Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-06-19
Missing Freddie Mulh Is
Restored to Parents
John J. Kean, Ct Respectable
Family, the Abductor.
Was Abseogdsr and Dssperats--- Under ar
resi- The Boy Unframed.

Philadelphia. June 1S.-Freddie Muth.
the 1-year-old son of Jeweier Charles
Muth, who was kidnapped from the
Muhlonburg public school last Tues
day. was found this afternoon IN va
cant house here and returned to his
grief-stricken parents.
John Joseph Kean, a member of re-
spectacle New York family, one time
hookkeeper of the Harlem Bank. IL
stock broker and more recently I real
estate agent. is the abductor Driven
by the commission of 4 comparatively
small offense to the heinouS crime Of
chill stealing he occupies Il cell in the
Central police station with life i'm
prisonment staring him in the face.
The kiGnapper was taken at the point
Of pistol only after he had been fired
upon and when he realized that escape
was impossible. Eean is a married man
and tire father of three children. He
gave as his reason for abducting the
Muth boy that he needed money.
From the day of the kidnapping until
this afternoon Kean had kept the child
in three vacant houses in West Phil
dGelphia. Meantime the entire detective
ana police forces of this city were con-
Quoting an unrenlitting search and the
authorities of Other cities had been fur
nished With a description of The boy
AMI his captor.
The first information that k,an and
his captive We're in the vicinity in
which the arrest was eventually made
caa'c from Joseph Sager. a baker. who
told q policeman last week that he had
II = var aud how rnSNTrrinGr the
description of the pair in an oyster
SELDOM or EIavcrfard avenue shortly af-
ter tn;dnicnt last Wednesday.
Sager Was acquainted with Nean and
he police were convinced that he was
the man for within th"y were looking.
All doubts as TO the identity OF the kid
,:apper however. We're removed when
Charlt J. Cooke. a real estate dealer,
aDpelrri at headquarters with a com
nlaint that John Joseph Kean. vino
had acted rs collector and ascent for
liiH had c.nhCZzl2d SlOn Specimens of
hir handwriting We're shown The police
ard they Wcr" found to ho identical
with the writing in the letters which
the abductor had begun senlinS to Mr.
Alutn.
Special Offic. RS Clar" AMI Vale were
detailed to search the vacant houses
in tie district in which the pair had
been se"n. They wont to the dwellings,
Nos. i.3. 4.5 ara IA North cd street
| and when Nai1 reached the third foo"
of No. ~ he observed Freddie MUth
| standing on tie roar shed of No ~.
Vale leaped through the window ana
| stepped across the roof To The adipin-
| i,,.r I,,r . " t:D,p Ia,
I<can hurryirg down stairs. Drowning
| His revolver he fired 1T TIE fleeing man
| but missed. lie crawled through thu
| window and followed. catching - with
Kcan as the latter was making for the
! front door. The policeman again point
! ed his revolver at the !.iGn2ppcr. who
| threw up his hands crying: Il surrend-
| En-"
Tho kiInappcr ANA his captive were
| fastened to tho nearest polite station
| and from there taken iii a patrol wagon
| to the City hall.
With the boy he was taken into May
| or WCavcr'S office and the mayor i'm
mcdiately communicated by telephone
with NIr. Muth, who fastened Il the
mayors office.
The child bore no evidence OF i'll
| treatment beyond lack of sufficient
| nourshment. He had been fed on bread
and milk which Iean had stolen from
| doOrstcps.
Not since the abduction Of Charlie
Ross has the community been 50
wrought up by the commission Of Il
| criminal act. The newspapers in order
| to aid the police in tracing the kidnap-
| per. published misleading stories for
| the purpose of throwing keGn off his
| guard In the letters which the kid
| nappers wrote to Mr.. Muth he threat
ened to kill the boy if his demands were
not met and demanded that Mr.. Muth
| tell the police a fictitious tale about the
| disappearanCe of his son in order that
the detectives might be withdrawn.
kean told the police in his statement
| that h abducted the boy primarily to
| secure the $500 he had cmbezzled from
| Charles J. Cooke. In addition, he SAID
he is in debt with no means of pro-
viding for his family. He said he never
| intended to harm the boy and declared
| the statement he made in his letters
| to MIR. Muth that the child was being
dosed with whiskey were untrue. He
| kept Freddie quiet by giving him candy
| and pennies.
| Previous to Kidnapping the Muth
| child he had attempted unsuccesfully
| to abduct Louis kolasky, 6year-old
| boy, whose parents he believed were
| well-to-do
| Kean's parents live at No. 967 Park
| avenue New York. His brother is to be
| ordained to the priesthood this month.
If dcvelOned after Kean'S arrest that he
had stolen $4,000 from the Harlem
| Bank. New York. when he was q book
keeper in 1894. He admitted the theft.
British Commercial Agent Bell. in