Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-09-23
DAILY STORY
kIDNAPE

go out into the street to play"
The mother pondered. Willie was a
very attractive boy, just such boy
as kidnapers would like to get hold
of. His parents lived in terror of kid
napers and had given Willie instruc-
tons never to go willingly with any
one who might invite him.
You may go for awhile" she said,
"but first let me put on your belt"
81 don't want it on. It's too heavy"
But the mother insisted and put a
broad leather belt on her boy with a
peculiar massive buckle. Then, Civ
ing him a kiss, she let him go.
Now, it happened that what the par
! ents had so long dreaded occurred at
this very time. Pete Dugan and Gen
tleman Mike, who had not been long
out of Jail, had seen the boy and upon
| investigation discovered that his par
| ents We're well to do. The men were
''laying'' for him this very afternoon.
| They approached him. Each took a
hand and between them hurried him
away. Willie cried and resisted, but
| the few who passed did not suspect
what was going on, and the kidnap
ers soon got him into a carriage and
| drove him to house in quiet street,
! putting him in room upstairs. Later
| he was given something to eat and
placed on Il dirty bed, where, still cry
| ing, he fell asleep.
"NOw, Pete" said Mike, you watch
the night, and I'll spell you tomor-
row."
"All right Mike, but you'd better
keep a sharp eye out. We may be
| tracked
Rats! There's no danger of that
yet"
( Mike departed, and Pete threw him
self on carpet covered lounge. An
hour passed, and he was falling into
q doZe when he started up. He heard
| Willie say:
I'm Willie Ashe. 1 live at 1O3 Cen
| ter street"
| "The kids talkin' in his Sleep" he
muttered and lay down again, but not
for long.
| "YOu won't get any plumber from
me-" said the boy again. I'm an imp
O. Satan. I'll keep you in purgatory
for thousand years"
| Pete, who had been brought up a
Catholic, shuddered and crossed him
self. He got up and looked at the boy,
who was sound asleep.
| Half an hour passed. The watcher
was again DOING when he was star
tied by a very different voice from
Willie's a mans rough voice:
1
| Come, git in there"
Then there was a clang and turn
| ing of bolts such as he had often heard
in prison.
A cold sweat started out all over
| the kidnaper. That voice never could
have come from a boy five years old.
| But where did it come from? Pete
sat on the lounge shivering. All was
quiet. The boy slept on, and after
awhile Pete lay down. but not to sleep
| He was appalled,. He lay trying to
think out some cause for what he had
last heard. waiting for another voice.
When it came 1t was different from the
rest and far louder than anything that
had been said:
"Police, Policer'
Pete jumped up, made dash for the
window and was about to jump down
twenty feet to the roof of q neighbor-
ing building when. recovering some
thing of his equanimity, he paused.
Willie's voice followed the cry for the
police:
Say, you're poached on. One o. the
gangs told. He gets a thousand"
This information interested Pete in
| t.
coming from his captive. What was
meant by one of the gang? No one
was interested but himself and Gen
tleman Mike He wondered if Mike
had turned traitor
; The next heard of these strange
voices. some of which had come from
the sleeping child. others from he
{ knew not where. finished the kidnaper.
He heard distant CALL This way"
: then nearer. Here, here-where are
you going?' then plainly a sound he
, knew only too well, the rapping of a
: policeman's club on curb. All this
was followed by the sound of heavy
fBoots climbing stairs. Pete ran again
to the window, jumped to the roof be-
low and gained the street by means of
q water pipe.
Willie was awakened early the next
morning by the sun shining in his
-, eyes. He sat up and looked about him
He didn't know where he was He got
up, opened the door and went down a
pair of stairs to the street Wandering
=. awhile he was picked up by q police,
!, man and taken TO station. All sta
. tons had been notified that Willie
, Ashe was missing. and q telephone
= message soon summoned his father to
-, come and identify the child In ten
minutes Willie was in his fathers and
e mothers embrace. Then the father
Q took off Willie's belt and examined the
i. bulky buckle.
h "Bullyr he shouted Its run down
= Worked all right. Captain turning tc
n the man at the desk, 1--WE made won
derful invention. That buckle con
tains a photograph with clockworl
set to let off sentences to influence kid
napers. The boy and other persons