The Wilmington daily Republican., 1895-08-03
A REMARKABLE STORY.
Sequel to a Celebrated Buffalo Kid
naping Case,
ONE OF TIE KIDNApBRs CAUGHT,

o. o. oottio, who Was Captured aud Inn
prisoned in an Empty House. Charged
with Accepting Money from One OF His
Abductors to Obtain o Pardon.
BUFFALO, Aug. 3-George Allen, one Of
the men who kidnapped Lawyer o. o.
Cottle for ransom here some time ago,
was arrested at the Mansion House yes
terday. He retained Hugh Pontecost, the
one time preacher, for his attorney, and
Ponteoost tells a remarkable story. The
crime that was committed by Allen, and
one Emery was one of the most daring
ever perpetrated here. Lawyer Cottle was
inveigled into taking buggy ride to look
at some property, and when usherod into
vacant house was overpowered and
thrust into a cell, handcuffed and chained
by his ankles to post, gagged, and then
under threats of denth compelled to write
a note to his wife asking for 1000 imme.
dlately. When this note was delivered
Cottes son, suspecting that his father
was in durance, attempted by personal
interviews with Emery to temporize, but
of no avail. 1t is generally believed that
the money was paid.
The elder Cottle was then liberated
from his dungeon, while his captors made
learned that Emory was an alias assumed
by Claude Strong, of this city, who had.
under the name of Emery, become fugi.
tive from Cincinnati justice and a resident
of Toronto, Canada. He had employed
Cottle as attorney to obtain a pardon to
permit his return TO the states, and
claimed to have paid him something like
$4,000 for getting the pardon. Cottls
failing in this endeavor however, Strong,
alias Emery, had sought restitution and
finally devised upon kidnapping and ran
Eom to effect it. Allen admits his identity
now, although he says his real name is
John Mcdonald, and his place Of nativity
Louisville. Ky. He also oonfcsses to the
kidnapping.
! Hugh Pentecost was interviewed last
evening He asserts that Cottle swindled
Emery out o. 5000, and that Carlton
Strong, q prominent architect and
brother of Emory's, had also swindled
Emery. Tie New York lawyer claimed to
have documentary evidence in proof of all
this and showed the reporter two receipts
signed by o. o. Cottle, one for g. 900 and
the other for 81, 900. Both receipts also
contained the statement that the money
was to be returned to John G. Emery in
ease Emery was not pardoned or his sen-
teIce commuted. Two hundred dollars Of
this amount, 1t was stipulated, was kept
by Cottle, to be paid to William G. Oates,
Representative in congress, now COVER
nor Of Alabama, who, 1t was claimed by
Cottle, was to aid in securing Emery's
pardon.
Both Cottle and Carlton Strong, said
Pentecost, had told Emery they paid large
sums of money in Washington in their
efforts to secure his pardon. Those men,
Pentecost said, he had visited and found
that they had not received cent. Being
unable to get any satisfaction from his
lawyers or his brother through entreaty,
Emery conceived the idea of forcing the
matter to public attention in the unique
pianner afterwards carried out. Mere
writing to the newspapers, added Mr..
Pontecost, would have been useless, as
none would have believed him in opposi-
ton to two men considered so respectable
IN every way as o. o. Cottle and Carlton
Strong
Allen has been connected with Emery
Aore or less intimately for many years
Both he and his counsel say that he came
T. Buffalo with the express purpose of
f1reing Cottle and Carlton Strong to
other hand over the money or take tho
Eep which they have taken in causing his
arre5t.