The Lamar register., 1915-10-06
KIDNAPERS AT BRISTOL
Woman Is Bound and Carried From
House to Waiting Auto


night to kidnap the pretty young wife
of Emil Chmelka, a prosperous farm
er, living two miles southeast of Bris-
tol, four miles north of Granada. A
well-organized gang of white slavers,
operating with large touring car,
are suspected, and if they are captur-
ed, a lynching may follow, SO wrought
up are the farmers of the district
where the Chmelkas live. Mrs. Chmel-
ka escaped only after she had fought
TO the point of exhaustion. Her hands
were bound behind her and gag was
placed in her mouth to prevent an out
cry.
The attempt to kidnap Mrs. Chelmka
was made while her husband was near
ly mile away from the house irrigat-
ing. She and her children had just
retired when a well-built young man,
wearing a black cloth over his face
and cloth shoes, entered the kitchen
door, which had been left unlocked
for the return of Chmelka, and quickly
walked into the bed room, where Mrs.
Chelmka lay in bed. Before she could
move the man grabbed her by the
throat and began choking her, at the
same time throwing a heavy rubber
automobile side curtain over her head.
He placed one knee on her breast
and attempted to tie her hands to-
gether So fercely did Mrs. Chelmka
fight her assailant that he finally
turned her over on her face in the bed
and placed one knee in the middle of
her back. Then he drew her arms
backward and tied the wrists together.
Next he attempted to tie her feet but
she kicked SO furiously and screamed
so loudly that he was forced again TO
choke her almost into Inconsistencies.
The man tore off piece Of bed sheet
ing and stuffed it into her mouth and
held the gag in place with the rubber
auto curtain.
Mrs. Chelmka was lifted from the
bed and carried through the kitchen
door and around the front of the house
TO where big touring car was stand
ing at one sido of the road. In the
darkness the kidnaper collided with a
tree and began swearing. In the ma
chine was another man and a woman,
Mrs. Chelmka states.
Just as the man was about to hand
Mrs Chelmka to his confedsrates in
the automobile he stumbled into
culvert and dropped her. Before he
could regain his feet Mrs. Chelmka,
who managed to get up first ran back
into her yard and around into an op-
ening in big stack of baled alfalfa,
where she remained until she heard
the automobile speed down the road.
Mrs. Chelmka then ran through an
alfalfa field to a neighbor's house, 200
yards away, but was unable to open
the heavy gate or climb through the
fence because her hands were tied be-
hind her. She retrsced her steps and
went to another neighbor's house some
distance farther away and awoke the
occupants by humping her head on the
front door.
When the inmates appeared at the
door Mrs. Chelmka fell in a faint. She
was taken into the house and restora-
tives applied, when she told her story.
In the meantime other neighbors had
been aroused and Chelmka found and
brought home
According to Mrs. Chelmka the man
who attacked her was between % and
20 years old and powerful. He was tall
ard had light hair and had on a gray
suit, but wore no hat. He appeared to
be familiar with the Chelmka home.
During the struggle on the bed Mrs.
Chelmka was badly lacerated about
the breast, arms and neck by her as
sailant.
Sheriff Downing and District Attor-
ney Merrill are investigating. The
automobile in which the kidnapers
rode was traced for miles after leav-
ing the Chelmka home
According to Mrs. Chelmka, small
man, wearing a mustache and red
beard and glasses, called at her home
yesterday afternoon, stating he was a
magazine solicitor. She admitted the
man to the house, but refused to sub
scribe. She said the man seemed to