Laura Perry Vail escorted by Arthur D. Hanson, Los Angeles, 1936

Description: Agent Hanson steps in front of Mrs. Vail while smoking a cigarette as they exit an elevator.
Photograph appears with the article, "Extortion Guilt Fixed," Los Angeles Times, 01 Apr 1936: A3.
The Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice set up a trap for Truman Steele George, who had been sending threatening mail to the family of Mrs. Laura Perry Vail. George testified that he had been subjected to spells of mental incapacity and was under the possession of another when he wrote the letters.
Caption: Text from negative sleeve: 4542 - Laura Perry Vail w/Dept. of Justice agent (widow of William Banning Vail, pioneer rancher) Truman S. (Steel) F. George (Arkansas handyman at Vail home) Extortion 3/31/36 [stamped:] Apr 1- 1936
Handwritten on negative: Laura Perry Vail hiding behind D.J. 3/31/36
Text from newspaper caption: Mrs. Laura Perry Vail, wealthy widow, is shown being escorted from the Federal Building by Department of Justice Agent Hanson after Truman George Steel had been convicted of attempting to extort $2500 from her under threat of harming her children.

Repository: University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections
Local Identifier: uclamss_1429_13734
ARK: ark:/21198/zz002hp09x
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Rights Country: US
Funding Note: Access to this collection is generously supported by Arcadia funds.
License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .