KIDNAPPER AMOK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 237, 7 October 1933, Page 4 (Supplement)

KIDNAPPER AMOK.

GOES MAD IN MARKET.

OFFICER AND ABDUCTOR DIE,

VICTIM HELD FOUR DAYS.

A kidnapper who held William Foristal Wood, 45, retired Sausalito (California) capitalist, for four days, and a policcman who answered "Wood's call for help were killed after the man ran amok in a crowded public market. The kidnapper was Howard S. Meek, 34, alias Ed Jennings, a former ticket taker at Sausalito. He was killed by an officer.

Jn his maniacal reign of terror Meek fatally wounded Patrolman Michael McDonald, 40, and shot Mrs. Ella Bowers, a bystander, in the arm. McDonald died late at night. Wood is a cousin of the late President Taft.

Four days ago Meek forced his way into the Wood residence at Sausalito, intimidated him with a gun, and bound his hands with wire. For four days after that the madman walked behind Wood with a gun in his pocket, as they moved from hotel to hotel in San Francisco. During that period Sleek made repeated attempts to obtain a withdrawal of savings from Wood's bank accounts. He forced Wood to sign letters to the banks, asking that funds be mailed. The banks did not comply.

Wood, who said ho had known Meclc for years, waited his time to escape. It came as the maniac marched his prisoner through Crystal Place Market, thronged with purchasers. Got IO,CCO Dollars From Vault. Merchants and customers in the big market, upper Market Street shopping centre, scrambled behind counters, boxes of fruit and sacks of potatoes and onions as the shooting began in front of a nut stall. "Let's go in here," Jennings ordered prodding Mr. Wood with a gun in his pocket, as they walked up Market Street from a safe deposit vault where Jennings had pocketed cash and bank books totalling 10,000 dollars in all. • "I want to buy some walnuts. I love walnuts, or any kind of nuts—Ha ha!"

For one moment Jennings failed to keep his victim covered. He was busy cracking walnuts. McDonald greeting his many friends on the market staff, was passing by. and was startled by Wood's cry: "Look out. This guy's got a gun."

Jennings swung around and fired before the surprised policcman could act. Mc-

Donald reached for his own weapon, but the second shot felled him too soon. Ran Through Market. Waving the gun, Jennings started at a run down the long aisles of the market. With one accord the crowd scurried out of the way, recovering their individual wits a few seconds later to join in the shout: "Stop that man! He killed someone!"

But Jennings was out of the building before Jj its path could be blocked, and, rushing the few intervening yards through a parkir.g station to Mission Street, he turned left toward the post office. There two more policemen entered the picture. They were John McConville and Kd Bor-bec-k, both out of uniform and both oil their way to court. Mrs, Klla Bowers, 02, was also in the vicinity, also on the way to court to get a divorce.

The officers opened fire on the kidnapper and ho replied, shooting indiscriminately into the crowd and hitting ill's. Bowers in the arm. A final shot from the policemen killed Jennings. Airs. Bowers went to hospital, had the bullet extracted and went on to court. She got her divorce only two hours behind the calendar time.

Wood, unscathed as the bullets flew, had hidden in a grocery stoics as butchcrs, armed with knives ana cleavers and hundreds of pedestrians pursued his erstwhile captor, lie was arrested as Jennings' associate, but quickly proved he had been kidnapped by Jennings, tortured, harassed and robbed until lie appealed for aid to I'oliccman McDonald.