Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-11-23
My Amateur Detective work.

naplng tne next tnlng TO ana In some
cases equal to murder. This is right,
though crime does not seem to be
prevented by the rigor of the punish
ment attached. But no Punishment
can equal the sufferlngs of a parent
at the kidnapping Of a child. The
night we missed our Harry and knew
that he had been kidnapped was the
terror of my life. have been ship
wrecked, | have seen those that
loved die, I lay all night severely
wounded on a battlefield, but none
of these has approached my sunerings
at knowing my child was i'm the
hands of men who would murder him
If it became their interest TO do so.
With the letter that came to mo
demanding a ransom, after the
shock that the threats in Il occa-
stoned. found occupation and in
occupation some relief. resolved
to conduct the case myself. permit
ting the police to work independents
ly. The public, naturally interested,
must know what Is being done to
recover a kidnapped child, and the
news given out, being published in
the papers. keeps the kidnapers well
Informed of their enemy's move
ments. I therefore sent inqnirers to
the police for information and kept
my own counsel. The letter an
swered myself, assured the writer
he could deal with me directly moro
safely than with any one else and
proceeded TO negotiate with him for
my boys return.
I received several letters one aft
or another in tolerably quick success
sion. They were dirty things, writ
ten by an illlterate person. The
third one | received was contained
In an envelope that had had no
mucilage on the envelope, and II had
been sealed by pastlng The sealer
had made n mussy job of It. getting
'"N f""'N Nhhubtu uh tue tuNtloUet |
and had pressed down the flap VITA
his thumb, leaving faint Imprint; |
Added to this, hair had got I'm un- |
der the flap and was held there by
the paste.
| handled the envelope very GIN
gerly to preserve the thumb imprint
and softencd the paste about the
hair TIN ! was enabled to extract
II entire. II the writer of the letter
could be captured, the thumb mark
or the hair. or both, would serve 10
Identify him. | trea~nred them. but
said nothing about them to any one.
We had settled on the amount
was to. pay for my boys liberty. hut
neither the kidnaper nor I was able
10 suggest method of payment
satisfactory 10 him. was Obliged
to walt while he thought out n plan
Tor n transfer of tho funds. Mean
while | was nc work | bought the
best microscope could find and ex-
nmined the hair. II was q red hair
and had been dyed, having grown
sixteenth OF an inch since the dye
ng- had been warned In the let
.ers ] had received that II any at
empt was made 10 track any one
falling at the postonlce for mail tho
10Y would be killed. But now. hav-
ng evidence TO Identify the kid
laper, ] desired to locate his where
'bouts. l therefore hired a man 10
AXE position at the postoflce anil
'hadow any one calling for my let
ers' He tracked a girl about -
ears old to an alley, where she dis.
appeared. On two other occasions
he tracked the same girl to the same
Hey, but some means had been
invented TO conceal her eutrnce to
my building.
/ now hired detective to go into .
hat alley and look out for man
With a dyed beard, lie went in there
s Jew pedder of the lowest order.
hlie ne was az work the kidnaper
ettled npon a plan by which might
ay the ransom, | was TO drive to
certain road on a certain night
nd at certain crossing would see
red lantern, signal protecting Il
ole in the road | was 10 leave the b
money In cigar box would find
eneath the lantern. II did this
ny boy would be left on the street a
here he could find his way home.
On the very day | received this
'tter my detective came to tell me c
hat he had found man with a dyed 1
lustaohe occupying a room he rent
by the week. The detective had
'ied TO get into the room and had I
liled-indeed, he could not get near