;
Federal Agents      Samuel Stevens Close on Trail    j Severely Injured of Kidnappers      Saturday Night
Closed in on the Chase as Soon   Received Fractured Skull While As Weyerhauser Was Releas-       Endeavoring to Collect Horse
PRINCE  GEORGE, B.  C.          THURSDAY,  JUNE  6,   1935
Five Cent*
 MRS. ALMA RATTENBURY COMMITTED SUICIDE AT
e   on Ransom Payment SPREADING GREAT NET
 g  Shoeing Charge
 IS MAKING~RECOVERY
arU -Capture of Kidnappers is Herman George Groth is Jailed Confidently Expected by the on Charge of Assault With Federal Agents
Tacbma, Jane 5�The first of the Weyerhauser ransom bank notes io tx> located by the pol'ce was picked up at Huntingtorr, near the Idaho line. It is said to have been passed by a man who used it to purchase transportation to Salt Lake City.
Tacoma, June 1�With the return of nine-year-ol George Weyerhaiiser to his  family, after tbe'xpaymeni of $200,000  ransom    to  his  kidnappers, federal   agents  began "= the  most   in-ten fve search in the history of the United   States   for   the    kidnappers. Their victim was subjected to a number of  indignities  while  he   was   in the hands of hbi kidnappers, but only to ensure secrecy while he was being moved about.    Otherwi.se he says he was well treated. He was a watchful youngster and the  polrce believe  he \nll prove of assistance to them  in the   furnisliing    of    useful clues in the numing down of the kidnappers. H- recollection of the men who held him in custody is said to support the ! suspicion of  the federal  agents  that i the kidnapping was the work of the Xlrri Karp's gang- Which engineered � tie'r.dnapping of Edward G. Bremer , in St. Paul and  released   him  after i twenty-one    days    uixin    receipt  of; j.WOOO ransom.    In connection with : this cr'me one    of the perpetrators ris murdered,   three   were   shot   by erovern-tnent    agents,  three    received I life sentences,    several    lesser   sentences,    and   three    including  Alvin' Karpis have yet to be apprehended, j The federal agents had been look- i ing  for Karp's    and    a  companion I Harry   Campbell     in    Portland   and! Seattle  for  some   time  prior  to   the; Weyerhauser    kidnapping,     and    in! new of  the  closeness of   tlv's  hunt! were hardly prepared  to accept  the view that  they had a  hand  in   the! Weyerhauser crime.    Campbell is re- | ported as having been seen in Oregon < on May   19th.    and   in   Seattle   the next day. and Weyerhauser was kidnapped at noon on May 24th in Tacoma.   Campbell   registered   a   black Cadillac   under     his   own   name   in California this year.   Several Tacoma residents say they saw young Weyerhauser sttuggling  in a Cadillac in the arms  of a man.  and  they  later identified   pictures     of    Karp's   and Campbell  as the men in the car.
Federal  agents are confident   they j will run the Weyerhauser kidnappers | to earth in a short time,  as imiw- ; diately after  the    ransom  had   been I Paid  they  threw  a  net  around   the waterfront   and   had   patrols   on   all j the highways At two different points j suspicious  automobiles    were  chased v 'x>lice but they managed to elude rapture. The police  arc checking up ] �^ the  probability  that the kidnap- | p"s planned to make their get-away �r- a plane. A mystery plan was observed in the vicinity   of Pendleton, Oregon.    The federal  agents have'a number  of  planes   at  their  d'sposal and   will   soon    learn    whether   tihe Plane in question    is being   used to Effect the escaj>e of  the kidnap)>ers or is  engaged  in   the  smuggling  of narcotics.
Chicago. June. 2�Seven led oral a&ents today arrested Volney Davis, H member of the Karpis gang of kidnappers, wanted with Karpis in connection with the Weyerhauser kid-napping but the probability is the �^rrst wa,s a ]>ar^ Of (_no mopphig up t the Bremer crime.
---------�----------a--------------------
EAMON DE VALERA SAYS FREE STATE CANNOT BE BASE FOR AN ATTACK
Grievous Bodily Harm
Sam Stevens, wlio operates a blacksmitih and farrier's shop on Fourth avenue, Ls in the hospital suffering from painful bruises, and, Herman George Groth, a farmer of the d strict is in jail charged with a-s.uilt, causing grievous bod'ly harm. The trouble is said to have arisen; when Stevens told Groth he would have to pay $4.00 for work cm his horses before he would be permitted to take them from the shop.
The horses were brought into Che shop shortly after noon on Saturday by Groth to be shod. The work wacs attended to and Groth returned for the horses about 5.30. When Stevens demanded payment for Irs work Groth refused to pay. Stevens then told him he could not take the horses away until the account had been paid. G roth's answer to this was he would like to see anyone stop him. He then attempted to untie the horses, and  Stevens asked S. C.
Is Said to Have Sent a Letter to Her Condemned Lover Awaiting Execution
London,     Jure    5�Mrs.   Alma Rattenbury,    the   British Columbian  woman  who  was  acquitted on Friday on the charge of having murdered her husband Francis M. Rattenbury, wrote ancther chapter in the Rattenbury tragedy today in the vicinity of the Rattenbury home at    Bournemouth, when she    stabbed    herself    six times and  then jumped into the liver. Before taking her life Mrs. Rattenbury is said  to have sent a   letter     to   her   lover     George Stoner,     the     eighteen-year-old chauffeur of the Rattenbury  establishment who was tried jointly with  her on the. murder charge, a.nd  who was convicted-of murder and sentenced to be hanged. F. M. Rattenbury was beaten over J tihe head with a  wocden  mallet  in | his home and died from his injur.es j four days later.    Mis. Rattenbury at first confessed the crime of striking ' her husband w th the mallet, but on her trial entered a plea of not-guilty and  the confession was rejected by the court on medical testimony that | the woman could not have been in a ( fit condifon  lo make any .statement 1    at the time the confession wa'S made. The evidence at the trial established ,    that  Mrs.  Rattenbury:   and    Stoner had been guilty of an illicit love affair, and that both were dope addicts.
Assault Are
es
Case Against Frederick Barker For Attack on Copeland Is First Taken Up
EVIDENCE IS DIRECT
Trouble Started When Police Set to Work to Remove Barrier Across the Highway
AGA KHAN'S BAHRAN
Nielsen, who was working !n the shop
with  him.   to  go  and  telephone   for   WAS WINNER OF DERBY
* StevSf says he in the act of re-ty- | RUN ON  WEDNESDAY
in# the horse which Groth had loosened when he was struck over the head with a hammer by Groth. The blow felled h'm and he attempted to get away from Groth by crawling under the belly of the hor.se. While doing so he says he was struck twice more by Groth with the hammer and lost consciousness. The next he knew was when he came to in the hospital.
Home Gas.
"Folks,   the   Home     Oil   Optimists are great entertainers." Thi.s was the sentrment  expressed  by  J.   D.  Gillis on Friday,  following the appearance of   the   Optimists    in   the     Princes.? Theatre in matinee and evening performances on Thursday.    Everybody does   not  always   agree  with  everything Mr. Gillis says, but on this occasion   he   was   expressing   what  appeared  to  be  a   unanimous   opinion, j The  Home  Oil   Optimists    are  good entertainers, and when it \s remem- ] bored   they   constitute   a   road   company, and draw down  from $5000 to j SfiOOO per annum; they might well be � expected to be cood entertainers. For the  most   part   they represent   hand- j sorted  talent  from -Hollywood. Their audiences on  Thursday    showed  instant   appreciation   of   tix&r   ability, nnd the members of the troup made it very evident they had  a hi ah regard for the people of Prince George. Another   factor  doubtless   accounting | for   the    enthusiasm   the     Optimists threw into their work may have been the circumstance their Prince George appearance marked the close of their j 1934-35  engagement    and   all   of   the boys  were out   to be  entertained  a.s well a.s to furnish entertainment.
The Optlm'sts packed the Princess for both matfnee and evening performances, and after the evening nerformnnce moved down to the Elks' hall where they furniched music (Continued on Page Five")
London. June 5�Aga Khan's Bah-ran,   the  heaviest  favorite   in   many years,  was  the winner cf  the  156th running of the Dei by which was witnessed by a company cf 300.000 which included   the   king   and   queen   and most members  of  the royal   family. Sir   Abe   Bailey's  Rcbin   Goodfellow! was second  with Lord  Astor's  Field j Trial   in third place.    The    sale  of tickets    for   the    Irish     Free   State! sweepstake was the lowest in several years  there being    but  $5,636.ogot,o divide-among the winri'ei"3. The "fail- i ing off in the ticket sale is said  to j be due  largely  to   British  lepressivei measures aganst  the lottery.  United i States addresses  were  furnished   for! the holders of tickets carrying win- i nings of $2,747,000 but the owners of-many of  the tickets are  believed  to. be British residents.    There was but one  Canadian  holder who proved  a j winner on the first three horses and i his   winning  is estimated   at  $49,200. j
RELIEF CAMP STRIKERS PASS KAMLOOPS WITH CALGARY NEXT STOP
Vancouver.     June     5�The     relief cam]) strikers  to the  number of 800 have pulled out of Kamlcops and are now   headed   by    the  box-car   route with  Calgary  a.s  their next stop  on the  Ottawa  march.    They  figure on I remaining three days at Calgary, but j will have to speed up their progress j if they are to rer.ch  the capital bo- i fore parliament prorogues..  The  ma- . yor of Calgary has forwarded a pro- J test   to   Ottawa   against   the  strikers being permitted to enter Alberta.
HOUSE  OF COMMONS HAS FULL-DRESS DEBATE ON  INCOME  TAXATION
Dublin, May 31�That hostility on I.,    �>art of the Irish Free State gov-\h nGnt  ^^    Great  Britain  has  evidenced in t.he .statement
SINGLE MEN ON RELIEF HAVE CALLED OFF THE STRIKE  AGAINST WORK
The unmarried men on the government relief list, who refused to work for their May relief, have called off their strike. The men have been informed till ere is no change in the position of the government, and that arrears of work will have to be caught up   with   before   any   relief   for   the
Ottawa.    June    5�The     house    ot commons   had   a     full-dress   debate today on  the subject  of income  taxation.    In   the course of  the debate it  was pointed out  that   the province S of  Ontario   contemplates   the   aboli- � tion of the existing income taxation : by   the   municipalities  and   the   sub-stitution of a form of provincial in- ; come  tax.    There was a general  re- j cognition   of   the  right   of   tine   provinces to enter the income tax field ! but.  it   did  not   extend   to   the  po!nt. j desired by the provinces and the dyil �' taxation  involved    was � left  largely | where it was before.
NO DEVELOPMENTS IN
month of June will be considered. J.
W   Mieis   resident engineer, will en-   WEYERHAUSER CASE- IN
�(� ovnusieea in tne hhhwiiiwiui        ;         (o  find   empioyment   for  the   T AC-p - , miiDC in the Dail todav bv President     dea\oi   w>     >          '      ble at a vvage   LAS 1   24 HOUKb
Eammon  de  Valera,   that   the   Free     T^^nS- ^t noS         ^
State government will not i>ermit the I    of $3.20 fo,  eight horns. J-Jee state to be made the base for
 be made th y attack upon England.
LUMBERMEN'S STRIKE UN PACIFIC COAST IS AGAIN SPREADING
Th
 June 5�The strike of the  on   the Pacific    Coast.  apl)ear�l to be on the road to ent.    lias broken    out  again,  days    a#o a number    of  the  sawmills  reopened   but.   their  nviYere ^ cl�seay picketed  that r          Were  closed   again   today.
�     said te te' growing bitterness  #uthe   mO!rte   radical   element  H     e men ^d a section of the  which adds to the serious- of the situation.
UNEMPLOYED   VETERANS TN  CANADA HAVE  BEEN LISTED AT 38,000
Tacoma. June 6�There have been no iww developments In the hunt for the kidnappers of the Weyerhauser boy within the last twenty-four hours since Oho ransom bank note was picked up at Huntintgon. Oregon.
Ottawa   June 4�legion executives frniri -ill raits of  the dominion have been Mimmoned to Ottawa to consider   MARRIED   MEN the Hyndmnn report of the cc cf   the   returned   men.   The
Canada has .spent a total of soldiers The larg-
L�" SWEEPSTAKE TO DECIDE RIGHT TO JOBS
amounted to $615.' ed Canadian war overseas service are 38,000. Former members of the ini-forces residing ;ji Canada with-bs are believed to number be-and 15.000.
Edmonton.    June 5�When  it  became known that employment would be found on the Jasper-L.ake Louise highway for 110 manned men in addition   to the single men  employed. . there were so manv married men an- ! xious to go to work that they agreed among themselves to hold a sweepstake  and  decide who should  have the first chance at tlie work.
The trial of the iour men charged with assaulting peace officers in the discharge of their duty opened in the court house on Wednesday monvng before Stipendiary Magistrate Mil-burn. A McB. Young had charge of the prosecutions and Gor- , don Grant, of Vancouver, appeared for the accused.
The assaults upon the peace officers occurred on the big hill on the Quesnel highway,    about    two miles from  Prince  George,  on  the  morning of Monday, May 13th. There was a strike on of the- unmarred men on government relief  at  the   time.  The! government had decreed the unmarried men should work for their relief , and offered a wage of $3.20  for an 8-hour day.   The men sought to ra;se j the ante on the government, and the | strike was called  in due course.    It , was part of the plan of the strikers | to attempt to 'intimidate any men on j relief who were  willing  to work  for ' the assistance given them. The strik- j era and the men who were willine to j work had a  number of clashes,  the strikers  generally  arranging   matter; so  that   they   were  ;n   the majority. and with the opportunity present  to beat up men who sought to work.
Th? strikers had been fairly successful in these skirmishes, and en I the morning of Mbnd-ay. May 13th thev had planned a grand coup by which they hoped to bring ".11 government relief work to a stand-sfll. The government had been working a crew cFn"trte QuesneT hielivav. 'aitd on the morntnsr of May 13th the strikers gathered at a point about two miles out from the city, threw a barricade acro.^s the lrghway. and t^ the number of forty or fifty assembled to prevent it from being re-moved.
Anticipating trouble police protection was furnished the trucks carrying the workmen. At. the head of | the cavalcade came Game Inspector! Van- Dyk and G-ame Wardens For- j rester and Copeland in a small car. j When they came up to the barricade j the officers got out of their car to remove it. and were ordered by Frederick Barker to leave the barricade alone. The three offcers paid no attention to Barker but proceeded to take clown the barricade. Then the trouble started in which G-ame Warden- Forrester and Copeland were badly beaten, the former receiving a broken arm. The trial of Barker was the first to be proceeded with on Wednesday morning. The  first witness called was Game War- den Copeland. serving as a special cor-stnble. His evidence was direct with respect to that part of the disturbance and assault he had witnessed. He said he was engaged in removing the barrier when he was struck by some one from behind. He could not see the man who .struck him. Imined'atcly after, tlio accused Barker had jumoed on his back and forced him to the ground. When he wen! down Barker was on top of him. but ho managed to roll Barker over and get <>i> top of him. Tt was wlrle he was struggling en the top of Barker that he was subjected to further assaults in the form of blows ever tlii" head and body. He could not identify the persons who had assaulted him but presumed thev were strikers m they had sWa.rm.ed around Barker and h'mself. He retained his hold en Barker until he was assisted by Constable Pomeroy and Barker was handcuffed and taken to^ the i>olice car.
Gordon Grant in his crcss-exam-vnation of Copeland gave an inkling as to what the defence might be. assisted by such technicalities as might be pressed into service This impl'ed he would set up the contention that hostilities had been opened by the police, that it was the police who had attacked Barker and not Barker who had attacked Copeland. He did not get very far in advancing tlrs contention. Copeland denied stoutly ttiat he had struck at Barker. Mr. Grant, warned Copland that he had three witrreses who would say Cone-land had first struck at Barker, and that it was after tliis that Barker had grappled with Copeland. Mr. Grant went on to say he had been further instructed that Con-stable Copeland had been hit over the head by his brother police officers, and not by the strikers, while he had been holding Barker down. He also mti-mated tliat it was with a view to � avoiding punishment by the police j that Barker had l^ermitted Constable Copland to get on top of trm. Con- ; stable   Copeland   declined   to   accept
Mr. Grant's version of his conflict with Barker and other strikers. There was a challenge on the part of Mr. Grant as to whether Game Warden Copland was also a police constable and. assuming he were a peace officer wa-j he acting in the discharge of his duty in attempting to remove the barricade from the highway. In the end Mr. Grant expressed hid willingness to accept the fact of Copland's appointment as a .special constable in June 1934, but there was the hint that the officer's status on the day of tihe assault may be the subject of   further  argument.
Inspector Van Dyk was the second witness. He testified lie was an inspector in the game admin'strafcion. He was also a special constable with his appointment going back to 1929. and a justice of the peace. He corroborated much of the evidence of Of-f cer Copeland. He was travelling in the leading car with Officers Copp-land and Forrester in performance of ix>lice duty at the request of Sergeant McKenzie. Tt was at the request of Sergeant McKenzie that he had taken Officers Copcland and Forrester along. When the car came up to the barricade across the Ivgh-way he had raid to the officers "We will move that barricade." There were two men standing at the barricade at the time, the accused Barker being cne of them. These men told the witness not to remove the barricade. It wa.s while the three of them were attempting to remove the barricacie that Barker jumpci on Copeland. He did not rcc Copeland struck before Barker jumped his back. One of the strikers came after Van Dyk about this time, and having a private war on his handi; he saw nothing more of the Copsland assault. Van Dyk stated positively rothing had been done by himself or Officers Copeland or Forrester to provoke Barker.
Inspector    Van    Dyk    contributed nothing; in "the" 'way of  evidence,  to support Mr. Grant's supjxwition that it   had  been  the police officers  who had assaulted  Officer Copeland  and not the strikers.   Hp sa;d he was f.he only officer  in uniform  near Coi^e-land   rnd   Barker     while   th�v   wen grappling     with     each     other.     He scouted the idea he had struck Copeland as he had noth'ng in his hands when   he   went   to   the  officer's   assistance.    He had then been attacked and was forced to leave Copeland to look after himself.
R. W. Lattman followed Inspector Van Dyk to the witness stand. Ho was one of the men on the government truck going out to work in charge of Andy Forrest. He was rding on the top of the truck and had a good view of the disturbance at the barricade. When the barricade was reached he saw the three officers get out of their car and approach the barricade. Officer Copeland was stoopfng down w'len witness -saw Barker strike him over the shoulder with a stick. This was all he saw of the attack upon Copeland. Mr, Grant expressed his surprise that the witness d:d not follow the encounter nf Barker and Copeland further, but . Lattman explained thi.s with the statement that about this time the strikers commenced throwing i*ocks at the truck, and he busied himself in dodging those which camp his way. The rocks did some damage to the truck.
P. Garland and Dennis Paquette. who were on the government trucks, gave corroborative, evidence as to happenings around the barricade.
Dr. C. Ewert gave medical testimony as to the nature of the injuries received by Special Constable Copeland.
J. W. Miers, resident engineer for the public works department . rave evidence that no one had been auth-oried to throw the barricade across the highway. He� also testified that he had requested the provincial police to give protection to the trucks on the morning of May 13t,h~Tii the transport of the men who were will-ins: to work.
When the court resumed on Thursday morning A. McB. Young asked for an adjournment until 3.30 o'clock. to enable him to establish the appointment of Officer Copeland as a member of the provincial police fo-ce. There is the suggestion that certain game wardens may not be police officers. There is provision by which the executive, by order-in-council. may make game wardens members of the permanent provincial police force, actine without pay: but nc-'cording to the Act ffter they have been so anpointpd they must take the oath of allegiance before entering upon police dutv. Under cross-examination Constable Copeland said he ii-id been appointed a provincial constable by order-in-council dsited June L'2nd. 1934. and further that he had taken the oalh of allegiance mi Jime 15th, some days prior to t.hf> date of his appointment. G. Grant, who is conducting the (Continued on rage Six)