Evening journal., 1900-12-21
NEBRASKA MILLIONAIRE YIELDS
TO DEMANDS OF KIDNAPPERS,
FOR PRICE OF SONS FREEDOM
They Threatened to Blind the Boy, to Steal the Child Of
Another Millionaire and to Demand 100000
If He Did Not Comply


bull by the horns and nab you And
/ guess it's all right You've acted
FIRST class, my boy YOun be back
with your folks in a few hours.
The boy is apparently none the
worse for his unusual experience and
says he viii take up his school studies
at Creighton college as usual after the
holidays
Later in the day Mr.. Cudahy himself
made known the details Of a long ride
into the country TO deposit bag con-
tanning $4,000 in gold in a place indi-
Gated in a letter written Wednesday to
Mr.. Cudahy by the outlaws. naming
this condition as a surety for the re-
turn - the boy. The letter was as fol-
lows:
The Threatening Letter.
Mr.. Cudahy We have kidnapped your
child and demand s25. 600 for his safe re-
turn. If you give us the money the chld
will be returned as safe as when you last
saw him. but If you refuse we viii put
acid in his eyes and blind him; then we
will Immediately kldnap another million
ares child that we have spotted and de-
mand 100000 and we viii get 81. for he
viii see the condition of your cnild and
realize the fact that we mean business
tured.
Get the money all in gold-nve. ten ana
twenty dollar pieces, put 10 IN "a white
wheat sack; get I'm your buggy alone on
the night OF Dec. 10, at Z o'clock D. M,
and drive south from your house TO Gem
ter street. turn west on Center ana drive
back to Rusers Park. and follow the
paved road toward Fremont. When you
come to "a lantern that is lighted hy tine
side OF the road place the money hy the
lantern and Immediately turn your horse
around and return home.
You VIII know our lantern. for it Will
have two ribbons. black and white. tied
on the handle. You must place red
lantern on your buggy, where it can be
plainly seen, SO we VIII know you mile
away.
This letter and every part OF # must be
returned with the money. and any att
tempt at capture win be the saddest thing
you ever done. If you remember some 20
years ago Charley Ross was KIDNAPPED IN
New York city and $4,000 ransom asked.
Ola man Ross was willing TO give UP the
money, but Burns. the great detective
with others, persuaded the old man not
70 give UP the money, assuring him that
the thieves would De captured Ross died
OF broken heart, sorry that he allowed
the detectives TO dictate to him.
This letter must not be seen by any one
but You. IT the police or some stranger
knew its contents they might attempt 10
capture MS, although against your wish
or some one might use lantern and rep
resent us, thus the wrong party securing
the money. and this would be- as fatal
20 you as il YOU refused to give up the
money, So you see the danger ii you let
Mr. Cudahy. you are up against it. and
there is only one way out. GIVE Up
THE COIN. Money we want and money
we will get If you don't give up. the
next man VIII, Tor he viii see that we
mean business. and you can lead your
boy around blind the rest of your davs
and all you viii have is the - copper
sympathy. DO the right thing by us and
We will do the same by YOU III you re-
fuse, you viii soon see the saddest sight
you ever seen. Wednesday Dec. 10. This
night or never.
Follow these instructions and no harm
viii befall you or yours.
This letter was received by mail. and
Mr.. Cudahy called into consultation
the chief of police and his friends and
discussed plans looking to the cap
ture OF the gang when they should
make an appearance at the point of
rendezvous named in the letter The
great strain on the family, however.
caused Mr.. Cudahy to abandon all idea
of capturing the men in whose power
was the life OF his son, and decided
to at once comply with all the demands
Of the bandits. He therefore followed
the instructions implicitly
Left $4,000 by the Roadside.
The location of the bandits lantern
was near the river bank, but when Mr..
Cudahy arrived nobody was in sight.
He at once alighted, placed the bag OF
gold conveniently near the stake. and
without waiting for developments re-
turned to the city without hearing a
sound. That the bandits were near the /
spot and at once secured the valuable
package cannot be doubted. for about
1 o'clock yesterday morning the young
boy ran breathless up to the door of his
fathers house and rang the bell for
admission. Two policemen, who in the
early evening had been placed near the !
family mansion, had later been sent
to the stables by Mr.. Cudahy. who
feared that should the men returning
with the boy see the officers they
would drive away without leaving him. |
The boy came in so suddenly that the |
policemen knew nothing of it until in |
formed by member of the family.
Notwithstanding the entire police |
and detective force of the city, several |
Pinkertons from Chicago and half a
hundred of Mr.. Cudahy's own men
have been searching diligently for
clew looking to the capture of the |
outlaws ever since the return of
the boy, nothing has been developed to |
give the least idea Of the identity Of |
the men who perpetrated the crime |
Young Cudahy says there were six Of /
the men, but that all wore masks when |
ever in his presence, and that the only |
one he would attempt to identify was |
the one who kept guard over him dur |
ing his Incarceration in the lonely |
building ia which he was held. lie |
thinks he could recognize this mans |
voice. as It differed much from that of |
any of the others.
That the bandits plans had been /
carefully laid cannot be doubted. They /
had evidently appointed as q place OF
meeting Mr. Cudahy point near the
river bank IN order that they might |
escape ia q boat should officers at |
tempt their capture.