The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-12-30
HIS SON IS GONE
Former Kansan Cannot Find
Trace of Offspring.
Boy Lends Mother So and Leaves
for School.

Chanute, Kan, Dec. 3O.-There is a
mystery in the family of Prof. l. n.
! Crabb, formerly residents of this city,
where the professor is well known,
having been principal of the Alcott
school in the Second ward and a mem
Der of the city mail carrier force. The
family now lives in Denver Ralph,
the 14-year-old son, has been missing
since December 4, and the father be-
lieves he is being held for ransom.
The Denver account of the affair
follows:
An unidentified woman, meagerly
described as wearing dark clothing
and heavy Veil can tell something
about the disappearance of Ralph
Crabb, son of /. n. Crabb-but she,
too, has disappeared.
Pupils of North Denver and East
Denver high schools have organized
searching parties to find the lad; and
the Denver police have thrown a drag
net over the city. Thus far all eff
forts have been vain. The boys father
has received letters Indicating that he
is a prisoner and is held for ransom.
All who have Investigated the case
at all have abandoned the theory that
the boy ran away deliberately, and the
only remaining theory is that of kid
naping- The fact that most emphati-
cally explodes the runaway theory is
this On the very morning of his dis
appearance he loaned his mother So
and he had only 81 or IS left. The
have parted With so great a portion
of his small capfxal if he had intended
to run away.
Willing to ISSnd Money.
And he parted WHY it voluntarily.
His mother wanted thu money to pay
a bill. The elder CrabA said he had
only check and would Nave to cash
it before he could give her\he money.
At that moment the boy spoAs up:
I've got money" he said. MI lend
you what you want"
He gave her a fiVe-dOllar hiA and
then started off for school. He@gas
to become a student in the new NoAh
Denver Manual training school. TFA
IS why he carried a pair of OVeralI@A
with him. He disappeared. =,
Then came the mysterious "veileQe
LADY, on the scene. She visited the
boys father at his home, said she
knew where the boy was, but would
not tell. Neither would she tell who
she was nor where she lived. The
father tried to follow her to find out
where she lived. but she eluded him
and he has not since been able to
The police are convinced that the
'veiled lady is an agent. or the chief, |
of a conspiracy to make the father
ransom his son. No other motive for
her strange actions has been suggest |
ed. The father is waiting in momen-
tary expectation of receiving a letter |
directly demanding money.
Scout EIopement Theory.
One other feature of the unexplain- |
ed disappearance of the lad has been |
the subject of comment at police |
headquarters. The father received an
anonymous letter telling of the won |
derfu1 psychic power of a girl named !
Ethel irwin, living at Greeley, and he
was advised to ask that girl to find out I
'clairvoyantly'' where his son was
hiding
Nobody. of course. places any faith |
in the psychic powers of the girl, |
but the possibility that she may have |
more tangible knowledge of his
is being considered. 1t
has even been suggested that the boy |
may have been planning to elope
with this or some other girl. But the
theory is secuted by persons who be
lieve no boy would deliberately rid |
himself of half his pocket money on
The mystery grows deeper daily
The police have doubled their vigil
8nce in the case, and the schoolmates
of the lad have vowed that they will
find him if it is possible.