The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1904-05-09

frcwitt Baker, the a-ycaF-elo son
OF r. d. Baker OF this city. has dis
appeared from the summer home Of
his parents az Eea9ie Harbor. 1T
tie village across the sound frum
Seattle. He was last seen At 10 30
O'Clock Friday moruing. aud II the
earth had opened and swallowed
him up at that hour the mystery
surrounding the case would not be
deeper.
After nearly eighty hours Of un-
oeasing searching the distracted
parents and the police officers and
detectives who have been called In
20 assist IA the search Tor the child
are stnl absolutely az loss Tor a
eisw. 'rhe most general belief f.
that the little fellow wandered of
into the woods. though he may have
fallen into the sound and been
drowned or have been KIDNAPPED by
ransom seekers hiding near the VII
lsge.
The Ptnkerton men employed 60
assist in the search express a firm
conviction that the child vas KID
naped. So far a. can be learned
however. neither AR. Baker nor any
other interested party has received
any direct or even an implied de-
maud for ransom. And now. ON
account OF the excitement and In
tense feeling aroused II is doubtful
n the kiduapers would dare demand
money for the return OF the child
n he has been stolen.
fss4r lnF
friends spent all day yesterday In
a search for the hoy and an effort
70 assist the detectives IN securing
some clev 20 his whereabouts. one
OF these friends today told OF ths
disappearance OF the lad.
II seems that Mrs Baker started
with Prewitt and his elder brother
20 the butcher shop. which lies
about a quarter Of a mile 20 the
north of the Baker home at Eagle
Harbor.
The smaller boy. who II now
missing. Jagged behind near the
brow OF the hill. which Is about
halfway between the residence and
the shop.
Just what transpircd after Ms.
Baker discovered that the boy was no,
with her Is not clear. as the mother,
distracted with fear ard anxiety. can
Z not remember distinctly Just shat she
id. bat il seems that she stopped and
waited few minutes for the boy,
Their went on 20 the meat shop. left
her order and returned. expecting to
find the child on her way back.
But no boy was to Be found. When
abe reached home he vas not there.
as she had expected Then she gave
the alarm and the search was begun.
The little fellow waA not uut u his
mothers sight mere than % or IS min
ufss before she gave the alarm. and
five minutes after she lost him. a boy
named williams passed f'rcwit on the
read. near where the little fellows
mother last saw him
A combination q rather mysterious
circumstances. and the manifest tn
ability q the little fellow TO have PEN
sfraied the jungle on either side -
the road. and the fact that he took
the path towards the water. which
opens out at the Hall shipyard. where
h would have been seen BY some one
% the many workmeu. leads the detec-
lives 20 believe that the boy was kid
naped.
Another circumstance that would
seem % discredlt the drowning theory
h that az the time Of the boys disap-
pearance lt was low tide and the wa
ter all along the beach Il shallow.
There VAS scarcely q chance for him
to fan into water deep enough 10
drown him.
The detectives find grounds for the
kidnapping theory in the fact that be-
hind log near where the fence leaves
the road the imprint Of a mans body
vas found yesterday in the grass. and
while several empty beer bottles lay
near by The sieuthes think that the
kiduaper may have hidden behind the
log and refreshed himself with foam
y Ing Budweiasr while waiting for the
! child Ito wander BY.
II iB also claimed that n mysterious
sloop was seen cruising about near
Eagle Harbor on the day the boy dis
appeared.
The little fellows father Il president
Of Baker 4 Richards Company deal
era 90 paints. oils. etc, having a large
establishment on Occidental avenue.
While Mr. and Mrs Baker hope and
believe that their little son ls Htiil
alive. and the detectives working on
the case insist that there iz no other
possible explana tion for the mysterious
disappearanee Of Prewitt Baker other
than that he was kidnapped. there are
many at Eagle Harbor who believe the
8 little fellow wandered down the hill a
Il distance Of perhaps a houndred yards.
out onto a small boathouse landing.
and feil into the Sound.
There is winding. twisting trail
leading from near where the little boy
was last seen 20 the boathouse land
ing. The detectives say IL would be
almost impossible for the boy 70 have
reached the waters edge a. least with
out losing his cap which was about
-four sizes too big for him
Neither the cap was found. nor any
other trace Of the boy. There was.
however. az much as three feet = wa
ter, sufficient 20 have drowned the
little lad. ct the end Of the boat land
Ing. II he did make his way down the
I trail
The detectives, though they main
tain the atricteat secrecy as to their