Imperial Valley press., 1934-05-31
IMPERIAL VALLEY PRESS cENTRo
POLICE TAKE
BIC RISK To
GE 7 MANIAC
CONTINUED From Page II

would take care of him and get him
a job.
1--WE are entirely sincere" one
officer said I'VE mean it,
~ don't believe you," Bennett
snarled.
Examination of the car showed
BenrSt was set to do terrific dam
age. The car was filled with eX-
plosives. While police talked to him
he was sitting on sticks of dyna-
mite, connected by wires to bat
tery which he held between his
knees and which was connected to
the puSh-button switch which he
held in his hand. The whole was
intricately wired so that if anyone
opened the car door. the explosives
would be set off.
When Bennett finally agreed to
give up he left the car entirely
alone. First two of the three po-
licemen withdrew for a distance of
a hundred or more feet leaving
one mana motorcycle patrolman
from Oakland = standing beside
Bennett IS machine.
Then Bennett slowly began dis
connecting his lethal mechanism.
He disconnected the battery and
removed the wiring from the doors.
Finally he stepped out of the car.
The officer made no attempt to
lay hands upon him. He walked
about 10 feet and without aid got
into the awaiting police car.
His l4-year-old daughter Vir-
ginia sat in another police car
about 500 feet away, watching her
father. She was entirely calm.
AS the car drove away the crowd
closed in once and stopped it. Po-
lice finally made a way through the
crowd and sped away to the Ala
media city hall
The suicide Car was left standing
in the middle Of the field where
Bennett had parked it late yeSter-
day after confiding his attention of
killing himself, to Policeman Prizes
of Alameda. Prizes had disSuaded
him from plan to park in thick
ly populated section of Alameda
and coaxed him to drive to the va
cant lot on the Oakland estuary
All night long Bennett had sat
in the car holding the police at
bay.
ALAMEDA, Calf, May 81. (U.P)-
Police today ordered FRANK Bennett,
42-year old war veteran. to strip
naked if he wants to surrender
without touching off the dynamite
and nitroglycerine in MS parked
automobile.
Under constant surveillance since
he announced his intention OF blow
ing himself to bits. Bennett showed
no signs of carrying out his threat,
but insists he had not changed his
mind.
Benefits car was parked in a
large field. 200 yards frcm any
building. Three hundred yards from
his machine were the waiting pc
lice, on constant vigil since tie wal
veteran announced his suicide plans
early yesterday afternoon.
The tableau was a stirring one as
the dawn'S early light cracked
across the eastern sky. Two huge
spotlights, mounted on police pa
trcl cars, centered on the sedan in
which the veteran sat motionless
Two officers with high-r covered
rifles trained their sights on the
doors of the sedan.
Within sat Bennett. at his feet
was a can of mixed nitroglycerine
and dynamite. In the rear COM
partment were two sict:s of dyna-
mite. An elaborate network CT wires
ended at a switch which he held in
his hand A turn of the switch
meant oblivion for him and any
person near by.
Despite the danger, Patrolman
William Prizes approached the
crazed man at half-horr intervals
Just before dawn Prizes delivered
the ultimatum issued by his super
ior officer, Chief Of Police Verr
Smith.