The Osceola times., 1882-01-14
STRANGER THAN FICTION.
X covery Cf kidnapped Child by two OF
Her Unoi. s, the st ry Of ih- Z sse
from PITT burgh o Kansas City and
Tn nee into Kansas.
Kansas City Times

Tn nee into Kansas.
Kansas City Times
About ten days since the Associated
Press told of the kidnapping of year
old child named Maggie Pickett, from
her home at Iatroba. Westmoreland
county, Pennsylvania, by man aud
woman supposed to he John Burnes and
wife. Last evening the little child was
at the Union depot in this city in charge
of her uncles, John and EnOch Davis,
and the story of her recovery reads Ike
romance, the two young mon having
| followed her over 300 miles. and at
| point only few miles from the Indian
territory line she was overtakeE and re-
leased from the clutches of her kidnap-
ers. The child, who is beautiful little
girl not quite years Of age. was born
and raised at Latroba, her parents being
well TO do people Of the middle class, ana
| her beauty was known from one end OF
the town to the other, being oflhat order
which made reOple stop in the streets
and ask who she was. 1t is supposed
| that this was the cause ofthe abduction
her kidnappers hoping that 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. De
cember 9, by man thought TO be John
Barnes, a coal miner, and his credi ed
wife A late train took them to Pitts
burgh and there { trail was lost for q
Time. Two Young men, unCles of the
girl. however, went TO Pittsburgh, and
at that point column after culnmn was
written about the case and at last it was
ascertained that man and woman with
a golden haired child had purchased two
tickets for Kansas City via Chicago, on
Monday, December l2, and thither the
two uncles FASTENED, The trail was
EASILY followed by the baggage checks OF
the trunks belonging to Burnes and wife
and at Chicago the couple came to
Kansas City over the Chicago and Alton
road and stopped at the Valley House
situated ON Ninth, between Hickory and
Mulberry. The Two unrles John and
EnOch Davis, reached Kansas City last
! Friday morning and at once searched
the registers of all West Kansas Hotels
and at the Valley house were found the
names of John Burnes, wife and child
and the girls in the house remembered
the beaury ofthe child But they had
zone, and not until late that aitOrnoo
was il discovered that John Burnes bad
purchased the tickets for Wichita via the
Atchison. Topeka and Santa Fe road
rhe same night found the two uncles
bound for the same point, only
| thr y.six hours behind the stolen child.
and the chase became most exciting
At Wichita it was found the parties had
gone to Arkansas City, and when the
pursuers reached that point on Sunday
last the discovery was made that Burnes
had hired pair Of horses with driver
and was making for the Indian Territory
The Davis boys did the same thing, and
after a hard drive the first carriage was
overtaken and the child taken from hel
abductors. The little one when she saw
her dncles, held out her arms and beg
ged to be taken from this bad nasty
woman" and cried and cried for her
mamma. The two Davis boys wee
| without arms of any kind at the time OF
the meeting, and after recovering the
| child, they allowed the abductors to
escape, and then drove beck to Wellip
ton, where Mondy night they took the
| train on the Kansas City, Lawrence ahc
Southern Kansas road for Kansas CITY
On the train Yesterday the child wa
| the recipient OF great attenllon iron
the ladies in the cars as the story of he
abduction and recovery became know
to every one, aud the two men who
like sleuth hounds followed Burnes owe
800 miles were also congratulated upo
their sagacity. In all its bearings th
case is one of the most remarkable o.
record, as the child when first stole
was so closely Swallowed that not eve
trace could be discovered OF her hidin
or prison place. And then the Ion
chase from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, I
the Indian Territory line, south of Ar
kansas City, was a very clever piece {
detective work. When the party reaul
ed Wellington on Monday a telegrar
was sent TO little Maggie Pickett
parent at I-stroba telling of her recover
and last night an answer WAS receive
ey John Davis at the Union Depot !
these words. Good be praised. Hurr
home with our child"
The two men and the child left Ia,
evening for -. Louis via the Nilsson
Pacific road, where they will take III
Nandalia train for Pittsburg.