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Note: Married by M. M. Sweeney, possibly a Justice of the Peace
The Ellwood Citizen, Thursday March 19, 1908
Oscar T. Adams Mysteriously Missing
Said to his son, "I will not be back tonight, perhaps tomorrow" and walked away. Has not been seen since.
"Take this key, I will not be back tonight, but may be tomorrow". These were the words spoken by Oscar T. Adams on Tuesday evening of last week addressing his ten-year-old son walked away in the dark. Since then he has not been seen by any one in Ellwood or elsewhere so far as can be reliably learned.
Disappointed at being refused liquor license, at the verge of despair over financial troubles, he for days walked around in a dazed condition, neither eating or sleeping, vainly planning this and that to extricate himself from his embarrassments, he at last in despair decided to leave it all and go, where? That is a mystery that many are trying to solve.
Adams conducted a grocery store on Lawrence Avenue, and some time ago opened a restaurant in the Stiefel Block. Everything was fitted up in the best manner possible, and the outlook for a good run of business was good. He was an applicant for a liquor license and believing that it would be necessary to sell liquor in order to get the financial support needed for the restaurant. He had arranged to take the two large storerooms on the firs5t floor, one of which was to be the bar room and the other a ladies dining room. Upon this venture Adams staked everything, confidently believing that he would not be refused the license. He was in debt, and when the refusal came financial ruin stared him in the face. On the Saturday before he left he negotiated a loan for seven hundred and fifty dollars with B. F. Ross, for which he gave a note. This money he stated he wanted to use in order to stay off some of his creditors until he could again regain his footing. It was learned that on Monday he paid off a number of small debts about town, and to a Citizen representative, upon being questioned, said "yes, I shall continue the restaurant and furnish the best meal in Ellwood for twenty five cents."
His mysterious disappearance has given rise to much gossip and many stories have been afloat regarding the same. One of these is that he took his revolver with him with the intention of committing suicide. Another that before leaving he had forged the name of a certain business man. The Citizen however found that his revolver had been left at home, and the business man, whose name he is alleged to have forged merely said "if my name has been forged, the note is not at either of the local banks, nor any other bank."
The Ellwood Citizen, Thursday April 23, 1908
Creditors of Oscar T. Adams will meet next Saturday at the office of Referee E. M. Underwood, to elicit a trustee to look after their interest, after involuntary bankruptcy proceedings were begun. Attorney J. W. Humphrey was appointed temporary receiver and is now in charge of Adams' property. This is only worth about $1,000, while the known claims exceed $2,000, so the creditors will not secure quite 50 per cent.
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