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FBI History — Part 4

60 pages · May 09, 2026 · Document date: Dec 16, 1930 · Broad topic: General · Topic: FBI History · 60 pages OCR'd
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“Mer GO AT DURAND HOME; POLIGE NAB TWO ‘Threatened Abduction of Grandchild; Demanded $50,000 Ransom. — . Two kidnapers/who had planned to seize Patricia { Durand, 2-year-old daughter of Jack Durand, grand- daughter of Scott Durand, walked into a Chicago police ambush today at the Durand home in Lake Bluff and were captured. An extortion demand of $50,000 was made on Durand two weeks ago. He was ordered to appear at Adams street and Wabash avenue at 8 o'clock the night of June 27, carrying’ the $50,000, and to surrender it to a man who would accost him. Durand did not keep the appointment. A, telephone call this morning said that Patricia would be kidnaped be- cause of Durand’s failure to meet the kidnapers. . The men identified themselves as Josep: erdico, 1522 Wisconsin ave- nue, Berwyn, a former ceman of that suburb, and Peter#Cunniff, 518 South Central Park avenue, Chicago. Several days §¢0 Deputy Chief of Detectives Walter Storms intercepted @ letter telling of the plan to kidnap the Durand baby.” ; Police Trap Laid. Sergts. Willlam Hennessey, Timothy Donovan and James Burns of the de- tective bureau, under Chief Storms, went to Lake Bluff last night to cen- fer With Chief af Police Eugene Plans for a police trap were laid. This morning, bright and early, Sergt. Henessey and Chief Spaeth placed their men about the Durand home. ‘The police cruised about the village on the lookout for suspicious char- acters. About 9:30 o'clock two men appeared at Jack Durand’s home, but, on ‘police instruction, were refused admittance. The men then went to Crabtree farm and demanded to see Me ee ee er ee eg re ee ete pent Teme engemee: % Darryry NEw ~ eR - BO. ' an alert mald communicated with the Jack Durand home and the police were notified. They rushed to the scene and nabbed Verdico and Cun- niff, «=~ yo foe “They made no effort to fight back.”/ - said Sergt. Hennessey. “We bad them)... “prisoners before they knew what was} ’ One Is Former Policeman. - “Berdico is @ former Berwyn police-| - man, Cunniff says he is an unem-| ployed miner.” Jack Durand, foster son of Mr. and tn 1925 young Durand was accused of participation in the robbery of the FP. Edson White bome in Lake Forest.| Although he made strenuous asser- tions of his innocence, a jury in the court of Judge Claire C. Edwards found him guilty and he was sent to Joliet penitentiary. . He was released in July, 1928, and @ year later married Miss Genevieve Geraghty of Lake Bluff, daughter of a surveyor, . Government Agencies Active. Federal government agencies are}. making ready to attack interstate kidnaping under the new law signed]. by President Hoover July 2, Chief! William A. McSwain of the local bu- reau of investigation of the depart-/- ment of justice announced today. ~ {- Chief McSwain, recently assigned here from Honolulu, where he worked on the Massie case, met today with]: Assistant Attorney-General William) J. Froelich, an attache of District At- ltorney Johnson’s office, to map plans {for a co-ordination of governmental jagencies to work under the new law. Both men pointed out that the fed- eral government will interest itself actively in cases where the kidnaping victim has been taken across = state line and Where ® ransom demand is The federal kidnaping law was! . sponsored: by Col. Robert Isham Randolph, head of the “secret six,” and « group of St. Louis business men similar to the Chicago Association of Commerce ecrime-prevention commit- OE tt eee wee _ -2WIP-5E loss
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