PAT DISAPPEARS?

Continued from: The Kidnapping According to Pat Crowe

News of the kidnapping had the residents of Crawford County on edge. Almost every day in newspapers across the country the whereabouts of Pat Crowe were speculated and reported, elevating the criminal's notoriety.

Chicago Daily Tribune - January 6, 1901

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Denison Bulletin – February 7, 1901

A strange tale came floating up the Boyer this week, which, if true, would do for illustration and write-up in the Chicago Blanket. It seems some would-be Pat Crowe has notified one of the worthy farmers of Willow township, Hans Hansen, by name, that he must deposit one thousand dollars in a bucket by the side of the highway at a given place or suffer dire and sundry calamities. The communication to Mr. Hansen was attached to the wire he would have to handle in order to open his front gate. The letter was signed “Pat Crowe.” Of course it was written with blood and decorated with cross-bones and skull! Hans had just shipped stock and had the money, but he thought it a bad business arrangement and so he answered with a communication attached, to the effect he was shy of the amount of cash asked and hence sent a check. The place where the check was deposited was duly watched but no one came. The whole affair was probably a joke, but a poor one, for it can't but make the wife and children very nervous whenever Mr. Hansen is away at night, which his business often requires.

Unidentified Dow City farmers

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Denison Bulletin – February 18, 1901

The “Blade” [Wall Lake newspaper] insists that Pat Crowe was in Wall Lake on January 29. It says that a West Side liveryman brought him to Wall Lake that evening and that Pat hired Lew Clothier to drive him to Ida Grove. They left at one o'clock the next morning, reaching Ida Grove in time for the morning passenger train which Pat boarded, after purchasing a ticket for Sioux City. On the road Pat produced a revolver and shot at a dog, and just before he took the train he got hot at Lew and slugged him in the eye.

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Denison Bulletin – February 21, 1901

PAT CROWE'S CONFESSION

A Waterloo Editor Claims To Have Received Last Week

Hunted Man Comes in Desperation To Seek Shelter of Man Who He Once Saved

Waterloo, Ia., Feb. 19 – Pat Crowe confessed the Cudahy kidnapping to Isaiah Van Metre, the editor of the "Waterloo Weekly Tribune", with whom the hunted fugitive found shelter and food Tuesday night of last week, and Mr. Van Metre published the details of the visit in the current number of his paper.

Back of this, perhaps the most dramatic episode of the long series that has grown out of the celebrated child-stealing case, is a story of how Crowe saved the life of the editor a dozen years ago, so establishing the credit of gratitude upon which he felt safe in drawing, now that he is an outcast with a price of $50,000 upon his head.

Isaiah Van Metre

The statement of Crowe to the Waterloo editor covers the following points:

“First – A frank confession of the kidnapping.

“Second – An explanation that he had no intention of harming young Cuday and would not have done so even had the money not been delivered.

“Third – A statement that he had $20,000 'planted' which he wished to get in order to be able to leave the country.”

According to the Iowa editor's story the man said to be Pat Crowe came to his home after 11 at night, was admitted, was given food and was permitted to sleep there until just before daylight. The man, according to the Iowa editor, was in a state of abject fear and felt all but hopeless of avoiding the officers who are searching for him.

In this alleged confession the fugitive is reported to have stated that he could no longer trust those who had been his friends, owing to the big reward offered for his apprehension and that he knew not which way to turn. The fugitive told the editor, the story says, that the few hours' sleep in the latter's home was the first unbroken rest that he had had for weeks. The fugitive is reported as having explained that his only object in remaining in this vicinity was to secure the buried treasure and that so great was his fear of detection that he could not come to the point of going after it.

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Denison Bulletin – March 4, 1901

WAS PAT CROWE IN DENISON?

NOTED KIDNAPPER TAKES LUNCH HERE LAST NIGHT

Seen and Doubtfully Recognized by a Number of People,

and Has a Big Wad of Money.

The proprietors of the Bon-Ton lunch counter and a few others who happened to be in there last night are certain they saw Pat Crowe come in, order a lunch of eggs, etc., Eat them and then pay for them and go out unmolested.

Those who saw him say that Pat came in quietly, gave his order, and sat there with a slouch hat well pulled down over his face while he ate. Then he got up, took out a pocket book well filled with money – bills – then put that back in his pocket and took a pocket book out of another pocket and handing a five dollar bill to the proprietor, paid for his lunch and went out. In the first pocket book appeared to be all ten dollar bills and in the second one all fives.

Were it not for further developments we would think this was all imagination on the part of those who were in the restaurant at the time. But it seems that Pat has been writing letters and mailing them from Denison, and as the police have pronounced the letters genuine there can be no doubt but that he had been close to Denison if he has not been here.

The Omaha World-Herald of this morning prints in full a letter from Pat Crowe and which was mailed from Denison. The letter is dated March 2, and was written on common linen note paper. In the letter he states he is not guilty of the Cudahy kidnapping, and is not a fugitive from justice but a fugitive from injustice. He says that he wrote to Mr. Cudady three weeks ago offering to come in an give himself up if Mr. C. and the chief of police at Omaha, both of whom he calls his friends, would guarantee that he should have a fair hearing and protect him. He states that he wanted that letter given to the press, but as Mr. Cudahy refused to give it to the press and refused to withdraw the reward offered for his capture, he now rescinds the offer he has made and will stay a fugitive.

He further says that the persecution of his sister and brothers on his account is an outrage and must be stopped.

He winds up his letter with a denunciation of the Pinkerton detective agency, which he says always lays every crime upon him and seeks to make him trouble.

Whether Crowe is staying around Denison or not is hard to say, but we have it through a Pinkerton man himself that Crowe was in this county and was watched for near West Side, and was chased from Manning to Ida Grove at one time. He has many acquaintances about here, however, and for him to stay here is a great piece of foolishness if he does not wish to be captured.