New Britain herald., 1927-05-02
KIDNAPPING PLOT
 WIPED BY POLICE
Rich Chicago M,ns Son Was to Be Victim
NOTED CRIMINALS PLAN

lars for Defense of Henry J. F1- nekes, on Trial for Murder-Gun. men Had Been Hired.
 Chicago. May ! R-A million dollar kidnapping plot conceived by 8 convicted murderer. planned for execution by one of Chicago's most feared criminal bands and directed at nine year old heir to a great fortune has been checkmated by the police.
 PlotteF And Victim Henry J. (Midget) Fernekes, now servin ga prison term for robbery while awaiting a new trial for mur- der, for which he once was sentenced to be hanged, was the man. the po- lice say who plotted the kidnapping. The intended victim. now as closely guarded as a president or a king, was John Shedd Schweppe, son of Charles H. Schweppe, a broker. and grandson of the late John c. Shedd, who was one of the city's wealth. jest men.
 The police refrained from reveal ing the details of the plot, nor would they name all the conspira- tors. The million dollars which they believe was to have been demanded for the boys release was to have gone in part into great defense fund for Fernekes, who once tried to blast his way out of the Cook county jail with dynamite.
 Woman In On Plot
 Mrs. Jessie Mulhall Saunders, more recently known as Mrs. Fernekes," according to information in the possession of Chief of Detectives William O'Connor. was one of the women active in the plot. Mir. Schweppe identified photograph of Mrs. Saunders as that of a woman he had seen proving about the grounds of his Lake Forest estate.
 ! Gunmen Involved
 
 involved in the plot, the police said. all members of the band which kid mapped two cabaret owners recent ly and finally released them for a reported ransom of $100,oo0.
 First reports of the plot said that the boys sister. Jean, eleven years old. was to have been the object of the kidnappers, but Chief O'Connor said that police information was plain tna. ..s l,oy VAS .ue one to have been taken.
 We knew from conversations overheard by our telephone squad all details of the scheme" he said. The idea was to take the boy to particular spot and make ransom demands. The gang even had ar- ranged to change their hiding place. take the boy from house to house, and we knew all the places that had been arranged for"
 Conversation Overheard
 Word of the intended Kidnapping came from a conversation overheard by the police. The talk was be- tween two persons apparently not in the plot, one reciting to the other what he had heard from a third per- son.
 Seven men and two women were involved. All are known, the police added, but because of the manner in which the information was obtained. they have been unable to make any arrests. Plans were laid instead to trap the band in an attempt at kid mapping.
 Elaborate Guard System
 An elaborate guard system was evolved by MT. Schweppe, aided by the police and private detectives. Guards were placed about the grounds of the estate. outside the walls, and in the house itself. There were private phone connections to the police station and speed boat was in readiness for pursuit in event the kidnappers attempted flight by Lake Michigan.
 A special guard also has been placed over two other grandchildren of the late MT. Shedd-Mary shedd Reed. 13. and John Shedd Reed. 12, who live near the Schweppe estate. MT. Schweppe also has been given 8 police guard.
 Others Are Afraid
 Fear of kidnappers has led to pre-