Imperial Valley press., 1933-02-07
POLICE SEEK
k|DNAPERS Of
. { MRS. SKEELE
Aged Los Angeles Woman Is
Returned Home By Kidnapers
Unharmd By Experience.
NO RANSOM MONEY PAID
Victim Treated Well And Says
She Does Not Wish To Prose-
cute Abductors.
BY GEORGE H. BEALE

BY GEORGE II. BEALE
United Press Staff Correspondent
LOS ANGELES, Feb. u Hef
nerves shaken but otherwise un-
harmed, Mrs. Mary B. Skeele, 65-
year-old wife of the dean of music
at the diversity of Southern Cali
fornia, was at home today while
police sought the four men and a
woman who abducted her in an un-
successful attempt to collect $4,000
ransom.
Just "a hours after she was kid
naped, the frail, g'rey-haired wo-
man walked haltingly up the steps
of the family residence late last
night to fall into the arms of her
husband, DR.. Walter B. Skeele.
THANK God, I'm home and
safe" she sobbed as the dean help
ed her inside.
! Dabbing at tears and submitting
70 the embraces of members of her
family, she told of her narrowing
experience, bizarre to its very cli-
max when her captors, showing a
brazen disregard for the hundreds
of peace officers then searching
for them, drove her within two
blocks of her home, and permitted
her to go free.
She said she was not harmed.
except for the nervous strain.
She reported she was forbidden
to talk to police. If she did, her
abductors told her, they would
come back and "get you and the
rest of your family, too."
She said she forgave her kidnap-
ers and had no desire to see them
prosecuted.
She told police she believed from
conversations she overheard that
her captors were members of an
eastern gang.
Dean Skeele, who insisted from
the first he had no way to raise
| the $4,000 demanded, said no mon
ey was turned over to the kidnap-
erS.
Treated Well
They were good to me- Mrs.
Skeele said, in explaining she did
not wish to see them prosecuted.
They brought me back to my fam
lily. promised them I would not
hurt them in return"
Disregarding Mrs. Skeele's desire
in the matter, authorities question
ed her at length, seeking clues that
might lead to arrests.
She said She had no idea where
she was held captive.
She was lured from her home
Sunday night by telephone call
IN which she was told Dean Skeele
had been injured in an automobile
accident. At the time hew as at
church.
The caller said an automobile
would come to her home directly
and take her to the hospital. Mrs.
Skeele telephoned her son. Frank
lin Skeele, and arranged to meet
him at the hospital.
Il went outside" she explained.
THE car was there and a woman
was at the wheel. A man got out
and as I started to get in he put
some kind of gag in my mouth.
He was rather rough and I sup
pose I resisted. My face was
scratched bit while he was fore
ing me into the car. That was the
only physical hurt I received"
Gang Loses Nerve
| Mrs. Skeele said she was blind
folded She estimated they drove
two hours before they stopped.
They put me in bedroom"
she continued. 1T was pleasant
enough. could hear part of the
conversation and I judged there
were four men with the woman.
"Of course was worried but
some way nodded off and slept"
She said she as given sufficient
| food.
Late monday afternoon the wo-
man and two of the men left. Then
the other two talked to me. They
said they'd decided to drop the
whole business.
you've been nice to u.s." one OF
them said, and we are to see that
you get home but we want to keep
out of trouble of course
81 assured them my one desire
was to get home. I knew my fam
lily would be worried terribly"
She was blindfolded again. After
long return ride, the car stop
ped and she was warned again not
to talk to police.