Prologue
240 Words
Prologue
WAVE OF ABDUCTIONS TERRORISES SYDNEY’S WEALTHY
The grisly discovery of the remains of the Lindbergh baby in May last year, some months after the child had been kidnapped from its nursery, caused shock and outrage in the United States and across the world.
There is not a person in the civilised world who cannot feel for the anguish of Colonel and Mrs. Lindbergh, nor be repulsed by the brutality of the act.
The abduction of rich men’s sons is not a new crime, and our part of the world is not immune from those who seek to extort money from the well-to-do with this sort of menace.
Sydney has in the past weeks fallen victim to a wave of suspected abductions.
In January, William Ainsworth of Ainsworth Textiles disappeared, as did Edward Carmichael of Carmichael and Sons Pty Ltd. Most recently Charles Wentworth—son of the industrialist, Sir Alfred Wentworth, and a prominent businessman in his own right—was seized in broad daylight by persons unknown.
Despite the best efforts of Superintendent Bill Mackay and his Criminal Investigation Bureau, not one of these gentlemen has been recovered. Police remain baffled and grave concerns are held for the lives of all three victims.
It is a stark reminder of the tyranny of the criminal that even the founding families of our fair city cannot feel safe in her streets. One can only wonder which family will be next to have a son snatched away.
The Sydney Morning Herald, 1933
- Writer
