Access to this collection is generously supported by Arcadia funds. William F. Gettle, (center, wearing spectacles) is returned to his home in Beverly Hills after being kidnapped and held for ransom.Gettle, businessman and millionaire, was kidnapped from the grounds of his Arcadia ranch home during a party on the eve of May 9th. The kidnapping attracted a great deal of attention in the community, with Mrs. Gettle even addressing the kidnappers through the pages of the Los Angeles Times. The kidnappers demanded a $60,000 ransom for the return of Gettle, which Mrs. Gettle agreed to pay. However, before the ransom was paid, two detectives of the LAPD, Chester Burris and H.P. Gearhardt, broke the case after installing a dictaphone in the home of a bank robbery suspect. Information from the dictaphone led them to a La Crescenta home where Gettle was held. He was returned, unharmed, to his family on the eve of May 14th. Text from original nitrate sleeve: Gettle, William F. - returned to his home.
Type
Image
Format
b&w nitrate negative
Identifier
9298 uclamss_1387_09298-01 ark:/21198/zz002545mp
Language
No linguistic content
Subject
Millionaires--California--Beverly Hills Kidnappings--California Events Gettle, William F., 1887-1941
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