The San Francisco call., 1897-08-18
STOLEN FROM
HIS PARENTS
kidnapping Case Akin to
That of Charley
Ross.
Boy Abducted From Home at
Albany, N. Y, and Held
for Ransom.
Terms of Release Dictated by the
ScoundreIs-PoIice Puzz ed and
Mother Distracted.


to-day are working on a kidnapping case
rivaling that of Charley Ross and equally
puzzling. The case is remarka BILE for its
similarity to the Ross mystery. Yester-
day morning the fve-year-old son of
Michael J. Conway. living at 40 Colonie
street, disappeared. Conway is night
train dispatcher at West Albany, on the
New York Central. Yesterday he returned
home after his nights duties and ate
breakfast as usual with his family, COM
prising his wife and three chiidLen. After
breakfast the father retired and the boy
was allowed 10 so into the street and
play. Two hours afterward Mrs. Conway
answered a ring of the door-bell and 4
boy, l4years old, poorly dressed, handed
her a letter addressed to Mr.. Conway.
His wife took it to him in his room and he
read the contents, as toIlows:s
AUGUST 16..
Mr.. Con,cay: Your little bov John has been
kidnapped, and when you receive this word he
will be a safe distance from Albany and where
he could not be found in 400 years. The child
will be returned to you on payment OF $4,000,
provided you pay the money tonight and
strictly obey the following directions: Put
the money in package and send it by man
you can trust to the lane going uphill few
feet south OF the Troy road al the first toll
gate. Just off the road on this lane there is
tree with big trunk Have the man put the
package on the south side OF the tree and at
once come away and come back TO your house.
We want the money left al the spot at S:l5
o'clock tonight See that no one is with the
man you send and that no one follows him, or
you viii never look upon your little boy again.
Ii you say word about this to any one out
side OF your family and the man you send
with the money, or ii you take any steps 10
bring it to the attention of the police, you
VIII never see your child again, for If any one
knows OF it we will not take the risk OF return
ing him, but will leave him TO his fate. Ifyou
obey these instructions IN every respect you
will receive word within two hours after the
money has been LETT where you can go and
getty our boy, safe and sound.
We have been after this thing for a long
time. We know our business and can beat all
the police in America. We're after money.
ana If YOU do what you told harm will
come to the boy, but If you fail to do what we
tell YOU, or do anything we tell you not TO
do you will never look on your child again,
as sure as there is God in heaven. We know
you have money in the bank and that the
bonk closes at ? o'clock, and we must have it
to-n night. So get II time. Don't tell them
why you draw it out-you can say you are
buying property. ii you wish-for this must be
between you and US, if you want your boy
back alive.
Remember the case of Charley Ross of Phila-
deIphia. H IS father did not do as he was told,
but went to the police and then spent five
tunes as much as he could have got him back
for, but never saw MS little boy to the day of
his death. A word 10 the wise is enough.
Now, understand US plainly. Get the money
from the bank in time. Don't open your lips
to any one, and send a trusty man to the place
we say at sis tonight He wants to be sure
that no one sees him. Put the package there
so that there viii be no possible danger of any
one else getting IT. Then, within two hours,
you shall have word from US where your boy
is Every move you make will be known 10
US, and if you attempt any crooked work with
us say good-by to your boy and look out for
yourself. for we Will meet you again when you
don't expect IL.
Do as we tell you and all will be well, and
viii deal straight with you. If you make
the least crooked move you will regret it to
the day OF your death. Ii you want to have
your little boy back safe and sound keep your
lips shut and do exactly as you are told. If
you fail to obey every direction you will have
one child less. Yours truly,
CAPTAIN OF THE GANG.
Mrs. Conway screamed and skrieked
and went into Mysteries before her hus-
band had half finished the letter. Her
cries filed the house with neighbors in
fe " seconds, and Conway, after securing a
doctor for his wife, rushed at once to
police headquarters.
II am not afraid of this band Of cow
ards, he said. My boy will come back to
me sooner or latter. But want these
would-be assassins OF little children run
down and put to death, If necessary"
Conway went to the bank with his
"trusty friend' and made bluff at draw
ing out $4,000. In full view of the street
this money was put in a package and
handed TO him. Along with it was another
package-a dummy one containing paper.
He dropped the real package as he passed
out of the door and carried the other one
down the street with him.
The bank cashier picked up the good
money and put it into the bank vaults.
The dummy package was intrusted to the
friend, with instructions to follow i'm
p!icitly the directions contained in the
kidnaper's letter. Then Conway went
home and rested until evening.
The police secretly sent men out of town
on trails with instructions to drop off at
way stations and get back the best they
could to rendezvous on the Troy road at
nightfall. The friend with the dummy
package lett Albany on his lonely walk at
o'clock; the police scattered about a
field of waving wheat on the upper SIDE of
the road from the big hollow tree; the
package was deposited as directed, and
then the man turned back toward town.
But there was absolutely no sign of the
kdnapers. The police waited for hours.
but got no trace Of them. Then search
was made of the surrounding country, but
this, too, was without success. Then the
news OF the ab luction was made public in
town and the hunt became general one.
After the police returned from their
weary search there was a conference in
Chief Davidson's Office, at which were
present all the detectives of Albany, the
police captains and Assistant District At
torney Cooke. The conference decided
tha: general alarm srould be sent out
all over the country for the missing child
The roads between here and Troy have
been pa,roIled to-doy and searching par