New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-24
DROWNED" MAN LIVES.
Inspector McCIusky Declares
PatroIman Planned Deception.
MAY BE- WOMAN IN CASE
Wife Says He Neglected Her, and
Circumstantial Story of Disap-
pearance Seems Complete.


pearance Seems Complete.
Deliberately planning TO cover his de-
sertion of his wife by making II appear
that he had been drowned. Patroman
Alexander s. HoaG. who lived at No. ~
Ninth avenue. Astoria, and was attached
to Traffic Squad G, is still alive. according
to Inspector McClusky who was ordered
by Commissioner Waldo to make an inves-
tigatio and who made public its result last
night. Another woman is concerned IN
the disappearance. it is believed. HodG
was appointed to the force in the spring OF
1907. when he was twenty-eight years old.
on August the members of the Traffic
Squad had an outing at Witzefs Grove
College Point Commissioner Waldo and
many other high police officials were there.
At 1890 that night. as the men were pre-
pairing 20 go home, a suit Of clothes, con-
tanning Patroman Hoag's shield his police
book of rules and other papers, evidently
the property of tho patrOlman, were found
in n bathing house. 1t was at once
thought that he had been drowned.
Hoags wife. Agnes. was called To the
grove and she identified the clothes as
those Of her husband, and became hys-
terical when informed that he was drowned
Commissioner Waldo told Inspector Nc
clusliy and Captain Ormsby. Of the College
Point station, n make thorough invest-
cation of the patrolman's death. For two
days police department boats dragged the
river for miles around Witzels Grove in
tho hope Of finding the body.
Inspector Runs on Clew.
While this investigation was going on.
Inspector McClusky said last night. on Au-
gust ne obtained some remarkable testi-
mory pertaining to the case He said Mrs
Witzel. wife of the proprietor Of the grove.
and Frank Werl stableman. told him
that on August ; they saw man enter
the stable Al the grove carrying a wooden
FOX. They watched him and saw him come
out Of the stable without the box
Mrs. Wtzel instructed Werli 10 go into
the stable and bring out the box This was
done, aud they found the box contained
suit Of mems clothes. suit OF white I'M
derwear and a straw hat. They then took
the box, with IT'S contents. into the house
occupied by Mrs. WitZel The next day
Mrs. Wltzel and the stabieman saw the
same man who brought the box come back
for II. Werli intercepted him.
Are YOU the man who brought box
into the stable Yesterday he inquired
Tho man answered that he was. and said
The wanted the box. When asked why he
had left the box at the stable. the man
answered that he wanted to use it that day
ard asked that It be turned over to him.
Mrs. Witzel gave him the box and accord
f,.N,.a tod
by Werli, tho man entered bath house.
His Pictures Identified.
on August u. Inspector McClusky, Cap
tain Ormsby and lIoag's brother-in-law,
Patrolman Merle, OF the Arsenal station,
took a dozen photographs Of the missing
patrolman and went To WitzePs Grove.
where, according to the inspector, Mrs.
Witzel and Werl absolutely identified the
photographs as those of the man they had
seen bring the box Of clothes into the sta
bic and as the man who had called for Il
and disappeared with the box into the bath
house in which Hoas's clothes and shield
were later found
This, Inspector McClusky said last night.
firmly convinced him that Hoag had de-
Iiberately planned the disappearance and
had been identified Mrs. Hoag was in
formed OF the result Of the investigation.
At first she insisted that II couldn't be pos
sibe. but after hearing the testimony gath
cred by the inspector and Captain Ormsby,
she agreed with them that her husband
had not been drowned. they say, and then
gave IA more valid foundation to the motive
for the disappearance that Inspector Nc
Clusky had built when he made the dis
covery Of the clothes.
They had been married for some years
and had no children. and Mrs Hoag said
her husband had always been a most duti-
full and loving husband, and both were i'm
love with each other until. Here she
broke down and told Inspector McClusky
that for about four months before her hus-
band disappeared he had been staying
away from home until the early hours Of
the morning. and in other ways had not
seemed the same to her.
Inspector McClusky said, now that proof
Of such a nature had been found showing
that Hoag was not drowned, ne would be
tried and dismissed. Under the rules Of
the department, when a man stays away
from duty for more than five days without
giving reason, he IS automatically
dropped from the force. This will be done
at once. according To the inspector.