Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1901-10-09
CASE Of BOLD KIDNAPPING
WOMAN ROBBED OF JEWELS.
\ Daring Act by Newspaper Men
Their scheme Carried Out All
Right. Then One Confessed of the
Decd-prisoner Had Signed Checks
and Was starved for Three Days.

| kidnapping woman and holding her
prisoner for four days, robbing her of
jewels worth more than $4,000 and com.
| pellinS her to sign bank checks for
large sums of money, two newspaper
men, stenographer in newspaper
office and a barber, are now locked I'D
at the police station. They are How
ara X. Sloan, an unemployed reporter;
| Henry Wallace. society editor of one OF
the morning papers; J. Knight Findlay
OF Wayne, near here, stenographer in
the business office of another morning
paper. and Oscar Dunlap, a barber EN-
ployed in one of the most prominent
| shops in the city.
The victim lis Mrs. Mabel Goodrich,
the proprietress of an establishment on
North Tenth street.
Mrs. Goodrich went to police head
quarters and said that for some time
past young man who represented him
self as a resident of Germantown had
been frequent visitor at her estaa-
lishment. He was well dressed, and
spent money freely. Last Wednesday
week, she said he proposed drive
through Fairmount park He asked her
to dress in her best clothes and to wear
all her diamonds and other Jewels, be-
cause on the returning drive he intend
ed to take her to the finest dining room
in the city. and he wanted her to
shine" with the other women in the
place. She accepted, and the next day
she went out with him in carriage
with pair of richly caparisoned
horses and with coachman on the box
wearing a stylish livery.
At a lonely place in Fairmount park
the carriage was stopped by man
who, she said. represented himself as
ID. Clarence Gibboney, secretary and
attorney of the law and order society
of this city. This man, she went on to
say, told her that he had a warrant
for her arrest on the charge of keeping
a disOrderly house, but that the matter
could be fixed up. He was invited into
the carriage, and the next moment she
was gagged and blndfolded. She Was
driven somewhere, she did not know
where, but she noticed from one corner
OF the handkerchief over her eyes that
he had paid toll at two toll gates, and
that they took her into a building
where fire engine and hook and
ladder truck were standing.
She was kept prisoner from Tues
day night until Friday night without
anything to eat or drink, and was then
taken on another long drive, blindfold-
ed. to "A house where she was kept from
ENri nj In hn lat
place the men, who were masked,
stripped her OF her jewelry. and, at the
point OF a revolver, compelled her to
| sign bank checks for various sums OF
money she had deposited in the Third
National bank. They made her sign
| for more than she posse ssed. but com.
pelied her ito promise that she would
make up the deficiency when they re
| leased her. The men. she said, then
took her on another long drive and
put her out OF the carriage at Tenth
and Polar streets, about a mile from
her house.
With other information given them.
the detectives began work on what they
believed TO be a fairy tale. They got
several clues which led them to a fire
engine house in Fort Wayne, fifteen
miles from this city. The fire company
Is volunteer organization, and the
key to the place was kept in the near
est dwelling. The nearest house was
occupied by a family named Findlay,
and there the police learned that one of
the sons, j. Knight Flndlay, had been
| 1, h,,N 81 hN al
| weeks.
Getting a description, the police re-
turned to the city and found the young
man, who is only 21 years old, In the
Office where he Is employed. He was
charged with the crime, and broke
down and implicated thre others. Find
lay said that he impersonated the
coachman; that Sloan, the unemployed
reporter, took the part OF Attorney
Gibbony; that the barber played the
part of the rich Germantown resident:
that Wallace, the society editor, had
rented a house In Germantown, where
Mrs Goodrich was to have been held a
captive.
Findlay told substantially the story
as that narrated by the woman. He
said that they kept her confined In the
fire house and then took her TO house
at No 255G Month Twelfth street, where
Sloan was arrested yesterday. The
plan to keep her in the Wallace house
in Germantown was abandoned In IA
vor of the Sloan house. Sloan, the po-
lice say. conceived the whole plot, and
1t was he that got the barber into 1t.
He had asked Dunlap to play the part
of the rich man and get Mrs Goodrich
out Of doors. so that they could serve
the warrant on her for keeping a dis4
orderly house. He did not reveal the
real purpose OF the scheme to the bar
| Der.
All the jewelry was recovered, most
OF II having been found in the posses
sion OF Findlay and Sloan, who were
wearing several of the rings. Only one
check for $l55 was cashed, and most of
this money was also recovered.