Gunnison news-champion., 1924-01-11
HIS TuRYS
MYSTERIES
TsiE MISSING aaEssENcER

TT WAS % June II, 1904. ehat Kent
= Leomis brother q .. b. Loomis.
the assistant secretary Of state, sniIetl
from New York sn hoard the Kaiser
Wilhelm n. bearing with him the text
cf treaty between tie United States
and Abyssinla-a treaty Concerning
which these had been much conjecture
and speculation On the part Of certain
European powers.
Under ordinary circumstances Loom.
Is would have taken his wife and child
with him: on this occasion. he con-
sidered II best to leave them behind
In Parkersburg. W. v. both on account
Of the fact that he Was on a dIplO
matte mission aud because he Intended
to participate in some big-R hunt.
ing after delivering the treaty to King
Menelik.
Nothing unusual occurred on the
trip until the morning Of June 20. the
day on which the steamer was due to
dock at Plymouth. England. II wns
then noted that Loomis' seat at the
captains table was empty and
steward was dispatched To mud out II
he were III. A few minutes later the
steward returned with the news thu,
Loomis' berth had not been occupied
and an immediate search Of the ship
was ordered-but without bringing e.
light the slightest trace Of the repre-
sentative Of the American government
Severn: passengers volunteered the
Information that they had seen
LoomIs on deck snortly after mid
night and william =. Ellis. cabin
mate and travelling companion Of the
missing passenger. declared that his
friends absence from the cabin had
not alarmed him because Of the fact
that Loomis had come In at . fairly
late hour on several previous evenings.
British onicials at Plymouth and the
French officers at Cherbourg repeated
the search Of the steamer. but In vain.
Nothing was missing from the cabin
save the suit which L.0omis was wear
ing at the time and even the fat dis
patch boz which contained the text Of
the treaty was found concealed be-
Seath a-pils Of clothing In ons corner
q Loomis' trunk. Investigation d.
veloped the fact. however, that the
State department messenger had been
In the habit Of carrying this boz In
his pocket and had laid II aside on the
previous evening only because It made
an unseemly bulge In the dress clothes
which he had donned n honor Of TIE
captains dinner.
During the next few weeks rumors
Of all kinds filled the press on both
sides Of the Atlantic. Loomis had gone
suddenly mad and had been placed In
sanatorium. He had slipped OF the
steamer at Plymouth disguised - .
second-class passenger. He was the
victim Of q clique Of international
spies who. baked in their attempt to
secure possession Of the text Of the
treaty. were holding him for ransom.
He was stlll confined In the hold Of
the Kaiser Wilhelm-and SO ON to the
limit Of the lmiginations Of those who
like to use fact - basis for fiction.
But all these reports were set at
rest when. on the morning Of July 10
Just thirty.two days after Loomis
had sailed from New York. body
was washed up at Warren Point.
about fifteen miles from Plymouth.
Belisving that the body was that of'a
common sailor. the local police were
about to inter II without further cere-
mony, when, from the watch-p pocket
Of the trousers there dropped . water.
scaled bit Of pasteb0ard. upon which
was barely dIscernible the name.
sKent J. Loomis."
Careful exgmination Of the body
developed the fact that. under the
right ear. there was circular wound
which appeared to have been inhlcteo
before death and a pOst-mortem ex.
animation Of The lungs Of the dead
man showed conclusively that death
had been due to the blow which had
resulted In this wound. rather than to
Drowning. The physicians were d.
vided In their opinion ~ to whether
the blow had been delivered By an In
strument similar to . blackjack or
whsther Loomis might have fallen and
struck his head against . projecting
portion Of IL ironwork on the steam
er. Examinatien of the Kaiser VIII
helm's log showed. however. that the
sea had beea extremely calm on the
night that Lcomls came to his death
and that there had NOT been enough
ron to cause anyone to. lose his foot
Ing. Besides, there was the evidence
of the manner in which the body was
clothed. The coat was missing. the
collar had been torn partly away and
there were other signs Of rough treat
ment before Loonis had struck the
water.
1t was therefore practically certain
that the messenger had been muir
dered. But who had killed him-and
whyf Had he been struck down ~
account ef the money be was carrying
or because of the treaty. waa biz
death . forecast Of the World war
which was 70 follow twelve years
iateff
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