The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-12-27
OFFICIAL PAFER-KENosHA COUNTY


It would be difficult to imagine the
feelings of parent when subjected to
the torture of the knowledge that his
child is in the hands of a desperate
character, who has made known his
purpose to MAIN and disfgure his
prisoner unless the price Of his ram
som is forth coming. No doubt the
first impulse, and probably the decis-
i've impulse, would be to do just as Mr..
Cudahy has done and pay the required
ransom. if the money could be had, at
the earliest possible moment. Twen-
ty-five thousand dollars, though a
large amount of money, is not great
consideration to a man of Mr.. Cudahy's
wealth, especially when the comfort
and possibly the life of the only son is
in the balance. Even to a man to
whom the sum of ransom looks great
deal more formidable than it does to
Mr.. Cudahy, it might, in the anxiety
of the moment, present itself as the
only alternative and possibly even as
an easy one.
In spite of all this, however, those
on the outside, those who are in po-
sition to look at the matter in purely
business-1ike and disinterested way,
are liable, like the Chief of Police of
the city of Omaha, to condemn the inn
mediate payment of the required ram
som as a provocative of farther
trouble of the same nature and posi-
bly, even a repetition of the crime on
the person of the young son of Mr..
Cudahy. When it is seen and under
stood by the men who have perpetrat-
ed the deed that the money is to be
paid with a1acrity, however great the
sum, it may be looked upon as quite
certain that the effort will be repeated
with the hope of similar results.
But how far it would be wise to try
the kidnapper is question. To the
average parent a child is worth more
than any effort or sacrifice that he can
make. None but desperate men would
enage in so dangerous a business, and
the less hesitancy, the more determin-
alton, the less humanity and the more
brutality they show, the greater is
their chance of success and safety.
The blood of the murderer is in the
veins Of the kidnapper and he must
carry the stain upon his shands before
he will have fully assured the success
of his avocation. When the fact has
been once established that the threats
and promises of the kidnapper are
final and Interchangeable, he is quite
sure that his victims will always
bring their price. Therefore it stands
to reason that there was a strong prob
ability that had Mr.. Cudahy not seen
fit to respond with the ransom asked
by the kidnappers of his son, they
would have fully carried out their part
of the contract and either kept and
tortured young Cudahy or sent him
home manned and disfgured for life.
It would seem that posse of shrewd
men could have in some way managed
to follow the bag of gold deposited in
the road by Mr.. Cudahy to its destina-
ton. It would seem that from the ex-
periences of the young man himself
considerable aid could be derived in
the finding of the offenders. He rode
with his kipnappers for some distance
through lighted streets without the
bandages over his eyes that we're later
placed there. In that time it seems
that he might have become sufficiently
familiar with certain features of either
or both of the men to serve him we'll in
identifying them.
On the whole, in spite of much that
has been said by way of comment
averse to the action of Mr.. Cudahy it
seems that he has done the wisest
thing that could be done in the same
circumstances. No doubt it would
have been better for the summum
bonum of society had Mr.. Cudahy
taken the other course, but Mr.. Cudahy
is no more ready than the rest of us
would be to sacrifice his son for the
good of society in that manner. But
he has made secure the life and the
limb of his son and has more means of
discovering the men than he woul
have had had he undertaken to run the
crime to earth rather than pay the
ransom. Fortunately, Mr.. Cudahy
has wealth and is determined to spend
it literally in the apprehension of the
kidnappers. With the data they have
at hand and with the impetus impaired
by the offer of $25Oooit is not improbable
that the crime may yet be punished in
a way to put damper on farther pro-
ceedings of a similar character.
Don't wait till after the holidays fer
+ and canes Sa1aCt vO11r