1939-11-11 — Page 15

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THE CHINA MAIL, NOVEMBER 11, 1939

TO-DAY'S STRANGE STORY OF REAL PEOPLE

NO.82 THE MYSTERIOUS WENTWORTH CASE

BY URSUS MAJOR "Mysteriously disappeared from the knowledge of men, at Washington, D.C., in July, 1862."

These words stand forth upon a monument erected in the little ceme- tery of Suncook, N.H. They per-

petuate one of the most vexing of the many mysteries that grew out of the Civil War.

Soon after Sumter was fired upon Suncook saw the bravest of her brave march forth to battle. Among those Spartan mothers bid them farewell as they passed southward, perhaps never to return again, was a farmer lad, Harvey B. Wentworth. Hs re- giment, the 19th New Hampshire Volunteers, passed through Washing-, formed ton in July, 1862, crossed the Aque- duct Bridge which spans the Potomac and camped upon the Virginia hills, near to where Arlington Cemetery now houses the dead of the many battles of those bloody days.

Like many another soldier in his regiment, young Wentworth received a day's furlough to cross the bridge and view the sights of Washington.

But at the next roll call of Company D he was marked "Not Present". For these words "Mysteriously Disappear- ed" were later substituted..

There was never the slightest sus- picion that Wentworth had deserted the colours. In fact every circums- tance connected with the case pointed away from that possibility. A special court of inquiry after thoroughly sift- ing all of the evidence bearing upon the mystery reported that the youth did "disappear from mortal ken; but in view of his character and antece- dents we clear him from the charge of desertion and recommend that this military record be regarded as with- out stain."

At the time of his disappearance, Wentworth was 20 years old. He had no bad habits. He was unusually in- telligent and inquisitive. If he had one weakness it was cúriosity. The capital of his country, lying before him, across the blue Potomac, had thrilled him with anticipation before his turn came to gain his furlough and see its far-hearlded sights-the home of the President of the United States, which meant far more to a farmer's boy like him than could the palace of any royal head Europe; the great Capitol with its houses of Congress, and the many classic build- ings filled with curios that he had heard described about the camp fire of evenings.

There had been no unpleasant in- cident that could have caused Harvey any discontent. His captain was his cousin and his champion. He loved the soldier's life especially now in midsummer when camping out was the joy of every stout-hearted youth.

During those exciting times, sen- 'tries were posted all along the route leading from the New Hampshire re- giment's camp to the gates of the Federal City, They lined also every thoroughfare of that city itself and

about it a

No

for

-

Perhaps He Had A Passion Building Operations.

which no person might escape.

cordon through, mark behind him. In this way he

man in uniform, especially, could pass

was traced to the Capital Building, from which, all evidence points, he one of these arguse-eyed sentries with- never emerged. out displaying his pass and having it recorded. So when it came to a search for Wentworth, all of the sentries posted between the camp and Washington, within that city or sur- rounding it instructed to show their records; and thus the lost lad's move- ments could be accounted for almost as exactly as if he had left a chalk

WE

On entering the Georgetown end of the city he had shown his pass to the sentry and thence he had produced it along Pennsylvania Avenue. There

was evidence that he had been seen

upon an extension of the Capitol were sweating beneath the merciless mid- summer sun. Below him lay a laby- rinth of partly-covered excavations for the sub-basement of what is now known as the "West Terrace" a suc- cession of subterranean passages and storage spaces later surmounted by office rooms.

The only plausible theory that has ever accounted for the young soldier's disappearance is this: Like most boys, he perhaps had a passion for building for operations and

climbing over walls and precipitous places. While thus exploring these labyrinthine mazes he was overcome by heat or escaping gas, or simly lost his balance and fell into some dark abyss where he was walled up and entombed by unwilling masons.

Perhaps some archeaologist of the distant future, while digging into the ruins of our crumbled Capitol will come across these sealed bones and write રી dissertation upon certain weird sacrificial rites practiced by the extinct Americans, within the home of Congress!

Anxiety over the fate of the pro- mising young lifet thus so abruptly and strangely snuffed out caused the premature death of Harvey Went- worth's parents shortly after his dis-

appearance.

standing on the brow of Capitol Hill The monument which stands to his contemplating the Western panorama memory, in the little churchyard near of the city spread below. About him his old home was erected by admir- masons and stone cutters at working friends.

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