The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-06-23
AIMEESEMPLE
MCPHERSON IS
IN HOSPITAL
Evangelist's Mother Estab-
lishcs Identification
Over Telephone
WOMAN WAS KIDNAPPED
Tells Story of Being Taken
Into Mexico - Escaped
Yesterday Noon


Positive identification of woman i'll
hospital here as Aimee Semple Me-
Pherson, Los Angeles evangelist who
was reported drowned there May Is.
last. was made over the telephone
by Mrs. Minnie Kennedy. the evan
gelist's mother, in conversation with
William +. McCafferty. editor Of the
Dispatch, this morning. Identified
tion was established through Tong
white scar on the second finger Of
the woman's hand and also By her
giving the name of pet pigeon.
The woman in the hospital here
told the name Of the pigeon, which
was Jennie. and also said that she
was injured on the second finger of
her right hand in Durham township.
near Ingersoll, Ontario.
The mother told McCafferty the
same thing.
The woman said the scar was the
result of being accidentally cut by
a sickle years ago. She also gave the
name of cousin, Mrs. Emma Nick
erson, now dead, and described birth
marks on her babies for McCafferLy.
These statements led the mother to
the declaration that the woman was
Aimee Semple McPherson beyond !.
doubt.
Tells Story Of Escape
The former evangelist, from her
cot in the hospital. told a story Of
abduction from Ocean Park, Califor-
MIA, a trip across the border to
Mexico, and of how she escaped
about moor yesterday and ran until
she fell with exhaustion. Finally.
sighting a mountain, which has been
identified by Officers here as the
famous ''niggerhead" mountain, Is
miles south in Sonora, Mexico, she
headed for it,
Reaching the mountain about dusk,
she found d. raaAn8assaEaegled cloag.
falling from time TO time VITA ia
tigue. She said she sighted the glare
from the Stag dumps Of the copper
SINE 1crs in this city as the night
wore on.
She finally reached the outskirts Of
Agua Prieta. and approaching a house
occupied by Mexicans, called for help
and asked that tbs police bs not.
fled.
American Helps Her
The Mexicans, she said, offered no
assistance, and she went on, falling
unconscious before another house.
An American, whose name was not
learned, and who was in Aqua Prieta.'
brought her to hospital here. When
she told police who she was, guard
was established about the building.
McCafferty, who had ETown Mrs.
Mcpherson in Denver, where he had
reported her meetings for newspa
per. was recognized. She greeted
him with smile and asked him to
notify Los Angeles at once, and to-
ask Los Angeles police to protect her
daughter, Roberta, whom she feared
the abductors would attempt to kid
nap.
While she talked the woman laps
ed many times into semiconsci0us
state due to her exhaustion.
Pushed Into Automobile
MrS. Mcpherson told McCafferty
that she was kidnapped while at The
bathing beach at Ocean Park. a
woman accosted her while shc was III
the water. she said. saying her babs
was dying and that she wanted the
evangelist to pray. As she peered in
to an automobile where woman sat
with a bundle in her arms, she said.
given an anesthetic.
The evangelist said a woman. told
her that they were holding her for
half million dollars ransom.
ri told them they were foolish" She
said, ''that | did not have that much
money. nor did the chuch have it. but
they replied that they knew better.
Almost Captured
Later they told me they had made
plans to get the ransom. Then, from
learned that they had almost been
captured in San Francisco when try
ing ITO make arrangements to get the
money
IA few days ago was moved. We
came to another house and remained
there tow days.
"The men we're not there. Previ-
ously they had burned. me with a
cigar on the finger to make me an
swer questions they said my mother
had asked to prove / was alive. They
threatened to cut Of this finger (the
one with the long. white scar1 so my
mother would know when sho received
1T that they did have me captive
FIRST IDENTIFIED BY
EDITOR OF NEWSPAPER
Douglas, Arizona, June 23--(R--
Police headquarters here announced
early today woman who collapsed
and was taken. to hospital here was
identified by William F.. McCaffcrty.
editor Of the Douglas Dispatch, as
Aimee Semple MCPHERSON, evangelist
of Los Angeles. who was reported
drowned there last May.
McCaffArty said that he had known
Mrs. Mcpherson in Denver and de-
clared that he was certain she was
the woman in the Douglas hospital.
The woman told the chief of police
that she had been kidnapped, taken
across the Mexican border, and had
escaped from her captors.
She said that . man named "Steve"
and Woman named "Rose" had car
ried her off to hold her for ransena.
She believed that her prison was
somewhere near MexicAli. imme-
diately cross the border FROM Cab,
exico, California, for she had heard
(continusd on pags tAres.)
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