Evening star., 1936-06-15
EX-CONv|CT HELD
IN CH|LD-SLAY|NG.
THREAT FOR $4,000.
Son of Justice Official Is
Menaced-ConfesSion by
Suspect Reported.
NOTE RECEIVED JUNE 9
TURNED OVER TO G-MEN
Writer Had Demanded Sum Be
Sent-Followed Publication of
Picture Here.
BY REX COLLIER.

Jesse Miller, 22-year-old ex-con-
eict, of Thurmont, Nd. is in custody
of the Federal Bureau Of Investigation
on charge of threatening to kill the
14-month-old son of Mr.. and Mrs
Stephen McKevett Farrand. BOIL
Gates road. Chevy Chase, in a 5000
extortion plot.
Farrand is an attorney in the Of
fee of Solicitor General Stanley Reed
Of the Justice Department.
Miller. arrested Saturday at Thur
mont, has admitted writing to Mrs
save her sons life. it was disclosed
here today by J. Edgar Hoover, di-
rector of the p. B. l. Hoover said
the case has been turned over to
United States Attorney Leslie C. Gar
nett for prosecution. Miller is being
held in jail in Baltimore.
Received Letter June ..
Hoover said Mrs. Farrand received
Through the mail on June 9 letter
which experts in the technical labora-
tory of the F. B. I. declare was
written by Miller.
The letter. signed "R. B. G. Killer
Instructed her to send $4,000 within
one weeks time to Miller's older
brother. Orville. at Blue Mountain
Md, unless she preferred to have her
son killed The letter had been
mailed at Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.
The note was turned over to the
bureau and an investigation was be-
gun to determine Orville Miller
status in the case. The latter was
questioned last Thursday after he had
been taken into custody by Frederick
County officers, acting on request of
Federal agents.
The laboratory examination of'the
extortion letter" Hoover said today.
indicated concIusively that Orville
Miller had not prepared the letter.
Collateral investigation supported the
fact that Orville was not implicated
in the sending Of the letter"
Farrand said today he thought the
alleged extortionist FUSED poor iudg-
ment" in picking a Justice Depart
rnent man as his intended victim. He
said as soon as Mrs. Farrand re-
ceived the letter, he took it to the
Federal Bureau OF Investigation.
Special agents of the F. B. l., Far
rand said, immediately began guard
duty at the Farrand home, while other
agents began their Investigation In
Maryland. Farrand said the guard
Wss withdrawn last Friday when he
was advised by the agents that the
case had been cleared up. He said he
Is now trying to find watch dog lust
as precsution" against future trouble.
The attorney said he had never
heard Of the Millers nor of Thurmont,
Md. prior to the investigation of the
letter He expressed the opinion that
the plot was conceived after publca-
ton IN a Washington newspaper June
of q picture of Mrs. Farrand and her
boy. Peter, who recently celebrated his
first birth anniversary. He said the
letter re.erred to the previous resi-
oence of the Farrands in Los Angeles,
mention of which was made in the
caption under the picture.
Fugitive Proceedings Asked.
United States Attorney Garnett has
been asked to institute fugitive pro-
ceedings for the removal from Balti-
more 10 the District of Jesse Miller.
Records Of the Fingerprint Division
of the p. 3. I. show Jesse Miller served
q month in Jail in 1888 at Hagerstown
for carrying concealed weapons, five
days m Millgrove, N Y, on a State
charge, and six months last year in
the House OF Correction at Jessups,
Md. for larceny.
Farrand, a graduate OF Leland STAN
ford University. came here March Is
10 become legal aide in the solicitor
generals Office. He had practiced law
in Los Angeles prior to entering the
Federal service.