The Prescott daily news., 1908-12-16

ciaton.l
 "They say" said the purser, that for every day in large city like New York there is disappearance of per son who is never heard of afterwarG. We have proportlonately as many such cases at sea. Six such disappearances have occurred during my term of sea service, only one of which was ever explained, and that good while after it happened"
 was with the Cunard line, and we were starting on the eaStbound trip. Just before leaving a carriage drove up to the dock, and young lady came up the gangway. She was well dressed and as pretty as q picture. An elderly gentleman accompanied her, whom l supposed to be her father. He bade her goodby Tffectionately, seeming loath to let her go. and. returning to his carriage, drove away.
 We had hardly got out of sight of land before one of the passengers, a young man not much older than her self. began to show her Il great deal of attention. Whether this was their first meeting or not no one knew. If he was an old acquaintance and they had happened to meet on the voyage. no one knew. Some ladies questioned her about it. but got no satisfaction. She told one lady that she was going abroad to marry an EngliShman. He was q wealthy cotton spinner thrice her age. The wedding day was set to take place in New York; but the groom eXpcctant had cabled that matters had arisen in his business to delay his coming. It was therefore arranged between him and the girls father that she should go to him. Her father was her only liv- ing relative and could not go with her; therefore she must go alone.
 It looked to the passengers who took notice of the attentions of the young man who was supposed to have made her acquaintance that he was becom- ing dangerous to the man who was awaiting his intended in England. But none of them except the officers who wore more on deck at night knew that the couple sat late in coZy corners every night during the voyage long after every one not connected with the ship had turned in. I spent my even ingS below and usually at work on my accounts but one night l went up, stumbled on the couple unawares and saw the young man with his arm about the girls waist 1 made up my mind that fer q bride going to meet the bridegroom she was tramping on dan gerCuS ground.
 Two days before our arrival in Eng land the girl disappeared. She was seen last about 10 o'clock at night by stewardess In the saloon. The young man who had been devoted to her was in the smoking room that night from half past till II. Several persons said they were there with him. At II he went to his room and turned in. There ~as 2 roommate with him, who said that the young man woke him up at II to ask him the time, saying that his watch had run down. Then he un- dressed and turned in. The roommate declared that he was a light sleeper and any one leaving the room would have awakened him. Therefore the young man was in his berth all night. Furthermore, his roommate heard him snore often during the night.
 The girl was not missed till the next day at noon. She did not appear at breakfast, and, being absent at lunch, she was inquired for. Her room was visited. She was not there. A search was made She could not be found aboard the ship.
 Of course every one suspected the young man of having something to do with her disappearance till he cleared himself of that suspicion. l confess 1 was puzzled He showed distress. but not the distress of nourner. Still, as he was supposed To have first met the girl on the ship, he could not be cX- pected to grieye inordinatoly Had he thrown her overheard? If SC, when could he have done it? The general opinion was that she had either gone overheard in her sleep or had commit ted suicide.
 Her fiance was at the dock to meet her and showed genuine distress at her loss. The young man who had been attentive to her contrived to get ashore without meeting him. Indeed, when he went ashore no one saw him so far as could be discovered
 The sequel to the story was told me by a man who had crossed with us on that trip, He had gone a few years later to Rio de Janciro ill connection with the coffee business. In the owner of coffee plantation he recognized the