The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-08-04
CITY OF MYSTERIES
Over 10000 Disappear Every
Year in London.
Little Hope Of Discovery-sy Moving
Around tho Corner One Can Van.
lsh Completely, Declares a
Veteran Detective.

London.-The disappearance Of the
Memphis millionaire" Joseph WILDER
force Martin, in the hidden depths Of
London has served to remind the
whole world that the British capital
Is in many ways the best hiding place
that anybody can utilize.
The city Is so vast that the police
can only investigate any case on we'll
understood and we'll defined lines. A
smart man learns these lines. He
does not rush to the railroad depots
to get knocked down by an auto and
conveyed to hospital. He does not
take too much to drink and secrete
himself In a police cell. He merely
changes his name, his clothes and his
address. and II he does not provoke
feminine curiosity he Is as safe In
London as he would be In the desert
Of the Sahara
The best proof Of this will be found
in the fact that on the day that J. w.
Martin disappeared in London some
where about fifty other persons van.
ished. A similar number were lost
the day before, and q similar number
the day after. But no outcry was
raised on the subject As was told
at the police headquarters:
London does not boast or shout
about its mysteries. It is only whom
something really dramatic happens
and there are shrewd folks like the
Americans concerned In the solution
that real big stir Is made. Then
one realizes with start Of surprise
that somewhere about 10000 men and
women disappear every year within
that puzzling conglomeration of towns
and cities to which is given the magic
name Of London"
An cutlery was raised over the disap-
pearance of Antanas Vedegris.
wealthy Lithuanian, who came to Lon
don on business in January, and on
the 18th of that month visited a friend,
q priest, and has not been seen since.
Yet he was man of forty, could
speak English fairly well, and had a
physique that few 'toughs" would care
to tackle in the daylight He had
about $4,000 in his possession and
facilities for obtaining more money II
he wished to do so.
Some time ago two girl students
took rooms together in the west end.
One night they We're hanging pictures
and they found they had run short Of
nails. "I'll go out and get some" one
said. She went. just az she was, with.
out hat or coat. to little store round
the corner, while her companion set
about preparing the evening meal.
The girl never returned. Inquiries
showed that she did not visit the store,
and she has not been heard of since.
London has cloaks enough to hide
10 an Sherliker contends. III you
want to disappear all you need do h
to move around the corner Very few
people in the metropolis are on speak
Ing terms with those who live In the,
next nat or in the next house. There
have been several cases In recent
years of policemen having resided In
tia same block as men who were
wanted for some notorious crime, and |
fhere is an instance on record Of a
wealthy ex-convict who vanished, as.
sumed disguise and another name.
became . property owner and actual.
" leased house to the Judge who
some years before had sentenced him
to penal servitude."