The Dick Smith Library (where I work) serves as a Regional Historical Resources Depository for original and microfilmed records for a number of Texas counties, including Coleman. Recently, another library transferred to us a fascinating Coleman County Sheriff's ledger from 1887 to 1892 that contained notices about stolen and stray animals, and wanted and missing persons. This one caught my eye:
I used a variety of resources to try to find out what happened. I searched old newspapers for "Hanchette" through subscription services Ancestry.com and GenealogyBank.com, my university's Archive of Americana database, and the free Chronicling America website sponsored by the Library of Congress and the National Endowment of the Humanities. Most of my links below are to that source, so you can view articles in their entirety.
Henry/Harry Jay Hanchette, secretary of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, left that city and had arrived in Chicago by March 31, 1891, to organize an exhibit of California fruit in the Windy City:
The exposition seemed to go well:
After the exposition closed in May, Hanchette was supposed to return home via train, but instead disappeared. About the time the missing person notice went out, articles started appearing in Chicago, Los Angeles, and other newspapers:
Over the next few months, this was followed by supposed sightings: as a dead body pulled from Lake Michigan, a debauched man in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a demented man in Janesville, Wisconsin, an organ-seller in Flandreau, South Dakota, and as an insane man in Woodstock, Illinois, where Hanchette grew up.
There was also a lot of speculation: that he'd sailed for South America, and that he'd been located with another woman - not his wife. The latter rumor was apparently started by a detective Fred Smith, and rather vehemently denied by Hanchette's mother-in-law, Amelia Griffith.
A couple newspaper stories in the Los Angeles Herald on September 1 and September 2, 1891, indicated Hanchette may have had a double. His wife, Emma Griffith Hanchette, and his two sons, Rex and Earl, all thought they saw him in San Francisco while they were staying with Emma's parents, Dr. and Mrs. Edgar M. (Amelia Conant) Griffith. Two other men who knew him thought they saw him there as well.
Later that month, Robert Farrell, who worked for the Los Angeles Herald when Hanchette was its city editor, claimed to have seen Hanchette, who identified himself variously as Hamilton, H. J. Mitchell, and John Blackman. Farrell described what he saw in letters to the Herald on September 12 and September 25.
After this, things were quiet - for a while. Come back next week for more of this story!
© Amanda Pape - 2013 - click here to e-mail me.Henry/Harry Jay Hanchette, secretary of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, left that city and had arrived in Chicago by March 31, 1891, to organize an exhibit of California fruit in the Windy City:
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| from The Chicago Herald, March 31, 1891, page 10, via Archive of Americana database |
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from the Los Angeles Herald, May 18, 1891, page 5, via Chronicling America |
After the exposition closed in May, Hanchette was supposed to return home via train, but instead disappeared. About the time the missing person notice went out, articles started appearing in Chicago, Los Angeles, and other newspapers:
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| from the Los Angeles Herald, May 18, 1891, page 5, via Chronicling America |
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| from The Chicago Herald, May 18, 1891, page 3, via Archive of Americana database |
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| from The Chicago Herald, May 19, 1891, page 3, via Archive of Americana database |
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| from The Anaconda [MT] Standard, May 20, 1891, Page 7, via Chronicling America |
Over the next few months, this was followed by supposed sightings: as a dead body pulled from Lake Michigan, a debauched man in Kalamazoo, Michigan, a demented man in Janesville, Wisconsin, an organ-seller in Flandreau, South Dakota, and as an insane man in Woodstock, Illinois, where Hanchette grew up.
There was also a lot of speculation: that he'd sailed for South America, and that he'd been located with another woman - not his wife. The latter rumor was apparently started by a detective Fred Smith, and rather vehemently denied by Hanchette's mother-in-law, Amelia Griffith.
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| from The Record-Union, Sacramento, CA, May 21, 1891, page 1, via Chronicling America |
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| from the Los Angeles Herald, May 29, 1891, page 1, via Chronicling America |
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| from The Dalles Weekly Chronicle (The Dalles, OR), June 12, 1891, page 1, via Chronicling America |
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| from The Salt Lake Herald, Salt Lake City, Utah, June 14, 1891, page 14, via Chronicling America |
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| from Riverside [CA] Independent Enterprise, August 15, 1891, page 3,via GenealogyBank.com |
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| from the Los Angeles Herald, August 20, 1891, Page 8, via Chronicling America |
A couple newspaper stories in the Los Angeles Herald on September 1 and September 2, 1891, indicated Hanchette may have had a double. His wife, Emma Griffith Hanchette, and his two sons, Rex and Earl, all thought they saw him in San Francisco while they were staying with Emma's parents, Dr. and Mrs. Edgar M. (Amelia Conant) Griffith. Two other men who knew him thought they saw him there as well.
Later that month, Robert Farrell, who worked for the Los Angeles Herald when Hanchette was its city editor, claimed to have seen Hanchette, who identified himself variously as Hamilton, H. J. Mitchell, and John Blackman. Farrell described what he saw in letters to the Herald on September 12 and September 25.
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| from Los Angeles Herald, September 26, 1891, Page 8, via Chronicling America |
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| from Arizona Republican (Phoenix), October 03, 1891, page 1, via Chronicling America |
Next week! Aww, you left me hanging. LOL
ReplyDeleteThere's SO much to this story, StacyJeannette, that I've got to break it into pieces or it would get too long! Not to mention - still have to do some more research!
DeleteWhat a cliff hanger! Almost as good as who shot J.R. Great story and research Amanda!
ReplyDeleteThanks Tracy! Hoping I can write a short part 2 this weekend - might be hard with my parents, aunt, and son arriving tomorrow!
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