Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 June 1915 — A Mysterious Disappearance [ARTICLE]

A Mysterious Disappearance

By MARJORIE CLOUGH

There was anxiety in the Maryweather ‘family, Susan, the eldest daughter, aged eighteen, was missing. She had gone out during an afternoon, telling her mother that she would go to the library and do some shopping. She had not returned to supper, and her mother was very much worried about - her. Mrs. Mary weather telephoned to various friends of Susie’s, asking if site was with them, and received negative replies. The next day an investigation was made as to where the girl had been during the previous afternoon. She had been to the library, where she bad taken out a book, the name of which the librarian did not remember. She hud nut been at any store. The. police were notified of the disappearance; inquiries were made at police stations in neighboring towns, but without eliciting any information, Melllngton. where the Maryweathers lived, was on the bank of a river. On the third day after Susie’s disappearance, at a point on the river four miles above the town, where a boat was kept for ferriage, u book was found on the shore bearing tlie stamp of the Melilngton library. It wns returned to the library by a boy, who told how he had happened to find it and where. The librarian reported the matter to Air. Mary Weather, giving it as bis opinion that It was the book his daughter had taken out of the library. Beyond tracing Susie to tills point on the river the find availed nothing, for there was no other clew by which she could be traced further. Meanwhile every person who heard of the disappearance formed a theory concerning It. The greatest number believed that Susie had been kidnai>ed, hut when a week had passed and no application for ransom had !>een received niany doubted this explanation. Those who adhered to it were of opinion that the kidnapers had found it necessary to their- safety to kill their victim. Another theory was that Susie had drowned herself Under an attack of temporary Insanity. No such mental ailing had appeared in tlie Maryweather family, and Susie had always been considered healthy in every respect. The only symptom t lint tiad been noticed was an apparent preoccupation. Ten days (Kissed and no clew to the disappearance, other than tlie book, was found. Then a man fishing In a boat near tlie middle of the river ten miles below Melllngton enught Ills book in something that he pulled to the surface and found It to be a plaid dress. The^ body of a woman was til ken out of the water that Imd evidently been there a long while. It was very much swollen, und the features were unrecognizable. The hair—the only feature unchanged—was of the most ordinary color. A portion of the dress was sent to Mrs. Mary weather, who at once identified It as one belonging to her daughter or had belonged to her. The mother was positive that Susie had not worn it the day she left home nor for a long while previous. She overhauled her daughter’s old clothes, but did not find tlie dress indicated. The police formed a theory that Susan Mary weather had gone away for some reason not known to her parents; had previous to her departure sent or taken certain clothing, by wearing which her Identity could the better be concealed. While wearing the plaid dress she had committed suicide by drowning. This was a reasonable theory and disposed of the case, so that the police would not need to trouble themselves further about 1L Mr. Maryweather believed that the body found was that of his daughter; but, not wishing to destroy all hope in his wife, he did not press his opinion upon her. She took the ground that the theory of the iiollce was absurd, but she was unable to account for the dress of the same pattern as one her daughter had owned being on the body found In the river. The only hope 6lie had was that some other woman had worn a dress made of material of a similar pattern. No claimant for the body appearing, Mr. Maryweather disposed of it without revealing what he had done with ll It was not treated as the body of his daughter—that Is, no funeral was held since there was no certainty as to Its identity. The day after It had been put away a carriage drove up before the Maryweather home, and who should step out but Susie! She ran into the bouse, flung herself into the arms of her parents and announced that she had been married. Her husband was without, awaiting the result of her confession. Neither he nor she knew that she was supposed to be dead. Susie’s affair had been kept a secret because her lover’s parents opposed his marriage. The day of her disappearance he had met her and persuaded her to go away with him and be married. They had crossed the ferry, and Susie had accidentally dropped the book there As soon as their marriage had been confessed to the groom’s parents and they had been forgiven they returned to Susie’s home. it turned out that Susie had long before given a way the plaid dress, and It had found its way to a town some miles up the river and fallen Into the hands of a girl who had committed suicide. The body had floated down with the current past Melllngton before being recovered.