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Annie Wright Schools - Weyerhaeuser kidnapping

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you will definitely be familiar with the name Weyerhaeuser & its association with the timber industry.  Going back in time, it seems that the 1930s had a number of kidnappings regarding children of prominent individuals.  The most famous, the 1932 Lindberg baby kidnapping, ended in tragedy - the Weyerhaeuser kidnapping may have been a copycat & is perhaps the most famous for Washington state.  

 

This scene shows the corner of Borough Road & 7th Street in Tacoma, Washington w/ a single lane alleyway going behind the tennis courts.  From what I could find, this corner marks the location of where nine year old George Weyerhaeuser was kidnapped in broad daylight on May 24, 1935.  George was the son of prominent lumberman J.P. Weyerhaeuser.  

 

From a news source:

 

 

On a normal day, the 9-year-old son of a Pacific Northwest timber baron would not have walked down Borough Road, where he was kidnapped in broad daylight, on his way home from school.

But the afternoon of Friday, May 24, 1935, was a little different.

Lowell Elementary School in Tacoma released its students early. George Hunt Weyerhaeuser, son of John Philip Weyerhaeuser, Jr., walked as usual from his school to the Annie Wright Seminary to meet his sister. The two were typically picked up by the family chauffeur and taken home for lunch.

But since his school let out early, he arrived at the seminary early, and the young Weyerhaeuser decided to walk home instead.

He took the overgrown path that ran along the edge of the Tacoma Lawn Tennis Club grounds. When George emerged onto Borough Road, a green 1927 Buick was waiting with two men inside.

The passenger got out of the sedan and asked George for directions to Stadium Way. George went to respond and the man snatched him, pulling him into the back of the car and covering him with an old blanket.

It was a crime of opportunity, but in a way it was also premeditated. The kidnappers had previously come up with a plan to take the young Weyerhaeuser when they read an obituary for John Philip Weyerhaeuser, Sr. published earlier in the month. They had been monitoring the family's movements over the last several days when young George randomly appeared before them.

He was an easy target for some easy cash. At the time of the kidnapping, the Weyerhaeuser Company owned hundreds of thousands of acres of timberland, the largest lumber mill in the world, and operated a pulp mill.

It wasn't long before the Weyerhaeuser family realized George wasn't coming home. They called the police. Hours later, a special delivery arrived via the U.S. Postal Service -- a letter addressed "To Whom it May Concern" demanding $200,000 in small, unmarked bills. The back of the letter had been signed by George.

The letter demanded the family take an advertisement in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer when the money was ready, or in five days. The ad was to say "We are ready," and was to be signed "Percy Minnie." After the ad ran, the Weyerhaeusers would be notified of where and how to deliver the ransom.

Because the ransom letter was sent via the postal service, the kidnappers had committed a felony per the Federal Kidnapping Act. The FBI began compiling the serial numbers of the bills to be used to pay the ransom.

Starting Saturday, the Weyerhaeusers placed three ads in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. The first read, "Expect to be ready come Monday. Answer. Percy Minnie." Another, also published Saturday, read "Due to publicity beyond our control, please indicate another method of reaching you. Hurry, relieve anguished mother. Percy Minnie."

On Tuesday, the final ad was placed. "We are ready. Percy Minnie." Law enforcement agreed not to interfere until George was released.

The following day, a letter instructed J.P. Weyerhaeuser to register at the Ambassador Hotel in Seattle with the name James Paul Jones. A handwritten note from George was included, indicating he was safe. At the hotel, Weyerhaeuser received another letter telling him to leave the money in Rainier Valley. He followed instructions placed at different points in the area, but nothing happened.

On Thursday, Weyerhaeuser got a call asking why he failed to follow instructions. He said he had but nothing happened. He was given new instructions, to drive down Pacific Highway near Angle Lake. A series of notes instructed him to leave the $200,000 in the front seat, leave the car running, leave the driver's door open and the dome light on. He did, then hitched a ride to Tacoma to wait.

Early on the morning of Saturday, June 1, 1935, more than a week after he was taken, George was released four miles south of Issaquah. He was told to wait for his dad inside a shack there, but started walking.

He eventually wandered onto a farm six miles away. He told the owners who he was and they fed him breakfast before driving him to Tacoma.

Now that he was safe, what was called "the greatest manhunt in the history of the Northwest" by the New York Times began. A week later, Harmon Metz Waley and his wife Margaret were arrested in Utah and named a third involved person (William Dainard) who was also eventually captured in San Francisco.

More than $157,000 of the ransom money was eventually recovered. All three kidnappers were tried and sentenced.

 

From: https://www.seattlepi.com/seattlenews/article/George-Weyerhaeuser-kidnap-Tacoma-PNW-84-years-ago-13893614.php

Copyright: William L
Type: Spherical
Resolution: 13200x6600
Taken: 12/09/2021
Uploaded: 23/12/2021
Views:

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Tags: tennis court road; borough road; 7th street; tacoma; washington; puget sound; george weyerhaeuser; kidnapping; crime scene; solved; mystery; annie wright schools; seminary; alleyway; alley
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