The New York herald., 1921-11-30

lowing radio message TO THE NEW YORK
HERALD yesterday n answer 70 a request
for information
'Col. c. w. Whitslesey, passenger New
York 70 Havana. disappeared from snip
during night OF Saturday. November &c.
lie left a letter addressed to me. giving
me various Instructions regarding ais
position OF his baggage, and also re-
quested me to send several wireless
messages which were quoted In his letter.
He also left nine letters addressed to
various relatives and friends, which
VIII send at Havana.
He appeared 10 be normal and in good
sririts when he left the smoking room
arcut II :l5 Saturday night to retire"
GRANT, Master
The Toloa is due at Havana to-day.
Key TO strong Box Missing.
Possibly the only point overlooked by
COL Whittlesey In his methodical prep
aration for disappearance was the
whereabouts OF the key to his strong
box in the vault of the Mercantile Safe
Deposit Company. He left u note In his
desk saying that the will was there, but
the key has not yet been found. It is
thought that information regarding 1t
may be in one of the letters 70 be
mailed from Havana. Col Whittlesey
dictated the will to a stenographer in
the offices OF White & Case. She thinks
the day was last Wednesday. The firm
Is u large one wills are constantly be-
ing executed in the Office, and no special
was seen In Col. Whittlesey'e
act. AS the stenographcr recalls IL, the
will, which she typed. was a short ore,
left all OF the estate TO his mother AMI
designated Mr.. Pruyn as executor.
Air. Little said Yesterday: Upon
receiving a wireless message from the
captain of the Toloa, enclosing a mes
sage from Col. Whltt,osey and asking
me TO lGok III tile upper right hand
drawer OF his desk and saying 81 shall
not be back ] opened the drawer.
found. that before leaving the Office he
had arranged in immaculate order the
papers relating TO twelve law cases that
were in his charge with notattons en-
abling other man in the office to go
right on with them without a moments
loss OF time.
II had known Col. Whittlesey for ten
years. He had the finest mind l have
ever known in a man Of his age. the
best gift OF analysis. With his whole
sense of duty. When the war was
over he would have preferred never to
have heard about it again. And yet be-
cause OF his reputation he had to keep
constantly in touch with the horrors
OF war. Disabled soldiers, mothers and
fathers OF the soldier dead, everybody
with n problem growing out OF the war
came to him, and he never turned any
one away. At all hours OF the day and
even at his home at nignl he was
counsellor and adviser of these troubled
souls. He attended funerals, visited
hospitals, visited fathers end mothers in
their homes.
''He said not word OF all this, l.ak
believe now that each incident was
leaving another scar on his mind. I
believe ho was burning up inside. I
told him that he was doing too much.
that he simply couldn't take UP this
last work for the Red Cross campaign,
but when they asked him he went. lie
hated speech making, but when he
thought it would help he did that too"
William r. Deegan. State Commander
of the American Legion, said last night
THE American Legion OF New York
has suffered grievous blow. Whittle-
most sympathetic men in the whole
legion and has been OF jnestimable value
to the organization in his efforts 70 bet
ter the condition OF wounded and dis
abled ex-serVice men.
Whether his death was voluntary is
not of moment. although the American
Legion knows OF no man who was so
completely busted with the care and con-
sideration of eX-Service men in trouble.
1t is easily conceivable that the burden
OF so many individual cases upon his
sympathetic nature may have been over
whelming. 1t should prove D. lesson to
the rest of us Americans that there is
still a great deal to be done for those
who suffered for all of u.s. The Ameri-
can Legion has lost 81 genuine friend
and worker. kilograms OF coincidence
have been sent from the State head
quarters to the family. We must take
upon our shoulders the tasks he had
himself struggled under"