Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1901-01-10

in waiting show the signal, or that he
carried the lantern and dismounted
from his wheel at this point with the
lantern which he carried or had Sc
creted in advance, which he immediate
ly lighted and displayed.
If this We're so. the robber Of neces-
sity either followed Edward Cudahy
from the time he left his home or was
intimate enough with the Cudahy ve-
hiclcs to be able to recognize the buggy
as it passed him in his hiding place,
somewhere along the road. The last
proposition is more likely, because at
that time the entire neighborhood
around the Cudahy residence was in
state of alarm, and a stranger found
waiting around there, as the robber
must have done if he were looking for
Nh. Cudahy to start on his trip to the
woods, would have been arrested or
would have excited suspicion. Mr..
Cudahy noted that the lantern was ex-
tinguished before he had proceeded 80
yards from the spot. This was anoth-
err Indication of the boldness of the
robber and of his utter Indifference to
danger or detection.
| Here was where the detectives are
inclined to think the Omaha police
erred in not making certain the cap
ture of at least one of the robbers.
They knew the route Mr.. Cudahy
would take to reach the locality de-
scribed by the letter of the bandits.
| The route was over a natural bicycle
course. 1t is sand boulevard and
| stretches for seven miles west into the
adjoining county. At intervals of every
quarter section along this boulevard
are ntersecting dirt roads, which on
that night were in perfect condition for
! bicycling. The detectives of the Pinker-
! ton agency argue that it would have
| been the easiest thing Imaginable to
have placed couple of well armed
and nervy policemen in citizens
clothes just beyond the city limits
proach of the Cudahy buggy. They
could have let the wagon get a half
mile ahead of them, or at least far
enough ahead that it could just be dis
cerned by the bicycle scouts. If one
of the bandits had been following on
a wheel, he could not have been any
| farther back than this behind the Gu
daily buggy.
Taking it for granted that one of
the bandits on wheel was behind the
Cudahy buggy, the detectives would
have probably located the thief before
he did them. If he took alarm and
started on a run for it, they could
have speeded right after him. Ger
tainly the presence of a strange man
in that section on wheel at that time
at night would have been sufficiently
suspicious for the detectives to have
halted him. The city has a number of
very speedy bicycle men. If they had
been forced to arrest the bandit scout
on his wheel before he had committed
an overt act. they would at least have
been in a position where they could
have made the man explain who he
was and what he was doing out there
at that hour Had he been a known
crook it would have been certain evil
dence of his guilt. Had it been an hon
est man the police had stopped by mis-
take, one officer could have taken him
back to town for Identification while
the other continued on after the Cuda-
! by buggy.
If the bicycle detectives had not been
/, interrupted, they would have contin-
ued in Mr.. Cudahys rear until they
saw his vehicle stop and the driver
place the sack of gold near the lantern
/ The scouts could have crept up near
enough TO watch any one moving
around the light without exciting the
suspicion Of a robber lying in wait near
that point. The moment the detectives
saw a man around the lantern they
could have recourse to two steps. They
might have followed the retreating
form at distance. which would have
been easy, since the robbers were car
ryng hundred pounds Of gold, or
they could have rushed in with pistols
ready and either killed or captured
their man. If he made a fight. he
would have been killed. With his heavy
load he might have been possibly
pounced upon and taken without firing
a shot. In that event he would have
been forced to tell where Eddie Gu
daily was or at least held as a hostage
! for the boys safe delivery. Better
still. if the scouts remained undiscov-
cred, they could have leisurely follow
ed the retreating thief back to the
prison of the boy and there taken the
4 whole outfit or from the darkness kill
ed them with their pistols.
or course there was the chance Of
the plan failing and the robbers then
numbering or gripping the boy and
taking flight. 1t is the consensus OF
opinion that the robbers. discovering
that the ransom was not obtainable
would have fled without hurting the
boy. They could not have taken the
boy with them. neither could they have
remained long where they were with.
out discovery. They would not have
dared put their horrible threats into
execution, which contemplated burning
out the boys eyes. Had they done this
and they were captured their immedi.