The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1908-03-27
My Amateur
Detective Work.
tOriginal.l

equal to murder. This Is right, though
crime does not seem to be prevented
by the rigor Of the punishment at
tached. But no punishment can equal
the sufferings Of parent at the kid
naping of child. The night we miss
ed our Harry and knew that he had
been kidnapped was the terror of my
life. have been shipwrecked, l have
seen those | have loved die, lay all
night severely wounded on battle
field, but none of these has approach
ed my sufferings at knowing my child
was in the hands Of men who would
murder him II 1t became their interest
to do SO.
With the letter that came to me de-
handing ransom, after the shock
that the threats in it occasioned, l
found occupation and in occupation
some relief. l resolved to conduct the
case myself, permitting the police to
work independently. The public, nat
urally interested, must know what is
being done to recover kidnapped
child, and the news given out, being
published In the papers, keeps the kid
napers well informed of their enemy's
movements. therefore sent inquirers
to the police for information and kept
my own counsel. The letter / an
swered myself, assured the writer he
could deal with me directly more safe
ly than with any one else and proceed
ed to negotiate with him for my boys
return.
l received several letters one after
another in tolerably quick succession.
They were dirty things, written by an
iiilterate person. The third one re-
ceived was contained in an envelope
that had had no mucilage on the en-
velOpe, and 1t had been sealed by past
Ing. The sealer had made a mussy lob
OF 1t, getting the paste smudged on
the envelope, and had pressed down the
nap with his thumb, leaving a faint
imprint Added to this, a hair had got
IN under the flap and was held there
by the paste.
handled the envelope very gingerly
10 preserve the thumb imprint and
sortened the paste about the hair till
was enabled to extract it entire. If
the writer Of the letter could be can
tured, the thumb mark or the hair. or
Doth, would serve to identify him.
treasured them, but said nothing about
them to any one.
we had settled on the amount 1 was
TO pay for my boys liberty, but mel.
ther the kidnaper nor l was able to
suggest method Of payment salts
factory to him. was obliged to wait
while ne thought out plan for
transfer of the funds. Meanwhile
was at work. bought the best micro
scope I could find and examined the
hair. 1t was red hair and had been
dyed. having grown a sixteenth of an
inch since the dyeing. had been
warned In the letters 1 had received
that II any attempt was made to track
any one calling at the postoffice for
mail the boy would be killed. But
now, having evidence to Identity the
kidnaper, l desired to locate his where
abouts. l therefore hired a man to
take position at the postoffice and
shadow any one calling for my letters.
He tracked girl about twelve years
old to an alley, where she disappeared.
On two other occasions he tracked the
same girl to the same alley, but some
means had been invented to conceal
her entrance to any building.
l now hired detective to 20 into
that alley and look out for a man
with dyed beard. He went In there
as Jew peddler Of the lowest order
While he was at work the kidnaper
settled upon plan by which I might
pay the ransom. l was to drive TO n
certain road on certain night and at
a certain crossing would see a red
lantern, signal protecting a hole in
the road. was to leave the money |
In cigar box l would find beneath |
the lantern. If l did this nv bow
would be left on the street where he |
could find his way home
On the very day l received this let
ter my detective came to tell me that
Nc Aou iouhu mdH Win dyed mus
tache occupying room he rented by
The week. The detective had tried to
get into the room and had failed
indeed. he could not get near it, being
ordered away on the story below it.
His information he had got from the
|anitor of the building.
All now depended upon whether my
detective had spotted the right man.
BE said he had scrutinized every Der
ION living in the alley. which was but
TWO blocks long. and had been a good
while finding even one man with dyed
hair, so he felt very confident At any
ate l decided to appeal to the police
% arrest the man. A number of plain
,lothes men under guidance of nv de-
ective went to the building he desie
1ated and assembled to the room occn
'ied by the suspected man. The first
policeman was stopped on the floor be
ow by watcher. but the other police
men coming up forced their way.
open the door Of the room
hey sought, there was my dear little
BOY asleep on a crib mattress on the
loor, man being In the room with
lfm This man bod Jroa ~. tt,