Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-01

strange to MIN. Whetner all That Is
true / do not know, but it is not i'm
probable.
1T is a strange thing that some men
who wish to hide in New York are
found because they have gone to too
much trouble to disguise themselves.
They are likely to give themselves an
artificial look which may attract the
notice they seek to avoid. A man may
change his appearance completely by
raising a beard, instead of going clean
shaver as had been his habit. Most
men these days are smoothfaced,
beard or mustache recently grown may
make missing man conspicuous and
lead somebody to note his appearance,
who otherwise would ignore him.
One of the most mysterious cases
which the Bureau of Missing Persons
has handled in many year is that of
Justice Joseph Force Crater, who at
this writing is neither present nor
accounted for in the American parade.
Reward Futile So Far.
Even though a reward of $4,000 has
been offered for information which
would lead to finding him and the
sharp eyes of the entire Police Depart
ment have been studying many faces,
the jurist is still of the port of missing
men. He may be far from this city
"
living right here with the other seven
millions.
If that be true, in community
where citizens have little or no Curl
osity about those not of their circle of
acouaintanceship, he might be travel
ing every day to the Bronx or to
Jamaica or Woodside instead of to
lower Fifth avenue, Manhattan, as was
his wont. Instead of having luncheon
with a group nf lawyer friends in
coy and costly little restaurant down.
town he may be eating in West Side
cafeteria or sitting with chauffeurs at
the counter of some Fifth avenue
coffee shoppe." Missing men do such
things every day in the week in this
gregarious Gotham.
A striking instance of "disappearer"
going only a few blocks and changing
his identity is recent in the bureau
annals. He was a Jew, both in race
and religion. When he was traced by
detectives he was comfortably settled
in new kind of a job was travelling
to his work by surface car instead of
his usual subway; his name had become
Irish and he declared he was a Roman
Catholic. Asked where he attended
service he gave the name of the church
and of the pastor and showed knowl-
edge of the traditions and obServanceS
of the faith he profeSSed. Confronted
by his wife, who had started the search
for him, he glanced at her as though
he had never seen her. His face was
like the frozen mask of the skilled
poker player. Eventually he was
obliged to admit his identity, but his
unconcern were almost beyond belief. |
His personal appearance was little
changed. He had simulated a new
facial expression. however, which gave
his features a strained look.
Returns After IL Years.
Most adults who disappear intend to |
be missing. The percentage of those |
who have amnesia or other brain dis |
orders and have really forgotten who !
they are is very small. A hiding man |
of an easy-going temperament, not be- |
trayed into self-consciousness. may be |
able to drift along for years without i
being identified. The other day an aged |
wanderer appealed to the Travellers Aid /
Society for help, saying that he had |
decided to return home. He was asked |
if he thought he could be welcomed |
there
will be glad to see me. Had a little ,
trouble with the wife and walked out |
on her II years ago, but I've decided to
let bygones be bygones."
Another wanderer was finally traced |
to Los Angeles, where he had been go |
ing on for six months as an "old man |
extra" He had had steady work and |
was thoroughly happy away from his |
own habitat. BY chance some one saw
him on the screen and recognized him, |
as his personal appearance was I'M
changed
Young girls dissatisfied with their en-
vironment make up large proportion |
of tho missing Oddly enough, many |
of these, who are residents of New York |
City, come in contact with the Travel |
ers Aid Society. which seeks to help |
strangers arriving at railroad stations |
and steamship piers. favorite ruse
ameng them is to appear, baggage III |
hand, at one of the terminals. Some |
even leave the city. baggage in hand. |
and arrive here by train. They will
then say they are just in from Boston |
or Chicago. or whatever place occurs |
70 them. Questioned by the agent, they |
answer glibly enough and may give an
address as theirs in their supposed |
home town. Some are quartered at the
Guest House" of the society in East
Forty-fourth street during their search
for a job
Investigations are set on foot through
the branches of the society in the cities
named by the runaways. Often the
addresses are fictitious, or If real the
person is not known there.
Moved Every Year.
A sad-eyed girl from San Francisco,
as she said, although she had never
been there, proved to have been missing
for the last seven years from her home
in Brooklyn, from which she had taken
French leave. She had obtained posi-
ton in Manhattan, where she had never
worked before and had gone to live in
the Bronx. Her identity was finally
established by a popularity of her up
per teeth. Every year she changed her
address and made as few acquaintance
as possible. The average girl Of her
type knows only about SO persons in an
environment. She moved when she had
more than that on her list.
Many New York City girls appealing
to societies and clubs for help in getting
established say they come from Boston.
There are many runaway girls who are
from some place in Massachusetts, such
as Lawrence and most of these. to con-
ceal their real home, say they are from
the American Athens. Pittsburgh is
another port of the missing from which
wanderers hail, when reaching here
Their homes are really Scranton, Allen
town or Altoona.
An unusually large number of girls
reported as missing in various cities are
finding their way to New York these
days. Many of them are driven by the
lack of employment in their families;
others have taken the opportunity to
escape from uncongenial surroundings
A new factor in the situation is the
| intercity bus lines, which are now much
used by the disappearing. The termi-
mails Of buses are not easily looked
over by the police and as yet they are
not covered by the Travellers Aid So
ciety. Passengers can also alight from
the buses before they reach the regular
stations. u Is likely that these routes