The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-06-19
FREDDIE MUTH IS
RETURNED HOME
Case Like Famous Charlie
Ross Affair Ends in Favor
able Manner.
kBDUCToR Is ARRESTED
JOHN J. kEAN, WHO TOOK CHILD
AWAY FROM HIS HOME AND
CONFINED HIM IN EMPTY
HOUSE, ONCE PROSPEROUS.
Publishers Pressl


Philadelphia, June 1S.-After a
weeks confinement in an untenanted
house, subsisting on bread and milk
diet, and suffering from exposure, lit
tie Freddie Muth, the seven-year-old
boy who was abducted last Tuesday,
was returned to his home. Columbus
| avenue this afternoon, Mayor Weaver
and a number of city officials accom-
panying him to the door of a cab. in
waiting at the City Hall, where they
| withdres) His abductor, John j.
kean. is in the city Jail and his trial
is to be rushed by the local authori-
| ties.
Her nerves giving away under the
severe strain and lack of sleep dur.
| ing the week in which her boy was
missing, Mrs. Muth collapsed when
the news of his recovery reached her.
Her hair in places has turned grey
and she was but a shadow of her for
mer self. She was carried tenderly
to her bed, by Mr.. Muth and the at
tendants in the Muth store and re-
manned practically unconscious until
| a few minutes before Freddie's arri-
val.
| Thousands of widely excited people
had congested about the house await
ing the arrival of the police and the
boy, and hearing their cheers as the
carriage drove up in front of her home
Mrs. Muth attempted to descend the
stairs and succeeded after some diff
Guilty
1t was ten minutes after four
o'clock that the carriage bearing
Freddie and his father dashed up to
the door. Jumping down hastily. the
driver threw open the door. The
boy jumped out first, and with his
school books grasped in one hand. he
ran to his mother, who caught him up
in her arms, hugged him and kissed
him, and then went with him inside
Mr.. Muth was close at the heels of
his son, and after he had passed in the
house, the doors were bolted. the cur.
tains drawn down and the family
steadfastly refused to answer the re-
peated knocks or rings at the door
bell.
After Mr.. Muth had taken Freddie
to his home. the lad told his parents
of his experiences. He said:
After / had left school and had
met the man who said mamma was
sick, he took me on 18th street car.
Bear up he said. Your mamma is
very ill., At Girard Avenue / got
frightened and cried.
THE man took me off the car and
we took one on Girard avenue Then
we changed again. / don't know
where, and finally got Off All the
time he was telling me that we would
soon reach where mamma was He
took me to an empty house and kept
me there that night. cried, for
wanted papa and mamma. The man
went out and brought me some oys-
ters and bread. 1t was very dark.
slept on an old overcoat The man
said, The cars are not running when
asked him to take me home.
Next day he went out. | went to
the window and saw people looking
up at me. / tried to raise the wins
dow, but could not. The man brought
me more bread and oysters.
Then he took me to the house next
door, which also was empty. He
, kept moving from one house to an
other, as if people were after him.
cried, and cried and then the police
men came and got me-
Credit for the recovery of the boy
who was brought from a supposedly
empty house at 425 North Sixty-Sec.
ond street, is given to Special officer
Claire, who has been working night
and day on the case. The boy shows
no ill effects from his Imprisonment
John j. Kean, the kidnapper Of
little Freddie Muth, was once a pros.
porous broker, a man who was re-
spected in the business world and
, whose word would comnNEd moder-
, ate amount of capital, until few
/ years ago.