Omaha daily bee., 1905-10-08
PATCROWE'S IN OMAHA
History Of the Kidnapping and the Events
y that Followed
sNfFlclM REPORT BY CHEF OoNAHUt
Head OF Omaha Police Force Gives
Detailed Account of All that
Transpired In Connection
with Celebrated Case.

The KIDNAPPING OF Eddie Cudahy. the IA
year-oid son OF Edward A. Cudahy, the
millionaire packer, from within a stones
throw OF the family residence, SIS South
Thlrty-seventh street. Omaha. on the even
ing Of December 49, 1900. the payment of
$4,000 in gold to the abductors and the
safe return Of the boy within thirty-six
hours from the time he was taken. is one
OF the most celebrated cases Of its kind
in the criminal history OF the country. The
interest the ease itself excited was closely
seconded by the inability Of the authorities
TO apprehend Pat Grove, a man with a
criminal record and native Of Iowa, whom
Mr.. Cudahy had befriended and whose
photograph was positively Identified by
Eddie Cudahy and others as one of the
men who did the kidnapping
James Callahan, an ex-convict, was ar
rested and tried on the charge OF robbery,
was positively identified as a companion Of
Groves and by Eddie Cudahy as one OF
his captors, but was acquitted because it
could not be proven that he received any
of the booty. He was charged with high
way robbery because there was no law on
the Nebraska statute books at that time
TO punish the crime Of KIDNAPPING person
more than 10 years old. Laws SUFFICIENT to
ties have since been enacted. but up 10 the
present the law has not punished q single
person for a deed like that which startled
the entire civilized world
Intense interest in the case did not end
for months; It furnished the principal news
In the metropolitan papers of this country
for days and the dispatches teemed with
the alleged whereabouts of Pat Grove. who
never was taken. The Bee had the honor
of first announcing the kidnapping In an ex-
elusive story published in an extra about
noon the day after the boy was stolen.
Another Omaha paper had chronicled the
fact, in a brief news item in the morning
edition, that the boy was missing but it
remained for The Bee to tell that he was
kidnapped and held for $4,000 ransom The
story was attacked by the other papers
and various insinuations made as 70 the
disappearance Of the boy, but these charges
were never borne out and subsequent de-
velopments supported in substance every
thing that had been printed in The Bees
first story.
Chief DOnahue Anticipates Surrender.
D On April 25. 1906 I'm the belief that 1t
would be only short time before Pat
Grove would return to Omaha and either
voluntarily surrender himself or be ar
rested, Chief OF Police J. ]. Donahue, who
held this position at the time OF the crime,
prepared a report giving the history OF
the affair from his, or the Omaha police,
standpoint. The last page of his report
tells why Grove escaped in the face of a
$4,000 reward. He did 1t because lie lost
no time in getting away from Omaha. He
needed four days to get on boat on the
Atlantic ocean and it was five days before
Chief Donahue had evidence sufficient to
demand his arrest. Regarding this the
chief says:
''In view OF the large reward offered, the
publicity given the case by the newspa
pers, the active interest taken by this and
other police departments. private detective
agencies and the public in general through
out the United States have always been
at loss 20 understand how Grove escaped
arrest, but 1 have recently been reliably
Informed that Immediately after the boy
had been returned on the night of the 18th
Grove went direct to New York City and
within four days after the commission OF
the crime was on the water bound for
South Africa, where he remained, 1 am
Informed, until about a year ago, when
he returned to the United States, and has
since been in hiding in this country. l was
also informed some time ago that he was
in Chicago and that he intended to visit
the exposition at St. Louis and was also
going to St. Joseph, Mo. I at once com
municated this information to the chiefs OF
police of the respective cities and later re
ceived word from them that while they
had given the matter careful attention
they had been unable to get any trace o.
him. He has also recently visited thii
city and has been seen by a few OF hi
friends, and plans were made to cause hi
arrest should he return. but so far nothinI
has materalized. 1t is said by those VIII,
have seen him that he has changed great,
In appearance and would be able to pas
the average police officer on the stree
without fear of recognition. The fact tina
Z ne was on the water four days after tn
commission of this crime explains why h
y was not intercepted by the many teIe
grams sent out by this department, as
was nve days after the kidnapping had oc
CURED that information was in our nos
session sufhcient TO warrant the sending GU
OF kilograms asking for his arrest. I stiI
have in my possession a warrant chargin
Grove with robbery. alleged to have bee
committed on the 18th day OF Decembe,
1900 and hope that in the near futur
either his arrest will be made by this o
some other department or that he will vol
UNFAIRLY surrender himself"
Chiefs story of the Crime.
The report Of Chief OF Police Domain,
winch Is the most reliable history of III
NoSe' as u respects theories and rumors an
tells only what occurred, begins: About
O'Clock D. m.' December IS 1900, / receive
Telephone call at my residence, sl2 \
seventeenth street, from Mrs Edward 4
Cudahy, who Informed me that betwee
1850 and o'clock that evening she ha
sent her son, Edward Cudahy. jr.. on a
hrand about two blocks from the
residence; that she and her husband ha
gone out that night. and she did not So
him again before they left the house br
presumed he had returned until informe
by the servants on their return about ha
an hour before telephoning me that \
had not / questioned her as to the likel
mood OF his having gone TO one OF n
theaters or 70 the home OF some OF m
heighborhoOd boys. She said that was n,