New-York tribune., 1912-01-18
Missing Captain, Known Here as
Donald Douglas, Sailed for
NaguabO, Porto Rico,
Saturday.
LEFT A SIGNED CONFESSION
Says He Disappeared Because
He Wished His Wife to Be-
lieve Him Dead-Made
Money Here in Engi-
neering Businesses.

0enSDuTS, y, L, VINO was Suppo9'N ~
have been drowned in the st. Lawrence
River in June, 1910, and was discov-
cred Thursday to have been living in
New York City under the name OF
Donald Douglas, sailed for Naguaoo'
Porto Rico Saturday. 1t is believed
that a woman accompanied him.
The announcement of the discovery
and Identification of Captain Cruik-
shank was made Tuesday night by
George W. Fuller, the attorney OF Mrs.
Cruikshank. and was apparently held
back FIVE days to give Cruikshank a
chance to escape notoriety.
Cruikshank was one of the most
prominent mechanical engineers in TINS
state. Besides a large acquaintance
among men Of that profession, he was
known widely in national guard CIR
cles also. His disappearance in the
summer of 1910 was widely noted oe-
cause of this double prominence ana
the finding of a battered canoe in Whlch
he had gone out on the river al Iehg'h
confirmed the idea that he had Deeh
drowned. Life insurance was pald 10
lis wife upon the proofs submitted ana
memorial services were held for MIN IN
his home town.
From Cruikshank's own story, as told
10 Mr.. Fuller it appears that CrulK-
shank manufactured the evidence of his
supposed death by drowning and went
10 Minnesota after disappearing from
tn Missouri and
finally coming to New York early last
summer His confession was as loI-
lows:
When l became convinced that the mill MN
tdry school that | had founded at MOTIFS
town WAS a failure, all my courage anu
ambition left me / was in dent. / am
proud man and hated to face DankrupiC!'
FOR d time / thought of taking my own ~,
oct / finally summoned enough HahHpou u"
put that idea out of my mind.
Says He Planned Disappearance.
Finally l thought out the plan Of dis
appearing in such a way mat l NOulu uS
thought dead. In that way / inquired IL OUT
that my wife could collect the money com,
ing on my several insurance policies ana
sne and the child would be provided Tor.
on the night of June r. 1910, deter
mined no carfy m, plans into effect. The
beautiful farm property where % Hsu
located the military school was TWO Hlies
up the river from the village OF MOTIFS, ,hs,
town. ] left the house, telling my "nesi,ttidl t
/ was going to row down TO the Nlildss
for supplies | took two raincoais. one u
these 1 said I wanted to put over pdcA,
age that / expected TO ge' at the express
Vffice The other | wanted for mysef.
| went to ;he village ahd 10 IN. pos.
Office, / told the postmaster l had lorsol-
len nv KEYS and asked him to open my
letter box. He did So md ! took what
mail there was there for me- ] did not go
10 the express Office but to the railroad
ticket office here / bought S2p nlle2 Se
book | told the ticket agent that | was
going TO take my family away on a ShoI
visit 10 another part OF the state pun
poselv stopped and talked with several pei F,
sons on the way home, so that they would
br able TO say that they mad seen NE aIle'-
ward. ,,,
4 am not sure IS to the time but ! think think
n was about S o'clock when ] started away.
! roWed out for two miles. Then J put mo
the bank, overturned the light boat Ihat
I had set il adrift and threw one OF the
overcoats into the river. hoping that IL
would ne picked up Before casting the
boat loose / splintered an oar. J wanted
the searchers to find 1t. and expected that
they would conclude that | fell from the
boat when | shattered the oar. II seems
now that everything went as planned
After I had left these clews ] walked All
the wav TO Alexandra Bay, rIoln lle, .l
took boat 10 Lewiston. ] did not stay
there long as IL was too near nome ana
there seemed little chance of getting Woik
] was willing TO do most anythlns, All
save a little money and then go TO New
York and open the office that nave
opened.
From Lewiston went 10 Buffalo, and al
most as soon as ! tried got work on a
boat running 20 Cleveland. There ] solclt-
ed for The National Guard Magazine
with success Representing that magazime
went all over the country visiting mill
tary centres. | spent my first winter in
Jake-of- -the-Woods. Mimi.
Begins 10 Make Money.
For time after that | worked at most
anything ! could get At one time ! was
clerk in lawyers office IN Warroad' Minn
Then ! went 10 Connecticut and worked as
a farmer there BY this time | had begun
10 accumulate money, and when | decided
10 cut out farming I went straight TO New
York ! opened an Office and organized
the Donald Douglas Engineering Company
II is 2 lucrative business and / have com
fortsnl2 apartments at No. lS West i5tf
! fully realize what have done. Wher
] did II I thought ! was acting for tho
best | was certain there was enough
money In the insurance 10 take care OF mS
family and | could 90 away snd begin life
over am sure now that nv wife COuit
never live happily with me again.
thought IL was best my wife should always
think ! was dead. I wish even now Mr.
Fuller. that YOU keep from her the fac
that Daniel Douglas and Barton Cruik
shank are one.
AdNtceS from Syracuse last night stat.
ed that Mr. Fuller had given informa
tion cf the finding Of Cruikshank TO Sur
rogate Alric r. Hartman. Of St. Law.
renee County by whom Cruikshank wa,
declared legally dead.
Mrs. Cruikshank was appointed execu
trix Of her husbands will four month
after his disappearance, and collecte'
nearly $4,000 insurance he held on hi
l.fe she has given notice that she vii
apply for "A decree reyoking her letter
ot administrators and has expressed he
willingness 10 file an accounting
AS Donald Douglas" Cruikshank wa
partner in two lines Of business in thi
city. With Percival 5. Whipple. an eiec
trical engineer. Douglas" formed part
nership IN a firm OF consulting engineers
and with II. a. Hall he organized al
engineers exchange" which develope
into a paying employment agency 70
engineers. Just before his hurried de
parture on Saturday Mr.. Hall bought on
Douglas" or Cruikshank. The caL
tain's arrangement with Whipple wa
mat a percentage Of the profits of tn
llrm were TO be forwarded TO him (
rorto Rico until Whipple felt that h
Neated TO buy him out.
Mystery Still ls Deep.
Even with these facts, supplements
w ne Confession signed by Cruikshanl