Three unidentified men at the home of kidnapping victim William F. Gettle, Beverly Hills, 1934

Item Overview

Title

Three unidentified men at the home of kidnapping victim William F. Gettle, Beverly Hills, 1934

Date Created

[circa May 10, 1934]

Publisher

Los Angeles Times

Collection

Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection

Notes

Description

William F. Gettle, Beverly Hills millionaire, was kidnapped from the grounds of his Arcadia ranch home during a housewarming 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.
Three unidentified men photographed at the Beverly Hills home of William F. Gettle, kidnapping victim. The men are three of several unidentified persons photographed at the Gettle home, including law enforcement officials and members of the press, who made headquarters at the residence during the five-day ordeal.

Caption

Text from negative sleeve: Gettle, William F., Kidnap Case

Physical Description

Extent

1 photograph

Medium

b&w nitrate negative

Keywords

Genre

cellulose nitrate film
news photographs

Subjects

Kidnappings--California--Beverly Hills

Names

Gettle, William F., 1887-1941

Location

Beverly Hills (Calif.)

Resource type

still image