Evening star., 1901-10-07
KIDNAPPED AND ROBBED
REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE OF A
PHILADELPHIA WOMAN.
Police Ferret Oat Her AbductOrs and
Secure Most of the
Booty.

says: The kidnapping of a woman and hold
ing her a prisoner for four days. robbing
her OF jewels worth more than $1,000 and
compelling her to sign bank checks for
large sums of money is the story which the
police unfolded here today, when they an
nounced the arrest of two newspaper men.
a stenographer in another newspaper office
and barber. all of whom are charged with
completely in the crime.
The men now locked up at the Central
police station are Howard K. Sloan, an
unemployed reporter; Henry Wallace, So
ciety editor of one of the morning news
papers; ]. Knight Findlay of Wayne, near
here. stenographer in the business office of
another morning paper. and Oscar 8. Dun
lap, barber, employed in one of the most
prominent shops in the city. The victim
is Mrs Mabel Goodrich, proprietress of an
establishment on North 10th street. The
four men were arrested last night and will
be given a hearing tomorrow.
Last Monday Mrs. Goodrich went to police
headquarters and told a story of kidnap-
ing and robbery so daring that the police
at first doubted its truth. She said that
for some time past young man, who rep
resented himself as a resident Of German
town, had been frequent visitor at her
establishment He was well dressed and
spent money freely.
Proposed Drive Through Park.
posed drive through Fairmount Park. He
asked her to dress in her best clothes and
to wear all her diamonds and other jew
elry, because on the return from the drive
he intended to take her to the finest dining
room in the city, and 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 rich
ly caparfSoned horses and with coachman
a
At lonely place in Paramount Park the
carriage was stopped by man whom
she said represented himself as D. Clarence
Gibbony, the secretary and attorney OF
the Law and Order Society Of this city.
This man. she went on to say, told her
that he had warrant for her arrest on
the charge of keeping disorderly house,
but that the matter could be fixed up.
He was invited into the carriage and the
next moment she was gagged and blindfold-
ed She was driven somewhere, she did
not know where, but she noticed from one
corner of the handkerchief over her eyes
that the men paid toll at two toll gates, and
that they took her into a building where a
fire engine and a hook and ladder truck
were standing.
A Prisoner Without Food.
She was kept a prisoner from Tuesday
night until Friday night without anything
to eat or drink. and was then taken on
another long drive. blindfolded, to house
where she was kept from Friday until
Monday. In the latter place the men, who
were masked, stripped her of the jewelry.
and at the point of revolver compelled
her to sign blank checks for various sums
of money she had deposited in the Third
National Bank. They made her sign for
more than she possessed, but compelled
her to promise she would make up the de-
ficiency when they released her. The men,
she said, then took her on another long
drive. and put her out of the carriage at
10th and Poplar streets, about mile from
her house.
With other information the woman gave
them the detectives began to work on
what they believed to be fairy tale.
They got several clues which led them to
a fire house in North Wayne, fifteen miles
from this city. The fire company Is a vol
unteer organization, and the key to the
place was kept In the nearest dwelling.
The nearest house was occupied by fam
learned that one of the sons, j. knight
Findlay, had been home but little during
the past two weeks.
Getting a description of him, the police
returned to the city and found the young
man. who is only twenty-one years old
In the office where he is employed He
was charged with the crime and broke
down and implicated three others. Find
lay said that he had impersonated the
coachman: that Sloan, the unemployed re-
porter, acted the part Of Attorney Glib
bony; that the barber played the part Of
the rich Germantown resident, and that
Wallace, the society editor, had rented
house in Germantown, where Mrs. Good
rich was to have been held a captive.
Corroborated woman's Story.
He told substantially the same story as
that narrated by the woman. He said that
they kept her confined in the f1rehouse and
then took her to the house where Sloan
was arrested yesterday, at 1855 North 18th
street. The plan to keep her in the Wal
lace house in Germantown was abandoned
in favor of the Sloan house. Sloan. the
police said, 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
rant on her for keeping disorderly house
He did not reveal the real purpose Of the
scheme to the barber.
All the jewelry was recovered, most of 1t
having been found In the possession of
Findlay and Sloan, who were wearing sew
eral of the rings. Only one check, for
S155, was cashed, and most of this money
was also recovered. Sloan was to have
begun work tomorrow on the same news
paper on which Findlay was employed.
Wallace has been society editor of the pa
per on which he was employed for only
two weeks
The penalty for KIDNAPPING in this state,
under act of assembly, as amended at the
last session Of the legislature. Is life i'm
prisonment for the principals in the crime,
and the punishment for accessories Is left
to the discretion of the court.