Chapter XV
IN visiting Minneapolis, about the latter part of October, 1905, I was surprised to meet Mrs. Marie Ware-McKinley, in company with her mother-in-law, Mrs. James McKinley, at the Nicholet Hotel. I asked Marie as to the whereabouts of Horace, whereupon she replied to the effect that she had hoped to learn from me where he was, as he had left for parts unknown several days before. Marie then inquired if I had learned of any trouble, as Horace's actions, she stated, denoted that all was not right. Being in the dark on the subject, I could give Marie no information, so she said she would go on to San Francisco, where she would remain with her brother, Joel Ware, until something definite was learned about her husband.
From Minneapolis I returned to Michigan, where I remained several weeks, and then, concluding to go home, I went to Chicago, where I purchased a ticket for Berkeley, California. At Ogden, I secured a few Portland Oregonians of recent dates, and in perusing them later, I noticed an article stating that both McKinley and myself were wanted in Oregon for some school land transactions of an alleged fraudulent nature, reference to which is made in a subsequent chapter.
Arriving at Berkeley, my wife informed me that some officer had a few days previously called at the house and asked if I were in the city, and she told him that I had last been heard from in Chicago, as she then had no knowledge of my movements.
Concluding that I was being wanted on some charge, and not desiring to return to Oregon at that time, as I was then under $8,000 bonds, and did not wish to be put to the trouble of finding additional sureties, I decided to go to New York, where 1 was unknown, until such time as I could get additional information with reference to the charge against McKinley and myself, and communicate with him in regard to the matter.
Not wishing to impose the necessity of falsity on my wife, because of her known aversion to becoming a party to anything of the kind, I told her that I was going up to Humboldt County, Cal., and would return on the Steamer Pomona in about ten days. I did not, however, have any intention of going there, but if she were pressed for a direct answer as to my whereabouts, she would be enabled to tell the whole truth, so far as her knowledge went, and at the same time, I would be safe from detection.
Gathering together what few things I might require for a short trip, in the shape of wearing apparel, etc., I took the Berkeley train to the Oakland pier, and crossing the bay to San Francisco, engaged a room at one of the uptown hotels, where I remained three days. While there, I called on Marie to ascertain if she had received any information concerning her husband since his sudden departure. She stated *that she had heard of Horace having sailed for the Orient some ten days previous to her arrival in San Francisco, accompanied by "Little Egypt," a notorious muscle dancer. She admitted that Horace might have gone to China—in fact, thought it probable that he had—but would not believe thatPage 234
