Evening star., 1953-10-08
Only Two Abductions
UnsoIVed Since 1882
Breakdown by u. 5.
BY the Assoeiated Press

brought death to little Bobby
Greenlease have been almost
non-eXiStent in this country for
a decade.
Law enforcement experts as
sumo that most of the criminal
element has finally realized this
Is one crime that doesn't pay off.
Since 1882, when the Federal
Government took over jurisdic-
ton in abductions involving the
crossing of State lines, the FBI
reports it has handled or helped
to handle some 459 kidnap cases
all but two of them solved.
kidnapping motives run the
scale-for ransom, for revenge,
the work Of psychopaths, the
technical violations involved in
taking hostages after a holdup.
The two big cases which re-
main unSolved closely followed
the Greenlease pattern, up to a
point.
Two Children Died.
They involved children who
dled-l0-year-old Charles Mat
son, seized at Tacoma, Wash,
December 27, 1886, and found
dead IS days later, and Peter
Levine. IL. of New Rochelle,
N. Y. kidnapped February "a,
1888. found dead after lapse
of two months.
In both cases, the abductors
made ransom demands-$28,0 900
on the Matsons, 100000 on the
Leyines. However, unlike the
Greenlease case, the culprits pre-
sumably became frightened,
broke off contact, did not collect
and disappeared with nothing
to show for their effort-except
the death of a child.
In other abductions, the ran
som collectors never had a
chance to enjoy their sudden
wealth. Five were executed, two
were lynched by mob of in
furlated citizens and a long list
went off to Alcatraz and other
prisons for life or long terms.
Recall Florida Case.
In discussing the non-profit /
status of kidnapping, officials
often recall the case of Franklin
Pierce Mccall, who carried off
5-year-old James Bailey Cash,
il, from his Princeton (Fla.)
home in 1898.
Little James was later found
dead, Mccall had collected $1O,-
600 from the family. But he got
to spend just S5 of it. Arresting
officers recovered the remaining
1895 and Mccall was electri-
cuted.
The 100000 paid by the
Greenlease boys father was the
biggest ransom ever demanded,
the biggest ransom ever paid in !
this country, SO far as records go. !
II the kidnaperS had consulted
the record, they could have found
that 100000 was the previous
top, that only three such ran
SONS were paid in the last 20
years, that more than half of
these eXtOrtionS were recovered.
and that IL persons went to
prison in these caSes-eight for
life, the others for up to so years.
Only in the 100000 kidnapping
OF Edward G.. Bremen of st. Paul,
Mimi, in 1884 was most of the
money disbursed. The two men
involved were caught and given
life sentences. but the recovery
was only $19.870.
Gilman Abducted.
But when the abductorS of
George WeyerhaeuSer of Tacoma, |
Wash, collected 100000 from
his family in 1885 before releas-
ing him, $157,319 was recovered !
and four men went to prison for
20 to 60 years.
The third 100000 case was the
abduction of wealthy Gilman
Charles F. Urschel of Oklahoma
City in 1888. Police got back
Sl23,730 and sent six persons to
prison for life. One of them was
the notorious George Machine
Gum Kelly. still behind bars.
The 1882 Federal kidnapping
law sprang from national shock
over the kidnap-killing of the
20-month-old son of Aviator
Charles A. Lindbergh, jr., in that
year. Bruno Richard Haupt-
mann paid with his life for the
infants death.
Kidnapings Wane.
For time. the underworld
kept on having a try at kidnap-
ing, but the crime definitely had
waned 10 years ago. Since then,
only one big case involving a
ransom demand had come to the
FBI for investigation. prior to
the GreenleaSe abduction.
This was the case of DR.. Nancy
Du Val Campbell. prominent OBJ L,
stetrician of Santa Fe, N. M.
She was convicted in the State
court in 1850 of kidnapping g.
year-old Linda Stamm, whom
she had delivered into the world.
Linda'S father. a wealthy con-
tractor, got demand for $4,000
ransom. At the payoff spot. FBI
agents arrested Dr.. Campbell.
dressed in mans clothing, and
found the missing child un- '
harmed in a parked automobile
DR.. Campbell pleaded not guilty.
but was convicted under State ]
laws and given a 10 to 15-year
sentence. ,