Ogden Standard-Examiner | 1920-12-19 | Page 2 | Dad Guilty of Kidnaping Son Seattle News Writer Sent to Prison; Betty Brainerd Freed

DAD GUILTY OF KIDNW SON Seattle News Writer Sent to Prison; Betty Brainerd Freed TATOMA, Wash.. Dec, 18. George T. Staffs! termer Tacoma and Seattle at nrspaper rsmss, pleaded ffullty today to havlnjf kidnaped his son. Bobby Stagff, September 14. He wan sen t. sires) tc, the state penitent larj for a term of fronts ten to fifteen years. The case against MlsS Betty Brainerd, Brai-nerd, enarffed ah an accomplice in the kidriapinjr, was dismissed. HISTORY OF CASK Bobby StaKsr, 2-year-old boy for tho kidnaping of whom Mlss Deity Brainerd Brai-nerd of Senttle was placed on trial here, was taken from bis mother's Tacoma Ta-coma home September 14, 1920. George T. stagy, a newspaperman, who is the boy's father, visited the home of his divorced wife on September Septem-ber 14 and asked to see Bobby While the mother, Bdlth Statrp. was out ol the room .i few momeni thi fathei it bos been Charged, pu ked up Bobby hurried to a waiting automobile and disappeared. For almost a month the search for the boy was in vain. On October 10 Mr-: Uri'lns-rd w sis ;i rrested In New York and charged with complicity In the crime. The complaint aivsiinst hr charged that she slrove Suskk frsmi TaCOmo to Seattle In her uiitomoblle, folldWing the kldnaplhg and th.it shoj h.id charge of the boy after he wus, taken. MYSTERIOUS CAXifc. FollowinK MlSH Br.ilnerd's arrest, offers of-fers were made l" return the boy to I his mother if the charges against th young woman were dropped. No action ac-tion was taken on tho offers and the case ngalnst Mis Bralnersl was pressed. press-ed. Late in October Governor Smith I of New York signed extradition pii- pSrs fo'' her removal tt Taconia to, stund trial. She arrived hero No-1 vember ,3 and was released on $10.-! 000 ball pending trial, Aftr the arrest Bobby wax return-ed return-ed to his mother. I n (.iclober 20 The Tacoina News-Tribune received a tsj splione message from Vancouver, B. 1 I C.i stating that the bov was In that city and that be would be turned over to a reporter calling at a certain I room and asking for "a bunsllf.." , Tacoma reporter and Mrs. Stagg went to tho Canadian city, 'followed directions direc-tions and, on October 21, recovered the boy. Belief has been expressed by tho Tacoma police that Bobby first was taken to Seattle, then across Canada and later to New York. Finally ho was returned to Vancouver and then back to Tacoma. The Staggs were married during thJ war. shortly before Stagg entered the service as an aviator. In the divorce j ihut followed. Mrs. Stagg obtained al decree on the ground of nexn-support 1 i and also won the enstosly of her son.1 Stagg Is a nephew of tho rioted Chi-1 cago university coach after whom' Siagg field. tho Chicago athletic, ground v. as named. He comes from al New Enxland family Miss Bralm-rd is a newspaperwoman. newspaperwo-man. She Is the daughter of Ernst us Uralnerd. pioneer. SCattl newspaperman, newspaper-man, who at one time was i dlioi of u Seattle dally. On