The semi-weekly messenger., 1900-12-25
HIS FATHER PAYS REWARD DEMANDED
By THE BANDITS
OF TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND.
This Sum I'm Gold Taken to n Lonely
Night - The Son Reaches Home the
Next Morning - His Account OF the
Kidnapping - He Hears the Bandits
Speak OF Having Been Trying TO Kid.
nap One OF His sisters.

Omaha, Neb., December 2o.-There
is rejoicing in the home OF Edward
Cudahy. the wealthy packing house
owner and caritalist of this city. Ed
ward Cudahy. Jr., who was kidnapped
Tuesday evening. after being held thir-
ty-six hours for a ransom OF SIS, 900 in
gold. which the young mans father
unhesitatingly paid. has been returned
to his family, and tonight the boy and
his parents are receiving congratula-
tions from relatives and friends
throughout the country.
A statement of the conspirators, over
| heard by the lad while he was in their
power. indicates that they had been
| attempting for a month to secure pos
| session of one of his sisters.
Young Cudahy today related the
| story of being over powered. placed in
| a closed carriage, blindfolded and
bound and carried many miles from the
he cannot identify, and his father made
known the details of a long ride into
the country to deposit a bag contain
| ing $25, 900 in gold in a place indicated
in letter written Wednesday to Mr..
Cudahy by the outlaws, naming this
| condition as a surety for the return of
| the boy.
| This sum was to be deposited in a
| place indicated about five miles north
| of the city on a lonely road leading up
the bank of the Missouri river.
Mr.. Cudahy called into consultation
.Ar L. I-s1x \
| discussed plans looking to the capture
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 captur-
| ing the men in whose power was the
life of his son, and he decided to at once
| comply with all the demands of the
| bandits.
| Absolute secrecy was necessary and
a trusted messenger was dispatched to
the bank to secure the gold.
After securing the money he started
out entirely alone. To identify him
| self he had attached to the dashboard
| of his buggy a red lantern, which was
one of the conditions in the letter. Mr.
| Cudahy drove to the appointed place
| where he found near the road a white
lantern suspended from a short stake
driven in the ground near the river
| bank. Nobody was in sight. He at
once alighted, placed the bag of gold
| conveniently near the stake and return
| ed to the city without hearing a sound
That the bandits were on the spot and
| secured the valuable package cannot
| be doubted, for about 10 o'clock this
| morning, the young boy ran breathless
up to the door of his fathers home and
| rang the bell for admission.
Two policemen, who in the early even
ing had been placed near the family
mansion, had later been sent to the
! stable by Mr.. Cudahy, who feared tha,
the men, seeing the officers, would drive
away without leaving the boy. Not
withstanding the entire police and de-
tective force of the city, several Pink
ertons from Chicago and half a hun
dred of Mr.. Cudahy's own men have
been searching diligently for a clue
| looking to the capture of the outlaw:
ever since the return Of the young man
up to IL o'clock tonight nothing has de
veloped to give the least idea of th'
identity of the men who perpertratet
the crime. Young Cudahy says ther,
were six of the men, but that ali wor,
|. | masks.
Chief of Police Donohue said tonigh
| that every effort was being made t
bring the abductors to justice; tha
there were probably three instead o
six men; that they had been figuring ol
it for at least six weeks and that tn
police suspect certain parties. He sal
that Mr.. Cudahy evinced little desir
to prosecute, but tonight Mr.. Cudah
3 announced he would pay $25, 900 rewar
for the apprehension of the abductors.