The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1933-06-22
Head Of Hamm Brewery
Kidnapped; Ransom Paid

death was the ult1maCum lalQ down
by kidnappers of the millionaire
president of the Theodore Hamm
Brewing Co., who today held VIM.
Hamm, Jr, a prisoner, for $780,
600 ransom.
AS police withdrew from the case
at the request of the family, fed
eral department of justice and state
crime bureau agents took up the
hunt, while William Dunn, business
associate of Hamm, awaited further
word from the abductors, who are
demanding 100000.
Death Of the 39-year-old presi-
dent of the Brewing Co., and heir
to a 100000 estate, will be the
alternative if the money is not paid,
the kidnappers warned. Hamm was
last seen at 1920 p. M. Thursday.
News of his abduction was with
held until last night, in hope his
release might be effected.
Two slender clues-a telephone
call and a note-were all author
tiles had to go on as they linked
the name of Verne Sankey with the
Hamm abduction. Sankey, now a
fugitive, is wanted in connection
with the Haskell Bohn kidnapping
here about a year ago, and the
Charles Boettcher, II, abduction in
Denver. y,
Officials were not prepared, how
ever, to say definitely that Sankey
was Hamm's kidnapper, despite the
identification ola picture of him>by
taxicab driver, that he was the
man who gave him So to deliver a
note to William Dunn.
The note instructed Dunn to de-
liver the ransom money in SIS, $40,
and $40 bills. The message was de-
livered yesterday morning, but eff
forts to get in touch with the kid
napers failed. Earlier, an unident-
flied man telephoned Dunn saying,
1--WE have kidnapped Mr.. Hamm
you will hear from us later"
Payment of the ransom, the kid
napers directed, was to be effected
through use of one of the COM
panys beer trucks to be driven by
one man, and of an open type, so
that the interior would be clearly
visible. Police did not disclose the
time or place the payment was to
be made.
The wife of Sankey, Mrs. Fern
Sankey, was acquitted of completely
in the Bohn kidnapping, by jury
in district court here Thursday. She
is being held for the U. S. Mar
shall's office, in connection with the
Boettcher case.
After Benjamin Laska, of Denver,
Mrs. Sankey's, attorney, advised her
to tell officers everything she knew
about her husband, she was asked
whether she believed he was Gin
this part of the country"
mo" was the answer.
Police. while withdrawn complete
ly from the case, pointed out that
the taxi driver who delivered the
ransom note said the man from
whom he received it gave his name
as Gordon"
Gordon Elkhorn is wanted in
Denver for the Boettcher seizure.
He was hunted also for questioning
about the Bohn case.
He is companion of Sankey,
and they were believed together
when the search of the Boettcher
kidnappers was intent few months
ago.
Federal operatives and police
have been unable to find either
Sankey or Elkhorn. The search has
extended into Canada.
Hamm Returned to Family
st. Paul, June 19-William (Billy)
Hamm, Jr., 39-year-old head of the
multi-millionaire brewing family,
was freed unharmed today by kid
napers after being held for u
hours on the second floor Of frame
house, supposedly in the northern
Minnesota lake country.
His release, occurring 80 hours af-
ter ransom of "less than 100000"
had been tossed from a speeding
automobile to be picked up by the
hdnapers, started police search
for a gang of "fiive or six men" in
Guiding the notorious Verne San
key.
The hunt was spurred by an
nouncement of $26,150 reward Of
fered by group of business men
in protest against series of kid
napings in st. Paul during the past
two years OF which Hamm's was
the fourth.
Hamm indicated he would coop
crate with authorities and that he
might be able to identify the three
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