THE 1899 CENTRAL PARK KIDNAPPING THAT SHOOK NEW YORK CITY

THE CENTRAL PARK KIDNAPPING  EDWARD H.SMITH

There are stories in American history that arrive like a thunderclap—stories that seize the public imagination, shake a city to its core, and leave behind a permanent change in how people live their daily lives. In the spring of 1899, New York City was gripped by exactly such a story. It began in the most peaceful place imaginable: a sunny afternoon in Central Park, where mothers pushed prams beneath the elms, nurses chatted on benches, and children played within sight of the great stone arches.

Sound cue: a sud...