Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1897-11-25
STEALING LITTLE ONeo'
An Industry Which 10 Showing e'H"'
of Revival

An Industry Which 10 showing sS"
of Revival
Awav back in the dark ages wnen
civilization was slow IN coming "nu
the barbarities of the vicious members
of the human family made innoceh.
people shudder, there were orgah'zeeu
bands of ruffians who made IL p"''
of their business to kidnap chiiorea
and sometimes grown persons, anu
hold them until various sums OF hion
ey were extorted from the agonlzeo
parents or friends. OF course chlloreh
were their favorite prey, as they were
more easily kept and could not ESCAPE
without assistance. Terrified into 81
lence, shut up in some interior apart
ment of building. or concealed IN
cave, many child has dragged OUT +"
wretched existence, frightened, ne
elected and at last murdered or thrown
into dens of vice If the demands Oh INC
kidnappers, were not complied VIII.
Since the time when Charley Ross SO
suddenly and mysteriously passed Out
of knowledge, but few attempts nave
been made to disturb the quiet ol
American households in this way. But
of late the disposition to extort money
in this manner has seemed to be grow
ing, and in spite Of themselves, AM
erican parents are feeling more or less
concerned because of the dangers tnat
menace their little ones. There is no
punishment severe enough for the VII
lain who snatches child from the
heart Of a quiet and unsuspecting ram
lily. There is moral and emotional
phase to such an act that is by no
means met if the miserable wretch ends
his life at the hands of justly en-
ragged mob There is that, however,
in the alertEess Of the American nina
that makes it somewhat difficult for
acts Of this sort to go unpublished. IL
is not the easiest thing in the world
for men of the sort who do deeds OF
this kind to escape detection. Sucn
things might have been possible when
the country was new and sparsely set
tied, and when there were unbroken
forests an UNEMPLOYED caverns all
about the great hills that environ
some of our eastern cities. But the
habit Of observation is very strong in
the average Yankee, and any unusual
action or appearance is quite likely
to be observed or commented on. There
are towns in the vicinity of New York
City into which stranger cannot go
and lounge for six hours without the
1ofoofiuo jc 0f ~ and
knows his movements thoroughly. If
there is the least suspicious action or
expression he is not free from espion-
age as long as he remains. It is great
ly to the credit of the men to whom
the safety of these places is entrusted
that they are rarely mistaken in their
estimation of the men they shadow.
In one town within six years not mis-
take has been made, and dozens of
stragglers have been apprehended and
either put behind the bars or given to
understand that in moving on was
their only safety. In the case OF the
Conway child it was developed upon
inquiry that if this scheme worked
satisfactorily other children were to
be similarly captured and held until
money could be extorted from the par
ents. But the sudden coming to grief
of this effort has, it is hoped, shown the
persons who contemplate such villainy
that the undertaking is altogether too
risky to pay. It is fact that ninety
nine out of a hundred crimes are de-
tected and tie criminals are punished.
The hundredth escapes sometimes
merely by fortunate circumstances, and
sometimes because thorough sitting
reveals the fact that the criminal was
too close to the household to be prose-
cuted. The coldblooded fiendishness
of the kidnapper of children is scarcely
paralleled by any act in the history of
crime. That all efforts should be made
to prevent a recurrence of such acts
every we'll disposed member of every
community will devoutly wish.--New
York Ledger