Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-08-15
BELIEVE LOST
MILLIONAIRE is
FOUND IN WEST
Des M0ines Chief of Police
Expects Relative to Ident-
ify Man.

DES MONIES. Iowa, Aug. 15.-Chief
Of Police r. c. Saunders today threatened
to attempt to seize the legless amnesla
victim held by private detectives here
as Ambrose Small, missing Canadian
multi millionaire, on a writ Of habeas
corpus The writ would be issued on
the grounds that the captive mentally
incompetent" was being held against his
will by the private detective firm which
made known the fact that he was located
here and which has summoned relatives
in Toronto, Canada, to Identify him.
Police and other Investigators are
skeptical that the man Is Ambrose J.
Small. millionaire theatrical magnate
who disappeared from Toronto in 1919,
had been found here.
Frank Harty, former chief Of police,
and now a detective declares that leg
less man who he has had under sur
veillance for several months is Small
and he expects two relatives here soon
to identify him.
John O'Malley, a newspaper man who
assisted IN the search for Small after his
disappearance, however, declared the man
In question does not answer SMALL s
description.
The legless man has lost his mem
ory.
The detective formerly Of the Des
Moines police department says he has
had the man under Surveillance two
months, and insists the half -crazed man
is the long sought millionaire and he is
prepared to turn him over to the Can
adian authorities when they are ready
to pay him the $4,000 reward offered
for his discovery.
The man Is Small" he says. 81 know
a big reward has been offered for him
and I'm not going to give anybody a
chance to say the reward does not belong
to me"
WAS BROUGHT
BY STRANGER.
The finding OF the wounded man two
months ago was touched with mystery
An unidentified man approached a house
in West Des Moines in motor car, say
ing he had a badly wounded man with
him and asked he be taken in for medt-
cal attention.
The half-Hving body Of the victim was
ca rried into the house and the other man
suddenly disappeared on the Pretext he
was going for medical aid Failing TO
return, the house-owner called Detective
rophy Band a physician.
He discovered a gunshot wound IN the
All power Of speech had been lost. The
legs had been severed at the knees.
LEGLESs MAN
WRITES MUSIC.
For three weeks the wounded man was
mute. Then he suddenly asked for
water. From that time On he has shown
signs Of an awakening mentality, but has
great difficulty in talking. He constantly
writes musical scores. but when asked If
he can play, shakes his head.
Now the man has begun repeating
MY name is John Doughty. l came
here from Omaha. That's all I re-
member" John Doughty was SmaIls
secretary. and is in Canada.)
When shown picture of Small to-
day the legless man nodded.
That's me-" he said.
There Is a slight discrepancy be
tween description of the wounded
man and that OF the missing million
aire. The facial characteristics of the
two are almost identical. but in
weight there is much difference, the
Toronto magnate weighing scarcely
100 pounds. The man under surveil-
lance is said to weigh near $50
pounds.
II Small has at last been found it
ends one Of the most dramatic searches
in the history of Canada, Small dis
appeared as If In thin air in December,
1919. He had just deposited a check
for S10OO,C0O. His wife was the first
to suspect something had happened when
he failed to come home for dinner that
night.