The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-06-22

for the maintenance of his family
and the household of the other wo-
man as we'll, and he began falsifying
his accounts and embezziing rents
and moneys which he had collected
for his clients. His dishonesty was
discovered by a man named Cooke.
whom he had represented ever since
his entrance into the real estate busi-
ness and for whom he had handled
large sums of money
Cooke was not only client, but a
friend and benefactor of the man even
providing him with rent free house
for his family. When he discovered
the peculations of the man he had be-
friended he did not at once cause his
arrest, but instead went to him, in
formed him of what he had learned
and gave him until Tuesday, June IL,
to make good the embezzled moneys.
On Saturday, June 9, Kean wrote to
Cooke from Palmyra, N. j., stating
that either Tuesday night or Wednes-
day he would return the stolen money,
which amounted to less than $4,000.
1t was shortly after o'clock on
Tuesday afternoon when Kean ac-
costed James Leahan, a messenger
boy, and engaged the latter to carry
message to the school which little
Freddie Muth attended.
The letter which the messenger car
ried was directed to Miss Ring, the
Muth boys teacher, purporting to be
eto hxy fa cot
forth that Freddie's mother was SER
iously i'll, and wished him to return
home at once. All unsuspicious of the
crime that was planned the teachers
excused the boy and he left the school
with the messenger boy and was by
him turned over tie Kean, who awaited
his coming just around the corner
from the school
The boy and man started down the
street together, and from then on un
til the man was captured, both drop.
ped out of sight as completely as II
the earth had opened and swallowed
them.
Nightfall of Tuesday came and the
school teacher Miss Ring, dropped
in at the Muth home on her way from
school to inquire as to the health of
the mother of one of her favorite pu-
pills. Only then did the story of the
forged note and the kidnapping be-
come known.
But when they were listening to
the story told by the mother let
ter was delivered at the house. This
letter informed the family that the
child had been stolen, advised the
mother not to consult either the po-
lice or the newspapers, and stated
that if she followed this advice and
met the demands which would be
made, her boy would be returned to
her safe and unharmed on the fol-
lowing day.
THE BRUTAL LETTER.
Widely circulated blind leads had
their effect, and on Friday, June Is,
four days after the kidnapping, the
then distracted mother of the stolen
boy received a letter, brutal in the
extreme, but which set at rest for all
time the object Of the kidnapping.
After warning her again not to en-
list the aid of the police or the nsws-
papers, Kean informed Mrs. Muth that
her son was being held close prlscn-
sr, that he was drugged with liquor
and that his treatment had already
begun to tell on his always delicate
system to the extent that he was i'll
at his stomach.
The letter further set forth tbeI
fact that the writer was desperate,
that he must have a ransom of 5000.
and that unless this were Forthcoming
he had vial of poison which would
serve to end the lives of both himself
and the child
USED A BLIND.
Enclosed in the letter were several
little yellow slips torn from book
which the Muth boy had talk IN from
school when he went forth to meet
bis kidnapper and on these slios the
boy had scribbled a number of words.
squirrel" rabbit" and other such
words he had recently learned to spell.
Also was clipping from newspaper
setting how little girl had been
and when her parents fail
ed to pay the ransom which was de-
manded her dead body had been found
floating in the river. The lette; was
in that 1t failed to set
forth the manner in which the money
could be paid. The missive was at
once turned over to the police and
Superintendent Taylor, as blind to
induce the kidnapper to come from
under cover had the following adver-
tisement inserted in all the newspap-
ers of the city.
Letter of June Is received and kept
confidential; writing on
yellow paper identified and clipping
noted; agree with you and await fur