The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1920-06-03
bA1i KIDNAPPED
FROM ITS CRIB
Taken From Near Where Par
ents We're Sleeping.
FAMILY HAD NO ENEMIES
-Months-OId Son of George II.
CouqhIin, of Norristown, Stolen by
Persons Who Used. Ladder.

Norris1own, Pa, June "a thirteen
month-old baby, stolen from its crib
in the dead Of night, few feet from
the bed where its mother and father
were sleeping, has furnished Norris
town with a kidnapping case as mys-
FERROUS as 1t was daring.
Like most notorious kidnapping
cases, the victim is again a boy.
Blakeley Coughlin, the son of Mr.. and
Mrs George Coughlin. The scene was
their summer home, at Curren terrace,
Sandy Hill road, a mile from the heart
of the town.
Already a reward of $500 has been
offered by Montgomery county for the
arrest and conviction Of the guilty
kidnappers.
Mr.. Coughlin is president OF the
Rreuker & Kessler LithOgraphing
company. His father is George c.
COughlin, Philadelphia, and southern
sales agent for the Philadelphia and
Reading Coal and Iron company.
Into the case enteres the probability
of a demand for ransom being made
when the abductors feel they have
made good their escape. Mr.. Coughlin
is wealthy and has two homes in Nor
riStOwn.
AS the investigation shaped up,
there was opened only two reasonable
avenues Of deduction, either that the
case is an Italian one perpetrated by
one or more of the many Italians who
are engaged in farming adjacent ta
the COughlin home, or that former
servants Of the family may be imp!i-
Gated There are no known enemies
There has been no labor trouble in
NJ" Cnughlin's plant that could pos
the domestic life Of the COughlinS and
their association with their relatives
seems TO have been ideal.
II is certain that the person or per
sors who crept through second
$ CRY window into the COughlin home
at two o'clock In the mornt g knew tx.
actly the lay of the house and the
habits and customs Of the family.
Only the most slender clewS were
left behind. few finger prints on the
raised screen and the window sill
nothing more A ladder taken from g
nearby house was found leaning
arainst the wall just under the win
dow of the baby's room. Footprints
of man and woman tracked
through a nearby field, but several
German police dogs brought to the
scene were absolutely useless in lead
ing the investigation to any tangible
turn. The dogs ran about wild with
their noses in the air. One led to 2
nearby house, but the attraction there
was anotheredOg, and after a prelim
mary scrap attempt was made to give
the animal a new start.
The getaway was completed eve
while the child's mother was awaken
ing from a subconscious feeling tha
something was wrong. Barely an il
SAINT later 1t was seen the child
crib was empty and two minutes affe
this the father was in the yard, the
to the nearby road There was not
sign of life. The moon shone bright,
| L
and trees and every standing thin
stood out in bold silhouette agains
the brightness Of the sky.
| Detectives came from Philadelphi
from the office of Major Wynne. chic
of the district attorneys force Unite
S ates District Attorney Charles VI,
Avoy. himself a resident of NOrr;:
town drafted a man from the denar
mpnt of Justice, E G. Sutton, all
| placed him at the disposal of NJ
C~"G!ilin. Private detectives were 81
G;l"''' Members Of the Norristow
detective force took hold of the my
ter~ and little has been accomplish
ed.
| 1t was two o'clock, as nearly as NJ
Coughlin could calculate, when hi
wife was awakened by an indescribibl
sound which seemed to sift in fro1
the adjoining bedroom where the bah
slept.
'She came to the conclusion" NJ
Cnughlin said, that 1t was Of no III
rortance and lay down again and iu
then there came another noise in IL
i nursery which she could not exact
describe It may have been a coue
or slight cry. She could not tel
Mrs Coughlin reached over and tOuc
me- after this and asked me to go
the nursery and see what the troub
was with the baby. went in al
found the crib empty. 1t was on Il
far side of the room from the wi
dow and my first thought was TIL
one of the other boys had taken II
baby TO their room across the hall
looked in there and fund both bo,
sound asleep. Suddenly sOmethin
eeemed TO tell me sbme one had take
the child and l ran downstairs ar
ouf the back door and discovered t!
Ii; 1der leaning up against the hOu-
JUS under the babH's Window. I ri
| to The road and looked for an autOTl