Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-06-26
KIDNAPPED OR LOST?
SECOND DISAPPEARANCE OF A
M. BoYcE A GREATER MYs-
Terry THAN FIRST
Police Believe Real Estate Mans Mind
Was Affected-son scorns Derange-
mont Theory and Declares Father Is
Again Abducted,

From Mondays Daily.
Is A. M. Boyce, the South Side real
estate man, subject to periods Of men
tai arrangement, during one Of which
he wandered away at the time he was
said to have been kidnapped, and as a
result Of which he Is again missing
from his home, or Is he the victim of
some plot through which he was for
merly abducted and nearly murdered,
and as result of which he may now
be dead? Was the story told by Mr..
Boyce of his terrible experience at the
hands Of his abductors but the crea-
ton Of disordered brain or have the
kidnapers, having failed In accom-
plishing their purpose on former occa-
sion, once more attempted to carry out
their dastardly intent?
These are the questions which now
confront the local police in their at.
tempts to locate the missing man. A.
M. Boyce, who claimed to have been
abducted from his home in the Central
block on Church street, Friday even
ing, June 1, disappeared again last Fri
day morning and no trace of his where
abouts have yet been discovered.
According to the most accurate in
formation that W. " Boyce, son of
the missing man, and Officer S. R.
Fielder, who Is detached on the case,
have yet been able to secure. Mr..
Boycc left the South Side about 9:25
o'clock Friday morning coming across
on the car to the North Side At Mar
ket street he secured transfer west,
later leaving the car at Benton street.
Seen at Junction.
Patrick Cogley, 1913 West Sherman
street, states that he saw Mr.. Boyce,
with whom he Is PERSONAL" acquaint
ed, shortly belore II o'clock near the
Milwaukee Junction. Henry Springer,
who lives near the south end of the
Milwaukee railroad bridge states that
he saw Boyce sometime between II
O'Clock and IL o'clock Friday morning
walking towards the south along tho
bank Of the r1ver anr that at the time
he first noticed MIN he was passing
under the Milwaukee bridge.
Since this time as far as ascertained
no one has seen Mr.. Boyce. The po-
lice, never very strongly impressed
with the kidnapping version of the
former disappearance, are inclined to
believe that the aged man Is suffering
from mental arrangement and that
he has wandered away while In this
condition, and that such was the case
at the time of the alleged KIDNAPPING.
The second disappearance has cast
a new light on the former episode and
especially upon that incident which, up
to this time, has furnished the. strong
est verifcation Of kidnapping story.
A Possible Notification.
According to the story, which Mr.
Boyce told Officer Fielder soon after
his recovery from the effects of his
former experience, he had very clear
recollection Of one incident of the
night when he was abducted. His de-
scription Of this incident and the veri-
fication that it received, furnished the
strongest proof that the kidnapping
version was the correct one.
According to this story, at point
on the Bloomfield road about ten miles
south Of this city, the road crosses the
Wabash railroad track Just before
the crossing Is reached another road
branches off. Mr.. Boyce stated that
at this place his captors stopped and
asked at house along the way, which
was the road to Bloomfield. While the
wagon was standing still he raised up
from the bottom of the wagon where
he had been thrown and attempted to
get out. One of the two men who
were in the wagon threatened him
with revolver and told him if he
made another move he would shoot
him.
In telling this incident Mr.. Boyce
described the location of the houses
very infinitely. The younger Boyce
and Officer Fielder went to the house
thus described and found the descrip.
ton Of the location to be an accurate
one. Inquiring at the house which is
occupied by farmer named King, they
were told that on the night of Mr.
Boyce's disappearance, someone had
stopped and asked the way to Bloom.
field.
Police Are skepticaI.
At the time the police considered
this partial verification of the kid.
naping story, but in the light of the
last disappearance of Mr. Boyce, they
are inclined to believe that it was Mr.
Boyce himself, in his wanderings, who
stopped there. For Mr.. King states
that the man, who came to the gate
talked in a very low tone of voice
when inasmuch as the gate is some dis
lance from the house it would have
been natural to speak loudly. Neither
did Mr.. King see a wagon or buggy
nor did he see or hear anyone else
but the man at the gate.
Mr.. Boyce's son, in order to further
verify his fathers story, spent severa
hours searching for the bottle contain
ing the drug alleged to have been uset
to drug the abducted man, which Mr.
Boyce said was thrown away right aft
er the track had been crossed. Nc
traces of the bottle were found.
Son Fears Foul Play.
w Y Rnxca hnWeYer is nQSitiYs