A 14-Year-Old Vanishes Between School and the Streetcar

Katie Arper, the pretty 14-year-old daughter of Mrs. A. C. Arper of 1212 Second street, has been missing since last Wednesday afternoon. Despite the efforts of her mother and her stepfather, D. Arper, a commission merchant doing business at 706 West street, she has not been found. Developments show that she left voluntarily and in company with some person she met at the James street power house, acting on a letter delivered to her at the Pacific school by Mrs. Ryther of 813 Alder street. Her disappearance, taken with a long series of apparently related incidents in Seattle and Tacoma, makes the case especially interesting. The girl may yet return home, but her distracted mother will never rest until she learns where her child is and how she is situated.

A Post-Intelligencer reporter called at the Second street home yesterday afternoon and learned the following story from Mrs. Arper, told in her own words:

"About two years ago, while I was living at Auburn, I placed my daughter Katie, then aged 12, and my son Clyde, aged 8, in the Children's Home at Oak and Twelfth streets, Tacoma. I understood the children would receive good care and be kept under strict discipline. During their stay I paid for their board, books and clothes. I managed to see them about once a month, and for the first eighteen months Katie was always glad to see me and would be much grieved when I went away. Finally I noticed that a great change had come over her. She did not care to see me and could say 'good-bye' with a very cheerful voice. I thought it very strange and felt grieved. Mrs. R. L. Ryther, the matron, told me not to feel hurt; the child had simply become deeply attached to her.

"Last August I was married to Mr. Arper, and after we were comfortably located in Seattle I decided to take the children home. Imagine my surprise when Katie refused to come with me and declared she loved Mrs. Ryther alone and did not want anything to do with me. Clyde came home, but I left Katie at the home for a time. When Katie refused to have anything to do with me she did not know that I had married Mr. Arper, but later, if I remember correctly, she was informed by letter.

"It so happened that Mrs. C. R. Harper, Katie's married sister, came from California to visit us, and so Mr. Arper went over to Tacoma after Katie. The matron brought her downstairs, and with them came a young man named J. H. Hopkins, a younger brother of the matron. Before Katie came into the room she and the young man held a conversation behind the screen. When Katie entered she showed extreme reluctance to come home and was very anxious to arrange that she need not return. Mr. Arper said he did not think there would be any objection, and after a while she accompanied him to the steamer Fleetwood, then lying at the wharf. Suddenly she asked to be excused for a moment and ran ashore, where she met young Hopkins, who had followed her to the landing. They talked for a few moments, after which she returned to her stepfather and came onto the boat.

"On the way over she said young Hopkins had tried to keep her ashore. She admitted that she had been out riding several times with Hopkins, had gone with him to the theater, and had also been to church with him.

"Katie had been at home only a few days when she was taken ill and could not return to Tacoma. This seemed to fret her greatly, and she was ill-tempered about it. At this time we were living on Tenth street, and imagine my surprise one day when young Hopkins appeared at the door and asked for Katie. I consented to this, but objected to Katie accompanying him to the car. He had secretly given her a five-dollar bill, or at least attempted to do so, and this caused some uneasiness in my mind. After Katie had gone to the car with Hopkins I sent Clyde after her, and he reported on returning that Hopkins had kissed Katie good-bye and said: 'Remember and do as I told you.'

"I came to the conclusion that the home was not the place for Katie and decided to keep her at home. Her sister went over after her clothes, and while the matron did not exactly refuse to give them up, she talked until she persuaded the sister that there was a love affair between Hopkins and Katie, and that if Katie were allowed to come back for a time her tastes would be so improved that she would gladly return home.

"On a Friday in September, I think, Katie returned to Tacoma against my wishes. Between then and Christmas she wrote to her little brother Clyde and her sister, but left me entirely out of the question.

"Finally I wrote to the matron to send Katie home immediately and enclosed money for her fare. She did not. Mr. Arper and I went to Tacoma after her. After considerable talking it was evident that Katie wanted to stay in Tacoma. She accompanied us to Seattle. In a few days Matron Ryther came to the house and told how much she thought of Katie and wanted her to return. I would not consent, but said that Mrs. Ryther could write to the child provided I saw the letters. When Mrs. Ryther went away she said she had told Katie to be a good girl and stay at home and go to school. When the letters came from Tacoma they seemed to make Katie more desirous of returning, and she would cry for a day or two.

"Nothing happened, however, until last Wednesday morning, when, just before starting for the Pacific school where she is a member of the Seventh grade, she passed out her report card for me to see. I saw that the report was not what I expected and said: 'Katie, what does this mean?' She replied that it was her fault and that she did not want to go to school; she did not care whether she learned or not. Greatly against her will, she went to school. In the afternoon after the session she walked as far as the James street power house with Daisy, where she stopped, remarking that she was going with a lady from Tacoma who was stopping on Eleventh street. That is the last trace that has been obtained of her, despite the continued efforts of Mr. Arper both in this city and Tacoma."

On Saturday morning Mr. Arper went to Tacoma and learned that Mrs. Ryther had visited Katie the previous evening and had a talk with her about the matter. The matron told him she knew nothing about Katie. Young Hopkins was at the home, so she insisted there could be no case of elopement. Mr. Arper also visited Katie's teacher, who said that about three weeks earlier she had received a letter from Mrs. Ryther in which the matron spoke of being Katie's guardian. When the teacher asked Katie whether she did not have a mother and father, Katie replied that she had a mother and stepfather, but that they whipped her and treated the other children as nicely as could be.

Katie is described as having large, round, brilliant dark brown eyes, unusually large for her age of 14, and as being precocious. She wore a black Henrietta skirt that came to the tops of black cloth-top shoes, a brown waist trimmed with tan-colored braid, and a black sack trimmed with astrachan fur. She also wore a dark seal-brown Tam o'Shanter cap.

A reporter called at Mrs. Ryther's last evening, but she was out of the city.