The age-herald., 1900-12-21
Boy Blindfolded and Chained to
 Floor in Old House
TWO LETTERS SENT TO MIR. CUDAHY
After 36 Hours of Anxiety the Million aire Was Compelled to Pay the Princely Ransom-Reads
 Like Dime Novel

Omaha, Neb, December 2O-There is re- joicing in the home of Edward Cudahy, the wealthy packing-1aouse owner and cap italst of this city. Edward Cudahy, Jr., who was kidnapped Tuesday evening af- ter being held thirtysix hours for a ran som of $25,O00 in gold, which the young mans father unhesitatingly paid, has been returned to his family and tonight the boy and his parents were kept busy receiving congratulations from relatives and friends throughout the country.
 MT and Mrs. Cudahy feel that they have cause for rejoicing, not only over the re- turn of their youthful son, but also because one or more of their daughters were not included in the conspiracy which has caused them so much anxiety and grief, as a statement of the conspirators overheard by the lad while he was in their power indicates that they had been attempting for a month to secure possession of one of his sisters. MT. Cudahy has been very reti- cent throughout the affair and up to this evening refused absolutely to talk either of the Kidnapping, the payment of the ran som or the return of his son. Before the real truth or the KlunapplnS, the return ol the boy, and the experiences of the latter had been given to the public at noon to- day, the police were inclined to doubt the story that the boy had been spirited away. The skepticism, however melted away when young Cudahy related the story of being overpowered, placed in closed car riage, blindfolded and bound and carried miles from the city to place, the location of which, he cannot identify, and his father made known the details of long ride into the country to deposit a bag containing $25,000 in gold in place indicated by letter written Wednesday to MT. Cudahy by the outlaws, naming this condition as a surety for the return of the boy.
 Horseman Brought Letter.
 At o'clock Wednesday morning a horse man rode past the Cudahy mansion and threw a letter on the lawn. A servant noted the action and securing the letter found it contained the information that Eddy Cudahy had been Kidnapped was safe and was being held for a ransom. Three hours later MT. Cudahy received through the mails a second communication detailing the conditions upon which the lad would be surrendered to his father. Among the conditions named was that MT. Cudahy should deposit $25, GOO in gold coin in place indicated, about five miles north of the city, on lonely road leading up the bank of the Missouri River.
 MT. Cudahy called into consultation some friends and the chief of police and discuss ed plans looking to the capture of the gang when they should make an apear- ance at the point of rendezvous named in the letter. The great strain on the family however, caused Mir. Cudahy to abandon all idea of capturing the men into whose power was the life of his son, and decided at once to comply with all the demands of the bandits. In order to do this absolute secrecy was necessary and a trusted mes- senger was dispatched to the bank 10 se- cure the gold. MT. Cudahy held himself in readiness, and shortly after supper he entered a light road buggy, and after se- curing the money, started out entirely alone for the place of meeting the kidnap- pers. To identify himself he had attached to the dashboard on his buggy a red lan- tern, one of the conditions of the letter.
 Found the White Lantern.
 MT. Cudahy drove north on the sherman road to point about five miles from the city where he found near the road white lantern suspended from a short stake driven in the ground. This signal he had been watching for it being named as the place for leaving the money. The location of the lantern was near the river bank, but when MT. Cudahy arrived nobobdy was in sight He at once alighted, placed the bag of gold near the stake and without waiting for developments returned to the city without hearing a sound
 That the bandits were near the spot and at once secured the valuable package can not be doubted, for about l o'clock this morning the boy ran almost breathless up to the door of his fathers home and rang the bell. Two policemen who in the early evening had been placed near the family mansion had been sent to the stables by MT. Cudahy, who feared that, should the men return with the boy, seeing the of f1cers, they would drive away without leav- ing him. The boy came in so suddenly that the police knew nothing of it until mem Der of the family went to the stables and informed them that the young man had re- turned, and that their services could be dispensed with.
 Notwithstanding the entire police and de- tective force of the city, several Pinkertons from Chicago and half hundred of MT. Cudhay's own men have been searching dili- gently for a clue looking to the capture of the outlaws ever since the return of the young man, up to Il o'clock tonight noth- ing has been developed to give the least idea of the Identity of the men who perpetrated the crime.
 Bandits Numbered Six.
 Young Cudahy says there were six of the men, but that all wore masks whenever in his presence, and that the only one he would attempt to identify was the one who kept guard over him during his incarceration in the lonely building in which he was held. He thinks he could recognize this mans voice. as it differed much from that of any of the others.
 That the bandits plans had been care fully laid cannot be doubted. They had evidently adopted as place of meeting Ar.