The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-06-20
z. ON T l N u E y
~ from page one
Brewing Company
Officer Tells How
Ransom Was Paid

afternoon was not joke and ! have
given you few hours to recover from
the shock. I want to tell you that
it will be just too bad for Mr.. Hamm
and for you. You will hear from me
about 5 o'clock again tonight"
So I called Mr.. Charles immed-
lately and gave him the information.
Friday morning I got telephone
call at my home that there would
be messenger bringing a note in a
few minutes. That message, which
was brought to my home by taxi
cab driver, was another long-winded
threat of what they were going to do
and how much money we were to pay.
Left Note at Pharmacy
Friday night about 1880 o'clock
the message was left In one OF the
booths at the Rosedale pharmacy at
1941 Grand avenue. Clarence Thomas,
the druggist, called me on the phone
and said "Is this Billy Dunn" and I
answered in the affirmative. He told
me he had a message for me and
shortly afterward a boy delivered it
to me. The message said that I did
not need to think that I was so damn
smart; that they had trailed the taxi
cab, and contained some more
threats. The two messages which I
had so far received were signed by
William Hamm, Jr.
On the bottom of each message was
the signature of William Hamm, Jr.,
but they apparently were signed
without his knowledge of notation
which in substance said 1T is my re-
quest that you comply with all Of the
above instructions" This notation
was undoubtedly added after Mr..
Hamm signed the notes.
Tom Brown and Charles Tierney
of the police department had inter-
cepted the message brought by the
taxicab driver right in front of my
home and that is undoubtedly how
the kidnapers learned the police were
called in.
Nothing happened until Saturday
afternoon when a message was de-
livered to the brewery by Mr.. L. J..
Sullwold of the Hamm Realty COM
pany, who found the message In his
automobile in the garage after having
received a telephone message that it
was there.
Prepared for Call
That message informed me that I
would receive call between 8 and 9
o'clock Saturday night and that I
was to go out the highway they were
to designate. I was to drive a car at
20 miles an hour and then turn off at
the highway they also would des-
ignate. / was to 60 out in a STAN
dard Ford or Chevrolet coupe but
that both side doors should be off
the coupe, the back taken off and a
red lantern attached inside of the
back part of the machine.
After dropping the ransom money
I was to continue 20 miles. This
message, by the way, countermanded
the original order in the first note
Of having a Hamm truck with the
sides taken off. Evidently the in
structions were changed so that the
kidnapers could see that no one was
concealed in the car. The note
changing the original plan of having
a truck to carry the ransom money
came without any request from me
to change the money carrier.
Saturday evening came home with
Mr.. Brown and Mr.. Tierney and we
sat around until nearly o'clock and
finally the telephone call came. I was
told to 60 to Sullwold's home on Hall
street and that I was to receive my
final instructions. I did this, taking
Mr.. Lang's Ford as my Chevrolet
coupe had been taken to the Hamm
private garage to have the doors taken
off, the back taken out and the red
lantern installed.
Orders Came by Phone
Arriving at Sullwood's house he told
me he had just received call that
I would be there in a few minutes
and that was to take out on high
way No. 81; to drive 20 miles an hour
and that when I received five flashes
of the kidnapers' automobile lights
was to drop the money bag on the
side of the highway and proceed to
Duluth, where was to 60 to a popular
hotel and wait for Mr.. Hamm. 80.
I then went to the Hamm garage
and there met Mr.. Charles, Tom
Brown, Charles Tierney and Joe Man
ion, who also is a detective. Joe and
I again got into the Lang Ford and
drove to Payne Avenue and Wheelock
Parkway, where we met Brown and
Tierney, who were in my coupe with
out the doors and with the back taken
out.
got into the car with the brief case
they handed me by my side. I shook
hands with all three and started out
on my journey. The bag contained
the ransom money.
After getting past the village OF
Wyoming, about 40 miles from the
brewery, I was careful to continue al
a rate of 20 miles an hour. A big
car reared past me three times.
think it contained two persons. A