Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-02-09
AStolen Child Found.
Annie Redmond, a Chicago
BIacksmith's Daughter.
MISSING FOR OVER EIGHT MONTHS.

MISSING FOR OVER EIGHT MONTHS.
The Little 6-Year-Old Discovered In q
Home for the Friendless-Her Kidnaper
Missing Now-The Child's Story OF Brutal
Treatment Corroborated-Her Father,
Driven Insane by the Crime, Likely to
Recover His Reason.
CHICAGO, Feb. 9.-Little 6-year-old Annie
Redmond, who was kidnapped last May was
found at the Home for the Friendless in this
city Thursday by neighbor Of Mrs. Red
mond and restored to her mother yesterday
afternoon. The father Of the child became
insane over the loss of his child, and was sent
permission yesterday by the asylum author
tiles at Kankakee to return home He was
overjoyed at the recovery of his long lost
daughter, and it is believed it will have the
effect of fully restoring his reason The child
was kidnapped by a Mrs. Gurley, the wife Of
painter or printer. The treatment OF tho
little girl awakened the wrath Of his neigh
bors and last Janusry the child was taken
from him and sent to the Home for the
Friendless. Gurley was fined $50. but the
officers OF the justice court unwittingly al
lowed him to escape, since when nothing has
been learned of his whereabouts
When Mrs. Harper the neighbor referred to
above, saw the child at the Home, she was
sure she was the lost Annie, and asked her:
what is your Names"
my name is Flora Dell Gurley," she an
swered, with a show of hesitation
GWhat is your papa's nameT
"My right papa's rame is John Redmond"
answered the little ore
Her story of the abduction Is as follows:
II was playing on the prairie over there"
said the child, pointing with her finger to in
dictate vacant lot at Dearborn and Spring
streets, with little boy named Otto Miller,
when lady came up to us. She was a nice
looking lady with black hair and black eyes.
She told me she would give me some candy
and pennies if l woul1 go with her, and l
took her hand and walked away. We walked
long way and then went down on State
street, | can't tell whereabouts, but it was an
awful long walk and was very tired The
lady said her name was Josie Gurey and that
she wanted little girl. Her husbands name
was Harvey Gurley and he was printer,
and they lived in poor house l asked her
if couldn't go home to my mamma, and
and that my name was to he Flora Dell
Gurley"
The next day the little captive was COM
PEELED to put on boys trousers, and was
taken to a barber shop and had her pretty
long hair cut Off II cried when they said
must have my hair cut" said the child, "and
l cried ali the time they were cutting it"
"When l cried because they would not let me
come home" continued the child, "they
whipped me, and then they tied my hands to
my side and tied me to a post in the base
ment." The girl says the Gurleys whipped
her often and hard, and they often tied her
up in the basement whenever she was
naughty. She said she wanted to come home
all the time, but afraid to tell ANYBODY
her name for fear Josie Gurley would kill
her, and she told everybody her name was
Flora Dell Gurley.
She said the Gurleys sent her out for beer
at all hours of the day They drank great
deal, and often were drunk. Sometimes thew
would send her to the drug store Not said
she, "for medicines, but for something to
drink. don't remember what the name was
but think it was brandy
"What did they whip you within
with strap they tied horses with some
times, and sometimes with cat-o-nine-tails
fastened to stick, but they threw this in the
fire and burned it up" replied the child.
John Redmond, the father, sat by, and
heard this plaintive recital of his child's suf-
ferings. He had arrived at home about $50
o'clock. As the child told her story his hands
| were clenched upon his knees, and there was
a wicked look in his kindly blue eyes. It
would have Jared i'll with the wretches who
had stolen and abused his child if he could
| have clutched them in his strong grasp at
that moment
Mrs Redmond was almost overcome with
joy. Her hands trcmbled AMI her whole
frame quivered with the strain upon her
| nervous system, but she bore it bravely, and
though her eyes were filled with tears, her
heart was throbbing with joy and gladness,
and there was gleeful ring in her voice a
she welcomed her friends and brought her
daughter forward
Officer Mitchell, of the Humane society,
who took the child away from the kidnapers,
| says his attention was called To the case by Mrs
Lena w. Wilkie, of Englewood, who tele-
| phoned him to go there and release little
girl from cruel treatment. Mrs Wilkie testi-
| fled that she had heard the child's cries,
and opening the cellar door found the
poor little thing with two ropes across
| her back and shoulders and big ladder
| across her body. Mrs. Wilkie called to her
| assistance a neighbor, Mrs. Moore, and
| together they descended into the cellar. Mrs.
| Moore cut the child's bonds and sent her up.
stairs
Although the case had been the town talk
| for months, the fact that the child did not
| tell her proper name, prevented her identif-
cation by officers and people who did not
know her, and thus the Gurley's got off and
/ have disappeared.