Why Mary Died Defending Her Kidnappers
One of the earliest recorded cases of Stockholm Syndrome in Criminal History
On the evening of May 27, 1933, twenty-five-year-old Mary McElroy was enjoying a bubble bath in the comfort of her home in Kansas City, Missouri. Suddenly, four masked men — Clarence Click, Clarence Stevens, and the brothers George and Walter McGee — burst into her home and kidnapped her for ransom.
According to Mary, later on, she did not take them very seriously — despite the gang having a shotgun pointed at her. When they revealed her freedom would cost $60,000, she laughed and jokingly said: “I’m worth more than that!”
Mary was brought to a farmhouse owned by one of the gang members and was chained to a wall in the basement. After twenty-nine hours in captivity, Mary’s father negotiated her release for the amount of $30,000. She was released unharmed near a golf course.
Just a month after the incident, three of the four gang members were apprehended by authorities. This was the beginning of Mary McElroy’s demise.
Mary’s sympathy
The subsequent trial was the talk of the town because of the strange turn of events that took place during the proceedings. Mary McElroy spoke of her abductors with sympathy and kindness.
