New-York tribune., 1922-07-09
Pearl Necklace
Led Bandits to
Kidnap Bielaski
Abduction of American Oil
Man Afterthought in Hold
Up When Mexicans Got
Gems of French Modisfe
W o m an Tells Story
She Tessifies at Trial of Ac-
cused Brigan,is; Driver of
Car Accused in Conspiracy
Special cabls 10 The Trianne

Copyright, 1922, New York Tribune Inc.
MEXICO CITY, July S.-Robbery,
with pearl necklace as the piece de
resistance, is now said to have been
the basis of hold-up on a road near
Cuernavaca which resulted in the kid
naping and holding for ransom of A.
Bruce Bieiaski, former chief of the In
vestigation Bureau of the United
States Department of Justice, and his
escape after three days in captivity.
Trial of several Mexicans charged
with completely in the alleged kdnap-
ing brought out testimony from
Nine. Milo, a French modiste, who was
in the automobile with Mr.. and Mrs.
Bielaski and Senior and Sonora Jesus
Barcenas, testified that the bandits
seized her valuable necklace of pearls
after she had taken it from her neck
Nine. Milo is friend of Monies de
Oca, the young Mexican driver of the
car, and joined the party at the last
moment against the protests, it is
mas. Nine. Milo made her deposition
before the penal court at Cuernavaca
in common with the other victims of
the hold-up and described the manner
in which she had been relieved of her
gems. She mentioned the GOODNESS of
Nine. Bielaski and her refusal to re-
turn to Mexico City with Nine Milo
after the incident with the highway
men,
1t was the account Of Madame Milo
that has given rise to the thought that
Bielaski's kidnapping was an after
thought on the part OF the bandits who
readily permitted him to escape after
1t was apparent there was difficulty
about the ransom.
Bielaski's testimony lasted two days
and went into exact details of the kid
mapping and captivity, even giving the
number of sardines he ate with the
robbers and the amount of beans fur
nished him for rations. The news
papers are publishing long accounts of
the trial, but there is a noticeable alb
sence of the comments originally made
that Bielaski connived at his own alb
duction.
Among those on trial is Colonel En-
rlque Padilla who represented himself
as President Obregon's personal envoy
during the period Bielaski was held
by the bandits and attempts were made
to rescue him. Padiua is charged with
hiindering the troops pursuing the ban
dts. Monies de Oca, the driver of the
machlne, who spends his time around
leading hotels scraping up acquaint-
ance with newly arrived and wealthy
Americans, is also charged with COM
piiclty IN the kidnapping.
Another American appeared in the in
cident when the testimony of Jerome
Bassidy was taken. Bassidy is a client
of Barcenas and is one of the owners
Of the race track at Tia Juana, Lower
California, and has been engaged in a
law suit here with his former partner,
James w. Coffreth.
Both Bassidy and Barcenas testified
to their accidentally making the ac-
quaintance Of Bielaski at a hotel and
that this friendship resulted in the
motor trip to the caves of Cacahua-
mica, near Cuernavaca, ut the instance
OF Monies de Oca, who had been pre-.
sented to Bielaski the day previous for
the first time. The newspapers now
appear to believe that there was some
sort of a plot behind the whole hap
pening of which Bieiaski was an limo
cent victim
Bielaski appears desirous of fnishinf
his legal fight against the Huastect
Oil Company over titles in the Tampic,
oil fields, which is pending in the Mex
lean Supreme Court and of returnin,
at once to the United States.