The evening times., 1898-09-06

and numerous outside towns, where it
found, have been thoroughly searched.
What puzzles the police and parents is
the lack of motive for the abduction. Mr..
Louis Lapiner father of tie child, is an
insurance adjustor and is not wealthy.
In Offering sl2 go reward for the return
of his son he is giving up practically
every dollar he has in the world. The
mother of the missing toddler remains a;
home in an agony of grief, and il some
tidings are not soon learned of the miss
ing one fears are entertained that she
will lose her reason.
Since 9 O'Clock on the morning of May
30 last little Gerald has been missing. He
was an affec.ionate child and made
friends easily, and when a strange woman
came along and invited him to go with
her he took her hand trustingly and trot-
ted away. Who this woman was. where
she came from and where she went, no
one knows.
II is the theory of the father that she
had possibly lost a child of her own. and
being taken with GeraIds bright face.
led him away. a woman answering her
general description had been at the Home
for the Friendless three blocks from the
ing inquiries as TO a child she might
adopt, and Mr.. Lapincr is certain she is
the one who perpetrated the abduction.
Little Gerald was in front of the apart
menl house where he lived, eagerly
watching some older boys who were max
ing preparations 20 go fishing, when the
woman came along. None of the boys
heard what she said 10 him. and they
were so busy with their Own>affairs that
they would hardly have taken time TO
listen.
The two went north to Forty-seyenth
Street, where ii is thought they took an
electric car going westward, although
none of the conductors on that line re-
members such couple. However. as il
was Memorial Day, the cars were crowd
cd and the conductors had little opportu-
! nifty to notice individual passengers.
Patient and laborious investigation 10y
| the police has resulted in finding one per
son who saw the abduction and paid at
! tention to il. and two others who saw the
/ woman and child together Margaret
! McAuley, nine years old, living almost
opposite the Lapiner house, a playmate OF
| the Lapiner children, saw the woman
| when she addressed Gerald and saw the
| two go away together. Margaret did not
think much of the occurrence at thC
time, although she remembered IL vividly
| afterWard when il became known thai
| the child had been stolen.
| She noticed Gerald particularly, because
when he marched away at the side o
the woman, who held his hand, he clunl
tightly TO a medium sized market bas
! ket which he had half filed with graS!
J picked in front of his house.
! The supposed reason why so few per
I sons noticed him was that the woman
took him TO house near the scene o
the abduction and changed his clothing
i He had on. when carried away a purpl,
dress and a green cloak and cap. and il
this costume with his bright face beauti
! full eyes and CHEEKY manner, would hav
| attracted the attention of anybody.
Some of the detectives think the wo
! man. in asking the janitor at No
47i0 Prairie Avenue and a grocer!
clerk whose child it was. had been ssn
by some one TO abduct the Lapner boy
| and wanted 10 be sure 1t was he. 9th
ers are of the opinion the woman picked
| the boy up because he was alone. ant
! asked who he was because she had NJ
idea who his parents were. There Is
third theory, that il was the woman:
| intention TO carry away the child of somt
| of the wealthy families in the neighbor
| hood and got tie Lapiner boy by mis-
| take.
Mr. Lapiner was detained at his office
all day. and his wife, not wishing to
alarm him, did not send him word OF
| Gerald's disappearance. hoping against
hope that he had strayed away and
would be brought home by some neiGhbol
or a police officer. 1t was o'clock a
night when the father got home. and
being told by his wife of the absence oi
his boy, at once notified the police.
Owing to persistent rumors that trou
BILE existed between Lapiner and his wife
and that the lads abduction was possibly
caused by one or the other the police a
first were rather Iukewarm in their eff
forts, but as the days went on and tn,
poor mothers agony became greater i
was evident the case was genuine anC
worth looking into.
For nearly three months Mr.. .Lapfne
has pursued his quest, without thinkin,
of sleep or rest. At first he offered a re
ward of $50. and then increased ii by de
grees to $500. 1t will practically pauper
ize him to pay this. but he will do it.
week ago he dropped his business entire
ly and announced that he would devot
his entire time and attention to tn
search.
He has also made public his intention
| of giving $50 to any person who can Civ
him any information regarding the WON
an who called at the Home for tn
Friendless in search of child for adop
tion on the day of the disappearance O
little Gerald, for Mr.. Lapiner is firm il
the belief that this woman is the one VIII
abducted the boy.
Such public interest has been arouse
by the interchangeable search made by MI
Lapiner that his friends in the Unio
League Club, of which he is a member
have announced their mention of givin
a $4,000 reward for the recovery of tn
boy. which now makes So, 500 that will &
to his fortunate finder.
Not only this, but Superintendent of Pc
lice Kipley has offered to give a lieuter
antcy TO any patrolman on the force VIII
distinguishes himself by clearing up tn
mystery, and the consequence has bee
that the town has been searched as wit
a fine toothcomb. If Gerald Lapiner is
Chicago he is Well sequestered, for ever
policeman has his description ard is d.
termined to earn that promotion
IL is Mr.. Lapiner's opinion that tn
child is not only in the city, but is bein
hidden not far fro. his home, although
he can give no particular reason for thi
belief. He has no idea, however, wht
stole him. or what the object tof the alb
duction could have been, and is therefor
working entirely in the dark Because O
the total absence of clews the police ar
very much inclined to think the child wa
at once taken out of the city and is perhaI
at present somewhere on a farm or /
some other town. Owing to the wild
rzta