The Mysterious Disappearance of L. Fare
A pioneer resident vanishes from his Keyport home, which was found burned to the ground; sheriff finds no evidence of a body in the ashes.
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.
Sheriff H. F. McKay of Kitsap county has been notified of the mysterious disappearance of L. Fare, a pioneer resident of Keyport, on Liberty bay. The man had been missing since last Thursday and the fact that the home of Fare was burned to the ground on Friday evening adds to the mystery which has caused the biggest sensation in years in the town of Keyport. Sheriff McKay made a careful examination of the ashes of the burned house and declared he can find no evidence indicating that the man's body was cremated. Fare is about 60 years of age and lived alone in a small house on the beach in the vicinity of Keyport. When last seen he was at Port Orchard Thursday, last. He came to the county seat to pay his taxes on a 20-acre tract at Keyport on which his home was located. The supposition is that he returned to Seattle by boat in order to take a boat from Seattle to Liberty bay points. No one at Keyport saw him return.
“Sheriff McKay made a careful examination of the ashes of the burned house and declared he can find no evidence indicating that the man's body was cremated.”
Small-town disappearances in the early 20th century often left few digital or physical traces, creating enduring local legends. The 'pioneer' status of the victim suggests he was a fixture of early settlement life in Kitsap County.
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