Evening star., 1935-06-13
HEARING REVEALS
VALLEYS STRATEGY.
Pair Hoping to Escape Con-
viCtion by Denying In
terstate Crime.

(Copyrisht. 1885 by the Associated PreSsO
TACOMA, Wash, June 13.-Tem-
porarfly escaping washington's new
death-for- -kidnapers law, Harmon NJ.
valley and his wife. Margaret, fought
for their freedom today from the less
stringent Federal kidnap act for the
abduction of o-year-old George
Weyerhaeuser.
Even as they nonchalsntly pleaded
mot guilty" department authorities
pressed their search in Montana and
Canada for William Mshan, bank
robber and former convict, charged
as the third member of the snatch
gang.
Apparently the Valleys. who were
flown here yesterday from Salt Lake
City. hope to beat the charge which
put the case under Federal jurisdic-
tion-the allegation they crossed q
State line, taking George to Blsnch-
ard and Spirit Lake, in Idaho be-
fore his parents, Mr.. and Mrs. ]. P.
weyerhaeuser. jr. brought about his
release with 5000, 900.
Both Plead Not Guilty.
The Valleys entered pleas OF not
guilty to the hdnap charge and to
the charge they conspired with Ma
han to use the mails to defraud
Georges father of the ransom sum.
Their bail on the conspiracy charge
was set at $10o, 900 each-the exact
sum the Weyerhaeusers paid for their
bows freedom. No bail was set on
the kidnap charge
Informed of the pleas, Pierce County
Prosecutor Harry H. Johnston as
serted:
IF they beat the Federal case III
file under the State law and demand
the death penalty. Even II they are
convicted in Federal court. and SEN
fenced to life imprisonment, L can
and will place hold on them, so
II they ever are paroled we can i'm
mediately try them under the State
law
washington's untried kidnap law
makes death the automatic penalty
for kidnapping, unless the jury recon-
mends life imprisonment. The Lind
bergh law provides death only in case
the victim Is harmed.
Owen p. Hughes. who officiated at
yesterdays brief arraignment before
United States Commissioner H. @.
Fitch, said ne could say nothing about
Federal prosecution plans until his
chief, District Attorney j. Charles
Dennis, arrives from San Francisco.
He said Dennis Is due hcme tomorrow
or Saturday.
Future Plans Indefinite.
Department OF Justice operatives
declined to explain why the Valleys
we're whisked away to the Thurston
County Jail at Olympia, or what the
next step would be.
In waving q hearing at the ar
raignment and declining to be repre-
sented by an attorney, 1t was ex-
planned, the Valleys cannot be tried
In Federal District Court until a grand
Jury has been summoned and has
indicted them. Then they would be
arraigned before the district judge.
It was also explained that they
could then change their plea to guilty,
coping a plea and a life sentence"
in exchange for their reported con-
fessions which implicated Mahan and
resulted In the recovery Of about $l16,-
600 Of the ransom money.
Otherwise, they can stand on yes
terday's denial of guilt, challenging
the Governments proof that they
crossed q State line with their little
hostage.
A man was picked up at Mobridge.
8. OAK, yesterday, but Federal agents
said he was not Mahan. Mahan was
being hunted in the Bad Lands OF
South Dakota and in the Black Hills
a. well as In Southwest Montana,
where he was last seen.
The fact that the Mobridge prisoner
was held for Investigation and the
insistence In Butte that Mahan had
companions caused speculation as to
whether the prisoner might be the
"John Doe named IN the Govern
ment's charges Of conspiring to de-
fraud by demanding ransom for the
WgEerhaeuser boy.