The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-06-05

of articles giUing a graphic pic
ture of the D1r against crime,
Which each year costs the people
OF this country fifteen billion
dollars. Written tDith the COOP
GRAFTON and approval of J. Ed
gar Hoover, director of the Fed
erGl Bureau of Investigation,
the series explains hon science
has been e1lliStd by Omen tP
stamp out criminal elementS.l/
By A. N. WECKSLER
With the same heartless bru-
atty which characterized the
Malta ruffianS of Sicily, who
struck terror to their victims with
threats of death and torture, the
modern extortioniSt today plies
lis trade.
OF the noblest sentiments Of the
human race he makes criminal
capital. A grieving and anxious
'ather received a note which
ended:
ave don't want to hurt any
one If we can get out of it. So
If you just follow the rules as
they are laid down by us you
will have the one you love back
home in a weeks time if you
care about them 100000 worth.
$50 just remember a slip on
your part is a slip by us. Don't
do it. "EGOIST, EGOIST."
At the time this eXtortion note
vas written. a nine-year-old boy
vas lying chained hand and foot
n a hole in the ground. A board
,ver the top Of the hole blotted
1ut even the faint light Of a dark
hight.
Trapped by Greed
The boy was George Weyerhaeu.
ier, son of prominent Tacoma,
Wash, lu m b erman who was
matched by two men as he was on
lis way home to lunch from school.
It was a kidnap and extortion case
II the worst kind and the Omen
who broke the case and rounded
Up the three principals involved
hded a new page to the growing
lnti-crime history of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation.
Solution of the Weyerhaeuser
case required the type of co-ordi-
lated action which only the Omen
AN supply. The eXtortionists were
raped by their own avarice. They
ipent portions of the ransom
money and were arrested through
rlick action of Federal agents.
OF lesser fame, but involving as
many interesting details as the
Neyerhaeuser case, was the inves.
igation launched upon receipt by
prominent Brooklyn physician of
athreatening extortion note, which
cad:
Leave 500 on the bedroom
windOwSil in the bedroom or you
will be dead in three days.
"THE SPOOK MAN"
The note was written in a large,
crawling hand and had been
bund in the doctors mail box.
Suspicion was directed by the ply.
ician against three holdup men.
Who a year previously had entered
MS office and held up both him.
elf and several patients in his
eception room.
"A maid working in the house
old Omen that the sender of the
tote was probably former maid
Tho had been discharged.
81 How Note Was Traced
EThe special agent who examined
he note discovered that it had
Seen written on the lower half of
IS autographed letter, which had
9een sent out by a certain laun.
Ivy. He further found that these
alters had been sent to 1.700 resi-.
aentS of New York, scattered in
III sections of the city.
3 However, the fact that the let.
~ had been sent out only the
lay before the extortion note was
bund, led the investigator to be.
deve that the note was sent by
omeone in the immediate neigh
3orhood of the physicians resi-
dence.
The special agent began the
adious task of searching through
s names and addresses OF all