The New York herald., 1921-01-17
MT. VERNON WOMAN
GONE; NO TRACE LEFT
Mrs. Berentsen. Put into Bed
by Nurse. Disappears Soon
Afterward.

Richard Berentsen, an executive in
the Alexander Smith & Sons Carpet
Company and well known in West Ches-
ter asked the police of Mount Vernon
yesterday to begin a search for his wife.
Mrs. Ella T.. Berentsen, aged A. who
disappeared late Saturday night from
their home, 259 Primrose avenue. In the
exclusive Chester Hill section of that
town. Mrs. Bercntsen had been u pa
tient in a private sanitarium for several
weeks and had been taken to her home
to see her husband and their two small
children.
The woman's disappearance is one of
the most mysterious yet brought to the
attention OF the police.
George G.. Atwel chief OF the Mount
Vernon police, who is directing tn
search Yin that city. sent Detective Ser
geant Newton Curtis to New York city
Police Headquarters late last night
with the request that the city detectives
assist in the solution of the case. 1t
was urged that the mystery be give
all possible publicity for the reason that
Mrs. Berentsen has been a familiar fig
urc in hotel life and may be staying at
one of the Manhattan hostelries
Curtis. in reporting the disappearance.
-
vous breakdown some months ago and
had been in the care of specialists. Sh'
was well enough last week to leave the
sanitarium for a visit TO her Mount
Vernon home
Dinner was served early Saturday
night because physicians had ordered
Mrs. Berentsen not to tire herself by
remaining up late, and at . o'clock Il
nurse who had accompanied her from
the sanitarium prepared her for bed. A
few minutes later the nurse repor teu
that her charge was asleep.
But at . 80 o'clock Mr.. Berentsen
went upstairs and looked into his wife's
room to make sure she was asleep. As
he turned on a light in the hall he saw
that the bed was unoccupied and that
his wife was not in the room.
The servants were aroused and for
the next half hour the grounds around
the house were searched carefully.
Neighbors in the Chester Hill colony
joined in the task and the entire section
was gone over. There was no trace OF
Mrs. Berentsen. Her husband called
Mount Vernon Police Headquarters and
policemen were securing the roads lead
ing from the town.
An examination of the room from
which Mrs. Berentsen disappeared
showed that she had remained in bed
only a few minutes. The servants were
questioned, but they all said they had
heard no one moving about on the upper
floors Mr. Berentsen was in the library
from the time he left the dining room
until he went up to see whether his
wife was asleep.
1t was discovered that Mrs. Berentsen
dressed herself in most OF the clothing
she wore at dinner Ii included brown
velvet evening gown trimmed with white
satin and lace, a white woollen sweater.
full length sealskin coat trimmed with
beaver and a large black picture hat.
She took with her an overnight bag con-
tanning "A toilet set.
So far as Mr.. Berentsen could deter
mine. according to Detective Curtis, his
wife had no money and only two articles
of jewelry, a breastpin and small gold
watch. He said II would be possible for
her to obtain funds at any one of the
hotels where they are known.