The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-06-19

as comfortable a seat as possible while
he went TO the nearest plantation and told
them that they were travelling and his
wife had taken suddenly i'll on the road
and asking them il he could bring her
there until she was able to continue her
journey and, of course, they gave their
consent and they stopped there nearly
one wook, or until she got rested up
somewhat. They then started on and in
a day or two reached a railroad. where he
got passage for about seventy-hve miles
Then they took to walking again and on
the morning of January 2. reached Bat ten
Rogue. There he obtained passage from
some charitable institution to New Or
leans, reaching here on the evening Of
January 2. He then got a furnished
room, where he kept Gertrude locked up
until she escaped him on the morning OF
February 5. He only took her out on the
streets OF New Orleans three times while
he had her here. 1t must be borne in
mind that when Gertrude reached New
Orleans that her feet were in such a con-
dition that she could scarcely walk at
all, having sores on them from walking
so far that it was nearly two months be,
fore they were we'll. The marks Of the
sodes are still on her feet. Memphis is
800 miles distance from New Orleans,
and they rode about 80 miles, walking
the balance, trudging along and bearing
the hardships and and depending on the
charity Of the people they met. Gertrude
said she thought if that meant getting on
the stage, she believed she would be ex-
cused from going on, but how to escape
fromthis man was the very great prob
lem that now occupied her mind, as he
told her If she ever told any one who she
was that he would take razor and cut
her throat from ear to ear, and she had
bruises on her person when she got away
from him where he had beat her for some
trivial offense. So she thought her only
mode or manner of escape was to get
away from him in some manner and
reach some Presbyterian minister and tell
him her plight and perhaps he could help
hher, or at least tell her what to do. So,
on the Morning OF February 8 (she had
been i'll all the day before this man went
out and neglected to lock the door and,
thinking her asleep, went to market about
two blocks away and Gertrude said she
thought that was her chance, so she got
up and hurriedly dressed herself and
outbuilding until he came back and as
he went into the room she went out into
the street and walked one block and then
turned a corner and run five or six blocks,
turning every corner she came to- She
then went into a drug store and asked
for directory. She singled out DR.. B.
B. Palmer, pastor of the First church
here, and to him she went and told her
story. He took her Immediately to this
home and in conjunction with the officers
of the home notified the police at once,
but the police We're at sea, as Gertrude
could not tell where heb had had her
The only thing she could tell them twas
that she was in d certain direction from
a town clock and by drawing a diagram
of the direction the town clock was from
where she was kept, the police finally
found where he had kept her, but the
bird had flown from that room, but they
found out afterward that he only moved
his room a few block away and stopped
in hiding there some five or six weeks,
and the detective that is on the case
thinks he is still in the city, but in dis
guise and I have information from Ger
trude that have given to the authorities
that in time will surely locate him and I
mean to stay here in New Orleans until
every clue is run down which will lead
to his capture. I am still of the opinion
that there is still some mystery that we
know nothing of yet, why he took Ger
trude. He gave her enough to eat aid
gave her clothes, very grudgingly, only
getting her what she absolutely had TO
have and those of the cheapest grade.
She never had a cent OF money while he
had her. She had no companion but him
She scarcely spoke to a lady all the time,
in fact, to no one without he was pres
ent. She seems perfectly happy now that
she is with again, but a cloud comes on
her brown at mention of Sweeney's
name"