Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-06-25
MAIDS WERE RESCUED.
Hidden in a Cellar and Destined to
Become P~iaythings of Men,
A NoGAL

Two beautiful young girls-neither
of them above the age of fifteen
daughters of Miles May and J. f. Dali
ton, prominent cattlemen of Nogal.
N. NJ, we're abducted from home and
held forty-eight hours in a cellar by
a man and woman with evil designs,
says the Ell Paso News.
The entire Nogal section was thrown
into a fever of excitement by the dis
appearance and when the girls were
found and it was learned that B. l..
and Leonora Herst were responsible
for their abduction, strong talk of
~lynching vas INDUCED in.
Herst and his wife were arrested
OF the dual charge of kidnapping and
abduction and in default of 81, o.
bond each went to jail at Lincoln.
The story is a strange one and re-
plete with interest. The homes of
the girls parents are in Tortalito
canyon. Sunday evening the two wan
dered away together and the SUPPOSE
ton was that they had gone out to
pick wild flowers, but as night ap-
preached and they did not return
the uneasiness Of their parents be-
came manifest and inquiries were
made.
Suspicion was directed toward B.
L Herst. and his wife who had been
talking to the girls, but the man and
woman Indignantly denied knowing
anything about the girls. They told
so many conflicting stories, however,
that it was decided to shadow both,
with the result that the whereabouts
of the missing children were discov-
cred at 3 O'Clock Monday afternoon,
twenty-four hours later.
Herst and his wife were promptly
arrested and given an immediate pre-
liminary hearing. which resulted in
both being held for the action of the
grand jury.
Conspired Their Ruin.
The evidence in the case showed
that the Herst couple had planned
for three months to abduct certain
young and pretty country girls of
the neighborhood and transport them
to one of the large cities where they
were to be sold into a slavery worse
than death, to fashionable procur-
esses.
The little maids were promised
plenty of money and fine clothes If
they would secretly visit Mrs. Herst at
her home. They stole away to.
gether Sunday evening. but once in
the clutches of the man and woman
the two children were hid in the eel
lar and treated with ~harshness. They
were told to make nc cutlery or they
would be severely dealt with and al
the same time were given assurances
that once in the city their lives would
be one round of gaiety with the fash
ionable young men with whom they
were to consort.
Monday the Hersts evidently be.
came alarmed at the threats and sus,
picions of their neighbors, for the
girls were conveyed from the cellar
to a secluded spot in the canyon
from whence they were to be taken
to Carrizozo and from thence by rail
to one of the distant cities where II
was said they would be worth fully
81. 900 each to their abductors, for both
the children were rosy checked, bright
eyed. country girls, small, but well
developed for their age.
Citizens and officers who during
the night had been shadowing the
Herst premises saw the girls removed
to the canyon and the arrest of theil
captors resulted, as soon as a war
rant could be sworn out. Both ap
peared utterly Indifferent to the
charges preferred against them and of
fered no defense.
The parents of the girls are of high
standing and have the sympathy Of
the community in which they live
Public indignation a very great and
had it not been for a few cool heads
a lynching would most certainly have
resulted.
The prisoners went to Nogal from
Oklahoma. Nothing is known of theil
past careers.