The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-12-23
William Hickman
Caught in Oregon

Caught in Oregon
CONTINUED from page one)
ter" said the confession. II meant
no harm to either one, but I thought
it would be easier to handle the old,
CT girl (Marian) than q little child.
Decides to Strike
Hickman told how he had watched
Marian coming from school and play.
ing near the Parker home. He did
not know that she had twin sis
ter, Marjorie. Last Thursday morn
ing he decided to strike.
II did not plan out the result
ahead of that until saw her that
morning and that afternoon - you
have read in the papers how it al!
happened" he said. His story Of
trjcking the school authorities into
surrendering Marian was the same
as that told by them after Marian
disappeared.
Describes kidnapping
The -abductor related how little
Marian got into his car without
question and how he drove her away.
1--WE got well and closely acquaint.
ed and really kind Of liked her."
he continued.
II couldn't look her in the face
when l told her she was kidnapped
as though nothing had happened.
When | told her nothing had really
happened to her father, she didn't
worry or scream or anything.
"She took it calm as could be, and
/ told her she could realize If ! got
caught what / would have to suffer
and l would have to tie her nose and
tic her mouth SO she couldn't make
any noise, and she said, please don't
do it; / will promise not to make
any noise so / didn't tie her, and
we drove around all that afternoon
and went to q show that night-the
Rialto theatre in Alhambra-and she
didn't do anything or say anything
much. and l really didn't intend to
do her any harm, and here is where
tile other mans part of it played in.
HE was to have the hiding place
Of the girl and to keep her quiet and
| was supposed to get the money.
Other Man Takes Girl
HE only wanted two or three hun.
bred dollars out of the $500. He
said he didn't want much money
anyway. He seemed to like the idea
Of kidnapping the girl and holding
her rather than getting the money.
Thursday night after the show, /
met this man and he took her in
charge. The next day / saw her
that was Friday evening"
Here Hickman told how he had
written the ransom letters which
threatened death to the little girl
unless the reward was paid and the
police kept out of the case.
"Well," he continued, II kept
writing all the letters and had her
write letter to her father, making
4 seem like she was treated bad.
She didn't seem to like this man
md didn't want to 60 with him and
wanted to stay with me instead, but,
couldn't do a think like that. We
had to 60 through with the plans"
Anyway, she wanted to 60 home
- soon as possible, and / thought if
he father was willing to hand over
The money, and he had it, it was per-
[ectly all right, and as soon as
rot it over with the better it would
% for me anyway. So I called up
her father and he said he had the
money and we planned meeting. We
were to meet at certain street."
Found Police on Trail
Hickman then related how he had
discovered that the police were on
the trail and failed to keep the first
appointment with Parker; how he
then had written to Parker making
dire threats because the officers had
been allowed to take a hand and how
he resolved to get out Of his predica-
ment as quickly as he could.
That night, he said, he had sur.
rendered the little girl again to the
Andrew Cramer Of the confession.
with the understanding that she
would be returned to him the next
day and then delivered to her father.
Brings Body in Suitcase
Saturday the mysterious Cramer
came to Hickman's apartment lug.
ging q suitcase, the confession con.
tinued. Cramer opened it and re-
vealed the dissected body Of the
little girl. Upon seeing it, Hick.
man said. he was "sure surprised"
HE said The police are already
suspicious Of this place. and he
said she was crying and he tried to
stop her. or something like that,
and he figured that the safest way
would be to 60 ahead and fix Il
that way, and for me to keep the
suitcase In my car and go to this
place (the scene Of the final rem
devious with Parker) and if the
police stopped me before I could get
rid Of it, they might look 1t the
suitcase, and never stop to open it,
and ! thought that might be oil
right"
The abductor here explained that,
since he already had written Parker
that il he were given the money
before 6 o'clock that night Marian
would be returned alive, and that
since it was after tha. hour when
he peered into the suitcase and saw
the mutilatcd body, he determined
to make the best Of it.
"And if this fellow had not killed
her, it would have come out oil
right Is we had planned, because
am sure she didn't want to die"
Shows Sign OF Emotion
The only sign Of emotion thai
Hickman showed was when hi
spoke then Of Marian being killed