The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1907-04-21
Route of the Wagons.

Route Of the Wagons.
IT went back to the stack. examined
1t thoroughly, but failed to find any
track of my baby. 1 cOnsoled myself
with the thought that maybe some one
on the wagons had been foolish enough
TO take him of for a ride. He was an
attractive child and looked just Ike
picture. Everyone was fond OF him. and
I thought the men had taken fancy to
him.
Those wagons took a peculiar route.
They went down my lane 70 Verden's
lane, and up to verden's house. There
they say they unloaded the sacks OF
grain and put on some wood and a bar
rel OF water The route they took was
most suspicious. and there was no oe-
casion for hauling water two miles to
Kits Hammock when there Is plenty
water there Butler at first said he last
saw my baby on the stack and after
ward he said that Horace was on the
ground when he drove of. It is ali
mighty funny. I have never harmed
anyone here or anywhere else. came
here to make friends, 10 treat every
man with kindness and respect and re-
ceive the same from him This was to
be my home, and I intended spending
nv last days here Everything would
have been cheerful and bright had not
the thief swooped down upon the sun
beam of my existence
MY boy waskidnaped about 10 o. clock
in the morning. A thorough search OF
my farm was made by all Of Us. I
thought perhaps he would come back to
dinner, but ne did not. AS night drew
near 7 believed I was dying. I felt as
though my heart would burst within
my breast could not sleep. 1 heard
the clock Ctrike the hours. and my fears
grew strong at each tick. Horace had
never before been out OF my sight five
consecutive hours.
I'VE hunted for Butler. WoodGu. Yer
den, and Caldwell We found them and
talked with them. They said they left
him at the stack. Woodall objected to
coming back 10 show the exact spot. I
was not impressed with his conduct.
Tuesday We let the furniture and the
house go and devoted all our time to
searching for my boy. Howard and I
took down all the straw from the stack
and examined all the ground around It.
House Where Boy Was Held.
Then we went down through the
old Doggy wheattleld IN the rear of the
barn II was frozen over. Half a mile
down we came to the ditch Ice half
an inch thick covered the ditch. over
rear the fence. where another ditch joins
the big one, we found a fence rail frozen
TO the ice There were muddy tracks
on the ice and the rail- The top rail
of the fence was broken, and the
branches Of little trees were broken. We
followed this trail to kits Hammock,
where IL led US. Woodall lives there
now I asked him about my boy. He
said he had not seen Horace. I hunted
around, and I finally struck a house
where I thought my boy was being held
The door was locked. I could not get in.
We went to the sheriff and asked him
TO send a deputy 20 search the house and
several others. He said he had no au-
thority. The search was never made.
My boy was in that house. tracked
the hdnaper there. He was afterward
taken away TO some place for safe
keeping. 1 believe 1 would have 4or-
ace with me now if the sheriff had
searched the house.
As days went on I grew more and
more nervous as to the fate Of my child.
j nave uiHcAs0 LS4aSfSN Gnu always VIII
that some one close by my farm got
my child. I don't believe he is dead.
unless the kidnapers murdered him to
cover up their crime.
My son Harvey came TO Dover TO
help in the search. He and I boiled
the matter down 40 the men L sus-
peeted. Harvey suggested that we go
at them in Western style and get the
truth out Of them. They all refused