The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-05-02
Mrs. Alfred TsrriII, of Chicago,
Takes Children by Force
From Their Home
NURSE BOUND AND GAGGED
Woman. Who Had Instituted Proceed
ings for Divorce in Chicago,
Successfully Kidnaps Two
Little Girls Tuesday

One Of the most sensational kidnap-
ing cases ever known in southern
Wisconsin occurred in Kenosha late
Tuesday afternoon when Mrs. Alfred
Terrill, OF Chicago, the wife of Alfred
Terriu, manager of the Chicago office
Of the Simmons Manufacturing Com
pauy, kidnapped her two little daugh.
ters, aged three and five years from
the Terrili home on Chicago street.
Mrs. Terrill managed to get awav
with the children sitter a most sensa-
tional episode. Mrs. Sherman, the
nurse, who had charge of the Chill
dren, was left bound and gagged and
tied to bed post IN one of the rooms
Of the house and after she escaped
from her prison she made known the
facts to the husband of the woman
and the aid of the police was at once
invoked. Mrs. Terril1 seems to have
escaped with the children and up to a
late hour this afternoon the police
and relatives of Mr.. Terril1 have not
been able to find any trace of the
woman nor the children.
While it is thought possible that
the children have been taken to Chi
cago, the officers have been able to
find 40 trace of Mrs. Terrill after she
left the Terri1l home on Chicago
street and they feel convinced that
she did not take any train out of Ke-
nosha. When last seen she was walk.
ing south along Ashland avenue and
Notwithstanding the fact that this
trail was followed with automobiles
last night no trace of the missing
woman or the children was found.
The story of the kidnapping of the
children is a most unusual one Mrs.
Terrill has been i'll for many months
and short time ago she was sent to
detention hospital in Chicago, where
she was being cared for. She was
released from the hospital about ten
days ago and at once filed an action
for divorce against her husband.
Mr.. Terrill came to -Kenosha to live
a short time ago and he had been in
terested in the work of removing the
great Office of the Simmons Company
from Chicago to Kenosha. The child.
rem had been with Mr.. Terril1, and as
he was absent from the home many
hours in the day Mrs. Sherman had
been employed as a nurse to care for
the children and superintend their
education.
Mrs. Terril1 had formerly been at
the Pennoyer Sanitarium and was
we'll acquainted in Kenosha. 1t is
said that her mental trouble dated
back to the death of one of her child
rem, more than a year ago, and that
since that time she had shown
strange aversion to her husband but
had been devoted to the children.
1t is thought that Mrs. Terri1l came
to Kenosha on the 3:25 train Tuesday
afternoon and she went at once TO the
Terril1 home on South Chicago street.
Mrs. Sherman was alone with the
children when the woman arrived a
1T is stated that she threatened th>
nurse with even death if she made any
attempt to interfere with her plan of
taking the children away. 1t is not
known that Mrs. Terrill was arm ed,
but a box of pepper and paper filled
with the same substance was found
in the lower part of the house, and II
is said that it was brought by the
woman. Finally Mrs. Terrill 1eaped
on the nurse, and securing ropes
E,.1s L. L.
and tied her to the bed in the room
Mrs. Sherman was too frightened tc
cry out, and the woman to make il
even safer, gagged her by placing
great piece of cotton in her mouth anC
tieing it with a handkerchief. The
woman then asked the children tt
come with her, but the youngest in
sisted that she get daddy" and the
mother told her that she would te1e.
phone to Mr.. Terril1. Without furthei
conversation the mother bundled the
children up and took them from the
house. She had go-cart at the door.
into which she placed the youngest OF
the children, and with the other one
walking she started south. She walked
through the Durkee School grounds
and was last seen walking south on
Ashland avenue. The police believe
that it is possible that the woman anC
the children are still in hiding some
where in Kenosha.
Terri11 and some of his friends bur
ried to Chicago last night, but a tele
phone message this morning stated
that they had found nothing of tn
children.