Seattle's Fire Chief Vanished Before His Day in Court

Chief A. B. Hunt, of the fire department, has disappeared as completely as if the earth had opened and swallowed him. Despite the closest investigation, no trace can be found of him after a few minutes after 8 o'clock last Friday night, when he met H. A. Rose, Western agent of the Gamewell fire alarm system, in front of the Barber-Grand Hotel on Front street. He had obtained oral permission from the mayor and Fire Commissioner Masel to go to Tacoma to attend his own trial on the charge of fraudulently obtaining naturalization papers, and his absence did not excite uneasiness among his friends until yesterday. They refuse to entertain the idea that he is a fugitive, because he knew that his trial was to be continued, and thus the main reason for such a move is taken away. On the other hand, those who have opposed Hunt do not hesitate to declare that he has undoubtedly gotten out of the country.

The fire commissioners felt called upon to take official notice of his absence from his duties for an unwarranted length of time. At a meeting held yesterday afternoon they dropped his name from the rolls of the department, elected the senior captain, Alexander Allen, Jr., chief, and put Assistant Chief J. J. Sullivan in as acting chief pending confirmation or rejection of the name of Allen by the council.

The upheaval in the fire department has close touch with the department matters, but so quietly was the investigation carried on that few people on the streets knew of anything unusual having transpired. The history of Chief Hunt's connection with the fire department and the fight that has been made against him is known to every reader of the daily papers. He was formerly a captain in the fire department under Chief Kellogg, and when the non-partisan administration succeeded the chief, Hunt was elected to fill the position. Twenty-seven walked out with Chief Kellogg.

March 11, 1893, Hunt was arrested on a warrant from United States Commissioner Rice's court based on a complaint signed by Fire Commissioner John L. Kahaley, in which it was charged that Hunt used a naturalization certificate fraudulently obtained. The hearing was held before United States Commissioner Emery, who threw the case out of court. The case was then transferred to the United States district court through the action of the grand jury at Tacoma, which indicted Hunt. Passing over preliminary pleas, the trial of the case was to have come on at Tacoma before Judge Hanford last Saturday morning at 10:10 o'clock.

By stipulation between the defense and prosecution, however, it was agreed that in case either side was not ready to go ahead, owing to the absence of witnesses, etc., a continuance would be granted. Col. James Hamilton Lewis represented Chief Hunt, and the prosecution thought at first it would not be ready to go on with the trial, but later decided that its witnesses were sufficient. Hunt's father, who lives at Bradshaw, Ontario, and who was the witness to prove Hunt's birth at Grand Rapids, Mich., was stricken some time ago with the grip and could not be present, and J. C. Allen, another important witness for the defense, could not be present.

This state of affairs, in view of the stipulation, made it practically certain that the defendant's motion for a continuance would be granted. Last Thursday Mr. Lewis told Chief Hunt to come to his office the following day and make affidavits asking for a continuance. The same day Chief Hunt remarked to Fred Johnson at headquarters that he would probably have to go to Tacoma, and, if he was not wanted on the trial, would take a run up to Olympia.

Friday morning Chief Hunt met Fire Commissioner Masel on the street and asked him if he had his permission to go to Tacoma to his trial. "Yes, if you go north," replied Masel. The next day Chief Hunt met with Mayor Phelps and asked for permission to go to Tacoma. The mayor understood that he wanted to get out of the city for tonight and gave his verbal consent. The next trace of his last straggling was a call at a lawyer's office in the Occidental block in the middle of the afternoon, where, in the presence of Attorney Lewis, he made the affidavit upon which the continuance was based. Hunt accepted every assurance that the case would go over to the next term of court, and during the afternoon he conversed with the fire commissioners between 5 and 8 in the evening, with the understanding that he was to go to Tacoma on the Flyer Saturday morning, and either leave town or not.

After dinner at 6 o'clock, Hunt was on Ninth street. He returned to headquarters and changed his clothing to a black suit. He also put on a derby hat and left his overcoat. A few minutes before 8 o'clock, H. A. Rose, the Western agent of the Gamewell fire alarm system, saw him. Hunt told Rose he had a summons to attend a whist party or he would be pleased to have spent the evening with Rose. He remarked, however, that he would be back from Tacoma in a day or so and hoped to meet Rose again. Mr. Rose does not know which way Hunt went, and no one else has been able to further his course. He has disappeared as mysteriously as if the earth had swallowed him up.

After he had been gone from headquarters a few minutes, Attorney Lewis, who had been to District Attorney Brinker's office and informed him of the affidavits that would be filed, so that the prosecution might interpose counter affidavits if desired, walked into fire headquarters and asked for the chief. The men said that the chief had just gone out, so Lewis left word for Hunt to meet him at the Lake Shore depot at 8:15 o'clock Saturday morning and go to Tacoma by train instead of boat.

The next morning Lewis took the train to Tacoma, but was not met by Hunt. He was surprised, but thought it possible that his message had miscarried and that Hunt had gone over on the Flyer. He dropped into Chilberg's and asked if a message had been left for him. The colonel was informed that a man had been there, asked for him and said he would leave a message, but did not. No description has been obtained of this person, so it is impossible to give any definite information as to whether it was Hunt. The case came on in the United States district court and a continuance was granted, as reported in the papers the following morning. Hunt, however, was not at the trial, and no trace of his having been in Tacoma can be found.

When Sunday came no special attention was paid to his absence here, as it was thought he had gone to Olympia. Though some of Hunt's personal enemies went around during the day saying that Chief Hunt had "skipped." When the chief did not show up yesterday the fire commissioners were called together by Mayor Phelps and in executive session some of the most important business for a long time was transacted. The meeting did not take place until after 5:30 o'clock, there being some trouble in serving notice on each member of the commission. Commissioner Jones said he had not given Hunt permission to be absent from the city. Kahaley and Meek said they were in the same boat. Masel said he told the chief he had his permission to go, and the mayor said he had given his consent. However, the rules require that a majority of the members must know and agree to a leave of absence. The unusual length of time elapsed since the chief had been heard from was thrown in the balance against him, and a motion to drop his name from the rolls was carried, the only negative vote coming from Mayor Phelps.

Then the old, old came to the front again. Jones nominated Capt. Alexander Allen for chief, and Kahaley nominated Gardner Kellogg. The vote stood: Jones and Masel for Allen and Kahaley and Meek for Kellogg. Mayor Phelps voted for Allen and the fight was over as far as the preliminaries were concerned. Assistant Chief J. J. Sullivan was placed in charge of the fire department, with the title of acting chief, pending confirmation or rejection of Allen.

After the meeting Jones, who had been one of Hunt's best friends, said he believed Hunt had plainly skipped out. Kellogg was of the same opinion, and thought his position in relation to Hunt was now justified. Masel said there was a possibility that Hunt might have been on the boat, and, so far as he knew, there was no evidence to show that Hunt ever left Seattle.

"It's a mysterious case," said the mayor.

"Has ex-Chief Hunt skipped?" asked a Post-Intelligencer reporter of James Hamilton Lewis yesterday afternoon.

"Why should he?" replied Mr. Lewis. "He knew that his case was to be continued, and also that there was no possible show of convicting him when a trial was had. I confess I am wholly at a loss as to what has become of him. I expected to meet him at Tacoma and especially desired to have him go over to Tacoma on the train with me Saturday morning, so that we might converse about the case."

"Do you suspect foul play?"

"Hardly that, but of course stranger things have happened."

"Is it that Hunt, having been under a mental strain ever since he took charge of the department, has suddenly gone to pieces and wandered away?"

"I don't think Hunt is that kind of a man. When I saw him last he was as cool as a cucumber. Of course he had been receiving threatening letters from men who have been refused work in the department and who claimed that he was responsible for blasting their lives. He never paid any attention to such letters, however, so far as I knew."

A Post-Intelligencer reporter inquired at the Lake Shore and Great Northern depots Friday afternoon if Chief Hunt had a ticket for any point on their lines. At neither depot was any ticket sold him. At the steamer Flyer's ticket office the information was submitted, but the fact that Jack Barr of the fire department did not go on a Tacoma trip Saturday would indicate that he did not leave Seattle, providing he left at all that day.

When Hunt left headquarters Friday evening he was not prepared for a long journey, for the chief's clothes, etc., are all in place. The prevailing opinion among his friends is that he has been foully dealt with.