The New York herald., 1922-09-16
FUGITIVE 20 YEARS
IS BURIED AT Home
Garrison Laid to Rest at
Midnight in Grave at
Bridgeton, N. j.
WAS COUNTY, CLERK
Fled With Woman He
Loved, Taking $4,000 and
Leaving Wife.
OFTEN LONGED TO RETURN
Reported to Have Settled in
Australia-Wanted Grave
Near Home Folks.
OFTEN LONGED TO RETURN

Special Dispatch to THE New York HERALD.
BRIDGEToN, N. j.. Sept. 15.-After
roaming the world a fugitive for more
than twenty years, William o. Gar
rison now lies buried in an unmarked
grave in a peaceful country cemetery
near his old home town, from which
he disappeared mysteriously when a
young man with $4,000 public funds
and young woman with whom he
was in love.
His death and burial arc all covered
by the same mystery that concealed
his life from the day he walked out
of the office of the County Clerk
August IL, 1902. one of the leading
public men in Cumberland county. and
bade good-by to his wife and friends,
saying he was on his way to Salt Lake
City to attend a convention.
Now southern New Jersey is telling
again the story of his absconding and
is trying to uncover a corner of the
mystery that has been the subject of
household gossip for years. Men who
now prominent and wealthy. are known
to be almost the only ones who are
silent and indifferent about these
stories They are men whose names
have always been linked in Cumberland
county with the scandal and mystery.
Bridgeton never has understood the dis
appearance of the 60 900 bond that Gar
rison had given when he became County
tar of
made to find him.
Buried at Midnight.
From two different sources 1t has be-
come known recently that Garrison died
last spring and that his last wish was
that his body be sent to the country
which he roamed as a boy. that he
might find his last rest among the home
folks from whom he was exiled by his
old crime.
Those who know the facts of the
burial have refused to say more than
that the body was shipped here secretly
and buried at midnight In a country
cemetery and now lies in an unmarked
grave. Officials and others admit this.
but declare they will not make known
where and how they obtained the in
formation, or the exact spot in which
Garrison Is buried.
Member OIL u prominent family IN
southern Jersey and married to the
daughter of well known family, young
Garrison was a leading citizen even in
his early manhood and quickly won
office. When the shortage was found in
his office 1t was weeks after he had
gone away. Then. too, IL was found the
bond had disappeared. There were anx-
ious days in Brdgeton for some of the
County Clerks associates. 1t developed
that he had for years been using public
money for stock speculation.
Sent Letters Back Home.
The young woman who went with him
was confidential clerk in his office.
Whether he married her eventually is
not known. There are two stories. one
is that they were married in Arizona and
later went to California. The other tale
is that they went TO Australia, where he
was supposed to have died last spring.
But whether he died in California or
Australia is not known positively. or IL
known is not revealed. He left letter
for his family that told what he had
done when he was thousands of miles
away. and II always had been hinted that
one or two letters came back home from
him years after he disappeared. These
told OF his wanderings and his longing
for his native land and old friends. and
II Is believed that longing never left his
mind and was expressed in his last wish
to be buried here
There appears to be no disposition
among his relatives or friends TO go
deeper into the mystery.