Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-11-01
ONLY H0Fl TO FIND
BODY OF DIR. SAMPSON
DR.. Vinson Returns After Vain
Search for His Old.Time Friend
and Associate.
GOVERNMENT ALSO AIDEI
Must Now Wait Until Heat Of Next
summers Sun Melts Snow Before
Looking Further for Remains Of
Missing Educator.

AUSTIN, TENAS. October 3l.--Fricnds
anu relatives of DR. Thornton II. Samp-
son. of Austin. former president OF
Fredericksburg College. who strangely
disappeared In the mountains of Estes
lark. Col. Il month ago. have given
UP all hope Of finding him alive or
OF recovering his body untIl the heat
OF n"N, summers sun shall have melted
the Slow which has already fallen in
the higher attitudes uf that rough and
r"mot" rca'o:
| III. sampson Was uuC Of the best
Knows educator" IL i',.Nas. lie was
promincntiy identiti"i with every pro
arcssivc movement THAI had for it's
purpose the advancement oil the States
citizenship. Hc founded The prcsly-
terrain seminary here several years ;t:to
and he held the life CHAIR of c:,urch
history IN that institution ut the time
GOT his disappearance. lie was a wide
! traveller and fond OF adventure. Only
two years ago he made Il horseback
trip nl"n. from Cheyenne. Wyo. to
Austin. II has been his custom for sew
"rai Years 10 spend the summers in the
moun taius Of the West.
DIR. Il. l.. Ninson, president of the
Presbyterian Seminary here, former as
sucintc president of Union Thcological
seminary. Richmond. who has returned
from fruitiess search for his old-tim
friend and associate, says that every
thing possible has been done to find
the body of DR.. Sampson. The govern
mcnt, through Secretary OF Agriculture
Houston and other nigh officials rem
dcrcd assistance in the search.
DIR. VINSON DESCRIBES
SEARCH FOR HIS FRIEND
81 found" said Dr. Vinsou. that DIR.
Sampson left Grand Lake Thursday
September ., on the twenty -hve-milc
trip across the Continental Divide to
Estes Park. where n intended to at
tend the Estes Park dedication exer-
ciscs. His plan was to make the trip
In two days, and he WAS to spend
Thursday night at Fern I.nkc. on the
east side OF the Divide. and about half
way between Grand Lake and, Estes
Park.
Guide Clifford Highly passed DR..
Sampson. who was travelling alone. two
miles out from Grand Lake Thursday
morning. Highly was OH horseback
DR.. Sampson was walking, as he intend
ed to tramp the whole distance from
Grand Lake to Estes Park. The route
across the Divide and over the noun.
tains i'm that part Of the country is
marked every 100 yards by cairns. The
mountain tops are bare and no trail
would be disccrnible. When the wealth.
CT is clear. however the cairns are
easily diSccrnible. and ii is by this sys-
tenn Of route marking that travellers
are able to find their way.
Highly gave Or. Sampson directions
as TO the route and promised to leave
red bandanna andltcrchief and fur
! Their directions at n cairn to tho east of
Flat Top Mountain. The handk erchief
and directions. togcther with an arrow
pointing toward Fern Lake where DR.
Sampson expected to spend Thursday
night. were left az the guide had
promised. but DR.. Sampson never
reached that point: the directions were
found untouched.
! The last seen of tho lone Traveller
was Thursday afternoon. September
=, at o'clock, when party Of three
women and guide. returning from a
trip In the mountains. passed him at
little rest house built by the govern
ment at the edge Of the timber line
LOO feet below the ridge of the Con-
tinontal Divide. The party was re-
turning to Grand Lake over the route
along which Dr. Sampson had trav-
clcd. From the rest house where he
was last seen il is six miles to the
cairn. where Guide Highly left direc-
tons.