Evening star., 1947-01-22
Girl, II, Safe al Home
After Escape From
West Coast Kidnaper
By the Assoeioied Pres.

LODI, Calf, Jan. 22.-Kid-
naped Alice Dean Devine, popu-
liar and pretty 17-year-old Lodi
High School student, was back
home and unharmed today after
the most narrowing 26 hours of
her life. Police authorities are
hunting over the entire West
Coast for a man who tried to COL
|lect $4,000 in ransom and gave
up in fright.
The 165-pound girl athlete broke
out of her bonds in highway
motel near Sacramento yesterday
afternoon while the kidnaper was
away and telephoned her location
to relatives in Sacramento.
State police broadcast an alarm
for the arrest of a man they said
had used the names of Everett
Wescott stiles of Portland. Oreg.
and William (BilD Giles, identify
ing himself as an agent for an
Eastern publishing house.
Kidaper Fails to Appear.
Miss Devine was held under police
guard until last night when she
and her father were stationed across
the street from a Sacramento bar
in a futile effort to capture her
abductor. The kidnaper was ex-
pected. but failed to appear at the
bar to collect the ransom.
The father, John Edward Devine,
wealthy Lodi grape grower and vice
president of the American Fruit
Growers Association, had been told
in note the night before to be at
the bar at pm. last night with
$40, 900 in $40 and $1,000 bills If he
wished to see his daughter again.
After waiting nearly an hour be-
yond the ransom deadline, police
and FBI agents decided the kidnaper
had been frightened away by news
paper stories and the girl and her
father were returned home in a
State Highway Patrol automobile.
Girl apparently Unharmed.
The girl was whisked into the
back door of the Devine home just
as her mother, Mrs. Margaret
Devine, told group of newspaper
men she had heard nothing OF her
daughters whereabouts.
Just then Miss Devine's brother,
Dalton, cried, ooh, nom, oh, MON,
she's here!" ...
Alice Dean, rushing into the house,
threw herself into her mothers arms
with a cry, "Oh, mother" and then
ran upstairs. She was disheveled but
apparently unharmed.
The police broadcast said the fugi-
tive was driving 1887 gray Ford
sedan with Oregon license plates
numbered 32-9086. ...
The broadcast described the
wanted man as about AZ, feet 8
inches, 165 to ITO pounds, dark
brown hair, blue eyes, sharp fea-
lures, apparently well educated"
Had Posed as Feature Writer.
Since Saturday the man had
posed as a feature writer in Ma
tion-wide survey of high school life,
looking for the typical American
girl"
Miss Devine disappeared at 1880
pm. Monday after leaving a Lodi
Photographic studio where she had
gone to have her picture taken for
the purported features. e
Lodi Police Chief Millard L. Fore
said when the girl left the studio
the kidnaper placed her in an auto
mobile, bound and gagged her after
threatening her life, with a,.knife
and a revolver and drove her to the
motel outside Sacramento.
There she was held, trussed on
the bed, while the kidnaper stood
watch until about noon yesterday
the chief said. =, When the abductor
left, presumably to receive the ran
som, she made her escape. ..}t.. y,
Posed as Feature Writer.
Giving the name of Giles, the man
had posed boldly as a feature writer
and even arranged with Miss De-
vines parents for the pictures. He
sent taxicab to take her to the
studio appointment. 1t was only
after the photos were made that
his own automobile was in evidence
Along the route to the motel, he
stopped and telephened the Devine
home advising Mr.. Devine that con-
tact could be made by looking for
ransom note near a Woodshed in
the back yard.
The call was traced to the Sacra-
mento bar where he demanded the
ransom be paid.
In Sacramento, Sergt. Coy F.
Long of the California highway pa
troll today told Miss Devine's story
of how she was held captive and
then made her escape:
I'VE left the Lodi photo studio