The San Francisco call., 1896-08-09
Conveyed in a Carriage to an
Unfrequented Locality and
Released.
TIRES OF HIS WHEEL CUT.
Prevented by His Captors From Riding
Away to Spread an
Alarm.

STAN FORD UNIVERSITY. CAL, Aug.
mitted here on the campus few nights
ago, has just come to light. Two men in
buggy stopped, captured and carried off
at the point OF pistol one of the best
known students in the senior class,
Adolph G. kaufman of Tacoma, Wash
The night was dark. kaufman was re-
turning on a bicycle from late ride,
when, wheeling along cautiously in the
darkest part of the thickly shaded avenue
just back of the women's gymnasium, he
met carriage. The driver called to him
to "hold on a minute" and the cyclist,
thinking it was only another of the many
cases of confusion resulting from igno-
rance of the direction of the winding
driveways on the extensive campus,
jumped from his wheel and stopped near
the horse. One of the men got out of the
buggy, rema1king as he did so that he
was 'all turned around in these drive
ways" He approached Kaufman and
thrust pistol under his nose.
Hump that wheel into the buggy and
pile in yourself" he muttered.
Kaufman attempted to treat it as joke,
believing that some of the fellows had put
up hoax on him. But he was soon con-
yinced that it was a serious matter when
he felt the muzzle of the pistol touch his
lips and heard vile direction from the
man in the buggy. He did as he was or
dered.
Seated between the two men he was
driven by a back road westward in the di-
rection of Redwood City. They went
through Kaufman's pockets and took $61,
the student having recently received quite
sum of money to pay his board bill and
square up his summer school expenses be-
fore starting for home. Fortunately he
had paid his bills that day.
At each attempted remonstrance he
was told to keep his mouth shut. nor
would they allow him to talk. Finally,
when about five miles from the university,
they stopped on lonely stretch of road
from which there were no farmhouses in
sight, and told kaufman to get out. He
realized then that they meant to leave
him, and he pleaded earnestly for the BIZ
cycle, which he had borrowed from a
friend. So anxious was he to get back the
wheel that he promised faithfully that he
would ride directly home and not make
an attempt to have them apprehended.
After a little parley in an undertone with
the driver the other man got out, lifted
out the bicycle and with his pocket-knife
cut almost through the hind tire. The
two then drove rapidly away in the direc-
ton of San Francisco.
Kaufman arrived on the campus after
midnight, trundling his wheel. In apollo
gizing for the condition of the tire and
his inability to pay for another at that
time he confided the story to that friend
and subsequently to one other, admonish-
ing both to strict secrecy.
kaufman fears the college ioshers and
the junior annual. Each year of the four
that he has spent here he has been shin
ing mark for illustrated witticisms pub
lished in the Quad" He preferred to
keep this experience secret rather than
be twitted about it when he returns with
the other students next month for the
opening of the fall term.
He is usician of really extraordinary
ability and remarkable versatility. 1t was
he who organized and trained the STAR
ford band of 1orty pieces, the excellent
playing of which was feature of two of
the great Thanksgiving day football games
In San Francisco. He can play any musi-
cal instrument from Jewsharp to
piano, but his speciality is the slide from
bone. kaufman has composed Stanford
march, senior, junior sophomore and
freshman marches and other music. Sew
eral Of his pieces have been played repeat
edly by the park band and by the Column
bia Theater orchestra in San Francisco.