Rock Island Argus., 1914-01-22
LOST IN A BIC CITY.
In New York Thousands of Per-
sons Vanish Every Year.

]
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-
! cinct authorities. But the reports of
missing visitors. regardless of where
made originally. ultimately go 10 the
bureau OF missing persons at police
headquarters.
Information from official sources
shows that minors constitute approx
mateiy two-thirds OF the New York
residents stated to be missing annu-
ully. The remaining one-thlrd is COM
posed chiefly OF men.
II Is estimated that more than one
half of the $500 are located by the DO
lice, dead or alive. or return TO their
homes soon after disappearance, not.-
1cation Of the return being sent to the
officials. OF the remainder it is esti.
mated that at least one-half ultimately
arrive back home in safety. but no no.
tificatiOn OF the fact is sent to the po-
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 so many bubbles
Some of them doubtless kill themselves
or are killed. their bodies never being
discovered. Some of them, it 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 and girls between the ages
of fifteen and twenty. They are often
wage earners, disgruntled with con-
at home, either because they
have TO 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 in the matter of pleasure seek
Ing.
OF the 900 residents of other places
for whom the police are annually ask
ed to look, n considerable percentage
Ire men who have come to New York
10 find relaxation from the workaday
grind in the gayeties of Broadway
They get into the whirl OF things
-ather more than they intended and
ire lost to their friends view for a
'ew days. Ultimately most of these
in the fields of frivolity
urn up all right, with a bit of head
Iche, perhaps. and determination /
lot to seek relaxation quite so per I
ist"ntly on the next New York visit.
Otl'Hr strangers to the city get sepa- /
ated from their friends in the sub I
ray or on the ELEVATED or get lost in
he streets, and then the police are
Sked to find the missing ones. Immi-
rants I'm transit from European coun-
ries TO inland points in the United
tates frequently wander off from the
arties to which they are attached
nd have to be found through the me
ium of the police.
In the course Of n year the police
eceive scores of letters from foreign
Duntries inquiring about friends or
slatives of the writers who We're last
card from in New York. From Zan-
bar and from India. from Australia
nj from Egypt, from Europe. from
,uth America. come letters of inquiry
The proportion OF these nonresidents
New York never TO be heard of |
gain as estimated by the police IS
bout the scme as in the case of New
ork citizens. That is. something more
ian one-half of the 1000 are located
: the police or return to their friends,
e police being so notified. About one
III Of the remainder finally reach
cir friends all right. it is estimated.
e police not being notified. This
aves approximately $50 visitors to
ew York who vanish yearly without
lything whatever being known Of
cir fate. With the $50 New Workers \
ho absolutely disappear, there is thus
total in round figures OF LOO per.
ms who every twelve months are lost
sight as utterly as though they had
apped behind n magic curtain.
The bureau OF unidentified dead has
lde a collection of the marks put on G
Ithing by all laundries in New York. n
hen a body Is found which has no
cans OF Identification except through
Jndry marks the marks are COM =
red with those on file in the bureau.
the victims clothes prove TO have
en- laundered in New York the laun- n
= is visited. and from examination of G
books II is usually possible to trace 81
, identity OF the dead person. L
Names OF tailors and OF clothing hi
Inufacturers also lead to many iden-
cations. Tattoo marks have in sew b.
Il instances meant Identification. A ki
fority OF the unidentified dead are NJ
ind in the water. Most Of them are ~
Ibtless suicides. Others OF the uni
ltifed cases are due TO street car ac-
ents. suicide by gas and sudden
rb in fhe street from natural causes ei
otographs are taken of all bodies IN
prove OF much aid in making iden- N
,otion. In occasional instances jden- cl
cation from photographs has result III
even after burial in potter's field