The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-12-20
Man in Apparent Pursuit Of Girl
Refuses to 0lvuIge Race
Reasons
College Medical Student Creets
Salt Lake City Reporters
6elligerently

Berkeley, Calf, Dec. 20.-(P)-Ex-
cited because Of the publicity she has
received and weeping occasionally
Miss Ruth Mcconnell, Is. Of New
York, arrived here today on the over
land limited and took q taxicab for
an unannounced address.
F. E. Lane. Pullman conductor. said
the young woman had confided that
she was coming west forN q vacation
and to avoid marrying Kenneth b
Coulter, New York broker. Miss Nc
Connell was quoted as saying that
Coulter was not her uncle. as dis
patches from New York said, but was
an acquaintance who had sought hel
hand In marriage. Lane said the girl
told him she expected to go to San
Francisco and become music
teacher.
Dispatches from New York and
Omaha previously had said Miss Nc
Connell had been missing from home
for three weeks.
Miss Mcconnell lodged several re-
porters and camera men waiting al
Oakland to meet her by getting of
the train here.
San Francisco, Dec. N-(P)-Mys-
terry concerning the airplane dash
across half the United States in ap-
parent pursuit of girl deepened to-
day as the principals. who have re-
f,,cal int A,.yjouyc sooo enN %I,}s ri%~ ov.rl
contradictory reports Of the affair
continued.
Miss Ruth Mcconnell. ~, eluded
newspapermen as she passed through
Reno. New. on an overland train last
night, considerable distance ahead
Of DR.. David o. Meeker, Of Rochester,
N. Y, who seeks to overtake her by
air.
DR.. Meeker, who took off from
Omaha yesterday morning "a hours
after the girl left there by train, lost
time In the chase when he missed an
airplane connection at Salt Lake City,
where he was forced to spend last
night. He said he would take to the
air again today In the hopes of inter-
cepting the girl.
It was reported that Meeker was
acting for the girls uncle Kenneth b.
Coulter Of Clifton Springs, N. Y, and
that the girl. runaway. missing for
three weeks was attempting to reach
San Francisco to take passage for
foreign ports.
Calls Trip Surprise
Meeker greeted reporters in Salt
Lake belligerently and said only that
1t was "a little trip to surprise Miss
Mcconnell"
Miss Mcconnell was said by train
men to be lin q state of nervous COL
lapse" when she passed through Reno.
They said she had retired and news
papermen were not allowed TO dis
turb her, but the reporters said they
saw a girl peer from the berth Miss
Mcconnell occupied. A conductor,
assuming the role of spokesman, said
his passenger was worried about q
man with $50 0OO, 900 an understudy
named Meeker.' He added she de-
sired to reach here before being de-
tected.
Reports from Clifton Springs quot
ed Coulter as saying the pursuit inter-
probation was absurd. Miss McCon-
nell is going to her old home In the
west for q VISIT" he said. "She re-
Gently had very serious illness and
the doctor was no doubt concerned
about ner and decided he would try
to catch up with her. ! am informed
that her whereabouts and plans were
known to her family"
"A Fine Fairy Tale
Meeker's wife In Rochester, where
he is q fourth year medical student at
q university said. however, that he
had not been home since Monday and
that she did not know where he was.
Her only other comment, when told
Of the pursuit, was most amusing.
most fantastical, most absurd, q fine
fairy tale, pretty bedtime story"
DR.. Meeker missed plane connec-
tions in Salt Lake when the Boeing
Air Transport company refused to
hold q mail plane in response to his
telegram from Rock Springs. Wyo.
His plane arrived 20 minutes after
the mail plane took off. and his pilot.
Francis D. Bowen, Omaha Indian. re-
fused to continue In darkness over
unfamiliar and unlirhted AirWavS.