One of the most remarkable cases of abduction which has ever been made public was reported recently by the Arnheim correspondent of The Times.
The principal of the accused persons was Madame Bulkley, the widow of an English professor, though herself of Dutch parentage, and the grandmother of the children whom she attempted to abduct.
In 1875 her daughter married M. Hoek, the son of a distinguished chirurgeon and accoucheur to the Queen at the Queen, at the Hague.
In 1883 the daughter died, leaving two children (boys).
Before her death the daughter extracted from her mother a promise to bring them up. Unfortunately disagreements arose between M.Hoek and Madame Bulkley and M. Hoek refused to give up the children to the grandmother.
Mrs, Bulkley resolved to redeem the solemn promise given to her daughter.
Having abundant means, she used her riches with a liberal hand, and succeeded in obtaining possession of one of the children, who was removed to England, where he joined his grandmother.
M. Hoek followed, regained possession of tho child, and commenced proceedings against his mother-in-law at The Hague.
The father of M. Hoek gave evidence in favor of Mrs. Bulkley, and she was acquitted amidst the applause of the audience.
After her acquittal she resolved upon a still more desperate scheme.
She engaged an English steam yacht, the Cecille, at £500 per month, stationed her at Amsterdam, and then concerted with two friends, Madame Schlingemann and M. Kloppers, a project to seize the two children, and send them on a long voyage, so as to throw the father off the track.
Kloppers was authorised to engage men to assist, and one of those placed himself in communication with the police.
Members of the police force were thereupon joined with Kloppers's party. M. Hoek was warned, and when Kloppcrs presented himself at the house of M. Hoek, he said his confederates were surrounded and arrested.
Madame Bulkley and Madame Schlingemann, who had been in attendance with a carriage, were later arrested at Arnheim, and were subsequently placed on their trial for a criminal offence, along with Kloppers and four others.
The case was before tho Court at Arnheim for some days.
Madame Bulkley pleaded that she had been driven to despair by the course she had taken.
She desired the children to be brought up in accordance with tho teachings of Christianity, and she made an earnest appeal to the Court to use its influence with M. Hoek to secure for his children a better education.
The accused were all acquitted.
