The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-12-21
NOT HARSH OR BRUTAL
Ransomed Youth Tells His Ex-
perience While Waiting
for Release.

perience While Waiting
for Release.
Omaha, Dec. 2O-Spoaking of his
experience while in the power Of the
kidnappers, young Cudahy gave the
following account of his Surroundings
and what occurred and of the men
who guarded him:
II could tell by the way the mems
footsteps ,resounded throughout the
house that it was vacant and stripped
IF furniture. I observed also that they
struck no light. I would have been
conscious Of sense of light had they
made one, as the bandage could not
have excluded all its rays. The men
still moved about in absolute silence
exchanging no word. One Of them
found an old rickety chair some place
and pushed me down on it. Then he
removed the cords from around my
wrists and substituted for them pair
of handouts with chains attached,
and made the latter fast to the rungs
of the chair. a pair of irons were
clasped upon my ankles and the chains
of these were also locked about the
legs of the chair.
''In this uncomfortable position l
spent most of the "a hours Of my in
carceration, though at one time, for a
period of about five hours, should
judge, tho chains from my wrists were
removed and / was permitted to lie
down on the floor. One of my captors
kindly provided an overcoat which
served as a pillow and I tried to
shattered to permit Of it.
During all Of this time I partook
of nourishment but once, though the
man who was with me often asked me
if wanted anything. Once I did and
he went and got me cup of coffee
and some crackers
''As soon as I was chained to the
chair one of the men went away, but
he kept returning at intervals Of every
few minutes, when he would tap
lightly upon the door and would en-
gage my guardian in whispered con-
versation. I could not catch word
of what they said. After each one Of
these intervals the man on the outside
would go away and after moment
or so would hear the tingle Of tel
ephone bell which sounded long way
off.
II believe they were in telephone
communication with some person in
Omaha all the time.
"The man who kept watching over
me was drinking heavily all the time.
At first he did not talk at all, but
after we had been alone for six or
seven hours he began to get garrulous.
He talked about all sorts of things
and his talk rambled, though whether
from drink or design could not say.
Finally he became bolder. Two or
three times he touched upon the sub
ject of my abduction and I gathered
from his remarks that there were six
men in the gang of which he was a
member. He said one thing which
was very much to the point and which
startled me: DO you know he
asked, that we have been watching
that house OF yours over there for the
last month? Well we have. What we
really wanted was to get one of the
little girls-your sisters, but we did
not get chance. Then we became
desperate and determined to take the
bull by the horns and nab you, and I
guess it's all right. You've acted
first-olass, my boy. You'll be back
with your folks in few hours
The boy tonight is apparently none
the worse for his unusual experience
and says he will take up his school
studies at Creighton college as usual
after the holidays.
Late tonight Mr.. Cudahy an
nounced he would pay $25, 900 reward
for the apprehension of the abductors
of his son or $4,000 for one and $l5,-
900 for two of them.