This last threat startled the poor, heart-broken mother, and as the time approached for these devils to put into execution their threat, this poor frantic mother insisted that her millionaire husband, Edward Cudahy, Sr., give up the $25,000 and save her precious boy's eyesight.
Her husband resisted as long as he could, but at last took the $25,000 in gold and stepped into his buggy, with the signal lantern, and drove to a certain spot, designated by Pat Crow, who is the one who abducted Cudahy, and with this $25,000 bought his boy's liberty, and this boy was brought from that cottage on Grover street, unhurt, and Pat Crow made away with his $25,000 in gold.
Cudahy was called up a number of times by telephone and was threatened that if he did not withdraw the reward that he was offering for Pat Crow's arrest that there would be something awful befall him; but he resisted and would not withdraw his offer of reward, consequently this made it necessary for Pat Crow and Eddy McGehee, alias Burns, to leave the country.
These men were known in Omaha, St. Joe, Kansas City, St. Louis and Chicago, not only by a number of their ilk, but also to the police forces, consequently the nets of the law were stretched all over the United States for these abductors.
On December 28 it was reported from La Salle, Ills., that Pat Crow was arrested. Kansas City police promised his arrest before sunset, but he was not arrested.
There were 80,000,000 people looking for Pat Crow, but he took a Pullman sleeper and traveled to New York, and from there sailed on a first-class ticket for Europe and spent a good time in London, from whence he went to South Africa and played a deceptive role in the English-African war.
Now, I am going to relate something that will make one's blood boil with indignation and the cold sweat stand out with the clamminess of death, but what I tell you is true.
Priest Dempsey, pastor of St. Patrick's Church in St. Louis, was president of the "Emmet" celebration in the year 1902.
After a speech by Judge Ryan of St. Louis, and a most eloquent address by a priest, who had been a young Boer officer, he inspired Irish patriotism by an elegant appeal against "Old England." He was indeed an orator who, by his recitation, held the audience for an hour. I was one who was nearest to him on the platform and congratulated him on his powerful speech.
After the applause from his Irish friends, as he had called them, he decided to leave with me for his hotel, and I was stopping at St. Patrick's parsonage, so we both had to go in the same direction.