The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-04-14
TRAPPED BY DECOY.
Harry Freeman Is Jailed on a
Serious Charge.
USED MAILS FOR FRAUD
Must Also Account for a Miss
ing Young Man.

A case involving the fraudulent use Of
the mails came TO light yesterday after
noon in the Incarceration in the county
Jail of a man named Harry Freeman, who
has been stopping in tnis city for some
time and who was arrested IN Abilene last
week.
It seems that this man Freeman came
here from Mitchell county. Kansas, and
that he had been working Inere for p
farmer near Beloit, the county seat Be
coming dissatisfied win his position, he
quit and left for parts unknown. In the
southern part Of the county there is
farmer living whose name IS Kinney, who
is an old soldier and who is a man Of
some wealth. 1t appears that Kinney had
a son and that this son. a young man in
the employ Of a nursery or fruit tree
firm, owned a team and a light wagon
and was in the habit If making long
drives throughout the state visiting the
farmers and soliciting orders for nursery
stock II is alleged that this young fell
low, who was little more than boy, be-
ing about the age of q or therea bouts,
left the town of Beloit some six weeks
ago for one of these business drives and
has not yet returned to his home, neither
has he been heard of by any one in his
neighborhood. His father, Kinney, .Sr,
has been somewhat alarmed at his long
absence, and his agitation was increases
tia postmark on it stating that his son
was IN trouble and under arrest in this
city and needed money to secure his free
dom. The letter did not state what the
young man was charged with, but stated
that the officers could be squared, and
the boy released from jail for $500, and II
was explicitly stated that the money was
to be sent in the shape Of three 800 bills.
and was to be sent 10 N. Jones, Wichita,
Kansas, who would disburse II for the use
stated. The letter was signed, however,
M c. Jones" The elder Kinney was evil
IDENTIFY not so easy, as he placed the case
in the hands of Frank McGrath, a special
detective from the northwest formerly
well known in Kansas politics as the Ia
Their OF the farmers Alliance, the organi-
cation from which the Popul4st party
originated. In the meantime r NJ. 9.
Hossford, special postOffice inspector,
got hold of the case through the Office
where the letter had been delivered and
laid a trap for the writer by sending a
decoy letter to the man Jones in this city.
detective was placed at the window to
see who got the decOy letter, but it was
delivered while ne was out TO his dinner
and the receiver, evidently becoming
frightened left the building and skipped
out OF town. He was traced to Abilene
and there arrested by Detective McGrath,
who brought him to this city and turned
him over to Sheriff Simmons. who has
him locked up in the county jail. The
narne of Jones was an assumed one, as he
was known here by the few acquaint-
ances he made. by the name Of Harry
Freeman. He Is said to have made an ac-
acknowledgement IN writing that he wrote
the letter to old man Kinney for the pur-
pose Of obtaining the money from MIN,
and this item alone win cause his deten-
ton pending his examination IN United
States court on the charge OF using the
mails in an effort to defraud. He viii
also have to explain his connection with
and what he knows of the whereabouts
Of the younger Kinney.