The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-05-15
ABDUCTION PLAN
WAS NIPPEO IN
THE BUD
Sensational Attempt To Carry
Away Little Child.
TWO SUITS TO FOLLOW.
Habess Corpus Proceedings in Rut-
land Today to Give Mother Poss-
esson OF Lenors Estsbrook

The biggest sensation that has oc-
Cured in Bennington for some time
was the attempted abduction by the
mother Friday afternoon OF the little
daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. b. n. Esta-
brook. The sensation occurred on
Main street during the busiest por-
ton of the day. shortly after o.
clock in the afternoon and was wit
messed by Il large number of people.
| Had the job not been bungled 1t
would have been successful but as it
turned out the father still has posses
| sion of the child at the home of his
parents on South street
The Estabrooks, who until about
three months ago resided in Troy
separated because OF family difficult
ties and the husband taking the
| little girl. Leonora. and giving up
his position with the Troy Securities
company returned to this village and
has since been living with his par
ents, Mr. and Mrs. Emerson Esta-
| brook.
After the separation Mrs Esta-
| brook brought suit against her hus-
! band for divorce and papers were
| served upon the father demanding
| possession of the child. Mr. Esta-
brook secured counsel here and pro
posed TO contest the case. Last Sat
urday, however, Judge George II.
| Fits of the supreme court OF New
York sitting at Albany granted to
! Mrs. Estabrook a separation for life
from bed and board from the husband
and the custody of the child.
Acting under the order of Judge
Fits Mrs Estabrok's attorney. F. c.
Sanford OF Alabny, engaged two de-
teetives from an agency In that city
TO assist Mrs. EstabrOok to gain pos
session OF her daughter The two
| detectives, Samuel Gibbons and
| George Gibson arrived in Bennington
the first OF the week and had evident
| ~ been on the watch for an oppor-
tunity 10 carry out their plans for the
past two days They have been seen
| standing on the upstairs piazza of
| the Whitney. the Main street board
ing house kept by Mrs. NJ. L. Brown
nell, evidently getting the lay Of
the situation
The plot eliminated Friday after
noon as Mr. Estabrook and the little
| girl were on Main street They were
| NhlhiiiE ApM ar u Nit llbSlbluNG Nl East
Main street, the little girl with her
doll carriage a short distance ahead.
At the Endress Bros cigar store Mr.
Estabrook stopped to inspect some
fishing tackle leaving his daughter on
| the walk. He had hardly entered the
| store before he heard the door lead
ing from the Whitney open with
bang and looking out saw two men
| and CT q NJ ri 10
little girl. The men were the two Al
bany detectives and the women Mrs.
| Estabrook and her aunt, Mrs. Nora
Hacker of Baltimore The women
| We're both heavily yelled
William VanSleet, the Pittsheld
aemaut, who was recently credited
with making the longest balloon flight
on record and who is known as one
of the classiest automobile drivers
in the country, was sitting in his ma
chine at the Main street entrance of
the Putnam house and subsequent
events ireicated that he had been
engaged TO speed the abductors and
the child across the York state line
the instant the little girl was in the
mothers possession. VanSleet. after
the affair was over, denied that he
was in any way party to the plan,
but his friends here are of the opn-
ion that "Billy's" Discrimination to ac-
knowledge his part is due to chagrin
over the failure of the two Albany
detectives to carry out the plan sue
cessfully. The work of the two de-
ciples of Sherlock Homes from AL
bany was generally condemned by
people on the street and it was con
ceded to be their bungling that
spoiled the plan
The real action began when Mr.. Es-
tabrook emerged from the cigar store
and instantly comprehended what
was taking place. He shot ahead of
the four. tore the child away
from Mrs. Estabrook and taking the
little one in his arms dashed across
the square into the county clerks
office. Mrs. Estabrook. Mrs. Hacker
and the two sleuths from Albany fol-
lowed in his wake. The sight of a
young man sprinting across the street
with a child in his arms followed by
two women and two men, one of the
women screaming at every step, natu-
rally attracted crowd and people be-
gain to follow into the court house.
w j. Meagher, who was one of Mr..
Estabrook's counsel in the divorce
proceedings, saw the crowd and
hurried down stairs and across the
street Several other men including
County Clerk Stakeholder, Sheriff
Godfrey, Deputy Sheriff Nash and
Others joined the cavalcade.
once inside the building Mr. Esta-
brook placed the little girl in a cor
ner OF the room and standing over
her blocked off the two women in
their efforts to take her away from
the father. The two detectives,
realizing that they could take no