Evening star., 1934-10-19
K|DNAPERS FALL
BEFORE us. DRIVE
Robles Abduction Only Major
"Snatch" Listed by Fed
eraI Men as UnsoIved.
BY REX COLLIER.

A tabulation today of records of
the Department of Justice In kidnap-
ing cases revealed an almost perfect
score for the Division of Investigation
in its intensive drive to rid the coun-
try of what gangsters call 1.-The
snatch menace"
OF the 80 major kidnapings or at
tempted kidnapings which have oc-
Cured since enactment of the So
called "Lindbergh law" on July %,
1882, only one isalisted by the depart
ment as unsolved-the abduction Of
June Robles, 6-year-old Arizona girl,
who was rescued from desert pit.
The tabulation does not include the
kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby,
which antedated the Federal kidnap-
ing act. The department played an
important role in the arrest of Bruno
Richard Hauptmann, charged with
that crime, however.
IA Convicted in All.
The record shows that "a persons
have been convicted Of kidnapping or
attempts to kidnap, and II persons
are in custody on charges growing
out of such crimes.
Two death sentences have been
pronounced, Is kidnapers have been
sent to prison for life, two Qn the
Brooke Hart case) were lynched and
three committed suicide. Other SEN
tences aggregate 1,186 years. Only
10 persons have been acquitted.
Behind the bars of Alcatraz Island
Federal Penitentiary are such despe-
radoes of the kidnap racket as Har-
yey Bailey, Albert Bates and George
C'Machine Gum Kelly, ringleaders
of the gang which kidnapped Charles
F. Urschel, Oklahoma millionaire, and
collected 100000 ransom. Six life
sentences were meted out in that case
alone, with total OF l6 persons con-
victed of completely.
Chicago Mob Broken Up.
The two who received sentence OF
death were Walter MCGEE, one OF the
kidnapers of Mary McElroy of Kansas
City, Mo, and Robert Wiles, who kid
naped and murdered Herbert Harris,
jr., South Carolina youth, last jan
uary.
The Terrible Touhy" mob in
Chicago has been broken up. Roger
Touhy and other members OF the
gang were convicted in the John
Factor case. One member OF the
gang, William Sharkey, committed
suicide after his arrest.
Another catured kidnaper who end
ed his own life before the courts could
act was Verne Sankey, arrested for
the kidnapping of Charles Boettcher,
y
Bohn at St. Paul.
Three professional kidnapers were
given life sentences for the kidnap-
ing of August Luer last year at Alton,
III. Four others received long SEN
tences in that case.
Four Held in Bremen Case.
Four persons have been arrested in
connection with the kidnapping OF
Edward G.. Bremen st. Paul banker,
for whose release 100000 was paid.
j. Edgar Hoover director of the Di-
vision of Investigation, has named
Arthur Barker and Alvin KarpiS as
the leaders in that abduction. This
pair is being sought over wide area.
In the current case of Mrs. Alice
Speed Stoll, of Louisville, the division
lists two persons in custody and con-
siders the mystery of her abduction
solved. Thomas H. Robinson, jr., is
named as the kidnaper. His wife and
father are in custody on conspiracy
charges.
The tabulation prepared today does
not include any extortion cases,
which also are q violation of the
'Lindbergh law" Hundreds of such
cases have been solved by the Di-
vision of Investigation since passage
of the law.