New-York tribune., 1918-02-01
Officer, Crazed,
kidnaps Four
And Jails Them
Lieutenant Hyde Forces 3
Soldiers and a Citizen
Into Weird Escapade

First Lieutenant Seymour W. Hyde.
OF the 306th Infantry, son Of the late
Seymour J. Hyde, of this city. spent
last night in a straitjacket in cell Of
the police station in Greenwich, Conn
Lapsing into temporary insanity after
period of intense application at Camp
Upton. he kidnapped two soldiers,
marine and candy manufacturer in
New York on "Wednesday afternoon,
drove them TO She family estate at
Greenwich and held them prisoner and
in fear Of death until after daylight.
yesterday morning.
The soldiers we're Privatcs Frank II.
Pleuss and William D. Atchon. and arc
believed to be members Of the lieu
tenants own regiment Some mystery
attaches to the method Of their abduc-
ton. as it preceded that Of Sergeant
ErX!even Hyde, the marine, who is the
only one Of. those who participated in
the adventure TO return with a report
Of it, Sergeant Hyde entered his sta
ton at the recruiting Office in East
/ Twenty y-thrd Street yesterday more
1 than thirty hours late and with n story
of the kind generally told to. not by,
marines.
The kidnapping
He was leaving the Twenty-third
Street subway station On Wednesday
afternoon, he said, on his way to the
recruiting Office when Lieutenant Hyde,
the demands: "How dare you pass a
military officer without saluting {?
Stand where you arc.'
Sergeant Hyde obeycd and stood
rgidly at attention, he said, until the
lieutenant in mufti had summoned a
taxicab. Together, but silent, they
travelled south on Broadway to a
building, the number Of which Sergeant
Hyde noted. Seated in an Office to
which the Lieutenant had admission,
were the two soldiers, Plcuss and
Atchon, both in uniform, sitting bolt
upright
The group maintained ita posture
and silence with soldicrly discipline
for some two hours. according to Ser
gcant Hydc's estimate, which made it
about o'clock in the afternoon when
Lieutenant Hyde reappearcd In the
interval the lieutenant had seized Louis
Bessncr, a candy merchant, of 227
WaVcrley Place, BY the simple ma
nmuvrc of asking Bcissner with whom
he was acquainted, to come and see his
new car that was just around the cor
ner.
On the return of the lieutenant the
two soldiers put on their uniforms
again and with Sergeant Hyde preceded
the lieutenant to the taxicab, which
they entered without noticing the
candy merchant in front. Lieutenant
Hyde also entered the vehicle. and thew
set out for Greenwich reaching there
in the evening"
Threatened to Kill
The extensive and untenanted coun-
try home of the Hydes was entered
by way of cellar passageway. which
was cold and dark as any dungeon in
the opinion of Sergeant Hyde. The
lefty, dark-panelled dining room with
its crystal electrolier burst upon the
view of the blinking prisoners with
dramatic effect therefore when Lieu
tenant Hyde switched on the lights.
He ordered me to lie down at the
fireside," said Sergeant Hyde in his
account OF the affair, "where several
logs of wood were burning. Takinp
a warm poker in one hand and aiming
the pistol at me with the other, he
shouted: will now kill you.!' lie
struck me fifteen times over the bodv
with the poker and kicked me in the
ribs several times ] feared to maLe
an outcry lest he should shoot and
kill me-
In telling the story the sergeant ex-
hlbited the imprint of a shoe on his
shirt and sundry cuts and bruises.
About s a. N. something reminded
Lieutenant Hyde of the two soldiers 'IiIas
In the wine closet, and he sent them
upstairs with orders to go to bed. Thev
went out of a second story window
and to the police station. The police
arrived, Sergeant Hyde said, lust a.
the lieutenant was about to brand hin,
with the poker. The interval had been
occupied BY the enforced dancing Of
Sergeant Hyde, who had just dropped.
TOO completely exhausted to respond
longer to the menace Of the pistol.
The police found the room Uttered with
debris and splintered in many place.
with bullets. More than a score Of
shots werc fired, Sergeant HYDE said
Physicians who examined the Young
man declared him deranged. He was
twenty-four years old on Tuesday. His
father. principal stockholder of the
firm OF A. G. Hyde & Sons, cotton
manufacturers. 361 Broadway. was
killed three years ago yesterday by
fall from his horse on the Greenwich
pRtAte. Mira HVdN aofA loAf nt~ -,
her home. 1878 Park Avenue, that shc
had heard that her son had suffered a
nervous brcakdo%n.