| Show TRIO QUIZZED IN OCONNELL O'CONNELL KIDNAP CASE Officers Refuse to Furnish Details on Probe of Abduction m By fly ALBANY N N. Y July 31 Three 31 Three men were held today for questioning in m connection with the of John J J. J OConnell O'Connell 24 national guard lieutenant and nephew of Ed and Dan OConnell O'Connell Democratic leaders of Albany Albany Al Al- bany as the search for the kidnap kidnapers rs was speeded spec up We Ve are arc questioning three men was the curt statement of or District Attorney Attorney Attorney At At- torney John T T. Delaney I cannot give you further details One was said to be a waiter wRiter OConnell O'Connell July 7 by sev cral eral men as he alighted from his automobile automobile automobIle auto auto- mobile was released Sunday morning after a ransom of had been paid Two men were picked up last night and early today a third was taken into Delaney's office The district attorney ney nay shoulders sag sagging Ing and eyes bloodshot blood shot directed d the thc interrogation of ot the three He has been const constantly on the thc case since about 1 o'clock Sunday mornin morning when the OConnell O'Connell family notified him the youth had been released released released re re- re- re leased in New York City Thomas F. F Cullen in charge of department department department de de- de- de of justice agents in the New NewYork NewYork NewYork York district is returning to Albany to direct the federal officers on duty here State police have joined the hunt A general cleanup Including arrest of the kidnapers and recovery of the money was predicted by one of the officers He believed it would come comein comein comein in short order THRUST FROM FRO A AUTOMOBILE lO ILE Young OConnell O'Connell the nephew of Edward Ed Edward ward J. J and Daniel P. P OConnell O'Connell leaders lead lead- ers era in up state Democratic Democrat c circle was wag thrust from an automobile by his captors cap cap- tors in East Two Hundred and Twentieth street the Bronx about 1 o'clock Sunday morning Blindfolded he had been driven around several blocks before belore he was turned out of the car A few minutes later OConnell OConnell OCon nell was picked up by Louis Snyder an Alb Albany attorney who had been drawn Into the negotiations by Manny the intermediary in the case Snyder arrived at the Helderberg mountain camp of Dan OConnell O'Connell thirty miles from Albany at 4 a. a m m. Exhausted and nervous young OConnell OConnell O'Connell OConnell O'Connell OCon nell tumbled into the thc arms of his uncle and his father John J. J Sr Solly Sony His anguished mother did not reach the thc camp until d daylight Her son by that time had shaved off oft a growth of oL beard and had slept for a couple of hours A physician physician physician cian found young OConnell O'Connell in m good health but suffering from shock and nervous exhaustion OConnell O'Connell said he was well treated by his captors who secreted him in a well welI furnished apartment MONEY IONEY MARKED l The ransom money which Dan OConnell O'Connell turned over to Friday Fri day evening had been cunningly marked The kidnapers however suspicious that such a ruse would be attempted demanded new money It Itis Itis Itis is believed that through a bank exchange ex cx- change the same money was returned to the gang Officials arc hopeful that the bills in small denominations can be traced Originally the gang demanded a ransom ran ran- I som sam of ot They reduced educed that to and Two Tho notes last week eek warned the family that unless the demand was met OConnell O'Connell would be starved Most of the notes carried O'Connell's signature Dan OConnell O'Connell maintained the family could raise only As federal and state governments sharpened their knives to attack the snatch racket the had the thc impression that the thc gang was worried wor wor- ried ned Then came the death sentence for the kidnaper of Mary McElroy at Kansas Cit City Short Shortly after the ne o- o were were completed and the 40 was accepted SKETCHY DETAILS Dan the elder of the boys boy's uncles related sketchy details of the kidnap kidnap- ing ingAs As Johhnie stepped out of ot his automobile automobile au au- au in the morning of lets let's lets let's see what day was that that that-oh oh yes es July 7 he was hit over the head bead and knocked unconscious said Dan He thought he saw four or five men and believed he glimpsed a gun or two When he came to he was in a furnished room of or ofa ora a flat He thought it was in New York City He said he didn't recognize any of his captors He was not taken from that room until the negotiations were completed The captive was not chained or bound and was well treated The kidnapers kidnaper shaved him twice and gave him good food It was not revealed how he spent the time or how a watch was maintained over him Neither did he recall i if ii he saw a car following him the night o othe of the abduction Putnam street where the OConnell O'Connell home Is located is a short dead end street In order to park his machine in front of the house he tie drove to the end and turned around A dark alley runs along the side of the house and it Is possible that the kidnap car and its band were parked there therein in the shadows The house was empty empt when OConnell O'Connell returned from his his his' L I S date Mrs O OConnell O'Connell visited friends that night and did not return until after the When she found the he house empty and the automobile le hood lood still warm she began search for her son The following day a voice over ove the telephone to the law office otrice of Edward Edwarc EdwardJ J J. J OConnell O'Connell said t to tell Eddie that tha his nephew had been and warned the family not to notify police If this was violated the Informant said the youth would be killed ATTACH SIGNIFICANCE Officials attached significance to the Eddie I reference to Ed OConnell O'Connell as and nd s saw w in it a local angle O Only ly a small group of acquaintances re refer er to tc I the he county as Eddie Another indication of a local hookup was vas the sending of the ransom letters to o Dan O'Connell's private mail box the he number of which was not generally generally gener gener- ally known a young radio shop operator opera opera- tor or who effected the captives captive's release was vas one of a list of 34 intermediaries the he suggested upon the orders orders or or- orders ders of the abductors Three lists were offered a and d name was on thc the last ast Two groups of eleven cleven each were rejected ejected by the kidnapers The captors cap- cap tars tors ors communicated with the OC n- n nells by mail and the family answered S H through newspaper ads The ads f fIn In code the letters of the alphabet being be- be mg ing designated by numerals 1 I for tor for A A. A j 2 for tor B and so on The specified that the go be Al bany men Two T lists of were carried in the personal column of Albany papers and the last spill into three parts was inserted in New York City papers I The have come into po political po pa prominence in the past years They overthrew the 1 of the William Barnes Republican m chine and steadily since then ti tight 1 ned a political hold on the county Last year the OConnell O'Connell tion worked with Tammany to o oppose oppe e I President Roosevelt's Roosevel Ls L's nomination it a. I. I Chicago They pushed the Albany mayor John Boyd Thacher for forte th gubernatorial nomination but velt welt and Al Smith joined hands hands Ia Wi i name Governor Lehman as the te A of f the state ticket v ii- ii T S I |
