Evening star., 1924-05-23
Clues in Chicago Abduction
Point to Culture and De-
generacy in Guilty.
PHONE CALL SPECIFIED
$4,000 FREEDOM PRICE
Instructors in School Attended by
Millionaire Son Are Quizzed
by Police.
By the Associated Press

By the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, May 23.-Clues leading
both to high culture and to de-
generacy mystified police today in
solving the kidnapping. murder and
attempt at ransom of Robert Franks.
fourteen, son of Jacob Franks. mil
lionaire Chicago manufactures.
Franks started to walk three
blocks to his home late Wednesday
afternoon after umpiring a ball game
at the Harvard School and was not
seen again until his body was found
nude and bruised under culvert
several miles away.
The police and coroner said today
there was evidence that a degenerate
had attacked him and that poison
apparently had caused death.
Phoned About Kidnapping.
Soon after the kidnapping and be-
fore the probable hour fixed by the
coroner for the death, Mrs. Franks.
the mother. received q telephone call
from a suave-speaking man that the
boy was held for ransom, that direc-
tions how to pay would come later
and warning her not to trace the
telephone calls.
Injunction about tracing calls was
disregarded, but their source was not
located Next morning about the
time the body was discovered the
family received a letter which police
said was written by we'll educated
person demanding $4,000 ransom. In
tSrFaf inn n n VI D.
led from a magazine story produced
no known analogy.
Chief of Detectives Michael Hughes
and Samuel A. Ettelson, city corpora
ton counsel, agreed on the theory
that the boy was slain by one who
had mistreated him, according to
Chief Hughes.
Theory He Was Lured Away.
There is no question in my mind
but that the boy was enticed away
by some one he knew very well on
leaving school Wednesday" said
Chief Hughes. 80 -
When the owner of pair of horn
trimmed spectacles found near the
body has been discovered one OF the
murderers will in all probability have
been found, Chief Hughes added
The spectacles did not belong to the
boy, but are Of small size
Police are enlisting the help OF
Franks schoolmates in the hunt Tor
his slayer. Irwin Hartman, eleven,
said he saw the boy leave the school
Wednesday and saw a big gray auto
mobile standing at the curb haif
block away as Robert was approach
ing. When he looked again, IRWIN
said, the car was starting, bue Rob
ert was not in sight
Movements OF Instructors.
Richard P. williams, athletic in
structor at the school. which is a
fashionable private institution, when
questioned, said he left the school
about 4:45 pm. Wednesday in COM
pany with Thomas Skillman, a pupil.
He said he went to the Skillman
homo, where he remained during the
evening.
Mott Kirk Mitchell, English in
structor, said he left the school after
AIS pm. and went to his home.
Neither Williams nor Mitchell knew
anything of the movements or the
Franks boy after he left the ball
grounds, they said.
Rewards totaling $4,000 for in
conviction of the boys slayer have
been offered. The boys father offer
ed $4,000 and a similar offer was made
by the Chicago Herald and Examiner
The body was found half extend
ing out of a culvert under the rail-
road track. 1t apparently had been
tossed into the water head first. A
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