Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-02-15
maryland POLICE
SEEK ABDUCTORS
OF SISTER CECILIA

FREDERICK, Md, Feb. 1S.-(By
the Associated Press.)-Policemen
lin this city and Baltimore are
searching today for mysterious
man and woman who are believed
/ to have kidnapped Sister Cecilia, a
music teacher at the Notre Dame
academy here, yesterday afternoon,
and took her to Baltimore, where
she escaped from a house there after
being held captive for several hours
and returned to the institution in a
dazed condition.
| Stewart Cathcart, taxi driver
of Baltimore, who brought Sister
Cecilia to Frederick in his machine
last night, was lock up in Jail at
the request of Father Kane. While
rot believing Cathcart to be impli-
Gated in the kidnapping, the priest
stated that Cathcart gave evasive
! answers to many of his questions.
|. According to Sister Cecilia S
story, as recited to Father William
J. Kane, overseer of the Notre
Dame convent, she was struck over
| the head with blunt instrument by
the man, and drugged. She is still
in bed today suffering from fright
as result of her adventure. She
was able to give Father Kane but
a meager description of the stran-
gers, and could not name the house
to which she was taken in Balti.
more, as in her hurry to leave the
dwelling she did not properly OBJ
serve her surroundings.
! Father Kane said that the room
; at the convent from which the nun
had been taken showed signs Of a
| fierce struggle. The sisters girdle
rosary lay broken on the floor, fur.
niture was misplaced, a vial believ'
ed to contain chloroform, was
found, together with cloth believed
to have been saturated with the
drug, and her veil was discovered
/ in a crumpled condition.
Struck Over Head
Sister Cecilia, the overseer said,
first observed the man and woman
about11 o'clock yesterday afternoon
They were standing near a closed au
tomobile across the street from the
convent. At that time the sister re-
| marked to one of her pupils, Father
Kane stated, that the strangers were
acting mysteriously.- She did not
notice them again until the woman
came around to rear window and
peered through. The nun was alone
in the building at the time, and
went to the window to investigate
On reaching there, she told Father
Kane, a man struck her over the
head. She lost consciousness, she
stated, and did not recover until she
found herself in the Baltimore
house.
On regaining consciousness, Sister
Cecilia said, she found herself di
vested of her sisters garb. She over.
heard voices in an adjacent room
talking about money matters. The
persons talking sounded as if they
were foreigners, and the words "ran.
som" and $500" were mentioned, Els.
plying a hat and coat on the wall of
the room, Sister Cecilia clothed her.
self with them and ran sout of the
building. SShe had to pass through
! an alleyWay, she stated, and on
reaching the street asked a patrol
man about train service for Freder.
lex. When, told that train service
was suspended to that place for the
night, she asked the policeman to di.
rect her to q taxicab stand in order
that she might return to Frederick
Immediately.
Cathcart, according to Father
Kane, at first refused to take the sis.
ter as his passenger, as the fare from
Baltimoreato Frederick was $50. Sis
ter Cecilia had only $11 with her
| which she found in a pocket of the
overcoat she wore, the priest stated
On leaving that the tolls would be
paid lin Free lick, however, Cath.
cart consented to take her there.
State of Collapse
On arriving here, Sister Cecilia was
in a state of collapse. Her collapse,
Father Kane said, was due mostly
to fright. Physicians who examined
her, he said, declared she had not
been mistreated. .-.
I Sister. CECILIA, whose. age on the
convent records is given as thirty
one, was formerly Miss Marie Wha,
len, Of Vernon, Pa, suburb OF
Pittsburg. She attended the paro
CHA school at that place, and last
August became a sister of Notre
Dame. She came to Frederick last
September. Both her parents are
dead. Father Kane stated she has q
lsister and brother, and believed they
reside in Pennsylvania. Her grand
mother, he said, resides in Verona.
Bandit Throws $4,000