Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-02
PUZZLES DETECTIVES
Continued Disappearance or
Raymond Hitchcock, Actor.
MANY CLUES UNFRUITFUL
Mystery Heightened by Failure to
Find His Valet.
PLACE FILLED BY SUBSTITUTE
MANY CLUES UNFRUITFUL
PLACE FILLED BY SUBSTITUTE
hitchcock's Wife Still Believes Him
Innocent of Charges-Sticks to
Foul-Play Opinion.

Foul-Play Opinion.
| NEW YORK, November 2-Notwith-
standing the active efforts of detectives
from the district attorneys office and the
New York police department to trace
| him. Raymond Hitchcock the actor, has
disappeared effectively though the
earth had opened and swallowed him. He
| is wanted to answer indictment based
| on charges made by several young girls.
! The witnesses are being held in custody
and detectives are everywhere on the
watch for the missing man.
| Innumerable clues indicating that Hitch
cock is on his way to Europe, is in Mon
| treal, is in Newark. is cooliy walking
the streets Of New York, wearing a dis
suise. have been investigated by the police
department. but all to no effect.
| The mystery surrounding the where
abouts OF the actor has been increased
| by the sudden disappearance also of his
| valet. Herman Ranke, who played minor
| port in The Yankee Tourist" and who
| was one of the witnesses summoned BE-
| fore the grand jury which indicted Hitch
| cock.
Hitchcock's Valet Missing.
| A detective who tried to find Ranke
| last night and to question him about the
| dsa ppearance of Bella Mckenzie, which
was discovered after Htchcocks absence
became known, unable to find Ranke
at the theater Rankes place In the cast
| Of the play was filed by a substitute.
| Whether ne has joined Hitchcock is
problem which the nalIce have to solve.
The central office men attach Consid-
| cradle Importance to this incident. De
| tective OFarrell. who is in charge OF
| the case. said "Ranke was expected
| to be one of our most important wit
| nesses. having been present at the Great
| Neck house when the two girls visited
/ that place Altogether. it looks very
much if some powerful interests
were at work to get everybody who
could testify against the missing actor
out of reach.
The search of the police and the district
attorneys office has been extended to all
parts of the country. DESCRIPTIONS or the
:ssing man and particulars OF the IN
dictments under which he is arrested have
been sent out to every city of Importance
in the country Abroad. too. the lines are
out All the consular and diplomatic rep
resentatives of the United States nave
been directed to cause the arrest of Hitch
cock If he should appear i'll the teFr'tof4
to which they are accredited.
Flora Isabelle. wife OF Raymond Hitch
coch again declared today that she De-
lieved him to be Innocent or the charges
nittad suicide but has suffered som ! kind
of foul play If her husband were found,
she said, she would join him at once she
said also that she has been greatly an
noyed by detectives with scare! warrants
TO examine her trunks, by defamatory
letters and the receipt of misleading tele-
grams signed by the name of her nus
band.
Mrs. Hitchcock Talks.
Miss Flora Isabelle broke last night the
silence which she has maintained ever
since the actors disappearance Wsdnes-
day She attempted to explain, in a state
ment, an alleged meeting of the actor
short time ago with girl known as Bella
Mckenzie. one of the girls concerned IN
| the charges against him.
No definite clue was obtained as TO
| Hitchcocks whereabouts, although the
police of Washington. Montreal, Boston
| and other New England points, as Wen
| as other cities in Canada, were asked 10
search for him. The search for the miss
| ing man was continued in this city. and
many believe that Hitchcock is really
| concealed in a Broadway motel Eot tai
| from the Aston Theater, although those
who hold this opinion nave d11lereht lucas
as to which hotel affords him refuge.
Miss Isabelle appeared last night In
Yankee Tourist" and was roundly APP
plauded at her entrance. sac appeared 10
be nervous and to be feeling the eHects ..
Considers Husband Innocent.
Il had decided not to say anything in re-
gard to this affair, but after reading a
vicious lie in a newspaper this morning
about my husband l felt that in justice
to him and in justice to myself l should
publicly and unreservedly state that
consider Mr. Hitchcock absolutely limo
cent of the charges that have been made
| -; coli ff,l
husband has been done away with ana
that | shall never see him again l hope
to God that this impression is Incorrect,
but somehow l cannot rid myself of 1t.
Under no circumstances would l harbor
even for moment the thought of suicide.
| know him well that I know he would
not kill himself l think my husband
has been the victim of persecution, and /
| believe, in fact, l know. that numerous
temptations were thrown in his way.
Il believe that his widely advertised
meeting with the girl in 4ith street about
a fortnight ago was an arrangement which
gave laxative detective opportunity
to present to his newspaper friend a
sational story. If the incident is recalled.
it Will be remembered that a well-knoWn
actor. by whom it afterward developed
was meant Mr.. Hitchcock. was supposed
to have met a girl in West 44th street,
evidently by appointment
Repudiates Story About a Girl.
The story was that an actor, who was
by innuendo identified as Mr. Hitchcock.
had talked earnestly with this girl for
| approximately half an hour and then had
left her, he going In one direction and she
| in the other. This detective and another.
who accompanied him. both of whom are
evidently swifter Of tongue than of foot.
had been instructed to arrest this girl
| at the first opportunity.
10 OF thot ,k,o a
left Mr.. Hitchcock. the girl started to-
ward Broadway, but on recognizing Mr..
Pissaro and Mr.. Butts Of the Gerry So
ciety. turned and ran through filth street
up to 9th avenue. where she was lost in
the crowd. From the point where the
girl is supposed to have recognized Mr.
Plssaro and taken to her heels is at least
hundred yards
The facts of the matter are these: Mr.
Hitchcock and l lett the Astor Theater
after the matinee performance on the
afternoon In question. We had two other
people with us. We walked over to Shan
ley'S and he