The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-06-19
MEANS TO GET HIM
Mrs. Rainey Determined on
Sweeney's Arrest.
NEW FACTS IN THE CASE
Gertrude Tells Her Story
Complete y to Her Mother



trude Rainey. the stage-struck young
Wichita girl who was enticed away from
home by man named Sweeney, is de-
| ternlined to bring Sweeney to justice
J She is now in New Orleans and has detec-
tives on the track of Sweeney and be-
lieves that the authorities will secure
him. Sweeney is thought 70 be in New
Orleans. Gertrude has related to her
mother the full history of her long ex-
petition, as Sweeneys virtual captive and
slave, bringing out the additional fact
that Sweeney beat her. In a letter Mrs.
Rainey says:
According to promise, believe 1 am
now prepared to write you a. correct ac-
count of Gertrude's story of her abduc-
ton from home on the 22d of last July.
| She says she first met this man Sweeney
| in Wichita some time in June OF last
! year, and only saw him three or four
times, but during one of the times she
saw him she told him Of her being stage
struck and he then told her that he was
a theatrical manager, but he was then
out Of a job, but was going TO start In
a short time and when he went he would
take her along and put her on the stage,
where she would make lots of money and
in a few days she came to me in Great
Bend and, of course, said nothing to me
about this man saying he was going to
take her along with him when he went.
In fact, she said she never thought he
meant to take her; was only talking to
hear himself talk; but, however, on the
22d day of July, when she went down
~. L. IoI y
on, here was Sweeney, who had come on
the morning train, and telling her he
had come after her to put her on the
stage, and she said she told him: Why,
1 cannot go and leave my mamma Oh
heb said, never mind your mother; she
viii be glad to get you out of her way
Yes, but Gertrude said she won't let
me go, I know Don't tell her anything
about your going. You just go up 10 the
house and tell your mother that a little
girl wants you to come over to her home
and play and that is all you need do, and
will see that you will get away all
right ard as Gertrude now expresses II:
L was just silly enough to listen to him
and do as he said and let him steal me
away from you, mamma
HE then took her to Hutchinson and
got her a complete new cheap outfit. con-
sisting of a blue check skirt and striped
blue and white shirt waist and white
straw hat, telling her that she did not
look well in what she had on. The dress
he got her was so long she could scarcely
walk in il. They boarded the Hext train
to Newton, where he had the horse and
wagon he had driven the day before from
Wichita. He went to the City hotel
where he had stopped the night before
telling them that he had been up the
road to meet his daughter, who had been
at school at Colorado Springs. He put up
there for the night and early the next
morning, before any one scarcely was up
he was up and away, taking a northern
direction, and drove all day and stopped
all night at Marion. passing her off as his
daughter the next day driving all day
and stopping all night at a small town on
the Union P6cifc railroad; drove all day,
bringing them in the neighborhood of
Junction City; stopped in the neighbor-
hood two days, selling tinware and cigars.
When he had all he took with him turned
into money he drove into Junction City
on Saturday morning, the 29th of July,
and auctioned the horse, wagon and har-
ness OH on the street. ne IHeH udu III
money about $42 Then he took the train
for Manhattan ard stayed there all night
registering as ]. Evans and daughter.
Sunday he went to Belliville, Kan, and
from there to Lincoln, Neb. where ne put
up at a hotel on Sixteenth street as J.
Woods and daughter. He stopped there
three or four days, then went on to Chi
cago H., where he arrived just two
weeks after taking Gertrude. In Chicago
he rented a furnished room for light
housekeeping at No. 1872 West adams
street. giving his name as ]. Woods and
daughter He stayed there four or five
weeks, keeping Gertrude entirely TO her
self. Whenever he went out and could
take her with him conveniently he did so;
when he could not ne locked her up in
the room. saying when he did so: Now,
Gertrude, I don't know what kind of peo-
pie there might be here. So that I won't
be uneasy about you while I am out,
viii Just lock the door Then when the
people he rented from commenced TO
make remarks about mis- actions he would
then move four or five blocks away and
in that manner he stayed in Chicago I'M
til about the middle of October. The man
ner or mode OF making 4 living was
about 10 this way; When he would 90
to any new place he would set the direct
DRY and make out a list OF ministers, Y.
NJ. c. AS and all charitable institutions
that it contained. and on certain hours
each day he would call on a certain num-
Der and tell them some tale Of woe and in
nearly every instance they would give
him money. About the middle Of October
he suddenly took a notion to so TO St
Louis, telling Gertrude that there was
many advantages in St. Louis that were
not in Chicago. In a few days ne came
home with 8 pass for himself and daugh-
ter 70 Decatur. III, saying he had obtain
ed them on forced telegram from that
place saying that his wife was I'll ard for
him to come Immediately. After STAYING
in Decatur for 3 few days. begging from
al the ministers there. re forged an
other telegram and got passage 10 st.
Louis. He stopped there Two or three
weeks and by begging got half fare or
less Ter himself and daughter 70 Mem
pals, Tenn. by river. Arriving in Mem
phis he stayed there several DAYS begging.
OF course. from ministers. But one day
while receiving money from a minister
two policemen appeared. Whether they
meant 70 arrest him Gertrude says she
does not know. but he did not give them
the chance he got out &C thu building
they were in and took back way 70
thetr lodgings and packed u their be-
Ionginxs, expressed them TO NlcksbuVg
and left Memphis on FOO; by an untre-
queated road and kept 70 country roads
for miles and miles. staying al night al
respectable kisRtsrs homes. telling Il d.
ferent tale OF woe az each ons- Re then