Man holding a suitcase, taken for the Tacoma Times in conjunction with the investigation into the kidnapping of George Weyerhaeuser on May 24, 1935.

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

On June 12, 1935 at 6:14p.m., Harman and Margaret Waley arrive at Tacoma Field by United Airlines charter to stand trial for kidnapping and extortion in the abduction of George Weyerhaeuser. The crowd at Tacoma Field to watch them arrive numbered in the hundreds, the largest gathered there since Bromley had tried to fly nonstop Tacoma To Tokyo in 1929. The couple was arrested in Salt Lake City after 19 year old Margaret Waley tried to spend a marked bill. Harman, in white cap, can be seen between two agents; Margaret, in checked coat, can be seen in the center of the picture with her head bent. The pair were whisked into waiting cars and rushed to the Federal building for arraignment. (T. Times 06/13/1935, pg. 1 plus succeeding days)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Waley, Harman; Waley, Margaret; Tacoma Field (Lakewood); Airplanes--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

On June 12, 1935 at 6:35p.m., Harman and Margaret Waley arrive at the Federal Building for arraignment on the charges of kidnapping and extortion in the abduction of George Weyerhaeuser. The pair are sped from Tacoma Field to the Federal Building in a convoy of four federal vehicles. They are surrounded by seven Federal agents and a crowd of about 50 spectators. Many of the spectators are newsmen, and the flash of bulbs lights up the evening. They are escorted to the federal court room on the 3rd floor of the Post Office building where they plead "not guilty." Original photograph (series 2700, image 54A) enlarged & cropped to make it more visually interesting for the newspaper. (T. Times 06/13/1935, pg. 1 plus succeeding days)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Waley, Harman; Waley, Margaret; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

Nine year old George Weyerhaeuser seems a bit perplexed by reporters' questions at a press conference given by the family after the boy's release from kidnappers on June 1, 1935. George, who exhibited courage and spunk throughout his captivity, earned the admiration of the reporters with his relaxed appearance after his ordeal. His recollections of his captors and his description of the house in which he was held helped in identifying the kidnappers. (TNT 6/1/35, pg. 1)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.;

A friend of George Weyerhaeuser, identified with the last name La Gasa, and taken in connection the the May 24, 1935 kidnapping of Weyerhaeuser and resulting investigation. This is probably the son of Dr. and Mrs. James La Gasa.

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; La Gasa, James--Family; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

Reporters surround the Weyerhaeuser home at 420 No. 4th St. during the ordeal of the kidnapping of nine year old George Weyerhaeuser on May 24, 1935 and his release on June 1st. The story was covered nationally.

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Journalists--Tacoma--1930-1940; Photojournalists--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

The dislodged stone from the wall at Western States Hospital, possible ransom drop off spot in the George Weyerhaeuser kidnapping. In late May of 1935, US postal employee Fred Hipkins claimed that he had seen what he interpreted as an attempted ransom delivery. It consisted of a signal light high in a fir tree on Custer & Steilacoom Highways, a sedan parked near Western States with its lights off and people inside, and tire tracks and a dislodged rock the next morning in the stone wall surrounding the hospital. (T. Times 5/31/1935, pg. 1)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

Mattson kidnapping case. Warehouses and shoreline along Commencement Bay. Photograph ordered by the Seattle Star. On December 27, 1936, at around 9 p.m., ten year old Charles Mattson was abducted from his parents' home by an armed intruder. The man left a typed ransom note demanding $28,000. He then, it is believed, carried the 70 pound boy down a steep cliff behind the Mattson home, across the railroad tracks and to a waiting car on Ruston Way. The following day, the area was crawling with press attempting to fill their front pages. It was hypothesized the the abductor could have hidden the boy in one of the warehouses along the waterfront. (T. Times 12/28/1936- 1/25/1937, pg. 1)

Waterfronts--Tacoma--1930-1940; Piers & wharves--Tacoma--1930-1940; Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Warehouses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Mattson, Charles--Kidnappings;

Tacoma Police Department swing shift. The swing shift shows off the whiskers that they have grown for the Northwest Territory Centennial beard contest.

Police--Tacoma--1950-1960;

ca. 1949. Called both a "wonder of the age" and "an architectural monstrosity" the old Pierce County Court House stood at 1012 South G Street just northeast of the Armory. Modeled after the courthouse in Pittsburgh, PA, the brick walls were faced with stone quarried in Tenino and sandstone from Wilkeson. Included in the building plans were secret stairways, hideouts, a hanging room and dungeons that would have done credit to a 15th century castle. The four clock faces in the tower were each 8 feet in diameter and had concealed lights which enabled Tacomans to read the time by day or night. The county commissioner moved his offices in the as yet unfinished building on June 21, 1893. It was demolished in 1959. (TNT 4/7/1959 p. C-16) Bowen # 1062-1

H.L. Phillips and Willliam Farrar of the city dry squad are shown emerging from the tunnel dug under the home at 7813 A St. on September 6, 1924. The residence was raided that Saturday afternoon and after two hours of searching, elaborate moonshine stills were discovered and confiscated. Barrels, bottles and other distillation apparatus along with a shovel are pictured above. The stills and other equipment, including 200 gallons of finished moonshine, were taken as evidence. One man was arrested in the raid. (TDL 9-8-24, p. 1) G24.1-073

Stills (Distilleries); Phillips, H.L.; Farrar, William; Tunnels--Tacoma;

Large barn on J. Thomas Benston's Farm in Graham that held a bootlegging operation that operated for 6 months undisturbed before it was raided by federal agents in July of 1931. The barn was in clear view of the highway and received frequent shipments of fuel oil, sugar and supplies. It is estimated that it took 25 tons of sugar to produce 1 filling of mash for 1 of its 8 redwood vats. The highway also carried frequent shipments from the farm, trucks loaded with cans and kegs of alcohol. Little trouble was taken to disguise the enterprise and its operation was common knowledge in the neighborhood. The still operated for 6 months and produced over a half million dollars worth of alcohol before it was raided by federal agents. (TNT 7-17-1931. pg 1)

Benston, J. Thomas--Homes & haunts; Barns--Graham; Prohibition--Graham; Stills (Distilleries); Police raids--Graham;

Unidentified men pose with several of the large redwood fermenting vats used in illegal alcohol production in the barn located on the property of J. Thomas Benston in Graham, WA. The barn contained eight of these huge circular vats, each having a capacity of over 5,000 gallons. It is theorized that the operation could produce $20,000 of alcohol every 24 hours. Little effort was made to disguise its operation, and it managed to remain in business six months before it was raided. Operators were said to have paid up to $8,000 a month in protection. In an odd twist of fate, the operators were producing their last batch and getting ready to clear out when the barn was raided. Benston maintained his innocence, stating that he only rented the barn and was not aware that it was being used for illegal purposes. (TNT 7/17-19/1931, pg. 1)

Benston, J. Thomas--Associated objects; Prohibition--Graham; Stills (Distilleries); Police raids--Graham;

An insider's view of some of the details of the bootlegging operation at Benston's Farm raided by Federal agents in July of 1931. One Federal agent, in his sleeveless T-shirt, inspects a pipe on part of the still. Another agent climbs a wooden ladder. There are metal beds in the middle of the "room". The fire for the still had to be maintained 24 hours a day. There is a large stack of metal containers waiting to be filled with alcohol, the still actually used an automatic filler system. The distillery operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ironically, the actual dismantling was done by inmates of McNeil Island, some of them incarcerated for bootlegging. The copper and vats from the distillery became the property of the prison and were put to legitimate use. (TNT 7/17-19/1931, pg. 1)

Benston, J. Thomas--Associated objects; Prohibition--Graham; Stills (Distilleries); Police raids--Graham;

Illegal stills at courthouse. Theodore Mohrbacher, Joe Desmond and Jack Bodaylea, left to right, of the county dry squad examine confiscated stills at the county courthouse on January 19, 1924. These are just a few of the dozens of huge liquor stills that will be converted into junk by jail trustees in the near future. The stills are now piled up in the lobby of the county jail. Stills can range in size from small tea kettle types to huge commercial boilers capable of holding hundreds of gallons of mash. The manufacture of alcohol was made illegal by the passage of the 18th amendment and the Volstead Act, which went into effect in January of 1920. Prohibition was abolished with the passage of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution in 1933. (TNT 1-19-24, p. 1) G24.1-074; TPL-9895

Stills (Distilleries); Mohrbacher, Theodore; Desmond, Joe; Bodaylea, Jack;

Tacoma's finest, along with their vehicles, stand alertly outside the Public Safety Building/City Hall Annex on August 29, 1953. They were members of the Tacoma Police Department's Motorcycle division. TPL-7118

Police--Tacoma--1950-1960; Tacoma Police Department (Tacoma); Public Safety Building (Tacoma); City Hall Annex (Tacoma); Motorcycles--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Tacoma Police Department graveyard shift on the Spanish Steps at the Elks lodge. Police officers display beards and mustaches in keeping with the request for Tacoma men not to shave during the month of August. The city sponsored a beard contest as a part of the ceremonies celebrating the Northwest Territory Centennial. TPL-8748

Police--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Copy photograph of Charles Mattson, on pony, wearing hat, scarf, leather vest and chaps. At the age of ten, Charles Mattson was kidnapped at gunpoint from his parents' home at 4605 No. Verde. Copies were made of several older photographs of the boy, such as this one, as newspapers fought to fill their front pages with the story. No fewer than 12 high profile kidnappings had occurred since 1934 and the famous kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby. Charles' parents, Dr. and Mrs. William W. Mattson, were an unusual target; they were only modestly well-to-do and not widely known. In fact, Dr. Mattson had lost much of his savings in the Depression and his $50,000 home was heavily mortgaged. The boy's battered body was found in the woods in Snohomish County, near Everett, on January 10, 1937. His death brought the largest manhunt in Pacific Northwest history, involving federal FBI men, state, county and city law officers. After a few weeks, despite questioning a large number of suspects, all leads failed. The story slipped from the front page January 26, 1937 and the murder remains unsolved. (T. Times 12/28/1936- 1/25/1937, pg. 1; photograph used T. Times 1/29/1937, pg. 1) (filed with Argentum)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Mattson, Charles;

Mattson kidnapping case, schoolmates of Charles Mattson. Five young boys sitting on concrete steps. One youth is holding a small dog. The boys are Wallis Anderson, Robert Olsen, Marvin Shaw, Richard Hunt and Bill Stevenson. Photograph ordered by the Seattle Star. On the night of December 27, 1936, ten year old Charles Mattson was abducted by an armed intruder at his parents' home at 4605 No. Verde. He was never seen alive again. The intruder demanded a ransom of $28, 000 for the boy's safe return. The fourth grader at Sherman School had many friends in the neighborhood. Some of his friends pose in this picture for the Seattle Star, as newspapers across the country scrambled for pictures to fill their front pages. From 1934 to this point, there were no less than 12 well publicized kidnappings across the nation, beginning with the Lindbergh baby. (T. Times 12/28/1936- 1/25/1937, pg. 1; photograph printed T. Times 12/28/1936, pg. 5)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Boys--Tacoma--1930-1940; Mattson, Charles--Kidnappings;

View of Dr. William Mattson residence, Hill and Mock, Architects, Nelson J. Morrison, designer, circa 1925. Photograph ordered by the Seattle Star. On December 27, 1936, on a night characterized by heavy darkness and fitful showers, a masked intruder forced his way into a rear entrance of the Mattson residence and abducted ten year old Charles. Charles, his brother William, 16, sister Muriel, 14, and family friend Virginia Chatfield, 14, of Seattle had been in the front room watching motorists drive up to view the enormous evergreens lit up like Christmas trees on the Mattson front lawn. The intruder carried 70 pound Charles down a steep cliff behind the home that led to Ruston Way and the waterfront. He left behind a ransom note demanding $28,000 dollars. A previous kidnapping attempt had been made in November of 1936 only two blocks away; as a prowler placed a ladder to a second floor window in an attempt to abduct the 6 year old son of Mr. and Mrs. George Franklin. The Franklins had purchased "Haddaway Hall, " the home of John Philip Weyerhaeuser Sr. at 4301 No. Stevens. The attempt was foiled when Mrs. Franklin was awakened by the beam of a flashlight. No fewer than 12 high profile kidnappings had occurred nationally since the 1934 kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. Like in the Lindbergh case, Charles Mattson was found murdered. His murder was never solved. (T.Times 12/28/1936- 1/25/1937)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Houses--Tacoma--1930-1940; Mattson, William--Homes & haunts; Mattson, Charles--Homes & haunts; Mattson, Charles--Kidnappings;

Charles Mattson's maternal grandfather Charles Fletcher showing the door through which his grandson was kidnapped. On December 27, 1936, Charles Mattson was abducted by a masked and armed man who forced his way in through this rear door. The broken glass panes have been replaced. With his parents attending a social function, Charles was spending the evening at his home with his brother, sister and a family friend. A ransom demand was made for $28,000. The ransom was never paid despite many attempts by his parents to respond to irrational instructions. The boy's body was found January 10, 1937 in a snowy woods near Everett. The crime was never solved. Mr. Fletcher was 78 years old at the time of the kidnapping and resided at 3205 No. 20th St.(T. Times 12/29/1936, pg. 1)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Mattson, Charles--Homes & haunts; Fletcher, Charles; Mattson, Charles--Kidnappings;

Washington State Patrol officers review Charles Mattson kidnapping crime scene photographs with an unidentified man. Ten year old Charles Mattson was kidnapped for ransom on December 27, 1936. His battered body was recovered January 10, 1937. His murder was never solved. Frank Olson, a mental patient at Medical Lake Asylum, confessed to kidnapping the Mattson boy. After two days of questioning by the State Patrol at the Winthrop Hotel, Olson, also known as Lester Mead and Charles Thorp, was found harmless and was returned to the Asylum. He was in residence at the Asylum at the time of the kidnapping. (T. Times 7/13/1938, pg. 1; TNT 7/13/1938, pg.1)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Washington State Patrol (Tacoma); Mattson, Charles--Kidnappings;

Fred Hipkins. This US Postal Service special delivery messenger became front page news when he reported that he had seen what appeared to be an attempt to deliver ransom money in the George Weyerhaeuser kidnapping. In a front page story of the Tacoma Times (not carried by the News Tribune), Hipkins reported that as he drove home to Lake Louise about 1:15a.m., he saw a very bright light suspended in a tall fir tree about 300 yards south of the junction of Custer and Steilacoom Highways. He felt that the light was a signal. Later on, near Western States, he saw a large black sedan parked with its lights out and four people inside. The next day, several stones in a nearby wall were found to be dislodged, possibly in an attempted ransom drop. This story was not repeated in the following days, undoubtedly a dead end. (T. Times 5/31/1935, pg. 1)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hipkins, Fred; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

Evidence in the kidnapping case of nine year old George Hunt Weyerhaeuser; communication by letter from the kidnappers. The first ransom note from the abductors arrived around 6:30 p.m. in the evening on May 24, 1935 by special delivery. It demanded $200,000 in ransom in special unmarked denominations. It gave the family 5 days to raise the money and gave the instructions to take an ad in the Seattle PI signed "Percy Minnie." The typed letter was signed "Egoist, Egoist" and also bore George's signature. Later communications contained precise directions on delivering the money. The letters indicated that they were written by an educated, intelligent and organized person. (T. Times 5/25/1935, pg. 1 plus succeeding days)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Correspondence; Evidence (Law);

Entrance between hedges at Annie Wright Seminary to staircase; area where George Weyerhaeuser was kidnapped shortly after noon on May 24, 1935. Following the death of J.P. Weyerhaeuser, obituaries citing his wealth caught the eye of a trio looking for a fast buck. Harman Waley, his wife Margaret and William Dainard decided to abduct Weyerhaeuser's grandson 9 year old George and hold him for ransom. They took the boy as he walked from Lowell School to the Seminary to meet with his sister Ann and travel home for lunch. They held him for $200,000 in ransom. The sensational case forced everything else off the front page, including the lumber workers strike in Tacoma. (T. Times 5/25/1935, pg. 1 plus succeeding days)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

First photograph available of William Dainard, known to the Waleys as William Mahan, after his implication by the couple in the kidnapping of George Weyerhaeuser. Thirty five year old Dainard was a habitual offender who knew Harman Waley from time that they spent together in an Idaho prison. The trio, Waley, his wife and Dainard, abducted George Weyerhaeuser and held him ransom for $200,000. The police narrowly missed capturing Dainard in Butte, Mt., on June 9, 1935. Dainard fled from the stolen car that he was driving when he saw the officers approach. Over $15,000 in recorded bills from the ransom were found in the vehicle. Dainard was captured almost a year later, in May of 1936, after his designation as "Public Enemy #1," pled guilty and was sentenced to two 60 year terms. (T. Times 06/10/1935, pg. 1 plus succeeding days)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Dainard, William; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

Law enforcement agents wait at the base of the ladder for accused kidnappers Harman and Margaret Waley to descend from the United Airlines airplane which has ferried them from Salt Lake City to Tacoma. The plane arrived at Tacoma Field at 6:35p.m. on June 12, 1935, to be met by waiting agents and a crowd of hundreds of curious onlookers. The pair had been arrested in Salt Lake, accused of having abducted and ransomed nine year old George Weyerhaeuser. They were whisked from the plane to the Federal Building in Tacoma where they pled "not guilty," despite the fact that they had already surrendered to agents their remaining half of the ransom money. (T. Times 06/13/1935, pg. 1 plus succeeding days)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Waley, Harman; Waley, Margaret; Tacoma Field (Lakewood); Airplanes--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

This photograph appears to be of a press conference or police briefing at the J.P. (Phil) Weyerhaeuser, Jr. home after the June 1, 1935 release of kidnap victim George Weyerhaeuser. The Weyerhaeusers refused to speak to the press until after the release of George, a decision that made the ransom process go quicker and that may have saved his life. Even after his release, the family spoke only briefly and generally with the press, preferring to let George return to his normal life.

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

Mrs. B. Lucille Berg; George Weyerhaeuser's third grade teacher at Lowell Elementary. On May 24, 1935, in what was Tacoma's most sensational crime, George Weyerhaeuser was kidnapped as he walked from Lowell Elementary at noontime to meet his sister Ann at Annie Wright Seminary and go home for lunch with her. He was held for $200,000 ransom and released on Tiger Mountain Road in Issaquah after payment on June 1, 1935. Mrs. Berg figured importantly in the case, supplying samples of George's handwriting to compare with his purported handwriting on the ransom notes sent to prove authenticity. (T. Times 5/25/1935, pg. 1 plus succeeding months)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Berg, Lucille; Lowell Elementary School (Tacoma); Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

A smiling George Weyerhaeuser poses for the news cameras after his release by kidnappers on June 1, 1935. In what the most sensational crime in Tacoma's history, George was kidnapped on May 24, 1935 as he walked from Lowell School to Annie Wright Seminary to meet his sister and be motored home for lunch by the family chauffer. The ransom demand was for the astronomical sum of $200,000. After the ransom was paid by his father Phil Weyerhaeuser, the boy was released on Tiger Mountain Road in Issaquah. He made it to the home of Louis Bonifas and identified himself; the amazed Bonifas called Tacoma and began driving him home. Reporter John Dreher of the Seattle Times on a hunch started out on the road to Issaquah in a taxi, met Bonifas and convinced him to allow the reporter to deliver George to the Weyerhaeuser home. What resulted was an exclusive interview with the world's most famous kidnap victim. A shaken, but otherwise okay, George was delivered to his parents at around 8 a.m. on June 1, 1935. (TNT 6/1/35, pg. 1)

Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.;