The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-08-11
MILLIONAIRE BOUND.
James Campbell Has an Experience
With Robbers

With Robbers.
San Francisco, Aug. 9-James Camp
bell, the millionaire sugar planter who
mysteriously dropped out of sight for
two days this week, says he was i'm
prisoned and robbed by Oliver Win
throp, who attempted to secure the
capitalists signature to $4,000 check
as the price of his release. Winthrop,
who was tried and acquitted last year
OF lmprisOning a woman in Laurel Hill
cemetery, of which he was assistant
superintendent, has disappeared. No
trace can be found of his accomplice.
Campbell says Winthrop decoyed him
to his house on a slight preteXt. Sud
denly, he said, a masked man rushed
into the room, and pointing a revolver
at Campbelfs head, ordered him to
throw up his hands. Campbell says he
leaped at his aSSailant and felled him
TO the floor. The man was daZed, al
most stunned, but dwelling his revol-
yer again at Campbell, fired. The mil
lionaire says the bullet graZed his
temple and passed through his hat into
the wall. Campbell sprang at the man
again. but before he could reach him
he was knocked down by Winthrop,
who struck him over the head with
some heavy instrument. The two men
then pounced on Campbell and bound,
handcuffed and gagged him. They
lifted him from the floor to a bed, and
strapped him to it. His feet and hands
were tied to the four corners of the
bed, and a chain was passed over his
body and fastened to staples driven in
the floor. Captain of Detectives Lees,
in his investigation afterWard, found
evidence Of this. The cords were
passed around Campbelrs body and
drawn SO tight that he could not move.
For hours Campbell was kept in this
position. the gag being in his mouth
all the time. On Tuesday morning the
gag was removed with the caution that
he would be killed if he made any
noise. He was told that he would
have to sign check or order for $2O,-
900 before he would be released. He
was shown n document which they
asked him to sign, and he was also
ordered to write note to his wife,
asking her to cash the check, and to
give the money to the bearer without
asking any questions.
Campbell says he refused to even
read the paper, telling his captors that
he did not care what they did to him.
He said he was an old man, and did
not have a great while to live anyway,
and that they could kill him before he
would agree to such an outrage. lie
did not care much for the $4,000, he
said, but he would not be blackmailed
or robbed. His captorS replied that
they would keep him strapped to the
bed, as he was, until he did sign the
order Tuesday passed with no change
in the situation, either Winthrop or
the masked man guarding Campbell
constantly. They offered him drink
and food and announced their willing
ness to give him anything he wanted,
but he refused everything for fear
they intended to poison him. He was
given every attention, but was kept
strapped to the bed all the time and
no opportunity for escape was allowed.
When Campbell was tirse seized and
thrown on the bed he says Winthrop
took 1905 in coin from his pocket and
kept it. the younger man, as far as
Campbell ows, did not get any of
his mon When the newspapers
published the fact that Campbell had
disappeared, the millionaire says that
his captors became frightened, and
after dark released him. The police
have a description of Winthrop's con-
federate, but no clue to bis where
aboutS.