Evening star., 1951-01-07
Ex-Convict Wanted
In Murder Of Family
Seizes Sheriff's Aide
BY the kssocioted Press

BY the Associated Press
BLYTHE, Calf, Jan. 6. - Al
Blythe sheriff's deputy. Homer
Waldrip, reported today he had
been kidnapped. trussed and left on
a highway by w. E. Cook, Mis-
souri, ex-convict suspected of mur-
dering an Illinois family of five
persons.
Not long after Mr.. Waldrip's
kidnapping, Robert H. Dewey, 80,
Seattle, Wash. was stopped on
the highway near Ogilby, 18 miles
west of Yuma, Ariz. He was shot
and killed.
Mr.. Dewey's body was placed in
the Blythe Sheriff's car which
Cook had commandeered after
forcing Mr.. Waldrip to accompany
him on the trip from Blythe to
a point 40 miles south in the I'm
perial Desert.
Deputy Relieved of Gun.
Mr.. Waldrip, 81. said he had!
gone to the Woods Hotel near
here to question a man. When he
got there, he said, Cook stepped
from a room, stuck gun in his
ribs, took Waldrip's automatic and
forced him to drive south.
Cook worked in Blythe for
several months as restaurant
dishwasher and Waldrip, who fire.
{n ~ %hn |
said he recognized him at one.
Imperial County Sheriff Bob
Ware threw up cordons to check
all roads. The immigration Serv-
ices border patrol and the Cali
fornia Highway Patrol also were
aiding in the manhunt, with the
FBI assuming leadership.
Flight to Mexico Feared.
Imperial County is in the south
east corner of California and it
was believed likely that the des-
perado might try to cross the
border into Mexico.
Cook has been sought by police
In Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The missing family is Carl Mos
ser, 33; his wife, Thelma, 29 and
their three children, Donald Dean.
7: Gary Carl, 5, and Pamela
Sue. 3.
The Mossers' car, blood-spat-
tered and bullet pierced, was
found last Wednesday near Tulsa,
Okla. The Mossers apparently
were last seen alive at Horatio,
Ark. Monday night.
Seen Entering Cafe.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol
reported late today that Cook was
definitely with the family in
Winthrop, Ark. on Monday.
Mrs. Rufus Smith, who operates
Winthrop cafe, and Mrs. Sher-
man Tuttle, also of Winthrop,
identified Cook from an Associated
Press wirephoto shown them to-
day, the patrol said.
Mrs. Smith told Sid Wilson of
the Oklahoma Crime Bureau that
Cook and Mosser entered her cafe
while Mrs. Mosser and the chill
dren remained in the car.
Mr.. Mosser's twin brother. Chris
Mosser of Albuquerque, N. NJ,
accompanied the officers. The
Mossers left their Atwood, Ill,
home December 20 with the in
tention of driving to Albuquerque
to visit Chris.
Robbed Auto Mechanic.
Cook entered the case when Lee
Burd Archer. a Tahoka, Tex.
auto mechanic, identified a pic ,,
ture of the Missouri ex-convict
as the man he picked up near
Lubbock last Saturday. Archer
said the man robbed him of s85 at
gunpoint, forced him into the
trunk of his car, and then drove
into Oklahoma.
In Oklahoma, Archer pried
open the trunk lid and jumped
from the moving car. A few miles
onward the robber abandoned the
disabled car near Luther, Okla. |
Ottlcers say the man who hi |
lacked Archer has been described
by witness as similar to a man. |
apparently hitchiker, seen get
ting into a blue car with Illinois
license plates at Tulsa later the
same day. They theorized this
may have been the Mossers' car. |