Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-04-06
CROOKS DEMANDED
s5,0OOCASHRANS
WHEN TT WAS KNOWN HAROLD
MOON WAS MISSING FROM
HOME LETTERS CAME FROM
ALLEGED KIDNAPERS.

FLINT Mich. April 3.-While Thu
man N. Moon was today absent In De-
lavan, Wis, negotiating with men who
claimed that they had kidnapped his little
son, Harold, aged TO- and were holding
him for a ransom Of 5000, the body or
the child was found floating In Thi~@@
pond by Bert Robson. A pair OF skates
fastened to the feet and the hands en-
cased in mittens, testified as to the man
ner of death.
The child disappeared February q. His
parents from the first believed that he
had been kidnapped and since that time
Mr. Moon has been going about the
country tracing different alleged cleWs.
Circulars were sent broadcast over the
United States, offering reward or 1850
for the boy.
1t appears that some crooks decided
to take advantage of the situation and
wrote Mr. Moon a letter saying that they
held the child and would deliver him
for 5000. Moon was to call for letter
addressed to L. n. Newell, which would
instruct him where to leave the ransom
money The methods employed by the
crooks were similar to those used in the
delivery of the $1,000 ransom by Mr..
whitla, of Sharon, Pa
Crooks Frame Up Game
The case was remarkable as showing
the unreliability of circumstantiai EVIL
dence. When the child did not return
home the first thought was that he had
broken through the ice of Thread pond
or Flint river, there was. however no
indication of the ice being broken about
the edges of the pond and then came re-.
ports that spread and were finally taken
as fact, that a strange man had been
seen leading the boy away.
Following is the wording of a note
written by Mr.. Moon and deposited IN
the cannon in city park last night:
at know not who you are, but II you
have the boy write the name of his
brothers and sisters, the name of the
book received on his last birthday and
who sleeps with him at home. win
produce the 5000 and no names VIII be
asked"
Mr.. Moon and the detective fingered in
the vicinity of the cannon for some time
and finally observed a man approach the
cannon, seize the letter and quickly dis
appear.
Several days later it was reported from
Pontiac, Mich, that lad of Harold's de-
scription had been seen with a stranger
| in a freight car. This clue was followed
without results 1t was followed by q
report that the boy was in Toronto. Each
report was investigated by Flint officers.
without success.
Then rewards were offered. A meeting
of business men was held and a total
/ OF 81 800 was subscribed TO be paid for
information that would lead to the boys
return. Detective agencies, police depart
ments and newspapers all over the coun-
| try were supplied with pictures and de-
scriptions of the missing lad.
L At one time the police of Toledo re-
ported a promising clue. A boy had been
seen in the freight yards with a rough
appearing man. He resembled the de-
scription of the Noon boy. On investiga-
ton, however, this clue, like the others,
failed to develop anything. f ~
Last week the Sons OF Daniel Boone,
an organization of boys with branches
| in all parts of the country, of which Har-
old was a member, sent out from its
New York headquarters an appeal to all
of it's membership to help in the search
for the missing boy. 4r
| With the failure of all the efforts to
discover any trace OF Harold, systematic
dragging of the Flint river was begun.
For twenty-five miles its bottom was
searched without result
gang OF twenty men worked for days
at the dragging. under the supervision
of the local police. Then it was decided
to begin careful examination of Thread
pond.
Part of the water was drained out OF Il
yesterday and today Robson found the
| little body 1t was about 100 feet from
the shore and the legs were caught fast
in the weeds.