The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1925-07-30
WHEN
BALDY FADDEN
DISAPPEARED
x+*xx*x*****x***xx3*x*x4
BY CLARENCE L. HAY
"a by Short Story Pub. Coz

aware VI tue ulSH eStccu III
which he was held. His inability to
estimate his own Importance resulted
from a lack of years. He was but
four and at that interesting period Of
life one Is not able to recognize his
status in the community.
1t was on one day in early spring
that Badly Fadden" surprised Hester
street, and made It's mixed population
use up all the expressions of astonish-
ment they knew. Badly" disap-
peared! 1t was not a common disap-
pearance resorted to by the ordinary
child who wishes to make its parents
familiar with the agony produced by
temporary parting; 1t was startling,
mysterious disappearance, that stirred
the East side from the Panhandle" to
"Hell's Kitchen"
The Caparellis occupied a front
apartment on the fourth floor Of ten
ement house and on the morning of
the mysterious disappearance Mrs. Ca
parelli placed her son on the little iron
fire balcony overhanging the street.
The balcony was but four feet long
and two wide, with railing that was
twice the height of Caparelli, junior,
and 1t had neither trap nor ladder.
The first and only thought which
leaped with stunning force into the
mind Of the woman compelled her to
spring to the railing and stare with
wild eyes into the street beneath. But
there was no commotion such as her
Imagination had pictured. Everything
was peaceful. Half dozen lOafers
stood around unconcernedly in front
Of Mulligan's saloon; Pietro and Bap-
tisto, the fruiterers next door, were
standing chatting on the sidewalk,
while the vendor Of popcorn, standing
nearly underneath the Caparelli apart
ment, yawned lazily as he stared at
the passers-by. Furthermore, there
was no trace of "Baldy Fadden," alive
or dead, on the street or sidewalk.
The woman, frantic with apprehen-
sion, screamed out torrent Of ques-
lions to the men on the street, but
they signified in a dozen different
ways that they were ignorant Of the
whereabouts of her son. The fright
ened mother gazed hopelessly up and
around, and then, recognizing how
utterly impossible it would be for
"Baldy" to leave the balcony In any
other way, she shrieked again and
again, and Hester street arose to
wrestle with the mystery.
Unless "Baldy" had suddenly grown
wings and flown into space, there were
but four ways to account for his dis
appearance: The first and, Of course,
the most probable, was the theory that
he had fallen into the street, but the
evidence Of twenty-five people, who
were in different positions in front Of
the apartment house, swept the sur.
mise to the scrap heap Of knocked-out
suppositions. The peanut vendor Of
fered to stake his immortal soul
against ten cents worth of nuts to
prove that nothing had fallen from the
Caparelli apartment. and the huge VOL
ume Of supporting evidence, added to
the fact that there were no parts Of
Badly" visible, or no signs to prove
that he, had struck the street in for
chile manner, proved that the peanut
vendor was not reckless in wagering
his soul against quart of nuts.
The suggestion that someone, stand
ing at q nearby window, might have
hooked Badly" by means Of a long
pole was also secuted, when the resi-
dents of the fats to the left and right
had been examined. A cousin Of the
Caparellis who, while admitting that
she had seen "Baldy" on the balcony,
was above suspicion, lived to the right,
and a brother workman of "Baldy's"
father resided on the left. His repu-
tation was unimpeachable. The roof
was now the only place to look for
traces Of kidnapping, but the roof Of
fered no solution to the growing mys-
terry. The janitor had not unlocked
the trap door up to the time that
'Baldy" had disappeared, and, on
either side. the roof Of the house was
inaccessible except by means Of lad
ders and ropes, and regarding these
there was not the slightest trace to
prove that they had been used. The
mystery was stupendous.
At ten o'clock Ave detectives of the
Italian squad, who thought they de-
tected the work Of the "Black Hand"
were busy on the spot. Eleven police
men wrestled with the crowd and
clews in turn, and Mrs Caparelli, In
between numerous hysterical fits, gave
interviews to thirteen different news
paper men, who photographed the
wonderful balcony and then rushed
away with the news. For the unex-
plainable and unaccountable Is always
news. If Badly" had been smashed
up on the street like hundreds of
other East-side children, the incident
would have been of only paragraph
value, but the fact that he had left the
balcony by ways and means that sug-
gested the supernatural made the dis
appearance Of great news value in a
dull season. ''Baldy FAdden" ap-
mao rod IN lafforS fva ipchac lop1 ond