Evening star., 1935-11-10
G-MEN REJECT
CANCSTER OFFER
Guilty Plea Proposal to
Save Girl Meets Cold
Shoulder.
BY REX COLLIER.


Turning a cold shoulder to gang
land overture of somewhat sentimen-
tai origin, the Department of Justice
has rejected summarily an alleged
kidnaper's offer 70 trade guilty
plea for the freedom of his captured
paramour. under indictment as an
accomplice.
Oficials of the department disclosed
yesterday they have notified Willie"
Weaver, member of the notorious
Karpis-Barker gang. which kidnapped
Edward G. Bremen of st. Paul, Mimi.
for 100000 ransom, that his offer
to change his mot guilty" plea in
court is not acceptable to the Gov
ernment.
In refusing Weaver's proposal. the
department adhered rigidly to its oft
reiterated policy: 1--WE will not bar
gain with gangsters." Other under
world desperadoes have met with this
rebuff when they sought to make
a deal" for leniency. Among these
was the late Charles Pretty Boy"
Floyd, Kansas City massacre gunman,
who offered to surrender II assured
immunity from execution. He was
killed later by G-men as he sought
to escape in an Ohio corn field.
Indicted in kidnapping.
The woman for whom Weaver made
his romantic gesture is Myrtle Eaton,
indicted as one of % conspirator,. in
Lilr, ord
tector of a fugitive from Justice
Weaver.
The pair was arrested last Labor
day on a farm in Florida, where
they had been living as man and
wife. With them was 2-year-old
boy, said to be the son of a friend
Of the Eaton woman.
Special agents of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation had been conducting
a countrywide search for the pair for
more than a year Eventually they
trailed them to Florida. where they
had been masquerading as respec-
table farm couple under assumed
names.
Surrounding the farmhouse. the
raiding squad lay in wait until Weaver
emerged early in the morning and
bent over to pick up morning news
paper on the front porch.
Reach up-not down." was the
stern command Of the leader Of the
SQUAD. The startled Weaver raised
his hands and surrendered without a
struggle.
Sincerity Discounted.
The couple and child were taken by
plane to St. Paul, where they have
been awaiting trial under the Federal
'Lmdbergh law" Justice officials dis
counted the sincerity of the sentiment
implied in Weaver's proposal to save
his sweetheart from trial. The con-
sensus of those familiar with the case
was that he was thinking as much OF
his own fate as that of his common
law wife. A guilty plea might net him
a term of years instead OF the possible
life sentence at Alcatraz Penitentiary
If he is tried and convicted by jury.
However. a plea of guilty by another
member of the kidnapping gang brought
no mercy from the court. Volney
Davis, captured when G-men raldeo
an apartment in Chicago last June,
pleaded guilty and is serving the re-
mainder of his days at Alcatraz.
Arthur Doc Barker. one of the ring
leaders, who was captured In Chicago
in another raid by Federal agents last
January, was convicted and also is
serving life sentence at Alcatraz. In
all. eight have been convicted, three
killed by G-men and two killed by
underworld enemies.
F. B. I. agents killed Russell Glib
son, alias Slim Gray. in a gun battle
at Chicago apartment house Janu-
ary s, last, and nine days later slew
Fred Barker, brother of Doc" and his
mother Kate when they turned ma
chine guns on raiders who called to
them to surrender.