Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-11-07
THE KIDNAPPED
MILLIONAIRE s
By FREDERICK U. ADAMS.


/ gray hairs in the accumulation of a
vast and varied fund of experience.
He was possessed of an easy conf
dence; was handsome without know
ing it, and had that grasp of every
detail of the newspaper business
which made him invaluable as an ex-
ecutive. He had Travelled in every
part of the globe; had interviewed
section hands on railroads and EN-.
perors in palaces; knew the lam
guage of the slu1ns and the graces
of court; could report a murder
case or dictate message for a presi-
dent,
Mr.. Van Horne thoroughly under.
stood the great reading public to
which his paper made bid for sup
port. 1t wished to be amused. The
Record amused it. 1t wished to be
thrilled. The Record thrilled it. It
hungered for sensations. The Rec
ord had never-ending supply of SEN
sations. 1t clamored for pictures.
The Record had them. 1t stood
ready to print instantly reproduc-
tons of photographs of past, pres
ent or future events.
Mr.. Walter B. Hestor was friend
OF Robert Van Horne. He was a
young man with fortune and q
hobby. His hobby was journalism.
His fortune was conservatively esti-
mated at $3o,ooo,ooo, and he was in a
position to indulge in any fancy
which attracted him The New York
Record under the Van Horne man.
agement dazzled him. Its method
of handling great news events ap-
pealed to Hestor. At one time he
contemplated founding rival pa
per, and surprising, If possible, the
bewildering strokes Of enterprise
which were displayed in the pages
of that paper. On reflection he de-
cided 1t meant too much work. He
realized that the management Of a
great newspaper entailed an enor-
nous amount of detail. Though pos
sessed Of much energy and persist
ence, Walter B. Hestor was intro
spective enough to realize that he
was not fitted for the task of SUI
pervising a metropolitan newspaper.
He therefore abandoned the idea.
He had no difficulty in forming a
close acquaintance with Robert Van
Horne. They were fellow-members
Of several clubs, and both We're fitted
by wealth and education to move in
the same social circles. Hestor lost
no time in confiding his ambitions to
Mr.. Van Horne. He wished to make
his mark in the world as journalist.
Mr.. Van Horne readily perceived
that Hestor was q genius in his line
of thought and action. The ambi-
tious amateur would listen to no
proposition involving pay for his
services. All he asked was chance
to plan and execute those journals
tic commissions which gave play to
his genius as an initiator and to his
skill as writer.
Mr.. Van Horne was delighted to
accept the volunteer services of the
brilliant but erratic Walter B. Hes
tor. At the time this story begins,
Hestor was about 80 years old. He
was q lllCulDSI VI IL NEW i olh 1llI-
lily which traced it's wealth and an
cestry to the sixteenth century. His
fortune was an independent one;
and, though his tastes were eXpen-
siye, he did not live up to his income.
1t would take a volume to recount
tho journalistic exploits Of Walter
B. Hestor. He built the splendid
steam yacht the SHARK" and en-
ployed it in his worldwide search for
sensational news. He took 200 pas
sengers from sinking liner, and
was decorated by four governments
for bravery. In every war the
SHARK" was in the foreground. 1t
was the Hestor yacht that ran the
batteries at Havana and escaped
from the harbor with valuable news
and information. At every signal OF
trouble Hestor and the shark
We're sure to be on hand long before
the representatives of other papers
were aware that news was brewing
At his own expense he established a
system of espionage on all the courts
of Europe. Hestor was known in
every palace of royalty, and in few
years became recognized as the most
brilliant newspaper correspondent il
the world.
AT the time this story opens Mr.
Hestor had returned to New Yorl
after cruise in Philippine waters
He, was interviewed by all the news
papers, and his portrait flashed
from hundreds of prints in all parts
Of the country. He was proud and
happy of his success. His mind was
ever alert for some scheme which
would emphasize his fame. He pc
garded his foreign triumphs as bu'
stepping stones to some great cou1
which would immortalize his name.
Hestor was disappointed when III
learned that Mr.. Van Horne had dc
parted recently on secret mission
to Europe. AT first he thought o
| joining him, but finally decided to re-
main in New York for time and de.
vote his energies to matters of loca,
interest. Hestor was greeted warm
| ly at the clubs, and found himself q
| popular hero. He was welcomed al
the theaters and some of his news
paper exploits were made the subject
OF topical song and rendered witt
great success at leading vaudeville
hall. For some time he had led life
|