The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-07-20
STARTLING REVELATIONS.
rive Young Women from Germany
destined for Davenport Disap-
pear In -
Suspicious: ohizihg

native land. He possessed a fortune of
SIS, 900, which he intended to invest in a
farm In Scott county. He went to the
house of friend whom he knew in the
old country. He desired to get employs
ment on farm, so as TO familiarize him
self with the methods of agriculture; he
secured place with an extensive farmer
IN Lincoln township. Mr.. Paulsen is a
young man. He was betrothed when he
left home to a young woman named
Nlckolina Wacker, and in a month after
he entered the farmers employ he wrote
to her, telling her to come to Davenport
for marriage on her arrival. He made ar
with Mr. Fuelecher for her
entertainment, and rented two rooms for
residence after marriage. The Young
woman arrived in New York harbor with
the steamer Harmonic, from Hamburg
and was taken i'll in Castle Garden, where
she remained two weeks. The dav before
she intended to start for Davenport, the
steamer Frissia arrived in port and the
emigrant passengers went into Cas-
tie Garden. Among them were
Tour young women named Anna
Rolf, Anna Hansen, Mary Hass.
Ettessen, 10 10 81 years of
age, and two young men, Junge and
Peter Behrens-all having tickets for
Davenport. One of the attendants at the
Castle Informed Miss Wacker of This and
advised her to travel to Davenport with
them-and the next day the five young
women and the two young men left New
York on a Pennsylvania Central train for
Davenport Their baggage was checked
through to Davenport. They arrived at
the P, FIT, W. 4 c. depot in Chicago
Thursday, July 81, at 10 O'Clock in the
forenoon. They were directed to two
transfer hacks to be transferred to the c.
X. L. Il 7. depot The five girls and
Junge went into one hack. aud the driver
told Behrens to get into the other hack
Behrenss hack started frst-and the 9th
er followed Immediately. AtAdams and
Canal streets Behrens's hack turned the
corner, and that was the last seen of the
five young women, and is the last known
of them and Iunge. Behrens staid at the
G., Il. l. y p. depot anXiously awaiting
the arrival of his companions. until the
last night Grain left for Davenport and
he came on with it to that city, thinking
the others would come tie next day. He
arrived there the morning of July Sd. and
that afternoon Paulson came in from the
to met his betrothed Behrens
told him his story Paulsen waited two
days and became alarmed.
Then letters we're written TO Chicago,
the police were informed and a thorough
made Young Paulsen was
broken down with anxiety and the
thought of the peril that might have overs
taken his betrothed He offered $500 re-
ward for her recovery or any news of her
The detectives in Chicago
kept the matter quiet, but came to the
conclusion that the Girl had been abducted
for infamous purposes Another start~
ling fact is that the baggage of the mss
ng ones came no further west than CHI
3ago, while that of Bahrens came on to
Davenport. In speaking Of the sensation
the Davenport Democrat says:
If belief of friends of the victims in
Davenport be confirmed, Chicago has re
Gently been the scene of as diabolical, in
famous, and woeful crime in the abduc>
lion of young women for vile purposes as
any that have been exposed by the Pail
Mall Gazette in London, and which have
so excited that great city and created
feelings of horror throughout the civil
lied world. And strange it is, that the
facts of the infamy in Chicago are now
made public for the first time, though "a
has elapsed since they were
known to the interested friends of the
victims in Davenport
If the young women were victims Of
foul play it was easy enough for the Wis
lains in whose hands they were TO secure
the baggage checks and gain possession
of their trunks. The trouble is that so
much stopping Of baggage by emigrants
themselves is done in Chicago that the
at the Fort Wayne depot
cannot remember these particular pieces.
Persons present checks, request that the
baggage may be given them, and it is
done, without thought that the holders
of the checks are not the owners, or are
not commissioned to take charge of the
baggage Another suspicion arises
here. Who is JuDge? He told
Behrens and the young women
that his destination was Fort Dodge, but
that he couldn't buy a ticket at Hamburg
for that place, and so had bought one for
Davenport. Neither Behrens nor any of
the Young women had ever seen him be
fore. He was attired like fresh young
Holsteiner, and talked like one. Might
he not have been depraved, heartless
brutal scoundrel, hired for the very pnr
pose of travelling as an emigrant from
Germany and of betraying young women,
travelling without near friends, into the
hands of unconscionable beings like him
self in Chicago?
Young Paulsen is in deep distress
over the disappearance of his betrothed
Maybe she told Iuhge on the way to Chi
cago of her intentions when arriving at
Davenport, and of the means at her low.
ers command-and the abduction was for
the purpose of receiving a rich reward
II that he IN the plot, he needn't wait
long
When one thinks of the probable fate
of the five young women and Of the avs
full distress that must possess their souls,
the thought is agonizing.
Z
CummeGdable.
There is q movement on foot to pur>
chase the property at the northwest cor
ner of Eighteenth street and Third avenue
for the erection of MAGNIFICENT Odd