Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-03-25
MARINE IS HUNTED
/. IN EXT0RT|0N PLOT
Deserter From Barracks
Here Is Sought as Sus-
peCt by Police.
Continued From First Page)


received Tuesday night. The note
typewriter on cheap stationery, read:
Mrs. Lewis: You will pay us 81 500
in small bills after you receive a nex1
and last note, telling how it must be
sent. Are where 1t must be placed. III
you fail to do as We say, You and yeur
whole family will be in danger and
your son is or will be our special target.
You were not at home last night at
10 w. E-??9"
Sir Willmott and police expected the
third letter today, but it was not in
the first mail delivery.
Gpverness Receives Call.
The phone call Tuesday night was
received by Willmott, jrs, goVerness.
who was informed a note carrying in
structions as to how the money was
to be sent would be received within
girl, told Sir Willmott the speaker
talked with a Southern accent ana
tried to make his voice sound hard
Tie first note was delivered to the
Lewis home Monday. Addressed to
Mr. and Mrs. Willmntt Lewis" 1t read:
IF you are interested in the safety
of your son, do what you're instructed
in the next note. Say nothing of hay
ing received this note under penalty
of ???"
Sir Willmott Immediately eommun!-
Gated with Gen. GlassfaFd and two de-
tective SergeantS were assigned to in
vestigate, while three precinct detee-
tives were ordered on 24=haur guard
duty at the home.
The detectives engaged In the nves-
tigation are Sergts Floyd Truseott and
A. D. Mansfield Those on guard duty
are NJ G. ThayeT, @. A. schfeyer and
E. j. Maghan.
Special Phone Removed.
After the phone call Tuesday night,
special line was installed between Sir
Willmotts homeland the detective bu-
reau at police headquarters. 1t was the
hope of police that, should another call
be received from the extortiQnists, the
source of the message could be TRACED
by means of the other phone through
headquarters. This phone was removed
today, however, and Inspector Burke
said: we can find no more use for
it."
Sir Willmott said today he had be-
lieved the first letter to be the work of
crank, but after receiving the telephone
message and the second note, changed
his mind
The letters to Lyon and to the banker
were exactly the same, according to
Inspector Burke. Both demanded $500
and asked that it be sent to "A. A. Car
penter," in care of General Delivery
Washington Post Office. Dummy let
tiers were mailed by police and a squad
of detectives was sent to the Post ONCE
to arrest whoever called for them
When no one called the detectives were
withdrawn and postal clerks were in
structed to segregate all mail in the
name of Carpenter, especially letters In
the name of "A. A. Carpenter"
Lyon regarded the letter to him as a
joke and the work of crank. Burke
said, but the banker became alarmed
and requested a police guard. Several
men were assigned to watch his home,
but since have been withdrawn.
THE letter received by Mrs. Longworth
directed her, according to Burke, to send
the money by an agent in taxicab
across a bridge into Virginia, where a
signal would be given for the cab to
stop, whereupon the agent was to get
out and place the money foot from
the curb.
He was then TO re-enter the cab
which was to proceed at a 25-mile-an-
nOur speed LOT 81 minutes.
A detective carried out the instruc
tons, but no one appeared to collect
the money. A few days later a messen-
ger delivered another note at Mrs.
Longworth's home, 2009 Massachusetts,
avenue. also containing directions for
the delivery of the $500, and these
too, We're carried out but neither the
letter writer nor his agent appeared,
Glassford Suspects Cranks.
While Inspector Burke is inclined to
regard the letters to Mrs. IAngworth
and the LewiseS as serious, Gen. Glass
ford expressed the opinion today that
all the letters are the work of cranks,
inspired by the Lindbergh case. How
ever. he asserted, everything possible is
being done to apprehend the writers.
Inspector Burke said he believed all
four letters are related"
In one case" he said, I'm satisfied
we know who wrote the letter and
expect to make an arrest. In two cases
the notes are Identical, written on the
same typewriter, on the same paper
and carrying the same direetiens-to
mail the money to Carpenter
Also there Is some similarity be-
tween the Longworth and Lewis letters,
not so much in the quality of station
cry as in the typing and the amount
asked. The letters asking $500, I
think, were written by some one wish
ing to create excitement, and in the
Longworth case don't think any VIC
lence actually was planned"
The letters to the Lewises were writ
ten on a folded sheet of white letter
paper while the first letter to Mrs.
Longworth was on half Of such a sheet
The paper was not similar.