The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1914-10-08
LOST IN A BIC CITY
In New York Thousands OF Per.
sons Vanish Every Year.
MYSTERY OF THE MISSING.

hhah Ffb0V UFTrOut arc TtDOTttU
10 the New York police every year MS
missing. or these about 1850 nre 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-
etnct authorities. But the reports Of
missing visitors. regardless OF where
made originally, ultimately 20 TO the
bureau Of missing persons at police
headquarters.
Information from official sources
shows that minors constitute approx.
mately two-thirds Of the New York
residents stated to be missing annu.
ally. The remaining one-third In com.
posed chiefly of men.
II Is estimated that more than one
half OF the $500 are located by the po-
lice, dead or alive. Dr. return 10 theiI
homes soon after disappearance. mott.
6cation of the return being sent to the
ofacials. or the remainder IL IL est.
mated that ut least one-half ultimately
arrive back home In safety. but no no
tifcation OF the fact IL sent to the po.
lice.
This len res 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 80 many bubbles.
Some OF them doubtless kill themselves
or are killed. their bodies never being
discovered. Some Of them, IL may be
set down for certain, run away from
their matrimonial mates. But what the
fate is OF the great mass Of them no
man can say.
or the large number OF minors who
figure each year as missing. police
officials state that the big majority
are youths aud girls between the ages
Of fifteen and twenty. They are often
wage earners. disgruntled with con
ditions at home, either because they
have to give what they consider too
large q proportion OF their wages to
the family exchequer or because they
think their parents too strict with
them In the matter OF pleasure seek.
Ing.
OF the 1000 residents Of other places
Tor whom the police are annually ask.
ID to look. a considerable percentage
are men who have come to New York
70 ind relaxation from the workaday
grind In the gayeties 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 friyolity
turn MP all right, with a bit Of head.
ache. perhaps. and a determination
not TO seek relaxation quite 80 per.
sistently on the next New York visit.
Other strangers to the city get sepa.
rated from thelF friends In the sub
way or Oh 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 OF from the
parties to which they are attached
and have TO be found through the me
dunn Of the police.
In the course Of a year the police
receive scores Of letters from foreign
countries inquiring about friends or
relatives OF the writer's who were last
beard from In New York. From Fan.
xfear and from India, from Australia
and from Egypt, from Europe, from
south America. come letters OF inquiry.
The proportion OF these n~onresidents
or New York never TO be heard of
again rs estimated by the police Is
about the same as In the case OF New
York citizens. That liz. something more
than one-half Of the 1000 are located
by the police or return 10 their friends.
the police being so notified. About one.
half OF the remainder finally reach
their friends oil right, 1t Is estimated,
tho police not being notified. This
leaves approximately $50 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
q total In round figures Of LOO per.
sons who every twelve months are lost
10 sight as utterly as 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 IL found which has no
means OF Identification except through
laundry marks the marks are com
pared with those on hle In the bureau.
lf the victims clothes prove to have
been Numbered In New York the lsun-
dry Is visited, and from examination of
is books II Is usually possible TO trace
the identity Of the dead person.
Names Of tailors and OF clothing
manufacturers also lead TO many iden.
dhcatons. Tattoo marks have | n sew
oral instances meant Identification. A
majority OF the unidentified dead are
found In the water. Most OF them are
eoubtiess suicides. Others Of the uni.
Identified cases are due to street car ac-
ctdents. suicide by gas and sudden
death In the street from natural causes:
Photographs are taken OF all bodies
prove OF much aid In making iden-
uncaton. In occasional instances iden-
dAcatton from p~hotographs has reault