What May Happen to a Press man in America.

Evening Star, Issue 7431, 28 January 1888, Page 1 (Supplement)

What May Happen to a Press man in America.

[New York ‘ World.]’ Chicago, sth November.—Two weeks ago tho Chicago ‘ Herald ’ sent Fred Ellis, one of its reporters, up into the Wisconsin pinerie, to trace a girl who was-said to have been stolen here and carried off into one of the dives which have been described in the ‘ World ’ despatches. Ho has not been heard of since he Entered the pineries, though he was expected to return a week ago last Monday. It is a very dangerous country for strangers, and it is feared that Ellis has been murdered in the dives. The • Herald ’ has organised an armed party at Iron River, Michigan, to go into the pineries and learn the young man's fate. There was a report at Iron River, Mich., that there had been a fight at one of the dives over the Wisconsin line ten days ago, and that a stranger had been killed. The last known of Ellis was that he was somewhere in this region. He left Crystal Falls, Wis., 23rd October, with the intention of searching some dens in a particularly wild and desolate region to the west. The tract of country through wl ich Ellis and his guide would have to pass in order to reach their objective point is about as wild as can be imagined. Great forests of tamarack, pine, oak, balsam, and cedar cover the country, and in some places streams have to be forded. The road which the two men took Is a narrow trail, and runs through the heart of the woods. There is no doubt about the readiness of the dive-keepern to murder him if they suspected his errand. They are known to have killed dozens of men for very much less provocation. The 1 World ’ reporter who recently investigated the dens around Marinetti was given an hour to get out of one settlement, and was chased out of another with guns on the mere suspicion that he was a detective. If he had been known to be a newspaper reporter he could not have lived an hour in that country. Ellis had a woodman for a guide, so that it is not likely that he got lost in the dense forests, and starved or froze to death, as many others have. Ellis was expected back more than a week ago. He has never sent in anything of the story of the stolen girl he was sent to work up, although he must have had some facts about her in his possession when he disappeared. He is forty years old, has a wife and two children, and is sober, steady, industrious, and a faithful reporter. There is no absolute ground to suspect suicide, insanity, a drunken spree, or any other explanation of his absence that can be imagined, except that the dive-keepers discovered his errand, and either killed him or imprisoned him. The particular story which he was sent to investigate was afterwards developed here. It was one of the stories of abduction which have been telegraphed to the ‘ World.’ A little girl living with her parents on State street went out one evening to get a pitcher of milk and did not return. It was suspected then that some procuresses were carrying on a regular business in the way of supplying the terrible dives in Wisconsin with young girls, and that the girl had been carried off for this purpose. The ‘ Herald ’ determined to send a reporter to investigate the story. Ellis volunteered to go. That showed that he had good courage, for it was well known that any man who went into that region took his life in his hands. The publishers of the ‘Herald’ are determined to learn his fate. If he has been murdered his murderers will be brought to justice.