SHOCKING TRAGEDY

Hokitika Guardian, 19 December 1927, Page 3

SHOCKING TRAGEDY

KIDNAPPED AND MURDERED. Australian A N.Z. Cable Association.) (Received this day at 1.0 p.m.) NEW YORK. Dec. 18. Marion Barker, the twelve-year-old daughter ol Raid Barker, a wealthy Los Angeles banker, was kidnapped and her murdered and mutilated body was returned to her parents upon payment of ransom.

On Thursday a well-dressed young man appeared at the school at which the Barker children attended, asking for Marion to accompany him to the office of her father, who had boon taken suddenly ill and wanted her. The teachers consented. AA ftliin an hour the parents received a demand for ransom. The entire detective force was set to work on the case, the distracted father being repeatedly warned over the telephone that any attempt to betray the kidnapper to the police, when the ransom was paid would mean the girl’s death. They demanded 7290 dollars in notes as ransom, otherwise the daughter would ho killed. The father also received several notes including two from the daughter pleading for her father to accept the terms, as she was undergoing torture. Eventually the Chief Detective advised acceptance of the offer. A telephone message then instructed the banker to driver to a certain place for his daughter, who was seated in a car beside a man, to whom he handed filteen hundred dollars. The mail drove a short distance and lifted an apparently sleeping girl trom the car to the ground and sped rapidly away. Ihe father ran to the place and lound the girl dead, shockingly mutilated.