New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-12-18
KIDNAPPING seen
NOW AS revenge
Texans Angry 1t M-jackers
LooinS Caravan

ported reprisal Of a whiskey-run-
ming ring for the hijacking of a
valuable cargo of christmas Ii
quor presented today q kidnapping
mystery in the barren Trans-Pecos
oil country that embraced all OF the
coldblooded cruelty OF modern-day
urban racketeering.
The presumed victim was P. o.
Denver Blackie" Burcham, Wink
restaurant owner, who was believed
to be lost in the semi-arid and al
most entirely unpopulated expanse
of sage and mesquite, after having
escaped from a water trough where
he reputedly was bound and left to
die by rum runners.
Reports this morning said a
dozen tired posses. including more
than 100 men. headed by redoubt-
able Texas Rangers and Rio Grande
border patrolmen, had not found
the man after a day OF hard riding
over the mesa. Both sides Of the
Texas-New Mexico state line were
COmDe0 WltnOut AVIAN.
Missing . Week
Burcham has been missing since
late last week. The story Of the
KIDNAPPING came out vest erday when
officers questioned a youth known
here only as 1.-The Blue Punk" who
told them that booze running
gang had seized the restaurant own
er and taken him to an isolated
spot. where he was thrown into a
water trough, bound with rope. fish
line and barbed wire, and left to
die.
Investigators found substantiation
OF the story at the trough but Bur-
cham was gone, presumably having
slipped his letters and wandered off
into the near desert, which contains
no potable surface water. Bits of
burned rope, wire and bloody fish
line were found in the trough and
it was thought the victim had man.
aged to ignite the infammable
parts Of his fastenings. then cast
off the wire bindings.
THE Blue Punk" told officers
that the KIDNAPPING act was In re-
venge for the hijacking of a half
million dollar cargo of liquor last
Friday for which the leader of a
whiskey running gang held Bur-
cham responsible. He said the run
ners had brought the liquor in from
Mexico. crossing the Rio Grande
near Ell Paso. and headed for the
Winkler county oil fields with pros
poets OF ready sale to the hardened
oil field workers.
Take Liquor
Before reaching the destination,
the caravan was halted by hijack-
ers who took the liquor and cars
and turned the first owners loose
afoot to make their way to civiliza-
ton.
The Winkler fields are located in
the Trans Pecos region Of far west
ern Texas, about $50 miles due east
of Ell Paso. The region. which COM
prises nine counties and an area as
large as West Virginia, is one OF
the last frontiers of range cattle
and following discovery of oil about
two years ago is an oil frontier,
with scattered and near-isloated
wild and woody boom towns. Rail-
road lines are far apart and trans
portation Is by airplane and motor
car.
Lawlessness in the border area,
Of great distances and inaccessible
mountain hiding places. is COM
batted by Rangers and Rio Grande
border patrolmen, whose names
read like those Of dime novel char
acters, and whose regulations for
fearlessness and results are known
for hundreds of miles.
Character Names
Participating in the present
search are Rangers led by "Toughie
jennie" Northcutt and Captain
"Rattlesnake Willie" Wright, Pa
trolmen Warren Tombstone" Smith
and del Rio" Earl Young. Sheriffs
"Pecos Bill" Priest. chihuahua
Tom" Henderson. "Winkler Walt"
Wood and Judge L. c. Hard Boil