Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 February 1901 — FIND BODY IN CREEK. [ARTICLE]

FIND BODY IN CREEK.

PRETENDED KIDNAPERS DEMAND SI,OOO FOR CORPSE. Clever Scheme la Exposed and Balked by Natural Coarse of Events—Trade i Advices as Reported by Bradstrect's Are Rather More Cheerful. The dead body of William Stelp of Johns & Stelp, hardware merchants, who mysteriously disappeared on Jan. 31 last, was found in a creek in an outlying portion of Kansas City. Stelp had taken his life with a revolver, which he still clutched in his hand. About the same hour the body was found a relative of Mrs. Stelp handed Chief of Police Hayea a letter, received by the woman, iu which the writer offered to return Stelp ou the payment of 51,000, which was to be left at a point designated. The letter demanded that the money be sent at 7 o’clock of the evening after the body was found, and closed: “If this money*is not paid within this time your husband will suffer immediately.” Stelp, who had served as a juror on a murder case, worried himself insane over the verdict rendered, and wandered away. The alleged “kidnapers” are beliejred to have taken advantage of his disappearance to ply their game. FARMERS' DAUGHTER KIDNAPED. Minnie Hultz Is Spirited Away by a Former Employe of Her Father. The 14-year-old daughter of James Hultz was kidnaped at Center Church, nine miles east of Marion, Ind. The girl went to the church in company with her sister, Ada, who is 18 old. After the service Miss Ada was accompanied home by a gentleman friend and Minnie was left iu company with some neighbors. Minnie was approached by John Marlow of Marion, and it is said she was placed in a buggy by him and they disappeared. The absence of Minnie was not discovered until the next morning. A search was commenced at once. James Hnltz is 4 wealthy farmer worth SIOO,000, and it is thought the daughter was taken for a ransom. Marlow came to their home in October and applied for a position and was given work on the farm. Because of his attentions to Minnie Marlow he was discharged after working five days.

CHEERFUL BUSINESS KEFO^TS. Retail Trade Enlarged by Wintry Weather —Spring Demand Opening. Bradstreet's commercial report says: “Trade advices are rather more cheerful. This applies as much to current retail bdsiness, which has been enlarged by •wintry weather, as it does to opening spring trade, which finds stimulation in the general confidence felt as to the outlook for the coming year. Prices show exceptional strength, all things considered, the one weak spot being raw cotton, which shares the rather unsatisfactory tone manifested by the cotton goods and yarn markets. Foreign demand for our breadstuffs has been rather better and this is reflected in heavy exports, particularly of corn. Wheat, including flour, shipments for the week aggregate 4,814,878 bushels, against 4,997,813 last week. From July 1 to date this season wheat exports are 125,790,374, against 126,856,301 last season.” Forty Men in a Bnrning Mine. Forty miners were imprisoned for four hours in a burning mine at Lindentree, Ohio. The fire was started by the explosion of a barrel of gasoline. For four hours the forty men carried water in their tin buckets and threw it upon the flames. In the meantime a rescuing party had befcn organized in the village and fought the flames from the outside. None of the imprisoned miners was injured. Fonr-State Bank Syndicate, Preliminary steps have been taken for the organization of a large country bankers’ association. 1 Over thirty bankers from Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois are interested in the plan, none of whom represented a bank of less than $1,000,000 capital, the aggregate capital represented at the meeting being between $50,000,000 and $75,000,000.

Ohio Bank Robber* Sentenced. John Day, Robert M. Haley and James Fitzgerald, the Shanesville bank robbers, were sentenced by Judge Shotwell at Canal Dover, Ohio. The first-named got nine years and the other two ten years in ’the penitentiary. Day pleaded guilty. Russian Tariff Is Increased. The State Department has been informed officially that the Russian government had imposed the discriminating duty amounting to about 50 per cent additional on American manufactures of iron and steel. Hart in a Car at''"Pittsbure:. Car No. 25 on the Hamilton avenue division of the Consolidated Traction Company in Pittsburg jumped the track and toppled over ugpinst the curb, wrecking the car and injuring twenty or more passengers, four seriously. , Held for Killing Spouse. Mrs. Lulu Prince Kennedy, who shot her husband, Philip H. Kennedy, in Kansas City on Jan. 10, has been indicted by the grand jury for murder in the first decree. Hero Raves Three. Michael McQuaid, a young man from Bangor, Me., made a brave rescue of a woman and her two children from a tenement hohse fire in New York. § Ac'resa Edith Talbot Shot. Jmliss Edith Talbot of the Bowdoin Square Theater stock company was shot and seriously wounded ns she was leaving the stage entrance of the theater in Boston, after the performance, by a man Who made good his escape. There is no 4dew to his identity. 'mL Three Ivllled f hree Hurt. News has been received of an explosion 0t dynamite at Patterson Creek, Md. Two unknown Italians and a man named ‘?ohn Boarder were blown to atoms. igNpce others were seriously injured.