Salt Lake Telegram | 1940-12-21 | Page 2 | Police Hit FBI in Escape of Coast Extortionist

Police Hit FBI in Escape Of Coast Extortionist SAN FRANCISCO De Dec 21 INS Sharp INS Sharp police criticism Saturday followed the escape from a trap set by men G-men of a youth who had attempted to extort from the Count and Countess De Dc Tristan of Hillsborough Cal whose young son vas was rescued from a kidnaper last September Local authorities described it as as' as the biggest F FBI B I bungle since 1934 when Gangster John Dillinger Dil- Dil linger evaded a cordon the G men had thrown around a Wisconsin hideout Commenting on the G mens men's failure failure failure fail fail- ure to trap the extortionist when he was in their hands Police Chief Claude M. M Hirschey of Hillsborough ough said H They should have tricked the dummy package as we always do doin doin doin in such cases filled cases filled it with a black powder bomb The powder would have exploded and the extortionists extortionist's extortion extortion- face would have been blackened blackened blackened black black- ened and probably cut when he opened it He might need medical attention and that would make it easy to catch him They should have notified my office declared Sheriff A A. A. A Wilkie Wil- Wil Wilkie Wilkie kie of Sonoma county Instead they told only Police Chief Melvin Flohr and swore him to secrecy My men said the sheriff would have blocked the r roads ads and watched suspicious characters and spots throughout the county Why dont don't people tell me these things 1 Meanwhile four faur automobiles laden with G men were reported cruising in the vicinity of Santa SantaRosa SantaRosa SantaRosa Rosa in a renewed hunt The cars sped north out of San Francisco raced across the Golden Gate bridge and branched off in Marin Mann and Sonoma counties It was believed the bandit might be hiding out in a summer cottage along the Russian river near Santa Rosa The extortion attempt occurred Wednesday night when the youth clad in black jeans and a brown jacket met a federal bureau of investigation agent in a cabbage patch two miles north of Santa Rosa He had come to ta receive from the De Tristan family He was handed an empty cigar box bax However the extortionist escaped the F FBI B I trap while a posse of G men and police closed in