The Mena weekly star., 1920-11-04
FORT SMITH MAYS
 HARD EXPERIENCE
Joseph Alexander, Potato King Says Was Kidnapped, Tied and Tor tured in Effort to Get s25000 Ran
 som--Lured by Message.

St. Louis, Oct 30.--Badly beaten, tortured and abused until he was
 forced to sign cheek for $25, 900, and
 then held bound and gagged for days while his captives sought to realize
 on the check, Joseph Alexander. veal thy Fort Smith farmer and business man limped into police headquarters half clad and barefooted here this morning. He had just succeeded in es- caping from the second story win
 dow of farm house which had been his prison since last Monday Mrs. Margaret Tabor, wife of Alexander's ranch superintendent was also kid naped and forced at the point of guns to take Alexanders check to the bank for collection. She was held as hos tage until the money should arrive from Fort Smith, but was released in her night clothes this morning after Alexander had made his escape. Alex
 ander in his abbreviated attire, ap-
 preached butcher. and and sld him iiif1; tt leut the ropes that bound his hands, and the butcher fled abruptly, think ing he had encountered crazy man. A Mrs. Schnetdz, alleged to be the owner of the farm house has been ar
 rested
 Lured by Message. The rancher said he received a tele- gram from Fort Smith Saturday sign- ed by Mrs. Taber, saying "come at
 once, serious trouble" Mrs. Taber said she did not send the message He arrived at union station Monday morning. Alexander said he was met
 at the station by five men who said they were from Mrs. Taber's. He got into their automobile and was driven to the country.
 At the edge of the city one of the
 men drew revolver and threatened to kill him iflho made sound Then
 they tied his hands, gagged him and bhndfolded him and rushed him into
 rooms which they had previously rented on the second floor of the farm house.
 Constantly Gagged. They would remove the gag from his mouth only to feed him and on
 several occasions to beat him. On
 Tuesday they compelled him to sign a
 cheek for $25, ,000 drawn on a bank of
 Fort Smith, Ark. He scribbled the signature in an effort to make it ap- pear a forgery, he declared today. Interrupted at Station Mrs. Taber was lured to the house from union station where she had gone to take train to Fort Smith. A
 man told her niece wanted her and she got into his automobile. She was threatened with a revolver. tied and blindfolded. At the house Alexander
 told her to comply with the demands
 of the bandits and she took his check to bank.
 Both were held prisoners by the kid
 napers after that as collection had
 not been made on cheek.
 Escapes From Window. A man slept with Alexander, but to- day at 3 p. m., he awoke and found his guard asleep. He rolled out of bed and managed to loosen his feet then
 he escaped thru window on the sec ond floor. 7
 A butcher, to whom he appealed to unite his hands thought he was chazy and fled. Another farmer united his hands and took him to Sheriff Bopp. The sheriff hurried to the house and md found 1t deserted. He found Mrs. Ta- Der at her home in the city. She said Alexander's guard had wakened and -eftn tttt @Aat ttk anu tttt IHtfl QaQ brought her to her home in her night chothing. She was just getting dressed to go down town to make a report to the police when Bopp arr rived.
 Joe Alexander is one of the wealthi- est men of this section, and Is reputed to be worth more than million dol iars most of which is in his planta- ltions opposite Fort Smith. He is bachelor, about 40 years of age, and makes his home in the South ern Hotel in this city, spending his days on his plantations. He is also ! an extensive dealer in cotton and po- tatoes, as well as a grower. Employe Held on Suspicion. Fort Smith, Oct. 31.--H. B. Taber. ma r1auor If AIovarJo.y. .~:- -..,t x@