Evening star., 1938-05-31
Father Tosses Cash
From Automobile
as Directed.
FEARS ARE FELT
ORLAD'S SAFETY
Mother Frustrated, Talk
Is Heard of Forming
Posses for Search.
(Picture on Page A-2J
By the Associated Press.

PRINCETON, Fla, May 31.-A
packet of $4,000 in small bills wa!
dropped in a country road today ir
an effort to ransom 5-year-old James
Bailey Cash, jr., from kidnapers who
seized him in his sleep Saturday night
The senior Cash, who keeps a gen.
eral store and filling station in thi'
farming community, tossed the cur
rency from his car on solitary drive
before dawn at sight of blinking head
lights and hail from the side Of the
road--signals specified in a ransom
note.
He returned in high hopes Of re-
gaining his son by noon but as the
hour passed apparently without
sign from the abductors, grave fea;
was felt for the lads safety. The
mother was reported Frustrated.
A crowd of some 800 persons mostl.
overalled truck farmers and citrus
growers, gathered outside the frame
two-story Cash apartment building
and filling station, on the main high
way, and discussed forming posse!
to search the region.
Believed Local Resident.
w. p. Cash, uncle of the boy, ex.
pressed the view the kidnaper was q
local resident. The belief was
strengthened by the circumstance that
the ransom notes contained maps
rejecting an intimate knowledge OF
the countryside. They were drawn
to direct the father in delivering the
ransom.
Agents of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation withdrew from the scene
along with sheriff's deputies and the
local police. ALI declined to discuss
their strategy.
The tow-headed youngster was
stolen from his bed while his mother
went next door to help her husband
close the grocery for the night. The
kidnaper slit q screen, unlatched the
back door and took the pajama clad
boy.
Note Threatens Death.
A note, one of three in the case,
threatened death to the lad known
in the neighborhood as "Skeegie" If
the father called authorities, but Mr..
Cash notified the Federal Bureau of
Investigation at Miami, 25 miles north
of here, and j. Edgar Hoover at Wash
ington assigned a squad of inspectors
who flew here Sunday.
Then early today, while G-Men
worked on the case and throngs OF
curious milled about this crossroads
village of 500, man presumed to
be the abductor slipped the third
note under the door of the Cash
apartment, tossed a rock at window
to attract attention and fed into
the underbrush.
The message, printed on a triangu-
lar piece of brown wrapping paper,
ordered Mr.. Cash to repeat maneu-
vers prescribed in an earlier note-to
drive over route specified on a map,
blinking the headlights of his car
at certain spots as signal. Mr.
Cash had done this in vain last night,
but the new note was understood. to
have complained of too many per-
sons about.
Note on UncIe's Door.
The earlier note had been found
pinned to the door at the home Of
the boys uncle next door, The other
note figuring in the case was given
to colored man to deliver to James
Cash. 1t directed attention to the
note at Wilson Cash's home, but the
man became frightened at the noe.
turral visitor who gave it to him and
failed to deliver it, SO it did not turn
up until later. The F. B. l. agents
took the three notes and their full text
was not available.
A State Road Department watch
man provided a clue with a report
that green sedan travelling west at
breakneck speed was forced by con-
struction work on the road to slow up
as 1t passed his station on an East
West highway, mile and half north
of here shortly after the boy was
missed.
The watchman saw several men and
q small child which was crying loudly
This road is one of many paved
highways which honeycomb this area,
south of Miami, known as the Red
lands district. It is rich agricul-
tural section with thriving citrus
groves and vast farms where winter
vegetables are grown.
Child Had Premonition.
Mr.. Cash, 38 years old, merchant
and filling station owner, has lived
here with his wife for the last five
years. He owns a grocery store and
two filling stations as well as the
building from which the boy was
stolen. This is a large frame structure
containing six apartments with fill
ing station and lunchroom in front
on the main highway between Miami
and Key West.
Mrs. Cash said her son seemed to
have premonition that something
was wrong Saturday. She said she
put him to bed, read from child's
book and then went to the store her
husband operates.
"Mommie, please don't put me to
bed. I'm afraid" she quoted the child
as saying.
When she returned, the bed was
empty.