The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1914-05-21
LOST IN A BIC CITY
In New York Thousands Of Per-
sons Vanish Every Year.
MYSTERY OF THE MISSING.

30 the New York police every year az
missing. or these about $500 are res.
idents Of the city, while the remainder
are visitors.
The New Workers who vanish from
their homes are reported to the police
stations IN the local precincts, and
those cases are handled by the pre-
cinet authorities. hut the reports of
missing visitors, regardless OF where
made originally, ultimately go TO the
bureau OF missing persons nc police
headquarters.
Information from Official sources
shows that minors constitute approx.
mately two-thlrds OF the New York
residents stated to be missing annu.
ally. The remaining one-third In com.
posed chiefly of men.
IL In estimated that more than one
half Of the $500 are located by the po.
lice. dead or alive, or return 10 their
homes soon after disappearance, mott.
hcation OF the return being sent to the
officials. or the remainder II IL esti.
mated that nc least one-half ultimately
arrive back home In safety, but no no
tifcation Of the fact IL sent 10 the 20.
lice.
This leaves about $50 persons per
year who utterly vanish. What be-
comes of them Is one OF the mysteries
OF the metropolis. They disappear as
though they were 30 many bubbles.
Some of them doubtless kill themselves
or are killed, their bodies never being
discovered. Some of them. II may be
set down for certain, run away from
their matrimonial mates. but what the
fate IL OF the great mass OF them no
man car say.
or the large number OF minors who
figure Zach year as missing, police
officials state that the big majority
are youths and girls between the ages
OF fifteen and twenty. They are often
wage earners, d~isgruntled with o n
ditions at home, either because they
have 10 give what they consider too
large a proportion OF their wages to
the family exchequer or because they
think their parents too. strict with
them I'm the matter OF pleasure seek
ing.
OF the 1000 residents OF other places
for whom the police are annually ask
ed to look, n considerable percentage
are men who have come to New York
10 find relaxation from the w~orkaday
grind In the gayeties of Broadway.
They get into the whirl OF things
rather more han they Intended and
are lost to their friends view for q
few days. Ultimately most Of these
wanderers In the fields OF frivolity
turn up all right. with u bit of head.
ache, perhaps, and u determination
not to seek relaxation quite 30 per.
sistently on the next New York visit.
Other strangers TO the city get sepa.
rated from their friends In the sub
way or on the elevated or get lost In
the streets, and then the police are
asked to find the missing ones. Immi
grants In transit from European coun-
tries to inland points In the United
States frequently wander on from the
parties TO which they are attached
and have to DO found through the me.
dunn OF the police.
In the course of q year the police
aV~SA'V otVht Va ictttin iiOhi toEtiku
countries inquiring about friends or
relatives OF the writer's who were last
heard from In New York. From Ian.
zibar and from India, from Australia
and from Egypt, from Europe. from
South America, come letters Of inquiry.
The proportion Of these nonresidents
or New York never 10 be heard Of
| AOain M aatlpnaeaH h, sk. Azllaa a..
about the same as In the case Of New
York citizens. That is. something more
than one-half of the 1000 are located
by the police or return to their friends,
the police being so notified. About one.
half OF the remainder finally reach
their friends all right. 1t is estimated.
he police not being notified. This
leaves approximately 900 visitors to
New York who vanish yearly without
anything whatever being known Of
their fate. With the $50 New Workers
who absolutely disappear. there Is thus
a total IN round figures OF LOO per.
sons who every twelve months are lost
I o sight as utterly rs though they had
stepped behind a magic curtain.
The bureau OF unidentified dead has
made a collection OF the marks put on
clothing by all laundries in New York.
When a body Is found which has no
means OF identification except through
laundry marks the marks are com.
pared with those on Ole In the bureau.
II the victims clothes prove TO have
been Numbered In New York the laun.
dry Is visited, and from examination Of
Its books II Is usually possible to trace
the identity OF the dead person.
Names OF tailors ana OF clothing
manufacturers also lend TO many iden.
tiications. Tattoo marks have In sew.
eral instances meant Identification. A
majority OF the unidentified dead are
found In the water. Most OF them are
doubtless suicides. Others OF the uni.
Identified cases are due 10 street car nc.
cidents. suicide by gas and sudden
death in the street from natural causes
| nAA ..s.A a. - sl.n ~ la-.