Evening star., 1933-08-02
BY CHARLES F. URSCHEL.

davs, wrote the toiloictns description Of
his experiences;
BY CHARLES F. URSCHEL
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. August
(NANAD.-H my story is little bit
sketchy, blame it on the fact that
have slept scarcely at all for the last
nine days. First of all, you simply
can't appreciate how glad ! am just to
be alive and we'll. 1t has been har-
rowing experience, probably even more
terrible for my wife and family and
close associates than for myself, be-
cause I never felt that my abductors
would harm me. L would not go
through it again for anything in the
world.
1t seems like year since We were
playing bridge on our sun porch a
week ago last Saturday night. when
two men entered with machine guns
and demanded that my friend. Walter
Jarrett. and I leave with them. Their
faces were in the shadow at the time.
All I could see was the menacing ma
chine guns I felt that they had me
cold and that it was foolish to think
of doing anything but obey their COM
mands.
Eyes TAPPED at Once.
remember q sort of empty feeling
as l got up, gave one look at my wife,
and stepped outside as the man with
the machine gun nearest me directed.
There was q quick ride over the pave
ment for q couple of miles to a point
where the kidnapers told Jarrett to
get out. Then they taped my eyes, put
a big piece OF tape over my forehead
and pushed me down into the bottom
Of the small sedan In which we were
driving l think it was Ford or a
Chevrolet.
One man With a machine gun rode
in the seat. above me. was cramped
and as soon as We got on the dirt roads
the bumps were terrible. was not
bound The men told me they did
not want to hurt me, but that under
no circumstances should I make show
of fight. or else it would be too bad.
They further expressed regret that they
had to cramp me down in the bottom of
the car but said it was necessary be-
cause they might meet officers and
there would be some shooting and they
did not want me harmed.
Could See Daylight.
We rode over dirt roads all night,
I do not know in what direction. Some
time after daybreak-I could just tell
the difference between daylight and
dark over my tape-they stopped and
gave me a bottle OF soft drink. I did
not get up or get out
We continued our ride until some
time in the afternoon. when We reached
our destination 1t was a backwoods
bungalow. BY my movements about 1t
1 learned that it was Of three rooms,
a rude sort of place in. I should say,
tenant farmer country or possibly foot
hill country. The equipment in the
shack was very poor. The beds were
cheap. was tied up at night, but had
the freedom Of my HANDS and legs
in the daytime.
There were guards at the shack in
addition to the two men who took me
away from my home. They seemed
to be the principals in the case. The
guards did not know much about the
case, in my judgment. They were
decent, but not talkative. / do not
remember them calling each other by
their first names. nor do I remember
the two principals referring to each
other by first names. ! never saw one OF
them directly and could not identify
them now.
Permitted 10 Write Note.
Wednesday of last week the tape
was removed and I was permitted TO
write note In which I said exactly
what my jailers directed me to write.
The men turned their faces from me,
however, and srnartly kept me from
getting look at them. 1t was dlm-
cult for me to see after being so long
in the dark. The only other time my
eyes were untaped was Monday after
,,aor u,bov, ohoyad rnvSplf
must have been a sorry looking
sight with the beard wore. I did
not get q change of clothing from the
kidnapers. although one OF them de-
Gently lent me a pair OF pajamas to
live IN. They fed me regularly, al
though the fare was sorry, mostly
canned goods, and tomatoes and baked
beans. The coffee was the kind man
often gets on camping trips without a
cook We had no fresh vegetables or
fresh meat, as there was no cooking,
except coffee for early breakfast.
I am sure q store Of provisions was
laid in before we reached the place
and that no contact was made for food
after we arrived there. They we're
generous with cigars, but these we're
not my brand.
Journey Took IA Hours.
We were IA hours in making the
journey from Oklahoma City to our
destination The length of the trip
in miles, Of course, would be wild
estimate 1 do not think we Travelled
any more than 40 miles an hour any
of the time, and much of the time we
slowed down to IS or 20 miles. 1t may
have been 800 miles and it may have
been 500 miles away from Oklahoma
City.
Under the circumstances could not
sleep. Every hour seemed . week long
and every day was a month. was
very sore from the long ride knotted
up in the bottom of the car, and was
physically uncomfortable for the first
two or three days.
OF course / had lot of time to
think. When I dozed of occasionally,
would be the victim Of the widest
sort of dreams. I wondered what my
friends were doing and how they were
going about helping me. I knew my
affairs were in good hands and got
great deal of satisfaction out of the
thought that my wife and Arthur
seeligson were capable Of handling any