Evening journal., 1900-12-21
MIR. Cudabay Offers $4,000
Reward for AbdaCtOrS
FORTUNE FOR BOY'S RANSOM
Reference to lhe Charley Ross Case
Evidently Frightened the Anxious
Parents Into Submission

Omaha Neb., Dec. 21.-There is great
rejoicing in the home Of Edward Cud-
ahy, the wealthy packing house owner
and capitalist of this city. Edward
Cudahy, Jr.. who was kidnapped Tues
day evening, after being held SO hours
for ransom of $4,000 in gold. which
the young mans father unhesitatingly
paid, has been returned to his family
and the boy and his parents are receiv-
ing congratulations from relatives and
friends throughout the country. Mr..
and Mrs. Cudahy feel that they have
cause for relief, not only over the re-
turn of their youthful son, but also be-
cause one or possibly more Of their
daughters were not included in the
conspiracy which has caused them so
much anxiety and grief
Before the real truth of the kidnap-
ing, the return of the boy and the
experiences of the latter had been
given to the public the police were in
elined to doubt the story that the boy
had been spirited away. This skepti-
cism. however. melted away when
young Cudahy related the story of the
kidnapping, as follows:
The kidnapped Boys story.
lie said that he was in front Of Gen.
GOWNS house, just across the street
from his own home on his way back
from the Rustin residence Tuesday
evening. when two men approached
him. One of them stepped up to him
and said: I'VE are sheriffs from Sarpy
county and arrest you as Eddie McGee,
who escaped from the reform school"
The lad replied that he was not the
mythical Eddie McGee, but his captors
said that he would have to be ident-
fled. They placed him in a buggy and
drove to Thirty-sixth street and thence
south to Leavenworth street. As they
approached Leavenworth street a mo-
tor car passed them. The lad recog-
nized the conductor, and said to his
captors: There is a man who knows
me; he can identify me-"
But the captors Immediately blind
folded him and whipped up the horse.
The lad thinks that they crossed Leav-
enworth street and then drove in a
southwesterly direction. Presently
they came to a house, which, in the
opinion of the lad, is somewhere in the
southwestern part of South Omaha.
Young Cudahy was taken from the
buggy and placed in a room and chain
ed to a chair. He remained there all
night and the next day. His hands
were tied, and the chains on his feet
prevented him from getting a good
view OF his surroundings even after
the blindfold had been removed. He
knows, however, that he was in an
hoN Il H. u.
windows were closed
On the trip to the place of imprison-
ment the men, he says, talked a little
about themselves. He gathered from
them that there were six in the gang.
One of these men came from Mexico
recently and from Denver very lately.
and was an expert in the kidnaping
business. After the mysterious house
was reached one man guarded him dur
ing a greater portion of the day. The
second man was in and out of the room
at intervals. At night, for some un-
known reason. the men released young
Cudahy from his chains and said: 1--WE
are going to take you back home"
They then led him to a hack. He was
driven rapidly through the darkness
TO Ihirty-seventh and Leavenworth
streets, where he was allowed to leave
the carriage. From there he walked
home, arriving there shortly after
O'Clock in the morning. The bandits
made no explanation to him why thev
gave him his freedom.
The boy said that during his i'm
prNonment he could hear the tinkle
of a telephone bell, which sounded a
long way of, and he believes his can
tors were in communication with some
persons in Omaha all the time. He
said further:
Intended 10 Steal "A Little Girl.
1.-The man who kept watch over me-
was drinking heavily all the time. AT
first he did not talk at all but after
we had been alone together for six or
seven hours he began to get garrulous.
Two or three times he touched upon
the subject of my abduction. and
gathered from his remarks that thero
were six men in the gang of which he
was member He said one thing
which was very much to the point, and
which startled me.
Do yon know he asked, that we
have been watching that house of
yours out there for the last two
months? Well, we have. What we
really wanted was TO get one of the
little girls your sisters, but we did
not get chance. Finally we became