The Man Who Vanished Into the Mist
A local resident disappears after a three-day canoe trip from the Duwamish River mouth, leaving behind only his revolver and provisions.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
ANOTHER MAN MISSING.—Mr. Bennett L Johns informs us that a man named Robert Ball left the residence of the former, at the mouth of the Duwamish river, on the 15th of last month, to go to Salmon Bay, expecting to be gone only three days, but has not yet returned, nor been heard from. He went in a canoe, having with him a navy revolver, double barreled shot gun, tent and some provisions and cooking utensils. He is supposed to have had with him not more than five or ten dollars. Mr. Johns is uncertain whether he has been foully dealt with, capsized and drowned, or quietly decamped for parts unknown. Any person who can give any information in regard to him, will confer a favor by communicating to Mr. Johns, either personally or through the postoffice.
In 1876, Seattle was still a rugged frontier town where 'missing persons' cases often blurred the line between tragic accident and criminal foul play, with no formal police force to investigate. Today, while we have sophisticated search-and-rescue teams and digital tracking, the eerie mystery of someone vanishing into the Pacific Northwest's dense forests and waterways remains a potent local fear.
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