The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1914-11-26
LOST IN A BIG CITY
In New York Thousands Of Per-
sons Vanish Every Year.
MYSTERY OF TIE MISSING.

Nsy ~ ~ g
the Police Fail TO Find and Whose
Dead Bodies DO Not Arrive at the
Moraue Is an UnsolVable Enigma.
More than $500 persons are reported
10 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
stauons I'm the local precincts, and
those cases are handled by the pre-
cIuct authorities. But the reports OF
missing visitors. regardless of where
made originally, ultimately go TO the
bureau Of missing persons ut police
headquarters
Information from official sources
shows that minors constitute approx
matcly two.thlrds OF the New York
residents stated 20 be missing annu.
ally The "rmuining one.third IN com
posed chiefly Of men.
n Is estimated that more than n
hnlf Of the $500 are located by the po-
lice, dead or alive. or return 10 their
homes soon after disappearance, mott.
Acation Of the return being sent TO tho
officials. OF the remainder IL In esd.
mated that 20 least one-half ultimately
arrive back home IN safety, but no no
tlhCatlon Of the fact is sent 70 the 20
lice.
This leaves about $50 persons Der
year who utterly vanish. What be-
comes OF thcm IS one Of the mysteries
Of the metropolis. They disappear as
though they We're so many bubbles.
Some Of them doubtless kill themselves
or nrc killed. their bodies never being
discovered. Some Of them. IL may be
set down for certain. run away from
th,.r matrimonial mates. But what the
fate is Of the great mass OF them no
man can say
OF the large number Of minors who
figure each year as missing, police
officials state that the big majority
arc youths and girls between the ages
OF fifteen and twenty. They are often
wage Farmers, disgruntled with con-
ditions AZ home. either because they
have TO give what they consider too
large II proportion Of their wages to
the family e]1chcquer or because they
think their parents too strict with
them In the matter OF pleasure seek
ing.
OF the 1000 residents OF other places
for whom the police are annually ask
ed TO look, a considerable percentage
are men who have come to New York
70 End relaxation from the workaday
grind In the gayetics OF Broadway.
They get into the whirl OF things
rather more than 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 "a bit OF head.
ache, perhaps, and a determination
not 70 seek relaxation quite so per.
s~istently on the next New York visit,
Other strangers 10 the city get sepa.
rated from their friends In the sub
way or on the elevated or get lost In
the streets, ana! then the police are
asked To lind tho missing ones. Immi.
grants In transit from European coun
tries TO inland points in the United
States frequently wander or from the
parties 20 which they are attached
and have % be- found through the me.
dunn Of the police
In the course OF II year the police
receive scores ~ letters from foreign
countries iuluiring about friends or
relatives OF the writer's who were last
heard from 10 New York. From Fan.
Zibar aud FROM India. from Australia
and from Egypt, from Europe, from
South America, come letters OF inquiry.
The proportion = these n~onresidents
or New York never 20 be heard OF
again as estimated 10y the police IL
ABOUT the same rs In the case OF New
l"fR citizens That Is. something more
than one hI.f OF the 1000 are located
uy ID" pole" ~ return 10 their friends,
me police being So notified About one
mar or th" remainder finally reach
lheIT friends am right. IL ~ estimated.
the pole" not being notified. This
leaves approximately 30 visitors TO
New York who vanish yearly without
anything whatever being known OF
their rate. with the $50 New Workers.
who absolutely disappear. there is thus
a total IN round figures OF LOO per.
sous VINO every twelve months are lost
10 sight ma utterly as though hey had
stepped behind a magic curtain. .
me bureau Of unidentified dead has
MADE u collection OF the marks put on
clothing hy all luundrieg In New York.
When n body IL found which has no
means OF Identification except through
Iauhdry marks the marks are com
pared with those on file IN the bureau. |
lf the Victims clothes prove 20 have
been Numbered In New York the laun.
ury Is visited and from examination Of
~ DOCKS II Is usually possible TO trace
the Identity Of the dead person.
Names OF toilors and OF clothing |
mahliacturcrs also lead to many iden.
uhcations. Tattoo MARY have in sew. /
cru! instances meant Identification. A .
majority OF the unidentified daad ar. !