The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-09-08
KIDNAPERS ARE UP
Much Damaging Evidence Given
in Court.
j. N. Gentry, Mrs. Barclay and
+. III. TillOtson Identified.
.BOBo THE UNKNOWN.
Witness Tells of Third Man
Who Is Missing.
Drivers of the Car Tell of Their
Thrilling Experiences.

In the preliminary hearing of the XII :
naping of the famous incubator baby,
Marian Bleakley, which is being held
in the court of Topeka at the court
house today, the clues secured by the
officers of Shawnee county are grad
ually coming to a satisfactory climax.
The testimony given by the more inn
portant witnesses looks bad for j.. y.
Gentry, the Kansas City private dc
tective who is alleged to have struck
Clarence Bellnap over the head and run
away with the child. Gentry is the big
target today and every word spoken by
a dozen witnesses has connected his
name directly with the abduction.
Mrs. Stella Barclay, the foster moth
er of the child and the woman who
has been putting up such fight for the
possession of Marian Bleakley, is also
deeply implicated in the kidnapping
charges. Her conversations, her tools"
in the case, her active presence at th"
abduction and her orders have placed
her as the star actress.
Frank H. Tillotson, the head of the
Kansas City detective agency, is I'M
plicated directly and indirectly-that is,
he seems to have been the man behind
the gun in the whole matter and a.
though it has not been proven that he
laid hands on the child, it does look as
thought from the testimony that he ar
ranged for the automobile and for the
active flight to the Missouri line.
David Gregg, the Topeka lawyer, sees
a light coming up over the horizon ano
from the evidence obtained at a late
hour this afternoon it appears that
Gregg will soon change his boarding
place from the county Jail to his home
He is being defended by Joseph Reed,
an attorney of this city.
TiIlotson Hired Automobile.
From the taSti0nOnv given today fi,e
story of the kidnapping of Marian
Bleakley would run like this:
The automobile was hired from a
garage in Kansas City, Missouri. The
arrangements getween the garage owr-
er and the kidnapers were made by L.
H. Tillotson the Kansas City detective.
Tillotson was presumably acquainted
with the errand-he asked for a good
car, extra tires, good driver and a
mechanic. The car was taken from the
garage Thursday, August 10, and was
placed in charge of Driver Ross AMI
Mechanic Buoy of Kansas City
The car left the garage under charge
of the drivers and an unknown man
n1cknamed Bob was picked up a few
blocks on. A few minutes later J. N
Gentry was taken up. Then at Six
teenth and Prospect avenues, an un-
known woman entered the car. She IS
supposed to have been a former wife
of Gentry.
The automobile came to Topeka
and arrived here early Thursday
morning. Gentry and the unknown
registered at the Chesterfield hotel.
The woman stayed there over night
The car was then driven to the STAFF
ford garage and was there for the
rest of the day being repaired by the
drivers.
This next day was F'riday-the day
before the abduction. This dayl
Gentry, and Mrs. Barclay. the foster
mother, appeared at the garage in
Topeka and asked concerning the
condition of the car. Two new tires
were ordered from Kansas City. The
unknown man named Bob" was also
q frequent visitor at the garage and !
helped in what arrangements were
made. A little tour was taken over
the city under the direction of
Gentry.
Saturday morning Mrs. Barclay ap-
peared at the garage, according to
the testimony and asked if there was
plenty of gasoline and oil for the ma
chine. Gentry and Bob also ap-
peared that morning. Looked at
car. Later came and all climbed into
wac picked up at the corner of
Fourth and Jackson streets. The
auto proceeded in a runabout way
under the direction of Gentry until it
arrived at the rear of the Stormont |
hospital. Here the drivers We're told
to wait. Meanwhile Bob" had dis
appeared-he left the car while it
was running. Mrs. Barclay and
Gentry left the car and Gentry told
the drivers to wait for a little while |
until they returned
The drivers first saw a buggy come |
down the street to the car with a
roam horse on the run. In the buggy |
was Gentry, Mrs. Barclay. the un-
known man and the incubator baby. |
Gentry alighted with the baby in his |
arms and in his right hand he carried |
a big blue steel Colts revolver. Bob
tied the horse nearby. All climbed |
into the automobile and Gentry said: |
go ahead and take your time-we |
want to get across the Missouri line |
that's an.''
Wit hthe big revolver in his hand |
all the way east to Kansas avenue, |
north on Kansas avenue to the city |
limits on the north. Gentry sat in |
the tonneau with the baby TUCKED |
under his arm. When the streets |
were left behind Gentry said: 'sWell |
I didn't have to use it, and put the |
gun away.
The automobile was driven to VAL |
ley Falls both fast and slow, when it |
broke down not far from there. |
Here the car was deserted by the kid |
been given accurately time and again |
by the newspapers.
Ross Identifies Gentry.
The star witness this morning was |
Charles r. Ross, the driver of the |
car. He recognized Gentry and Mrs. |
Barclay. He told of all they said |
and of what few words he heard He |
told of the revolver, the fight of the |
car and all that is mentioned above. |
Another driver and mechanic who |
was with Ross from the same garage
was questioned and told practically |
the same story. Ross was a cool,
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