The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 20, 1897, Page 3

DAY [ONAPERS FUILED Little Johnnie Conway Rescued From His Abductors. HISUNCLE PLANNED THE BOLD TEEFT. Evidence Gathered by a News- paper Leads to a Sensa- tional Climax. BATTLE IN THE WO00DS WITH THE CHILD-STEALERS. Those Who Plotted to Obtain Ran- som Had Decided to Leta Train Kill the Boy. ALBANY, N. Y., Aug. 19.—Little John Conway, kidnaped on Monday as he played in front of father’s Louse, was found with his aba stored to his par ued in a dense wood near Karners, about 8 miles west of Alb Josept 's uncle, is accused of be- the chief conspirator in the attempt to obtain ransom. He isalready under arrest. v A. Blake, or Avery, and A. of whom little is known by the g hunted as Hardy’s con- police, sederates e within arm’s reach | of the a escaped. Hardy s home as soon as it was at the boy had been rescued. gible clew to the identity of napers wss given to the police by . correspondent. This was in the of a minute description furnished by oy of the three men who re- him to deliver the demand for som to Conway. he three ess a bareiooted bo: were com- fterw men pelled to & into serv- for the purpose. The description of en tallied with those of Hardy and were shadowed all day by police. A private aetective in the ice of an Albany newspaper first t the case to a point. This detec- tive persuaded two of the suspected men with him to the newspaper office. y was secured first. last night. After much persuasion Hardy consented to see his pal, Blake. They each other, and Hardy finally collapsed. He was locked up, and Blake then broke wn, and in the end said Le could pro- duce the child for §25 to, ). This was agreec and the and Blake then t in a carriage to drive tothe boy's ing-piace. The party cludea Com- missioner Phalen, Reily, Court Clerk Gre- gan and John F Farrell. The carriage took a circuitous route about the city, finally leaving its bounda- ries and proceeding along the S8chenectady turnpike. Blake had not disclosed where the boy was hidden, and although the members of the party were well armed they became alarmed at the distance to be traveled, fearing an am- Jlake's friends. Nothing to ex- their uneasiness happened, however. detectives e party had gone eight miles before e signaled the driver to stop, near small s:ation on the New York 1ke then absolutely refused to reople who he suspected icted the child unless he went Then he started off by himself, returned some fifteen minutes later and advised Farrell he would allow him and Police Commissioner Phalen to sccompany him to the rendezvous. The three sturted off and went into the woods. Blake climbed to the top a little and whistled. Presently they heard the ling of twigs and the rustling of branches, and there appeared a tall, well. the bu built young man of swarthy complexion, | h black hair, clean-shaven face and eel-gray eyes, with a peaked hat pulled down over his forehead and a handker- chief across his face from ear to ear. The msn asked about Farrell coming there. In reply Blake stated to him the provosition for the payment of $2500 cash on delivery of little Johnny Conw The unknown man, in a deep huskv voice, evidently assumed, absolutely refused to deliver the child except on payment of | 500 cash on the spot. While talxing Farrell heard the crackling of twigs and looking around saw another man in the underbrusb. This man joined the group and learning about the mission of the party became suspicious. A stormy discus- sion followed until patience was almos: exhausted. At last Blake agreed that he would lead the party back to the carriage and that the young man, who was alone in evidence besides Biake, though Blake said there were two or three others in the background, would take the child to the back of the old Methodist church; that he would have three men with him and Farrell should have one; that the child should be turned over to them and that they would pay him $2500. This was agreed to and the party went to the place indicated. The kidnapers had in the meantime again had their suspicions aroused and there was another conference. Blake was threatened with arrest if the deal was not soon concludea. Just then was heard the cry of the child: “‘Don’t leave, don’t Jeave me,”” The rescuers rusbed in the direction of the sound and soon came upon the child and secured nim. Describ- ing the capture of the boy Clerk Gregan to- night said: “When Biake entered the busbes for the last time we beard a cry, and thinking tiat the men in ambush were killing the boy we cocked our revolversand started in pursnit. We opened fire at once, and as we dashed across the litile open space into the wooas we heard a crackling of twigs, telling us the captors of the child had scooted. We must have surprised them, for they ran for dear life. I fired all the shots I had in my revolver, and putting the weapon aside dashed into the underbrush. I heard the cry again, and it took me at least two minutes to locate the sound. I heard it 8gain and again, and parting the thick - | had made a passage. This was at 11| rey contradicted | THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 1897. growth about one of the trees I saw the boy. He was crouched down, his little legs protruding. He was crying, ‘Please don’t hurt me, mister.” ‘I won't, my dear boy,” I said, and I picked nhim up and started for the carriage. The others fired their guns, and then getting no trace of the abductors we left the spot.” The rescuers started back to Albany ata dead gallop. The kidnapers had recov- [ ered from their vanic, ceased their flight | and returned. They began shooting, but | the bullets flaw wide. At the first tele- phone station the carriage stopped and | the police were telephoned to send all the mounted men available to hunt for thekid- | napers. A corps started on a special en- | gine. 1 Father Morrissey of St. Joseph’s Church had been noufied of the expectation of re- \cu\'er.ng the child, and when it was | | known the boy had been found the priest had telephoned to the residence of the Conways. They bad no intimation of the work that had been going on during the night to rescue the boy, and upon Father Morrissey developed the hapoy duty of telling them the whole story. The thousands gathered in the vicinity of the Conway home made way for the bearer of the tidings. When Father Mor- rissey entered the parlor he met the mother of the child, and, clasping her a1d, he said simply: **Mrs. Conway, lit- tle Johnny is safe.” The mother stag- zered, sighed and then exclaimed: *“My God! can this be true?” The father en- tered the room at that moment. Father Morrissey told him of the safe arrival of the boy. Conway sank into a chair and could not utter a word. Neighbors and relatives gathered in the parlor and seemed to be affected almost as deeply as were the parents, There was silence for three | minutes, and then father and mother | broke down and embraced each other and | sobbed Joudly. | The rescuing party reacked the office of the newspaper that planned his recovery at 9 o’clock. There more than 1000 anx- jous men and women had congregated, | for the news that the boy would scon be | rescued had spread like wildfire. Com- missioner Phalen quickly lifted the boy rom the carriage and carried him on his shoulder into the office, where the police The boy’s hands | were grasped on all sides as he passed through the crowd, and a mighty cheer arose as he passed into the building. After a short rest he was taken to police headquarters, where his mother found | him. “Mamma, I'm so glad to see you,” he exclaimed as she caught him up in her arms. They sobbed and laughed together in turns. Conway soon came in, and there was another affecting meeting., The boy bad been away thres nights. He | slept in a schoolhouse evidently the first two nights and then was removed to an- other place. His lers, arms and head were covered with mosquito bites, evi- dence that one night he was exposed to the air. In his trousers’ pocket several | pieces of pe: rmint candy nad melted to one chun *Did you like your home in the country, | Joh " a reporter asked. “No, you can bet I didn’t; ’cause there were no boys nor girls around.” “What kind of a bed did you sleep on ?"” “I didn’t sleep on any bed. I slept on the fioor. I guess they did not have any beds out there. The men wrapped me up ina blanket and just only let my nhead out,” He told his mother and father when pressed for a more detailed story that a man came up to him on the street Mon- day morning and asked him if he would not like to take aride. The fellow said he would get the boy a pony if he would go along with him in the carriage. Johnnie | zot in. He says the man covered him up | with a blanket so he had only his head | out. Hesaid he went out into the coun- try to a house, where heslept every night. The men gave him candy, bananas and cake, and he did not mind staying with the | men, because they said 2ll the time they were going to give him a pony. At night he cried and wanted his mamma, but the men told him to keep still, as another man was coming and wouid take him back to his mamma. The boy says the men dug up things out of the ground for him to eat, and that his candies, bananas and sweets came out of a hole, which shows the careful preparation the men must bave made in advance for the job. John will be 5 years old to-morrow. It is understood that after Hardy was placed under arrest, he confessed that it was decided that the boy was to be placed on the Central tracks and ground to pieces by the express train last evening. It is supposed they weakened or postpone | the horrible crime. Just why the diabolical plot was conceivea is not yet clear, but it is supposed that Hardy and Blake were hard pressed for money and conceived a plan to get $3000. Both Blake and Harly have shady repu- tations. At one time to-day when the crowd caught sight of the prisoner going into the police station there were cries of, | “Lynch him, lynch bhim.” An extra guard was placed in the station all day. | 6mLs l | | THAOWN INTO JAIL Gutrages Committed by the Spaniards Bscause of a Refusal to Wear Black for Canovas. HAVANA, Cusa, Aug. 19.—Last week the Spanish military commander of the town of Sagna, Santa Clara province, ordered that all inhabitants dress in black for nine days, as mourning for Canovas. He ordercd at the same time that all houses be draped 1n black and forbade the singing and playing of musical instru- ments in private residences. A careful list was taken of families who did not comply with the order and a re- port was given to the Governor by his agents that many young women had not dressed in black. Many were placed un- der arrest and sent to jail in chains for forty-eight hours, where they were among the lowest class of criminals and exposed to all sorts of dangers. One hundred and fifty orphans of pacifi- cos killed by Spanish troops in Pinar del Rio are now in slavery in that prov- ince. Governur Senor San Pedro has | given them as servants to Svanish officers. A report of a barbarous raid on a Cuban hospital comes from Cienfuegos. At a hill near Cumanayagua, in the district of Cienfuegos, Major Moscoso of the Span- ish battalion of Bailen attacked the hos- vital of the insurgents, assassinating twenty-six wounded Cubans, four women and five children. Moscoso was at the head of 160 Spanish soldiers. The hospi- tal was not protected by the Cuban army. At Armenteros, a few miles from Ha- vana, the Cuban forces of Colonel Aran- guren routed the Spanish battalion of Otumba, after a hard fight which lasted several hours. This is considered here to be one of Aranguren’s most brilliant ex- vloits, as his cavalry numbered less than half the Spanish forces. General Adolfo Castillo also had an im- portant encounter with the Spanish bat- talion of Baleares at Falcon plantation, pear San Antonio de Los Banos, Havana l province. The Spanish claim a great vic- tory, but the columnu retreated to the town of San Antonio. What a Hummer The Last Days Of This Sale Will Be In Our Boys’ Department! RIGHT SMART RZEFER SUITS. (o We found a lot of Reefer Suits that are sold down to a few of a kind. The styles are very desirable, braided very prettily; deep sailor collar; braid on the cuffs. Wewon't mention - what they sold before at. We're mal- ind a clean-up at --$1.25.— WHEN WILL YOU BUY "EM AGAIN? The prettiest of Reefer Suwits, ages 3 to 10 years, in neat tan over plaids. Rich looking swits, blues in- cluded. For the bigder boys, ades 9 to 15, in douwble breasted, cut, the same pretty patterns. Our regular $3.50 suwits, tailored ele- Zantly. Thelast days at —$1.95.— New Fall Patterns. Just unpacked this weck, in very siwell Reef- er Suits; deep collar—a smart looking swit. About sixz new patterns. See our window. Intended to retail at &4 Special during this sale at -—$2.50.—- Young Men’s Suits. For young men, ages 12 to 19 years, a glo- rious selection awaits yow in pretty tan Over- plaid and neat mixtures. Stylish wp-to- date garments —a swell swit at the price, -—$3.50.— = In I GINERAI €L LN NEW TO-DAY—CLOT HING. Farewell to the Shovels! The last days of this sale mean Extra Inducements—Greater Values than ever. Every department is teeming with bardains. Just Think of It! A man’s swit—good enowgh for any one to wear—for $,.50, in blue and black, in pretty tan over-plaids. A swell - looking swit. We're making aclean-up, and Sathered all odd swits together— some six and eisht of a kind. Never Mind What They Cost Us. That’s Our Loss. We must clean wp. That's the only reason we quote the price— ~~$4.50.-- One of The Gems And a teaser in this sale to-day, are the handsome Kersey Overcoats, with deep velvet coliar. A real swell garment, in blue, black, Ozford and coffee brown, cut in many lengths, _ele- gantly tailored. What were they worth? Well, yow'll guess about three times the amount. EXTRA BARGAIN None Reserved ! All our twelve-dollar Swits— there’s abowt 150 of ’em in all— and many stylesto pick from,in all the pretty colorings. The lines are broken, but yow'll find yowr size among ’em. We'll clean’em out at = $6,50.~~ FONG PINS OULPCOATS 11313 KEARNY SI TWO ENTIRE BUILDINGS—8 FILOORS. Our Window Has Many Attractions! But the dgreatest of ’em all is the beautiful dis- play of Suwits and Over- coats displayed at $7.50. You'll see some of the nattiest and dressiest of business swits you have ever laid eyes wupon; not for business alone, but for all occasions. The Overcoats Are also a swell aggdredation. The darments are such that yow'd be willing any time to pay $15 therefor, and then get sood value. Swuch Swits and Overcoats yow'll find in owr window marked $7.50. Spades Are Trumps What a rich and rare treat for lovers of fine clothes. We’ve filled our Morton-street window with our choicest stock —owr finest Swits, our finest Overcoats. Those that appreciate fine tailoring, those that know what high-class sarments should be, those that appreciate the own- ing of high-class darments at shoveling-owt prices will appre- ciate the last days of this Great Sale. ‘We Say to You: These Suwits and Overcoats | represent values wp to $20. | We mean it. Owr loss has been heavy; but our surplus on Fine Goods has been too much for ws. That's why we've shoveled "emn owt at BITER WAR | 10 THE KNIFE Such }Is Now the Deci- sion of the Coal Operators. It Is a Fight, Say the Miners Against Courts and In=- Junctions. The Owners Will Start the Machines With Non-Union Workers, If Necessary. COLUMBUS, Omio, Aug. 19.—That a crisis is at hand in the local coal-miners’ strike and that bloodshed is inevitable is borne out by a sensational statement made here to-day by National President Ratchford, who said: *It is no longer a fight against De Armitt, no longer a fight against the coal operators. It is a figzht against the courts; a fight against in- junctions; a National fight for the preser- vation of civil liberty.”” Ratenford said the miners would en- deavor to prevent operators from moving any coal, but would not say what tactics will be employed to accomplish this re- sult. The executive boards of United Mine-workers and United Iron-workers have been in session here all day. The question under consideration was how to meet the sweeping injunctions granted by the courts. The members of the com- mittee say they have not yet agreed upon any plan of action and will not complete their labors before to-morrow. It is understood they are trying toinduce the railroad employes to refuse to handie any of the coal mined. President Ratchfora says that while injunctions have given them some trouble, the strike has by no means been lost. PILTSBURG, PA., Aug. 19.—Ratchford has refused to confer with the Pittsburg coal operators. **War to the knite,” figura- tively speaking, will result from Ratch- ford’s refusal; at least that is the opinion of the operators. The operators last night officially re- solved to start up the mines as early as possible, but several mine owners tele- graphed President Ratchford and rresi- dent Dolan at Columbus, asking their con- sent toa conference of Pittsburg operators. Ratchford’s answer was anxiously awaited to-day. Itcame, and it made the operators angry. Ratchford’s reply was sent by Dolan, who said that he and Ratchford refused their consent to hold a conference with the operators of the Pittsburg dis- trict, but that they would probably con- seni to hold one ii all the operators of the four States of Pennsylvania, Ohio, In- diana and lllinois would take part in it. Said Colonel Rend sadly: “The voice is the voice of Dolan, but the hand is the hand of Ratchford. Dolan went away from here last night fully favoring the proposed conference, but I suppose Ratch- ford has talked him over. Ratchford knows very well the operators of Indiana and Ilhinois will never consent to bold a conference with us. This means war to the bitter end for the operators and strik- ers. The strikers demand 25 per cent in- crease in wages for pick mining and 50 per cent increase 1n wagee for machine mining, with the evident purpose of de- stroying the utility of the machines, but we will beat them at their own game and will defeat them with the mining ma- chines, “We decided last night to reopen the mines with non-union labor it necessary. Ratchford’s refusal to confer will only strengthen our determination. In re- opening the mines we will start up cer- tain macnine mines. We will begin with them because then we shall not need so many men to operate them. We can easily get enough machinists, mine bosses, etc., to operate the machines, and there will be no trouble to find plenty of un- skilled laborers to load the coal after it has heen cut. Such workmen will flock to the mines, for they can make better wages than at any other unskilled occupa- tion. Of course we'll win the fight, and our success may be the death knell of the United Mine-workers’ Union.”” The operators will probably refuse to de- duct from the miners’ wages the per cap- ita tax assessed on them by their union, and without the per capita tax the union cannot live. At a meeting this afternoon the operators completed an organization, electing Peter M. Hitchcock president. A committee was appointed to prepare a programme for carrying out the resolution to start up the mines. Treasurer Dysart says the men who now belong to the organization represent an annual production of 5,000,000 tons of coal, and the funds with which the opera- tors will fight the miners will be raised by assessment on the tonnage. Perhaps it was because Patrick Dolan left for Columbus last night that the marching strikers did not defy the Sheriff this morning and were not arrested. The programme of marching and submitting to arrest was not carried out, SPEEDY AKD DEADLY JUSTICE. A Tramp Having Assaulted a Helpless Woman Is Shot, Stabbed and Beaten to Death. CHICAGO, Irn.,, Aug. 19.—An unknown tramp shortly after noon to-day called at the farmhouse of Carl Seinska, near Mannheim, this county, just outside the city limits, and entering the kitchen, where Mr:. Seinska was alone attending to her housework, demanded food, which was given him. The men folks were allat work in the field some distance away. While be was eating his meal he ascer- tained that Mrs. Seinska was alone. Without warning he attacked the de- fenseless woman. She struggled with him, screaming for help at the top of her voice, but nobody was near enough to hear her. The tramp’s superior strength scon mas- tered the terror-stricken woman. He then bound his victim’s hands tightly. She continued to scream as long asshe head strength. This enraged the fellow, and he made a terrible attack upon her after gagging her so she could no longer raise her voice. He added to the outrage by slashing her lower limbs with a knife, After the assault the men started away from the house, leaving Mrs. Seinska gagged and bound and lying on the floor. After lying in a semi-conscious condi- tion several minutes the woman partially revived and at once began efforts to lib- erate herself. She finally succeeded in loosening the knot which held her and staggered across the fields,. where she found her husband and some other men at work, To them she told her terrible story. 3 A man hunt was organized at once. Tke alarm spread throughout the neigh- borhood. Fully forty farmers respondea, armed with revolvers, knives, guns, rifles, pitchforks and axes predomiuating, while one or two snatched up hoes and others whiffletrees and clubs. Pursuit was not difficult, for the direction the man took was readily learned by inquiry. He had made a short cut across the fields, evi- dently intending to reach Chicago. After a chase of three miles the man was sighted in a cornfield. He first at- tempted to bide, but apparently fearing his whereabouts would be discovered sud- denly started to run. The pursuing party rapidly gained on him and seeing escape was hopeless he turned upon his pursuers with all the rage and venom of a ratin a corner. Drawing two revolvers he opened fire upon the advancing army of avengers. He held a revolver in each hand and fired, but without accuracy, for nore of his bul- lets found a human mark. They got within easy range and then opened fire. One bullet reached its mark, disabling the fleelng man 80 the task of overtaking him 'waa an easy one., A volley from the rifles, shotguns and revolvers laid the villain low end he fell, with a dozen wounds in various parts of his body. The farmers closed in upon him, and though death was only a question of a few moments he was beaten witn clubs and kicked to death, the body being an unrecognizable mass of pulp when they had finished. Having avenged the assault upon Mrs. Seinska, the lynchers went quietly back to their homes. The body was left in the cornfield, and at about 5 o’clock this even= ing a telephone message informed the Coroner that there was. a case waiting him. A deputy was sent out and the body taken to Dunning, where an inquiry will be held to-morrow. No arrests were made and none are likely. Mrs, Seinska was badly injured and to- night is in a serious condition. Sheisa comely woman, under 30 years of age, The tramp, who is not identified, is appa- rently 35 years old. He had a dark mus- tache and wore a soft flannel shirt, dark clothing and a black slouch hat. It is supposed he was from Chicago. Mann- heim 1s a small station of a few hundred inhabitants, a few miles west of Turner Park, on the St. Paul Railroad. G — THE BANKERS ADJOURN. Congress Will Be Urged to Pass Laws | Changing the National Bank Requirements. DETROIT, MicH., Aug. 19.—The Bank- ers' Convention ended its labors to-day with the election of officers. A pretty little bit of politics was shown in the elec- tion, as Frank W. Tracy of Springfield, IIL., laid his wires to be elected vice-presi- dent and received the supvort of the nominating committee, but was knocked outin the convention by George H. Rus- sell of this city, who received two votes to Tracy’s one. The report of the nominat- ing committee in favor of Joseph C. Hen- drix of Brooklvn for president was unan- imously concurred in. N. B. Van Siyke, president ot the First National Bank of Madison, Wis., read a paper on currency legislation in which he said: *“In these times of peace and pros- perity our Government should not feel compelled to resort to deceptive expedi- ents in oraer to maintain its credit.” Harvey J. Hollister, on organized capi- tal, said: ‘‘Money with human person- ality and conscience back of it is never wholly bad, but when this form of power is concentrated as in these days, such a combination lose human personal guality and become a problem so serious that Legislatures confess their inability to deal with it.”” He said the banks should s.and everywhere as supporters of iaw, sobriety and good morals and not creaje the ims pression that corporations have no souls, Myron T. Herrick of Cleveland, Brad- ford Rhodes of New York, G. Gunby Jor- dan of Columbus, Ga., William G. Corn- well of the City Bank of Buffalo, N. Y., Charles K. Hannan of Iowa and L. P. Hillyer of Georgia also read papers. A resolution was passed urging Congress to pass legislation permitting the organi- zation of National banks with a capital in excess of §25,000. President Lowry, John P. Branch, Charles Homer, J. L. Hamilton and E. H. Perkins were appointed a committes 1o urge the necessity of legislation in Con- gress. The convention presented a gavel to the retiring president and adjourned. SR CAUSES A TERRIFIC EXPLOSICN. Lightning Strikes a Powder and Dyna- mite Magazine With Start- liva Effect. | BUFFALO, N. Y., Aug. 18.—Lightning exploded a half ton of dynamite and 1500 pounds of powder at Reeb’s mag near Port Colborne, Canada, at 5 o'clock this morning. Both sides of the jake experienced a sensation of earth- quake, and dispatches announcing an earthquake came in from sll the neich- boring towns. The magazine was about a mile and a half west of Port Colborne. 1t stood beside a zlass factory, which has been closed two months. Beside the fac- tory stood a lime kiln. The watchman was in the kiln, but escaped unhurt, though hundreds of tons of stone and earth were tossed into the air. The watchman said the ground rolled for a half { minute. The explosion frightened the people of Port Colborne from their beds, broke the windows in every house in town, smashed china and giasswar: and knocked pictures off the walls. The Wcl- land canal was agitated. No one was in- jured. FEER This is @ Spanish Report. MADRID, Spary, Aug. 19.—An Impar- cial Havana special states the Spanish forces, after four days' fighting, during which they lost ninety Kkiiled and wounded, have driven the rebels from their mountain strongholds in the prov- ince of Havana. Retwurn of Bishop Nichols. NEW YORK, N.Y., Aue. 19.—Bishop William Ford Nichols of San Francisco 'was a passenger on the steamship Servia, which arrived this morning. He was ac- companied by his wife. They will remain East two months. Suicide of a Bow. QUINCY, ILL, Aug. 19.—Porter Parker, aged 13, hanged himself this noon be- cause bis mother sent him upstairs asa J punishment,