Access to this collection is generously supported by Arcadia funds. Gettle was kidnapped from the grounds of his Arcadia ranch house 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. Beverly Hills home of businessman and millionaire William F. Gettle, at 723 North Linden Drive. Text from negative sleeve: Gettle, William F. Kidnap Case This photograph appears with the article, "Three Calls and Letter Boost Hope for Gettle: Early Return Held Likely as New Demand Sets $45,000 Ransom; Way Cleared for Payment," Los Angeles Times, 12 May 1934: 1.
Type
image
Format
b&w nitrate negative
Identifier
uclamss_1429_10361 ark:/21198/zz002hb9s1
Subject
Dwellings--California--Beverly Hills Kidnappings--California Gettle, William F., 1887-1941
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