Year: 1872




Shadow of It's Shame.


What q singular train of thought Is 'conjured up
In the mind on reading in the public prints the
almost fateful word, "lost," In connection with
human being and particularly so where the missing
one is enveloped in the cloud OF crime and mystery
which overhangs great city like this metropolis
The hand OF the robber assassin At once reveals
itself IN shadowy outline before the imagination,
as haunting and impalpable as the blood-gouted
dagger that narrowed the soul and sight OF the
guilty Thane of Cawdor and the gurgling OF the
waters against the piers at night re-echoes the
soughing sobs OF the cold hearts that ever and
anon find repose beneath the dark and trouble
hiding bosom Of the river. These two thoughts are
almost invariably the first that strike the minds Of
anxious friends who mourn the missing ones, and
have many times caused very unnecessary heart
achngs and sorrows in the intervals Of departure
and return.


1t ID no infrequent occurrence to read In the
HERALD's advertising columns the announcement
that son, Q husband, q father is missing, and the
yearning language in which the advertisements are
oftentimes couched evokes feeling Of deep CON-
mlseration, both for the sought and the seeking.


The police rate the catalogue OF


LOST OR MISSING PERSONS





the prompting circumstances under which they
have disappeared First, Of course, and largely in
the ascendant in numerical ratio are the lost
children, the reason OF their disappearance being
their ignorance OF localities and the fact
that they have strayed from home. Next come
adults Of dissolute habits, who are "lost' in
drunken sprees of days. or weeks duration In out
Of-the-way dens and ginmills. The chief cause OF
this class OF disappearance IL natural tendency to
mebriety, lack Of employment. despondency re-
gardinQ worldly circumstances and domestic
embrOilments. All these grades OF unhappy people
naturally fly to drown trouble In the bowl, which
Invariably resurrects still other social spectres to
make existence yet more intolerabe to the Victims
The next class in order is the commercial class
merchants and clerks-who become embarrassed
In their accounts either through the ''wine and
women" sluice to ruin or playing with too much
Ivory on the green cloth. With this unfortunate
body Of victims sudden and untraceabe hight to
parts unknown or plunge from pier at midnight
usually brings responsibility for all deeds done
In the flesh, and closes existence with q
mystery that Is merciful in covering shame and
softening the condemnation which the living may
be prone to award them, when it is felt that to re-
proach is but to blur career already untimely
blotted out. The fourth class embraces the list Of
mentally incompetent or insane persons aged
people and wayward young persons, girls OF tender
age and precocious ideas, comprising the major
portion Of this last grade Of ''nissing."


1t Is, perhaps a fact not generally known. though
none the less gratifying to learn, that not more
probably than five or six per cent OF the total
to be recovered, and remain forever on
the tablet roll Of human mystery. At present
In the New York city Police Department. for the
cognizance OF lost or missing persons. There has
for many years been bureau for the care Of lost


AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY


and is OF incalculable public benefit, and In 1853
minor department was improvised known as the
"Bureau OF Lost People" and continued In success
ful operation for ABOUT year. This branch Of
George McWaters who was specially detailed to
that service and devoted his time exclusively 10 1t.
While 1t was In operation there were upwards OF
Thousand cases reported to this Bureau and OF them
not more than fifty or sixty individuals
were lost beyond trace or recovery. Shortly after
the late superintendent JOurdan assumed charge
of the police force he abolished the bureau for
reasons best known to himself, and 1t has never
since been reestablished. There Is no reason,
however, to doubt that such branch in our police
system would be highly beneficial to the cOmmun-
ity and prove proper function for the exercise OF
police powers and ability. At that time regular
quarterly reports were made showing the total
number of lost and missing, the proportion OF
sexes and the ratio of ages. McWaters not only
made those reports, but he was expected to devote
his time at certain hours to visiting the
police stations, posting the precinct officials as





persons lost and in searching for the missing
himself. In all these matters of course the De-
partment had authorized the various captains to
cooperate with the Bureau, and the work was
done In d GENERALLY effective manner, though sus-
ceptible Of much Improvement yeelcvh would
doubtless, have followed II the Buread had beed
continued. An accurate record, that Is as accurate
the number Of cases in which the lost persons were
not snd %so s
after Q certain time, reasonably supposed to be
dead. -- -


Now the matteris attended to only in an Informal
manner. II person be missed by relatives or
friends


THE USUAL COURSE PURSUED


Is to Inform the authorities at Police Headquarters
sf the fact and to inspect the police returns known
hs the 'morning watch and the list OF drowned
persona These watch" returns are simply the
Official transcripts from each precinct station OF the
total number OF arrests on all charges for the pre-


sSs In end seaTe
under the real name with that low grade OF public
Cnence known as ''drunk and disordery" officially
placed on record against them. Owing, how
ever, to the very prevalent habit Of .'drunks
and dsorderlies,r not TO mention other classes o
Offenders, giving fictitious Names the examina
tion of these returns cannot be relied on by the
searchers settling the question that the missing
one is not actually among she number registered.
the cases are "unknowns" !" and the descriptions OF
appearance and clothing are the only means which
the returns n AFFORD OF sTc whether n hn ne list
stituted. Applications are made every day at
headquarters for police aid In recovering missing
persons, and all these requests embracing personal
description and cOrrelative incidents, are tele-
graphec to the precincts, and


THE POLICE ARE INSTRUCTED


tc keep lookout for the person described. IL Is
only upon personal notification by friends that the
police officials take cognizance OF cases OF this
character, no attention being paid to advertise
ments for lost persons unless the surroundings OF
she case are out OF the usual course or where re-
ward Is offered.


One reason for this is because experience has
taught them that more than half the whole number
reported missing always return voluntarily, and