This is the ransom letter as published by the Tacoma News Tribune. J.P. Weyerhaeuser Jr. received it May 24, 1935, after his 9-year-old son, George, was kidnapped.
To Whom It May Concern:
1. 200,000 dollars in cash.
2. 100,000 dollars in $20 bills.
3. $50,000 in 10 bills.
4. 50,000 dollars in $5 bills.
5. All of this money must be in federal reserve notes and unmarked.
6. You are not to take the numbers of these bills. If they are taken and the bills are marked it will all be off.
7. You are not to notify the police, dept. of justice or any private detective agentcy.
8. If you do it will be all off.
9. Keep it out of the papers.
10. This is business; be businesslike.
11. You have got five (5) days to raise the money. Better have it.
12. In five days or as soon as you have the money, advertise in the Seattle P.I. personal column. Say “We are ready.” And sign it, Percy Minnie.
13. Remember the money will be gone over before the release, so don’t mark it.
14. The police can’t catch us, so be very, very careful to follow the rules.
15. These bills must have been in circulation. Be careful.
16. Remember and don’t try to slip any gold certified notes on us.
17. You will be notified where to go when the time comes. Be sure there is no one following you, as you will be watched from the time you leave.
18. We won’t be sitting behind any mail boxes either.
19. Just follow the rules, we will get along fine. Don’t follow them and it will be sorrowful. For you, not for us.
20. Any questions ask them in personal column signed same as above.
21. Remember to follow the rules all of them. A slip on your part will be just too bad for someone else.
We know what we are doing. We have it all planned.
It has been all planned for three years. In the meantime we have looked for places where we might slip and have found none. We are educated and pride says we are fairly intelligent. So if you just stop and reason for a minute you’ll see that it is best to follow our rules.
We don’t want to hurt anyone if we can get out of it. So if you can just follow the rules as they are lain down by us, you will have the one you love back home in a week’s time if you care about them $200,000 worth.
So just remember a slip on your part is a slip by us. Don’t do it.
EGOIST. EGOIST.
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