St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-07-28
A Chase for n Child.

A KIDNAPPED 4-YEAR-OLD RECOVERED
AFTER A LONG PURSUIT.
Some time since the associated press
told of the kidnapping of 4-year-old
child named Maggie Pickett, from her
home at Latrobe, WestmOreland cOun-
ty, Pa. by Il man and woman supposed
to he John Burnes and wife. Last eve
ming the little child was at the union
depot in this city, says the Kansas City
Times of the 22d inst, in charge of her
uncles, John and EnOch Davis, and the
story of her recovery reads like ro-
nance the two young men having fol-
lowed her over 1900 miles and at Il
point only a few miles from Indian
territory line she was Overtaken and
released from the clutches of her kid
nappers. The child, who is heauti-
full little girl not quite years of age,
was born and raised at LatrObe, her
parents being well -tO-dO people of the
middle class, and her beauty was
known from one end of the town to the
other, being of that order which made
people stop in the streets and ask who
She was. 1t is supposed that this was
the cause of the abduction, her kidnap-
pers hoping that a large reward would
be offered for her return, not, however,
by her parents, who were poor, but by
| the city or state. The child was stolen
on the afternoon of Friday, Dec 9, by
IA man thought to be john Burnes, 4
coal miner, and his credited wife. A
late train took them to Pittsburg, and
there the trail was lost for time. Two
Young men, uncles of the girl, however
went to Pittsburg, and at that point
column after column was written abOu
the case, and at last it was ascertainet
that a man and woman, with golden
haired child, had purchased two tickets
for Kansas City, via Chicago, on Mon
daV, Dec. -, and thither the two un
cles fastened. The trail was easil,
followed by the baggage checks of th'
two trunks belonging to Bmnes an'
wife, and the couple came to kansa
CITY over the Chicago 4 Alton road
and stopped at the Valley house, stu
ated on Ninth street, between HickOr,
and Mulberry. The two uncles JOIN
and Enoch Davis, reached Kansas Cit,
last Friday morning, and at one
searched the registers of all West Kan
sas hotels, and at the Valley Hous
| were IOullu I1t lldIlltS vi ODuIl ID
wife and child, and the girls in tn
house remembered the beauty of tn
child. But they had gone, and not un
til late that afternoon was it discOvere,
that John Burnes had purchased tick
cts for Wichita via the Atchison, To
peka & Santa Fe road. The sam
night found the two uncles bound fO
the same point, only 36 hours behin
the stolen child, and the chase becam
more exciting. At Wichita it wa
found that the parties had gone to Al
kansas City, and when the pursueI
!; reached that point on Sunday the dis
covery was made that Burnes ha
: hired a pair of horses, with a driver
and was making for Indian territory
The Davis boys did the same thing
and, after hard drive, the first cal
riage was overtaken and the child ia
, , ken from her abductors. The littl
one, when she saw her uncles, held OF
her hands and begged to be taken frOl
this bad, nasty woman" and cried ft
her mamma. The two Davis boys wei
without arms of any kind at the tim
of the meeting, and, after recOverin
the child, they allowed the two abduc
ors to escape, and then drove back
Wellington, where Monday night, the
took the train on the Kansas Cit
Lawrence & Southern Kansas road fl
Kansas City.