BRYAN COUNTY HISTORY: Geraldine Arnold, Oklahoma s young heroine
By Mary Maurer
Bryan County Genealogy Library
On July 22, 1933 Charles F. Urschel, 40, was enjoying a friendly card game with Walter Jarrett, when two men entered his Oklahoma City mansion and kidnapped them. Walter was released about an hour later, but Charles was held for nine days. At the time, Urschel was worth about $40,000,000 and was reputed to be “the richest man ever kidnapped.” His wife paid $200,000 for his return. With the information he provided, a search began for his kidnappers.
In August, Luther Arnold, also 40, left his home near Ardmore, and with his wife and young daughter hitchhiked to Texas to seek whatever employment he could find. Luther, a member of a prominent Caddo family, had left his hometown a few years earlier, moving first to Wichita Falls and then back to Oklahoma. The depression forced him to take desperate measures to support his family.