The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-23
MADGE is GONE.
A Pretty Fifteen Year Old Girl
Disappears
And Henry StOops, Manager Of
a Chicago Roofing Co.,
HAS BEEN ACCUSED
BEEN ACCUSED
OF Abducting the Girl and TAX
ing Her to Chicago.
She Is Daughter of j. ID.
Wallace.
Stoops Placed Under Arrest
and Released on Bond.


Fifteen year old OIadge Wallace, who
is pretty and who lived with her par
ents at First and Adams streets. is to-
day a wande1-er in the city of Chicago
and Henry or Harry Stoops. manager
of the Guaranty roofing company of
that place, has been arrested charged
with her abduction.
Six weeks ago Stoops with a gang of
p men came to Topeka for the purpose
of putting slate roofing on the buildings
in the Santa Fe yards including the
paint shop and round house. He visit
ed the boarding house kept by Mr. and
Mrs. Wallace and engaged board for
the Worknen he. employed.
Manager StOops did not stay with the
men but took his meals UP town and
roOmed on Tyler street. He was at
the Wallace home frequently however,
and the pretty face of Madge Wallace
particular attention to Stoops for some
time but after a while there were hur-
ried conferences between the two which
We're scarcely noticed by the family,
and no one knows what was said.
It is probable that Madge Wallace
was dazzled by what Stoops told her Of
the spiendor of Chicago and the big
wages she would receive if she We're
employed there. One day Manager
Stoops found Mr.. and Mrs Wallace to-
gether and to them he unfOlded his in
n
to work for him He said nothing about
Madge then, and Mrs. Wallace kindly
consented to assist him in finding a
domestic
Il want a country girl" said he, ito
help my wife The Chicago girls are
too flip"
Afterwards it is stated. Stoops seized
every opportunity possible to talk with
Madge Wallace. Once he said to her
Oldest sister, Margaret, would you like
to have your sister go to Chicago to
mo. sir. I should not replied Mar
garet Wallace. My sister is too young
to go away from home She is not able
to take care of herself Do you know
that she is only 10 years Old2"
THAT can't be, replied StOops. *She
is surely older than that"
Nothing more was said about the en-
plOyment Of a girl, and Stoops soon left
the house He came as usual afterWard
to pay Mrs. Wallace for the board Of
his men but seldom stayed more than a
few minutes.
on December "A the work was com
pleted. and Mr.. Stoops went to the
boarding house to make the final set
tlement. He completed his business
and left the house. He had not been
gone long when Willie Wallace. a
younger brother of Madge, came rum
ming to the house in great excitement
Madge IS over on Crane street with
Mr.. StOOps." said he, Margaret Wal
lace went at once with her brother, and
she found Madge in earnest conversa-
son streets.
Il wish you would leave my sister
alone You know she is not content
with her home and [ do not think you
should try to persuade her to leave"
said she to Stops
The man made bow. protested that
he meant no harm, and lifting his hat
walked away. The same day Stoops
went to Kansas City, and the following
day the men left the boarding house.
December Is is pay day among the
Santa F'e employees. and it was accord
ingly a busy day at the Wallace house.
where the boarders came to settle their
bills Mr.. Wallace, who works in the
Santa Fe shops, was tired and went
to bed early, leaving his daughters. I
Madge and Margaret in charge of the
house.
1t was = o'clock when the girls re-
tired to their bedroom, adjoining the
large dining room on the west. The
bed chamber occupied by the sisters
is on the first floor The two girls went
to bed and Margaret Wallace knew
nothing more until she was awakened
by her mother early in the morning.
As she arose she saw that her sister
was not in the bed. 1t was unusual for
Madge to arise before her but she was
not startled. She dressed and went to
the kitchen.
Where is Madge." she asked Of her
4 have not seen her" replied Mrs
Wallace Isn't she in bed?"
Margaret rushed back to her bed
room. Her sister was not there.
Some time in the night Madge had
arisen dressed and left the house with
out disturbing any one. She had stolen
from the bedroom through the dining
room and out onto the street by the
dining room door. which was left un-
locked. No one in the house had heard
her but it is customary for boarders
to come in the night and a noise would
not have been noticed.
Then it was that the father and moth
er thought Of Stops His talk Of hir-
1.T 14-.5