
And of the total of 372 bodies
found by the police 254 were never
identified. 1t is explained by the
police that in this number of un-
claimed dead were some of the per-
sons who disappeared mysteriously
Study Of the records of the cases
of disappearance reveals some inter.
esting facts. 1t is shown first thai
| painters have the disappearing habit
to a greater extent than any Other
class of men. Next to them come
statesmen and after them drivers, la
borers and bartenders. About hal
the total number are under twenty
years of age, about one-quarter are
above sixty. About one-third are
women or girls and about one-fiftf
of the total are persons of unsound
minds.
There have been instances where
newly welded women. perfectly hap
py and prosperous, have just van
ished for no reason whatever; o.
men in prosperity deserting happ!
families without the slightest warn
ing; of clerks with a good recort
behind them and a glowing future
ahead, dropping out OF sight anC
leaving not the slightest clew t.
their whereabouts. Lawyers, brok
srs, doctors, real estate dealers
sculptors, artists, actors, and evel
one minister, are on the list OF tn
missing, and while behind each Their
may be story, no inkling of 1t eve
reached the ears of the police.
One Sometimes Comes Back.
Police records show that once Il
while a person who entered tn
fold of the missing a dozen or NOR
years ago reappears in his old haunt
|
sumes his old life, getting in touc
with old surroundings. These reap
pearances are quite as mystifying a
the disappearances.
New Workers have the disappear
ing habit, l guess" said Sergean
Sullivan. There is no accurate wa,
of telling just how many people ar
disappearing In a year because |
great many persons so leaving
neither friends nor relatives to TAX
the trouble of sending word to TIA
police. And, on tho other hand
some of those who drop out Of sigh
come back and send no word to tn
police. They remain on che list o
permanently missing.
But, In considering the numbe
of missing persons, 1t should be re
membered that New York is con
stantly filled with persons from al
parts of the world, and 1t is the
as we'll as persons resident here VIII
are blotted out. A man comes her
from Scranton, Pa, for example. II