The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-06-26
HIS BOY NEVER FOUND
DEATH OF CAPTAIN DICKINSON RE-
CALLS HIS SONS ABDUCTION.
Father Dies of a Broker Heart After
Searching Nearly Twenty Years All
over the World for His Child.

ASHLAND, Wis, June S.-The death of
Capt. w. E. Dickinson. a wealthy mining
promoter, at Florence, Wis, recalls one of
the most sensational abductions or mys-
terious disappearance in the history of the
country. Captain Dickinson practically died
of a broken heart, for he had never entirely
recovered from the shock he sustained in
1881 when his little boy Willie, six years old,
disappeared. At the time of the disappear
ance Captain Dickinson was In charge Of
the celebrated Commonwealth mine, near
Florence. He also had to do with the Colby
mine
Nov. /, 1881, little Willie Dickinson left
the schoolhouse in Commonwealth to go
home. His route was by a road through
the woods over which the wagons working
for the mine which his father controlled
! passed. Transfers employed by his father
knew the boy well and hailed him on the
road. But he never reached his home. His
sister, accompanied by a servant, had left
the schoolhouse after Willie and was passed
by the same drivers who had seen the boy,
and all within a few minutes. But Willie
was never seen again. He had disappeared
as completely and mysteriously as the chill
dren VINO followed the pied piper of Hame-
lin.
For weeks thousands of men beat through
the woods, dragged the streams and
searched the abandoned shafts, but all in
by the thousands he had made enemies, and
his own theory was that the boy had been
abducted either for a ransom or by men who
had formerly been employed by him to
avenge fancied wrongs growing out or
trouble in the mines or that he had been
murdered. Holding this opinion, he en-
ployed the cleverest detective skill to find
the boy If possible or else TO punish the
guilty if murder had been done, as he
feared. Then began the search. 1t lasted
for years. 1t extended to the farthest cor
ners of the earth, costing thousands OF dol
lars, and only ended in a hidden cave on the
Willie persisted either by sickness or
through the design of his abductors.
The first clew was found In Common
along the path over which Willie had
| started for home. They sought to avoid be-
ing seen and hid In the bushes upon the ap-
found. Next came a letter from a Chicago
man, who said he had seen Willie in COM
Iudington. Mich. The boy was crying and
feared his companions. This party was
traced to Culpepper. Va; where one of the
men and a boy, supposed to be Willie. took
up abode In a lonely, deserted house. With
detectives Mrs. Dickinson FASTENED to Gull
pepper, but the man and the boy had ned.
Mr.. Dickinson found In the house articles
of clothing which had been worn by Willie.
Thence the trail led to Washington, u. G.,
Delaware. Maryland, Virginia, to Texas
vania the man and the boy were once more
located, but again lost, and for a year they
Then it was learned that they were in
Rochester, N. Y. There a man named Nor
ris. believed to have been one of the alb
warned of the approach of Mrs. Dickinson
and had got the child out of the way:
The police had nothing, on which to hold
Morris and he was released. Later he
opened negotiations with Captain. Dickin-
son, agreeing to give up the child for 5000:
but while they were on he took fright and
Had 70 E,1lrona taking the how Wifn him Tho
man was bounded through England and
Wales. France. Italy and into Africa, but
he managed to keep ahead Of his purSuers
and to make his way back to the United
States, where all trace of him was again
lost for a long time. 1t is supposed that
islands of the Pacific. Whence he was sup
piled with funds none could ever learn.
But it was evidently from a third man,
who kept in the background, save when he
turned up In Milwaukee, where the man
Morris was taken sick in a West Side house.
which he appeared to be maintaining solely
| as a prison for the abducted boy. The third
man hustled Willie to some orner unknown
place.
Morris died, and a search of the premises,
undertaken some months later. resulted I'm
the discovery of letters referring to the
abduction. One Of them was from a man
who had taken charge Of Willie during
Morris's Illness It stated in substance that
after leaving Milwaukee the writer had
taken the boy to cave No. l, on the Brule
river, and that there the boy had sickened
ana died. Accompanying the letter was a
rude map of Florence county, showing
Commonwealth, the scene of the road
where the abduction took place. the route
of the Brule river and the location OF the
cave. known as No. l.
The letters intimated that the body of he
| boy had been left in the cave. This was
several years after the disappearance, but
Captain Dickinson and those who aided him
were unable to locate any such place. but
In 1887 two young men of Florence were
exploring for minerals and came across a
cave in which IL is now believed the bones
II of WILLIE Dickinson rQnOSR-
For days and weeks earnest searchers
| carried their torches through the dismal
| chambers of this cave, only giving up when
| they were unable to make further progress.
Evidences were found that portions OF the
cavern had once been used for purposes OF
habitation. When the men could go no fur
Their Captain Dickinson was notified and he
| invested large sums OF money for carrying
on the search. The work was carefully and
| indefatigably carried on for years.
To the day OF his death Captain Dickin-
son kept up the hunt for his missing child,
| even though hope had died away. Captain
| Dickinson's death was FASTENED by the
| great sorrow of his heavy loss. He was
known TO many men the world over. He had
helped 10 develop the resources OF Cuba,
and no man was more prominent in bring
| ing forth the rich mineral wealth of the