The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-10-20
ROBLESKIDNAP'
CRIME ALONE.
IS UNSOLVED.
Kidnappers' Chances of
Beating the Law Less
Than 80 to 4
Bv JULIUS FRANDSEN
Ir,;,.d Press Staff Correspondent

United Press Starr SorreSPo"u'
WASHINGTON, Oct. 20. (UP).
Tireless federal sleuths and pros
ecutors have made the odds 30 to
d Or longer against kidnaper
beating the law.
AZ Justice department agents
last night tracked Thomas H.
Robinson, Jr., accused of abduct-
ing Mrs. Alice Stoll, officials felt
thew would be able 500 nto pre-
sent him as another object lesson
to those tempted to defy federal
law by entering the Snatch
racket"
Thirty kidnapings have come
under the jurisdiction of the
Justice department since congress
in June 1882. passed the Lind
bergh law" making abduction a
federal offense. .
Director J. Edgar Hoover of
the division of investigation lists
all but one of those cases as
solved, meaning that the partlcl,,
pants either have been convicted
or are being hunted by federal
agents. The exception is the alb
duction last April of little June
Robes of Tucson, Ariz.
Asid from the Robes abduc-
ton, these cases are incomplete:
The kidnapping of William Hamm
of st. Paul, for which members
of the Touhy gang were tried but
acquitted; the abduction of Ed
ward Bremen, also of st. Paul, in
which the kidnapers are known
and are being hunted; and finally
the Stoll case on which agents
have been working for a free
hand for scarcely more than "a
hours.
Here is what happened to the
kidnapers in the rs other cases;
two received death sentences, and
16 life terms; two were lynched,
two were murdered and three
committed suicide; Sc received
sentences totaling 1855 years and
Is are awaiting trial.
In addition to the outright
kidnapping cases, federal agents
have frustrated several threat
ened abductions and captured
number of would-be extortionists
such as Edward Lickwala, who
was sentenced yesterday to serve
10 years for threatening Edsel
Ford.
DESPITE the recent new wave
of kidnapings and extortion at
tempts, officials believe the gov
eminent is gaining the upper
hand. .....
Attorney General Homer Cum
mings, surveying the record of
convictions in kidnapping cases,
said 81 believe the American peo-
pie have reason to feel that the
prestige, the power and the eff
fectiveness of law enforcement
agencies is on the increase and
that remover faith and conf
dence in these agencies is justi-
fled"
To meet the defiance of the
kidnapers and other interstate
criminals the Justice department
is expanding it's force of field
agents by 400 to 500 men. The
number now is over 500.
Though budget plans are in
complete, congress may be asked
for funds next session for a still
larger force. Aside from that
it is unlikely that the
will seek new crime
legislation at the next congress
sional session officials feel the
present system. with federal
agents operating under increased
authority granted last session, is
proving effective.
The departments Identification
unit, a national clearing house
FOR criminal data including nearly
5, 100000 fingerprint records as
well as scientific laboratories is
becoming increasingly important.
In the Stoll case. these agencies,
leaving Washington. were
able to name Robinson as the
kidnaner a few hours after the
abduction.