Omaha daily bee., 1897-10-21
H LID AS A CHILD STEALER
cl ce Have a Suspicious Character in
Their Custody,
CHARLIE KIsER HIS INTENDED VICTIM
Unknown Mnn Tries to Entice the Boy
10 Leave Home with Him, but
IL Baked by Chief
Canning.

The police are holding a man who gives
the name of McFadden whom they believe
will prove to be an interesting criminal He
was arrested at noon yesterday as ydgrant,
although he had $4S4O in cash in his pockets.
1t is believed he was attempting to abduct
Charlie Kiser, the l4-year-od son of the
late Chorles c. Kiser Union Pacific con-
ductor who died few days ago in one OF
the hospitals in Omaha and was buried from
his home here.
Mrs Kiser lives at No. 7l5 South Twenty
fourth street. on Tuesday evening while the
boy working about the barn doing the
evening chores he was accosted by man
who called him by name and got into con-
versation with him. 1t was shown early in
the talk the object of the man was to induce
the boy to go away with him. The boy
refused and the fellow left. The boy told
his mother OF the occurrence, but nothing in
particular was thought of 1t. Yesterday
morning while the boy was at the barn
again the man appeared and renewed his
propositions to take the boy to Omaha, prom
sing to pay him for his trouble and give
him a good time The offer was again de-
Clned and the man left
The boy is a pupil in the Second avenue
school, and at 10 o'clock the man appeared
at the building and made inquiries for Char
lie Kiser. He was informed by the principal
that Charlie was in the school room and
after he had urged the request to be per-
mitted to see him, the boy was called out
The man took him behind the building where
he could not be seen and offered him $25 if
he would go to Omaha in his company, tell
| Ing the lad that he would insure him good
! time and would take him to the theater
| The money was held in sight OF the boy
| for some time but the man became so per-
| sstent that the boy became frightened and
| promised to meet him al the Cochran park
| corner at noon. He told his mother of the
occurrence and she notified the police. Chief
! Canning investigated the case. At the di-
| rection Of the chief the boy went to the cor
ner designated while the officer followed in
! the distance. The man was lying on the
grass in the park waiting FOR the boy, who
| had become so timd by this time that he
was afraid to go near the fellow. The chief
was near enough to hear the man urging
! the boy to go with him, and after a little
| delay placed the fellow under arrest
The man appeared to be very much sur
! prsed, and as the chief was in citizens
| clothes was inclined to refuse to submit to
arrest Considerable difficulty was encoun
! tered before he was gotten to the nearest
| police call box and the wagon summoned.
| At the station the man gave the name of
McFadden, and told all sorts of stories. He
| first said his home was in Omaha and that
he was locomotive fireman running on the
Union Pacific between Omaha and Lincoln
and firing locomotive number rs. He said
, the engineers name was Eugene V.
| Kreb Canning told him the company had
| replied "Well | admit that l lied and am
not fireman, and what are you going to do
about it?'' He finally said his home was in
st. Louis and that he lived at 933 North
| Broadway. In explanation of his desire to
get little Charlie Kiser away from his home
ho said that he was only seeking an oppor-
tunity to repay act Of kindness that the
child had done him last summer McFadden
said he was tramp going through mere via
the box car route for the Dakota harvest
fields, and that Charlie had procured him
something to eat when he was penniless and
hungry. He said that he was now on his way
home and wanted to repay the boy for his
| kindness.
Mrs Kiser and the police are satisfied
that the fellows object to abduct the
boy and hold him for large reward. When
Conductor Kiser died he was a member OF
the Maccabees and carried an insurance pol
icy in that order for SO 900. Some how or
other McFadden learned of this, and among
the first questions he asked of the boy was TO
learn II his mother had received her insur-
anCe.
Charlie Kiser is an adopted son, ami s
Mrs Kiser's nephew. He was seen last
night and said he had never seen McFadden
until he appeared at the stable door on
Tuesday evening. He also stated that he hld
never given any tramp anything in the way
of food that he could remember, and that
McFadden's story of the kindness last sum-
, , mer was a pure fabrication. He said that
after Mc'adden failed to induce him to
| accompany him by the proffer OF money he
, became abusive and threatened him, telling
! him that If he did not go voluntarily he
: would be forced to 60 and that If he failed
: to keep the appointment to be at the PARK
corner at noon yesterday McFadden would
come and get him.
The boys foster mother was very much
distressed over the occurrence, and fees
confident that there is a well laid conspir
acy to kidnap the boy and compel her to pay
a large ransom for his recovery. She ha:
! not received her husbands life insurance
{ money but expects to in few days and sht
is satisfied that McFldden and his cocoon
= sprators had become sufficiently familiar
= with her affairs to learn the amount OF lli'
= Insurance ste is to receive, and believed
2 that in her sorrow for ber husband she woul'
/ most willingly part with large portion
' her money to recover her boy if he was takel
z from her
Jesse Kser brother of the dead conductor
who is also an employo of the Union Pacf
= in Omahl, spent last night with his sister-ln
law and talked freely about the attempted
kidnapping He says the boys real name Il
d Charles McGinnis, and his home for
= merly in Indiana and that his father is nov
# living in Ft Wayne where he is following
:. | the trade of painter and roofer. He say
= tho boy has an aunt who is very wealth!
and now living in Indianapolis, and that
is understood that he is to be her heir. III
: makes some rather sensational surmises il
this connection, and intmates that the con
| spiracy 20 kidnap the child might have orig
mated In one of the Indiana branches o
d the family. He is satisfied from the fac
l. that the man chosen to commit the Grim
was well supplied with money that NOR
? than ordinary interests are back of it,
afnn Mol nj