The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-10-17
us, AGENTS. PART
!. IN TRACING DOWN
: K|DNAPER IS TOLD
Knew Identity Of Abductor
From Start But Feared
for Life Of Victim
FEEBLE INTELLECT NOTED
Fingsrprints Found on Ransom
Letter; Intermediary d
Clue IN Hunt
FEEBLE INTELLECT NOTED

OVVAy W - van Wy Sss~SS w. o~S $780,
Alice Speed stoll from the hands Of
an insane and brutal kidnaper was
told Wednesday by department OF
justice men.
The ace detectives, who have struck
blow after blow at the kidnap racket,
were confident that they would soon
seize Thomas H. Robinson, Jr., a.
year-old former attorneys clerk, who
is named as the kidnaper.
Additional arrests are expected in
the near future" the department also
announced, but 1t declined to name
the other suspects.
AGENTS made clear that almost
from the very first day Of the case
they felt certain that Robinson was
the kidnaper. They had no doubt
they would catch him-but they were
driven to a terrific pace by the fear
that Mrs. Stoll would be killed before
they could reach their goal.
Feared Death Of Victim
TO account for this fear, they
pointed to the fact that the kidnaper
slugged the wealthy Louisville wo-
man with an iron pipe before carry
ing her off from her home. They
said Robinson had been accused Of
robbery and Of attempted assaults on
young girls in or near Nashville,
Tenn. It was after one Of the rob-
berry charges were brought against
him that he spent . period in the
state insane asylum at Nashville.
As signs Of Robinson's feeble In
tellect, officials pointed to finger
prints left on the ransom letter and
the fact that the note named IT. II,
Robinson as intermediary. This IS
the name of the youths father.
1.-THE ransom letter." said q state.
ment released by william Stanley,
assistant attorney general, was OBJ
tanned by special agents and immedt-
ately forwarded to the technical lab
oratory Of the department Of justice
In washington.
Latent fingerprints, developed on
the letter, were pronounced by finger
print experts to be identical with the
fingerprints Of T. H. Robinson, Jr."
Although the elder Robinson first
was named as intermediary, later
messages from the kidnaper selected
Mrs. Frances Robinson, wife Of the
hunted youth, to fill that role. She
was taken into custody Tuesday night
because, according to J. Edgar Hoov-
er, chief Of investigators, she passed
SOME Of the $4,000 ransom paid BY
Berry Stoll, wealthy husband Of the
kidnapped woman.
Payment. Described
Payment Of the ransom to Mrs
Robinson by her father-in-law was
described by the department Of JUS
tice statement In these words:
"On Oct. Is, Mr.. Berry v. Stoll
received letter. dated at Indianapo-
lis, Oct. II, in the handwriting Of his
kidnapped wife, through Mr.. w. S,
Speed, the father Of the victim, stat
ing in effect that the kidnaper be-
lieved the intermediary, T. H. Robin
son, was being watched 50 that he
could not deliver the ransom money
to his daughter-in-law, who, In turn,
would deliver the money to the kid
naper.
THE ransom money was paid over
by the stoll family to Mrs. Frances
Robinson, the wife Of T. H. Robinson
Jr., and daughter-in-law Of the In
termediary, during the afternoon Of
Oct. Is. and during the evening OF
the same date she proceeded directly
to indianapolis.
Mrs. Alice Speed stoll was located
on Oct. 10 1T approximately . p. m,
at 8cottsboro, Ind, where she was
taken under the protection Of division
agents. At the time Mrs. 6toll was
located she was accompanied by Mrs
Frances Robinson, wife Of T. II. Rob
inson, Jr., and was In the company
Of the Rev. Arnold Clegg and Mrs.
Arnold Clegg."
The ransom note was made public
Tuesday night. A long, rambling
document, It was written on . type
writer on legal-siSed paper, with
some hand-blocked lettering inserted
It referred to the Lindbergh. Ur-
schel and other kidnapings and
warned that II the $4,000 ransom
was not paid. the victims body would
be burned in . galvanized tank" the
ashes scattered in water and the
tank be cleaned 90 g to defy detec-
ton.
The letter demanded that the ran
som be shipped by railway express in
Q small box. Some Of the notes con-
tents indicated that the original In