Tennessee, H, 1843-1964, Undated

ma?

HEDDEN, William, wh, elec. TN@ (Polk)

Constable Bill Head-
den: "I wish to Heav-
en I'd stayed with her
until Jack got back’

the mother, her child, and her best friend.

And yet, for some unknown reason, the killer
had spared the life of the fourth person who had
been in that room. Little Ernie Headden had seen
it all, and yet he lived, Ernie Headden could not
talk about it, of course, for he was still a baby. But
so was the other child, the one who had been killed,
and yet he had fallen before the fury of the
berserk murderer.

Why?

That was only one of the many
questions Sheriff Broughton Biggs
faced as he stood in the front room
of the Headden cottage in Arch-
ville, Tennessee, that early morn-
ing of November 19, 1941, A sec-
ond one, a vital question, had to
do with the brother-in-law of one
victim, uncle of another—Con-
stable Bill Headden. Was this
crime some fiend’s mistaken idea
of vengeance against a sworn,
faithful officer of the law?

Sheriff Biggs had been notified
shortly after midnight of the triple
killing. He and three of his depu-
ties had sped over the 20 miles
of winding mountain road from
Benton, the county seat, to Arch-
ville. Constable Headden was
waiting outside his brother’s cot-
tage when they pulled up and parked at the road-
side. He waved frantically as they walked the 50
yards from the highway through the throng of
excited neighbors gathered before the open door
of the cabin.

Across the threshold, her slim legs bare and
white, lay the bloodstained body of a shapely, dark-
haired girl. She was dead, shot twice in the chest
and once in the head. She was Lecia Headden, the
20-year-old wife of the Constable’s brother, Jack.
She was pregnant. That was the first victim. The

ther two were inside the house.

Face up on the floor, close to the door, lay a tiny,
twisted figure, spattered with crimson from a
ghastly head-wound. Sprawled on the bed was an-
ther woman, also dead. She, too, had been shot in
the chest and the head.

These victims, according to the Constable, were
Mrs. Arlene Dillard Glowan, 21, and her year-old
son, Stephen, who had been guests in the house for
the past ten days.

Both slain women were fully dressed. Apparently
the killer had made no criminal attack or any such
attempt.

Except for the officers, the only sign of life in
the bedroom was the lean-faced man in the rocker
near the window, and the baby in his arms.

Te three of them had been foully murdered—

INTIMATE DETECTIVE,

Match 30, 1943

“He Was

Keeping the

Fellows Away

By Henry Gillespie

“I’m Jack Headden,” he told the Sheriff, “and this
is my boy, Ernie.” His eyes were black pools of
pain, his voice flat and hopeless. “When I came
home from work the house was dark and I stum-
bled over something in the doorway. It was Lucia.
I lit the lamp and found them all just as they are
now, except that Ernie was on the bed, nestled up
right close to Mrs. Glowan.”

Biggs said, “What time did you get home?”

Too Many Men Wanted to Know
This New Beauty in Archville, Tenn.
Was That Why a Triple Murder
Followed? And January 15, 1942

Lecia Headden: Her death brought
a triple murderer's toll to four

March, 1942

Special Investigator

“About eleven-thirty. I ran over to Dave Rymer’s
and they phoned you and Bill here. Then we came
back, and—” A hoarse sob choked off his words, and
he turned his head away.

Jack Headden was too upset at the moment t
say any more. Sheriff Biggs drew the Constable t
one side.

“Where does your brother work?” he asked.

“At the dam,” Bill Headden replied. “The TVA
Project down on the Ocoee River.”

“Then it will be easy to verify
his story, won't it?”

Bill Headden scratched his
nearly bald head. “Why. sure
Sheriff, but you don’t think—”

“IT can see the way you fee!
the Sheriff interrupted grimly
“but as an officer you know
everyone is under suspicion
we get definite evidence ;
one person. Your brother reported
the murders. And the only persor
who was left alive is his son. Wh3
would anybody spare the baby an
kill all the others, unless he was
specially fond of the boy?”

“Well, the baby might have bee:
hidden under the covers,”
Constable suggested, “Maybe the
killer just didn’t see him.”

Sheriff Biggs rubbed his chi:
“That's possible,” he said “Any-
way, if your brother js in the clear, he ought to be
able to prove it pretty easy. Our first move is t
get hold of some bloodhounds. If the yy 7
around here somewhere they’ll spot him, :
trail him if he’s run off into the hills.”

Bill Headden nodded. “And I've got
break the bad news to all our kinfolk

1

and turned toward the door. “Guess I
right now if you can get along for a w
me.”

S THE Constable left, Sheriff Biggs issued

series of terse orders that brought quick acti
A Benton undertaker removed the bodies !
victims. Deputy Herman Wright hurried off to tele
phone for bloodhounds from the State pri
to check on Jack Headden’s job at the dam
ties William Rose and Frank Clayton went ou
question neighbors and look for clews. The Sherit
and Deputy J. W. Smith began a careful searc}
of the murder room.

Under the table Biggs found a furrow in the yel-
low pine floor. Following the furrow with a knife-
blade, the Sheriff soon dug out a copper-colored
slug which had plowed its way deep into the wood
The slug was smashed, but Sheriff Biggs judged it
was a .38.

9

akar

ag

BERRIES een ON pe aN ae: S a

&

NR Test ee

| NARHVILLE, March 30
{William Hedden. 44, of Polk Coun-

SDN, Satlian, white,

ae 4 «en

Ma

eer cree

Le sin: Fp AGys *.

Innocence to End -
Fo Bos

ty; and Robert Cannon, 27, Shelby

“|County Negro, convicted siayera.

died calmly in the electric chair at
the state penitentiary here today,

B jone maintaining his innocence to

x
ee Fe,
BR

HERS —

p Forrest,
in the air
in eight
Henry to
over trom

haccording 3

i clined to intervene.

hia trye
| pul me here

Seieintn centntetnteetnenientareaemeantiianmanmiatiomed

{the last, the other centeesing: his
[guilt.

“Hedden walked to the Bhai un-
assisted, was strapped in at 6:05)"
a.m. and’ pronounced dead three
minutes. later. He stolidly denied
his guilt until the end, asserting
that the “lies of state's witnesses"

{were sending him to his death. — -

The Negro previously had’ con-
fessed to the May, 1942, slaying
of Roy E. Woods during a Memphis
filling station. holdup. Cannon
showed little emotion in the death
chamber, He was pronounced dead
at 6:18 a.m., three minutes a
he had been placed in the chair.

Hedden was convicted of the
murder of Mrs. Arline Dillard

Glowan near Benton, Tenn., Nov.;——-~-—
18, 1941. He also had been indtcted | nut me to “AAS ira thecanbialn genie t wae

for the slaying of his sister-in-law,
Mra. Jack Hedden, and Mrs. Glow-'
an's 14-month-old son.

demned men and Gav. Prentice
Cooper, who interviewed both
Hedden and Cannon and witnesses
‘in the case two weeks ago, de-

In* the death cell last night.
Hedden. referring to witnesses at
1, deciared that “their lies

is adindiainaeinnteeahtininoemaa een aaa

for.a crime I know nothing about, do to help him that is legal and
‘But I have no fear of death;

The Supreme Court recently ‘af. [ready to go if it is the Lord's will.
firmed the conviction of both con-|I have nothing to say.” seominient:. was,

Mrs. Mary Hedden.
Archville,
safe" and “like-the Lord has for-
given all my sins.”

of Etowah, said jJast night that he
had
They are going to'source in behalf of my aiient: 1 ing of the distant: ‘Sues Canal.

bys

*
7

@ 1K) :

Foote so)

eles Menneaéee

}>62.

ae ere : *
wet Sop sms «3

Y'S MEN. ELECT OFFICERS — New officers elected by the Y's Men’s Club lof “
pictured. Seated, left to

right, ore Claude Hearn, vice-president; Gordon
past president. Standi ing, left fo right. EAL. Bee

“rector: W. Az Compbell, ‘secretary, ond Bill Leber, treasurer. Three newly-ele

tors who were not present for

the picture ore- Dr, E- F. erasec) Donald Kling
Fishbach: ‘ =

oo aceite nate 2 dinar GS teen ne am wane

something else to

Ce Squire Wimpeb

Lam Fight.” In Arm

The ‘cohdemined Negro’s only
sa have no dread. j
‘Lam ready to go.” - Friends of Squire
oe! Both men, prison officials said,: W'mpee. member. of
72, of near!had embraced the Catholic faith County Court who
Heédden said he “felt! since their confinement to prison. ' the army, have been
ICathotie priesta remained with ne ts in the stations
; them throughout the last night.

In a last lether. to his mother, |

Pea. c amp Campdell, Ky
Growth of Singapore was due to, Tent for a Kidney ab
the commerce resulting fram open- Pee, Who is @ Corporte |
he Ropes

dines idee ie Ghee ete ee

Hedden's attorney, er

RR. We wt

“exhausted every legal re

saute dnigeenemienii e


fast your and bout $50,000,-
the

[stores fo 271, the highest on record.

Astana for
the February index was

highest level since Atigust,

, erate ret RECORDED| n

WASHINGTO May 30, UP—Ic
Dollar Bales of retail stores
: to $4

s-| signed. ee Secretary of Navy Knox,

: “Your devotion to

8 Brerpoadlng slit

ported| Fe. was strapped in at 6:05 amo

thr mins

had
firmed by. the aupremé co
Gove ‘Prentice Cooper’. tans to


The Hancock County Hanging Page 2 of 2

Trail had been to her house with about one hundred dollars and she wanted me to go with her and
help her to get the monev. The Jordon woman and my wife got me into this trouble. They both
begsed me to go with this woman Jordon and kill and rob Trail. | would not do such a thing again
for the world. We went to the tiger and found Trail not there. but heard someone calling Trail at
his boarding house. The woman and me hid and waited until Trail and a young man by the name
of Sterling Allen. the man that we heard. and Allen got his liquor and went off. Trail started back
to the house. We slipped behind him. The woman knocked Trail down with a stick and he fell on
his face and she turned him over and cut his throat with a piece of case knife. ground to a sharp
point. After she had cut his throat. he kept making a noise. and | hit him on the head with a rock
two or three times to stop him from making a notse. Then we searched his pockets and got his
pocket book and what money he had. I don't know how much money we got. as | can't count
monev. The Jordon woman counted the money and gave me seven dollars and nimety-two cents
and said that was half of it. I got Trail's knife. I felt so bad after I had done this that I cried nearty
all the time. day and night. and my conscience lashed me so I could not keep from telling it. I took
the money and hii it. amd afier I was arresied | took thie guards and officers and shewed them
where it was and gave it to them. I gave them the knife too. | am to be hanged on the 16th day of
this month for the crime I committed and | blame no one with it but Haney Jordon. my wife. and
Charlev Collins. They are the cause of all this trouble. I only hate to be hanged for a crime that I
could never have thought of. and let the one that ts more guilty than me go free. | think Haney
Jordon should be punished for this crime. She. the Jordon woman. was the only person with me
when the murder was committed. but my wife and Charley Collins knew all about it. and they
helped to lay the plans for the murder. And I believe Sterling Allen knew about it. I feel certain
that the Lord has pardoned my sins. and when I leave this world. I will go to rest. | have no malice
toward anvone. The jury that tried me done what they thought was right. Judge Campbell gave
me a fair trial. and appointed the best counsel at the bar to defend me. and I have the kindest
feelings for him. I think a great deal of Sheriff Buttry. He has treated me very kindly ever since I
have been in Sneedville jail. Sheriff Groner and his jailer. Hoover Groner. treated me kindly all
the time | was in Knoxville jail. | have nothing to savy hard against anvbodv. | am going to be
baptized tomorrow. I want all of the Trail's relations to forgive me for the crime I have
committed. If | am hung I reckon it will be just. But I hope Gov. Turney will give me a life
sentence im the penitentiary. This ts all | want to say about the matter.”

According to Maried Hatfield's niece. Mrs. Cora Mallicoat. he told his mother to tell everyone to
“never trust a woman. Thev'd do the things and pack it on vou.”

The Sheriff Buttry mentioned in the article was Mitchell “Mitch” Buttry. He and many local
residents felt Maried Hatfield should not be held responsible for the murder of Jonas Trail.
Sheriff Buttry opposed the hanging and even attempted to resign his position as sheriff. but his
superior refused to accept his resignation. leaving him with no choice except to carry out his
sworn duty.


day, his employer nodded his head,
“Those were the things I left for
John to do,” he said. eee

Trinkle wanted to know how Cotton :

and Ruthine were behaving that
morning, before the Herndons left for
the visit. wo
“Normal,” said the deputy. “Both of
them said they were going back to
bed after we left. They were tired
after the party I had last night.”
The sheriff's eyebrows lifted. “A
party, eh! Who was here?”
Herndon said it was the custom of
the community for its various citizens
to give Saturday night affairs to

which almost everyone was invited, .

However, his party had been limited

to about ten friends. tt
Naming them, he included Luffman

and Bessie, his daughter; Jud Moss

and family, Alvin Hicks, Ralph Palm- —

quist and others. Trinkle knew them
all. eaten
“And the Cherrys apparently en-
joyed themselves?” he inquired.
“Yes,” Herndon replied. “There
certainly wasn’t anything like this on
their mind. The young folks have
been married six years and they al-
ways got along well.
“There’s only one thing I can think
of that might have made them des-,
pondent. About a month ago, their
two-day-old. baby died. Ruthine
wasn’t herself for a couple of weeks.
Maybe she’s been brooding — I don’t
know.” - my.

Trinkle nodded. “That might have

been enough reason for a, suicide
pact,”‘he agreed. Then, “If*only thit
note didn’t keep upsetting that idea.”

Judge Link advanced the theory
that the killer or killers might have
been outside people who really did
have a grudge against Herndon and
Trinkle, as the note said. ss eg

But neither the sheriff nor his de-
puty could think of anyone they had
arrested in the past who might have
harbored an idea of vengeance.

“However, that motive might have
been faked up,” Trinkle said. “We'll
look around and see if anything turns
up that points to outside killers.”

Herndon looked around his house.

and reported that nothing had been
stolen. His wife told Trinkle «the
Cherrys hadn't an enemy in the
world, Everybody liked Cotton who,
as the sheriff knew, was mail carrier
on the Model Star: Route.

The investigators moved into the
yard as Burgess made preparations to
take the bodies to Dover for an au-
topsy. There they found no sign that
any strangers had been around, and
inquiries at neighboring houses un-
covered no information that suspici-
ous persons had been in the vicinity
that Sunday. a

Trinkle collected specimens of Cot-
ton’s and Ruthine’s writing and took

The youthful killer (above)
was lured into the trap by his
own ego. Once he put his
foot into it, the case against
him was sealed by the clue
of the crossed “.”

_ Killer Number Two. He mur-
dered Grady Cherry because

of suspicions that had no

‘ pongie fact,

es a: a

them” back"$o his office, telling Link
and Howell he would submit them to
an expert. ©

“Meanwhile,” he added, “I'll go
through the record of persons either
Herndon of I have arrested in the
past couple_of years. It’s just possible
one of them came back and did this.”

a * oo *

URGESS took the victims to the

Milligan & Ridgeway funeral home
and summoned two Dover doctors to
perform the post. mortem. They
quickly determined that a single bul-
let in the head of each had killed Cot-
‘ton and Ruthine Cherry.

The slugs were removed and turned
over to Trinkle. At the same time, the
doctors said the victims had been
dead about six hours when they were
found by Trinkle. This placed the
time ot 10' o’clock Sunday morning
— an hour’ after the Herndons had
left. . 4

Judge Link had the bullets sent to
the ballistics experts of the Nashville
police that.same day. ,

Magistrate Burgess and Sheriff
Trinkle the, undertook to question all
the guests at Herndon’s Saturday
night party, They were asked to recall

‘whether Cotton Cherry or his wife

had said anything during the evening

' that might; have seemed morbid or

might have any bearing on what ul-
timately ‘happened.

Nobody was able to recall anything.
In fact, it was the gonsensus of opin-
ion that the couple had behaved nor-

‘and ‘had acted quite gay dur-

‘ing the festivities.

\ Each 6f “the guests was asked to

\givean’ explanation of his where-

abouts on Sunday morning, the time
of the crime, and each accounted for
his activities satisfactorily.

The two officers next asked ques-
tions around Tharpe village store-
keepers, hoping to learn of a stranger

‘or strangers who might have been in

the vicinity on Sunday. No one filling
that bill had been seen around.
Meanwhile, two deputies, working
at Trinkle’s orders, were carefully
scanning the local court records for a
clue to some convicted man who

“might have made a threat against

either e or Herndon at some
time. a

They found only one, but investiga-
tion revealed that he was still behind
bars, Others were carefully checked
without anything of importance com-
ing to light.

Two days after the tragedy, the
Nashville ballistics men came up with
a; significant diseovery.

They found a discrepancy in the
weight of the slugs taken from the
heads of the victims.

The bullet removed from Mrs.

’ Cherry weighed but 99 grains, while

_, TRUE CRIME DETECTIVE CASES

{. TRUE CRIs
; poeta

that taken
balanced |
21 more.
Did this
been used’
ine’s head
tact with h
The exp
informed .
a good po:
two killer:

shi

Compa:
ing with
Ruthine’s
could ‘th:
message
ther’s Dz

Despit«
jury, at:
gistrate |
dered an
the evid
whether
double r

Trink!:
meeting
fice, we
theory ;
an inves

URID
kle
ther, ins
possible
They
grounds
found t)

ice, telling Link
submit them to

idded, “I'll go
{ persons either
arrested in the
it's just possible
k and did this.”

victims to the
iy funeral home
over doctors to
mortem. They
at a single bul-
had killed Cot-

ry.
ved and turned
> same time, the
tims had been
vhen they weres
his placed the
unday morning
Herndons had

bullets sent to
f the Nashville

and_ Sheriff
< to question all
ion’s Saturday
- asked to recall
ry or his wife
ing the evening
ned morbid or
ag on what ul-

recall anything.
sensus of opin- -
d behaved nor-
quite gay dur-

was asked to
of his where-
rning, the time
1 accounted for
rily.
xt asked ques-
village store-
n of a stranger
it have been in
. No one filling
around.
uties, working
were carefully
rt records for a
‘ted man who
threat against
rndon at some

. but investiga-
vas still behind
efully checked
\portance com-

> tragedy, the
) came up with

‘epancy in the
aken from the

od from _ Mrs.
9 grains, while

DETECTIVE CASES

that taken from her husband’s brain
balanced the scales at 120 grains, or
21 more. .

Did this mean that two guns had
been used? Or had the slug in Ruth-
ine's head lost weight through von-
tact with her forehead bone?

The experts couldn’t tell, but they
informed Judge Link that there was
a good possibility that there had been
two killers, hence a pair of guns.

Comparison of the note’s handwrit-
ing with specimens of Cotton’s and
Ruthine’s script disclosed that neither
could have possibly scrawled the
message on the back of the torn Mo-
ther’s Day card.

Despite this discovery, a coroner's
jury, at an inquest conducted by Ma-
gistrate Burgess on August 19th, ren-
dered an open verdict. After hearing
the evidence, they could not decide
whether it was murder and suicide or
double murder. .

Trinkle, Crowell, Link and Burgess,
meeting in the Attorney General’s of-
fice, were inclined to the murder
theory and decided to proceed with
an investigation along that line.

* * * ‘
URING that fall and winter, Trin-
kle and Burgess, working toge-
ther, investigated the case from every
possible angle.

They delved ‘deep into the back-
grounds of Cotton and Ruthine and
found them without a blemish. They

TRUE CRIME DETECTIVE CASES

could find no one who might have
been considered their enemy . ~*
By the spring of 1944, Sheriff Trin-
kle was working alone, and only at
such times that his other duties per-
mitted. By this time, even he was
becoming convinced that Cherry must
have killed himself and his wife. Only
the doubt of the note remained be-
tween his complete abandonment of
the case and a determination to go on.
But Trinkle knew he lacked detec-
tive training, and his office was with-
out technical facilities, He told this to

Attorney General Howell on October
1, 1944,

“Then we ought to hire a trained
detective,” responded the prosecutor.
“I think I can raise funds for that
purpose.”

The county supervisors contributed,
as did Sheriff Herndon and other rel-
atives of the Cherrys. On October 6th,
Howell and Trinkle went to Memphis,
300 miles across the state, to engage
the best talent their money could buy.

Bearing with them the pistol — a
32-20 revolver with two shots fired —
the note, reports from the autopsy
doctors and ballistics experts, state-
ments from Herndon’s party guests,

and a‘complete record of Trinkle’s ~

own activities in the case, they en-
tered the office of the William T.
Griffin Secret Service, a private de-
tective agency.

Soon closeted with Griffin and his
superintendent, Park Summers,- the
two Stewart County officials ex-
plained their requirements.

“You can have the best man in the
place,” Griffin said, nodding in the
direction of Summers,

The superintendent, a rangy man
with a dour look, was forced to grin.
“I'd like to tackle it,” he said, “even
though fourteen months have gone by
since the thing happened.”

An arrangement was made under

which Summers was to go to Dover
and work with Sheriff Trinkle.
The superintendent asked for a
couple of days in which he could
study the evidence and the reports,
and thus get a feel of the case.

On October 9th, he arrived in Do-
ver and accompanied Trinkle to the
Herndon house in Sharpe to view the
scene of the tragedy.

“I have no doubt it was double
murder,” he told the deputy sheriff,
“even though the coroner’s jury
couldn’t decide. I may ask some per-
sonal questions; but if you can ans-
wer them fully, we may be able to
ferret out a lead.”

Herndon replied that he would tell
Summers everything he knew.

“It’ll be about your wife’s niece and
her husband,” the private detective
came back. “I want to know every-
thing about them from the time they
were born,”

Herndon said Cherry had been

(Continued on page 83)

> a)


in, Bendler
.e knew, too,
irastic hap-
ave to turn
could not be
cr decided to
it to the Zu-
‘e, he again
.e temporary

are letting
trouble by

\,” he ‘said.

her-in-Jaw’s
th your hus-
‘eren’t you?”
her-in-law’s
she stopped.
; and Tony’s
asn’t Thurs
esday night,

demanded.
ng you hold
you continue
ou as an ac@-
vouldn’t like

as Bendler

id were with
her, and we

sobbed. “All
dl I know.”

ting her re-

‘He can't do

.eadquarters,
+ once more

topped your
cut it. Your
your threats.
kill Steph-
manhood in
-ife, Other-
her, too, and
ason for the
1 you know

to do with

“Stephanie
er and said
but when I
to bawl .the
v something
>ylackmailing
n away with
100 was sup-
iyment, She
it out of the
il, so I went
my stomach,

.d, Stephanie
oegan to up-

i } went into

2 thee adit amelie

ee Noe

ity Hi le hes. Heide. 6 0.

the house and got a couple of .32
caliber revolvers I had,” he said,
“When she continued to raise the dev-
il with me, I shot her a couple of
times. I took her into the house and
made my wife dress the wounds, and
then I made my wife go with us to
take Stephanie to a hospital.” First,
he had her report him sick.

He drove Stephanie’s car and
Stephanie, only slightly wounded, be-

gan to tell Mrs. Zukauskas about his |

past,
“I couldn’t stand any more, and I

_lost my head,” he confessed, “I fired

several more shots at her.”

Threatening to shoot his wife if she
told anyone what had happened, he
forced her to accompany him to the
Beacon Falls line, where he stopped
the auto, covered the body with the
robe and pulled Stephanie into the
woods,

On the way home, he said, he no-
ticed that a bullet had gone through
the window, and so he smashed the
entire pane. He took his wife home,
still threatening her. Some time later,
he drove the Plungis car to the park-
ing lot. Then he went to his mother’s
garage, took her sedan and the shovel
and returned to the woods, where he

- buried the body, He took the guns

apart and hurled them into the Nau-
gatuck River,

On Saturday morning, Zukauskas
led officers to the woods and to the
shallow grave. Stephanie’s body was
unearthed. Her face was disfigured

. beyond recognition.

Bullets in the body were tested bal-
listically, and tallied with those found
in the Plungis car, and the dirt on the
shovel proved to be identical with
samples taken from Stephanie’s grave.
Besides, there were tiny woolen hairs
from a gray blanket on the shovel,
matching those on Zukauskas’ uni-
form tunic,

Divers recovered’ parts of the mur-
der weapons,

Zukauskas was indicted for murder,
and police made no charge against his
wife, believing that she had told the
truth when she said she was com-
pelled to try to keep the story of her
husband’s vicious crime from authori-
ties. Vaudis and Gromak, of course,
were absolved completely.

A court of three judges found Zu-
kauskas guilty of murder and im-
posed a penalty of death in the elec-
tric chair. Zukauskas was emotionless
as he heard the sentence pronounced
on February 8, 1945,

(The names of Edward Vaudis and
Peter Gromak, as used in this story,
are fictitious to protect persons inno-
cently involved in a murder investi-
gation).

(Continued from paye 19)

brought up in the community, so his
past was an open book. “Perhaps
others can tell you more about him
than I can. But I'll give you all I know
about Ruthine Wallace.”

The deputy said the young woman's
father had died when she was only
three, so the mother sent the child to
Mrs. Herndon for upbringing. The girl
was sent to local schools and her life
was uneventful until Grady “Cotton”
Cherry came along. ;

“They fell in love at once,” Hern-
don said, “and were soon married.
Ruthine was only eighteen then.”

Summers nodded. “What about
other boys in her life?. Was.there, for
instance, any unsuccessful rival?”

The deputy sheriff shook his head.
“None I know of. Do you think a dis-

_appointed suitor would have held a

grudge that long?”

The private detective shrugged.
“That’s something we've got to find
out — if there was one.” -

Mrs. Herndon was called. She said
Ruthine had gone around with several
young men before she met Cherry.
She named three, but the woman de-
clared all of them had since married.

“Then that angle’s.probably out,”

TRUE CRIME DETECTIVE CASES

Summers said. “But has there been
anyone since her marriage — I mean,
some person whose attentions she
might have thwarted?”

The Herndons were shocked, but
Summers’ question succeeded in re-
calling to the deputy’s mind an inci-
dent which, he said, had occurred
about a month before the tragedy.

“Ruthine was out in the barnyard,
gathering eggs,” he said, “and she was
just leaving the hen house when two
shots rang out. Both of them plunged
into the hen house but missed Ruth-
ine. She ran into the house, scared
as could be.

“Luffman and I went out and
looked around but we couldn’t find
anyone. I figured it was some hunter
who had gotten too close to the
house.” .

“Indeed!” Summers exploded.
“What did Ruthine say about the in-
cident?”

“She wouldn’t talk about it.”

Summers rubbed his chin. “Those
bullets still in the hen house wall?”

“I guess so. I never tried to take
them out. Want to see them?”

Summers shook his head. “Not this
minute. Tell me anything you might

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know about Cotton Cherry. What'd
he do besides carry the mail? Did he
spend much time away from home?”

The deputy seemed not to under-
stand. “If you.mean, was he chasing
after other women, I know he wasn’t
that kind. His income was small from
the Model post office, but he used to
supplement it by driving war workers
back and forth in his truck.”

Summers said “H’mm. Any of them
women?”

“Most of them were women,” Hern-
don answered, “but I think you’re
-barkin’ up the wrong tree.”

The private detective said nothing,
but turned to Trinkle and suggested
he dig the bullets from the hen house
wall.

They rs the slugs embedded in
soft pine,and tar paper and removed
them. They seemed in perfect condi-
tion. That: night, the private detective
dispatched. them to the ballistics men
at Nashville.

On the following morning, Sum-
_mers drove to Model, ten miles to the
north, and talked with the man who
had been Cherry’s immediate super-
ior in the post office.

“Did Cotton ever say anything
about those girl war workers he rode
back and forth on his mail truck?”
the detective asked.

The former boss’ face lit up. “Say,
that’s right — he did. Cotton was
thinking about cutting out those pas-
sengers, even though he was getting
good money for riding them.”

“Know why?”

“Sure.: One of the girls told him her
father didn’t like the idea. Then Cot-
ton told me her old man had some
words with him. The father seemed

to think there was something more
going on than just a ride back and
forth.”

“What do you think?”

“] think the old man was off his
base. Cotton wasn’t the kind to chase
after girls.”

Summers made a mental note to
look into this aspect of the dead mail
carrier’s life.

“Know who that ‘girl was?” he
asked. ;

The boss shook his head. “No, but
I can give you the names of all three
Cotton rode on his truck.”

He listed the young women as Bes-
sie Luffman, Sarah Moss and Helene
Young.

Returning to Dover, Summers .

talked to Trinkle about the girls.
“There’s two of them you can drop,”

the sheriff told the investigator. '

“Helene Young is married, and her
husband’s overseas. She has no fa-
ther. Bessie Luffman isn’t the kind
to run around. John got into some
trouble last year, and he was sent to
prison. He’s up in the Nashville Peni-
tentiary now, doing five to seven
years.”

“T.uffman in prison?”

“That’s right. Maybe I should haye
told you sooner. But he didn’t figure
in the Cherry case. His handwriting
didn’t match, and he had a good alibi
for the time of the crime.”

“You mean, he was working at the
farm chores?”

“Yes, but a couple of neighbors
swore they saw him out in the Hern-
don field all that Sunday morning.”

Summers pondered this point.
“Then how about Jud Moss?” he
asked.

Tense courtroom drama unfolds as society matron, Mrs. Irene Mansfeldt,
left, on trial for murder of Nurse Veda Martin, leans over to listen to words
of encouragement from her aunt, Mrs. Jeannette Thomas. Mrs. Mansfeldt
admitted. shooting the nurse after accusing her of trying to win the affec-
tions of her husband, Dr. John H. Mansfeldt. Dr. Mansfeldt later committed
suicide.

84

Trinkle nodded, “There's a miu.
who could have been suspicious ot
Cotton Cherry. He’s mighty strict
with his daughter.”

“Let’s find him!” Summers almost
shouted. Here was a:possible lead at

last.
* . 2 *

HE two investigators found Moss
on his farm and they quickly ex-
plained the reason for their visit.

“J never had words with Cotton
Cherry,” he said, “about Sarah or
anything else. I was glad my daugh-
ter was able to get a ride back and
forth from work. Besides, I knew Cot-
ton from boyhood and I always
thought a lot of him. Even if I didn’t,
I would have trusted Sarah.”

The man’s sincerity was apparent.
When he and Trinkle left, Summers
told the sheriff he felt that Moss
seemed to be telling the truth.

“7’'d think so,” Trinkle responded.
“I know Jud Moss. When I was
checking alibis around here, | dis-
covered Moss was in Dover, ten miles
away, at 10 o'clock that Sunday
morning.”

This seemed to let Jud Moss out of
the murder picture. But Summers
knew the crime could have been com-
mitted as much as a half hour earlier
than the time estimated, and this
would have given Moss enough time
to get to Dover and set up an alibi.

Nor was he removing John Luff-
man from the murder picture, despite
the fact that he hadn’t written the
note. ‘

The next morning, the Nashville
ballistics men handed in a report that
the two slugs taken from the Hern-
don hen house were identical with
those removed from the heads of Cot-
ton and Ruthine Cherry!

In other words, they had been fired
from the 30-20 gun found near the
young couple’s bodies!

“Those shots at Ruthine were no
accident,”, Summers told Trinkle.
“Somebody was deliberately gunning
for her. If that pistol-wielder didn't
intend to kill her, he certainly meant
those shots to scare her. I wonder
why!”

During the next few weeks, Sum-
mers spent his time endeavoring to
learn who could have shot at Ruthine.
He also sought to determine the name
of the local father who had threatened
Cotton Cherry over the mail truck
rides he -had given his daughter.

But, despite his earnest digging. the
private detective ‘could discover no
Tharpe swain who might have been
forcing his attentions on Ruthine
Cherry, and who might have shot at
her when his desires were thwarted.

At the same time, he made no prog-
ress in the direction of any man who
might have threatened the mail car-

TRUE CRIME DETECTIVE CASES

rier, Thins
arly int
he had bec
the cas
advanc
been when
aid.
Howell «
watching tl
ress—or la
to feel tha
solved. In
would be
carrier anc
But Sum
up. Inste:
records at
reting out
who _ had
Trinkle or
The pri
ginning to
hind with
write, “I o:
and am po
it, Summe
Hence, i:
beyond |
Trinkle a:
casting al
the arrest:
His eye:
on one na
“Who is
Herndon.
“His so
“Young R
farm one
him on
charge w!
kid. In fa
a boy-* -
go.”
“WH
tant. Ree
have kno:
ine well.
summer.
grudge at
Herndo
and Tri:
don’t thi:
Summ«e
who'd 4d
“That kic
can he b:
Hernd
ing on :
given a
his skill.
“We'd
said,

EED
prop
which r
private «
the offic:
“TL fign
“after t:
you're <
anything
Summ

TRUE CRIMI


ee memes

: Grady and Rufine Cherry I went to.the evidence against him was overwhelming. |
jiscussing.. _]| home of John Luffman to see his daughter. ~_ This is his account of what occurred:
adly with, “| But she and her mother’were away. No “About five or six weeks before Grady
A sort of - | one was there but me and John. We sat Cherry and his wife were killed I went to
1 at these there and talked about Grady and Rufine. Mrs. Jinks Herndon’s house and stole’ a
He said he didn’t like for Grady to pick pistol out of a dresser drawer. I took it
aned for- up his daughter and carry her to Dover. home. I hid it down in the woods on the
— He also told me he would stop it one way prio: 4 “arpa the Cherrys were pee
just can or another, and that he had talked to Grady vin Hicks was at my house. We talke - n
sr seemed and told him not to pick her up unless he about Cherry and decided to go up to their at Greater Than Ever VALU ES j
nat’s why was along. He said after Grady brought house and kill them. The next morning I
They like the girl to Dover they rode around to- met Hicks on the Model Road and then
> anything gether. He said he had seen them out in walked to the Herndon house. When we
the park twice together. He said he had got there we found. Grady and Rufine RANGING
fe, he ad- told Grady he would kill him if he didn’t asleep. We walked in. I shot Grady. Al- | CHASSIS
ng propo- quit. ' vin Hicks’ shot Rufine. with FM
dered the “It was Saturday evening. I stayed un- “Grady drove a mail truck and my (Frequency Modulation)
iis serious til about 9 o’clock. I saw him two weeks daughter had been riding to town with him. 5 WAVE BANDS
2 had been later on Saturday at his house. I went I told him not to haul her to town any SEPARATE CHASSIS or
there to see his daughter again. She was more for she would slip off and ride with | MY iNew LUC 4
the detec- there that time. He called me out behind boys. Grady said he wouldn’t stop her as *)
> feel bet- the house and we sat under some trees. long as she had the money and wanted to The SYMPHONY GRAND
He asked me would I help him kill Grady go. That made me mad. That is the reason AM=— FM
and Rufine. I told him I would. We went that I shot Grady and Alvin killed Rufine. RADIO-PHONOGRAPH
back in the house and I had supper with “I left the pistol that I had laying be-
them and talked to ~ side Rufine. That is CONSOLE
of the bar, his daughter until the gun I stole from A magnificent radio and musical
about 10 o'clock. 1 MUMIN—,N,_NuN0UUTTvU@§ runnin Jinks’ house, Alvin gg tagline pacer
was up there every said he was going to nv i pirate ad
s asleep, night the following OLD VINTAGE throw the gun he - cba hy th poset hipaa I
week until it hap- Like many a discharged veteran, Mr. used in the cistern and FM reception ... an autor 5
the bound- pened. I asked him J. M. Dalton, of Midland, Texas, went and I heard it when matic record-changing.. phonoe
when we were go- to the County Clark's Office to pan his it hit the water. I fraph ...and scores of NEW :
ing to do it and get discharge papers for filing. went in Mr. Hern- ‘ost-war features. EASY TERMS.
it over with and he Examining the discharge the clerk don’s room and tore
said he would find found it was in script instead of print a piece of paper off
out when Jinks and and dated November 14th, 1898, Span- a Mother’s Day card ey
f farewell, his wife would be ish-American War service, First Regi- and Hicks wrote the haidest nabaD CORPORA
away. ment, Troop E, of the U. S, Texas note and laid it | Bebe Twa, Cincinnati 2, Ohio ‘ et
“He had Jinks’ Cavalry, down beside Rufine. || i ; H iM
1e of Time horses borrowed Asked why he didn’t bring the “I have: not been |{ Garslog and details of Your Liberal 30 Beye Trial '
and he went to car- papers sooner, Mr. Dalton said “he promised anything ; disk ! }
ry (take) the horses just got around to it now.” to write this by any- | 4 srpeer H i
7e home on Saturday aaa 4 I a re Ls ere oii avin H
evening. He heard een forced to write in dnb uh tie io om sn ts ee Caen th mcs Si em en etm es nb un es eam am eal y
he Jinks 24). De and AAMT TT this I paviow ei do
1 his slow his wife were going right for once an
‘ this poem, over the river next day. He heard Jinks tell the truth and get it off my mind. This LEARN MEAT CUTTING
becoming tell Grady and Rufine to stay there on is the truth.” At Home —In Spare Time
hardly fin- Sunday. First-degree murder indictments were et into the vital meat industry. Con-
enched, IMs “He told me that night that everything returned against the pair. On August 6th, on 45 bears’ proven instruction methods
e struggled would be all right the next morning, that 1945, two years lacking one week after the petool. Prepares you for bigger pay as
nobody*would be there but Grady and Ru- crime was committed, they were placed on <= § meet Pars wither in pour Own etre.
tell you the fine. I came back early next morning. I trial. Each pleaded not guilty. Spice start NOW to turn Your spare pours into
nities nee stopped in front of his house area go adeno a motive for Hicks’ part Toney. end for FREE et NO ie 4, 0.
i, as thoug horn. He came out, and I asked him if he in the crime, the prosecution claimed that 7"
was ready. He got in the car with me and _ his advances toward Rufine were repulsed Sen” DO YOU WANT
1, you have I drove up to about a quarter mile of the by her and he decided to’ get revenge. s&s z MON EY-LOVE-LUCK!
ne about it. house. I parked the car and we cut up A Stewart County jury, requiring less = = .
paper and through the woods. When we got to the than an hour’s deliberation, found them By S LOADSTONES Have_been. carried |
opened, and house they were both asleep. We pulled guilty as charged. On August 8th they Mii 6h ain MONEROVELUCE aL
is going to off our shoes and went in the house. were sentenced to death in the electric carried in pairs in your pocket or purse, According to
“He had a 32-caliber gun when he got chair. Defense counsel appealed the ver- | [Sre\Games, to draw and attract, GOOD LO ee eons
s wrote out in the car with me. He gave it tome. He dict, but on June Ist, 1946, the Supreme | keep you from getting what you desire. No supernatural
bao — also had a .38-caliber gun. He ba in “oo te the lower court’s decision. are Highly Magnetic. cee ine tn Guaranteed oF
‘fully, then the house and shot Grady. I was with him. roug’ e efforts of Delbert Hicks, | your money back.
Rufine raised up and screamed. I shot her. who made a desperate attempt to clear his SPECIAL 2,Genutne Live Mighty Mognetio Loadespecial
inocent man We came out of the room into the hall and __ brother, Governor McCord had granted two carrying bag. All for $1.98 postpaid. {G.0.D. $2.22). der
v very well he said, ‘You go down to the car. I will stays of execution for further study of the OLIVER COMPANY, 3119-30 Trocet, Kenisas City 3, Mo.
1ot so.” be there in a few minutes.” He left his pis- case, but on August 29th, he declared: “I bY
tol lying in the room. I gave my pistol to can see no reason for setting aside the judg- a“
summers re- him after he got in the car. When we got ment of the courts.” FEET HURT? -
to the bridge he threw it in the creek. On August 30th, 1946, Alvin Hicks and '
; ‘ “Tt waited for him for thirty minutes or John Luftman were electrocuted at the 4 =
in,” he said an hour after I got into the car. He threw State Penitentiary at Nashville, Tennessee. TRY DR. BARRON'S NEW
to tell you the pistol out on his right-hand side. I It was on May 12th that Inspector Grif-
: carried him back to his home in my car. _ fin, with Mrs. Griffin on the extension, were CUSHIONS
I'm tired.” | His wife and daughters were there. One informed by telephone of the solution of
The con-_ -| of the girls played the guitar. He played the Stewart County murder. The conversa- LIKE
re after him. | the fiddle. After awhile I went home. ’ tion concluded, the Inspector left his desk i] SOFT-SPONGY
You'll find | “Before we went to the Herndon house and started out to the reception room. He ALL OVER WALKING
man and me | John went into another room in his house collided with his wife in the doorway. ON A
and got a piece of paper and I wrote the “Baby,” he said with a grin, “that whirl-
itement, the note. He told me what to write. Iputthe wind undercover sleuth, Park Summers, PILLOW!
ie of substi- | paper on the back of a guitar to write the has done it again. He’s a murder wiz.”
one that had | note. John carried it up to the Herndon “How about telling me something I don’t | ., you quer from metatarsal CALLOUSES, CORNS
to change a home and put it down. I haven’t seen him know?” retorted Mrs, Griffin laughingly. | WEAK ARCH Foot PAINS? | Ty's Barron's "New. Foe
to him. He since.” ; “You, a detective!” tat De Fits all shoes. Gusnions your ARCHES and FEE?
ct that Hicks The following day Summers visited Luff- The Inspector scowled and passed on. aching fost, | Hal ¢ make walking. a plenaiire.,” Happy Gust
zs man at the Nashville penitentiary. Al- An office door in the Inspector’s suite to- | hours,"-H. H. Sedan, Kan, Send only $1.98 for A PAIR
| though he balked at first, it didn’t take the day bears the following inscription: PARK | STATE SHOE SIZE AND IF MAN OR WOMAN. 30-DAY
4 t | shifty-eyed farmer long to realize that the | SUMMERS, SUPERINTENDENT. ORTHO BO We'esrd St, Dente (aR, NY. oN 95
murder 0


e

; “aoe ne AE ori age
personal problems, subjects in: which they

were interested.

Now he opened the conversation with a

discussion of. Tennyson’s poems, and liter-
ature in general. He soon learned that
Hicks was a true-confession and love-story
addict. As for the short stories, he always
remembered best the character who had
been best-liked and had the most friends.
Sportsmanship, he said, was what appealed
to him. He dwelt upon this subject at some
length. ;

. “Very interesting,” Summers commented,
“While we’re on the subject, let’s us tell
a story; rather, you tell one. See if you can
make up one like you have just been telling
me.” °

Hicks deliberated a long while.

“Well, let me help you,” the sleuth sug-
gested. “Our character is a man by the
name of John Jones. Let’s put him in the
middle of the road. Say it’s 9 o’clock. The
story must end at 12.. Where’s he going?

Shortly after midnight one Sun-
day morning in the sleeping little
town of Bolton, in Canada, a dark
sedan stopped in front of the local
branch of the Imperial Bank. Nine-
teen-year-old Leonard Gott, on his
way home, saw two men emerge.
When one of them banged his head
on a “No Parking” sign, the ‘other
cautioned him with an urgent
“Shh.” While Leonard watched, un-
observed in the darkness, the two
men dragged from the car a four-
foot oxygen tank and an acetylene
torch. Gott, sensing something
amiss, hastened to his home near by
and roused his father, who, in turn,
telephoned their suspicions to Po-
lice Chief Ewart.

Father and son then each picked
up a rifle and returned to the street
outside the bank, where they were
joined by Wilfred Maw, a middle-
aged resident from across the road,
who had also become aware of the
nocturnal visitors. Maw had brought
his shotgun.

In the meantime, the would-be
robbers had smashed a basement
window at the side of the building,
crawled in and opened a door, car-
vied in their equipment and started
to work, Only partially shielded by
a blanket which they had strung up’
in front of the vault door, the bril-
liant white light of the torch could
be plainly seen by those outside,

Maw telephoned to William
Greenwood, the bank manager, who
suggested that a shot be fired in an
endeavor to scare out the intruders.
Maw took aim at the sky and pulled
the trigger of his shotgun but the
ensuing explosion had no effect
whatever on the safe-crackers,
did, however, bring out more curi-
ous citizens of both sexes, Evidently
conscious of the fact that ten or
more people were watching them
through the windows, the crooks
decided that something should be

| “What

The Fantastic.Burglars

.itself, crawled and staggered back.

It -

% es
will You have him
“Let him go-to work’? A Rd ths
Another long pause... Merck Aes
. “What kind of work?”
“He’s in a field, plowing.”
Beyond that, the prisoner couldn’t move
the character out of his tracks.
The detective provided other characters.

ne

' The results were the same,

. Hicks, it was clear, was devoid of imag-
ination, His inquisitor felt reasonably cer-
tain, now,. that his subject was incapable
of originating anything. Whatever he told
would be limited to something he had seen,
read or heard... He had a mind that was
open to suggestions.

He provided him with soft drinks, cigar-
ettes, and for lunch ordered a generous and
well-prepared meal sent in. He ate with
him. Following this the discussion con-
tinued, They talked of people Hicks had
known. Summers discovered that - the

youth had a particularly sentimental fond-

done. They casually walked over
and pulled down the blinds, then
calmly resumed their labors, Sounds
of their hammering were heard
even in the neighboring houses,

When the police. chief arrived,
shortly afterward, the two men ap-
parently concluded that they could
not brazen it out long enough to get
through to the cash behind the
heavy vault door,. They suddenly
appeared through the basement
window and made an empty-handed
dash for freedom, 7

Gun in hand, young Gott took
after them, yelling, “Stop, or I’ll
mow you down!”

Gott, Senior, raised his .22 rifle,
took careful aim, and fired at the
running silhouettes across the open
roadway. ; erie

One figure dropped. Two kept
on going. The fallen figure raised

Hoping against hope,
“You're not Leonard?”
“Yes,” the answer came, brokenly, .
And then, “Was it you who shot me,

Dad?” F

With a bullet: through the stom-
ach, Leonard was rushed to a hos-
pital and fought gamely for his life
for two weeks before succumbing to
his injuries. Every one of the six
hundred adult residents in the little
town offered blood for transfusions,
Before he died, young Gott gave po- .-
lice a good description of one of the
men, and as a result, Jack Reynar,
of Palgrave, and Stanley Thompson,
of Toronto, were. arrested and
brought to trial. ;

It transpired that Reynar, the in-
stigator of the ill-fated plan, had
stolen not only the car but also all.
the acetylene equipment. He was...
sentenced to prison for two years
less a day, ‘while Thompson, who
was only sixteen years -of age, got
off on suspended sentence, ‘

: ——Roy Woopsrwce.

Gott cried,

af. te RORY iH)
anita. fet

“ness for small children. When

ere se ie
‘do in ‘that time?” A
a *» those he had known and been friendly with, 4

. to like me.

tears always came to his eyes, Asort of
nostalgia seemed to overtake him ‘at these

es. ie:
During one such moment he leaned for- ee ;

ward:‘and held his head in his hands.

“You know,” he confided, “I just can’t
understand why people have never seemed
Especially girls. That’s why
I like the littlé kids so much. They like
me. But girls would never have anything
to do with me.”

Summers was sympathetic. Life, he ad-
mitted, was sometimes a puzzling propo-
sition. He told how he had pondered the
subject during the long years of his serious
illness, and of what a help reading had been
to him,

“These lines of Tennyson’s,” the detec-
tive remarked, “always made me feel bet-
ter.” He began to quote:

Sunset and evening star,

. And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the bound-
less deep :
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For though from out our bourne of Time
and Place .
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to meet my Pilot face to face’
When I have crossed the bar.

As Summers proceeded: with his slow
and very impressive rendition of this poem,
he noted that the youth was becoming
more and more tense. He had hardly fin-
ished when Hicks, his hands clenched, his
face contorted, said quietly, as he struggled
with his suppressed emotion:

“Mr, Summers, I am going to tell youthe -~

truth about what happened. I killed Ru-
fine.” He paused, then repeated, as though
in a daze, “I killed her.” ps

Summers said quietly, “Alvin, you have
done the right thing in telling me about it.
Now, you take this pencil and Paper and
write it all down, just as it happened, and
don’t keep anything back. It is going to
make you feel a lot better.”

Slow]) and laboriously Hicks wrote out
his statement. When he was finally fin-

_ ished, Summers read it carefully, then

oked up. © :

“Why, you've implicated an innocent man
here,” he declared. “You know very well
what you've said about him is not so.”
“Yes, it is!” Hicks insisted.

“I have never lied to you,” Summers re-
minded him gently.

The -prisoner hung his head. ‘

“I_know you're. going to win,” he said
finally, “but I just don’t want to’ tell you
anything else.”

“Very well. Suit yourself. I’m tired.”

The detective turned to go. The con-
fessed murderer darted a glance after him.

“All right,” he said, “T’ll tell. You'll find
out anyway, It was John Luffman and me
that killed them.” i

Checking back over the statement, the |
investigator found that, outside of substi-
tuting Luffman’s name for the one that had
been used, it was unnecessary to change a
word. This was not surprising to him. He

_ had already established the fact that Hicks —

had a very limited imagination,
The statement read:

“About: a: month: before the murder of of

coe,

- ing to do it and

%
RN

if

Grady and Ri
home 1
But s. k
one wv ‘e
there auu waik
He said he di
up his daught:
He also told m
or another, anc
and told him r
was along. H:
the girl to D
gether. He sai
the park twice
told Grady he
quit.

“It was Satu
til about 9 o’cl
later on Satur
there to see hi
there that time
the house and
He asked me yw
and Rufine. It
back in the ho
them and talke
his daughter
about 10 o'clock
was up there e:
night the follov
week until it }
pened. I asked
when we were

it over with anc
said he would

out when Jinks
his wife would
away.

“He had Ji
horses borrovy
and he went to «
ry (take) the ho
‘home on Satur
evening. He he
Jinks say he
his wife were gc
over the river
tell Grady and
Sunday.

“He to
would be
nobody*v
fine. I came bac
stopped in front
horn. He came
was ready. He g
I drove up to ab
house. I parked

F through the woo
f house they were

off our shoes and
“He had a .32-

@ in the car with m

also had a .38-ca
the house and sho
Rufine raised up :
We came out of t!
he said, ‘You go
be there in a few
tol lying in the rx

| him after he got i

to the bridge he t

“I waited for h
an hour after I go
the pistol out on
carried him back

| His wife and dau

of the girls playe
the fiddle. After
“Before we we)

John went into ar

and got a piece o
note. He told me
paper on the back
note. John carrie

“® home and put it a

since.”
The following da

fman at the Nash

though he balked :
shifty-eyed farmer


‘to unlock the

A
VERYONE AGREED that it was a swell party. Most of
the guests were friends and neighbors of long standing,

’ and Deputy Sheriff Horndon was the kind of host who knew

how to make them feel right to home. No hint of what was
impending marred the merriment, no sinister omen of the
violence soon to come. Amid the gaiety, a shocking and
brutal crime was being spawned.

On that warm summer night of August 14th, the party
in the deputy’s home was running full blast. This was the
sixth wedding anniversary of Ruthine and Cotton Cherry.

THE
POSTMAN’S
WIFE

AND THE
UNREGISTERED
MALES

by Norman Welton

A derisive,
unsigned note
provided

the clue which
was finally

perplexing
puzzle

of rape and
double murder

32

Cotton’s real name was Grady, but no one ever called
him that. He was 28; a mail carrier on the Model Star
route between Model and Clarksville, Tennessee.

Ruthine, the attractive young niece of Mrs. Horndon,
came out of the kitchen, handed the deputy a plate of
melting ice-cream.

The deputy smiled up at her. “Having a good time,
Ruthine?” :

Her face was radiant. “I always have a good time when
I’m with Cotton.”

Horndon looked humorously dubious. He lifted his eye-
brows and said, “Even after six years?”

“It’s even more so after six years.”

The deputy patted her shoulder gently. “Well, it’s been
nice having you live with us, although sometimes I’ve
thought we’ve stood in the way of romance.” Here the
deputy laughed, “But we’re going away for the day tomor-
Tow and you can be by yourselves. You'll take care of things
for us, won’t you?” :

“You can count on us,” the girl agreed amiably. She
glanced over the large room at some of the guests. “This
is such a nice party,” she said enthusiastically.

There was Alvin Hicks, a young neighbor; John Luffman
—Horndon’s hired man—with his daughter of 18; and sev-
eral others.

Ruthine smiled, bent down and kissed her uncle’s brow.
“Thanks for all.you’ve done,” she said.

She returned to the kitchen to prepare food for the other
guests. The deputy watched her leave the room. He was
extremely fond of his niece. She was a charming girl, young,
vibrant and alive. He could hardly imagine her growing old;
hardly imagine her without these youthful qualities.

At this moment it was Hoeven for him to realize that
within twenty-four hours Ruthine and Cotton would be
dead.

The next afternoon, at Dover, the Stewart County seat,
Deputy Sheriff Charles Rosen reached for the jangling

He wasn’t discouraged by a brush-off.

y

This man went courting with his gun.

HEADQUARTERS DETECTIVE

Seta

aint

phone. Subconsciously he looked at the clock on the wall.
It was just four. He picked up the receiver and heard an
agitated voice say over the wire:

“Sheriff! Come over as quick as you can! Horndon’s
niece Ruthine and her husband have been done to death
right in their home! Horndon’s hired hand, John Luffman,
‘found them and ran to tell me a minute ago!”

“Don’t touch anything on the murder scene,”
ordered. “I'll be right over.”

When Deputy Sheriff Rosen arrived he brought with him
Sheriff Trinkle, Magistrate J. A. Burgess, the coroner, Dr.
G. T. Lunt, and Judge N. A. Link, all of Stewart County.

They studied the scene of murder. In the Horndon living
room they found the lifeless body of young Cotton, face
down, on the couch. There was a bullet wound in his right
temple. On the floor, close to the couch, lay Ruthine on
her back, her head pillowed by a quilt, her hands crossed
over her chest. In the middle of her forehead was a bullet
hole.

Sheriff Trinkle frowned down at the two lifeless bodies.
“One thing is obvious,” he said to no one in particular.
“Cherry might have been shot while asleep, but the girl’s
body was deliberately arranged.”

Deputy Rosen found a .32 caliber revolver on the floor
between Ruthine and the couch, also a note that had been
scribbled on the back of a torn Mother's Day card. The
note was as baffling as all the rest. “Deputy Sheriff Horndon,
here is your gun also your niece. I owe you and Trinkle a
debt and I am paying them. I will visit him later. Take good
care of the gun. I may want to borry it again sometime.
Thanks for the use of it. The gang.”

‘ eee is Horndon?” Trinkle asked Luffman, the hired
and.

“He and his wife left here early this morning,” Luffman
answered. “They ought to be back soon.”

“Well, whoever done this must have known that they
would be away.”

Rosen

The jail where two suspects accused each other.

ee

Ao: Nh
ea Me: =

HEADQUARTERS DETECTIVE

April, 196.

Two lethal slugs ended this couple’s happy marriage.

Trinkle took the revolver that Rosen had picked up and
broke it open. It contained four loaded cartridges and two
empty ones—presumably the two which had killed young
Cherry and his wife.

When Deputy Sheriff Horndon and his wife reached their
home:they were tense and silent in their first shocked amaze-
ment and horror. Then Mrs. Horndon collapsed and had to
be carried to her room.

After Horndon had regained his composure Trinkle held
out the gun that was found in the room and asked him if he
owned it. ,

“Yes,” said Horndon. “I missed it months ago. Thought
somebody’d taken it, but it’s a cheap one and I didn’t bother.
I have others.”

“Know anything about this note?” Trinkle pointed where
the torn Mother’s Day card with its scribbled threat, lay
on a table.

Horndon read it without touching it. “Don’t understand
it.” He looked from the note to Trinkle.

“Do you suppose Cherry wrote it, first killing his wife
then himself?”

“Why should he?” Horndon’s question was a challenge.
“Those two loved each other. They were happy. You ought
to have heard Ruthine last night and seen her. I’ve never
seen a happier face.” Horndon’s lips quivered then he
added: “Cotton was educated. He never wrote that note.”

“Might have faked it,” Trinkle suggested.

“Maybe the words in that note are faked but not the
writing, I’m no expert but I’m sure of that. Just as sure as
I am that Cotton didn’t shoot (Continued on page 44)

33

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qsnsny uo (AquNOD 4ueMeyS) 20

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TATV *SYOIH

@

seuue J,

S

he’d seen me come in he could have
put the finger on me.

“I rested the muzzle of my gun at
the base of his neck and pulled the trig-
ger. The guy never knew what hit him.
I had to kill those guys. What if he’d
seen me and I didn’t know it? Anyway,
he went down like a bag of cement. I
had to turn him over to get at his pock-
ets. He was one big mess of blood. It
was a real dirty job, so I forgot about
the pockets and went to the cash regis-
ter. I grabbed everything in the till.
Then I went out the front door. Nobody
was around. I took it easy going back
to the car so if anybody did see me
they wouldn’t become suspicious. I got
in my car and drove away. I threw
the gun away a little distance from there.
It was the same one I used in Islip on
the delicatessen man. I didn’t have any
more bullets, so what was the good of
keeping that gun?”

District Attorney Cohalan interrupt-
ed to ask Bloeth if he hadn’t dumdumm-
ed the bullet he used on the Smithtown
diner man.

“Sure I did,” the confessed killer said.
“Before I went in there it was the only
bullet I had left. I doctored it up so
when it hit somebody it would spread
and do a good job.”

Bloeth said he had gone home after
that second murder and slept soundly.
Even his lawyer shook his head at the
grim recital of multiple murder.

WO days after the Lawrence Kirch-
er shooting the mad dog killer pull-
ed his third job.

“That was Friday night again,” Bloeth
said. “I got paid and started drinking.
I climbed in my car around 10 o’clock
and headed out on the Island. Next
thing I knew I was near Westhampton.
I remember riding around Dune Road
there. I cruised by the swank homes and
beach clubs. I got lost and had to ask
some guy how to get back to Montauk
Highway. Finally I came to Bailey’s
Restaurant. I could see just one woman
in the place. I remembered I had only
one bullet for this second gun Id

bought. I drove up to the front of the
restaurant and stopped in the parking
lot. I went in and ordered one egg. I
tossed a $10 bill on the counter. I sat
there thinking while this woman fried
the egg. She brought it to me and
started back for the kitchen. I followed
her and said, ‘Lady, this is a stickup’.”

Bloeth went on to tell how he’d push-
ed Mrs. Currier into the rest room.
“Then I grabbed her apron,” he said.
“She was struggling, but I took it off her
and tied her hands behind her. She kept
giving me a hard time. She got one
hand loose. I was worried because she
had seen my face. I reached up above
and got a towel and wrapped it around
her neck. I wanted to strangle that
woman and save the one bullet I had
for the next job. But I couldn’t do any-
thing with her. She was plenty strong.
I knew I had no choice but to give
her the gun. I wrestled her to the floor
and aimed right at her head. She didn’t
give me any more trouble after that
bullet crashed into her skull.”

The three-time murderer told how
he’d taken the money from the cash
register and run out the front door and
sped away in his car.

“I went by Lake Ronkonkoma on the
way home,” Bloeth said. “I stopped
there and threw the gun in the lake. I
didn’t have any more bullets. When I
got home my wife was asleep.”

That was all Francis Henry Bloeth
had to say. It was enough. But Suffolk
County authorities were not through.
They found he had been a problem
from childhood, taking great pleasure
in strangling cats to death. Even as an
adult he went around shooting cats
with a BB gun.

There were many grim sidelights to
the case of Long Island’s Mad Dog
killer. Police said that prior to the first
murder in Islip Bloeth had walked into
the Prince Cafe at 85 Division Street
in that town and held a gun at the
head of the owner, Joseph Principe.

Two customers watched in horror as
Bloeth clicked the trigger four times.

“Do you want to try for five?”

THE POSTMAN’S WIFE
(Continued from page 33)

his wife.” Horndon trembled with an-
ger.

The medical officer decided that the
Cherrys had both been dead for from
six to seven hours. That would mean
that they had been killed between nine-
thirty and ten-thirty Sunday morning.
The autopsy would set the time more
exactly.

Suddenly Trinkle swung around to
Luffman who was standing in the room
and who had reported the murders.

“Tell us your story,” he ordered
tersely. ;

Luffman was startled and resentful.

44

The terrified owner shook his head
and handed over all the money in his
cash register—$60.

“This incident was not reported im-
mediately,” District Attorney Cohalan
said. “The owner was too afraid the
gunman would come back and kill him.

One of the customers did report the

holdup. Bloeth-was playing a game of
Russian roulette with that man, but
he’s admitted he had no bullets at the
time. If he had the cafe man would
have been dead too.”

There were others equally lucky.
Police disclosed that Bloeth had admit-

ted “casing” two other places, one a_

bowling alley in Islip only a block from
police headquarters.

“I was going to knock off that bowling
alley because police claimed they were
going to get the guy who killed the
delicatessen man,” Bloeth was quoted as
saying. “I wanted to pull a job near
headquarters to show police how dumb
they are and how smart I am.”

The owner of the bowling alley told
investigators he had seen a man re-
sembling Bloeth hanging around outside
his place.

Francis Bloeth took police investiga-
tors to Lake Ronkonkoma and pointed
out the spot where he’d thrown the .32
automatic used to kill Mrs. Currier.

Divers found such a gun 30 feet from
_ the shore.

Examining it, Bloeth said, “That’s it.
I’m sure.” Bloeth was arraigned in Suf-
folk County Court in Riverhead on
Friday, August 14th. He made obscene
remarks about police officers and the
judge, claiming he’d kill them all if he
had a gun.

The prisoner said he didn’t give a
damn what the authorities did with him.
“T like to kill,” he declared.

Given sanity tests and found sane,
he was tried and convicted of murder
in the first degree. After appeals and
other efforts to save himself, he was
sentenced for the second time to death
in the electric chair in the fall of 1963.
At this printing, still another appeal of
his is pending. *

He said that it was around noon when
he first saw Cotton and Ruthine on the
couch and the floor. He had gone to
the house for orders, had called through
the window then had looked in. He had
thought they were asleep. Ruthine
often stretched out on the floor.
“That’s true,” Horndon agreed.
“Three hours later on,” Luffman
continued, “I went to tell Cotton I was
laying off work. This time I had a
hunch something was screwy. Then I
looked closer and saw tne gun and the

blood. That was when I lit over to-

tell the police.”

“So,” Judge Link said slowly, “be-
fore Deputy Sheriff Rosen got here,
you were the only one around the
place.” He looked at Trinkle who fol-
lowed the unspoken suggestion quickly.

~“

“Show us how you write, John. Just
copy that there note.”

Luffman said protestingly: “I’ll do
what you say, but those two must have
been shot before I saw them the first
time. Why pick on me?”

With slow deliberation the large and
surly Luffman copied the note. His
handwriting bore no resemblance to
the writing of the threatening message.
And he was not bright enough to have
faked such a performance. Further-
more, his alibi as to his whereabouts
that morning, was satisfactory. He was

‘dismissed as a suspect.

[VpORDAY morning Judge Link and
Attorney General W. A. Howell,
of Stewart County. returned to Tharpe
and questioned separately the Saturday

HEADQUARTERS DETECTIVE .


HODGES, Samuel and Milton, blacks, hanged Knoxville, Tenn., 11-10-1882,

"THE GALLOWS: SAMUEL AND MILDON.HODGE, BROTHERS, HAN ED AT KNOXVILLE FOR
THE MURDER OF JAMES McFARLAND, - Knoxville, Tenn., Nov, 10 - Samuel

Hodge and his brother, Milton, were hanged here today for the murder of
James McFarland, at Black Oak “idge, near this city on the 5th of Sep-
temper last. The execution took place in an open field in a ravine a half
mile from the courthouse in a natural amphitheater. there was no trap or
scaffold, simply two upright posts placed in the ground with a cross~beam
from which ropes were suspended. A wagon with the prdsoners drove under
the KEXKR beam at half-past one o'clock, the ropes were adjusted,

the wagon was driven away and the men were left dangling. They were
choked to death in about tén minutes. Both the condemned men chose

this method of meeting théir death. When the prisoners arrived at the
gallows, they made speeche@ lasting about ten minutes, saying theywere
prepared to die and were going home to glory. They warned others to
beware of their fate. As the black cap was pulled over Milton Hodges'
face, he sang, in a strong voice, 'Goin' Home on de Evenin' Train.’ Sam
was Singing ‘Going Home to Die No More,*'when he was choked by the rope.
The day was perfect and good order was preserved among the8,000 people
present. The crime for which the Hodges negroes were hanged was that

of killing McFarland becaused he had ill-treated his wife, their sis;
ter. They had arrested him, tied his hands, and then Milt shot hin.
COURIER-JOURNAL, Louisville, Ky., 11-11-1882.

Chiefe Mak. -lheny bs /ff2
HODGES, Samuel & Milton, hanged Knoxville, Tenn,, 11-10-1892,

"Knoxville, Tenn., Nov. 10, 1892, - Samuel and Milton Hodge, colored.
brothers, were hanged here today in the presence of about 8,000 per-
sons, Both were swung offfrom a wagon and at the end of 10 minutes
both were dead, Religious services were held at the place of execution,
The doomed men spoke for about 10 minutes each, saying they were prepared
to die and were ‘going home to Gkory.' They warned those present to
beware of their fate. As the black cap was pulled over Milton's face,
he sang in a strong voice 'Goin''Home on de Evenin' Train, ‘and Samuel
was Singing 'Goin' home to die no more,'

REPESX when he was choked by the rope, The weather was beautiful and
good order was preserved, The crime for which the Hodge brothers were
hanged was the killing of their brother-in-law, James McFarland, over a
year ago. They seized him and tied his hands and Milton shot him. They
killed McFarland because he had ill-treated Bis wife, their sister,"
NEWS AND OBSERVER, Raleigh, N. C.& 10-11-1892 (page one, )

HOWELL, George

lowell, a black man, was born a slave, the property of Arch Howell of
LaGrange, Ga,, in Oct,, 1861, After the Civil Var, his family moved
to Atlanta where his father was employed as a nainter and his mother
died in 1866, After working at odd jobs for several years, Howell
left Atlanta and went to various pleces in Georgia vhere he worked,
generally as a farm laborer, before going to Bristol, Tenn., where he
met and was employed b y Joseph Martin, = Greene Co, farmer on June
19, 1877, for $8.00 per month, On the evening of Dec, 28, 1877, How-
ell shot Martin through a window of his house as he sat with his wife
and children bcfore the fireenlece, Martin was not instantly killed
and Howell ran behind the barn and relcaded his gun, When Martin and
his son emerged from the house, he told them that, seme tramps were
passing through and had shot towards the, house, Martin, his son and
Howell started across a field, in search of the tramps, when Martin
fell to the ground, MAKAK dying from his wound. Not suspecting that
Howell had fired the shot that killed him, he ordered Howell to re=
turn to the house and HXK#X look after his wife end daughters, Short=

ly afterwards, Howell fled but he was soon captured and charged with
the murder, &fter his conviction, he admitted killing Martin but
Claimed that he had done so XXXX¥ at the urging of Martin's entire
family and said that Martin's son had provided him with the gun and

- 7
~ thatafter he-had-killed Martin, -his- family urged-him-to-flee-as-he——
was a suspect. This confession was not believed and it was thought _

_ that Howell had actually killed Martin because they had argued over
“the fact that Howell had not cut enough wood that day. Ohere was-no--—
—appeal and a_large crowd HAXXEXXR gathered in Greenwood to witness the _
execution vhich was scheduled for August 9, 1878, At the.last minute,
a gubernatorial reprieve arrived and the crowd returned home in-disa=—-
—ppointment,..However, when he was hanged at the expiration of the re- _
prieve on Sept, 5,:1878, on a gallows constructed near the fair
grounds, 3,000 persons gathered to watch. him axpiate the crimné, He.
—made-an-incoherent-and.disconnected speech for fifteen minutes and __
just before the trap was sprung, he spoke his last words: "T ought not
to have done it," - ee, i ass ae ;

is
-

NATIONAL POLICE GAZETTE, Sept. ll, 1878 (10-1)
“ATIANTA

if

—

HOWBLL, George large card

Black, hanged Greenville, Green Co., Tenn,, on Septe 5,
1878 for the murder of Joseph Martin, Was to have been
@cecuted on August 9 and a large crowd had gathered that
day to witness but he received a last minute stay of
execution from the Governor, A large crowd witnessed

the execution and Howell confessed his guilt, was very
penitent and prayed fervently before the rope was adjusted,

NATIONAL POLICE GAZETTE, Sept. 1h, 1878 (10-1)

Jo So >. WRQRO ASBASSIN: BANGED. -

 'Keoxvitus, Teno, Heptember. 5.—George |

” Frowell, » negro #bho was convicted of the mar-
| ger of Joseph Martin, in Green coonty, in De-
- -gember last, was hanged in Greenville this after-
“noon. He wae to have been hanged on the 9th
“of August, and a large crowd gathered thet day
| go see the execution. At the laet moment & re-
" gpite antil to-day was received from the Gover-
oper, granted through the instramentality of W.
@ quondam candidate for Governor

other. coaspicuous colored

ohad taken @ holiday

d prayed fervently before the
pope was adjaeted.” © ee


/2L29 Ver a 7=> ee lito Kang cu A (site 3
ead th feels PAIS A Aeten, Gible te ALI G S
Dhrerver (2/80/57?


-*

a ~

“Wednesday Morning, April 5, 1939. .

¢

FEDERAL INCOME |
_ - REVENUE. DROPS
' March Collections’ Are’ 16.18

‘Per Cent: Below Those
Of Year Ago

U. 8. internal revenue ‘collections
in the district of Tendeasee during
March, 1939, showed @ decrease of
$855,735.08, or 16.18 per cent, com-
pared with March, 1938, according
to & report released yesterday b
George N.. Welch, Jr. acting. col-

\ dector for the district. 4

The” total’ for the Month’ just
pore, was pensgcabine while ‘tha:
; arch o ar

853.07, pce oadogss mt

Welch attributed ‘part ot the drop
to discontinuance of the. undis-
tributed profits tax on corporations.
This tax, he said; was in the total
for March,-1938, being includéd in
the - $4,448,719.51 income tax fig:
ures. Income tax collections during
the month just. ended totaled $3,-
$61,223.25, a drop of $767,496.76, or
17,28 per cent, under March, 3998.,

Total revenue collections for the
first nine months of the fiscal year
that began July 1, 1938, were $24,
270,775.43, @ decrease of $879,942.97,
or &49 per cent under the total for
the corresponding period of the
preceding fiscal year.

Income tax collections for. «the.
nine months that began July, 1938,
totaled: $12,210,658.72, a decrease of
$1,037,406,55. under. the correspond-
ing nine months.of the preceding

year.‘ *

NEGRO EXECUTED

&

f

}” Mubect Harrie Dies fer Murder of

>; Farmer: Lest: Year
- The third electrocution in the
past 10 days was carried out at the
state penitentiary Tuesday morn-
ing as: Hubert . Harris, 22-year-old
Negro, @ied at 5:38 o'clock for the

P< murder of Mike Finegan, Davidson
3

4 iriver, durtig an 4 hishe
holdup over a year ago.

Negro, James Thompeon,

16, was sentenced to death in ‘the

participation. in

Bobbed Hair Is More
Doctor, Fishbein Says

Than

The upkeep on bobbed hair for
the average mother and two daugh-
ters amounts to more in’ @& year
than the average family's medical
bills, Dr. Morris Fishbein, editor of
the Journal of the American Med.
tcal Association, told Nashville Ex-
changeites Tuceday. :

Speaking at the elub’s weekly
luncheon meeting at the Hermitage
Hotel. Dr. Fishbrin contrasted ife
of the 1890's with this modern day
and: related health and medicine
to “this sophisticated age’ in an
addresa entitled “Medicine and the

Changing Socia} Order.” See wy

He detailed some of the causes
effecting a change in our socia}
system, saying “you krow it° isn't
fashionable to have’ muscles apy
more jn. thi¢ machine/age apd «6
man ie eating 1,000 calories leas
each day than he did in 1890.”

“The .last 30 years have seen
such changea In our habits and so
phistication in our diets as to pre

*

-eeferfal p

ac kets!

Costly

duce a result of the American peo-
Ple spending annually $4.000,000,000
On cigarettes and §3,500.000,000 oan
medical care,” Dr. Fishbein con-
tinued.

Attacking possibility of govern
ment control of the medical pro
fession, thespeaker said “
fession. must not be ensiav in
order to make « politician's holl-
day.” E :

pro |”

J

“The _ medical profession in the | fiv

United States is in favor of Jegiti-|® *

mate expansion of preventive med-
ical. care for Americans but does

not think that the time has come} -

when expansion and control by the!
government has arrived.” ed

Dr. Fishbein. who is delivering !
@ series of addresses in ‘Nashville,
was introduced at the club meet-
ing yesterday by Dr. H. H. Should-
ers, speaker of the House of Dele-
gates of the Américan Medical As
sociation and a former president
of the Erxchange Club;

~~

reg. 7.98. .. now 5.98

a

feids

and «: ton selias ae

i @ varity Of weoves and color mixtures.

x

Jackets like these are © sound investment for they
nc, S009 wearable-ond youth for town or country.


“1 *Pigele-«
Promos % tr  @ traffic
Girection she le going b turn,

By JOHN M. BURNS
Time—4;30 .: o'clock. yesterday
afternoon, ra
- Place—Any busy Nashville street
at an. intersection with a traffic
light. -
Charactera—Two. drivers, One
has fust made a left-turn and
fatied to give any kind of signal.
The other has. swerved to the righ
only to graze the fender of another
~The eurtain rises. :
Second motorist:, “Why you dirty
so-and-so! Why don't. you) stick
out your hand. es
motorist, “Nuts* to you
~ Your ears wot hurt So

6
j

urtain. ;

This is a - true-to-life’ drama

which any Nashville -motorist can

every aay at nearly any

ae the leading intersections in the
city, ;

TUBEHGULOSIS BODY|

cignal” was a game we played when we were children. The same ery could be

enemy, whe refuses te eeoperate with care behind by pointing eut: the

Nashville: motorists ‘fust will not
the proper signals for turns.
ey will not obey the traffic regu-

lations as regards the right way to |-

aigna!l for a turn or will not. stay
in the proper lane when preparing
to turn either to the left or to the
right...

Every motorist has been behind‘

another machine and noticed the
ing: car pull over to, the left
ane and then turn right. - ;
every motorist has had the
reyérse happen. He has seen &
driver. jockey. his machine to the
right lane and then: swing left for
a turn.
As a result there has been much

brake jamming: and. sometimes a,

bitvof profanity on the part of the
operator of the second car. Nearly
any judge would admit the “cuse-
ing” was justified. sit

- One- ear - wae - followed - out... the.

main artery of the. East Side re-
cently. The car suddenly shot to

HONOR STUDENT

the right from the left hand: side “|
of the street and made # turn be-
fore the pacing car could do more
than, stop.

The railing ear made the tura
also, A few blocks later the lead-
ing machine made a left turn with-
out any sort of signal being offer-
ed. & bit farther another turn was
made. Then a” few. ble
the driver jockied: hia machine for
a right turn into a driveway with-
out any sign of a signal, a
“Another car was followed . an
still the same thing happened.

Nashville motorists decline — to
give signals or stay on the proper
side of a atreet before making a
turn. | ‘ , pag

Listed. in the same category as
the driver who makes no signal at
all-is the one who gives an indef-
inite sign before making a turn.
Garage. menand hospitala: are |
the only ones to profit from this
kind of driving:

Negro Will Die
n Chair Today;

i Killed armer

aC“Hermitage Hotel with Dr. | ;

Hybert Harris, Negro, was sched- ;
uled to die in. the electric chair in
the state prison this morning at}:
6:30 o'clock for the murder of a
Davidson County farmer in an
tempted ‘robbery: ‘ a

The tite of Harris’. companion “#7

et

HE

uf

;

pci

DOU DOC DUG

BUO OGG DUG: oO

MO,0,080,6.8

HARRIS. Hubert, black, 22, electrocuted Tennessee (Davidson County) April by 19396 mee :

x)

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ROss3 ant T : Gi Hi j
ss; Trenton, Tenn,: Gibson County Historical Society, 1961

HENRY
HENRY, Slave, hanged Trenton, Tennessee, on April }, 18

43
260 Gibson County, Past and BP cent

1. At the second term, the court granted a writ of certiorari and
supersedeas in the case of John McLellan v. William D. Lewis to review
the decision of B. J. Killingsworth, a Justice of the Peace. This was the
first civil writ to issue. In following the history of this case, it is impossible
to determine from the minute entries what precise legal questions were
involved. The matter was continued for two terms and finally after a trial
on October 23, 1826, the jury reported that it was unable to agree and a
mistrial was declared. Later at the April term 1827, the suit was dismissed
upon the agreement of the defendant to pay the costs.

9. The first original suit filed was an action to recover damages for
slander. It resulted in a compromise, the defendant pleading guilty and
agreeing to pay the costs.

9 ‘The first indictments by the grand jury were returned during the
third term in 1825, against Robert Gray, John Gray, and Joseph Curtis
for the offenses of gaming. Robert was acquitted by the jury. John was
convicted and fined $5.00. Curtis pleaded guilty and also received a fine
of $5.00.

4. The first divorce case filed in this new tribunal was by William D.
Lewis against his wife, Sarah, at the October term 1826. After several
continuances to permit the taking of proof by depositions, the petition was
dismissed for failure to prosecute. It is hoped that this first divorce case
filed in Gibson County ended in a reconciliation of the parties.

5. The first person sent to the state penitentiary from Gibson County
was Thomas M. Watson, charged and convicted for stealing a horse in
1832.

6. The first person legally executed by orders of the court was a
Negro slave named Henry, the property of Ann Kelly. Henry was con-
victed at the March term 1843 for the murder of William C. Franklin.
After the motion for a new trial had been overruled, the sheriff was
ordered to carry out the execution at some convenient place in the county
on the 4th day of April 1843, between the hours of 12 noon and two
o’clock p.m. The minutes at the following term show the return of L. P.
Seay, Sheriff of Gibson County, reporting that the execution had been
carried out, that the defendant was hanged on the court house lawn, and
the sheriff included in his bill of cost an item of $12.50 for performing
the execution. John W. Crockett, one of the first lawyers of this county,
the son of David Crockett, prosecuted the case.

Fines, verdicts and judgments sometime reflect the prosperity of the
times. For example, it is now proper for the court to instruct the jury, in
determining the amount of the award, that they may take into considera-

tion the purchasing power of the dollar. During these early days of our
court, fines in the amount of 621/ cents and one dollar were common.

RESENT, by Frederick M, Culp & Mrs, Robert

ai _—_-

HICKS, ALBERT And LUFFMAN, John, elec, Tn(Stewart) 8/30/1946

ee
{
| .
HE HOUSE was strangely silent as ‘
| ’ the car rolled to a stop in the a" on
“Ruthine came running in from the kitchen," graveled drive. Mrs. N. K. Herndon, (laa
| the murderer confessed. ‘She started yell- ; wife of the deputy sheriff, clutched her and fetch
ing, ond | fired a shot to quiet her. She gy os still,” i ccetaiicaie. The de
i folj fj o a Ss
| lohan ontate Seeby nee omadl hea 7 ly. “Ruthine and Cotton wouldn't go | _{te other
| po RENE, SREB erent s FREE ea eee away—not after promising to look after ing room
the place. And here come John Luff- eS i ee
} man and Bob Kennedy—running. I eld out
| hope nothing’s wrong!” tacos. h
| The two figures trotted into the paar ty
| barnyard from the dusty road. Ken- ; a
: nedy,. a neighbor, was in .the van; F 23. niec
‘the 45-year-old Herndon : bent f
hired man, puffed up in the rear. : port reste.
The deputy got from behind the eee 2
wheel and Mrs. Herndon clambered the local
nervously to:the ground. “What’s : Both w.
happened?” Herndon blurted. “Any- | their deat
thing wrong?” ! . ‘Cherry ha
* Kennedy halted, panting. “It’s Cot- : of her {
ton ‘and: Ruthine!' John says they’re “Wounded i:
lying on the living room floor—blood ... On the j
all around! He just came down to revolver w
my place and told me!”’. | his. It uh
- Luffman nodded vigorously. He was months; t)
sweating profusely; the late summer ) stolen. '
day was hot and humid. 4 Then He
“I saw ’em when I come up to water ~ of white pa
the stock around 4 o’clock,” dl blurted, > ~ been scraw
out of breath from his exertion. “Cot- | corner and
‘i
ae
Ss
4

BY JOHN S. THORP


the murder note to
th were thoroughly ex-
riting expert employed
The expert announced
ad been written by the

lle ; jated, was re-
Ivin <s while Sum-
by ~.....ff Trinkle, At-
d Judge Link, set out
with the necessary ex-

waived the extradition
Iso stoutly denied that
about the murders in

and sullen as he was
1e county jail at Dover.
nt in his cell, he was
riff’s office where Surh-
interrogate him.

me immediately to the
aid, “did you kill Rufine

wer. Summers repeated
gaip he was met with

aid emphatically. “Why
y? I never had nothing

elieve that. ’'m willing
't kill Grady. He was
om Herndon’s gun. But
jith.a .38. And you fired
pu, Alvin?”

r silence. Hicks’ drew a
adé a gesture of futile
ight,” he said at last.
it I didn’t kill Grady.”

he whole thing was his

the prisoner a cigarette
with trembling fingers.
ers —§* quietly, “you
Be; the very be-

ig, it appeared, had oc-
th before the killings.
Hicks that he held a
Grady Cherry. Grady
’s daughter a lift in his
henever she asked him.
Luffman said. “Some-
ind the town together.
her out of his car and
ith other boys. I asked
er to town, but he paid

ohn Luffman suggested
be killed. He said that
al Deputy Herndon’s
in use it always hung
bed: He asked Hicks’

wasn’t at all mad at
fact &f the mailman’s
daughter into town
it all. But Hicks was

ustomed to feminine
s all he had ever had
ot calculated to harm
ith him. He promised
d help.
of July, Luffman told
rrys would be alone
inday. The Herndons
nic.
in front of Luffman’s
orning,” said Hicks in
n. “I blew the horn
aske4 him if he was
car I drove to a
2m yuse. Then I
through the woods.
un he’d stolen from
r one, a .38 which he-

the house Grady and

4

We pulled off our.

|
|

SiR crak RI iss”

eee

cea

iu Saad

shoes and went into the house. Luftman
went in first and shot Grady in the head.
The sound of the shot woke Rufine. She
sat up and screamed. I shot her.”

Hicks jammed his cigarette out in an
ash tray, asked for another and con-
tinued.

“Luffman left his pistol lying in the liv-
ing room. I gave him back the one he had
lent me and on the way back to his house
he threw it in the creek.”

“What about that note you wrote?”
Summers asked.

“That was before we went to the Hern-
don house. Luffman gave me a pencil and
a piece of paper and told me to write down
as he dictated. I put the paper on the back
of my guitar and wrote it. John Luffman
left it in the Herndon house.

“Then we went back to Luffman’s house.
His wife and daughters were there. I
played the guitar for a while and he
played the fiddle. Then I left the house
and never saw him again.”

The Hicks confession was taken down
by a stenographer, transcribed and given
to Hicks to sign. He hesitated, with the pen
poised over the paper.

“What’s wrong?” Park Summers asked.
“Is there anything there that isn’t true?”

“Well,” Hicks said, “it’s all true except
one single thing.”

“What’s that?”

“It all happened this way, only it wasn’t
John Luffman who was with me. It was
someone else.”

“Who?”

Hicks named a man who was a pillar of
Dover society. He was an officer of the
local bank, prosperous and an active mem-
ber of his church.

Summers regarded the prisoner skep-
tically. “You don’t expect me to believe
this, do you? You’re just making a last
minute effort to protect your pal, Luffman,
aren’t you?”

Hicks would not admit this was so. He
now insisted that John Luffman was in-
nocent; that his accomplice had been the
banker. Summers had Hicks returned to
his cell, then went down to his car and
drove to Nashville for another interview
with Luffman.

Summers informed Luffman of Hicks’
original confession. He did not mention the
banker. Luffman listened dully, then
nodded his head.

“Alvin told you the truth,” he said. “I
was mad at Grady for taking my daughter
to town. I stole his gun and left that note
trying to keep suspicion away from me.
I figured it would look as if some gangsters
did it. I shot Grady and Alvin shot Rufine
with an old gun of mine. I tore a piece off
an old Mother’s Day card for Alvin to
write that note on.”

A few minutes later, Luffman said, “I’m
glad I’ve told the truth. I wanted to do
right for once in my life. I’m glad I got
it off my mind.” .

He completely exonerated the Dover
banker.

A grand jury promptly indicted the
pair for first-degree murder and on August
8th, almost two years after the killings,
they were brought to trial. Two days later
they were found guilty and sentenced to
die in the electric chair. The sentence was
appealed, but on June Ist of 1946 Tennes-
—s Supreme Court upheld the convic-
ion.

The governor of the state granted two
stays requested by the defense counsel for
further study of the case.” However, on
August 29th, the governor said that he
saw no further reason for setting aside
the judgment of the courts.

On the following day, August 30th, Alvi
Hicks and John Luffman were executed
in the Nashville Penitentiary. THE Enp

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MORE CLASSiFiED UN


BY CIRCUIT-CRIMINAL JUDGE
L. D. MILLER

T was a hot Sunday afternoon,
August 15, 1943. Sheriff Clyde
C. Trinkle of Stewart County,
Tennessee, stood in the N. K. Hern-
don living room in Tharpe, a
wealthy farming and stock raising
community, eighteen miles from
Dover, the county seat.

In an atmosphere of horror and
death, the tall, rangy officer ad-
justed his glasses and for several
tense moments studied a series of
pencilled scrawls on a scrap of a
Mother’s Day greeting card.

“To Deputy Sheriff Herndon,” he
finally read aloud. “Here’s your
gun, also your niece. I owe you
and Trinkle a debt and I’m paying
them. I will visit him later. Take
good care of the gun. I may want
to borrow it again sometime.

The Gang.”

The sheriff looked up, his shrewd
blue eyes mirroring uneasy specula-

tion. At his feet on the velvety rug, .

the body of Ruth Cherry, a comely
young matron of 21, lay as if in
sleep. Nearby, on a couch against
the wall, was the prone-body of her
23-year-old husband, Grady Cherry.
Dried crimson on their pale, set
faces attested the appalling fact that
they had died by violence.

Others were in the room, sharing
the sheriff’s concern. John Luffman,
a middle-aged tenant on the place
who had first discovered the bodies;
Stan Bartley, a neighbor, who, at
Luffman’s alarm had called the jail
at Dover; Doctor John Burgess,
county coroner, whose arrival had
been coincident with that of the
sheriff; and N. K. Herndon, uncle
of the dead girl, whose comfortable
farm home was the scene of the
tragedy. In addition to his exten-
sive farming interests, Herndon was
a commissioned deputy sheriff under

HIS NIECE AND HER

HUSBAND WERE SHOT TO DEATH
IN HIS OWN HOME, AND THE
MURDER WEAPON BELONGED TO
HIM -- THE DEPUTY SHERIFF!:

Trinkle. It was to him that the note
just read by the sheriff was ad-
dressed. ’ ‘ .

“N, K., this is a terrible thing to
happen in your house,” the sheriff
observed to his dazed deputy. ‘Do
you know anything about it?”

Herndon wiped great beads of

perspiration from his dark, weath-
ered face. “Not one thing, Sheriff,”
he answered in a broken, subdued
voice. “It was an awful shock to me
and my wife when we got home and
saw them like this. We wanted to
visit a little today, so I got Ruth and
Grady to come over and keep house
for us. It all happened while we
were away.” ;

“What time did you leave?”

“About nine this morning. When
we got back this afternoon about
four, Luffman had already found
the bodies and Mr. Bartley had
called for you and Coroner Burgess.”

“Was anyone here with them
when you left?”

“Nobody, except John. He was
coming in and out with the team.”

“You mean John Luffman?”

“Yes. Come here, John.” Re-
sponding to Herndon’s bidding, a
tall, slim-faced man in overalls came
out of a group now gathered on the
porch around the door. ‘Tell. the
sheriff how you found Ruth and
Grady,” Herndon requested.

“T was in here after a load o’
corn about ten this mornin’,” Luff-
man began in a high, strained voice,
twisting his rough hands together.
“I didn’t see nobody an’ I jist peeped

.in that winder. I seen Ruth here on
the floor like she was jist a-sleepin’.
I didn’t think nothin’ then, but when
I’come back after dinner an’ she
was still a-layin’ here, an” I seen
blood on her face, I knowed that
somethin’ was the matter. Right
then, I runned over to Mr. Bartley’s
place an’. told them.”

The sheriff studied the tenant
farmer with interest. “John, did you
see anyone else around the house
here during the day?”

oJ

GRADY AND RUTH CHERRY: Circum-

stances surrounding their death’ made it |

appear like suicide. It could have been
suicide . . . but there was no known
motive for self-destruction and yet there
were possible motives for murder.

\

“No, Sheriff, I didn’t. I never even
seen Ruth and Grady, ’ceptin’ after
they was dead.”

“You mean that when you first
drove in here this morning, you
didn’t see anyone but the girl on
the floor? No sign of Grady or any
other person?”

“That’s right, Sheriff.”

“Do you know how long Mr. and
Mrs. Herndon had been gone?”

“I reckon ’bout an hour. I heard
a car a-goin’ out an’ I guess it was
theirn.”

Trinkle’s face now bore a puzzled
expression. He turned to Herndon.
“N. K.” he said, “where did the dead
couple live?”

‘Across the fields over there,” the
deputy replied, pointing. ‘You see,
Sheriff, before she married Grady,
Ruth spent a lot of time here—just
like she was our own daughter.”

“Aftér they went to keeping house,
one or both would come over to help
us out any time we wanted them.”

ee ee


"This is the last time I'm warnin' you
Don't ever take her ridin’ agent"
(Specially posed) —-

RY: Circum-
eath made it
id have been
as no known
and yet there
for murder.

never even
eptin’ after

n you first
rning, you
the girl on
rady or any

ng Mr #and
gone?”
yur. I heard
guess it was

re a puzzled
to Herndon.
lid the dead

r there,” the
s. “You see,
rried Grady,
e here—just

daughter.”
eeping house,
» over to help
anted them.”


SUSPECT:
that he told Grady to keep her

ALVIN HICKS said he recognized the voice threatening to
“get even" with the husband and wife who later were slain.

380Q7

“Do you have any idea who killed
them?”

Herndon stood for long moments,
his troubled eyes shifting from one
dead face to the other.

“Sheriff,” he began  haltingly,
“surely to God nobody killed them.
.I just can’t conceive of anybody
doing that to Ruth and Grady. I may
be absolutely wrong, but it is my
guess that the poor things committed
suicide.”

“Why would you think of suicide,
N. K.?” Trinkle asked sharply.
“What about this note?”

The deputy’s eyes rested upon the
torn pasteboard still gripped in the
sheriff’s fingers.
puzzling,” he slowly admitted. “But
I imagine they didn’t want to dis-

grace the family and wrote that to ©

fool us—to make us think they were
murdered and get us off the track.
What I’m going by mostly is that
they left the pistol right where it fell
on the floor. If anybody else had
shot them, I believe he would have
run off with the gun, don’t you?”

“Well, that’s something to think.”

about,” ‘Trinkle conceded. “But

where is the pistol?”

John Luffman, tenant farmer, admitted only
(his eighteen-year-old
daughter) out of his truck but made no threats whatsoever.

? j

2 '
pes \S oA);
‘ rs x FOR. STATE Pesce

“That is a little .

Herndon went into another room
and came out with a carved-handle,
blue-steel revolver... “Smith and

Wesson .32,”\ he remarked, passing -

it to his superior without further
comment. meee Iti

Trinkle gasped, looked up into the
ashen face of the deputy. “Good
Heavens, N. K..,” he exclaimed “this
is your pistol,, In God’s name, man,
how did this happen?”’:

Herndon drew a: trembling hand
across his wet brow. ‘“Sheriff,’”’ he
said, “I’m as puzzled: as you are.
That’s my pistol, all right. You’ve
seen me with it a hundred times, I
guess. But several weeks. ago it dis-
appeared here. at..home, and I give
you my word I never saw it again’
until I picked it-up a few minutes
ago—right - there-: on..the’ rug by
Ruth’s hand.”) 0) 3:

“You mean you: handled it—put
your fingerprints on it?” .

The deputy “looked, pale and

shaken. “I guess so, Sheriff,” he con-

fessed: “I’m:awfully sorry, I never
thought of-anything but suicide.”
At this juncture, out'of the rapidly
swelling group of ‘men in the yard,
the coroner; empaneled a jury of
ae ay ; 3

a
to

eC
ved

TENN. STATE PRISON

inquest. The medical man advised
the solemn-faced jurors that each
of the victims had been shot a single
time in the forehead. He expressed
the opinion that the wounds were
inflicted with a pistol at close range,
causing instant death. Further, from
the condition of the bodies, it was
his belief that both had died at
approximately the same time, near
the middle of the morning.

There was no evidence of a strug-
gle anywhere in the house. Utensils.
on the kitchen stove, giving off the
odor of scorched food, led to the
conclusion that the woman had
started Sunday dinner before death
invaded the house. A billfold in the
dead man’s pocket, containing con-
siderable currency, obviated the
question of robbery.

During this legal hearing it was
brought out that Grady Cherry had
been serving the U. S. Postoffice at
Dover as a rural carrier in the
Tharpe section.. Ruth, since mar-
riage, had divided time between her

‘own well-kept home and the Hern-

don household. No evidence was of-
fered tending to establish a motive
on.the part of anyone for murdering


a ee
Ae

2 AL 2
a 7%

ake eae

ee

ff
A
A es fod 3

cose at the Prison
= —thall be in my
bide” net cI mesday of

ce che sy When You are
“ad I shall be

A tenderest
Eten see eae.) | GR Roni |

| .
x

¥ .

Sincerely yours, | ot te

o
#

Jim MoCord “

ermal wR TTY sone anes


September 20, 1946

» Honorable James 0, Noland
“Attorney.
7 sociale ook Tennessee

a Dear Mr, Noland,

i have your ‘etter of September 14,

giving a osant your experience on your

visit to Luffman and Hicks on the evening

before the execution, Your findings only

‘confirm the correctness of the law in this

case and I am glad to have your opinion.
When we can be of service to you
please call on US.

Sincerely,

Jim McCord


ge ,
ee e4 = >
“ ol son ig sia.

(ed (i he & the Pri
At Se 3 8 gon
Gbhcole haa 2) Mod egal be in ay
G inesday of
a when you ars

: ae nd I shall be
by OG 4) Jf d

) Lat aad a tenderest
ee 'am deeply

» Beals wthrough .

Sincerely yours, | 7 oe

te.

Jim McCord


JAMES O. NOLAND Pee

ATTORNEY AT LAW pee
DANIEL BUILDING

CLARKSVILLE, TENNESSEE

September 14, 1946

Honorable Jim McCord

Governor of_the State of Tennessee
State Capitol

Nashville, Tennessee

Dear Sir:

I have intended writing you for some time for
the purpose of advising you of the success I had with Hicks
and Luffman at. the State Penitentiary on the night of
August 29th, . .

The only thing new that I learned was a statement
or two of Luffman's, which convinced me that contrary to
all previous confessions, the body of Ruphine Cherry was
assualted by perhaps both after death,

I was very happy to seize the opportunity to
unravel a few. of the unsolved features of the case, even
if my attempts did neet with failure,

Thank you very much for your courtesies and

considerations,
Very sincerely yours, | me igs
Wit. |
es 0, Noland ‘, ,

ites

A few moments later Biggs found another .38
slug, this one an almost perfect specimen which
promised to be excellent ballistics evidence. It was
buried in the straw of the bloodstained mattress on
which Mrs. Glowan had died.

The Sheriff’s brows contracted as he thought of
Mrs. Glowan. Who was she? A “guest,” Constable
Headden had said. But the cottage was pretty small
to house casual visitors. And Mrs. Glowan had
been there for ten days. Why?

Biggs glanced at Jack Headden. The man seemed
to have recovered his composure somewhat. Per-
haps a few questions would clear up the matter of
Mrs. Glowan.

Jack Headden repeated his brother’s statement,

but expanded it slightly. “Arlene was separated
from her husband,” he said. “I think he’s in De-
troit, working in an auto plant. Arlene was a real

good friend of Lecia and she was helping her until _

—until the baby came.”

“Can you think of any reason,” the Sheriff asked,
“why somebody would want to kill Mrs. Glowan
or your wife?”

Raising his arm, Headden said, “Lecia’s purse,
maybe.” He pointed toward a bureau. “It’s in the
top drawer. She had six dollars in it when I left
for work. Now it’s empty.”

Biccs strode across to the dresser and pulled

open the drawer Headden indicated. A well
worn, black velvet purse lay in plain sight. The
Sheriff picked it up and opened it. No money was
in it.

Was robbery, then, the motive for the dastardly
crime? Certainly this was possible. Other murders
had been committed in the mountains for less than
six dollars; At any rate, the money probably had
been taken by the killer, whether or not he had
come for that specific purpose.

Outside the cottage Deputy Sheriff Frank Clayton
was going over every inch of the yard with the
beam of his flashlight. Rain had fallen the previous
afternoon, and the damp ground was covered with
footprints.

A few yards from the porch Clayton’s eye caught
a bright, metallic glint reflected from something
half buried in the dirt. He stooped and picked up
the empty brass casing of a bullet. Several others
lay nesr by. They appeared to be of two different
sizes, and a second look showed that some were .38
caliber and some .32.

The Deputy hurried back into the cabin and dis-
played the shells to Sheriff Biggs. Those of .38
caliber matched the slugs which the Sheriff had
found.

“But what about the thirty-twos?” Clayton asked.
“Were two guns used in the murders?”

“It begins to loék that way,” the Sheriff replied.

10

4

A little life was ended
at the spot examined by
Sheriff Broughton Biggs
and Deputy J. W. Smith

'

Jack Headden: His
wife's friend was too at-
tractive for his friends

“Maybe there was two killers. Let’s take another
look at the spot where you found these.”

This second search revealed no more shells, but
Sheriff, Biggs did find two matches. Neither had
been lighted, and the ends of the sticks were wet
and frayed. The heads were dry, however, as the
Sheriff discovered by striking one for illumination
when Deputy Clayton turned his flashlight away fo:
a moment.

T= flare of the match revealed a set of tire-

marks in the ground. After studying them close-
ly, Biggs said, “Those prints are from a pretty
common tire. And see how déep and clean-cut they
are. It looks like they were made by new tires. Not
many people in these hills got new tires. Maybe
that’ll help us trace the car.”

Deputy Clayton looked puzzled. “Why trace the
car?” he said. “How can we be sure that these
marks have anything to do with the murders?”

The Sheriff gestured impatiently: “We can’t be
sure,” he admitted, “but we have to check every
possibility.” He studied the ground again. The foot-
prints hereabouts mean nothing positive. Too many

1D-1

people made them. But these tire-prints are another
matter. Remember, we parked our car down on
the road because there’s no driveway leading to
the house. I reckon not very many automobiles ever
come up here. Better ask Jack Headden about that.”

The two officers returned to the cabin and ques-
tioned the widower once again. He backed sup the
Sheriff’s theory. Only very rarely, he said, did any-
one drive up to the house from the road. He him-
self did not own a car. Two of his friends had
driven him home from work, but they had dropped
him off at the road and he had walked up to the
house. Whose automobile might have made the
tire-prints? He didn’t know.

While Sheriff Biggs was questioning the man

Deputy Wright returned. Bloodhounds were on the.

way, he reported. Moreover, he had consulted with
the supervisor of the TVA construction project
where Jack Headden worked. Headden had been
on the job from 2 to 11 p.m. the day of the mur-
ders, Tuesday, November 18, 1941.

The Sheriff received the news without comment,
but his mind was working swiftly. From the condi-
tion of the bodies when he first had seen them, he

No one could understand why the life of Ernest
Headden, held here by his grandmother, should
be spared while three others were taken

ID-1

was sure that the murders had been committed
some hours before his arrival. And Jack Headden
had been working at that time. Thus it was evident
he was in ‘the clear.

Biggs asked the young man for a detailed account
of his activities before he had left for work.

“Well,” Headden said, “my brother, Bill, came
over that morning, just after I got up. We went to
Springtown to get some liquor and didn’t get back
here until about one o’clock in the afternoon. I had
to be at work by two, so Homer Stickey drove me
over in Bill’s car. Bill promised to stay with Lecia
a while. He was keeping the fellows away.”

N nd Sheriff raised his brows. “What do you mean,

‘keeping the fellows away’?” he inquired.

“Oh, a. bunch of them started hanging around
when Arlene came here. She was a right pretty
woman. But they made Lecia sort of nervous, what
with her carryin’ the baby.” The man bent his
head for a moment, the muscles of his jaw twitch-
ing spasmodically.

Sheriff Biggs decided not to question him any
more. Apparently he had told all he knew. Con-

The little home of Jack Headden and his
family became a house of horror to him

stable Bill Headden seemed like the man to carry
on the story of the previous day’s events in the
murder cabin.

Deputies Smith, Wright and Clayton joined the
Sheriff as he walked out of the house. As they
emerged the fourth deputy, William Rose, ap-
proached from the shadows. Close behind him came
a tall, stern-featured man whom Rose introduced
as Noah Bates, Jack Headden’s next-door neighbor.

“Just tell the Sheriff what you told me,” Deputy
Rose urged him.

“It’s only that I heard what sounded like a lot
of shots a while back,” the man said. “Then I
heard a woman scream.”

“What time?” the Sheriff asked eagerly.

“Oh, about six-thirty in the evening, I reckon.”

“Did you investigate, try to find out what it was
all about?”

Bates shook his head. “My wife and I came out

‘on the porch, but all the commotion had stopped

then. I couldn’t leave Alice and the baby alone if
it was really shooting, and otherwise there was no
use worrying about it. So I almost forgot the whole
thing until I heard about the killin’s.”

The Sheriff considered this information in silence.
Then he said, “When you were out on the porch,

did you by any chance see an automobile parked ©

near the Headden home?”

Bates pulled at the lobe of his ear. “As a matter
of fact, I did,” he replied. “There was one just a little
piece up the road, a gray sedan, it was. I remember
it, cause about half an hour later I happened to
look out the window, and there was that same car,
only this time it was right up next to Jack’s porch.

FBI Technician Donald Parsons: . The bullets
of .32 caliber were a mystery to him but
not the .38 murder gun he is holding

I thought that was kind of funny, since the cars
mostly stay down on the road. Then the lights in
the house went out, and pretty soon the car drove
away.”

The Sheriff shot a triumphant glance at Deputy
Clayton. Noah Bates’ statement seemed to tie up
the murders with the tire-tracks they had found.
But, assuming that the slayings had taken place
when Bates had heard “what sounded like a lot of
shots,” why had the killer returned to the scene?
To destroy evidence? To steal the missing six dol-
lars? Or what?

“Did you see who was in the sedan?” he asked
Bates.

“No, but I’m pretty sure I’d know the car if I
ever see it again.”

“Good,” said the Sheriff. “We'll try to fix it so
you get the chance.”

As Noah Bates seemed to have nothing further to
add, the officers left him and walked down to their
car. They climbed in, Sheriff Biggs at the wheel,
and drove toward the home of Constable Bill
Headden.

ce" THE way they discussed possible motives for

the triple murder. During his canvass of the
neighborhood, Deputy Rose had talked with several
prim housewives who claimed that Mrs. Glowan
had been rather generous with her favors in the
short time she had been in Archville. Positive con-
firmation of the rumors was lacking, but they were
enough to start a new train of thought in the offi-
cers’ minds.

“Enter the jealous lover,” was the way Frank
Clayton expressed it. “He shoots Mrs. Glowan
and then knocks off the others to cover up the first
crime.”

an why the baby?” Rose objected. ‘“‘He couldn’t
talk.”

“And why not the other baby?” said the Sheriff.
The question still puzzled him.

“What about Mrs. Glowan’s husband?” Herman
Wright put in. “We'd better check on him.”

The Sheriff nodded. “He’s supposed to be in De-
troit. If he’s there, he’s in the clear; if he isn't,
we'll have to locate him. We can telephone Detroit
from Bill Headden’s house.”

They found Constable Headden in the kitchen
talking to his wife.

“What’s up?” he asked. “Did the bloodhounds get
here already?”

Biggs shook his head and explained why they
had come.

Headden nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, it’s just like
Jack told you. I stayed with Lecia for a while in
the afternoon, but I wish to Heaven I’d stayed with
her until Jack got back from work. If I had, this
never would have happened. But Jack and I had
had a few drinks in Springtown, and about four
o’clock I began to feel sick. Lecia told me to go on
home and go to bed, so when Homer Stickey
came back with my car, I had him drive me
home.” (Continued on Page 43)

1]


‘He Was Keeping the Fellows Away’’ (Continued from Page 11)

Sheriff Biggs said, “While you were
at your brother’s house, did you notice
anything suspicious?”

The Constable reflected for a mo-
ment. “Well, you know,” he said
finally, “Mrs. Glowan was a mighty
attractive woman. If I wasn’t mar-
ried—” he shot a sidelong glance at
his wife—“I could have gone for her
myself. So a lot of the boys came over
to see her that day, but when I told
them that Lecia wasn’t feeling so good,
I didn’t have any trouble keeping them
out of the house. That is, all except
Bruno Martin and his pal, George
Knift.” ‘

Sheriff Biggs frowned. He knew
Martin and Knift.

“Bruno had his mind set,” the Con-
stable went on, “that he was going in
to see Arlene. We had a big argument,
and he finally went away. Then pretty
soon George came up and started talk-
ing to me, and the first thing I knew I
heard the women screaming.

“T ran into the house, and there was
Bruno holding Arlene and kissing her
and trying to throw her down on the
bed. He must have sneaked im while
his pal was holding my attention. Any-
way, I had to pull my gun on him to
get him out of there. After that I
didn’t see either one of them again.”

Deputy Clayton pursed his lips and
emitted a long, low whistle. “Gosh,
Bill,” he said, “why didn’t you tell us
this before?”

Headden_ shrugged. ‘I’m sorry,
Frank, but I guess I was just too much
upset by everything.”

Sheriff Biggs decided to find Martin
and Knift for questioning. Before
leaving the Constable’s house, however,
he put through his call to the Detroit
police and asked them to look up
Arlene’ Glowan’s husband who sup-
posedly was employed in an automo-
bile factory.

Rounding up Martin and Knift
proved to be more difficult than the
Sheriff had anticipated. The two men
were not at their homes but a search
of Martin’s premises revealed a .38
caliber revolver lying on the window-
sill. The gun had been fired recently,
and the empty cartridges which Deputy
Clayton had found fitted it perfectly.

Biggs and his deputies made a house-
to-house canvass of the entire section,
awakening the. people in spite of the
late hour. They were surprised at the
number of persons, including even
relatives of the victims, who did not
know of the murders.

Then, shortly after 3 am., they
entered the Springtown liquor store
which Constable Bill Headden and his
brother had visited on the previous
morning. Two burly, bearded men
were seated there.

T= Sheriff instantly recognized them

as Martin and Knift, the men he was
seeking. They were unarmed; they
willingly accompanied the ‘Sheriff to
his headquarters.

So far all the Sheriff had against
them was suspicion. He strode into
his office to see what reports had come
in while he had been away. One was
there from the Detroit Police Depart-
ment. Mrs. Glowan’s estranged hus-
band had been located. He had been
in Detroit at the time the murders were
committed.

Also on the Sheriff’s desk lay a num-
ber of lead slugs, three of .38 caliber,
two .32’s. A note under them, from the
undertaker, explained that the slugs
had been removed from the bodies of
the murdered women, the .32’s from
Mrs. Headden and the .38’s from Mrs.
Glowan.

Here was definite proof that two
guns had been used in the murders.
But did it mean two killers? Which
two? And why, the Sheriff wondered,
had that one baby been spared, the
other one killed?

Sheriff Biggs packed the slugs, in-
cluding those he had found at the scene
of the crime, the empty shells which

ID1

‘the tires.

Deputy Clayton had picked up in Jack
Headden’s yard, and the .38 ‘caliber
revolver taken from the home of
Martin, all into one parcel. This he
sent off air mail, special delivery, to
Donald J. Parsons, ballistics expert for
the FBI in Washington, requesting a
test to determine whether or not any
of the slugs had been fired from Mar-
tin’s gun. Then he went back to ques-
tion Bruno Martin.

He found Bruno seated on the edge
of his chair, silent. The Sheriff said
tersely, “Where did you leave your
car?”

-If Martin owned a gray sedan with
new tires, the case against him would
be strengthened.

The bearded man raised his head
slowly. His eyes were bleary and
blood-shot. “Got no car,” he said la-
conically.

“If you have no car,” the Sheriff
persisted, “how did you get to Spring-
town.from your place?”

Martin blinked wearily. “If I tell
you, then will you stop pestering me?”

“Maybe.”

“Homer Stickey took us over there
in Bill Headden’s car.”

“Where is Stickey now?”

“IT don’t know. When he left us he
oe he had to take the car back to
Bi yy .

When the Sheriff reported this con-
versation to his deputies, Frank Clay-
ton suggested that they visit Constable
Headden again. “If his car has just
been returned,” Clayton said, “we can
be pretty sure Martin was telling the
truth, at least in part.”

They found the Constable’s automo-
bile in his garage, and he affirmed that
Homer Stickey just. had brought it
back. So that supported Bruno Mar-
tin’s statement.

The Sheriff noted that Bill Headden’s
car was a gray sedan. He examined
They were new, and the
tread was of the same design as the
prints in the yard of Jack Headden’s
home.

“Just how long did Stickey have
your car?” Biggs asked the Constable.

Headden shrugged. “I don’t know.
He borrows it quite often. He drove
me home yesterday afternoon, you
know. I suppose he’s had it ever since.
Why?”

Sheriff Biggs explained about the
tire-prints.

“Good Heavens!” exclaimed the Con-
stable, his eyes widening. “Do you
think Homer is mixed up in this?
Why, he’s always seemed like a harm-
less sort of fellow.”

“Was he one of the men interested
in Mrs. Glowan?”

“Yes, but—”

“Then I think we’d better have a
talk with him. But first I want to see
your wife.” a

Mrs. Headden related that Homer
Stickey had come to the house with
her husband about five-thirty the pre-
vious evening. Since the Constable was
not feeling well, he had gone to bed in
a back room immediately. Stickey
stayed and talked with her for about
ten minutes, then left and drove away
in her husband’s car. That was: the
last time she had seen him.

The officers were excited now. Homer
Stickey and Martin, the gray sedan and
the .38 pistol; they all seemed to tie
up. The only calm one was Sheriff
Biggs. His face had become increas-
ingly lined and drawn as the investiga-
tion progressed.

“Bill, you know Stickey better than

the rest of us,” Sheriff Biggs told ‘the
Constable. “Come on along if you
want to. Maybe you can get him to
talk.”

So they all piled out of the house
and into the Sheriff’s car. A few
moments later they were roaring up
the road toward Homer Stickey’s
mountainside home.

Pulling up in front of the cottage,
Sheriff Biggs leaped out and pounded
on the door. He received no answer.

He tried the knob. It turned freely,
so he pushed open the door and led
the way inside.

Deputy Clayton flicked the switch
of his flashlight and focused the beam
on the bed. A black-haired giant of
a man lay there, fully clothed except
for his shoes. His feet were enormous.
His snores shook the whole shack. He
was Homer Stickey.

The Sheriff strode across the room
and slapped him on the shoulder. The
man sat up abruptly, blinking into the
glare of the flashlight.

“Who is it? What do you want?”
he asked, obviously frightened.

“You’ve got a tall lot of talking to
do,” said the Sheriff. “Put your shoes
on.”

Sullenly, Stickey obeyed. Then he
stood up, gradually unfolding his great
length until he towered a full head
above the officers. .

“What is this, anyway?” he de-
manded. “I haven’t done nothing.”

Briefly, Biggs explained to the man.
He mentioned the tire-prints from the
Constable’s car.

B Sooo big man snorted. “Those prints

don’t mean anything,” he asserted.
“Sure, I drove up there, but that was
about four o’clock ‘in the afternoon
when I came to get Bill. Ain’t that
right, Bill?”

The Constable nodded slowly. “Yes,
I guess that’s true enough, Sheriff. He
stopped at the road first but I yelled
down and told him I wasn’t feeling
good and he drove the car right up to
the house so I wouldn’t have to walk.”

“So you see,” said Homer Stickey,
chewing complacently on a match-
stick, “you got nothing on me, Sheriff.”

Sheriff Biggs smiled grimly. “Maybe
I haven’t,” he said. “On the other
hand maybe I’m just beginning to
figure things out about this killing.”
Turning to Bill Headden, he said, “Bill,
what time did it stop raining yester-
day?”

Headden was puzzled. “Just after
six o’clock. But what difference does
that make?”

“Tf those tire-prints had been made
at four o’clock they would have been
washed away. by six. Stickey may
have driven up to the house while you
were there, all right, but somebody
came back again in that car, after the
rain had stopped.”

The Constable whistled in astonish-
ment. “I never thought of that,” he
said.

“And another thing,” the Sheriff
continued. “Does Stickey make a habit
of chewing on matches, as he is now?”

The collective gaze of the officers
fastened on Homer Stickey, and the
big man’s mouth gaped open, the
match-stick falling from his lips to the
floor. The Sheriff stooped and picked
it up.

Exhibiting it to the Constable, he
said, ‘Near the tire-prints I found two
matches just like this one. They’d
been chewed up some, too. The heads
were dry enough to strike a light,
showing that the matches were
dropped after the rain stopped. So it
sure looks like Stickey came to your
brother’s house again after taking You
home.” ;

Headden nodded slowly.
you’re right,” he said.

The investigators returned to Ben-
ton with Homer Stickey.

Constable Headden said, “It looks
like you got it all figured out.”

“But what about Martin?”
Clayton asked.

“There were two guns used in the
shooting,” the Constable pointed out,
“and Martin had a thirty-eight. Him
and Stickey—they’ve been friends a
long time. Right, Sheriff?”

Sheriff Biggs shook his head. “No,
I’m afraid you’re on the wrong track.”

The Constable’s brow furrowed. “I
can’t see anything wrong with my
figurin’,” he said. “Why isn’t it right?”

“Because,” Biggs said quietly, “there

“T guess

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RE

*
is only one murderer. And he’s the
kind of a man who’d kill one baby
but spare another because he had an
affection for that baby. Stickey or
Martin—they didn’t care about the
Headden baby.”

The Sheriff paused for a moment,
looked around his office.

“The killer’s the man who got out
fast when he heard that bloodhounds
were going to be used, ’cause he was
afraid they’d pick up his trail.

“He’s the man who said he went to
bed at five-thirty and yet knew that
the rain stopped at six when he was
asleep.

“He’s the man who knew that two
guns were used in the shooting, and,
more specifically, that those guns were
of thirty-eight and thirty-two caliber,
although we had never given him that
information.” The Sheriff paused
again, and the room was utterly silent.

“Now,” said the Sheriff, “I’ve
worked a lot with that man and I’ve
banked on him. I’m hopin’ he’ll spare
me a lot of pain and admit it.”

Constable Bill Headden, his face
white, slumped into a chair.

Biggs said grimly, “Take his gun,

| boys.”

Deputy Clayton stepped forward, but
the Constable leaped up, tugging at his
shoulder holster.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” he snarled.
“You're trying to frame me! You ain’t
goin’ to get away with it!”

Before he could draw his pistol the
other deputies seized his arms. In a
moment they had the gun. It was a
38.

“Quit your kiddin’, Sheriff,” Bill
Headden said. “My wife gave me an
alibi, and you know it.”

The Sheriff shook his head. “She
may have seen you go into.the bed-
room, but while she was talking’ to
Homer. Stickey, you sneaked out again.
You didn’t want her to know that you

eptaresrsacusase snnmneureeminn santos panies

were going to visit another woman,
Arlene Glowan.”

“You can’t prove a word of it!”
Headden said, his voice low. “You're
just guessing! What about Homer?
Why would I kill them, anyway?”

“I rather think Stickey can tell us
that,” Sheriff Biggs replied, “and he
will, once he knows you’re under
arrest.”

This surmise proved correct. When
he was questioned a few minutes
later, Homer Stickey admitted that he
and the Constable had driven to Jack
—* home shortly before night-
all.

“Bill said he was going to tell Lecia
to go to sleep,” Stickey said to the

Sheriff. “Then he was going to make

Mrs. Glowan come for a ride with us.
I sat in the car down by the road
while Bill went into the house.

“A minute later Bill came out. He
told me to drive around a while. We
did. Then he said he’d forgotten some-
thing, and we’d have to go back. So
we did, and he went into the house
again. That must’a been when I
dropped those matches. Pretty soon he
came out again. He told me not to say
anything about him being there.

“When I heard about the killings I
just naturally figured Bill wouldn’t ’a’
done anything like that. So I kept
still about us being there, ’cause I
didn’t want him to get in trouble.”

When Homer Stickey finished talk-
ing, the Sheriff told him, “It’s lucky
for you that your feet are so big. There
was plenty of footprints near Jack
Headden’s place, but none of them
were as big as yours would’a been.”

The night’s investigation had been
so productive that when the blood-
hounds arrived at 5 a.m., they no long-
er were needed.

Noah Bates identified Bill Headden’s
car as the gray sedan he had seen on
the previous evening.

Writing off The Jersey Devil’s

“Every one of the neighbors across the
street described him the same. And he
drove a black sedan with red wheels
and a trunk on the back. ‘The car had
a Pennsylvania tag.” .

Roberts nodded calmly. “They could
have come from Philadelphia,” he said,
displaying the price tag he had found
in the ashes. “But did you learn when
they pulled out?”

“T’ve got something on that,” de-
clared Williams, “and it’s pretty hot.
The neighbors’ next door think that
Mrs. Wilson and the boy left on the
fourteenth. They put some baggage in
the car and drove off with Wilson then.
They haven’t been here since. But Wil-
son came back that same day and has
been seen around here alone up until
nine o’clock last night.”

“Nine o’clock last night,” mused Rob-
erts. “That’s just after the time news
of identifying the body reached here.”

“Right!” said the Chief Deputy. “And
here’s the rest of it. At nine o’clock
last night the neighbor next door saw
Wilson out in the side yard burning up
a lot of stuff. It looked like papers,.
clothing and boxes. The fire was going
full blast here in the house at the same
time. Right after that Wilson loaded
up his car and scrammed.”

“Maybe,” said Roberts, “the fire in
the yard was where her body was
burned.”

“Get the picture?” asked Maxwell.

“This guy sends his wife and boy off .

on the fourteenth. Then he’s here
alone and has a chance to play around
with some women, possibly including
Ethel Allen. When he hears about the
body being found he burns up every-
thing that might identify him and
lights out.”

“Sounds good as a theory,” conceded
Roberts. “But we have only a verbal
description of a man and his car to go
on. We need more positive identifica-
tion and evidence than that. Could any
of the neighbors say that the Allen gir]

(Continued from Page 28)

had been around here, especially late
last Saturday night?”

Both deputies shook their heads neg-
atively.

“No, they couldn’t,” said Williams.
“We stressed that point. But they all
agree that this Wilson did a lot of mys-
terious going and coming at nights
after his wife left. Even before she
left they kept the shades down all the
time and seldom went out during the
day, wore their hats low over their
faces and stuff like that. They weren’t
friendly and none of the neighbors ever
called on them.”

‘We've got to know a lot more about
this Wilson,” said Roberts. ‘“‘We’ve got
to tag him with a photograph, finger-
prints, a specimen of his handwriting
or something. d’ll flash Pennsylvania
for a check on that car in his name.
Then I want a lab man to go through
this house. Meanwhile, you boys see
if you can find anything in that pile
of ashes out in the yard.”

The Sheriff drove uptown and dis-
patched two wires to Pennsylvania, one
to the Division of Motor Vehicles Reg-
istration, the other to the Philadelphia
City Police. What could they tell him
about William Wilson? Next he flashed
a second general pick-up order along
the major highways leading north for
the black sedan with the red wheels.
The Sheriff then phoned the Chief of
Police in Orlando, Florida, 50 miles
distant, asking him to rush his best
finger-print man to the house on Bar-
ton Avenue in Cocoa.

B Bec soa tasks scarcely were completed
when a slender, gray-haired woman
with tragedy written heavily in her

‘face entered the office and identified

herself as the mother of Ethel Allen.
Roberts gently asked her for any in-
formation that might aid him in solv-
ing the death of her daughter. Mrs.
Allen cooperated as best she could.
Ethel, it seemed, had spent much of

The .32 used in the shooting was not
found, but the .38 caliber revolver
which had been taken from Constable
Headden was sent to Mr. Parsons in
Washington. A few days later came
the report which clinched the case
against the Constable. The bullets
which had been removed from Mrs.
Glowan’s body had been fired from
Headden’s gun, as had the .38 slugs.

Bruno Martin and George Knitt
were cleared of all suspicion, as was
Homer Stickey. Martin easily proved
he had not been near the Headden
cottage that night and the scene be-
tween him and Arlene Glowan had
been a piece of fiction on the part of
Headden.

HERIFF BIGGS was certain that Bill

Headden had taken the six dollars
from Lecia Headden’s purse, although
the killer wouldn’t admit it.

Bill Headden was indicted on three
separate counts of first-degree mur-
der. On December 5, 1941, he was
convicted of the murder of Arlene
Glowan, the jury’s verdict reading,
“guilty of murder in the first degree
without mitigating circumstances.” The
verdict automatically called for the
death penalty.

Judge Quinn immediately sentenced
the triple killer to be electrocuted in
the State prison on January 15, 1942,
making Headden the first person to
receive a death sentence in Polk
County since 1908.

Headden asked for a new trial but
Judge Quinn disallowed his motion.
The killer then appealed his case to the
State supreme court, thus automatical-
ly staying the execution date.

The names Bruno Martin, George
Knift and Homer Stickey are fictitious
to protect the identity of innocent per-
sons.

Singed Nude

the past two years away from home
working in one town or another. Rob-
erts got the picture of a highly spirited
girl, fun-loving, thoroughly modern in
viewpoint and determined to live her
own life. She seldom had written
about her private affairs, declared Mrs.
Allen, and the mother could think of
no one, casual acquaintance or inti-
mate friend, who might possibly have
harmed her. She knew no one with the
initials B. K.

On the way back to Rockledge the
Sheriff dropped in at the electric com-
pany. There he learned that a substan-
tial deposit still was being held in the
name of the Wilsons. Roberts was cer-
tain then that a sudden, unexpected
departure had been made from the
house on Barton Avenue. He drove
back to the house.

“Nothing out in the yard,” Maxwell
told him. “Williams has gone to the
city dump.”

“The city dump? What’s up?”

“We questioned the neighbors over
again and one of them thought he saw
some bloodstained rags in the Wilsons’
garbage-can this morning when the
driver emptied it in his truck.”

A car drew up at the curb and a
slender, bespectacled man got out, car-
rying several cases of equipment up to
the porch with him. “I’m K. P. Hol-
loway,” he said. “Identification man
from Orlando.”

“Oh, yes.” Roberts introduced him-
self and Maxwell. “I want you to go
over this entire house for prints and
bloodstains,” he said. “Give it the
works.”

Holloway made a brief tour of the
house. “Ought to be a cinch for prints,”
he declared. “Plenty of smooth furni-
ture, bathroom fixtures, dishes and
cooking utensils, electric switches. This
stuff always gives.”

He began by carefully dusting the
varnished mantel over the fireplace.
Then he frowned, puzzled. “That’s

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might be seeking an out for himself. There
was only one test.

acre a notebook and =. he

wore a trium)

Wahsing umphant grin. “May-
be I shouldn’t tell you,” he taunted, “but |.

I guess I will. It’s only because'I liked’

Coen Oe They were square |

with m

“A "soul of fellows who can answer | #7
your questions were at Deputy Herndon’s | ¥/

petty Dar ee oa gg, pin Sgn 2
ou've been me, I <1 art

oS have had something ‘to

bah were they?”

Young Wehring . shook his
names out of me. I’ve said enough. But
T'll tell you oy men ct og in jail.”

tk He do a ne
hs es sweet on
brushoff

Ruthine vee gave him the ;

The other guy was sore at Cherry for riding’

his denauter around. Ain’t that all

Summers thought it was. Rushing

to the courthouse, he got out the aiat

of party guests and. checked the names

of those who could ayers fit the
Alvin Hicks, Fred

chim a yn Sal pee i
could run down the
ath

- “Yeah,” Trinkle nodded. “Alvin’s kind

ere into Rea

| of a crackpot. I never took him seriously.”

Summers turned to the pretty young
girl. “He was ele around the. day
after the crime, saying he could solve
it?” he echoed. “Why, you weren't even
certain then whether this was suicide or
murder. He must have known something.
Where’s ‘Hicks now?”

“Working up north in a war plant, Mr
Helen Trinkle responded ‘promptly. “In

Indiana, I think.”
“His dad lives in Dover,” the: sheriff
put in. “He’d know the son’s address.”
The private era ap ull ww shook his head.
“We've got ae ee arom

risking a :
ae Lave i. locate Hi Sis cae other other

Let: me, try,” Helen .
was pretty sweet on |
Y'll find out where Alvin in

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(Continued from page 50) d
months had elapsed since the murders.
“Alvin, this is Detective Summers,”
Trinkle said. “He’s been working on the
Cherry case but hasn’t gotten anywhere.
I told him you once wanted to help me as
a deputy. He thinks it would be a good
idea to sign you“up. Do you want to?”
The: young man’s eyes twinkled. “Gee,
sheriff, I’d sure like the chance! I think
I could catch that guy for you. I'd quit
this job in a minute to be a deputy.”
“That’s fine!” Trinkle enthused. “I can
fix it. You apply for the job and I'll get
the Stewart County supervisors to appoint
you. But it'll have to be in writing.”
Hicks looked doubtful. “I’m not so good
at writing letters, sheriff. What’ll I say?”
Trinkle feigned contemplation of: this

to me as if you were already home. Get
some paper anda pencil.” ;

Hicks was soon ready. Trinkle began
giving him the context of a letter he and

cluded almost all the words contained in
the original death note. That night the
officers returned to Tennessee.

On Wednesday morning: the missive
from Hicks arrived. :

“I am here with making application to
you as a deputy Sheriff on your force while
I am working on this thing and trying to
catch the gange that killed herndon niece
and son in law. I here to pay a visit to my
father and will work until I return later.
-I will thank -you to borrow your gun and
will return it again. Until this debt is better
paid I am sincerely yours ALVIN Hicks”

' Summers examined the script under his
magnifying glass. “This is it!” he exclaimed.
“Here are the same fishhooks on the letter
‘t’?. That baby has snagged himself!”

On May 11 they were back in Evans-
ville again, Enlisting the aid of Vander-
burgh County Deputy Sheriff Charles
Keating, they arrested Alvin Hicks at the
plant where he was working. Before he
knew it the youth was across the state
line, into Kentucky, on his way back to
Tennessee.

Lodged in the jail at Dover and ques-
tioned by Summers, Trinkle and Howell,
Hicks denied his guilt.

“Look,” the private detective told him,
“you were annoying Ruthine Cherry. and
she wouldn’t have anything to do with
you. So you crept into the house that
Sunday morning to have a showdown.
You know better than I what happened
after that. We've got you dead to rights.
Why don’t you ease your conscience?”

Hicks merely glared back. “What have
you got on me?”

‘Summers showed him the: original
death note alongside his own application
for a deputy’s job. “It doesn’t take an ex-
pert to prove you wrote both,” he told
the man.. oe
_ At 3 a.m. the following morning Alvin
Hicks confessed his .guilt. The man ad-
mitted he had been trying to. woo Ruthine
Cherry and that she would have nothing
to do with him. : :

“At the party that Saturday night,” he
went on, “she wouldn’t even dance with
me. That made me good and sore, I figured
I'd get even but I didn’t know how.
“Then I noticed John, Luffman was
glaring at Cotton like he hated him. I
walked over and said, ‘What’s he done to
you?’ John told me Cotton had been car-
rying on with Bessie and he wasn’t going
to stand for it.

““I guess we both owe them something.’
I told him. He agreed with me.

“Later that night, on our way home,
John told me he had two pistols—one he’d

| stolen from Deputy Herndon’s home. ‘He.

| also mentioned that he heard Herndon

question. “I'll dictate a note you can send .

Summers had previously devised. It in- .

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and his wife were ;
next day. He said we
and beat Cherry up.
Hicks then declar.
the following morni
armed with pistols, e
the Herndons depart
Cherry asleep on th
_ “John just went r:
in the head,” Hick
came running in fr
Started screaming, s
keep her quiet. She
Hicks then said h
he carefully laid th.
the note, wiped off
on the floor near the
The note, he exp)
merely to confuse :
second shot out the o}
body’d think: Cherry
when he wrote the ;
This statement acc
discharged shells in 1
Hicks also declared
the second pistol ir
River after the crimc
Regarding the ba:
said he “just tossed ;
.to seare her because
any attention to me.”
killing the woman the
The confessed kil]
transcribed by Howe
which Hicks affixed h
copies in a bold scrav
With this confession
the attorney general ;
the private detective ;
state penitentiary an:
man, who was paying
To their surprise, -
ment was read to him
“That’s the way it har
Hicks was arraigned
Magistrate Burgess an:
for the July grand j
day Howell set in motic
ery necessary to rem
the penitentiary to fac
Quick indictments \
Luffman and Hicks we
first degree murder.
killers on August 11 s
Judge Dancey Fort in S:
and heard the words v
to die in the electric ch
Collier Goodlet and Jan
attorneys,’ signified the
for a new trial.

Eprror’s Nore: To s
' barrassment to innocent
Sadie Wells, Blanche,
Wehring, .Bob Kenned:
fus, used in this story
fictitious,

Smarty Mar

(Continued fron

had quit her job six mo.
detectives looked her u
a cousin, where Ann, a
59-year-old son lived,

Mrs. Braden was ab:
the cousin, on a trip t
her fiance.

“What's his name?” a.

“Marty Durkin. The
next week. They inten
then.”

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pians for the slippery cr.
thief. Ann was followec

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and his wife were going to be away the
next day. He said we ought to go up there
and beat Cherry up. I said I was game.”

Hicks then declared that at.10 o’clock
the following morning he and Luffman,
armed with pistols, entered the house after
the Herndons departed and found Cotton
Cherry asleep on the davenport.

“John just went right up and shot him
in the head,” Hicks accused. “Ruthine
came running in from the kitchen and
started: screaming, so I fired one shot.to
keep her quiet. She fell down dead.”

Hicks.then said he felt remorseful, so

he carefully laid the woman out, wrote |

the note, wiped, off the pistol and put it
on the floor near the couch. ee

The note, he explained, was designed
merely to confuse the case. “I fired a
second shot out the open window so every-
body’d think: Cherry did it and was nuts
when he wrote the note.”

This statement accounted for the two
discharged shells in the .32 pistol.

Hicks also declared Luffman had thrown
the second pistol into the Cumberland
River after the crime.

Regarding the barnyard shots, Hicks
said he “just tossed a couple” at Ruthine

_to seare her because she wasn’t “paying

any attention to me.” He had no idea of
killing the woman then, the man swore.

The confessed killer’s statement was
transcribed by Howell’s secretary, after
which Hicks affixed his signature to four
copies in a bold scrawl.

With this confession in their possession,
the attorney general and Griffin, head of
the private detective agency, went to the
state penitentiary and confronted Luff-
man, who was paying for another crime.

To their surprise, when Hicks’ state-
ment was read to him Luffman spoke up.
“That’s the way it happened,” he said.

Hicks was arraigned on May 13 before
Magistrate Burgess and held without bail
for the July grand jury. On that same
day Howell set in motion the legal machin-
ery necessary to remove L an from
the penitentiary to face a murder trial..

Quick indictments were returned, and
Luffman and Hicks were jointly tried for
first degree murder. Found guilty, the
killers on August 11 stood before Circuit
Judge Dancey Fort in Stewart County court
and heard the words which doomed them
to die in the electric chair on November 9.
Collier Goodlet and James Nolland, defense
attorneys, signified their intention to ask
for a new trial. ;

Eprror’s Nore: To spare possible em-
barrassment to innocent persons, the names
Sadie Wells, Blanche, Otis and Elliott

Wehring, Bob Kennedy and Fred Drey-'

fus, used in this story, are not real but
fictitious.

Smarty Marty Durkin

(Continued from page 10)

had quit her job six months earlier, so the
detectives looked her up at the home of
a cousin, where Ann, a divorcee, and her
5-year-old son lived.

Mrs. Braden was absent, according to
the cousin, on a trip to California with
her fiance.

“What’s his name?” a detective inquired.

“Marty Durkin. They’re. coming back
_ week. They intend to get married

en.” .

G-Man Shanahan, however, had other
plans for the slippery cracksman and auto
thief. Ann was followed when she reap-
peared in town, but she did riot lead to

Durkin. Then Shanahan, recalling Mar-

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*

* (ly : | emt th Me Foe ee! tat ly - a my +s -
LUM, st OL wraigf b is exon ed Y¥ULlil, ‘Ila, GLOEOG, LIN ( stew rt )

8/30/1946

When Fish-Hooked T's"
Spelled Murder

By Jock Setters:

Special Investigator for
‘ACTUAL DETECTIVE ©
STORIES , ~

J] QPHERIFF! There's been a Kill~
ing over at Herndon’s place! .« :
Grady and Ruphine Cherry ~
are both dead!” . a

Sheriff Clyde Trinkle sprang from:
his chair and’ faced the speaker i
Robert Chadwick, a farmer from thi
community of Tharpe, about ‘aine
miles from Dover, Tennessee.

“You mean Deputy Jinks Herndon’:
niece and nephew?” Trinkle demanded
incredulously. “What happened?”

“T don’t know,-but T think they’ve
been shot.” Chadwick mopped
glistening forehead. ‘Me and my boy
Irby Lee, found them in the living- *
room. Jinks and his wife are away
from home. So I left the boy there and "
came after you.”

Reaching for his hat, Sheriff Trinkle
called to his son; Deputy B. C. Trinkle,
and then instructed Chadwick to fol
low them in his automobile. -

Less than half an hour, later—at
p. m. on the afternoon of Sunday, Au-
gust 15, 1943—the Sheriff stopped his’
car in the sun-baked driveway leading ~
to Deputy Herndon’s rambling old
farm house overlooking the Cumber-: .

land River. Motioning for his son to:
follow, he mounted. the front’ porch ~
steps and a few seconds later was
standing in the living-room.

Standing there, Trinkle’s voice was.
almost a whisper as he said: “This is
the most horrible thing I’ve ever seen!”

T= body of Grady Cherry was | ; Date
sprawled across a sofa near the cent-' % Posietg “ee
er of the room. His wife’s body lay on. ? ms :
the floor a few feet away, and except ' / ‘ a - “ -
for the ugly wounds in their headsthey.-—s—iy 3 ‘ at . eM 3 : 3
might have been sleeping. . t : a oe ic ae at A ty ; Rae

On the floor, directly beneath Grady’s:. skull. He lay. with his face turned to- Take gles » care of the gun I may a front door in time to see Deputy and
outstretched arm, was a .32-20 caliber ward the back of the sofa. Hisleftarm ~ want to borry it again sometime. Mrs. Herndon-step from their car.
revolver. . Trinkle picked it up in @ was resting on.a feather pillow and — Thanks for, use of it. The Cong a They approached him, frowning, won-
handkerchief and recognized it at once ; folded beneath his head. wt? ‘ dering what the Sheriff was doing here.
as being a weapon he had seen Deputy ... “You'd better drive back to. Dover _Trinkle’s ‘eyes narrowed thought-, Sympathetically, he broke the tragic
Herndon carrying on numerous occa- and get the coroner,” Trinkle instructed. fully. Was it possible, he wondered, news to the couple. “Mrs. Herndon
sions. his son, “The killer has a good start that some enemy of his and Herndon’s rocked dizzily on unsteady legs, unable

Examination of the bodies revealed, on us, ag? we'll have to get busy quick.”. had taken this violent method to make ‘to believe the Sheriff’s words: Herndon”.
that pretty nineteen-year-old Ruphine..* As young. Trinkle. disappeared down payment on revenge? And the pushed past the officer and rushed into
Cherry had been shot once through the ~ through’ the door, the She’ * began reference to the borrowed gun.* Did the house. Trinkle followed him.  «
center of her forehead. She was ly- searching the room. On a table he dis-- this mean that the deputy innocently “Get hold of yourself, Jinks!” he ex-\\
ing on her back in a peculiar fashion:'; covered a note written in an illegible” had loaned it to a fiendish killer,never claimed.’ “I’m going to need your as-
Her hands were. folded ‘neatly across’ scrawl. Jt was phrased ronan ae suspecting it would be used to cut off sistance badly if. we hope to get to the :
her chest, Her legs were together and * ously he’ sealed. nd contents: fy the lives of his loved gl And ne bottom of this.” ~ :

This note, discovered near the victims! * bodies,
“mad office cers 8 believe igvenge gs tt the motive

extended; the toes of her patent leath- prs ee signature—“The. Gang.” , Herndon nodded, blinked. “back the
er pumps pointed straight up. , Deputy Sherif, ‘Herndon, here is than one killer involved? ~ % = - tears that welled in his eyes.” ‘
Grady Cherry,'a handsome*youth of your gun also your niece I owed you ~ ‘Trinkle was aroused his Recovering from the shook the cou-

21, also had been shot once, the bullet’ and Trinkle a debt and I am pay~" thoughts by the sound of an aT ple told the Sheriff that they had been
entering. his brain at the base of the» ing them, : ey will visit hime: laters: ing prtomoniie, He walked the: visiting friends across the ver sings.

. 30


1 finding anything that would further
he investigation. No telephones were
1 the immediate vicinity at that time,
nd Trinkle and Herndon were forced
)? carry personally the tragic news to
wady Cherry’s family, who lived in a
emote section of Stewart County.
Here, too, the Sheriff met a blank
‘all in attempting to establish a mo-
ive. The youth’s family knew of no
nemies nor of any trouble he had that
light lead to the double-slaying.
“Everything keeps pointing back to
nis note,” Trinkle said as they return-
d to Tharpe. “Unless the killer left it
> throw us off the trail, we’re in for
lenty of trouble.”
Herndon nodded silently.

JOTH officers knew they must have
made enemies in their work, but at

nat time neither of them could think

f “eae who might be a. likely sus-

ect.

It was shortly after 10 p. m: when

aey knocked at the door of John Luff-

ian’s house, three miles from the:

zene of the murder. Luffman was the
ferndon hired hand who had told Irby
ee that Ruphine looked as if she
light be sick.

The hired hand admitted them sleep-
y, expressing surprise at the visit. He
ppeared much smaller than his five
eet, seven inches as he looked up at

2

the towering Sheriff.

Luffman sat down heavily in a chair
when informed of the deaths of Mr.
and Mrs. Cherry. Hé kept shaking his
head as if he couldn’t believe what he
heard.

He told the officers that he had gone
to the Herndon house at about 10:30
a. m. to ask Cherry’s'aid in moving
some corn from Herndon’s barn as he
had been instructed previously by his
employer.

” EN nobody answered the door, I

took about two steps inside the
hallway and saw Mrs. Cherry lying on
the floor. It looked like she had a red
handkerchief over her face, and I fig-
ured she must be sleeping. So I didn’t
disturb her.

“T backed out when I didn’t see Grady
anywhere around, and walked over to
Chadwick’s to get Irby Lee to help.
While we were loading corn I went back
to the house, and Mrs. Cherry was still
lying there. That’s when I got worried
that she might be sick.”

“Why didn’t you investigate and see
what was wrong?” Trinkle demanded.

Luffman shrugged. “Hired hands
ain’t supposed. to bother the women
folks. If I’d have waked her up—if
she’d been alive, that is—she’d have
given me the devil.”

Realizing that the Coroner’s state-

ment concerning the time of death
would have put.the farm hand in the
vicinity shortly after the slaying,
Trinkle asked: “Did you hear any shots
or see anyone around there?”

“Not a soul. I tell you I didn’t even
see Grady.”

On his arrival back at the Herndon
home, Trinkle immediately checked
Luffman’s last statement and found
that the sofa was turned in siich a posi-

Sheriff Clyde Trinkle is remov-
ing handcuffs from one of the
many suspects he questioned

tion that it would have been impossi-
ble for the hired hand to have seen
Grady’s body from where he said he
stood in the hallway.

The following morning, Coroner
Burgess reported that the death bullets
taken from the heads of the couple
were .32-20 slugs. Herndon’s missing
weapon had been fired twice. The
pistol and slugs were forwarded im-
mediately to the Identification Bureau
at City Police Headquarters in Nash-
ville, Tennessee, for ballistics tests.

HIS done, Sheriff Trinkle and his son
drove to Tharpe where they began
the tedious task of making a house-to-
house canvass of farm homes in an ef-
fort to determine if any suspicious per-
sons had been seen in the neighbor-
hood of the Herndon place’ on the pre-
vious morning.
It was nearly noon before they un-
covered their first lead,
A farmer, living a mile south of

N. K. "Jinks Herndon: As
deputy, he helped investigate the
deaths of his niece and nephew

Herndon’s place, told. of seeing two
hunters crossing the deputy’s fleld at
about 9:15-a-m.

“They were walking away from Jinks’
place, and hada car-parked down the
road a piece,” he declared. “I don’t re-
call ever having seen them before in
these parts.”

The informant furnished them with
a description of the men and the au-
tomobile they were driving, but: he was


Sa>.g: “Come or we're going to
take a ride to Sag

Whitman was ___ iy ~out of his
chair, grabbing his hat.

As they pushed through the door,
Raymond asked, “What’s the lowdown,
Chief—are we going to make a pinch?”

Walking down the hallway and out
to the parking lot Whitman explained
what he knew. The Saginaw police
had contacted Marcia Haas. The girl

the officers with her sin-
cerity. She told them where they could
1ind the suspect and they arrested him.
They at once made the discovery that.
his name, Allen Anderson, was a phoney.
A social security card and draft regis-
tration card were in the name of Leo
Pascarella. With a little persuasion,

©

he said was, ‘I’m off women for life.’
“Then he told me he had a quarrel

with a girl in Detroit. I asked him

whether he had a picture of her, but

he just laughed. He told me he had

pone it up and thrown it in the Saginaw
ver.

au following night he invited me

to have a soda with him at a near-
by dairy bar. When I sat down facing
the door of the place, he insisted on
changing seats with me. The whole time
we were there he kept watching the
door—like he was afraid of something.
He showed me a photograph in a news-
paper. It was the picture of a sailor
who had been arrested as a suspect in
the Beavers case. He asked me whether

crack at Pascarella. While the suspect
was being brought out of jail, Whitman
scanned the newspaper clips which had
been found in his pockets. When Pas-
carella came in and was told to sit
down, Whitman didn’t look up. He just
continued staring at the clippings,
slowly and deliberately turning them
over and putting them down. Then he
brusquely dropped the Papers, put a
cigarette between his lips, and looked
at Pascarella. He didn’t say a word. He
watched him start to sweat. It started
up in his long, wavy hair. A blotter
and a pencil were on the desk where
Pascarella sat. He grabbed the pencil
and started making marks on the blot-
ter. Then he looked at Whitman with
@ quick darting glance, and down at

vi At ddipiil, idle ddkace & iormiai
stat to Chief Assistant Prosecu-
tor Schemanske, who issued a
walrant tor first-degree murder. On
July 11, 1945, the killer was taken to
Judge Arthur E. Gordon’s court, where
he was arraigned. He pleaded not
guilty, and he now is awaiting trial
as OFFICIAL DETECTIVE STORIES
goes to press. He was the drunk who
wanted to rent the rooms.

The man who left the key in the
envelope never was explained, nor was
the sailor who tore the screen ever
located.

The names Mike Melton and Lieu-
tendnt Paul Craig are fictitious to pro-
tect innocent persons from undue
embarrassment.

When Fish-Hooked mpicn Spelled Murder (Continued from Page 33)

A Model storekeever recalled that
several months before, Cherry had
quarreled with another star route mail
carrier in his store. They carried their
argument outside, and in the fist fight
that followed, Cherry had beat up the
other man—who had started the quar-
Tel im the first place.

The storekeeper related: that the
whipped carrier, Jerry Potts, had run
away to his car and as he jumped into
it, he had screamed: “I'll get you.
Cherry, if it’s the last thing I ever do!”

“What kind of an automobile did he
drive?” the Sheriff wanted to know.

“I don’t rightly remember, but it was
an old car.”

OULD this, the Sheriff wondered, be
the old auto Spellman and his hunt-
ing companion had seen parked in
Herndon’s driveway. And was it pos-
sible that Potts was the vengeful killer? -
Bat Trinkle’s hopes did not last long.
A check in‘ Nashville revealed that
Potts had been in jail since the early
part of June, on certain charges
brought against him by the postal au-

That seemed to end one lead; and
yet Trinkle was not willing to give up
Potts as a suspect so easily. Perhaps,
he thought to himself, the man had
hired others to pull the job for him
while he was in jail!

Trinkle worked on this angle, but
it lead him nowhere. And he followed
through on his suspicions against
Spelman and Hart, but he could find
no cew that would establish their
guik. And time was passing—weeks,
months—and he was getting no closer
to the solution than the day he stood
in that living-room and looked in hor-
ror upon the bodies of Grady and

ine Cherry.

And now a year had gone. Other
cases had drawn the attention and
full-time efforts of the Sheriff’s office.
Herndon and his wife had moved to
another farm, leaving the house which
held for them only tragic memories.

40

Periodically, the Cherry murders
would be brought back to life by an
unexpected tip, but when it was traced
to its origin, the lead always was dis-
covered to be without foundation. Any
person overheard to speak against
Trinkle or Deputy Herndon resulted
in a deluge of telephone calls being re-
ceived at the County Jail.

And now it was January, 1945, and
still the double-slaying was unsolved.
It had become a personal challenge to
Sheriff Trinkle and the thought that
the guilty still were free obsessed him
like an evil memory.

Officers were in possession of three
vital clews—the pistol, which ballistics
tests had proven fired the fatal shots,
the note, and a meager description of a
mysterious automobile. But since
“The Gang” had failed to put in its
second threatening appearance, in-
vestigators were inclined to believe
that they never would strike again.
But was that the relaxation of vigi-
lance the killer was waiting for? The
murder weapon had been wiped clean
of fingerprints, the Nashville experts
had reported long ago, and although
& number of ancient cars had been in-
vestigated, Spellman had failed to
identify any of them as the one he
had seen on‘the driveway.

T then was the motive if re-
venge was not the actual one?
This troublesome thought was forever
with Sheriff Trinkle, but he was unable
to piece the murder jig-saw puzzle to-
gether in such a fashion as to find an
answer to this all-important question.
In admitted desperation, he turned
back to the note which he had discov-
ered on the table in the death-room.
He spread the paper across his desk
and studied its contents for ten min-
utes, carefully noting the structure of
the barely discernible letters. Then,
suddenly, he snapped his fingers,
wriggled into his coat and walked
— the Public Square to the court-
ouse.

“It’s a.long chance,” he told the
clerk in the Recorder’s office, “but it’s
the only thing left for me to do. I’m
going through every deed and record
in this office until I find a sample of
handwriting that matches this.”

T WAS a slow, tedious job Trinkle had

assigned himself, but he stayed with
it for weeks. The almost impossibility
of the task was what had kept him
from doing this long before. -At the
end, he had several samples of hand-
writing that, in one way or the other,
resembled the writing on the note.

Photographs of the documents were
made and, armed with these and the
original note, Trinkle arrived the fol-
lowing day in Memphis, where he con-
tacted William T. Griffin, once veteran
Inspector of City Detectives and now
operator of a private detective agency.

After lengthy comparison, Griffin
shook his head slowly.

“Look,” he told the Sheriff, “see the
way the killer made his t’s? It’s just
about discernible, but if you'll look
real close you’ll see that each one has
@ fish-hook on the end. None of these
other documents show that peculiarity.
Find a man who fish-hooks his t’s
and you'll have the killer!” :

While studying the note, Griffin had
taken in every detail. He concluded
that the paper on which the note had
been written had been torn from some
type greeting card, and on the back,
ee a tiny set of serial num-

“There’s a remote possibility,” he
said after a moment’s thought, “that
this note can lead us to the slayer.”

Trinkle barely was able to conceal
his excitement. “How?”

“By tracing it to the manufacturer
and then to the purchaser.”

“Griffin, if you can find the man or
men who did this, Stewart County will
always be grateful to you!” °

As the result of this conference, Park
Summers, Griffin’s ace homicide in-
vestigator, was assigned to the case.

With the serial numbers on the note
paper -as a starting point, Summers
traced it to a manufacturer in Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania. :

There it was found that the paper
had been torn from a Mother’s Day
Card, which had been printed in 1943.
The card was being printed no longer,
but the manufacturer readily furnish-
ed a duplicate of the original card from

It was learned quickly that the card
had not been displayed or sold in
Dover or Tharpe. Then how had it
gotten into the farm house? Summers
questioned Mrs. Herndon about this.

“Why, that’s the same kind of card I
received from my son and daughter-
in-law on the Mother’s Day before
Grady and Ruphine were killed!” Mrs.
Herndon exclaimed. “It—it’s so pretty
I'd recognize it anywhere.”

The officer’s hopes fell. This meant
that the killer had obtained the paper
from the Herndon residence. He had
not brought it with him. .

With this lead gone like all the rest,
Trinkle and Summers went into a
huddle. ‘

“I want to go over this entire thing
from beginning to end,” the private de-
tective announced, even to having two

of your men pose as the dead couple. .

I want to see everything just as you
saw it on your arrival.”

HERNDON agreed readily to open the
“! mystery house—which he - still
owned—for the experiment, and it was
a weird scene that:was enacted in the
living room of the musty old farm house
a short time later.

Summers turned to Sheriff Trinkle
and pointed to the position of the
deputy posing as Mrs. Cherry. “Is
that the way you found her body?”

“The exact position.”

The detective studied the position
of the extended legs, held tightly to-
gether; the upturned toes. A heavy
silence seemed to hang over the room
as he turned to Sheriff Trinkle.

<

Summers went on: “The woman. The
motive has something to do with
Ruphine Cherry. It is the only thing
left. As far as I can see it, the killer
came here to see Mrs. Cherry. Grady

- was killed first and then the murderer
|. turned to Ruphine. When she resist-
* ed his advances, she was killed also.
==. Of course, I may be wrong on the de-

© tails of the action but the motive, I’m
= gure, is right.”

The Sheriff was excited by this new
theory. Now, instead of concentrat-
ing on a revenge killer, a dragnet
was spread throughout Stewart and
adjoining counties for men known to

have molested women. And each man

that was brought in was questioned
thoroughly and checked and forced to
give a sample of his handwriting.

UT by the first of May detectives still
were without a single clew that
would shed light on the perplexing mys-

tery, still without a good suspect!

. Summers went about his job tireless-
ly, interviewing and checking those

™  Witmesses questioned previously and

searching for others. And then he

* came to the name of John Luffman,
~ Herndon’s former farm hand. And to

his amazement he learned that, to-

ward the end of 1944, Luffman had

been convicted on a charge of molest-
ing a young woman. He now was serv-
ing time in the State Prison. The rea-
son no one knew anything about this
before was that Luffman and his family
had moved away from Tharpe in the

_ early part of 1944.

But the lead seemed to fall apart
when Record Clerk Glidewell supplied
Summers with a sample of Luffman’s
handwriting and comparison tests
. showed that the suspect could not pos-

such friends were lew
and all the men
cleared quickly. Luff.
well liked, it appeared.
Then Summers triec
proach. Young wome:
community were quest
the private detectiv
e. They were as
man whose actions, {:
caused them to be fez
. But the officers got r
line of questioning un
of May 8. Summers
& pretty young girl
mulled over the detect
several minutes. Th:
there was that Hicks
like that. His first n
think. - He’d give yo:
way he’d look at you.”
“Do you know whx«
car?” Summers askec
“Yes, Sir. He usec
thing that looked li)
ready to fall apart. E
him in a long time.”
Thanking the youn:
tective and Trinkle r:
where an immediate
Hicks was begun.
Hicks, they learned.
ing sort of youth w)
content to remain in
length of time. In Au
left home and had nm
On the afternoon of M
ful investigation, the
that Hicks was in Ev
Summers and Trink
immediately. Was tl
other routine question:
time?
With the aid of Chi
Charles Keating, Hic
ing in a small resid

Past Twenty Blind Witn

Wittig out there?”

“I didn’t see him when I came in.
Why?”

“Well, for one thing, he’s — Src
a e find in those type of char-
sciens He's start shrewd and observ
ing. He might have spotted the killer
and he might be smart enough to
talk.”

“You may have something,” Bow-
man replied. “I’ll send one of the boys
out to pick him up.”

It was 4 a. m. when the last of the

card players had been questioned and
~ Teleased

with warnings not to leave
town. The leads gleaned from these
talks were negligible. Either the men
didn’t know the killer’s identity, or
-they expected to exact their own form
of punishment on the killer. It was
Bowman’s aim to nip off this vendetta
before it became a blood bath on the
streets of Reading.
Many angles of the case puzzled the
Officers. But the thing that troubled
them more than anything was the

story that one persor
—the story about t
down Penn Street w
proached by a woman
that a woman was in\
ing? Could it be, t)
selves, that the motiv
death lay in his past
this man and woma)
do with the case?

UST then the Stz
West Reading Bar
say they had collarec
man driving an ex)
the highway to Har
his name as Frankie
was more significant,
to explain his wherea
few hours. Bown
thought of the man
“Bring Greco and t
instructed Bowman.
with that guy.”
Hess returned i
Mrs. Mirenna. He h

Cherry coll have been hia son, who were waiting outside. cas
farmer, carefully evading a.
econd’stancs aitha ghaskie scons kat

Priday.. ‘Cherrys ;
-them, ind had as ugpganeie og Took rying it without your knowledge,” de- *
' clared Trinkle.- Then after. a pause:
“Or the killer could mere stolen it in~
showed had made the discovery after

* don’s that he thought Mrs.

morning to get Irby Lee to help him ~

~ nized the childish scrawl. > »~ Move-.some . corn,”* Chadwick said. ''
Pocketing the note for future tefer- “While they were over here, Luffman.
_Trinkle called in Chadwick and jeame.to the house fora few minutes.
ae a bes . and when he went back he told my -
img of ; “: boy that Mrs. Cherry was lying on the

yand hadn’t thought much more about ~
t here?” ‘ FS

-. Young Chadwick corroborated
Hather's story. napa x
. With the arrival: “of ‘Coroner J. a

mortems. The couple had been d
for from nine to Grelve pours, the Cots:

eral bg denomination ils, and. his

Sey ine Ch The.

ef

mystery chielh thelr go was
q that: noone really hated. them

Bee

the room, asserted that he and his son +
“informed by John Luffman, the ee.
hired hand,

- = J..us came over here and found this—”.

_ personal effects. His wife’s purse, also

containing a small amount of money,
was found in their bedroom.

“That discounts any possibility of a
‘robbery motive,” Sheriff Trinkle stated.
“If the killer.had time to write that

NOTHING of va of value was a thieing from
. Mrs. Herndon re-

“Did Cherry have any enemies that
you ae of?”. ‘Trinkle inquired of his
depu
Herndon shook his head. He said
his nephew, a star mail route carrier

"at mearby Model, Tennessee, had been

’ @n easy going, unassuming youth who
made friends easily. If he had made

‘he kept the secret well

guard

“How about your niece? Any spurned
suitors who might have gone so far as
to kill the two of them in a fit of jeal-
ousy?”

“Not a chance. Grady and Ruphine
were sweethearts for a long time be-
fore they married. I’ve never heard
her mention any other man.”

When a complete search of the house
had failed.to turn up any more clews,
‘the officers made,.a: cursory examina-
‘ition of the spacious lawn and driveway
but, heres, too, they were unsuccessful

~

‘The two ‘bodies were icseveed in
this old farm home when someone
. said that Ruphine Cherry was sick


dike Luffman, left, repeating to
Sheriff Trinkle his story of how he
thought young~ Ruphine was ill

unable to help them further.

“I can’t imagine anyone wanting to
hurt Jinks in any way,” he stated flatly.
“Everybody in Tharpe respects him
and his wife very highly. And that
young couple—why they were the nic-
est two you ever saw.”

Yet, the Sheriff thought to himself,
someone killed them. Who? Strang-
ers? The two hunters crossing the
deputy’s fields?

“It’s a cinch someone had it in for
either Jinks or Cherry and his wife,”
Trinkle told his son as they drove back
to their office. “And from what the
note says I’ll be next on the list. When
we get to the office I’m going over my
books and refresh my memory on some
of the arrests Jinks and I have made.”

Park Summers: Shortly ‘ after this

private detective was called into
the case, he changed a theory

All deputies were instructed to be on
the lookout for men answering the de-
scription of the two hunters, and .then

Trinkle summoned Herndon to his of--

fice where they began to pore over
their lists of past arrests and convic-
tions,

Most of the names were marked off
quickly—the men either were dead or
in jail—but one held their attention.
The name was that of Henry Hart, a
young bootlegger. According to the
Sheriff’s records, Hart had threatened
to “get even” after the officer had testi-
fled against him in a case that resulted
in his being sentenced to two years in
the State Prison in Nashville.

A call to Prison Record Clerk James
Glidewell revealed that Hart had been

paroled three months ago. Glidewell
did not know where the youth was at
this time. However, the State Parole
Board’s secretary furnished this in-
formation the following morning. Hart
had given the Board an address in
Clarksville, a city about 27 miles east
of Dover.

AN HOUR after receiving this in-
formation, Trinkle and Herndon
located the swarthy ex-convict at a
Clarksville manufacturing plant where
he said he had been employed since his
release.

“I ain't done nothing,” Hart told
them. “Can’t a guy go straight with-
out the cops always hounding him?”

Trinkle said: “If you haven’t done

anything, you’ve got nothing to fear
from us. All I want to know is where
you were at nine o’clock Sunday morn-

Hart smiled triumphantly. ‘That’s
easy. I was home all day. Never left
the house.”

Fifteen minutes later, his landlady
seemed to corroborate this statement
when she said that Hart was in his
room all day. But the Sheriff still was
not convinced of the man’s innocence.
Wasn’t it possible, he wondered, that
the youth had managed to sneak out
without the landlady knowing anything
about it? 7

Even though he‘didn’t hold Hart,
Trinkle knew that the youth could
stand a lot. of careful watching and

_ checking.

Returning to his office, Trinkle found
his son awaiting his arrival. With him
was Bill Spellman, a Dover merchant.

“Dad, Bill came over when he heard
we were looking for two hunters who
were over on Herndon’s property Sun-
day. He has a very interesting story
to tell. Go ahead, Bill.”

SPELLMAN said that he and a young
neighbor had gone hunting early
that day, but had no luck. Returning. to
their car, they had decided to cross
through Herndon’s field in the hope of
stirring up some rabbit or quail.

“We were about five or six hundred
yards from Herndon’s house when we
heard a pistol shot,” he continued. “A
second later there was another shot,
and then everything was quiet. I
knew Herndon was an officer and
thought he might be shooting at a
target or something, so we didn’t pay
any attention to a.

“What time was this?”

“A little after nine, or maybe a ia
before—I couldn’t say for sure. We
walked to my car about a mile away,
and got home at half-past nine.”

“Did you see anyone around the
house?”

“No, Sir. There was an old car
parked in the driveway, but I thought
it might belong to someone Visiting.”

“You're probably right,” Trinkle
said. “The killer.”

Spellman’s hunting campanion w
located a short time later. He t
precisely the same story as had t
merchant—in fact it was too much t
same to satisfy the Sheriff. Could
be, he thought, that they had pr
pared this.alibi? They admitted bei
the hunters seen crossing Herndo)
fields, but instead. of clearing up t
mystery they made it ever more cor
plex. Was it possible that these t.
men held some grudge against t
Cherrys, -against Herndon and hir
self? The Sheriff knew of no su
grudge, but he was determined to u
cover it if one existed.

D4xs passed without any further ¢
velopments. Although Hernd
maintained a steady vigil at his hon
and Sheriff Trinkle left no member
his family unguarded at any time, t
killer failed to strike again. Wh
What was he—or they—waiting fo
Until the officers relaxed and thoug
that they and their families we
safe?

During the first week in Octob:
Trinkle and Herndon went into confe
ence with District Attorney-Gener
W. C. Howell. Together they discuss
the meager, but confusing clews in t
double-slaying.

“As I see it,” Trinkle said though
fully, “the two had lain down to ta
anap. The killer, or killers, slipp
into the house and shot Grady fir:
Mrs. Cherry was probably awaken:
by the shot, and was killed when s)
raised up to scream.” '

Howell, known as one of the mo
vigorous prosecutors in the Stat
nodded. ‘“That’s probably it. But
still doesn’t give us the answers \
want. We still don’t know who kilk
them.”

In an effort to determine once ar
for all if the motive might lie som
where in Grady Cherry’s past, Sheri
Trinkle began a tour of the dead me
carrier’s route, which extended ov
an area of several miles.

For two days he stuck doggedly
the tedious task and then, on the thi)
day, he uncovered an exciting lead.

(Continued on Page 40)


as

wists Luvern stl [st Wee [94

16

County Judge Link
aided extradition

“NO: Inspector, there’s no use getting
mad. Keep your temper. No one
else wants it.”

Mrs. Will Griffin, wife of the famous
Memphis, Tennessee, private detective,
tried to soothe him. He was having his
troubles with wartime help, or, rather,
the lack of it, like most employers in
early 1945. ;

“But, hang it,” he grumbled, “how in
the world are we going to cover all these
cases?” He read off a long list of mur-
ders waiting to be solved in States all
over the country. “I won’t go out’ on
them all myself.”

“Stop worrying. Everything will work
out allright.”

“What makes you so sure?” He rattled
a stack of papers on the desk before him.
“For instance, just take this double mur-
der up in Stewart County, Tennessee.
The Cherry case.”

Mrs. Griffin, blonde, and some years
her husband’s junior (he had been a
widower for many years before their
marriage), acted as the highly efficient
receptionist, secretary and treasurer for
the Wm. T. Griffin Secret Service. She
had an insatiable interest in murder
mysteries.

“Oh, yes,” she recalled. “The victims
were that good-looking young RFD mail
carrier, Grady Cherry, and his pretty
wife, Rufine. What’s the status of that
case?”

“The status is quo,” came the irritable

Park Summers (right), whose clever handling of one of the
killers solved the case, is shown with Private Detective Griffin

“We weren’t called in on it until

reply.
more than a year after it happened. The
agent I assigned to it is a good man. He
did his best. But it’s got him backed
right into a corner. Even the Coroner’s
jury has written it off as murder and
suicide. But no one believes it. Least of

all the County officials. Now about half
the population up there is beginning to
suspect the other half of complicity. If
it keeps up, feudin’ is liable to break
out. I know that country well. I was
brought up there. My father was a
Methodist preacher in Stewart County.
Now the officials, as well as members of
Grady Cherry’s family, want us to follow
through. But I don’t know who ta send
out.”

The Inspector and Mrs, Griffin began
rehashing the bizarre homicide. They
burrowed into the voluminous reports
and began reading excerpts aloud to each
other., F

Grady Cherry, twenty-seven, was a
rural mail carrier who, twice, five days
each week, and once on Saturdays, drove
his station wagon over what was known
as the Model star route between the com-
munity of that name and Dover, Ten-
nessee, county seat of Stewart County

in the northwestern portion of the State.

He lived with his attractive blonde wife,
Rufine, twenty-six, at the farm home of
her uncle, Deputy Sheriff N. K. (Jinks)
Herndon, and his wife. This was located
about nine miles northwest of Dover,

an effort/to keep cool.

Farm home of Deputy Sheriff N. K. (Jinks) Herndon, near
Dover, Tennessee, where Grady and Rufine were murdered

/944,

“I’m paying a debt, * the note beside the bettas said. .
“Take good care of the gun—I may want to use it again!”

and about midway on his route, in what |
was known as the Tharpe community.

On the morning of Sunday, August |
15th, 1943, Herndon and his wife, with |
some friends, set out on a picnic. The
young Cherry couple was left at home |
alone. County Judge N. A. Link hap- |
pened to be standing in the Cumberland |
River toll-bridge house at Dover that |
morning. He waved to the picnickers as |

- they went by. That was about 7 a.m.

About 4:30 p.m., John Luffman, forty- |
nine, Herndon’s hired man who worked |
his farm on shares, but who lived about
two miles away in his own home, called |
at the farmhouse of Bob Chadwick. He |
was the nearest neighbor of the deputy
sheriff.

He reported that he “believed some- |
thing’s wrong with Rufine.” Normally }
he didn’t report for work on Sundays. |
On this occasion, however, he had bor-
rowed his employer’s team to haul, on
his own time, his share of the corn crop.
He had made three trips to his own crib |
during the day. Twice he had knocked
at the Herndon door. Each time, getting |
no reply, he had gone in the house, and
each time he had backed out hastily.
Looking from the hallway into the living
room he had gotten a glimpse of Rufine
stretched out on the floor.

It was a very warm summer day, and
he had at first believed that she was tak-
ing a nap, and was lying on the floor in
But when, as the }

day wore
position \
be ill.
Chadw
Corinthia
the living
the thres
Rufine w:
About !
of the bo
complete!
Sheriff
to the sce
Howell
The lay
of the rox
head. H«
bullet ha:
and rang
body indi
moment 1

urine

couch, §&
husband.
She had
for comf«
her fore!
upward
Her ar!
finger of |
been gra?

~ body anc

was a .32-
This wea]
identifi

reper ekeeial fs ee

Tiere 2 Eee Bo

__. Sheriff Trinkle; he k
_ despite the

“T heard it,” Luffman said. “Sheriff
Trinkle read it out loud ‘when he
found. it.” ? :

Summers sighed. “My memory isn’t
as good as it used to be,” he mur-
mured regretfully. “I can’t recall
how the note read now. All I re-

member is a small part of it. Some-.

thing about a gang threatening. to
wipe out the whole family, wasn’t it?”

He had it wrong, Luffman told him.
“Tt didn’t say nothing about the whole
family. It said about the gun and the
niece, and paying back a debt to Hern-
don. And about borrowing the gun
again to get even with Trinkle.”

Summers said admiringly, “You’ve
got a pretty good memory!”

“There’s some things a man don’t
forget,” Luffman told him. “Some
things that kind of stick in your
mind.” ;

positive than ever that warped
and primitive passions were some-
how at the root of the crime.. As a
final move, before leaving Luffman,
he had had the latter write-out. a

J positive returned to Dover more

note, using the same words he. had’

used when repeating the scrawl left
at the scene of the crime.

Immediately Summers
this with the original note _ still in
Sheriff Trinkle’s possession. But
there was no similarity in the hand-
writing. 7

For a brief space Summers was dis-
couraged, wondering if the lead that
had seemed so promising only a few
hours before was going to peter out

compared

well mean that two killers, not one,
had been in on it. One man would
hardly carry two revolvers, using a
separate one on each victim. Not for
this type of crifne. :

And if there had been two men in-
volved, then the note might well have
been written by either one, although
both would be equally as familiar
with its contents. f

So much for that, Summers con-
sidered, but there had to be a motive.

' -Once again he began speculating
on the characters in the case. Grady
Cherry had been a likable, good-
looking young fellow. And his wife
had been equally as attractive. Either
could have inspired jealousy or ‘de-
sire. heh ct

And Luffman. Luffman was nearly
illiterate, uneducated, primitive in his
emotions. He’d been working around
‘the Herndon place for a long time—
he must have watched Rufine many
times when she was ceralessly un-
aware of masculine eyes. Luffman

--was in jail now on a morals charge,
‘and that was proof enough that his
oa wasn’t always where it should

e.

On the other hand, Luffman had a
young daughter— :

Quietly Summers began making in-
quiries around the village, asking
a little question here and there,. lis-
tening attentively to the rambling

' gossip that every question inspired.

And some remembered that Luff-
man’s daughter used’ to ride into
Dover now and again with Grady.
In some ways that was natural
enough, for Grady had eypelarnenvee
his modest pay: as a rural mail car-
rier by taking passengers in his car.
Again, there were others that re-
called ‘that Luffman had been ex-

tremely strict with his daughter, mak-

ing her account for every minute she
was away from. home. pat

That, too, Summers thought, was
natural... Men whose own morals
aren’t too good are apt to. be particu-
larly touchy where their own women
folk are concerned. .

Summers wondered if she had had
a suitor. Hadn’t any young man been
a constant visitor at the Luffman
home?

Patiently he asked his questions,
trying to weave a firm fabric of fact
out of the thin threads of his intuition.

And finally. he got an answer that he
hoped might lead somewhere.

There had been a young man who
hung about the Luffman place, it was
now recalled. A fellow by the name
of Hicks—Alvin Hicks.

Summers checked further. He dis-
covered that Hicks had been arrested
some five years before on a charge of
attempted rape and-had served a

year in prison. And further checking’

revealed that he had moved away
from Dover and was now working in
a war plant in Evansville, Indiana.

He had, in fact, left Dover in Au-
gust, 1943—just two days after the
murder of Grady Cherry and his wife.

And until that time he had been a
constant visitor at the Luffman home
—was even courting the daughter,
according to gossip.

Summers ge i himself for an-
other trip, hoping that it wouldn’t
prove a wild goose chase.

In Evansville he had no difficulty
in tracking down Hicks, nor did the
gaunt young hillbilly seem. averse to
talking. Summers explained smoothly
that -he was trying to clear up the
scandal surrounding the Cherry case
and was interviewing everyone who
had been in the locale at the time.

“You were visiting around the Luff-
man home about then, as I under-
stand it,” he stated rather than asked.

Hicks, it soon developed, was slow-
thinking and unimaginative. “I reckon
that’s so,” he admitted. “I used to
call on his daughter some.” .

“You remember the day the Cherry
were killed?”

It took. Hicks a long time to an-
swer. “I guess I do,” he said finally.
“T guess it was Luffman that told me
about it.”

Summers nodded. Then he said
easily, “I talked with Luffman just a
few days ago. I guess you know there
was kind of bad. blood between him
and Grady Cherry.”

Hicks spent considerable thought

before he answered. “He told you
that?”
'“Why not? It’s no secret now.”

Summers eyed the young marrcalmly.
“He must have talked with you about
it, when you were visiting at his
house.”

“Some,” Hicks agreed slowly. “It
wan’t nothing much. He objected to
the way Grady would take his daugh-

WHO WAS R
Dwelling of R
though the ¢.

ter riding in
Picions of wh
‘s “Sure,” Su
You can’t b
emg carefy!]
~ Would be.”
then apparen;
I wish you'd
little note, off
i help Clear
Our leaving ;
killing pelea ds
people, and ;
Trinkle that Ww
Sa
icks hesitat,
what to say.”
‘Tl dictate j
Offered. “J go!
Paper right he,

ROM MEMOR
a note, workin

: » he
ma him he wou!

years

little communj
f
cere was officialty
4 was on May
Frinkle, again acco:
ink and Attorney
made the trip to F

into nothing.

Then his analytical mind started
working. .

Two guns had been used—and if it:
was a double murder, as he was now.
definite that it had been—that could

* 22 e

WHY HAD. THIS GUN BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR ONLY ONE DEATH?
The .32 caliber revolver which was found cushioned in between Rufine Cherry’s
right arm and her body. But her husband was killed with a .38 caliber bullet.


iced at
yeneral

n, him-
T

he said
»

ag
g.

uspicion.
routine
ies were
rtaker to
{ for a
ok pos-
and the

naking of
, Deputy
» watched

he matter
s for -pre-
ury. But

nd the ob-

a pleasant
man. He
nscientious
Everyone
him. we
“na pre ’
e, too, had
she hadn't
months be-
ut the baby
je had been
had talked
| to stay.
rieving over
re) do strange

ngs.
| eluctantly
| rs Jury was
| that—mur-
f murder by
the latter
the facts.
lose the case.
closed in a
community.
10rs, doubts,
hatreds and
fully hidden
, the surface.
ind what was
esterday be-
ymorrow.
hill village of
enacing finger
pointed one
Anonymous
ropped in the
vay to the top
‘n and scarred
ber shop, an
e. and around
, man had his
aew what he
cn’t telling all

ried, but they

the tension.
those who had
-- in their idle
split by bitter
iably, the rela-
le were openly

erdict, clamor- |

that “justice” be
ions wanted the
,eir name. .

yer, 1944, Sheriff
ision. The case
nths old, and he

EPS aT Ea

“had done all he could, Neither Dover,

with its population of some ‘three
hundred odd, nor Steward County,
had a trained; modern detective force.
Common sense and good judgment had ‘
always been sufficient to handle what-
ever minor lawbreaking occurred.
Considering all the circumstances, -
and the seething tempers of the
townsfolk, Sheriff Trinkle decided it
might be well to call in outside help.
But not from too far outside. me
He recalled that Will Griffin, .a well-
known private detective in Memphis, |
originally hailed from that vicinity,
where his father had at one time been
a‘preacher. He called on him for aid,
presenting the meager facts at hand.
Studying the data on the case, Grif-
fin, too, had his doubts. But the war
was still on; his office was -bogged
down with surplus of work; he was:
unable at the moment.to actively in-
vestigate the case himself. He as-
signed an agent to the case, but the
results were disappointing.
He reminded himself that after all
the case was’ over a year old—that

» any clues that might have existed to

prove that tragedy had been double .
murder and not the ‘final act of a
gm suicidal woman had -grown
cold.

Then an old Associate returned to- .

his’ staff. F

-. The man was Park Summers, who
had worked with Griffin years be-
fore, and for whom Griffin had. a
high .regard as a painstaking, per-
severing detective—with the added
qualities of imagination and intuition.

Griffin turned over the files on the
Cherry mystery to him and told him
to go ahead. :

From the start, Summers realized
he faced.a difficult problem. Rumor
and gossip had by now so befogged
the case that‘it was hard to get a clear
picture of just what had actually
occurred. He went into long sessions
with Sheriff Trinkle, getting down to
the basic facts—few and meager as
they were.

There were three ‘exhibits in the ‘

case that Sheriff Trinkle still had. The

scrawled note, the .32 caliber revolver
found at the side of the dead woman,
and the bullets extracted from the
two bodies. ©

Summers studied. the latter with a
speculative eye and weighed them
meditatively. in the palm of his hand.
Then, for more positive information,
he sent them to Memphis for an ex-
pert ballistics report, along with the
32 revolver.

The next day he had the answer— -

and it was the one he had expected. ~

The bullet that had killed Grady
Cherry was from a .38 caliber gun:
That taken from his wife was a 32,
fired by the revolver found beside her
body. "

That meant that two guns had been

used. But only one had been found at
the scene of the killing! ;
' And in Park Summers’ mind the
certainty became fixed that it was a
double murder that he was. now in-
vestigating.

It became necessary now to go back
to the very beginning, to start inter-,
viewing the first discoverers of the
crime. . 5

‘There was Robert Chadwick and
his two young daughters—but they
had little: to offer. And there was
John Luffman, the sharecropper who
had acted as the messenger of death.

Where was Luffman now?

The answer surprised him only

“mildly.

‘course of the. day,
noticed Rufine, stretched out there on

the State Penitentiary, serving a-five-
year term as the result of conviction
‘on a morals charge..’ .

‘Summers atranged to visit him. :

He found Luffman. vague.-and; un-..

certain but talkative. He repeated

_the same story he had originally given,

now nearly .20. months. ago; ‘on ‘that:

August Sunday when the tragedy was ©

discovered. ee +

, .L was. working in my own section,

hauling corn,” he said_ “Link Hern-

don’ give. mie leave'to-use his team,

like -he. always ‘did. I went to the

house. two or, three times’ during the
and each time I

the floor, not moving none. She just:
had. a house. dress on, she did, and
her: legs was all bare.” |. 2

HE FURNISHED. INVESTIGATORS: VALUABLE INFORMATION—

- Luftm man; it appeared, was.in-

et Summers kept his face expression-

‘less as he asked, “I suppose you were

looking for Herndon up at the house?”
Luffman: stared at him, and ‘then
frowned faintly a# though trying to
remember. “I guess that’s the way it
was,” he admitted finally. “I must
have been looking for him.”
* “But you told me before that you’d
seen Herndon and his wife leaving

for a. picnic ig 8 that morning.”
: ii

Laffman shook his head uncertainly.

““T. guess I must have gone up to the

house to see if he w
like I wanted to ask
I.disremember now.”
Summers nodded and changed the
subject. “That note they found by
Rufine’s body, now,” he said casually..
“That never was rightly explained.
Did you see it?”

back. Seems °
im something.

Alvin Hicks, who had been courting Luffman’s daughter, was interrogated
_ by Detective Summers about Luffman’s movements on the day of the deaths.

fen &, Te

sh


wer that he
1ere.

1g man who
slace, it was
Vy the name

rer. He dis-
een arrested
. a charge of
id served a.
her checking
noved away
y working 1n
ie, Indiana.
Jover in Au-
ys after the
‘and his wife.
e had been a
vuffman home
he daughter,

1f for an-
mst wouldn’t

e.
i no difficulty
s, nor did the
eem averse to
ined smoothly
clear up the
.e Cherry case
everyone who
t the time.
ound the Luff-
1, as I under-
ner than asked.
ped, was slow-
ative. “I reckon
d. “I used to

yme.”
jay the Cherrys

n time to an-
‘. said finally.
an that told me

Then he said
Luffman just a
you know there
yd between him

ierable thought
“We told you

no secret now.”
ung marrcalmly.
i with you about

visiting at his

reed slowly. “It
hk objected to
d take his daugh-

DEATH?
veen Rufine Cherry’s
a .38 caliber bullet.

Pgh ee by 47

Dwelling of Rufine and Grady Cherry.

ter riding into town.. Had his sus-
picions of what went. on.”

“Sure,” Summers said positively.
“You can’t blame him there. Just
being careful, the way any father

~ would be.” He started to get up ‘and

then apparently changed. his mind.
“I wish you’d write Sheriff Trinkle a
little note, offering to do all you can
to help clear up the case. You see,
your leaving town so soon after the
killing looked a mite funny to some
people, and if you- wrote. Sheriff

Trinkle that would settle it once and

for all.”
Hicks hesitated.
what to say.”
‘Tll dictate it for you,” Summers
offered. “I got a pencil and some
paper right here.”

ROM MEMORY, Summers dictated
F a note, working in as bést he could

the words that had’ been in the
original scrawled note found at the
murder scene. He dictated slowly,
covertly watching the labored, un-
skilled writing of Hicks: When he
had finished, he thanked him and
“a him he would keep in touch with
im.

Of how close that touch was to be,
however,. Summers gave no inkling.
The note written by Hicks was: im.
mediately sent off to the office of De-
tective Griffin in Memphis, where
handwriting experts could compare
it to the original. -

Then came the first clear, definite
break in the case. ‘
The handwriting was the same!

And so, just three months shy of two
years after it had first shocked. the
little community of Dover, the Cherry
case was officially reopened.

It was on May ‘th that Sheriff

| Trinkle, again accompanied by Judge

Link and Attorne

General Howell,
made the trip to

vansville to bring

“T wouldn’t. know :‘

Bt @ t

oe

WHO WAS RIGHT, THE CORONER'S JURY OR THE. TOWN GOSSIPS?

When their bodies were found here, even
though the coroner’s jury called it suicide, the.,townspeople called it murder. .

back Alvin Hicks. They ‘were pre-
pared to apply for the necessary ex-
tradition papers, but they were un-
needed. -Hicks was either too good an
actor or too slow-witted to appre-
ciate what was in-store for: him.

He returned ‘willingly with them to
Dover, and not quite so willingly was
lodged in the ‘Steward County jail.

There Summers began a long series
of interviews, patiently and smoothly
working towards a confession. “You
wrote the murder note, Alvin,” he
told him quietly. “Expérts from the
city. will ‘get up in court and prove
that, and the court will believe them.

‘But I know you didn’t do it alone. Tell
the truth, Alvin. You'll feel better in
the end.” i ;

Finally the young man broke down.

The story he told at last, in its broad
outlines, was much like the foggy pic-
ture that had first taken, shape in
Summers’ mind when he came on the
case, : :
Yes, he had written the note—at
John Luffman’s dictation. Luftman,
his mind warped by his own dark
passions, had been bitter against
Grady Cherry because the latter was
in the habit of picking up Luffman’s
daughter and driving her. into Dover
with Jim. Luffman had warned
Grady about it—finally threatened to
kill him if the practice did not stop.

But Grady, secure in his innocence,
had told Luffman ‘he would drive
whomever he pleased, so long as he
or she paid the fare. : .

At the time Hicks was courting
Luffman’s daughter, and Luffman had
asked him to join him in the killing.
Perhaps Hicks thought that if he did
so, then Luffman would encourage his
daughter to smile more favorably on,
Hicks, who admitted he wasn’t very
successful with the girls.

At any rate he had fallen in with

the plan, and on that fatal Sunday ©

‘had accompanied Luffman to the
Herndon home. Grady -and his wife
were asleep, Grady on the couch and
Rufine on. the: floor where it was
cooler.

It was Luffman who had shot Grady

as he slept, using a revolver of his
own which he afterwards left by the
side of Rufine. And Rufine had been
killed. by Hicks with a 32 caliber gun
that Luffman had given him and that
later he threw away. -
Then Luffman had ordered him to
wait for him in the car which they
had parked a quarter of a mile down
the road.

And Luffman had remained with
the twp bodies for some half an hour.

Remembering the way Luffman had
spoken of bare legs. and a skimpy
house. dress, Summers felt a little sick
and angry at the same time.

He lost no time in revisiting the
State Penitentiary.. This time he
wasted no finesse on Luffman. Bluntly
he faced him with Hick’s confession
and the other unpleasant facts he had
learned.

At first Luffman protested his inno-
cence. Then he, too, broke down in
the face of Summers’ implacable.
cross-examination.

‘On August 6th, 1945, the two went
on trial, charged. with first degree
murder. Both entered pleas of not
guilty, but in the end it required less

-than an hour for a jury of their

neighbors to find them guilty as
charged. :
Sentenced to the electric chair, both
appealed, but the following year in
June, 1946, the Supreme Court denied
that appeal. Similarly, the Governor
declined to commute their -sentences

. to life.

Two years and two weeks after
their crime, the two men went to the
electric chair.

And with them died the ugly winds

-of scandal that had for so long swept

over the village of Dover.
The Cherry and Herndon families
were finally avenged. :
THE END

a

23


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Sheriff Herndon: Here is your gun also your niece. I
owed you and Trinkle a debt and I am paying them. I
will visit him later. Take good care of the gun. I may
want to borry it again some time. Thanks for the use
of it.”

It was signed: “The Gang.”

A further examination of the .32 revealed that it held
four live cartridges and two empty shells.

A call was put through to a Dover undertaker. He
removed the bodies to his funeral establishment. He
estimated that the Cherrys had been dead since noon.

In the meantime, the Herndons had returned home.
Mrs. Herndon retired to her room on the verge of hys-
teria. Herndon and Trinkle puzzled over the illiterate
note.

On the face of it, it made little sense. There were no
gangs in Stewart County, nor had there been during
the tenure of Sheriff Trinkle. This was a law-abiding
community. There were occasional arrests for drunken-
ness and simple assault. A grand larceny charge was rare
and murder almost never happened.

So unaccustomed was the sheriff’s office to the routine
of a homicide case, that the bodies of the Cherrys were
not examined by Dr. C. R. Crow, a Dover physician, until
the undertaker had actually embalmed them.

No post-mortem was conducted, although Dr. Crow
removed the bullets from the corpses’ heads. These slugs
were put in an envelope and filed away in the sheriff's
desk. It was assumed that each had been fired from
Herndon’s pistol. In any event, there was no ballistics
expert in the county.

John Luffman was called to the county courthouse for
questioning. He repeated his story to the sheriff and At-
torney General Howell.

“I get a share of Herndon’s corn crop,” he said. “I was
taking it away on my own time. I’d borrowed his team.
I passed the house three or four times. That’s how I hap-
ea to see Rufine through the window, lying on the

oor.

Howell asked, “Were you alone?”

‘No. My friend, Alvin Hicks, was helping me. But he
wasn’t with me when I saw Rufine on the floor.”

Luffman was shown the curious note which had been
found by the gun. After he had read it carefully, he was
asked if he recognized the handwriting. He did not.

Sheriff Trinkle then requested Luffman to copy some
of the phrases from the epistle. He then compared them

Suspect (below) wrote letter
that offered help to police,
and it did help them—to the
extent of proving him guilty
of first-degree murder charge
at courthouse in Dover (l.)

with the original. There was no resemblance at all.

Three days later, Trinkle had neither clue nor sus-
picion. He could unearth no motive for the double killing,
no indication as to the identity of the murderer.

A Stewart County Coroner’s jury met, considered the
evidence, and came up with an astonishing verdict. They
announced that the deaths of Grady and Rufine Cherry
were due to “murder and suicide.”

It was useless for Trinkle to protest that there were
no powder burns on either corpse, that the jury’s verdict
failed to take into account the illiterate letter.

There was an unconnected aftermath to the case. An
irate woman who lived in Dover saw a picture of Soin
Luffman in the newspaper. She stormed into the Sheriff’s
office and charged Luffman with having an affair with
her eens eae a ge : wl

She had seen them together on two oconc;
not known his name. Her daughter hdl orcad ie ee
his identity. Now that the mother knew Whe Re wan


Young married couple, Grady and Rufine Cherry, were sleeping
in house (above) when shots were fired at them without a warning

EACH TRIGGER PULL WAS

peanaaipesmnasitiatlinmbdhetadieie ante tuten anne, cue
~
2

te

SUDDEN DEATH, BUT HAD ONE
KILLER—OR GUN—FIRED

BOTH DOUBLE-MURDER SHOTS? :

45


she demanded his arrest, angrily signing a complaint.

John Luffman was brought in by Herndon and charged
with statutory rape. The case was prepared by Attorney
Howell and Luffman was brought to trial in the late fall.
Je was found guilty and sentenced to five years in the

tate penitentiary at Nashville.

The peace which was customary descended once again
over Stewart County and the violent deaths were almost
forgotten. But not quite.

Certain of Grady Cherry’s relatives were not satisfied
with the verdict of the coroner’s jury. Quietly, they in-
stituted private detective work of their own. However.
they got no further than had Sheriff Trinkle. After
twenty months, they banded together and decided to ask
for private, outside aid.

They spoke of this to the sheriff, who was quite agree-
able. He, too, had never agreed with the jury’s decision.
He promised to cooperate fully with anyone the Cherry
clan saw fit to bring into Stewart County. And in May
of 1945, private investigator Will Griffin was offered a
retainer.

Griffin, who had been an inspector on the Memphis
police force, had resigned some time before and set up
his own private detective agency, which was called the
William T. Griffin Secret Service. The business had
proved lucrative and successful. At this time, Griffin was
perhaps the most celebrated detective in the South.

nmate of one prison (above) was linked to double-slayings
py story told in jail at Dover (r.) by suspected murderer

When he agreed to take the Cherry case, Sheriff
Trinkle sent him a complete report. Griffin studied it
carefully, then assigned his best operative, Park Sum-
mers, to Stewart County. On May 12th of 1945, Summers
arrived at the courthouse in Dover. He conferred with
Trinkle, Howell and Judge Link in the judge’s chambers.
He went over the case with them step by step. He studied
the photographs taken of the bodies in the Herndon
house. He scrutinized the mysterious letter left at the
scene of the crime. He examined the bullets which Doctor
Crow had removed from the bodies.

As Summers looked at the slugs he frowned. He said,
“These bullets were not fired from the same gun.”

“But,” said Link,” the .32 was found in the house and
there were two empty shells in it.”

“Maybe. But I think only one of these bullets is a .32.
The other is a .38. I'll send them down to Memphis to-
night for an expert’s opinion.”

Summers sent the slugs to Will Griffin. On the follow-
ing day he went to the prison at Nashville to interview
John Luffman.

Luffman repeated his story of seeing Rufine Cherry
lying on the floor on two or three occasions. Summers
took some notes, then he asked, ‘““You saw the note which
the killer left?”

Luffman nodded. “Sure. The sheriff showed it to me.”

“And you didn’t recognize the (Continued on page 64)


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64

MYSTERY OF THE TWO BULLETS

(Continued from page 47)

handwriting?” Summers asked casually.

“No. I’m sure I never saw it before. I’ve
got a pretty good memory.”

“Yes? Do you remember what was in the
note?”

Luffman wrinkled his brow and recited,
“‘Here is your gun and your niece.’ Also,
‘I owed you and Trinkle a debt and I am
now paying it. Take care of the gun. I
might want to borrow it again.’ And it
began, ‘Deputy Sheriff Herndon.’”

Summers eyed him sharply. “How do
you spell borrow?”

Luffman spelled it correctly. Summers

left the cell, rather more puzzled than

when he had entered it.

At the next meeting in Judge Link’s
office, Summers reported that he had heard
from Griffin.

“I was right,” he said, “one of those bul-
lets was fired from a .32, apparently Hern-
don’s gun. The other was fired from a .38.
And there’s one more important item. You
told me that John Luffman read that note
only once. Is that right?”

“That’s right,” Trinkle said. “Why?”

“Because,” Summers said slowly, “he
remembers it almost verbatim. And he
read it only once almost two years ago.
That seems most strange to me.”

“But he couldn’t have written it,” said
Trinkle. “It’s nothing like his handwriting.”

“I know that. But it occurs to me that he
may have dictated it. If they are his own
words he might well remember them. If
he’s at all connected with the killings it
would be a memorable day in his life.”

“If he dictated it,” Howell said, “it argues
that two men were mixed up in the kill-
ings.”

“Why not?” Summers asked. “There evi-
dently were two guns. Now, who were
Luffman’s most intimate friends? I’d like
to talk to some of them.”

Trinkle considered. “He never had any
intimate friends that I knew of. Except
maybe Alvin Hicks. Come to think of it,
Pree was with him on the day the Cherrys

ied.”

“Then that’s the man I want to talk to,”
said Summers. “Where is he?”

“He moved to Evansville, Indiana,” the
sheriff said. “He left town about eighteen
months ago.”

“Do you know his address?”

Trinkle shook his head: “No. But he
thought himself quite a ladies’ man. He
had a lot of girl friends around here.
Chances are he’s written to some of them.
We might pick up his address that way.”

“Okay,” Summers said. “Let’s get going
on that angle.” ;

The next day a list of girls to whom
Alvin Hicks had been attentive was com-
piled by checking with his friends and
acquaintances. Trinkle, Herndon and Sum-
mers split the list up and began the task
of interviewing each girl.

It was Summers who spoke to a waitress
who lived in a small town just beyond
Dover. She had known Alvin Hicks well.
Since he had moved to Indiana, they had
corresponded sporadically. The girl had
last received a card from him at Christmas.
It bore a return address.

Summers copied Hicks’ address and
questioned the girl closely about Hicks.
Among other questions, Summers asked
if Hicks had ever given her any reason
to believe that he held a grudge against
Grady Cherry.

The waitress shook her head. “Alvin
had no reason to hold any grudge against
Grady. If anything, it was the other way
around.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, Alvin was sort of crazy about
Rufine. But I guess Grady didn’t know
about it. Not that it meant anything.
Rufine wouldn’t have any part of Alvin.
She turned him down cold.”

Summers returned thoughtfully to
Dover. The fact that Alvin Hicks’ advances
had been rejected by Rufine Cherry
seemed a thin motivation for a double
murder but it was the only one he had,
the only one the investigation had turned
up this far.

Two days later, Summers obtained the
original letter which had been found by
Rufine Cherry’s body and took a train for
Evansville.

Alvin Hicks, it developed, was a per-
sonable young man of 26. He was good-
looking, well built and possessed of an
illiterate charm. He was a talented, though
untrained, singer and an expert on the
guitar. He had played from time to time
over an Indiana radio station with a hill-
billy group. Intellectually, he was not too
bright.

Summers questioned him about the
Cherry murders without indicating any
suspicion. Hicks said he would like to see
the matter cleared up; that he would like
to help the sheriff in any possible way.

“Look,” Summers said, “you were on
the Herndon farm that day. I'll bet you

March issue of

MASTER

ETECTIVE

on sale at all
newsstands January 27th

could help the sheriff a great deal. Why
don’t you write him a letter offering to do
so? I’m sure he’d swear you in as a deputy,
lend you a gun and a badge to put on your
coat.”

The prospect seemed to please Hicks.
“But,” he said, “I’m no hand at letter
writing. I wouldn’t known what to say.”

“T'll dictate it for you,’ Summers said.
“You just write it down.”

Summers began to dictate, making sure
that he used several words similar to
those used in the original murder note.
When Hicks had completed his writing
the letter read, “Sheriff Clyde Trinkle:
I am here with making application to join
as deputy sheriff on your force. While I
am working on this thing, trying to catch
the gang that killed herndon niece and
son in law I have to pay a visit to my
father and will work until I return home
later. I will thank you to borrow your
gun and will return it again after the use
of it. Thanks again until this debt is better
paid. I am sincerely yours. Alvin Hicks.”

As he took Summers’ dictation, Hicks
asked only one question, but it was a
highly significant one. “How,” he asked,
“do you spell borrow?”

Summers took the letter but he did not
mail it to Sheriff Trinkle. Instead, he

took it along with the murder note tg
Memphis where both were thoroughly ex-9
amined by a handwriting expert employed *
by Will Griffin. The expert announced #
that both letters had been written by the 3
same man. ae

The’ sheriff’s office of Vanderburg Coun-
ty, where Evansville is situated, was re-
quested to arrest Alvin Hicks while Sum-
mers, accompanied by Sheriff Trinkle, At-
torney Howell and Judge Link, set out .
for Indiana armed with the necessary ex-
tradition papers.

Hicks, however, waived the extradition
proceedings. He also stoutly denied that
he knew anything about the murders in
the Herndon home.

He was silent and sullen as he was
escorted back to the county jail at Dover.
After a night spent in his cell, he was
brought to the sheriff’s office where Surfh-
mers prepared to interrogate him.

The detective came immediately to the
point. “Alvin,” he said, “did you kill Rufine
Cherry?”

There was no answer. Summers repeated
the question and again he was met with
silence.

“No, sir,” Hicks said emphatically. “Why
should I kill Grady? I never had nothing
against him.”

“I’m inclined to believe that. I’m willing
to grant you didn’t kill Grady. He was
shot with a slug from Herndon’s gun. But
Rufine was killed with a .38. And you fired
that shot, didn’t you, Alvin?”

There was a long silence. Hicks’ drew a
deep breath and made a gesture of futile
resignation. “All right,” he said at last.
“T killed Rufine, but I didn’t kill Grady.”

“Who did?”

“John Luffman. The whole thing was his
idea.”

Summers offered the prisoner a cigarette
which Hicks lighted with trembling fingers.

“Suppose,” Summers said quietly, “you
tell me all about it. Begin at the very be-
ginning.”

The very beginning, it appeared, had oc-
curred a full month before the killings.
Luffman had told Hicks that he held a
grievance against Grady Cherry. Grady
would give Luffman’s daughter a lift in his
mail car to Dover whenever she asked him.

“It ain’t right,” Luffman said. “Some-
times they ride around the town together.
Sometimes he lets her out of his car and
she rides around with other boys. I asked
Grady not to take her to town, but he paid
me no mind.”

It was then that John Luffman suggested
that Grady Cherry be killed. He said that
he could easily steal Deputy Herndon’s
gun, since when not in use it always hung
above the deputy’s bed. He asked Hicks’
aid in the plot.

Hicks, it seemed, wasn’t at all mad at
Grady Cherry. The fact of the mailman’s
driving Luffman’s daughter into town
bothered him not at all. But Hicks was
sore at Rufine.

Hicks wasn’t accustomed to feminine
rebuffs and that was all he had ever had
from Rufine. Any plot calculated to harm
her was all right with him. He promised
Grady the requested help.

On the last day of July, Luffman told
Hicks that the Cherrys would be alone
in the house on Sunday. The Herndons
were planning a picnic.

“I stopped my car in front of Luffman’s
house on Sunday morning,” said Hicks in
his official confession. “I blew the horn
and he came out. I asked him if he was
ready. He got in the car and I drove to a
quarter of a mile from the house. Then I
parked and we cut through the woods.
Luffman had the gun he'd stolen from
Herndon and another one, a .38 which he
handed to me.

“When we got to the house Grady and
Rufine were asleep. We pulled off our


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" OXXSKERIIS PSH. Dec. 18, 1877-Jack Hunt, the wife-mur-_
—derer, was executed today at Madisonville. An immense
_crowd was present from _the_surrounding-countiess"

—THE RALEIGH OBSERVER; Raleigh, Ne C., 12-19-1077.


Could it have been for the six dollars

missing from her purse that Mrs. Head-

den and two others were slain in the
little Tennessee cottage?

‘

Jack Headden stumbled over his wife's
body as he came home from his TVA
dam job late at night. He found none
but his child left alive in the house.

“This is your house, isn’t it?” he
asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Who are these people?”

“The one in the doorway was my
wife, Lecia,’ replied Headden dully.

“That’s Mrs. Arlene Glowan on the
bed.” ;

“And the boy?”

“It was her son, Stephen. Why my
baby wasn’t killed I don’t know,”
added the man. “God must have
been with him!”

The sheriff started. “Then you
had a baby here and he escaped?”
he asked sharply.

“Yes, sir. I have a little fourteen-
months-old boy, Ernest. When I got
here, I...”

“Suppose you start at the begin-
ning,” Biggs interrupted. “Tell me
everything that happened as far as
you know.”

“Well, it was about 11:30 when I
got home... .”
“Where had you’ been _ before

then?” again interrupted the officer.

“I was at work. You see, I work
the late shift at the new TVA dam
being put up across Ocee River—
go on at two.o’clock in the afternoon
and get off at eleven at night. As I
said, I came home about 11:30 with
Zebbie Roberts and Willie Rymer,
who work with me. When I got out
of their car, I saw that the house was
dark. I went up on the porch—
and .. .” Headden stopped, shud-
dering visibly. Then, obviously with
considerable effort, he went on, his
voice droning in a monotone.

“My foot touched her. I knew
something was wrong. I struck a
match—it was terrible to look at! I
took hold of myself and rushed into
the house. I found a lamp and lit
it. I thought they were all dead,
everybody in the place. Then I
heard my baby whimpering. At
first I couldn’t find him. I saw a
bundle at the end of one of the

12

beds. I felt it. There was my little
boy, all wrapped up in the sheets
and cover.. I guess that’s why that
beast overlooked him.” |

“When you: left the house for work,
was any one here besides your wife,
Mrs. Glowan, and the children?”

“No, they were the only ones.”

“Who is this Mrs. Glowan? What
was she doing here?”

“She went to school with my wife.
She was staying with us, awaiting
action on her divorce.” :

The sheriff tensed, his brow fur-
rowing. “How long has Mrs. Glo-
wan been here?” he asked thought-
fully.

“Only ten days.”

“Where does her husband . live?”

“Somewhere in Polk County. I
don’t even know him.”

“Has he been here since Mrs. Glo-
wan -came to stay with your wife?”

“If he has, it must have been while
I was at work.”

Biggs scratched a notation on the
back of an envelope.

The Constable Lends a Hand

“Have you any idea who might
have done this?” he asked.

Headden shook his head earnestly.
“No, sir. I can’t imagine a human
being in the state of Tennessee cap-
able of such a hellish thing.”

“What did you do when you found
these people?” pressed the officer.

“I grabbed up my boy and ran
to Reverend Ledford’s house. I was
afraid the killer might still be
around. I told the minister what had
happened. He got hold of Dave Ry-
mer and Dave’ got my brother, Bill,
the state constable. I think it was
Bill who notified your office. -He’s
around here now, helping your men
question the neighbors.”

Biggs was acquainted with Bill
Headden more by reputation than
from association with him. The con-
stable was known as a fearless officer,

quick and ready to defend the peace
and capable of keeping order even
among the most turbulent of the
hill country’s roisterers.

The awe his stern—and sometimes
fieryt-temper commanded usually
was enough to cow a rough mob of
miners or quarrelsome, drinking
dam laborers without his having to
resort to force. To gentle the worst
of them, it generally was sufficient
for the state officer to stride into a
tavern and rasp out an order for
quiet, :

But in:instances where his threats
of. punishment went unheeded, the
tough constable was not slow to use
his fists, or his gun, to enforce his
rule. He was feared throughout the
district.

“Tell Bill I'd like to talk with
him,” the sheriff said. __

A slender, serious-mannered man
detached himself from a knot of
spectators in. the yard, leaped with
lynx-like agility to the porch and
swung inside the house of carnage.

- replied.

Biggs nodded to him as he appeared. ethane
“A terrible thing,” the constable ',°;

growled. “I’m doing all I can to
help, Sheriff. If I find the devil who
did this, Pll tear him apart.”

His clenched fists emphasized .the
intensity with which he made his
threat. The sheriff studied him for
a minute. Headden’s ordinarily calm,
wide-set eyes glittered feverishly
and he breathed hard and shifted
nervously from foot to foot.

“I. appreciate your help,”. Biggs
“Have you learned any-
thing?”

“Not much. When Dave told me
about this I beat it over here with
Julius Goforth, who rooms at my
place. I’ve talked with several of the
nearest neighbors, but no one seems
to have seen or heard anything sus-

Picious, except. Noah Bates. He lives

closer to Jack’s house than anyone
else. He thinks he saw a car leave
here some time ago, but he’s not
sure.”

“Anybody hear any shots?”

ALL-FACT DETECTIVE.


(ne Rr pe eee!

so didloe Rename mang aurea emsatcagan

“| HAD just thrown open
the windows fo let in the
Hawaiian sunshine.  Sud-
denly the floor under my
teet shuddered. A ferrific
blast rent the air, followed
instantly by others.

“Upstairs one of the chil-
dren screamed.

"I looked out ... toward
Wheeler field. A formation
of heavy planes was slanting
in steeply... ."

In these gripping words, the
wife of an Army sergeant begins
her eye-witness tale of the treach-
erous attack at Pearl Harbor. She
was there, she saw what happened,
she nearly lost her life during the
shocking Japanese raid. Now she
tells her story, in the April issue
of rue magazine, under the title,
“| Saw The Rape Of Pearl Harbor!"
Don't miss it.

Also, in this thrill-packed issue,
"Solomon Was A Sap" by Arthur
Donovan, world-famous fight ref-
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7rue

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ALL NEWSSTANDS

Goiorth smiled weakly. “I knew my lite
wouldn't be worth a button unless he was
behind bars. I figured you’d get other
evidence on him first.”

In figuring out a ruse for getting Head-
den in jail, Biggs sought the cooperation
of the Colby cousins, now freed of sus-
picion. They readily agreed. Biggs, ac-
companied by a couple of his deputies,
went at once to Bill Headden’s home.
“Bill,” said the sheriff, “I need your
help.”

“T’ll do whatever I can,” Headden re-
plied calmly.

“T’ve got the Colby boys in Benton in
connection with the murder. Maybe you
can help me get them to talk. Will you go
with me to Benton?”

Denies Guilt

ILL HEADDEN reached for his coat
and hat. “Sure, I’ll go. I'll do anything
I can to help.”

When the party was in Benton’ and
Headden was safely inside the jail, Biggs
said, “Bill, I’m charging you with the
murder of Lecia Headden, Arlene Glowan
and little Steve Glowan. Why don’t you
make a clean breast of it?”

Headden’s lean jaw dropped open in
surprise. But he recovered quickly and
refused to admit guilty knowledge of the
crime,

The gun which he wore in his holster,
a .38 caliber weapon, was sent to Wash-
ington along with the murder bullets for
ballistic comparison.

Headden was stripped. The sheriff ex-
amined his clothing and found that his
woolen undershirt was bloodstained.

A few days later, a report came back
from Washington that Bill Headden’s

gun was the one which had tired a .3& sy
caliber bullet into Mrs. Glowan’s body.

A concentrated effort was made to lo-
cate the weapon which had fired the .32
caliber bullets, but in spite of intensive
work the gun never was found,

On Nov. 22, Biggs gave an account of ~~
his investigation to the Polk county grand “|
jury, stating that Headden’s motive was
jealousy. Goforth testified. Bill Headden |
reiterated his innocence. The grand jury ©
immediately voted three indictments :
against Bill Headden charging him with
murder in the first degree and he was held
for trial. Julius Goforth was released after
he had promised to appear as the state’s
witness in the forthcoming trial.

On Dec. 3, Headden was brought to
trial before Judge Pat Quinn on the
charge of murdering Mrs. Glowan. At- a

‘ torney-General Beecher Witt headed the

prosecution. Julius Goforth was the
state’s star witness.

Donald J. Parsons, special agent for
the FBI, identified Bill Headden’s gun
as the one which fired the shot that killed
Mrs. Glowan. He likewise identified a
bullet found beneath Mrs. Glowan’s body
as one fired from Headden’s .38.

The defense countered with Mrs.
Headden’s alibi refuting Goforth’s state-
ment. However, the alibi wasn’t strong
enough to over balance the state’s evi-
dence. And the jury soon brought in a
verdict of guilty and assessed death in the
electric chair as the punishment.

Following the trial, feeling still ran high
in Polk county. Bill Headden was im-
mediately removet to Nashville, there to
await execution.

(To protect the identities of innocent persons
the names Jim and Merle Colby as _ used in this
story are not real but fictitious.—Ed.)

Horror on Honeymoon Eve
[Continued from page 29]

¢

would be late. I decided not to wait any |

longer and went home.”

The sheriff nodded. “Where’d you go
after you got home?”

“T started downtown and met a girl I
knew. I walked part way home with her,
then went to Anderson’s restaurant I
hadn’t had anything to eat so I had

supper there. I met a couple of fellows in -

the restaurant and we all went to
Sorenson’s saloon for a few drinks. After
that I went home.”

“T believe you're telling the truth,” the
sheriff said, “but don’t be surprised if
we check up on you. We’ve got to make
sure your skirts are clean.”

Rasor gave them the names of the
young men he had met in the restaurant
and accounted for every moment of his
time after he left the depot at Rittman.
The officers checked his statements and
found them to be correct in every detail.

They also checked up on him in
Wooster, the seat of Wayne county, in
which Rittman is located. The license
had been obtained in Wooster because
the marriage was to be held at the Lee
residence, which was in that county. The
spot where the body had been found,
however, was over the line in Medina
county, about two and a half miles out of
Wadsworth.

Hutchins and the marshal next visited
the house where Orie had boarded.

The landlady said she had not seen
Orie on Thursday evening. She had been
in town doing some shopping and had

not arrived home until 5:30. “She must
have come home shortly after five, as she
usually did,” the woman went on. “She
wasn’t here at supper time. But that
wasn’t unusual. She often went to her
friend’s house. I thought nothing of it
until this morning when I heard about
the murder. The thought then struck me
that she might have set out for Custard
Hook on foot. She often walked out to
her grandfather’s place, instead of taking
the train, and when she did she started
early. If she had taken the train she
wouldn’t have left here until just before
seven. She’d have been here for dinner in
that case, unless, as I said, she went to
her friend’s house.”

“We want you to tell us everything
you know about Orie,” the sheriff said.
“Start from the beginning and don’t =
leave out a thing. Something that may
not seem important to you might turn
out to be the very thing we want to
know.”

The landlady said that Orie was one
of the nicest girls she had ever known.
She had boarded there for several
months,

“But I had noticed one thing lately,”
the woman went on. “Orie hadn’t been
herself for several days. On Wednesda
night she seemed disturbed about some-
thing. At supper she was preoccupieds
My husband and I’ both joked with h
about getting married and leaving us an@¥
she seemed to take it all in fun. But she
didn’t act like the old Orie we had know

I


SHERIFF BROUGHTON BIGGS almost stum-
bled over the body as he sprang upon the. porch.

A thin pencil of light, stabbing from the partly
open door, spotlighted the nude breasts of the
woman. Rivulets of blood still trickled slowly
over the pale skin, the crimson drops falling on
the wood flooring in a funereal rhythm.

Flashlights in the hands of Deputies Frank

Clayton, Bill Rose, and Herman Wright were
focused on the figure.

“She was a beauty, all right!” muttered Rose.
“But some skunk didn’t care about that.”

“Looks like somebody pulled her waist off
to see the effect of the bullets,” murmured Clay-
ton. “Look at the holes—in almost a straight
line.”

Sheriff Biggs knelt, felt for her pulse, and in
the dim glow of the flashlight grimly studied the
position of the pretty, black-haired woman. He
observed that her feet had been caught in the
door, that she lay outstretched on her back, arms
outflung, her raven tresses cascading over the
floor, and with her sinuous body attired only in
the shreds of a waist and in a skirt.

“She probably answered a knock at the door
and was blasted down without warning,” theo-
rized Deputy Wright.

“Maybe—but nine times out of ten, in the face
of such a volley, a body will fall backwards,”
replied Biggs. “Let’s go in.”

Moving cautiously, lest they obliterate an im-
portant clue before a more careful examination
could be made, the deputies followed their chief
into the interior of the white cottage nestled
among the hills of Tennessee.

Within a few minutes the sheriff, inured as he

was to scenes of violence and tragedy, became
almost speechless with rage and horror.

There was no doubt that some diabolical killer
had sought to murder every occupant of the neat
little dwelling. That he had succeeded seemed
gruesomely evident to the stunned officials. The
peaceful bungalow had become a house of car-
nage.

On a bed in a room directly off the entrance
hall was sprawled the body of another once
lovely woman. A black hole gaped in the center
of her forehead like a malevolent, mocking eye.

At the foot of the bed, in the jumbled sheets,
was the still figure of a baby boy, apparently not
quite two years old. Biggs felt wild anger surge
up within him as he looked upon the black hole
in the child’s temple and then noted that the
little head had been partially crushed.

“All right, boys, let’s get to work. Search every
inch of the place!” commanded the sheriff harsh-

ly. “Watch yourselves, and don’t destroy any

fingerprints before Doyle gets here. By the
way, who found the bodies?”

“The man who lives here, Jack Headden. He’s
outside with Reverend Ledford. It was the
minister who notified Dave,” Deputy Clayton
related. “Dave is out there now talking with
Jack.”

One Escaped the Fiend

“Tell Dave to bring Headden in here,” ordered
his superior.

A few minutes later a gaunt young man
walked in. Shock and grief had ravaged his
thin face. Biggs studied him keenly for a few
moments.

The murderer of the two women and the baby
was as clever as he was heartless. He planned
that others should be punished for his crime, while
he remained above suspicion. But even the
shrewdest ‘criminal will make one mistake . . .

| TOO MANY SUITORS
FOR THE

ESTRANGED

Detective)

Noy ($B /9 GL


THE DEVIL WHO DID THIS, I'LL TEAR HIM APART,” THE CONSTABLE
SWORE. BUT WHY DIDN'T THE TOUGH COP ENFORCE HIS THREAT?

“No.”

“That’s queer,” the sheriff mused.
“How could a man close enough to
see a car drive away have failed to
hear the blast of gunfire that killed
three people?”

“Maybe there wasn’t any car,”
Headden suggested. “Bates said he
wasn’t sure.” .

“Well, if the killer sneaked here
afoot, perhaps the hounds could pick
up his trail. You’ve got a fast. car,
Bill. How about dashing over to
Brushy Mountain: prison for the
bloodhounds?” é

The constable pursed his lips. He
did not reply immediately.

‘Td like to help all I can,” he said
at last. “But it’s this way, Sheriff.
Jack’s so upset he doesn’t know what
he’s doing. The relatives haven’t
been notified yet. After all, I’m part
of the family. I’ll have to tell them
right away.”

Biggs dispatched Clayton to fetch
the dogs and then answered Deputy
Wright’s call from the bedroom,
where lay the body of Mrs. Glowan.
His assistant, twirled a small, round

Left

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MAY, 1942

” :
x Nits onan win’

ye ON

object in the rays of his flashlight.

“It’s a .38 caliber bullet. I dug it
out of the mattress,” Wright told his
chief. “Its shape is perfect, too.”

“Keep on looking,” the. sheriff or-
dered. He dropped the lead pellet
into a pocket. A few minutes later
the deputy returned with a battered
slug he had picked up beneath a
dresser.

“But I can’t understand how it got
there,” he said. “Evidently the killer
stood directly over Mrs. Glowan and
the baby and fired straight down at
them.
the bed, but it’ wasn’t.

Deputy Rose came in with two
empty cartridge’ cases. They had
been fired in a .38 caliber gun.

“Got them beside the: porch,” he
reported, “It’s hopeless fo look for
footprints out there. The neighbors
have tracked all over the place.”

As Biggs jingled the. brass shells
thoughtfully in one hand Wright
approached with a new report.

“I found Mrs. Headden’s purse. It
was empty, except for a small com-
pact. And her husband is sure she

pork S
ON me GTS» LRN
ott. OY \ e
caer yn

’

dollars in it.

It should have been under °

had about six dollars in it when he
left for work.”

“How about Mrs. Glowan’s pocket-

book?”
“I found it, too, .in the second
drawer of a dresser. It had eighteen

Probably the guy
couldn’t find it.”

Was Robbery The Motive?

Was this the first clue to the triple
murder? Had a remorseless bandit
slain two pretty women and an inno-

_cent baby~for the few dollars he

could expect to find in a laborer’s
bungalow? What could have fright-
ened away the murderer before he
completed a search of the small
house for more money? Biggs could
not. cénvince himself that robbery
had been the motive for the three
deaths. He felt: he would have to

’ match his wits with those of a heart-

less, bloodthirsty fiend, whose mur-

‘-derous rage had been fired by

something more than a lust for
money.
Surmise- and doubt alternately

pricked the sheriff as he stepped to

/

the rear porch and surveyed the
area. To the left, in the star-flecked
night, towered the misty peaks of
the western fringe of the Great
Smokies. On the right, far below,
glowed the powerful beacons of the
night crew at the TVA construction
project across the Ocee River. Still
farther off twinkled the lights of
Archville, Tennessee, surrounded by
scattered fishing and hunting lodges,
the retreats (Continued on page 39)

Pretty Mrs. Glowan.came with her

baby to stay with the Headdens, pend-

ing her divorce. Suitors swarmed about
her. . There was one too many...


> bulk of his

2s handled by
2 three cate-
Who Am -I?”
Aunt Lizzie”
Lovelorn” de-
ormed by the
cases and are
Daniel Eisen-

sefore the war
ly. discovered
‘oster parents.
1ey had to ob-
either for in-
d forces or to
na war plant.
s have sought
ablishing their
p Tracers boss
ed, personally,
t to do will be
long run, par-
es to meddling
times he feels
rise them. But
iis well-meant
says no more.
riction that his
ined to the as-
3 for his client.
1ent, too, origi-

ervicemen
ing them-
umbarkation in

2 Skip Tracers
ly remembered
‘an, Queens or
ce was extend-
uniform gratis

ss of USO or-|

epartment has
ra long time,
what the name
sed by men and
ish to check on
scertain if their
ble, their health
me or another,
ybust branch of
erg delved con-
ogical and med-

ifficult for this
1 the word im-
ast with him.
asked by well-
seate odd pieces
a-brac that they
their homes as
dowagers who
ations and wish
y of young men
low them, and
e in anonymity,
are individuals
ough to want to

them all.

read

CRIME YEAR BOOK

fie

KILLERS

. SHOULD

WALK ALONE!

(Continued from page 33)
orders, were carefully scanning the
local court records for a clue to some
convicted man who might have
made a threat against either Trinkle
or Herndon at some time.

They found only one, but investi-—
‘gation revealed that he was still be-

hind bars. Others were carefully
checked without anything of im-
portance coming to light.

Two days after the tragedy, the
Nashville ballistics men came up
with a significant discovery. .

They found a discrepancy in the
weight of the slugs taken from the
heads of the victims. :

‘The bullet removed from Mrs.
Cherry weighed but ninety-nine
grains, while that taken from her
husband’s brain balanced the scales
at one hundred and twenty grains,
or twenty-one more.

Did this mean that two guns had
been used? Or had the slug in Ruth-
ine’s head lost weight through con-

* tact with her forehead bone?

The experts couldn’t tell, but they
informed Judge Link that there was
a good possibility that there had
been two killers, hence a pair of
guns.

Comparison of the note’s hand-
writing with specimens of Cotton’s
and Ruthine’s script disclosed that
neither could have possibly scrawl-
ed the message on the back of the
torn Mother’s Day card.

Despite this discovery, a coroner’s
jury, at an inquest conducted by
Magistrate Burgess on August 19th,
rendered an open verdict. After

hearing the evidence, they could not:

decide whether it was murder and
suicide or double murder.

‘Trinkle,. Crowell, Link and Bur-
‘gess, meeting in the Attorney Gen-
eral’s office, were inclined to the
murder theory and decided to pro-
ceed with an investigation along
that line. ~ - :

* * es
URING that fall and. winter,
Trinkle and Burgess, working
together, investigated the case from
every possible angle.

They delved deep into the back-
grounds of Cotton and Ruthine and
found them without a blemish. They
could find no one who might have
been considered their enemy.

By the following spring, Sheriff

Trinkle was working alone, and only .

at such times that his other duties
permitted. By this time, even he was
becoming convinced that Cherry

must have killed himself and his .

wife. Only the doubt of the note re-
mained between his complete aban-

donment of the case and a deter-
mination to go on. :

But Trinkle knew he lacked de-
tective training, and his office was
without technical facilities. He told
this to Attorney General Howell in
October. ’

“Then we ought to hire a trained
detective,” responded the prosecut-
or. “I think I can raise funds for that
purpose.”

The county supervisors contrib-
uted, as did Sheriff Herndon and
other relatives of the Cherrys. On
October 6th, Howell and Trinkle
went to Memphis, 300 miles across
the state, to engage the best talent
their money could buy.

Bearing with them the pistol—a
32-20 revolver with two shots fired
—the note, reports from the autopsy
doctors and ballistics experts state-
ments from Herndon’s party guests,
and a complete record of Trinkle’s
own activities in the case, they en-
tered’ the office of the. William T.
Griffin Secret Service, a private de-
tective agency.

Soon closeted with Griffin and his
superintendent, Park Summers, the
two Stewart County officials ex-
plained their requirements.

“You can have the best man in
the place,” Griffin said, nodding in
the direction of Summers.

The superintendent, a rangy man
with a dour look, was forced to grin,
“T’d like to tackle it,” he said, “even
though fourteen months have gone
by since the thing happened.”

An arrangement was made under
which Summers was to go to Dover
and work with Sheriff Trinkle.

The superintendent asked for a
couple of days in which he could
study the evidence and the reports,

yand thus get a feel,of the case.

On October 9th, he arrived in
Dover and accompanied Trinkle to
the Herndon house in Sharpe to
view the scene of the tragedy.

“I have no doubt it was double
murder,” he told the deputy sheriff,
“even though the coroner’s jury
couldn’t decide. I may ask some per-
sonal questions; but if you can an-
swer them fully, we may be able to
ferret out a'lead.” _

Herndon replied that he would
tell Summers everything he knew.

“It'll be about your wife’s niece
and her husband,” the private de-

tective came back. “ I want to know-

everything about them from the
time they were born.”

Herndon said Cherry had been
brought up in the community, so his
past was an open book. “Perhaps
others can tell you more about him
than I can. But I’ll give you all I
know about Ruthine Wallace.”

The deputy said the young wo-
man’s father had died when she was
only three, so the mother sent the
child to Mrs. Herndon. for upbring-

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a
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+3256 62nd Street, Dept. 1119
45

care of your gun. I may want to borry
it again sometime. Thenke for the use

of it.
. The gang.”
As the sheriff read it to the others,
there rose a general murmur of sur-
prise. ?
_ “Say, that doesn’t look like Cherry
did it after all,” commented Link.
Trinkle pursed his lips. “Still could
have,” he said. “Maybe Cotton wrote
this to mislead us.” .
He looked up and saw John Luff-
-man standing in the doorway. —
“Say, John,” he said, “you've prob-
ably seen Cotton’s ‘and Ruthine’s
_writing. Does this look like either of
them? —

The hired man ‘came across the
room and looked.at the card over
Trinkle’s shoulder. ~
~ ‘“Can’t tell from that scribble,” he
said. “But Fd say, offhand, it doesn’t
look like either of them wrote Saeed

A slight commotion in the hall, sig-
nified the arrival. of Deputy Sheriff
Herndon and his wife. The pair were
shocked. Ruthine Cherry, who was
twenty-three, was Mrs. Herndon’s
niece. The deputy’s wife had raised
her from infancy.

“That’s my gun on the floor,” Hern-

- don said immediately. “It was stolen.
from me about three weeks ago. I
never knew where it went to.”

This startling statement seemed to

convince Trinkle that he was dealing -

32

CD nag? 35

with a murder and suicide. “It’s plain

as day,” he told Herndon, “Ruthine

made herself comfortable on the floor
and Cotton shot her. -Then he lay
dgwn on the couch and killed him-

”

self.”
The deputy frowned. “I. don’t think

’

go. What about the note? I’m sure
neither Cotton nor Ruthine wrote

that.” ;
. The Mother’s Day card was a stick-

ler, ‘Trinkle was forced to admit. ©

However, he figured Cotton Cherry
could have disguised his handwriting

--gufficiently to fool those who knew

his penmanship. wos
“The sheriff questioned Luffman,
who told what seemed to be a straight
story. f
“When I seen Ruthine on the floor
this morning,” he said, “I thought she
was asleep. She often laid down on
‘the floor on hot nights.”

Herndon confirmed this, When
Luffman outlined his activities for the
day, his employer nodded -his head.

“Those were the ‘things I left for
John to do,” he said.

Trinkle wanted to know how Cotton
and Ruthine were behaving’ that

- morning, before the Herndons left for
the visit.

“Normal,” said the deputy. “Both of.
them said they were going back to
bed after we left. They were tired
after the party I had last night.”

‘The sheriff's eyebrows lifted: “A
party, eh! Who wag here?”

Herndon said it was the custom of

the community for its various citizens.

to give Saturday night affairs to
which almost everyone was. invited.
However, his party had been limited
to about ten friends. "

vor Jae

Grady. “Cotton” Cherry lay there,
looking as though he were
dreaming sweet dreams. But he.
was not sleeping; he was dead!

r= |
1

Sarah saw a letter from the
wanted man lying on the living-
room table. Quickly, she mem-
orized the return address on the
envelope, without being noticed.

Naming them, he included Luffriien
and Bessie, his daughter; Jud Moss
and family, Alvin Hicks, Ralph Palm-
pa and others. Trinkle knew them
all.

“And the Cherrys apparently en-

CRIME YEAR BOOK : t

been mar
ways got
“There’

been outs
have a g
Trinkle, a
But nei
puty -couk
arrested i:
harbored
“Howev
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look arour
up that. pc
Herndor
and repor
Cherrys }

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CRIME YEAR B

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»


erry lay there,

gh he were

. But he.
ow ‘ous dead!

AT load ;

a letter from the.
lying on the living-
Quickly, she mem-~
turn address on the
thout being noticed.

he included Luffman
daughter; Jud Moss
n Hicks, Ralph Palm-
3. Trinkle knew them

.errys apparently en-
CRIME YEAR BOOK «

wt fre

joyed themselves O.K.?” he inquired,

’“Yes," Herndon replied. “There
certainly wasn’t anything like this on
their mind. The young folks have
been married six years, and they ak .
ways got along well. :

“There’s only one thing I can think
of that might have made them des-
pondent, About a month ago, their
two-day-old baby died. Ruthine
wasn’t herself for a couple of weeks.
Maybe she’s been brooding — I don’t
know.”
~ Trinkle nodded, “That might have
been enough reason for a_ suicide
pact,” he agreed. Then, “If only that
note didn’t’ keep upsetting that idea.”

Judge Link advanced the theory
that the killer or killers might have
been outside people who really did
have a grudge against Herndon and :
Trinkle, as the note said.

But neither the sheriff nor his de-
puty could think of anyone they had
arrested in. the past who might have
harbored an idea of vengeance.

“However, that motive might have
been faked up,” Trinkle said. “We'll _
look around and see if anything turns
up that. points to outside killers.”

Herndon looked around his house
and reported that nothing had been
Stolen. His wife told Trinkle the
Cherrys hadn’t an ‘enemy. in the

“Cotton never tried to get fa-
miliar with me,” Bessie Luff-
man swore. “Anyone who
thinks he did is just over-
working his imagination.”

The ‘guy was trying to make
‘up to Ruthine, and was.pretty
sore when she turned him
down, as the girl learned!

CRIME YEAR BOOK

world. Everybody liked Cotton who,
as the sheriff knew, was mail carrier
on the Model Star Route.

The investigators moved into the
yard as Burgess made preparations to
take the bodies to Dover for an au-
topsy. There they found no sign. that
any strangers had been around, and
inquiries at neighboring houses un-
covered no information that suspici-
ous persons had been in the vicinity
that Sunday. ,

Trinkle collected specimens of Cot-
ton’s and: Ruthine’s writing and took
them back to his office, telling Link
and Howell he would submit them to
anexpert. =. an

_ “Meanwhile,” he added, “T’ll go
through the record of persons either
Herndon or I have arrested in the
past couple of years. It’s just possible

one of them came back and did this.” -
* * *

URGESS took the victims to the
Milligan & Ridgeway funeral home
and summoned two Dover doctors. to

‘perform the post mortem. They

quickly determined that a single bul-
let in the head of each had killed Cot-
ton and Ruthine Cherry,

The slugs were removed and turned

~ over to Trinkle. At the same time, the
doctors said the victims had been -

dead about six hours when they were

eterno

‘Magistrate

found by Trinkle. This placed the
time at ten o’clock Sunday morning
—— an hour after the Herndons had
left.
Judge Link had the bullets sent to

. the ballistics experts of the Nashville

police that same day.
Burgess and Sheriff
Trinkle then undertook to question all
the guests at Herndon’s Saturday
night party. They were asked to recall
‘whether Cotton Cherry or his wife
had said anything during the evening
that might have seemed morbid or
might have any bearing on what ul-
timately happened. -
Nobody was able to recall anything.

In fact, it was the consensus of opin-

’ jon that the couple had behaved nor-

mally and had acted quite gay dur-
ing the festivities. . ote
Each of the guests was asked to
give an explanation. of his where-
abouts on Sunday miorning; the time
of the crime, and each accounted fo:
his activities satisfactorily.
The two officers next asked .ques-
tions around Tharpe village store-
keepers, hoping to learn of a stranger
“or strangers who might have been. in

- ‘the vicinity on Sunday. No one filling

that’ bill had been seen around.
Meanwhile, two deputies, working
at Trinkle’s (Continued on page 45


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4

ing. The girl was sent to local schools
and her life was uneventful. until
Grady “Cotton” Cherry came along.
“They fell in love at once,” Hern-
don said, ‘“‘and they were soon mar~

-yied. Ruthine was only eighteen

then.”

Summers nodded. ‘What. about
other boys in her life? Was there,
for instance, any unsuccessful ri-
val?” :

The deputy sheriff shook his head.
“None I know of. Do you think a
disappointed suitor would have held
a grudge that long?”

The private detective shrugged.
“That’s something we've got to find
out—if there was one.”

Mrs. Herndon was called. She said
Ruthine had gone around. with sev-
eral young men before she met
Cherry. She named three, but the
woman declared all of them had
since married.

“Then that angle’s probably out,”

Summers said. “But has there been
anyone since her marriage—I mean,
some person whose attentions she
might have thwarted?”
_ The Herndons were shocked, but
Summers’ question succeeded in re-
calling to the deputy’s mind an inci-
dent which, he said, had occurred
about a month before the tragedy.

“Ruthine was: out in the barn-
yard, gathering eggs,” he said, “and
she was just leaving the hen house
when two shots rang out. Both of
them plunged into the hen house but
they missed Ruthine. She ran into
the house, scared as could be.

“Tuffman and I went out and
looked around but we couldn’t find
anyone. I figured it was some hunter

house.”

“Indeed!” Summers exploded.
“What did Ruthine say about the
incident?”

“She wouldn’t talk about it.”

Summers rubbed his chin. “Those
bullets still in the hen house wall?”
“I guess so. I never tried to take
them out. Want to see them?”

Summers shook his head. “Not
this minute. Tell me anything you
might know about Cotton Cherry.
What'd he do besides carry the mail?
Did he spend much time away from
home?”

The deputy seemed not to under-
stand. “If you mean, was he chasing
after other women, I know he
wasn’t that kind. His income was
small from the Model post office;
but he used to supplement it by
driving war workers back and forth
in his truck.”

Summers said, “H’mm. Any of
them women?”

“Most of them were women,”
Herndon answered, “but I think
you’re barkin’ up the wrong tree.”

The private detective said noth-
ing, but turned to Trinkle and sug-
gested he dig the bullets from the
hen house wall.

They found the slugs embedded

in soft pine and tar paper and re-

Fa:

who had gotten too close to the.

moved them. They seemed in per-
fect condition. That night, the pri-
vate detective dispatched them to
the ballistics men at Nashville.

On the following, morning, Sum-.
mers drove to Model, ten miles to
the north, and talked with the man
who had been Cherry’s immediate
superior in the post office.

“Did Cotton ever say anything
about those girl. war workers he
rode back and forth on his mail
truck?” the detective asked.

The former boss’ face lit up. “Say,
that’s right—he did. Cotton was
thinking about cutting out those
passengers, even though he was get-
ting good money for riding them.”

“Know why?”

“Sure, One of the girls told him
her father didn’t like the idea. Then
Cotton told me her old_man had
some words with him. The father

seemed to think there was some-"

thing more going on than just a
ride back and forth.” °

Summers made a mental note to
look into this aspect of the dead
mail carrier’s life.

“Know who that girl was?” he

asked.

The boss shook his head. “No, but
I.can give you the names of all three
Cotton rode on his truck.”

He listed the young women as
Bessie Luffman, Sarah Moss and
Helene Young. °
- Returning to Dover, Summers
talked to Trinkle about the girls.

“There’s two of them you can
drop,” the sheriff told the investi-
gator. “Helene Young is married,
and her husband’s overseas. She has
no father. Bessie Luffman isn’t the
kind to run around. John got into
some trouble last year, and he was
sent to prison. He’s up in the Nash-
ville Penitentiary now, doing five to
seven years.”

“JLuffman in prison?”

“That’s right. Maybe I should
have told you sooner. But he didn’t
figure in the Cherry case. His hand-
writing didn’t match, and he had a
good alibi for the time of the crime.”

“You mean, he was working at
the farm chores?”

“Yes, but a couple of neighbors
swore they saw him out in the Hern-
don field all that Sunday morning.”

“Summers pondered this point.
“Then how aboyt Jud Moss?” he
asked.

Trinkle nodded. ‘“‘There’s a man
who could have been suspicious of
Cotton Cherry. He’s mighty strict
with his daughter.” ae
*- *

two investigators found Moss

on his farm and they quickly ex-
plained the reason for their visit.
“J never had words with Cotton
Cherry,” he said, “about Sarah or
anything else. I was glad my daugh-
ter was able to get a ride back and
forth from work. Besides, I knew
Cotton from boyhood, and I always
thought a lot of him. Even if I

didn’t, I would have trusted Sarah.”
CRIME YEAR BOOK

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not convince either Trinkle or Summers.
What they knew that Alvin did not
know. they knew, was about those fish-
hook crosses of every “t.”

“How dare you do this to me!” Alvin
demanded with indignation.

“We'll dare a whole lot more before
we're through with you.” Summers
was merciless.

They put Alvin Hicks in the Stewart
County jail in Dover and grilled him
for twenty-four hours without let-up.
Early in the morning he broke down.

“Let me:alone, let me alone!” he cried
out finally. His eyes were wild, his hair
disordered and his mouth was loose
and quivering. “Let me alone, I tell
you!” :

“We'll let you alone when you answer
our question truthfully,” Summers said
sternly. “Did you murder Ruthine and
Cotton Cherry?”

That was when he broke. He con-
fessed to having shot Ruthine.

“But not Cotton!” Alvin _ almost
shrieked the three words.

“I believe he’s telling the truth at last
—part of it anyway,” Trinkle said

Without further questioning he
poured out the rest of the sordid tale—
the murder part of it. “John Luffman
shot Cotton Cherry.”

“Luffman had it in for Cotton on

account of his daughter riding in his

truck, He shot him while he was
asleep.” Alvin spoke more quietly,
now.

“Can you beat it!” Trinkle stared
from Alvin to Summers. “Luffman was
our first suspect. But we were sure
from the beginning that he didn’t write
the note. And his alibi seemed fool-
proof. So did yours, Alvin.”

“It was faked—like mine.”

“How about the bullets? They came
from two different guns or I miss my
bet.” Summers was puzzled.

“That’s easy,” Alvin said with a cool-
ness that might have been faked like
his alibi, but was more likely, Sum-
mers thought, to be the reaction of a
twisted mind. “Sure there were two
guns. John threw his in the lake. Mine
was on the floor.”

“Why did you kill the girl?”

“She screamed when Cotton was
shot.”

“That’s not reason enough,” Sum-
mers said heatedly. “You forced your
attentions on Cotton’s wife and ‘shot
her. After shooting her you criminally
assaulted her.”

NCE more the boy’s voice rose
hysterically. “I shot her but I
never assaulted her. Luffman did that.”
Alvin Hick’s signed confession of the
crime of shooting Ruthine Cherry to

death, and his further written. and

signed statement that it was his as-

sociate in crime who had assaulted her,
was shown to John Luffman in the
Nashville Penitentiary.

“I shot Cotton,” Luffman admitted
calmly. “Might as well hang for it as
rot in this hole. Alvin and I planned
the murders Saturday night at the
party. We got together quietly and
nobody caught on. But I didn’t assault
Ruthine.’That was Alvin. He’s got a
screw loose.”

Attorney General Howell in his sum-
ming up of the case, included his con-
viction that both Luffman and Hicks
were sex crazy. This would seem to
cover the sad and tragic story, but it
may never be known which of the two
murderers assaulted the dying girl.

In July, 1945, John Luffman and
Alvin Hicks were indicted for first-
degree murder by the Stewart County
Grand Jury.

On August 11th, 1945, almost two
years to the day of the atrocious crime,
Circuit Judge Dancey Fort, presiding
in Stewart County Court sentenced
Alvin Hicks and John Luffman to die
in the electric chair on November 9th
—after a jury found them guilty of the
murder of Ruthine and Grady Cherry.
On August 30th, 1946, they paid the
supreme penalty. *

SECRET OF SEX CRAZED DOCTOR

(Continued from page 31)

inology and criminal psychology. It was
to Dr. Albert Jeserich, the famed head
of the departments of criminology and
psychology, that Weitzel turned for
scientific help. The two were friends of
long standing, and Dr. Jeserich listened
with absorption.

The police chief had brought the main
exhibits with him—the severed fingers,
the cigarette tins, and the wedding ring.
The paper wrappings were still being
studied at the police laboratory.

Weitzel puffed patiently on a Sen-
oussi while his white-haired colleague
examined the articles, aided by various
of his paraphernalia.

The professor was not long at his
task, no longer than it took Weitzel to
consume his cigarette down to its last
inch. “I believe there can be no doubt
about it,” Professor Jeserich declared,
“these fingers were severed from the
hand of a living woman. The dismem-
berments were skilfully performed.”

Not waiting for further findings by
the professor, Weitzel hurried back to
his office, his haste spurred by confirma-
tion of the important fact that the
fingers had been snipped from the hand
of a living person. He galvanized his
staff into a tempest of activity.

Every likely listing in the missing per-
sons file had to be checked out with

48

maximum dispatch. Examination of the
paper wrappings and the typing on them
became the first order of business for
the technicians in the lab. Already they
had failed to turn up any suspect finger-
prints. The postal authorities helped
much by pinpointing the locality where
the parcels had been mailed. They had
been posted in the same naail box in the
Inner City, a district that had once been
exclusive but whose run-down mansions
now offered quarters to professional
people and students of modest means.
The second parcel had been collected in
the mail pickup at 6 o’clock, the eve-
ning before its delivery to the police
chief.

Squads of detectives rushed to the
area in a caravan of automobiles and
vanished into the cobweb of twisty
streets and alleys around the mail box.
They went from crowded house to
crowded house, noting down the names
of the occupants; they asked questions
that might help them identify persons
who had used the mail box.

While the Inner City was seething
with this police activity, Weitzel was in
receipt of a fuller report from Professor
Jeserich. He considered the contents of
sufficient importance to send him hus-
tling to the university so that he could
talk at length with the professor.

“You mention in your report that the

ring shows traces of acid,” the police:

chief said.
“Indigotin disulphic acid,” Jeserich
affirmed, nodding. “In common use by

cosmeticians—yes, and plastic surgeons,
too. Properly applied, it has eradicated
tattoo and other marks of the outer
skin. It can cause severe burns, how-
ever, in the hands of unskilled ama-
teurs.”

“You have looked for tattoos, then?”
Weitzel asked eagerly.

“And have found such a mark,” the
professor said. “In fact, I was about to
telephone my findings to you.”

—D: Jeserich pointed out a dark line
at the base of the severed ring
finger. It was his belief that the mark
was the residue of a.tattoo design which
had been partly obliterated by the acid.
To conceal the mark still further, the
ting had been worn over it. The pro-
fessor conjectured that a coiled snake,
of very small and delicate design, had
been etched into the skin in blue at
the base of the digit.

The two men discussed the various*
implications to be drawn from the bi-
zatre set of circumstances. The tattoo
might have been of long standing, a
symbolic pledge of fidelity in a ro-
mance; a romance that perhaps had so
cooled that the woman in question had
tried to remove the design because of
the now bitter memories it aroused.
Perhaps the woman’s captor had force-
fully branded his prisoner with the
mark, and then tried to erase it; this as
part of his campaign to tantalize the
authorities. Sending them off on a false
spoor would be in keeping with the

HEADQUARTERS DETECTIVE.


Mh BR is BO ow agen

ions nappa nhl

night guests at Horndon’s home. One
and all asserted that Ruthine and Cot-
ton Cherry had been the life of the
party. The various alibis were authentic
and those individuals were eliminated
from the case.

In every direction Trinkle and his
co-workers came. up against a stone
wall. At the post office which had em-
ployed Cotton Cherry, they examined
his handwriting on various documents
to no purpose. It was totally different
from the scribblings on the torn Moth-
er’s Day card. ‘

They considered the possibility tha
someone unknown to any of them had
committed the double murder. But no
stranger had been seen in Tharpe on
Sunday and it was too small a place
for an unknown visitor to have es-
caped unseen. Here was one more stone
wall.

The autopsy disclosed two significant
facts. c

First, the bullets were different. The
one in Cotton’s brain weighed one
hundred and twenty grams; the one in
Ruthine’s head weighed ninety-nine
grams. It seemed as if she had been
killed by a-bullet fired from a .32 pis-
tol; the one belonging to her uncle. It
corresponded to an unspent bullet left
in the gun.

Two murderers might have been in-
volved, using two different guns. Or it
might be that the bullet in Ruthine’s
head had been decreased in weight
when it struck the frontal bone.

Men in the ballistics office could not
decide this tricky question, because
both of the murder bullets had been
twisted out of shape. They could not
even determine positively that the one
found in Ruthine’s head had been fired
from her uncle’s gun.

The second fact determined by the
autopsy was that Ruthine Cherry had
been criminally attacked after being
shot. That assuredly indicated an un-
balanced mind, but whose?

The verdict after the inquest on
August 17th was as follows: either the
young couple had been murdered or
they had made a suicide pact.

But in the latter alternative, how
could the gun have been placed, with
obvious intent, between them? -Also thé
careful arrangement of Ruthine’s body
was a challenge to the theory of cause
and effect. .

But more than all this, it was incon-
ceivable that Cotton could have as-
saulted the dead body of his wife.

The case was closed so far as official
interest or action was _ concerned.
Trinkle however, although completely
baffled, was not content to regard it as
a mystery that could never be solved.

In the autumn of that year—twelve
months after the inquest—Trinkle spoke
his mind to Attorney General Howell.

“All right,” Howell agreed. “I be-
lieve as you do that a trained detective
might uncover facts which have eluded
the rest of us. We’ve done our best but
it wasn’t good enough. As to the funds
needed—we'll find them somehow.”

46

The first person to contribute toward
the amount required to employ a pri-
vate detective, was Deputy Sheriff
Horndon. Other relatives of the mur-
dered girl added to the fund until the
total was sufficient.

William T. Griffin owned a private
detective agency in Memphis. Park
Summers was the Superintendent of
the Griffin Secret Service Agency and
Griffin put him on the job.

It was mid-October and many
months as well as much effort had
been thrown into the discard—regard-
ing the murders of the Cherrys.

As a starter, Summers went over
Trinkle’s files relating to the unsolved
mystery. Two days later he accom-
panied Trinkle to Tharpe. He examined
the room where the bodies of the mur-
dered couple. had been found. He inter-
viewed—as Trinkle and others had pre-
viously done—every man and woman
who had been at the Horndons’ Satur-
day night party—the Saturday before
the crimes.

It was routine work and yielded no
results. But in the murder note, Sum-
mers had seen at once something that
the other investigators had missed.
Every “t” in the note was crossed in a
peculiar way. Summers called it a “fish
hook.”

“When we find a man who crosses
the letter like that, we'll have our
killer.”

“Then you agree with me that Cherry
wasn’t a murderer and a suicide?”

“Tl bet dollars to doughnuts. he
wasn't!” ;

After ten days of futile activity, he
asked Trinkle what had become of
Horndon’s hired man, John Luffman.

“He was sent to prison in Nashville
a few months after the murders of
Cherry and his wife. Morals charge.
Sentenced to five or more years.”

“Was he ever arrested before?”
Summers wanted to know.

“Never. So he hadn’t the vengeance
motive. Besides, his alibi for that Sun-
day morning was okay. And it’s a cinch
he didn’t write that note with the
fish hook marks.”

“Guess he didn’t at that,” Summers
agreed, and added: “More I think of
it, more I believe that note—the word-
ing of it—was a trick to put off the po-
lice, It’s my conviction the murderer
lives or lived in this village. Someone
who was sore at Cherry or his wife—
or both.”

By January, Summers had examined
every human being in Tharpe old
enough to talk. He found out nothing.
Then he visited Dover, and went on
to the town of Model which had been
Cotton Cherry’s mail route starting
point.

In the Post Office at Model, Sum-
mers unearthed one piece of informa-
tion that the others had missed. Cotton
Cherry had often given a lift to ac-
quaintances going to or from Model.
One of his fellow mail carriers gave
Summers a significant lead. It was a
bit of local gossip. There had been
criticism of Cotton because he had car-

ried various girls in his mail truck.

To Summers this information was a
ray of light shed upon the abysmal
darkness of an’unsolved murder mys-
tery.

“Tell me the whole thing—what you
know about it.” Summers spoke calmly
to the mail carrier, controlling his ex-
citement. ; r

“Well—it was like this.” The mail
carrier hesitated, then: continued, in a
burst of confidence. “Cotton himself
was the one told me about it. Some
man in Dover—didn’t tell me the name
—accused him of running after his
daughter. Cotton laughed at the idea.
You’d laugh too if you knew him as
well as I did. All he ever did was to
give the girl a few lifts in his mail truck
—same as he did for girls in Tharpe
and for the same reason—just to be
obliging.”

“I believe you,” said Summers casu-
ally, but inwardly seething with eager-
ness to start on this new trali.

He went straight to Trinkle and
they soon discovered that three girls
from Tharpe had been seen in Cotton’s
truck at different times. One of them
was married to a man in the service.
She worked in Model and was known
to be devoted to her husband. Her fa-
ther was dead, so she was eliminated.

The other two girls were the daughter
of John Luffman, and Lea Colt. This
was nearer home in every sense than
Dover. :

“No use bothering about Luffman,”
Trinkle said. “Her father’s in the peni-
tentiary. Morals. That was a few
months after the murders. And Luff-
man never gave a cuss how his daugh-
ter behaved.”

“What about the other girl?”

“Well—” Trinkle frowned in per-
plexity. “I hate to say it but I’m not
so sure on that score. Her father was
at Horndon’s party that Saturday
night.”

“Maybe an argument started and
ended in the killing next morning,”
said Summers.

“Could be, but I doubt it. Horndon
said nothing about any quarrel. He’d
have known if there’d been one and
he’d have told us.”

OLT denied having had an argu-

ment with Cotton Cherry at any
time on any subject. As to Lea—he
laughed at the idea. She was a good
girl and Cotton had been a good man.
That covered the situation.

But for all his optimism and energy,
Summers had only surmises to work on
after months of effort. It was by now
near spring and he had accomplished
nothing. ‘Words—just words. The mur-
derer of the Cherrys might have been
an admirer of Ruthine or an irate fa-
ther of some girl. Either an admirer or
a father might have carried vengeance
to the point of death.

Summers found nothing in the rec-
ord of Ruthine’s life before her mar-
riage to Cotton, to suggest the existence
of a thwarted suitor. If he existed at
all he must have come into the picture

HEADQUARTERS DETECTIVE

\i-olaneramemanenmanmammmammnetineiieatin

after her marriage.

Summers checked the list of moral

delinquents in the community. It con-
sisted of John Luffman, and a boy of
21 by the name of Alvin Hicks—one
of the guests at the never-to-be-forgotten
party. Since then Hicks had spent a
year in the penitentiary at Nashville
for attempted assault upon a school
irl.
: However, Summers had not heard
previously of Alvin Hicks. His name
was not on the list furnished the de-
tective by Trinkle and Horndon. Ap-
parently young Hicks had never been
regarded as a suspect. When Summers
questioned Trinkle about the boy,
Trinkle said: “I never liked Alvin but
that’s nothing against him. For two
weeks after the murders, he kept pes-
tering me to let him help find the
killer. His conceit—well, call it self-
assurance—irritated me. He _ insisted
that some vindictive father was the
criminal.”

“Maybe he knew more than he let
“Could be. Guess I should have
taken him more seriously.”

“Guess so too,” Summers said
thoughtfully. “Where is he now?”

“I think he’s working somewhere in
Indiana. His father would know.”

“We'd better find out where he is.
Have to turn over every stone, you
know. Never can tell what you’re going
to find under one of them. But we
mustn’t tackle the father direct.”

“You're right. He’d be sure to write
his son and Alvin—if he’s got anything
to hide—would light out and we might
never find him.”

“Any ideas how to get at Alvin’s
father without arousing his suspicions?”

“There’s Lea,” Trinkle said eagerly.
“Alvin used to beau her around. May-
be she’s sore because he left her high
and dry. She must know where he. is.”

“Think she'd tell us?”

“It’s worth trying, Summers.”

Lea was not “sore” at Alvin Hicks.
She was indifferent. But she agreed to
tell them anything she could about
Hicks. She didn’t know Alvin’s ad-
dress but was sure she could get it
from his father. All she knew was the
town—Evansville.

It was arranged for Lea to approach
the older Hicks, with the excuse of
wishing to write to Alvin. But she was |
more successful in her mission than
Summers and Trinkle had expected.
Also she was more clever.

On a table in the room where she
waited to see Alvin’s father, Lea saw
a letter or rather its envelope with
Alvin’s return address in one corner.
Quickly she memorized the street and
number and when the boy’s father ap-
peared she made up some excuse for
calling on him.

In Evansville, Indiana, Summers and
Trinkle located Alvin Hicks without
difficulty. Alvin was a tall boy and

on

heavily built. His hair was very dark

and his expression was sullen. The com-
bination made him look older than he
was.

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ne__Sta'

The two men pretended to take him
into their confidence. They reminded
him of his original offer to help Sheriff
Trinkle.

“How about coming back to Tharpe
and acting as the sheriff’s special
deputy?” Summers suggested in an off-
hand manner. “I’m sure you could help
break this case.”

“I don’t mind,” Alvin said unsus-
pectingly. “When should I go back with
you?” He looked directly at Trinkle.

“We'll send for you,” Trinkle said
quickly. “We wanted to be sure you’d
do it. And first we’ll need your applica-
tion in writing. You can give us that
right now.”

Still unsuspecting, Alvin Hicks wrote
what Trinkle dictated and signed on the
dotted line. The application—which
Summers and Trinkle had rehearsed in
advance—incorporated most of the
words in the death note.

“Sorry to bother you,” Trinkle said,
folding ‘the paper without examining

it, and putting it in his pocket. “Had to
do it this way or the supervisors might
get after us for employing anyone who
lives so far away.”

On the train going back to Tharpe,
they studied Alvin’s handwriting.. They
were not so much surprised as’ excited.

“Well—Ill. be—” Trinkle was too
overcome for many words.

“What did I tell you!” In his excite-
ment Summers slapped the document
in Trinkle’s hands. “Those fish-hook
crosses of every ‘t’—that’s all we want!”

“Just to make it hard and fast, hadn't
we better get a handwriting expert on
the job?” Trinkle was cautious.

The expert corroborated Summers’
deductions, and within three days after
their arrival in Tharpe, Trinkle and
Summers returned to Evansville.

When they arrested Alvin Hicks he
was not only angrily defiant but he
denied having had any connection with
the two-year-old crime. His reactions
seemed to be convincing but they did

47

Field Notes.
JBE (Revised 5/18/48)

Name”

Order Nov7~1397-A"". ” Alvin Hioks

¢ TR

ae A Ne Les

a: Weis ‘ ti a
Me ent em aeons 8 1 ae > ae Apo wre : ieee
~n were-se on ne See

1942

| Registered _ 19° |. Returned: questionnaire August 29
| é |

: women oes _ Tee eaten See

| Serics LII - Education

Blementary_ a 8 years; ‘High | “years; College years; ‘Now

~

cow 8

~~

ae

“student at

ants owns . Series IV-- Occupational Activities .. = web ensimiss

| -Date ‘Questionnaire accomplished, registrant was .employed as

Farm Worker “

| oo seers ee. Carning $..°. per week, and had been on thi

Now employed.....

‘

VY «- Agriculture

Seriss.

earning ¢

eal,

s work for} “yrs.

per week. _

Owner, tenant,..or hired man OD Form. 8 or 14 filed £8194"

5a os ; . . . sot
OD Form 10;. Work Sheet, shows. man cays required end

Inaximum

—

-Records. show

number. of workers.: man days availapier

Letter in file from Occupational Section (Initials

eee ae ens tet

-- 194 stating that

inoluding registrant

=) under date of

VII - Family Status

Series

Zot, Record does not show registrant is. married but, board a)

@)

y -Pvarl Harbor children

1 has pre

Lerk ‘thinks. jhe is.
under. 18, years

hee 6 cower metnees lesnws pontine . : a. ;
V, cmowimcetitapbucs om ps sey ae . ed Mee Ses kk
of age. Claims. extreme hardship - father ( ), nother ¢ yy wit “e mand ‘chiléren.”
- = . . sis. ull “nqageppaiec ate Ve gd ae mp,
; Series IX ~ age eo gees Wb cee Fyn! |
a bas 7 er . A ae
ms wide : . ws “ ~ oo wie rare wnae we Nhe ow weg! oten semen eg <* < ; as ome o omse
nr Jurig 10 19°22. Age: 24 years, “2 months. - '
NP. Ge wade . , ain 0 as on Clie i. oe Side ae sah chain ixgacea et
DSS Form No. ee1 Was BOE. ABnEG at the Induction . Station oH: 194...
showing: registrant qualifies ~di squalifiod for. Gee Ss Bh Me Sa See eae
4 pa of ere Sates est
NE SAL) a BP OG Hak At ALT Se 45 ae wr 5 $ ae °
bse), * ¢ es fui 1 sag i ie


DSS Form 424 shows Acceptance Stamp. Filed

by

Affidavits by 7 dated. wo 194" Claiming’
ea 7 — epee anacnie Ue eae be iie Stn eae
te « Board: Action ies ee Peg oh Cups Seas
gts aeaeeas 7 . et a rating Vk ty Fehon cept aici oe:
- Date a Biss us —_ 8 ee ee ae es ae etd ieee
10/21/42|| ‘Classified I-A : fat yee Oe BED
12/18/42 “Registrant: examined at Fort Oglethorpe - rejected because of epilepsy
12/29/42 Registrant classified IV-F oer oe Ca ae os
| : . ;
mt ee cieneacp aes — -
| - : .
1 | os 3
. Remarks by INVESTIGATOR 2st hd le ee
Registrant was convioted murder in Stewart County and: sentenced to death. |.
Case 7 i ee top Se SEAT SS ale fa :

now under appeal.


9

OWELL, George, black, 17, hanged Greeneville, TN 9-5-1878

hi Some Wi

a Tree or rh)
x COSY oe r Afed years ag Tleft Atlanta

é . ] and came, shor to Smyrna, Ga., where DT have been fi ull¥ appri F facts by |
ae I {ware i" path “i the cmp fb Tell, those’ soe a hi in
ll eh ' & pitce of, buttom plat o A
ere, : Ril ie sor lm na Hater Saye and came that {ana ing Md end Ml rat at
fy ¢ to Onrtep ier wie there byt akhort time, jude of my crime; elthe mi hie ate
er iii and left, i wl oF an roving. i welzed ardap oF respite ‘trom, the C AVETAA r.of by
| me, eo J wad ia i Watistied with this place, Bate,  Lhave qo motive a hie cor, PHF
| Conieqnen eniiy! ‘ i ed the train fap (loye- only:desire that. the whole brith be known.
land, ‘ a Waly: pained. there 4 day ar 1 tech shat | have done.) fda grrauc while. ry
twa;'then Lwengita® Knoxvilly, from thence that :justice cannat” satiafied ae
bu Hristafe it il “A rahi ngta see more’ of phe: breathe the ‘pure & ik Q arene re 1 iy
Va Na niking ir 4 to 7 Ube anlar: as J am, 3 il jong eae te ‘the:
rainia, fF came back to W diet. wt (nega:
Brie Hy ne Hey ‘i e the day ts i a a priton fe sa pon (Jod Ab wienese
prea ent uf pawn
\ ays F ¥ i i obo

; face,; ja
i ih coma dete and Soe OF} fe ha i

the train te Pnllen'y pot, ten miles eyst.of : fart 3 ay Te ating:
ee Re Cora Hen 1 Fant if eninene Virginia Christmes ithe ism were i i pea diee
ef!) withi & Civor ral rae and hired to work for room, erkiap a wore of ithe ¥ aie jf ae
ive in view exer} Mr. "gaara i rh whom remained were In bed, ten Se agin eemmeon
tenis wy ace ths sine “py nant f fr. Mieareeh and j ah al ngebends AMG Martin was aney.
sath How i R Phat not ART IN J Jeft him and Went to from home t eynighh i pine i aM vate
‘ae yiltoer hi, nan, whi fives, or id | | mother's, oF rather #07 be, Iba isind |
oF live, hetire W rey iat ‘and Bhogty wn. and penal r. and thet fotner. PLD
4 “ins a it her, and ‘ny ine Jet vi fr. Duran bi butia Asn with’ helt ma tH ig shat. Zoe Hi had
: fe! cas oes two 'weeks—when res ea hi I ‘Ye
akin Mastin, Mont for me fo come to his he and, each to kil}. you me) woes ‘She. ‘al
pork lor pia bay to Martin's on the | waa you (me) Twould kill Beige bye
Thi hday.p and hired to work at eight that Soe had pllowed yew Lae) 8 ot ling :
dollars: th ponth , Mn the morning nt the ! the railroad cut with Vaid not Hn oa be
1th. of June, 18 ‘Tcommenced wor for you ( (me), sa that ff r Palas
Martin. Hi uh 4th of June; would that . certainly, db ner rn andi {ou t
- thad never lawned upon the earth, for jut ki a hea she, would ake me. Lepart ate
en areninl ra y fue Year to dgy, fo: vit, on hg Sat ty of of Chri ape Mi Toh woe up ae ait
he wild, tram B).

3s

Q remain)

: f "i
PPh ee neat rena ui iis sath ot h foment

4:) vith sentence was prove ae but het hav me an it tr
* cy one oW a i my. replys
t i I had been at Martin’ 8 for some time, per- understood family; by is “ Meri ie
sPaurangy Georgi hapy a month, befure | discovered any min. was to be ule, end a ‘i ot ve da isa i
801. My father’s name: understanding tween Martin cand his fam- the family were to swear rf aan ber,
well Y My ‘pth a—Mary,! ily, and thia’ pecur. pred between him and his ‘On the evenin of bbe oie town t
ealayes. "There was but two: J danghter: Tenuledt She upbraided him. for Mr. Martin was hauling wood i a Arve -gloar
aiily, both, aang!) Pam the staying away from home »0 lage; he kicked Bob and J. were eli taal ‘after. «load
OUNCE EM other name ta Perry Jowell. her over and struck her with a chair, ing. Mr. Martin bend ab ing us for not,
‘Jast. Ing th he’ wa Wrhe next diffeulty occurred between Mar- eotimenced sure mi ) had ‘the are
hi he tiv and his wife, ahe accusing him of visiting having eer \ ready Th uietly.
a house of il|-fame! near by; he went to hi» in' my, hand and J! tried we ot
trunk, took out eh istol, and swere he would within: striking’ a” dinaper, Bo d. an “J
shoot hep. ed making motions for me to atrike, tne {i
iF These ene and domestic quarrels | had got within three feet of th aT ine
work Be continu along th brough the summer, | pam atarted ang Thad tocatch them, have
einer i eye i semana an ‘one;which at the tie I thought tended then fo kif him, and would Woot
pe ( ‘waa! ee en born would od i LN It occurred some time done so if the team, ‘ce not rar hed
i ; teh inthe fall, and fate at night. [ was asleep in to the ponre'et ebay ‘abnd own,) ris
steer ty i sare wee Thong the barn; ‘little Bob woke me up; I went to not yet returned. from, Bb Hneator, ie Ge
nen her Pe ant heard! the house ‘andi fond Martin n a terrible wand Tennie, ing. oe ie ms fold re
isin the Lit ‘me! rage; he said to me that his wife had refused while Mag. bbe} wipi ng ber b
wel ‘large # } si to occupy his bed, that she had taken a sep- that } eame within an ine eie of atcki atin
{urniture. a eth ) urate ruow, and that he would kill her, or axe in her, {at 4 ean ie fe §
MG | (enanas tH NE any woman, bear ng the name of wife, that supper J met nth i
| ‘ ne treat him, n thie manner, Bob and J Fa ie ba Fnfie} vibe fe hie than a
Ba up the entire night “Phere is the: Sa ek
Whe th A Ae hey! boardes 1 now approach! he fatal perjod in thir charges of. powder, reais if ne
ela HAT) Whose nauie {ea whole transaction. J now have to disclose shot and nine. vate ol I daa dr
eh MeDopor a the criminaljty.of the family in this dark i wieter, Ola, opera oe et he for ot We
At fant or mame pi wi aa and ma transaction, and I enter upon in statement Ww hag ah the | finial
at 5 paren Mase ayocathan b Mi it with a fy baderstanding of the. whole heal eat our ey eon Hv jot ey
“and, Pywalted:ian mores, pot ee aa will ee er ene perhaps ral, gan: eres Alartios Mine hors ek
One hore | ted on w of Mr. Will not, wi not credit my statement. loa elped put away: -and feed © the horses’ w
fa ene ysl sani He | eof the fact ha many ink cha Barve! oe eating Be ppt vai |
haly plosale cand 4 ie ahlishment at the cups ‘Thave fabricated ‘thjs story as an excuse for
Liner of Whitchall'and \labame atreete. 0 piyeelfs yt reader, Whoever “thou art, re-
membes J pee eed no eae to yendtr to the
public; itis with Giod { now have to do.
On the 9th day of jaa my, naked soul |
must appear before the judgment bar of God
to answer, nof only for the murder of Joseph
Martin, but for Hhia statement I am about to
make in regard to'his family,

>) *


oa

Ea

gun. eft the gun leanit agninat the wall
and “went A the woudsbed Yond! ‘commenced

| eutling wood; in «a rhort time Bob brought

‘the house and shoot bis father. b went
in the houses I went, round. vig front and
looked" through the window, and saw Mag
sitting oh one side of the fire-place, Tennie
on the opposite, Mr. Martin out ip front and
Bob vgitting away back next the back dyor.
They: were.all out of range. Titepped up
ona plank at the cadof the portico, toon
ain at Martin's ear and fired.’ ad then ran
outab the front gate, next “the railroad,
poured ‘pume, powder in. the UA, PUL on i
cana hy and went jnto the barnyard.
chef fine I saw Martin, an is bon in
the. ow. 1 fired omy (gun'in the air,
shontin fa them that there w BOMe rob-
bera gob neth prough the feld. Vaid thia for
the pure nuse.of making fartin. ithink he had
nai attacked by “tramps.”

J then went to Martin and kept with him

the gue out to me, and told me tp ge round

‘until: he’ Reached the “Ridge"'p ‘oad, some
"four hundred. yards from hig Robe. and at
this point Mr. Thomas Stokes having heard
the trineaind Martin's cries for help, came
to us. Mr. Stokes took: Martin’ ome with
him, and deceased. not having, at this time,
the sigh type suspicion that [was the one
who sho} him, requested me to go back to
his house pod sec what had become of his

ie ears I did no, little Bobby agcompany-
ing ae le returned to the: hone. IT went
in, arge front room, ” ‘and from
there in @ small’ het -rooia ‘and net

own and came?’ bac ck in the

ea te when Miss Mag gaye me aclean
shirt: and! “told mel Steeyea Jeave the
‘country. that it would be all’over the coun-
try by Next) morning, that: her, father was
killed, and that | would be in, danger.

Il went down to the barn. and tried to
sleep, but gould not, J lay" and tomed upon
my couch’of hay until’ about midnight,
when Pgat up and went out to. the railroad.
and. sat.down upon the end of. y¢russ-tie and
studied my.plans Tor the future ete T could

come 4g. Mw definite ur ain etory con-
clusion,*«{"

Lia ti ey ‘are : # a
the kitchen and fixed the ram-rod of the |

4 p’glock in
fieu

ell’s) the fat

Depot by Mr,
to the hore
the jury of i

a9 Bw) iNess,

guilty ae
Nesser,

veular,
glare reat

with God.

Ney bath. " ’
“ve me.

every privile
given Pr he
shoagog Wish

a written
body,

ining witnersey.: J Wi faker

say ip stort to th
beat ils va per y/rHe | i i

lee write th ci phe,

Ire swained upon the railroad: ‘wptil 9 bouy

the mnorning, when: th

bownd freight tre sin ‘ogme slong, And ie thers
bay at-this paint, @, very wetted rage,’
freight. prainssinyiny BEX HOw,

Fy: ‘in ewinging an. the‘traly
brakemen told me J could: ride! Te
if } would brake for him... | got of tt
stone, and made Jay way “a to.

f Mrs, Martin ny ang “ine !
formed her that hey husband was sho
miked me il he was mortally 3 nan wat
told-her [did not! ‘think he.was;
tell her that J, ht ‘done the: chon}
started for home, and
direction, and. waa arrested: near F'

her ob

| started down

ty

James 3) Dobson, nit

tte ‘a rm a ns. (i

sa fulland Mitt nin

Dukes, and note; aller being tf

the testimony a the ie

er

Je ore rei

ani Dna senor to nk

fae thankful thatiag alte
teand eolored, haygicall
am nk th weny, ehligafia

Mr, J. i one, the datler, who has
Usa ly kind to me, and pas ex ene

ge whieh he eouly Aya
yd rm ae,

W Ne Wh oi and

expminationy of jap pu Hy a pat

thin ry

é

¥ »GronG | fay

‘WN trout ih “the

i :

she in fre ard to Hy

Cast.

ae

A one.
4 Wee:

itch he

Men's

abe

af a we Uli
Hiyvest. were en din exam!
k Mer
and ag, firep « a “Knowing:
ant hie whatever f the bil a i man

ev

ats

Jona: t
i 4 fs

ust

Fi:

ey


HUFF, Jacob (or HOUGH, Joseph)

"eeetuff, a black man, convicted of killing Kilpatrick
at Chattanooga, Tenn., last year, today sentenced by the
Supreme Court of Tennessee to be hung on Friday, Dec, 21s
1867." TIMES, New York 11-3-1867 (1-2.)

TIMFS for 12=29=1867 (1-2) confirms hanging - no debails,


® ( ites J tell / wee Oe eT) 77 Js 7 £7) - vi eC ee oe Je : EA
lyfe Mmindurier Urry eels of ode y at MA, fi Aeper-

bed 7 / =
(Le ; 4 Al eC4(t 7011 6237022. (grt “8 Lae ft CALL. es pa Ant. ee

. 3

© Ps Lee SLi ee Se LP (0 Odeo. se S
(0 t<2ttrt1 / IT gaily fa


Too Many Suitors for the Estranged Wife

(Continued from .page 13)

of wealthy sportsmen from Chatta-
nooga during all seasons. Directly in
back of the cottage curved the Kimsey
highway which led to Archville and
Cleveland.

It was obvious to the sheriff that
the killer could have climbed the
brushy slope in the rear of the cottage
without having been seen from the
highway. And just as easily he could
have slithered away after the shoot-
ing, to lose himself in the surrounding
mountains or to mingle with the hun-
dreds of men working on the power
project. Prodded by a decision, Biggs
hurried back through the house.

“I’m going down to. the dam,” he
called to Rose. “Find out the results
of the autopsy and have a report
ready for me when I get back.” .

Less than an hour later the sheriff
interviewed Melvin Fryers, Jack
Headden’s foreman.

“Yes, he checked in here at two
o’clock and out at five minutes after
eleven. Here’s his card,” the foreman
told the official.

“Could it be possible for a worker
to have someone else punch his time-
card?”

Fryers shook his head. “No, sir,
each man is watched and checked as
he comes in.”

“I see. Well, after punching in,
could a man disappear, say, for forty
or fifty minutes and not be missed?”

“Possibly a person in a minor ca-
pacity. But not Headden. He was on
welding. If he went away for that
length of time without authorization,
half a dozen persons would have
known it.”

After furthes questioning, the
sheriff was convinced that Jack Head-
den had told the truth about his ac-
tions of the day and that he was
innocent of the brutal crime. More-
over, Fryers assured him that no
strange face had been spotted among
the crew.

The officer returned to the murder
scene. Rose informed him the cor-
oner had not completed the autopsies,
but had already made a puzzling dis-
covery. Embedded in the breast of
Mrs. Headden were two .32 caliber
slugs!

“Remember, the other bullet was a
.38!” Rose, exclaimed. “This may mean
we have two killers to find instead
of one.”

“Possibly,” his superior agreed. “Or
that one murderer used two guns.”

“It’s unlikely that a murderer would
carry two guns, especially of different
caliber, isn’t it?” countered Rose.

“Not at all, if he planned deliber-
ately to make it appear that two slay-
ers were involved.”

Arlene Was a Charmer

Working without sleep, the sheriff
and his aides pressed an intensive in-
vestigation of the baffling atrocity, but
by ten o’clock the next morning had
learned only one thing that promised
to be of any value. Although Mrs.
Glowan had been with the Headdens
but ten days, they discovered, she had
quickly attracted a formidable array
of admirers. At least half a dozen
men of the neighborhood had been
captivated by her.

Twenty years old, strikingly pretty,
with full red lips that were eager to
smile, the prospective divorcee had
charmed Several eligible youths and,
as gossip had it, a few married men
as well.

MAY, 1942

.he declared.

“Somebody might have been crazy
jealous,” Biggs ventured. ‘“She was
separated from her husband. I won-
der why.”

Deputies who sought to satisfy their
superior’s curiosity on this point re-
ported that they were unable to find
the husband of the dead woman.
However, from his uncle they learned
that Mark Glowan had suggested the
divorce. He had wanted his freedom,
the uncle declared, and his young wife
had agreed to ending their marriage.
It had been an amicable arrangement.

“I still believe that young man
might be able to help us. Find him,”
the sheriff ordered.

Glowan was traced to an automo-
bile factory in Detroit, where he had
gone to work shortly after the separa-
tion. Biggs flew to the auto metropolis.
News of the tragedy shocked the
young husband. He had been working
in Detroit on November 18, 1941, the
day of the triple murder, and had had
no word of it from relatives. He
volunteered to accompany the officer
to Chattanooga to help in any’ way
he could, but he was unable to pro-
vide any lead to a possible suspect.

“She was such a sweet person that
I can’t imagine who would harm her,”
“Whoever killed the
women and my little boy must have
been a fiend.”

Before he flew to Detroit, the
sheriff urged his assistants to inves-
tigate the men known to have been
frequent visitors at the home of Jack
Headden, where they paid ardent
court to the lissom beauty, Arlene.
Upon his return he summoned the
deputies for reports on these swains.
Rose had checked up on three of
them; they had sound alibis.

Clayton, however, had a. different
story for his chief. Bill Headden had
come to him, he reported, with the
information that two of Mrs. Glowan’s
admirers had been ordered away from
the Jack Headden home the afternoon
of the murders. They were Roger
and Alfred Barnes, cousins. And the
person who had forbidden.them wel-
come to the cottage was Mrs. Jack
Headden.

“The constable said that Roger
Barnes claimed Mrs. Headden was set
against him. Barnes boasted that he

was just as good as the other men.

who visited Mrs. Glowan, and that he

would get even with her, acco:

to Bill,” Clayton related. “I tried to
learn what it was all about. Both of
the boys admit having visited Mrs.
Glowan on the day of the murder, but
they deny that Mrs. Headden ordered
them to leave. They don’t know where
the constable got that information.
Of course, that might just be a bald
lie, but they’re sticking to it.”

“Here’s something I found out,” put ~

in Deputy Wright. “Two men, Tommy
Dalton and Julius Goforth, were seen
at the Jack Headden home around
noon, According to Noah Bates, they
began puttering with a tire. They
used a pump on it, but the tire didn’t
seem to be flat. A little later on, Jack
Headden came out. They put the
pump away and then drove off with
Jack.”

For several minutes the sheriff
studied the revelations of his aides.
Two men pretending to inflate a tire
that was not flat was an odd enough
circumstance on any occasion, and
certainly worth further investigation
when coincidental with murder. On

. gun!

the other hand, Dalton and Goforth
had left the cottage with Jack Head-
den in their machine several hours
before the murders had .been com-
mitted.

The threats the Barnes cousins re-
portedly had made against Mrs. Head-
den, he believed, would bear further
probing. Strange. he reflected, that
they would so freely admit having
visited the bungalow if they really
had menaced the woman. Biggs drove
to the home of Roger Barnes.

The Sheriff Finds a. Gun

The tall, muscular Georgian, who
had come to Polk County only re-
cently to work as a materials inspec-
tor for the TVA, steadfastly con-
tended that he had uttered no threat
against Mrs. Headden.

“I’ve never been in any trouble in
my life,” he insisted. “Good God, \I
couldn’t have killed those women and
that little baby!”

“Do you own a gun?”

Barnes hesitated a few seconds,
staring at the sheriff. Then he shook
his head slowly. “No, sir,” he said.

“You don’t mind if I look around?”
Biggs inquired.

“Not a bit.”

The officer moved through the liv-
ing room and dining room, his prac-
ticed gaze sweeping the articles in
each. There was nothing suspicious,
nothing out of place in either room.
As he started to leave: his glance fell
upon a stack of magazines tilted
perilously on a window sill. From
habit his hand reached out to straight-
en them. The books slithered to the
floor. On the sill lay a revolver!

The sheriff snatched up the weapon
and examined it. It was a .38 caliber
Obviously it had been hastily
concealed beneath the magazine pile.

‘T’ll have to arrest you, Barnes,”
the officer declared.

“You’re making a big mistake,
Sheriff!” the man gasped. He- had
paled as the magazines slid to the
floor. “I know I lied about the gun.
I couldn’t make myself tell you about

-it. I knew you already suspected me

because of that threat business, and
if I confessed that I had a gun you’d
swear I’d committed those murders.
But I didn’t! By all that’s holy, I
didn’t!”

With Roger Barnes in custody, the

sheriff searched the home of his
cousin, Alfred. Beneath a heap. of
freshly laundered shirts in a bedroom
dresser he unearthed a .32 caliber
revolver. His deputies congratulated
him on certain solution of the case.

“The murder guns were a .32 and a
.38. The Barnes cousins admit they
were at the Jack Headden house that
day. What else do you want?” Rose
exulted.

“All I can get,” Biggs replied cryp-
tically, “and maybe more. Boys, I
inspected Roger’s gun. It was fully
loaded, with a layer of dust in the
barrel. He says it hasn’t been fired in
months. Well, we’ll see what the FBI
ballistics men in Washington say. But
don’t hope for too much. Those slugs
may not have clear markings’ on
them.”

Questions and accusations failed to
dent the Barnes’ protestations of their
innocence.

“We can’t afford to let this get
cold,” the sheriff decided. “I’ll take
the "plane to Washington. But first
I’ve got one more call to make. Get

me a seat on the next skyliner, Rose.”

Biggs’ car sped through the early
morning to the neighborhood of the
house of carnage. In a few minutes
he was talking with Noah Bates, an
elderly, soft-spoken lumber mill
employe.

“One of the boys tells me you-saw
Tommy Dalton and Julius Goforth
fixing a tire that didn’t need repair-
ing, the day the women and the baby
were shot,” he prompted Bates.

“Yeah, I saw ’em, out in front of
Jack’s place,” the millhand confirmed.
“They just seemed to be hanging
around. A woman came out, Mrs.
Headden, I think, and said something
to them. They puttered around with
the tire. After a while Constable
Headden, Jack’s brother, came along.
He went inside. He hustled back out
and talked to Tommy. Looked like
he was telling him to move along.
Then Jack walked from the house and
got in the. machine, and they drove
off.”

“And that car you saw in front of
the Headden house later, about the
time the murders must have occurred,
did you recognize it?”

"Then Came The Shots"

“That was just after dark. I re-

member, my wife and I heard an air-
plane flying very low. We figured it
might be in trouble. It had been dark
maybe thirty minutes then. We ran
out to look at the plane and I saw its
red and green running lights. It
seemed to be all right, just flying low.
I started to go back in when I saw a
car pull up in front of the Headden
cottage.
“Well, I didn’t pay much attention’
to that, because after Mrs. Glowan
came there were cars stopping all
day and half the night. I went on in
my house. A little while later I
thought I heard a yell or a scream.
Then a second or two later came the
shots, but—”

“I thought you didn’t hear any
shots!” the sheriff exclaimed.

“But I did hear them!” Bates ar-
gued. The sheriff's eyes narrowed.

“That’s strange. Constable Head-
den told me that he questioned you
right after the bodies were found, and
that you denied...”

“Constable Headden never ques-
tioned me,” Bates said firmly. “No
one has. I just happened to mention
to one of your fellows about that tire
business.”

“And why didn’t you mention the
shots as well?” Biggs demanded. “Did
you recognize that car that night?”

“No. I came out after I heard the
shots—if they were shots—and saw
the car moving away. I figured it
was an old Model A Ford backfiring.”

“Was it a Model A?”

“IT don’t know. It looked like just
any kind of car.’

The officer stopped at Jack Head-
den’s home.

“I’m in a hurry to catch an air-
plane,” he told the welder. “But I
want you to answer one question now,
as briefly as you can.”

bad hg 5 | try.”

“Why was Tommy Dalton pretend-
ing to fix a flat tire in front of your
house the day your wife was killed?”

“That was my idea,’ Headden ad-
mitted. “My wife didn’t like Julius
Goforth. He was always making
cracks about Arlene—Mrs. Glowan.
My wife told Julius to get out. Well,

39


I wanted a ride to work, so I told
the boys to stall around out in front
until I was ready. That’s what they
were doing.”

“And Tommy Dalton—how did he

get along with your wife? And with °

Arlene Glowan?”

“Oh, he wasn’t sweet on Arlene,
that I could see. Whenever he came
around it was with the Barnes boys,
or someone else. He hadn’t been over
lately because Bill told him to stay
away. I don’t know why Bill told him
that, because my wife and I got along
with Tommy fine.”

In Washington, J. Edgar Hoover,
chief of the FBI, ‘welcomed Sheriff
Biggs. He had followed the triple
murder ‘in Tennessee, he told his vis-
itor, and would be glad to give what
help he and his department could.
Skilled ballistics experts immediately
went to work on the murder bullets
and the guns taken from Roger and
Alfred Barnes.

Seven hours later Biggs returned to
Benton, the Polk County seat, to find
his deputies eagerly awaiting him.
Throwing off his overcoat, he rapped
out a terse order.

“Bring in the Barnes boys!”

Their eyes shadowed with mingled
anxiety and curiosity, the cousins
walked into the sheriff’s office a few
minutes later.

“Well, boys,” he began. “It’s all up.
The FBI tested your guns and found
that they had fired the bullets that
we recovered at the murder scene.
A jury will take about ten minutes
to convict you. Do you want to tell
us why you killed the women and the
child?”

The faces of both men _ turned
waxen-white at Biggs’ solemn words.

"If | told you, I'd Get Mine—"

“But that’s impossible!” gasped
Roger Barnes. “My gun never fired
those shots! I wasn’t even near the
place when the murder took place!”

“It's a frameup!” shouted Alfred
bitterly, “and I think I know who
planned it!”

“Who?” demanded the sheriff. The
muscles in young Barnes’ face worked
spasmodically.

“If I told you, I’d get mine quicker
than a jury could dish it out,” the
prisoner replied.

“What do you mean by that?”

Alfred’s mouth hardened in a thin
line, and he refused to utter another
word. Finally, Roger spoke.

“Sheriff, if you will let me talk with
you alone I’ll try to tell you some-
thing.”

Biggs nodded to his deputies to
leave. Twenty minutes later he joined
them outside his office.

“Find Noah Bates,” he ordered
Wright. “Ask him if he remembers
whether the car that drove away from
Jack Headden’s house after the mur-
ders had one tail light or two.

“And, Rose,” he nodded to the sec-
ond deputy, “you look up Jim Stall-
ings and find out who bought a box

of .32 cartridges on the afternoon of _

November 17, Monday, the day before
the killings.”

To Clayton he gave another assign-
ment. “Talk with Mrs. Jack Head-
den’s parents. I think they live on
Forrest Street, here in Benton. I want
to know who it was notified them
their daughter was dead.

“And all of you meet me back. here
in the courthouse as quickly as you
can.

The sheriff went directly to the
home of Bill Headden, the constable.
He questioned Mrs. Headden about
Julius Goforth. She said he was a
boarder in the home, and that he had

40

rushed over to the crime scene when
word had been brought to her’ hus-
band. “He was a member of the
coroner’s jury, so I think any sus-
picions you might have about him-are
unfounded,” she added primly.

“Probably so,” Biggs conceded.
“But I’m simply making a routine
investigation. Julius had been at the
home of Mrs. Jack Headden early in
the day, and it’s my duty to check
everything. Tell me, what time did
he come in with your husband Tues-
day night, do you recall?” -

“They came in around five o’clock,
I believe.” :

“And what time did they leave?”

“Well, both of them lay down for a
nap. I didn’t bother them until word
came of the killings.”

“Then you don’t know if Julius Go-
forth went out?”

“’'m not sure, but I think he did.
I was busy in the kitchen washing my
dishes and cleaning up. But when
Dave Rymer came to tell us of the
murders, Julius ‘was sleeping on the
couch with his clothes on.”

“I see. Do you expect your husband
back soon?”

“Why, yes, he ought to be here in
about thirty minutes.”

“Well, I wish you would do me a
favor, Mrs. Headden. Tell him we've
got the Barnes boys in jail charging
them with the crime. Tell him I need
his help, and want him to come to
the courthouse right away. And ask
him to bring Goforth with him.”

The sheriff hurried back to the
courthouse. With considerable grati-
fication he noted that the cars’ of
Clayton, Rose, and Wright were
parked outside. Within a few minutes
he was deep in conference with his
aides. ;

In about half an hour, a trim, shiny
Ford sedan drew up before the court-
house. Two men jumped out. and
walked into the building.

Biggs heard their footsteps echoing
along the marble corridor. He. whis-
pered quickly to Wright.

“Remember, take Goforth in an-
other room and question him until I
get there.” The deputy nodded
quickly.

A second later Constable Bill Head-
den and Julius Goforth walked into
the room.

The Constable Gets a Jolt

“My wife told me you’ve got those
scoundrels under arrest,” said Head-
den. “I knew all the time that they
did that dastardly thing. Good work,
Sheriff!”

“Thank you, Constable,” Biggs re-
plied. “But Roger and Alfred Barnes
did not commit the crime.”

A look of amazement wrinkled
Headden’s face. 4

“No, Constable,” went on the sheriff,
his voice cold, and unexcited. : “I’m,
about to place the real murderer un-
der arrest. I feel sure you won’t be
greatly surprised.”

“Who was it?” asked Headden
nervously.

“It was a man who destroyed a
promising career because of a wom-
an’s luring smile,” Biggs replied, his
words ringing with metallic force. “It
was a man who permitted unreason-
ing jealousy to impel him to the most
brutal crime in the history of this
state. It was a man who thought the
shield of the law would protect him
from official scrutiny, who thought
that he had cunningly trapped two
innocent persons to pay for his own
crime.. But he was wrong—terribly
wrong!”

“What are you driving at?” gasped
the constable hoarsely.

“Headden, I’m charging you with
the murder of those two women and
that innocent child!” snapped the
sheriff, his voice seeming to crash
through the silence of the room.

“You must be crazy!” shouted
Headden, his face crimson with rage.
“Why should I have done that? How
could I have done it? Why, I took
time off from my duties to see that
none of those men annoyed Jack’s
wife and Mrs. Glowan... .”

“That’s a lie!” interrupted the
sheriff. “You hung around Jack’s
home because you were madly in-
fatuated with Mrs. Glowan. We have
learned that you bought her a brace-
let in Chattanooga and told her not
to tell anyone who gave it to her.
You told her to say Billy Parker did,
if anyone got curious. And you didn’t
hang around the house to protect

_ Mrs. Headden and Mrs. Glowan. You

were there because you were intent
on keeping every other man_away
from the woman you craved. I have
the statements of no less than four
men who swear you threatened to kill
them if they ever went near Jack’s
house again. You told all of them to
stay away because Mrs. Headden ob-
jected. But it wasn’t Mrs. Headden—
it was you!”

The constable’s lips curled in 4 con-
temptuous smile. “We both know
enough about the law to stop this

‘ quibbling. All that guff is supposition.

You have no proof,” he challenged.
“Haven't I?” returned Biggs calmly.

“Remember when I asked you to help’

secure bloodhounds, and you told me
you had to notify the relatives? Well,
Constable, I’ve got definite proof you
didn’t notify a single person—not even
the parents of your dead sister-in-
law! And that gag of -taking Mrs.

- Headden’s six dollars to indicate rob-

7

bery fell flat. I think you know that.
~ “You made another misstep when
you tried to place the blame on the
Barnes boys. The FBI tested their
weapons and determined conclusively
that their guns had not fired the shots.
I came back and told them differ-

ently. They seemed to be more afraid.

of someone than of a trial jury before
them. I finally found. out what it was
they feared so much! You had threat-
ened to kill both Roger and Alfred if
they ever saw Mrs. Glowan again.

“Roger “remembered that  partic-
ularly—that you were specific about
Mrs. Glowan. Being a sensible, in-
telligent person, he quickly saw how
the wind was blowing. But both: of
the boys kept their mouths closed
through sheer fear of you and your
blazing guns—until they thought they
were going to the electric chair any-
way.

His Voice Was Recognized

“And that’s not all. Noah Bates,
when we assured him that we would
protect him, told one of my deputies
that he was almost sure he heard your
voice just before the shooting began.
Besides, the car that left Jack’s place
carried twin tail lamps, and appeared
to be shiny and new—just like yours!

“Moreover, the gun you always used
was a .38. You had plenty of car-
tridges for that. You decided to use
another caliber gun, to cast further
suspicion on the Barnes. So you bor-
rowed a .32 from Jack over two weeks
ago. That’s how brazen and callous
you were. Perhaps you had the idea
of throwing the blame for the crime
on your own brother. And then, on
the evening preceding the murder,
you purchased a box of .32 shells here
in Benton. ‘

“On top of that, your wife told me
you and Julius Goforth left the house

right after supper, and when word
was brought to you of the crime, both
of you were sleeping with your
shoes on.”

“My wife never said anything like
that!” cried Headden.

“Perhaps it wasn’t exactly in those
words—but that’s how it was. Now Ill
take your gun, Constable. We need it
badly.”

Sheriff Biggs heard the man’s breath
ooze out in a sibilant hiss, and he
spoke quickly but with firmness.

‘Don’t try it, Headden, we'll mow
you down like a stack of wheat!”

A second later Constable Headden
silently handed over the gun from his
shoulder holster.

In the face of an intensive grilling,
Julius Goforth endeavored to maintain
that he knew nothing of the crime.
However, when all the evidence was
placed bef6re him he suddenly cracked
and admitted that he had accompa-
nied the constable on his diabolic
mission.

“I would have talked before, but I
knew he’d kill me in a second if I
breathed a word about it,” he blub-
bered. “I didn’t know Bill was going
there to kill anyone. He asked me to
drive the car, said he was tired. He
wanted to see Mrs. Glowan for a few
minutes.

“I drove him there. He told me to

‘wait in the car. I did. Then I heard

that terrible shooting. A second or so
later he jumped into the car and told
me to get going. ‘She'll never give
herself ‘to another man and then act
so holy with me,’ he said. “There’s not
a one left to tell the tale!’ There was
a funny, burning light in his eyes. It
just didn’t seem to be Bill Headden
at all.

“When we got back he warned me
that he would blast me to bits if I
ever talked, told me that he only took
me along so that the guilt would fall
upon me, too, if ever I told of his love
for Mrs. Glowan. When I was placed
on the coroner’s jury, he ordered me
to blame the Barnes boys.”

By the following night Deputy Rose
had returned from Washington with
an official FBI report that the con-
stable’s .38 revolver had been one of
the murder weapons. The sheriff was
unable to find the second gun.

On November 24, 1941, a Polk
County grand jury returned three in-
dictments charging the constable with
murder in the first degree. A little
over a week later, on December 3,
Headden was brought to trial.
~ Julius Goforth, who had been
cleared of all blame in the diabolic
crime, became the state’s star witness.
The constable’s defense counsel, com-
posed of four prominent attorneys,
bitterly challenged every statement
Goforth made.

However, Attorney General Bee-
cher Witt, in charge of the prosecution,
supported Goforth’s story with the
testimony of Donald Parsons, FBI
crime technician, who performed the
tests on Headden’s gun, with the tes-
timony of Noah Bates, and with a
bloodstained woolen undershirt which
had been found in the accused man’s
home.

At three p.m. December 6, 1941,
the jury retired. Forty minutes later
they returned a verdict of guilty of
murder in fhe first degree! There
was no recommendation for mercy,
which automatically meant death, in
the electric chair.

Eprror’s Nore: To. spare possible
embarrassment to innocent persons,
the names Roger and Alfred Barnes,
used in this story, are not real but
fictitious.

ALL-FACT DETECTIVE


Sl4we HENRY (Black), hanged * Trenton, Tennessee, -lj-18436

The first person legally hanged in Gibson County, Tennessee was Henry,

a slave, the property of Ann Kelley, who was charged with and convicted

of the murder of William C. Franklin. (The murder committed May 30, 182;

the grand jury indictment July 6, 1842; the conviction March 10, 184.33

and the execution April 4, 1843, "between the hours of twelve and two in
the afternoon." County Sheriff L. P. Seay received $12.50 for carrying out

the execution on the courthouse grounds, Trenton. John W. Crockett,

eldest son of the immortal Col. David Crockett, prosechted the case. He

served a term or two in the U.S. House of Representatives after the death

of his father at the Alamo.

4udhicth bd: Cutlye”

ae she naval ele Pe

a st oe


n per-
1e pri-
1em to
le.

, Sum-.
i1iles to
1e man
nediate

iything
cers he
is mail

o. “Say,
on was
t those
vas get-
them.”

old him
a, Then
ian had
> father
3 some-
. just a

note to
he dead

ras?” he

“No, but
all three

1 as
and

summers
2 girls.
you can
- investi-
married,
. She has
isn’t the
got into
d he was
he Nash-
ng five to

I should. °
he didn’t

orking at

morning.”
his point.
Moss?” he

e’s a man
spicious of
ghty strict

found Moss
quickly ex-
their visit.
vith Cotton
+ Sarah or
my daugh-
le back and
es, I knew
always

n if I
Sarah.”

ME YEAR BOOK

The man’s sincerity was apparent.
When he and Trinkle left, Summers
told the sheriff he felt that Moss
seemed to be telling the truth.

“[’d think so,” Trinkle responded.

“I know Jud Moss. When I was
checking alibis around here, I dis-
covered Moss was in Dover, ten
miles away, at ten o’clock that Sun-
day morning.”

This seemed to let Jud Moss out of

the murder picture. But Summers
knew the crime could have been
committed as much as a half hour
earlier than the time estimated, and
this would have given Moss enough
time to get to Dover and set up an
alibi.

Nor was he removing John Luff-
man from the murder picture, de-
spite the fact that he hadn’t written
the note.

The next morning, the Nashville
ballistics men handed in a report
that the two slugs taken from the
Herndon hen: house were identical
with those removed from the heads
of Cotton and Ruthine Cherry!

In other words, they had been
fired from the 30-20 gun found near
the young couple’s bodies! ;

“Those shots at Ruthine were no
accident,” Summers told Trinkle.
“Somebody was deliberately gun-
ning for her! If that pistol-wielder
didn’t intend to kill her, he certain-
ly meant those shots: to scare her.
I wonder why!”

During the next.few weeks, Sum-
mers spent his time endeavoring to
learn who could have shot at Ruth-
ine. He also sought to determine the
name of the local father who
threatened Cotton Cherry over the
mail truck rides he had given his
daughter.

But, despite his earnest digging,
the private detective could discover

no Tharpe swain who might have

been forcing his attentions on Ruth-
-ine Cherry, and who might have

shot at her when his desires were
thwarted.

At the same time, he made no
progress in the direction of any man

who might have threatened the mail _

carrier. Things looked bad.

Early in the following spring, al-
though he had. been working for
months on the case, Summers was

‘little farther advanced than Sheriff

Trinkle had been when he had
sought the agency’s aid. -

Howell and Link who had been
watching the private detective’s
progress—or lack of it-were begin-
ning to feel that the case might
never be solved. In another few
months, it would be two years since
the mail carrier and his young wife
had died.

But Summers was not ready to
give up. Instead, he began studying
the records at the Dover courthouse,
ferreting out the names of all per-
sons who had ever been arrested by
Trinkle or Herndon.

The private detective was now be-
ginning to believe the note left be-
CRIME YEAR BOOK

hind with the bodies. When the
killer wrote, “I owed you and Trin-
kle a debt and am paying them,” he
sure meant it, Summers now re~
alized. :

His eyes suddenly became focused
on one name. :

“Who is this Reed. Moss?” he
asked Herndon. “Is he related to
Jud?”

“His son,” the deputy replied.
“Young Reed worked for me at my
farm one summer. Trinkle arrested
him on a breaking and entering
charge when he was nothing but a
kid. In fact, it turned out to be only
a boyish prank, and the court let
him go.”

“Hmmm. That seems mighty im-
portant. Reed is one fellow who
would have known both Cotton and
Ruthine well. He was around them
that summer. He might have borne
a grudge against you and Trinkle,
too.”

Herndon nodded. “Yes, I fired him
and Trinkle arrested him. But I
don’t think he’d commit murder.”

Summers shrugged. “Can't tell
who’d do murder,” he answered.
“That kid’s worth looking into.
Where can he be found?”

Herndon said Reed Moss was
working on a local farm.

Rov MOSS, a well-tanned, fine-
proportioned youth with thin
lips which remained tightly closed
as the private detective address
him, took the officers’ visit with ill
grace. , ’

“T figured you’d be here,” he said,
“after talking to _my old man. But
you’re away off base. I didn’t have
anything to do with i a

Summers wasn’t convinced so eas-
ily. “Look, Reed,” he replied, “I’ve
been looking for a man who might
have had ideas toward Ruthine
Cherry. You fit that bill.

«Pye also been looking for some
father who resented what he thought
was Cotton’s attentions toward his
daughter. Maybe I was wrong about

that. It could have been her brother —

who made the threats. And that
brother might have been you.

“In other words you're in this
thing from both angles. By the way,
what’s your alibi for that Sunday
morning?” a ;

Reed Moss snorted. “I’ve got no
alibi, and I don’t need one,” he

snapped. “I was just around, as you |

might say, on that Sunday. But I
wasn’t anywhere near the Herndon
house. I wouldn’t have killed the
Cherrys. I liked them both.”
Summers nodded. “That’s what I
said. Of course, you liked Ruthine
the most. There’s a question of a
stolen pistol in this case too, and

Herndon house, you could have

Reed sneered. “I still think you're
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that original message on the back of
the Mother’s Day card!”

On Friday, May 11th, Summers
and Trinkle, with Deputy Sheriff :

Charles Keating of Evansville, |

placed Alvin Hicks under arrest.
Removed to Dover, the youth, after
almost twenty hours of continuous
grilling, broke down and confessed
the killing of Ruthine Cherry to At-
torney General Howell.

But, he declared, John Luffman,
and not ‘he, had first shot Grady
“Cotton” Cherry.

“It was this way,” his signed
1,000-word statement said. “Luff-
man was sore at Cotton for fooling
around with Bessie. I had been try-
ing to force my attentions on Ruth-
ine. So that day, after the Herndons
left, we figured would be ‘a good
time to take them to task about it.
We thought about the plan at the
party the night before. .

“When we entered the living
room, Cotton was asleep on the
couch and Ruthine was in the kitch-
en. Luffman walked right up to.Cot-
ton and shot him through the head.

“When Ruthine came running
into the room, screaming, I fired a
shot to keep her quiet. The bullet
struck her in the head and she fell
down.” :

Hicks said he then’ jJaid the young
woman out and wrote the note on a
card. he found in Mrs. Herndon’s
desk. In addition, he admitted hav-
ing previously shot at Ruthine in
the barnyard.

On May 14th, Howell and Griffin,
the private agency head, went to the
Nashville Penitentiary and showed
Hicks’ statement to John Luffman.

The prisoner readily admitted it was

presence of witnesses. ;
The motive, according to the kill-
ers, had a basis in the fancied
grudges the men had against the

On August 11th, Alvin Hicks,
twenty-two, and John Luffman,
forty-five, were found guilty of
murder in the first degree by @
Steward County jury, with a rec-

vember 9, 1945, as the date of their
execution. They had been charged
with the slaying of Mr. and Mrs.

Grady Cherry.
But Summers is convinced the

crime never would have been solved
had not the egotistical Hicks left the
hoax message behind. For the man
never had a grudge against Trinkle
or Herndon. He merely intended to
throw the authorities off his trail.

Instead, he crossed himself up
with a hook on his ‘t stroke.

* *

The names of Jud, Reed and Sarah
~Moss and Ralph Palmquist are ficti-
tious to spare unnecessary embar-
rassment to persons innocently in-
_ volved in this crime.

ONLY A
FOOL WILL
KILL A COP!

(Continued from page 28)
George Beckvermit, chief of the
‘Denver Identification bureau for
fingerprints. O’Donnell checked the
license. ;

Second, investigation revealed
that the auto service store door had
been jimmied and an attempt made
to rob the safe.

“This is the fourth safe job in five
days,” snapped -Armstrong. That
gang is working. fast. Chances are
they’ are from out of town and
they’re here for a couple of - soft
touches. We’ll have to step lively.”

They did. The police ‘wires crack-
led between Denver and police of-
fices throughout the nation. The first
day a hundred answering telegrams
came from chiefs of police* from
California to New York. The next
day even more. Never before had
there been such cooperation between
police officials. But the word was

criminal can be more hated: Each

Name.eesecssccccesccsecscnsesesseseeees |
Address.ccscccecccccceseceussereseensee®
Town...seceseceesecers Statesccccecessers -l
eee ee enn 5
50

lead was carefully run down. Each

out. “Get those cop killers.” No |

lead fizzled. On the third day a fate-
ful telegram came from Police Chief
J. Arthur Grady, of Pueblo, Colo-
rado. .

“Three men,” it said, “pulled a
safe job here a couple of days before
Keating was killed. They used a car,
a dark blue Ford sedan. There were
three in the gang. One of the men

‘had a dog. A mongrel pup, brown
and white with an unusually long
tail..These may be the killers.”

Captain Armstrong and his men
held a quick conference. Three men.
‘That checked with a bystander’s de-
scription of the murder; two men
backing out of the store and one
man already. at the wheel. A dark

_ blue Ford sedan. That checked too.

And the long-tailed dog? Could
he lead them to the killers? It was
a ten thousand to one chance. Den-
ver has a population of 300,000 own-
‘ing roughly, 10,000 dogs. But the
officers were desperate. The murder
car itself had proved a fizzle. The
license plate. revealed it had been.
stolen. There were no fingerprints
on file to match with those found on
the car. Armstrong and his men had

no. choice.

“Find that dog!” was his grim
order. :

, CRIME YEAR BOOK

oo oe

hunts in crin
available man, i!
clothes, was pu
was blocked of
each man given
that stretched ir
er, foot sore ar
searched for a t
with a long tail
and on edge; 0!
slightest bark, '
search.

The break
O’Donnell and
a fashionable a
they casually ¢
up and a youth

° cong began

driver and wal

way. Out of t
dog. He was b
an unusually
gleefully at tr
O’Donnell
quick glances
they moved fc
them coming.
hallway. But
At headquz
sullen. “You'r
tain Armstror
a mutt with a
a murder rar
The prisor
name, was
Armstrong, C

HER EY.
ARE
HAUNT

(Contin
out of ten
pass over as
trict Attorn:
ment implic
termined n
this instance:

It was eas
in the case
have ended
cial involve
not without!
cal life of }

Patiently
cal care, Hz
the loose er
up against
walls, eacl
next.

Hay set :
Harris had
shortly be
made up. fF
ler, he mac
that the gi
a person
poisoning
the death

For nea
find out if
morphine.
of eviden:
in the la
school an:
his grand
CRIME YEAR


HLORKS f AK and TITRA hn q :
i i Vid » Alb Ol ang LU f LMLLLIN Joh » ele Ce ‘i Gil « ( > tewa rt ) Auge 30 ’
©

MYSTERY

BY D.L. CHAMPION

EPUTY SHERIFF N. K. Hern-
don of Stewart County, Ten-
nessee, lost his gun on August Ist,
1943, a fact which wasn’t particu-

larly newsworthy. The extraordinary-

circumstances of its return two
weeks later emphatically was.

The weapon was a .32 caliber re-
volver which Sheriff Clyde C. Trin-
kle had a year earlier presented to
the deputy. When Herndon wasn’t
carrying the revolver it was kept
in a shiny holster hanging above the
head of his bed.

Herndon missed the gun late on
Sunday afternoon. On the following
day he reported the loss to the sher-

_iff. It was a casual matter. There is

no great incidence of crime in Stew-
art County. Herndon forgot about it.
Two weeks later it was again called
to his attention, anonymously, blood-
ily and forcefully.

Herndon lived on a farm, nine
miles northwest of the county seat

of Dover. Residing in the house with .

him were his wife, his lovely young
niece, Rufine, and her husband,
Grady Cherry. :

Cherry, a bespectacled and serious
man of 27, was a rural mail carrier.
Rufine Cherry, who was a year
younger than her husband, was
blonde, possessed of clear blue eyes
and an amiable manner.

At 7 o’clock on the morning of
August 15th, Herndon, his wife and
several friends embarked upon a
picnic. Since Rufine Cherry was suf-
fering from a mild headache, she
decided to remain at home. Her hus-
band stayed with her.

Apparently, the young couple did
not come out of the house all day.
At least, John Luffman stated that
he did not see them. :

Luffman, a sparse, wiry man of 49,
was Herndon’s hired man. He lived
two miles away, but on this Sunday
he was engaged in hauling his share
of a corn crop from Herndon’s barn
to his own. At 4:30 of the afternoon,
Luffman knocked at the door of
Herndon’s closest neighbor.

“Hello,” said Luffman, “I think
maybe something’s wrong with
Rufine.”

He

Rr ar se Me Pes

Sheriff Clyde C. Trinkle felt the cor-
oner’s jury was wrong and called in -
a private detective to push the probe :

- torn cardboard. It read

“You mean she’s sick? I heard she
had a headache this morning.”

Luffman shrugged. He explained
that he had passed the living-room
window two or three times during
the day. He had seen Rufine Cherry
stretched out on the floor.

“It’s a hot day,” he said, “and I
first figured she was taking a nap
and lying on the floor to keep cool.
But I saw her through the window
twice after that and she hadn’t
moved.”

The neighbor frowned. “Where’s
Grady?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him
around all day.”

“Maybe she is sick. I'll send my
daughters down to see if she needs
anything. In the meantime, come in

_ and have a soda.”

A few minutes later the girls en-
tered the Herndon living room. An
instant later, one had fallen to the
floor in a dead faint and the other
was racing back to her own house,
looking as if she had seen a ghost,

_ which in a figurative sense she had.

“They’re dead,” she blurted to her
father. “You’d better call the sheriff
right away. They’ve been shot!”

Shortly after 5 o’clock, Sheriff
Trinkle, County Judge N. A. Link
and Attorney General W. C. Howell
drove up to the Herndon farmhouse
and entered the living room.

Grady Cherry lay on a bloody
couch, his face to the wall. He had
been shot at the base of his skull;
his position indicated that he had
been asleep when he had been killed.
His wife, Rufine, lay on the floor at
the side of the couch. She wore
neither shoes nor stockings. Other-
wise she was fully clothed. A single
shot had been fired into the center
of her forehead. Tucked between her
right arm and her body was a gun—
a gun that somehow looked familiar
to Sheriff Trinkle.

Trinkle looked more closely and
recognized. the revolver as the 32
which had been stolen from his
deputy. On the floor beside the
weapon was a note written in pencj]
on what appeared to be a piece of

, “Deputy

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’ five seconds that I didn’t write it.”

“You mean, you'll give us a sam~
ple of your writing?”

“You bet! I’ll write that whole
note for you if necessary.”

Summers, now feeling the youth
had him, was compelled to accept
the challenge. Producing a note-
book, he bade young Moss write.

As the youth predicted, his writ-
ing didn’t resemble that on the back
of the Mother’s Day card. One
glance was sufficient for Summers.

“But those questions you asked
have given me ideas,’ Reed Moss
said. “If you weren't such a tough
guy, I might give you some of the
answers.” -

Summers now saw the youth had
to be placated. He took a different
tack.

“Pm not so tough, Reed,” he
soothed: “I’ve just got a job to do.
If you know anything about this
murder, you should spill it. Espe-
cially since you say you liked the
Cherrys.”” ©

Reed Moss, still moody, glared.
“But that would be the only: rea-
son,” he answered. “I know the
name of a guy who was trying to
make up to Ruthine and was pretty
sore when he couldn’t get to first
base.” .

“Who was that?”

“Alvin Hicks. He was once ar-
rested, too. I remember him saying
somebody in the sheriff's office was
going to pay for that.”

Summers was taken aback, but
Herndon nodded his head.

“He’s right about Hicks being ar- .

rested,” he said. “It was on the com-
plaint of a young girl. Hicks drew a
year in the penitentiary, but neither
Trinkle nor I arrested him. That’s
a his name wasn’t on the list.”

Summers was silent a moment.
“But he was a guest at your party
that Saturday night,” he finally said
to Herndon. “How come you invited
an ex-convict?” ‘

Herndon grinned. “Oh, Alvin isn’t
a bad sort at heart. He’s only a bit
impulsive. Lots of young fellows get
into trouble over girls.”

Summers nodded. “So this one
could have repeated himself. He
could have been the fellow who shot
at Ruthine. Where’s he now?”

“He left town last year. I hear
he’s working in some war plant in
the midwest, but I don’t know
where.”

Thanking Moss for his informa-
tion, Summers left, with Herndon
for the courthouse. On the way back,

- the deputy said, “You didn’t take

long to notice that Moss’ writing
didn’t agree with the death note. I
thought it looked fairly similar.”

Summers now explained some-
thing he had been keeping to him-
self for months.

“J examined that, Mother’s Day
card pretty thoroughly,” the detec-
tive told Herndon, “and I noticed a
peculiar characteristic. The fellow
who wrote it crossed his ‘ts’ with a
separate stroke. And he began that
stroke with a tiny hook. I’ve been
looking for that ever since.”

At the courthouse, Sheriff Trinkle
was able to tell him something more
about Alvin Hicks. ; :

“He hung around me quite a bit
at the beginning of this case,” he
said, “wanting me to make him a
deputy so he could help solve the
crime. I couldn’t do that, of course.
Then, later, he lost interest.”

Summers ‘suddenly snapped to at-
tention. “Wait a minute! He wanted
to help solve a murder before any-

Pas

17 5.

one knew one had been committed?
Why you fellows yourselves figured
it was a suicide pact at the time!”
_ Trinkle seemed jolted. “That’s ,
right! Say, how’d he know... ?”

“Never mind now. How are we
going to find where he is?”

After the sheriff thought a mo-
ment, he remembered Hicks had
been paying a lot of attention to
Sarah Moss before he left.

“That’s an angle,” the private de-
tective said. “Maybe the girl would
get his address for us.”

Sarah Moss, when told her father
and brother were under suspicion in
the case, agreed to aid the authori-

T
Tk

ties. That night, she visited the Why put u
Hicks’ home and saw a letter from and fear—
Alvin lying on the living room Learn NO
table. ‘She memorized the return reducible 1
address. om to enjoy n
. ...to play
May 7th, Summers and Trinkle lessened i
arrived in Evansville, Indiana, ke
and found Alvin Hicks at his board- we enter
ing house. At Summer’s suggestion, Appliance
the sheriff broached a plan to the much for
youth. world” —<
“Alvin,” he said, “we've been . “we have h
working on those murders for al- sands of
most two years without result. I re- Unless y«
member you once asked for a chance below bri
to help out. I could sign you up as coupon. n:

a deputy now, if I really thought
you could be of assistance.”

Hicks’ eyes gleamed. “Gee, Id
like that!” ‘he enthused. “I sure
could solve that case for you, Sher-

Pate
- Gi

iff.” Think of
Trinkle nodded. “Then there’s one helps Na
thing to do. While you’re out here, and night
I can’t do much about it. But if you relief . ffc
make an application in writing—I the vuaike
mean, just as if you’re already home . me?
—I can get you appointed. Then you App
can come back.” en
Hicks agreed. “Sure, Sheriff. 4 Ch
What’ll I write?” | | é@.
Trinkle pulled a_ piece of paper Rich or
out of his pocket. He and Summers rupture P
had previously composed the ap- Brooks A
plication—one which included almost | is made t
all the words in the original note direct at
on the back of the card.. lightwela!
He provided Hicks with paper and INTEEL
a pencil, then read off the applica- NOTHIS
tion. The former Tharpe youth .. helping }
wrote: invention

“I am herewith making applica-
tion to you as a deputy Sheriff on
your force while I am working on
this thing and trying to catch the
gang that killed Herndon niece and
son-in-law. I am.here to pay @ visit
to my father and will work until I
return home later. I will thank you
to borrow your gun and will return
it again. Until this debt is better
paid, I am sincerely yours

C.E.BROO

; Alvin Hicks” this no-
Summers took the youth’s illiter- ence st!
ately-worded script back to Dover FRE
and studied it under a glass, along-
side the original. SEN
“There it is!” He gloated. “See the PLAIN
separate stroke for the ‘t’ crossing semen
and the tiny hook at the beginning Broc
of it. Hicks is the fellow who wrote ‘cau ¥E

CRIME YEAR BOOK


Alvin Hieks eee )
$130 14 3 hn Luft ian

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Gov. Me Cord pares?
Box [2 file 10


one pe Oreee

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o> Mrs. Mary.Luffman . -
Indian’ Mound, Tennessee...

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ind

the

his

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ats

ly,

a Jack Headden, husband of one of the victims,

ill came home from his work on a river dam and

oy discovered the triple murders.

1S :

le avoid a rap for theft? This did not seem

1g likely, yet the $6 had been taken and it

1e was a possibility that the killer could be
traced through the money.

To the sheriff, however, the fact that

# Mrs. Headden and Mrs. Glowan had

te) been attractive seemed more significant
than the missing money. He learned

u from conversation around the bonfire in

e the yard that Mrs. Glowan had been
with the Headdens only ten days. A girl

- friend of Lecia Headden, she had been
boarding there since separating from her

S second husband.

ng ee

Deputy Clayton now returned to re-
port that the bloodhounds would not be
available. They had been sent on another
assignment.

Biggs sought next to learn whether or
not Mrs. Glowan had “kept company”
with any men after coming to the Head-
den home to stay.

Two Guns Used

T FIRST he met with no success.

’ Everyone was reluctant to talk. But
under insistent questioning, one farmer
blurted, “All the men around here seemed
to be taken with Mrs. Glowan. They came
here so often they kept the path through
the clearing hot.”

“You're certain this is not just idle
gossip?” Biggs asked.

“Just ask anybody else around here.
They’ll all tell you the same story.”

Sheriff Biggs did ask several others.
All agreed that since Mrs. Glowan’s ar-
rival in their midst, the men of the com-
munity had started making the mountain
home their regular rendezvous.

It was nearly morning when Mrs.
Headden’s body was taken to Benton.
The bodies of Mrs. Glowan and her small
son were removed to the home of her
mother in Copperhill.

When Mrs. Headden’s body was em-
balmed, the mortician extracted several
bullets which he sent to the sheriff. Biggs

DETECTIVE

noted that all were copper tipped .32 cal-
iber slugs.

The bullet which had penetrated Mrs.
Glowan’s body and lodged in the mat-
tress was a .38. This meant that two
guns had been used in the killings. Also,
this accounted for the neighbor’s testi-
mony that he had heard “a lot of shots.”

Did tnis mean that there were two
killers, or that one slayer used two guns?

The sheriff began a search for Mrs.
Glowan’s estranged husband. He drove
many miles throughout Polk and adjoin-
ing counties making his inquiries, trac-
ing the man through relatives and friends.
Biggs finally learned that he had gone to
work in Detroit, Mich. A check with the
man’s employers proved that he had
worked on the night of Nov. 18, and
therefore was in the clear.

Next, Biggs scoured the mountainous
country around Archville, questioning
various shifty-eyed characters who had
run afoul of the law on charges of steal-
ing, bootlegging and sundry other crimes.
He grilled half a dozen of these men and

checked their alibis thoroughly. In the
end, however, he was forced to admit
that there was not a good suspect in the
whole lot.

All this time Biggs still clung to the
theory that jealousy had been the motive
for the murders. He considered any man
who had visited Mrs. Glowan often as an
eligible target for suspicion, and with
the routine checkups of known criminals
out of the way he prepared to do some
snooping.

Pursuing this course, Biggs, with the
aid of relatives, friends and acquaint-
ances of all concerned, made a list of
young men and boys who had visited the
Headden home most frequently in the
past ten days.

The list was long and, Biggs noted,
included the name of more than one mar-
ried man. Had a jealous wife wreaked
the bloody havoc in the tiny home?

Biggs checked the list thoroughly,
probed into alibis with religious zeal. The
task was long, tedious and difficult, due
to the close-mouthed habits of mountain

y.


so SE RS 2 eS

Sih hi Baa

Be.
et peek ar

iz

ahs

=

HED DEN

William, white,

Sheriff Broughton
Biggs and Deputy
Sheriff J. W. Smith are
shown examining the
triple murder scene:
(1) where Mrs. Head-
den. pictured at lett,
was shot down: (2)
where body of child
lay: (3) where Mrs.
Glowan lay on bed.

T THE small, mountain cross-roads
village of Archville, Tenn., Sheriff
Broughton Biggs slowed down his

car. Out of the inky darkness a man ap-
peared. He glanced briefly at the three
deputies in the back seat, then faced the
sheriff.

“Who’s been killed?” Biggs snapped,
opening the car door.

The lean farmer climbed in, “Three
of them were killed,” he said bleakly.
“Lecia Headden—that’s young Jack
Headden’s wife—Mrs. Arlene Glowan
and her little boy, Steve.” The man’s
lips tightened as he added, “I should have

DYNAMIC

DYNAMIC DETECTIVE, April, 19)2.


The home of the tragic
massacre was this
simple, neat frame
house in the Tennes-
: see hill country. The
. | cross at door is where
the body of Mrs. Head-

den was discovered.

She had crawled from

the bedroom and col-
lapsed. The killer is
shown at far right.

DETECTIVE

said they were butchered. The Headden
place looks like a slaughter house.”

The Polk county sheriff took a deep
breath. It was worse than he had thought
when an incoherent telephone call had
started him speeding out of Benton,
Tenn., at 2 o'clock on that chilly morn-
ing of Nov. 19, 1941. He stepped on
the gas hard. The car raced over the
graveled Kimsey highway.

The farmer touched Biggs’ arm.
“We're here, Sheriff,” he said.

Silently Biggs and his deputies alighted
and followed the man into a clearing in
the fork of the Greasy Creek road and
the highway. They elbowed their way
through a crowd of muttering mountain
men who milled about the tiny white frame
house set 200 feet back from the road.

As the hill men stepped aside, Biggs’
first glance caused a wave of mingled
revulsion and pity to surge through his
big frame. Lying in the doorway was
the body of 20-year-old, raven haired
Lecia Headden.

Even in the wavering yellow light of
the coal oi] lamp within the room, Biggs
could see that she had been shot three
times, twice in the breast and once in the
head. Her once beautiful features were
a mask of drying blood.

The sheriff studied the body intently
for a moment, Suddenly he sucked in his
breath, then swore softly. He could
plainly see that the woman in the doorway
was an expectant mother and due to be
confined, according to his calculations,
within a month’s time.

As he tried to control a flash of anger,
he heard a voice at his elbow say, “The
others are in the house, Sheriff.”

-Crazed Suitor

by ELOISE COOPER MACKEY

Biggs stepped over the body into the
small living room, Experienced as he was
to scenes of tragedy, he was totally un-
prepared for the evidence of wanton
carnage before him. Across the straw
tick of the bed by the window lay the
form of another young woman, a pretty
brunette about the same age as the victim
in the doorway. He crossed to the bed and
started to examine her wounds when
something on the floor claimed. his at-
tention,

Huddled at the side of the bed was the
tiny form of a 14-month-old boy. The
infant’s head had been crushed.

The sheriff quickly noted that all three.

of the victims were fully clothed, indi-
cating that they had been killed before
preparing for bed. He called for Jack
Headden, husband of the slain girl in the
doorway.

Brokenly the young man explained
that he had found the bodies at 11 :30,
half an hour after he finished work on a
tunnel job at the Ocoee river power con-
struction project. Because the house had
been dark the bodies were not discovered
immediately, and by that time the two
friends who had driven him home were
gone.

Frantic, young Headden had run down
the road to.the home of a minister, who
in turn had sent a neighboring farmer
into Archville to phone the sheriff, Later,
another friend had been sent to notify
Jack Headden’s brother, Bill.

As the story ended, Bill Headden en-
tered the room. He approached Biggs
immediately. “I’ve just heard what hap-
pened,” he said in a strained voice. “I’m
all torn up about it, Sheriff.”

15

hie 8s


Biggs, who knew the 40-year-old Head-
den as constable of the second district in
Polk county, patted his shoulder. “I may
need your help in clearing this thing up,”
he said.

Headden nodded. “I'll do everything I
can,” he replied.

Shrugging off a growing feeling of de-
pression, the sheriff went back to work.

He examined the floor carefully and
succeeded in finding a badly battered bul-
let under a table. Holding it up to the
light, he could see that it had once been
copper tipped; but it was in such bad
condition that he could not determine its
caliber. e

Moving over a few feet, he studied the
baby’s body intently and determined that
it had been shot in the head, near the
hairline. Also, there was evidence that
the head had been crushed by a blunt in-

strument of some sort, possibly a pistol .

butt.

Biggs shuddered as he rose and crossed
to the bed. He observed that Mrs. Glowan
had been shot twice, once through the
breast and once in the leg.

Lifting the body carefully, he noted a
hole burned in the muslin mattress cover.
Swiftly he ripped open the ticking and
ran his hands through the yellow straw
inside. His efforts were rewarded with
a .38 caliber bullet. It was in good condi-
tion and would be perfect for future
purposes of comparison.

Leaving the Headden brothers in the
cabin, Biggs walked out to the small front
porch and looked at the crowd of moun-
taineers stamping their feet and rubbing
their hands to keep warm.

The sheriff caught a menacing under-
tone in the quiet talk of the crowd. He
realized that he would have to show re-
sults soon or he might have a lynching
bee on his hands. All these hill folk
needed was a good suspect.

As a starter, Biggs decided to estab-
lish the time of the murders, if this were
possible. Hoping that someone living in
and around the curves of Kimsey high-
way had heard the fatal shots, he ques-
tioned young Headden’s neighbors, most
of whom were in the muttering crowd.

A few moments later, the nearest of
Jack Headden’s neighbors declared that
he and his wife had heard several shots
and the screams of a woman early that
evening. .

‘When was this ?” Biggs asked quickly.

“It was around 7 o'clock. We had
stepped out upon the porch to watch the
lights of an airplane passing over.”

The sheriff narrowed his eyes thought-
fully. “Did you try to find out what the
disturbance was ?”

The man shook his head. “I was afraid
to leave my wife and kids alone.”

“Did you see anyone pass your house
after that, or see anyone lurking in the
neighborhood ?”

Find A Witness

HE farmer glanced around apprehen-

sively, as if seeking out hidden dan-
gers in the darkness of the encircling tall
pines. Biggs urged him again to answer
the question. Finally the man replied,
“Yes, I saw something. I saw a car
parked in the road near this place.”

“When was this?”

“Just before I heard the shots and the
screams. The car rolled off down the
highway and parked in front of the Head-
dens’ place. Right after that, I heard the
shots and the screams. The car started
off again and went away. Later, that
same car came back and stayed a minute
or two. Then the lights went off in the
house and the car left.”

“Who was in the car ?” asked the sher-
iff, trying to hide his elation.

“Tt was too dark to see,” the farmer
replied.

“Know of anyone who could have had
a reason for doing this?”

The man shook his head. “I can’t figure
it out, Sheriff. Everybody liked Lecia.
Mrs. Glowan was new in the neighbor-
hood, but I never heard anyone say any-
thing against her.”

Satished that the informant could tell
him no more, Biggs circulated among the
members of the crowd, trying to find out
if anyone else had seen the mystery car,
trying to determine a possible motive for

the crime. Had the slayer killed one
woman for a personal reason, and the
other because she was a witness? Or

were both killings bound up in the same -

violent motive? Finally, why had the
baby been slain?

The sheriff soon ascertained that no
one else had seen the mysterious car. At
least, no one admitted having seen it. The
sheriff knew that people’ in that section
of the mountains were unusually tight-
lipped and as Biggs phrased his questions,
he thought he detected more than one
fleeting expression of fear in the eyes
of the lanky, lantern-jawed mountaineers.

The thought persisted that these people
knew something they were holding back.

Deputy Frank Clayton came up and
Biggs asked, “Find anything in the
yard?”

The deputy nodded and extended his
hand. “Here are several empty shells,
all thirty-eights. No luck on footprints
or tire tracks, though. If there were any,
they’ve been trampled under by the mob.”

The sheriff took the shells. Then he
said, “Go to the nearest phone, call
Warden Herbert Russell at Brushy
Mountain prison and ask him to send his
bloodhounds. If these mountain people
run true to form we won’t get anything
out of them. And the dogs may trail the
killer.”

Clayton looked puzzled. “But from
what we’ve heard the killer left in a car,”
he objected. “Dogs can’t trail auto
tracks.”

Biggs smiled. “Has it occurred to you
that the killer may have returned to the
scene of his crime?”

The deputy’s eyes widened. “Mean-
ing?”

The sheriff lighted a cigaret. ‘““There’s
some reason why everyone here is guard-
ing his tongue so religiously. No one
seems to know why the women and the
baby were killed. They declare the
women had no enemies.”

“Well, maybe they didn’t.”

“Don’t fool yourself. Mrs. Headden
and Mrs. Glowan were unusually pretty.
They’d be sure to have plenty of enemies
in a community of women who aren’t so
pretty.”

Clayton nodded. “Go on.”

“So I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the
killer is right here now, a member of
the crowd.

“The bloodhounds won’t be afraid to
finger him, even if his neighbors are. And
we've got these bullets and shells for
evidence when we find our man.”

The deputy left immediately to make
the phone call. Biggs asked one more
question of Jack Headden and learned
that his wife’s purse had been empty
when the crime was discovered. The
purse had contained about $6, the young
man said.

This statement started the sheriff on
a new train of thought. Was the motive
for this brutal crime robbery? Would a
prowler commit such slaughter merely to

Here in a closeup view is shown
the spot where pretty Mrs. Head.
den collapsed as she sought help.

DYNAMIC

the sailor. I told him
: laughed and said, ‘It
sailor is going to take
n’t care, just so it isn’t

a added that Anderson-
zatedly mentioned that
gun and bragged about
‘orld connections.
t that man in the room-
cher night. I can take
But it was because of
I was afraid. I noticed
watching. them. After
the hunt for the killer in
was convinced that he
the police wanted. All
I thought of calling In-
an. But it wasn’t until
ot up the courage to do

smiled. “You ought to
dal, young lady. Even if
n your suspicions. You

en asked permission to
as granted gladly.
id he wanted to have a
-rella. While the suspect
ght out of jail, Whitman
wspaper clips which had
his pockets. When Pas-
in and was told to sit
a didn’t look up. He just
ting at the clippings,
liberately turning them
ig them down. Then he
»ped the papers, put a
een his lips, and looked
fe didn’t say a word. He
‘art to sweat. It started
. wavy hair. A blotter
vere on the desk where
He grabbed the pencil
‘king marks on the blot-
looked at Whitman with
.@ glance, and down at

his blotter again. Then he talked—to

ak
= ht, you got the right guy—so
what? Yes, I loved her. That’s why I
did it. She said she’d go with me to
California and we would work the
badger game there—that’s where the
dame picks up a rich guy and takes him
to her room and an accomplice comes
in and sticks the guy for plenty, slip-
ping him a hint about reporting to his
family that he was playing house with
some cute little number.”

Pascarella wasn’t looking at the blot-
ter any more.

au T Tuesday,” he continued, “she

told me she didn’t want to see me
again. She said she was going to marry
some other guy. I started talking to
her and tried to get her to change her
mind. She started to scream and I
pre ae

se one more thing,” Whitman
said. “Ready to sign a confession?”

Sure,” he said, again drawing lines
on the blotter with the pencil.

Leo Pascarella was taken to Detroit.
On the same night, he made a formal
statement to Chief Assistant Prosecu-
tor Frank Schemanske, who issued a
warrant for first-degree murder. On
July 11, 1945, the killer was taken to
Judge Arthur E. Gordon’s court, where
he was arraigned. He pleaded not
guilty, and he now is awaiting trial
as OFFICIAL DETECTIVE STORIES
goes to press. He was the drunk who
wanted to rent the rooms.

The man who left the key in the
envelope never was explained, nor was
— = who tore the screen ever

ated.

The names Mike Melton and Lieu-
tenant Paul Craig are fictitious to pro-
tect innocent persons from undue
embarrassment, :

lurder (Continued from Page 33)

chance,” he told the
-corder’s office, “but it’s
left for me to do. I’m
every deed and record
intil I find a sample of
1at matches this.”

. tedious job Trinkle had
aself, but he stayed with
The almost impossibility
as what had kept him
is long before. -At the
2veral samples of hand-
n one way or the other,
writing on the note.
, of the documents were
ned with these and the
Trinkle arrived the fol-
Memphis, where he con-
T. Griffin. once veteran

bein the serial ange Sig the note
-as a starting point, Summers
traced it to a manufacturer in Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania. :

There it was found that the paper
had been torn from a Mother’s Day
Card, which had been printed in 1943.
The card was being printed no longer,
but the manufacturer readily furnish-
ed a duplicate of the original card from

stock.

It was learned quickly that the card
had not been displayed or sold in
Dover or . Then how had it
gotten into the farm house? Summers
questioned Mrs. Herndon about this.

“Why, that’s the same kind of card I
received from my son and daughter-
in-law on the Mother’s Day before
Grady and Ruphine were killed!” Mrs.

‘motive has

“You know,” he said, “the killer de-
liberately went out of his way to fool
you. I am sure that he purposely
placed Mrs. Cherry’s body in that po-
sition to mislead you.” ;

“What do you mean?” the Sheriff

asked.

“Tt seems almost impossible to me,”
Summers continued, “that the woman
died in a position of such complete re-
pose and relaxation. What I’m trying
to bring out is that there may have
been some violent action before the
couple ‘met their deaths and that the

‘killer tried to hide this point.”

“Which: leads us where?” Trinkle
wanted to know. .

“To the motive. Up to now, you've
been working more or less on the the-
ory that these were revenge

killings.
_ But you’ve been unable to prove that-

any enemies were behind them. As far

Ruphine Cherry. It is the only thing
left. As far as I can see it, the killer
came here to see Mrs. Cherry. Grady
was killed first and then the murderer
turned to Ruphine. When she resist-
ed his advances, she was killed also.
Of course, I may be wrong on the de-
tails of the action but the motive, I’m
sure, is right.”

The Sheriff was excited by this new
theory. Now, instead of concentrat-
ing on a revenge killer, & dragnet
was spread . throughout Stewart and
adjoining counties for men known to
have molested women. And each man
that was brought in was questioned
thoroughly and checked and forced to
give a sample of his handwriting.

Bu by the first of May detectives still
were without a single clew that
would shed light on the perplexing mys-
tery, still without a good suspect!

Summers went about his job tireless-
ly, interviewing and checking those
witnesses questioned previously and
searching for others. And then he
came to the name of John Luffman,
Herndon’s former farm hand. And to
his amazement he learned that, to-
ward the end of 1944, Luffman had
been convicted on a charge of molest-
ing a young woman. He now Was serv-
ing time in the State Prison. The rea-
son no one knew anything about this
before was that Luffman and his family
had moved away from Tharpe in the
early part of 1944.

But the lead seemed to fall apart
when Record Clerk Glidewell supplied
Summers with a sample of Luffman’s
handwriting and = comparison tests
showed that the suspect could not pos-

sibly have written the. note found at
the death-scene!

“But I’m-still not satisfied with him,”
Summers said to the Sheriff. “Luffman
could easily have come in possession of
Herndon’s pistol without suspicion. He
was a trusted employe and as far as
the Herndons knew never went near
the residence except on business.”

“But he didn’t write the note,”
Sheriff Trinkle replied, “and he never
owned an automobile. Do you think he
had an accomplice?” .

“J don’t know. The thing is becom-
ing too confusing. Maybe we're on the
wrong track after all.” :

“Do you think we should go down to
the prison and question Luffman?”

“No. I wouldn’t want him to know
we even suspected him until we have
something more definite. It’s entirely.
possible he’s not connected with the
crime, and I wouldn’t want to waste
any more valuable time.” :

A CHECK of men in the Dover area
known to have been friends of
Luffman was begun immediately, but
such friends were few and far between,
and all the men questioned were
cleared quickly. Luffman had not been
well liked, it appeared.

Then Summers tried a different ap-

proach. Young women in the Tharpe
community were questioned closely by
the private detective and Sheriff
Trinkle. They were asked to name any
man whose actions, for some reason,
caused them to be feared.
_ But the officers got nowhere with this
line of questioning until the afternoon
of May 8 Summers was questioning
a pretty young girl of eighteen. She
mulled over the detective’s question for
several minutes. Then: “I remember
there was that Hicks fellow who was
like that. His first name was Alvin, I
think. - He’d give you the shivers the
way he’d look at you.”

“Do you know whether he drove a

thing that looked like it was about
ready to fall apart. But I haven't seen
him in a long time.”

Thanking the young woman the de-
tective and Trinkle returned to Dover
where an immediate search for Alvin
Hicks was begun.

Hicks, they learned, had been a rov-
ing sort of youth who. never
content to remain in one spot for any
length of time. In August, 1943, he had
left home and had not returned since.
On the afternoon of May 11, after care-
ful investigation, the officers learned
that Hicks was in Evansville, Indiana.
Summers and Trinkle hurried there
immediately. Was this to be just an-
— routine questioning? More wasted

e

With the aid of Chief Deputy Sheriff
Charles Keating, Hicks was found liv-
ing in a small residence on the out-

skirts of the city. Since leaving Dover,
the 23-year-old youth had married
after living a short time in Chicago.

Hicks was reading a magazine when
the officers arrived at the neat little
bungalow. A fleeting look of surprise

over his face, and then he arose
and greeted Sheriff Trinkle warmly.

“Now what brings you away up
here?” Hicks asked with a grin, after
being introduced to Summers.

Instead of answering this question,
the detective asked: “Alvin, do you re-
— a killing in Dover in August of
1943?”

Hicks ran his fingers through his
unruly hair. “Nope. Don’t believe I do.
That was about the time I left there.”

“Well, it really doesn’t matter. What
we want is this: You know a lot of
folks around Dover, and we think you
can help solve that case.”  He‘paused

for a moment. He was going to step on -

dangerous ground now, lay a trap which
he had formulated in his mind. “How
would you like to be deputized and go
back with us to work on it?”

What would the. youth’s answer be? .

Hicks wasn’t clever, but would he sus-

pect anything?

“Sure,”*Hicks answered. “I—I'd like
being an officer.”

Summers handed Hicks a piece of
paper and a pencil. “Fine. Now if
you will just: write Sheriff Trinkle an
application for a deputy’s commission,
he'll fix it up right away.” =

Hicks glanced at the officer question-

ing

the gang that killed Herndon’s niece.
I'm here to pay a visit to my father-in-
law and will work until I return home
later, I will thank you to borry your
gun and will return it again. Until
this debt is better paid I am sincerely
yours, Alvin Hicks.”

Trinkle took the application.
get your commission right away,” he
told the smiling Hicks, “and we'll leave
tomorrow.”

When the officers walked out of the.
house, Keating was asked to keep a
steady watch on the residence until
Summers and Trinkle returned. They
were going to return to their hotel for
awhile.

“That was a clever trick, Park,”
Trinkle said to the detective when they
reached their hotel room.

Summers smiled. “To Hicks’ uned-
ucated mind that application read well.
But for awhile I thought even he'd

“y)] -

see through it. I wanted to get a num-
ber of the words into it that appeared
on the death note, especially several
t’s.”

Ten minutes later they were certain
they had the right man. A comparison
of the handwriting proved conctusive-
ly that Alvin Hicks had written the
threatening message.
Dover immediately, Hicks was taken
to District Attorney-General Howell.
and there he first seemed to realize that
he had fallen into a trap. And he broke
quickly.

Mt Y,” he said quietly. “TD tell
Ruphine

< you the truth. I killed

Chi a

“Then who killed Grady Cherry?”
Howell demanded. What would his
answer be? Would he name someone

else?
Hicks looked at his shoes, then
at the officer. -

Luffman! Then they had been right!

Hicks said that he had met Lufiman
early that Sunday morning, and they
had decided to drive to the Herndon
home, knowing that the deputy and his
wife were away-and that the Cherrys
would be alone. They had found them
asleep. Luffman had the gun he had
taken from Herndon. ~The officers
immediately went to the State Prison.
There, by adroit questioning, they got
Luffman to admit his part in the dou-

Luffman said he disliked Grady
Cherry because he thought the mail
carrier had made advances toward his
daughter. He could offer nothing to
substantiate this charge, however, and
the officers were certain that he was
not telling the truth.

His statement coincided with Hicks”
confession except that he charged his
companion with having been the one
who made advances toward Mrs
Cherry.

The threatening note, apparently.
had been written to throw the offi-
cers off the trail.

On July 9, 1945, Luffman and Hicks
were indicted by a Stewart County
Grand Judy on charges of first-degree
murder.

At their trial on August 11, the jury
brought in a verdict of guilty. Judge
Dancey Fort sentenced them to die In
the electric chair on November 9.

As OFFICIAL DETECTIVE STOR-
IES goes to press, James Noland and
Collier Goodlett, the defendants court—
appointed attorneys, have intima’ ted
that they will file an appeal.

The names of Bill Spellmaz, Henry
Hart and Jerry Potts are fictitious to
protect the identities of those persoms
not actually involved in the creme.

ee he | 9 he lwp dnt en

OHN LUFFMAN dashed breath-
lessly into the farmhouse kitchen.
“Come quick!” he blurted. “I
found the Cherrys— Cotton and
Ruthine — dead — up at Herndons’!
Better call the sheriff, too!”

The neighbor and his wife, horrified,
rose from their mid-afternoon meal.
Cotton and Ruthine Cherry, they
knew, had beerf alive and well only

et OD LEA IN 9

~ ha5
YUILTL 5

8/30/1946.

the night before, at a party Herndon
had given for a few friends. What
could have happened to them?

“Looks like they was killed,” Luff-
man continued. “I saw blood all over
the floor.”

It was 3:30 o’clock on Sunday, Au-
gust 15, 1943. The place where Luff-
man had found the bodies was the
farm of Deputy Sheriff N. K. Herndon
and his wife, in the hamlet of Tharpe,
Tenn.

The neighbors knew the Herndons

ee,

CALLED IT
MURDER

LOB FEC TY VE:

had planned to spend the day with
friends across the Cumberland Rive:
and that Cotton and Ruthine Cherry
were tending house in their absence.

Luffman, who was Herndon’s hired
man, said he had noticed the pair in
the living room at 9 a.m. that morning,
but he thought they were sleeping. He
was busily engaged in his chores
about the place, so he had not looked
in again until 3 p.m. Then he saw
blood.

Sheriff Clyde C. Trinkle at Dover,
the county seat ten miles away, an.
swered the phone call. He was com-
pletely horrified at the news, and gave
strict orders that no one enter the
Herndon house.

“We'll be right down,” Trinkle told
the neighbors.

He arrived shortly after five with
Attorney General W. C. Howell,
County Judge N. A. Link and Magis-
trate J. A, Burgess. The latter was a
deputy coroner.

Hearing Luffman’s excited story, the
officials entered the Herndon living
room after Trinkle ordered that a
phone call be made to his deputy.

It was quickly discovered that the
hired man had not exaggerated a bit.

TRUE CRIME DETECTIVE CASES

d
“9
iW
drae

The Cherry:
for some tin
died of pisto

Grady “C«

His wife |:
feet away.
She was
dress smoo:
knees, hand
a blanket p:
form a pillo.
There wa:
the young \
which blood
ened.
Trinkle e:
a word, ther
“Kinda lo
his wife an
commented
The other
who had be.
the bodies, |
“There's «
hand,” he :
into the si:
Ruthine.”
He withd:
and handed
saw it was
card appar:
Mrs. Hernd
On the b
sage which
deciphering
finally mad.
in black pe:
“Deputy
your gun a
and Trink!

TRUE CRIME C0

‘a,

* che farm today. Everything you can
‘emember.”’

Mrs. Walker said that she and Mar-
in had left the farm about 10:30 that
norning to go to Dallas to sell some
‘hickens and do some shopping.

“Did your daughter go along?”

“No. She planned to, but she was
eeling rather badly when we got ready
© go, so she stayed home.”

“I see. Go on.” ‘

Mrs. Walker said that she had left
Martin soon after they got to Dallas.
3he had some shopping to do. She met
Martin again at 2:30 in the afternoon,
ind they returned to the farm to-
zether.

“What time did you get here?”

“About half-past three.”

“What did Martin do then?”

“He changed his clothes and left the
nouse. He said he had some work to
jo on the tractor.”

“Did he come back to the house after
chat?” .

“No.”

“Did you hear a gun-shot around
aalf-past four this afternoon?”

“I heard a shot, but there are so many
deople hunting up and down the River
..I never dreamed...” The woman
started crying.

White turned to the woman's daugh-
‘er. “Where were you after half-past
chree?”

“I was here in the house helping
Mother,” she said. Her voice was soft,
aardly audible.

“Did you see anyone around the yard
at all?”

“No, Sir.” °.

Mrs. Walker said that if Martin had
any enemies she didn’t know who they

rare

added, however, that she prob-

ly wouldn’t anyway because
marun never said anything to her
ibout his personal affairs.

Deputy White showed Mrs. Walker
che 20-gauge shotgun he had found
inderneath the tractor.

“Ever see this gun before?”

“No ...I don't think so. Mr. Mar-
in had a. twelve-gauge, I believe. He
cept it in his closet. That doesn’t look
o me like the same gun, though.”

Deputies White and Nowlin had a
ook in Martin's closet. They found
he twelve-gauge gun, all right. Also
he .22 rifle. ‘

So the question of the ownership of
he mysterious shotgun with the empty
hell-case in the barrel remained un-
nswered.

Deputy White telephoned Sheriff
smoot Schmid at Dallas, told him the
letails of the case, asked the Sheriff
o come to the farmhouse and bring
he coroner and another officer or two
dong with him.

While the officers were waiting for
sheriff Schmid, they left the farm
1ome, went back to the tractor and the
lain man. -There they made casts of

he two sets of footprints found on the |

1orth side of the shed. Then Nowlin
valked to the woods to make a cast of
he footprint he had picked up there,
ind of the tire-track found by the
River.

Deputy White remained with the
ody. _He searched Martin's pockets
ind failed to find a billfold.

White hurried back to the farm
1ome. He asked Mrs. Walker about the
illfold. She had no idea where it was,
x how much money was in it. ;

“But I know one thing,” she said. ““He
lways carried it around in his left hip
ocket. So if it is gone, someone must

« 1ave taken it.”

. “He changed clothes, didn’t he, after
ou two got back from Dallas—before
.e went to work on the tractor?”

“Yes. He wore his blue trousers to
own. You'll probably find them in his

oom.”
® White hurried to Martin's bedroom.
ie found the trousers, lying across the
ack of achair. He went through every
. No billfold! :
1 you describe it for me?” White
Mrs. Walker.

..-ll, it was brown—and large. ‘I
emember it had some kind of fancy
ngraving on it, but I don’t know ex-
ctly what kind. I never paid enough
ttention to it.” .

As soon as Nowlin came back from

making the casts of the tracks he had
found in the woods, Deputy White left
him to guard the body until the Sheriff
and coroner arrived. Then White took
the young farmhand, Whitehead, and
went to the near-by Ketchum farm.
White told Ketchum what ‘had hap-
pened, but the neighbor already had
| heard about the tragedy.
|. “Terrible,” Ketchum said, shaking
| his head siowly. “Bob was ‘a mighty
| hard-working man. Shame he has to
' kick off just when he’s gettin’ things
' so he can sort of take it easy for a while.
Hear tales that he had some pretty big
plans cookin’ up in Dallas, too.”

The middle-aged farmer looked it
over closely: “Nope, can’t say that I
ever did. Mighty fine gun, though. Sure
wouldn't mind havin’ it. Where did you
get it? Mixed up in this killin’ in some
way?”

_“I think so.”

“Then I guess I'm glad it don’t belong
to me.” The farmer looked at the gun
more closely. “Brand new, ain’t it?’

White nodded.

“Where in heck did anyone ever fin
a new gun like that?” |

“Maybe someone around here had it
stored away for a while—just waitin
for a good time to use it.” j

Pianos from His Killers.”

Up to the Minute .

A JURY of twelve men convicted Mrs. June Queen of the
first degree murder of Trucker Otto Jaeschke at Stan-
ford, Kentucky, May 2, and she was sentenced to life impris-
onment. The story of the police search for the slayers of
Jaeschke was carried in the June, 1946, issue of OFFICIAL
DETECTIVE STORIES under the title, “They Were Eight

A jury took just five minutes to convict Frederick Morris of

'

murder in the first degree for the slaying of Mrs. Rose Reyn-
olds in Chester, Pennsylvania. The detective story of this
case, “Here's a Good Place to. Kill Me.” appeared in the
August. 1946, issue of OFFICIAL DETECTIVE STORIES.
Morris was executed October 28, 1946.

Robert F. Smith was committed to a mental institution
for the killing of Roy Gordon Beh near Grand Haven, Michi-
gan, and a Federal court gave his partner in crime, Boleslaw
W. Czajkowski, 18, concurrent sentences of fifteen years for
kidnaping, five years for auto theft and five years for failure

His last hope for clemen¢y

was executed A

to register firearms. The “Riddle of Detroit's Roy Gordon
Beh” appeared in the June, 1946;-issue.

pril 19, 1946.
Murderers” told how Pilley was trapped by police.
appeared in the June, 1946, issue.

John Luffman and Alvin Hicks, killers of Grady and Rub-
bins Cherry in Dover, Tennessee, were put to death in that
State’s electric chair August 30, 1946. The story behind their
capture appeared in the January, 1946, OFFICIAL.

Kathleen Nash Durant, WAC captain. and Major David F.
Watson were found guilty by Army courts-martial in connec-
tion with the theft of the $3,000,000 Hesse crown jewels. Mrs.
Durant was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, Major
Watson to three years. Both verdicts were returned at Fr
fort, Germany; trial of the third defendant, Colonel

“By the Red Sweater

“Plans? Guess I hadn’t heard about
‘em yet.”

“Oh, Bob was courtin’ some woman
up there—so I hear. - A widow woman.
Runs a boarding-house in Dallas. Don’t
know if it was very serious, but I heard
it was. You know how word gets
around. Only trouble seemed to be that
some other man was wantin’ to marry
this widder, too.”

White didn’t reply for the moment.
Slowly, he took out a package of cigar-
ettes, lighted one. In the midst of a,
cloud of smoke, he said, ‘“‘What is this‘
woman's name?” .

“Mrs. Biddle. Lois Biddle, I think it

“And what’s the other man’s name—
the other man who was courting the
woman?” >

“Bill Pollsun. Runs a cafe there.

Likeable sort of guy—stutters some.,

Got a pretty good business head on ’im,
though. Got quite a lot of jack stored
away, I hear. Played poker with him
some. He always had plenty of dough
them times.” ; ;

HITE catalogued this information
carefully in his mind. Here was

something that definitely would bear

looking into.

The Deputy got away from the Dallas
angle and showed Ketchum the 20-
gauge shotgun. “Ever see that gun be-
fore?”

“Don’t think so. I sure never seen
it before.”

Deputy White took a long drag on his
cigarette, then pointed to young How-
ard Whitehead. “Just one other thing
I wanted to check, Mr. Ketchum. This
young hired hand of Martin's says he
was chopping wood for you today. That
right?”

Ketchum looked at Whitehead and
smiled. ‘Yep. Worked ‘til about six
o’clock.’* ~

White nodded. “Just wanted to get
it straightened up in my own mind.”

THE Deputy and hired hand started
back to the Martin farm. On the
way, White asked the young man if he
ever had heard Martin say anything
about his woman friend in Dallas, but
the farm employe shook his head.

“Mr. Martin was a very quiet man,”
the youth said, after a moment.
“Sometimes he was hard to understand.
But he was always pretty good to me.
Besides, I've only been here a couple of
weeks.” :

When Deputy White got back to the
Martin farm he found Sheriff Schmid,
the coroner and Assistant District At-
torney M. L. Miller waiting for him.

The coroner already had completely
eradicated the possible suicide angle by
determining that the killer had been
about ten feet from Martin when the
fatal shot was fired. Unable to make

_ further progress at the death farm, the

Officers started back. to Dallas. The
coroner took charge of having the body
removed to the morgue in Dallas for
further examination. .

Sheriff Schmid took ‘the 20-gauge
shotgun under his wing, explaining
that he would put some deputies to
work to try to determine the origin of
the gun and thus trace it to its last
owner.

Later that night Deputies White and
Nowlin called on the widow, Mrs. Lois
Biddle. She was quite an attractive
woman, about 55 years old. She was
neatly dressed and her graying hair,
carefully groomed, told plainly that she
was a fastidious person.

She frowned when she saw the offi-
cers. “Something wrong? I didn't call
you.”

“Yes,” White said. “I know. We'd
like to talk with you for a few minutes.”

“One of my roomers in trouble?”

“No. Not that. May we come in?”

“Well—” ‘Mrs. Biddle hesitated. “I
hn visitor. Couldn’t you come

“No. I’m sorry, but we'll take only
a few minutes.”

Mrs. Biddle introduced her visitor to
the officers as Mr. William Polisun.

“Quite a coincidence,” White said.
“We want to talk to Mr. Pollsun also.”

POLLSUN wore an expensive black
suit but his red tie and wrinkled col-
lar didn’t fit in so well. Something
seemed out of place. “What's this all
about?” he asked. His flushed face
showed that he was not too happy over
the unexpected visit.

“Haven’t you heard?” White asked.

“Heard what?”

“That Bob Martin was killed this af-
ternoon.”

“Oh, good Heavens!” Mrs. Biddle
gasped. ‘“‘No, it couldn’t be! He was
here for lunch today. He seemed so
happy then. There must be a mis-

i ”

“There is no mistake. The top of his
head was blown off with a shotgun. We
thought maybe you or Mr. Pollsun
might be able to give us some assistance
in tracking down the person—or per-
sons—who did it.” —

Pollsun walked to Mrs. Biddle, put
his arm around her. He patted her
shoulder, attempting to comfort -her.
“This is—uh—quite a—a shock to us,”
he said. “You see, Mr. Martin was a—
a good friend of ours. We knew nothing
about this until just now: It’s—pretty
hard to take.”

“We understand,” White said, look-
ing straight at Pollsun, “that you and
Bob Martin were both quité interested
in—well, in the affections of Mrs.
Biddle.” . E

Pollsun's anger flared. “‘We were. all
very good friends! That’s all I can tell
you. If yoy mean that you suspect Mrs.
Biddle or myself, you can check us

«thoroughly. I was at my restaurant all

afternoon and until seven o'clock to-
night. All my employes will tell- you
that. And Mrs. Biddle was here.”

“Is that right, Mrs. Biddle?”

“Yes, Sir.”

The two officers checked with several
of the-roomers who had been ‘at the
address that afternoon, and got the
same reply from all of them. Then they
went to see Pollsun’s employes—a cook
and two waitresses—and Pollsun’s story
held water. “

- White and Nowlin returned to: Head-
quarters two discouraged men.

The only new developments in the
case had come from the coroner's
office. The coroner had set the time of
death as about 4:30 that afternoon.

Schmid told Nowlin and White to go
on home-and get some sleep. Maybe
he’d have a new development for them
to go to work on the following morning.

THE new development came about ten
o'clock Tuesday when Sheriff

Schmid’s deputies, checking the fac- ©

tory where the mysterious 20-gauge
shotgun was made, finally traced the
gun to DeSoto, Missouri, a city of 5,000,
forty miles south of St. Louis.

There, the Dallas officers learned, the
gun had been stolen from the owner
about two months before.

“But, Chief!" Deputy White scratched
his head. “That’s over five hundred

a2


he

id the day with
imberland Riven
Ruthine Cherry
n their absence,
Herndon’s hired
iced the pair in
m. that morning,
ere sleeping. He

in his chores
- had not looked
. Then he saw

inkle at Dover,
ules away, an.
|, He was com-

- news, and gave
one enter the

‘n,” Trinkle told

after five with
V. C. Howell,
ink and Magis-
‘he latter was a

xcited story, the
Herndon living
nrdered that a
» his deputy.

overed that the
aggerated a bit.

t DETECTIVE CASES

e

hee § .

ui Deputy Sheriff N. K. Hern- Lay
egj)don's house where the Fy
ag double tragedy was dis- f
‘4 covered,

SS eT aa ee ee Ts en

# ;’ The Cherrys were dead — had been

for some time, Furthermore, they had
died of pistol shots.

Grady “Cotton” ‘Cherry, 28, lay on a
davenport, as though he were sleep-
ing. But in his right temple was the
mark where a bullet had entered and
penetrated his brain.

His wife lay on the floor, about four
feet away.

She was carefully laid out, with
dress smoothed down around her
knees, hands folded across her chest,
a blanket padded under her head to
form a pillow. 6

There was a hole in the center of
the young woman's forehead, around
which blood had congealed and black-
ened.

Trinkle eyed the situation without
a word, then coughed significantly.

“Kinda looks like Cotton did this to
his wife and then killed himself,” he
commented to Howell and Link.

The others nodded glumly, Burgess,
who had been superficially examining
the bodies, added his confirmation.

“There’s a gun lying near Cotton’s
hand,” he said, “and a note tucked
into the side of the blanket under
Ruthine.”

He withdrew a square of pasteboard
and handed it to the sheriff, Trinkle
saw it was half of a Mother’s Day
card apparently received earlier by
Mrs. Herndon.

On the back was scrawled a mes-
sage which the officer had difficulty
deciphering. Over by the window, he
finally made it out. The note, written
in black pencil, said:

“Deputy Sheriff Herndon here is
your gun also your niece. 1 owed you
and Trinkle a debt and am paying
them. I will visit him later. Take good.
care of the gun, 1 may want to borry
it agatn sometime, Thanks for the use
of it.

The gang.”

TRUE CRIME DETECTIVE CASES

As the sheriff read it to the others,
there rose a general murmur of sur-
prise.

“Say, that doesn’t look like Cherry
did it after all,” commented Link.

Trinkle pursed his lips, “Still could
have,” he said, “Maybe Cotton wrote
this to mislead us.” é

He looked up and saw John Luff-
man standing in the doorway.

“Say, John,” he said, “you’ve prob-
ably seen Cotton’s and Ruthine’s
writing. Does this look like either of
them?”

The hired man: came across the
room and looked at the card over
Trinkle’s shoulder.

“Can't tell from that scribble,” he
said. “But I'd say, offhand, it doesn’t
look like either of them wrote it.”

A slight commotion in the hall, sig-
nified the arrival of Deputy Sheriff
Herndon and his wife. The pair were
shocked. Ruthine Cherry, who was 23,
was Mrs. Herndon’s niece, The dep-
uty’s wife had raised her from in-
fancy.

“That’s my gun on the floor,” Hern-
don said immediately. “It was stolen
from me about three weeks ago. I
never knew where it went to.”

This startling statement. seemed to
convince Trinkle that he was dealing
with a murder and suicide. “It’s plain
as day,” he told Herndon. “Ruthine
made herself comfortable on. the floor
and Cotton shot her. Then he lay
ach 3 on the couch and killed him-
self.” ‘

The deputy frowned. “I don’t think
so. What about the note? I’m sure
neither Cotton nor Ruthine wrote
that.”

The Mother’s Day card was a stick.
ler, Trinkle was forced to admit.
However, he figured Cotton Cherry
could have disguised his handwriting
sufficiently to fool those who -knew
his penmanship.

The sheriff questioned ‘Luftman,
who told what seemed to be a straight
story.

“When I seen Ruthine on the floor
this morning,” he said, “I thought she
was asleep. She often laid down on
the floor on hot nights.” .

Herndon confirmed this. When -

Luffman outlined his activities for the

Sheri! Clyde C. Trinkle. He
was mentioned in the note
found lying near the two
bodies. Trinkle later used that
same note to trap the guilty.


eae ae. ee ny ee en

HICKS, Alin & LUFFMAN, John, whites,#elec. TNSP l{iStewart)
) DerEopract 30, 1946

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The dead two were buried,
but they refused to rest
in peace until the shame
of the coroner’s verdict
was erased, and vengeance
was dealt to the killers

é UICIDE,” said the Coroner’s
Jury. Murder first—and then
suicide. The husband had been
shot in the back of the head,
hadn’t he? Shot while he dozed

on the parlor:couch, his face to the

wall. And then the wife had ‘killed
herself.

Look at the way she was when they
found her: stretched out on the floor
beside her dead husband, her head
pillowed on a neatly folded quilt, her
bare feet crossed and her hands rest-
ing in an attitude of prayer on her
breast. There was a single bullet

' wound in her temple, and a revolver

was cushioned between her right arm

and her body.

Suicide, said the Coroner’s Jury.
Plain as day.

But there were mutterings and

whispers. .Among the townsfolk—
among the neighbors and relatives
—there were those who thought dif-
ferent. In the: almost feudal atmos-
phere of the little town of Dover,
Tennessee, resentment and anger
smouldered dangerously beneath the
‘surface. ,

Close kinfolk considered the verdict
almost’a personal slur. Rufine Cherry
had been a good girl, a good wife. She
had no cause to go shooting her hus-
-band and then herself, and no one had
the right to say she did. It wasn’t
right to speak of thé dead in such a
manner.

‘And there were too: many things
that weren’t properly explained. What
about the crudely scrawled note that

MADE GHASTLY DISCOVERY—

John Luffman (left) found the corpses
of Grady Cherry and his wife, Rufine,
and played an odd role in the mystery.

Ul q E said the coroner

R said the corpse

By JOHN SMITHSON

|

Sie “gs 8 nes

scene tl}
Herndon
nerves.
Cherry |
death—t}
the back
But his
That \
stretched
thin, skin
Ing was
bare legs
Pillowed
hands we
was almc
pared he
and prop:
most
Chadwi.
frightened
of the hoi
cided mon
bodies. H
Tight away
call the sh
It was at
and his wit
“outing, an
breathed .;
that the m
He broke
could, and
while the
shocked, di
tragedy tha
ous a calm
It was }
Proper aut}


uried,
rest
shame
erdict
seance
killers

Coroner’s
and then
i had been
the head,
e he dozed
ace to the
had killed

when pat
yn. e oo
L, hs head
ad quilt, her
hands rest-
.yer on her
ingle bullet
4 a revolver
er right arm

oner’s Jury.

tterings and
townsfolk—
nd relatives
thought dif-
‘eudal atmos-
vn of Dover,

and anger
- beneath the

-ed the verdict
Rufine Cherry
zood wife. She
oting her hus~
and no one had
did. It wasn’t
iead in such a

5 many things
“<plained. What
“wled note that

sOVERY—

ound the corpses
his wife, Rufine,
ie in the mystery:

oner

rpse

Se RTT ELT a
HN SMITHSON

SHE WAS HORRIFIED— pane
Deputy Sheriff Helen Trinkle, who was a
good friend of the victims, was shocked
by the stark brutality of their deaths.

was found near. the bodies? - What
about the shot that had been fired at’

Rufine just a few months before, one '

day when she was out in the kitchen
garden?
up any such stories.

The tragedy had been discovered
late on a drowsy Sunday afternoon in
mid-August. »

It was John Luffman, a middle-aged
share-cropper, who first sounded the
alarm. Luffman worked the farm of
Deputy Sheriff N. K. Herndon on
shares; and on this particular Sunday
he was engaged in work on his own
section. The Herndons. were away:
for the day, but their niece, pretty,
blonde Rufine, and her husband,
Grady Cherry, who lived with them,
were at home.

During the course of the long day,
Luffman had a few occasions to enter
the Herndon home, and it was the re-
sult of his final visit that sent him
scurrying down the road to the farm
of Robert Chadwick, the nearest
neighbor. f

“Something ain’t right over to the’

Herndon house,” he announced.some-
what incoherently. “I looked in the
parlor and seen Rufine stretched out
on the floor, not moving none.”

Pressed for further details, Luffman
was vague. He was just -certain that
something was wrong. Finally Chad-
wick dispatched his two young daugh-
ters to find out. what the man was
mumbling about, and then on second
thought went along himself.

It was well that he did so, for the
scene that confronted them in the
Herndon parlor. required steady
nerves. It was likely that Grady
Cherry had had na warning of his
death—the bullet had drilled through
the back of his head while he slept.

But his wife, Rufine—

That was the puzzler. She was
stretched out on the floor, and the
thin, skimpy housedress she was wear-
ing was smoothed evenly about her
bare legs. Her head was comfortably
pillowed on the folded quilt. Her
hands were crossed on her breast. It
was almost as though she had pre-
pared herself, neatly, and caretully
and properly for the end.

Almost—

Chadwick brusquely ordered his
frightened, wide-eyed daughters out
of the house and stood for an unde-
cided moment staring down at the two
bodies. He’d best notify someone
right away, he decided. He’d better
call the sheriff—

It was at that moment that Herndon
and his wife returned from their day’s
‘outing, and involuntarily Chadwick
breathed a sigh of relief, thankful
that the matter was out of his hands.
He broke the news as gently as he
could, and stood tactfully to one side
while the Herndons viewed with
shocked, disbelieving eyes the double
tragedy that had suddenly made hide-
ous a calm and peaceful Sunday.

It was Herndon who notified the
proper authorities in the little village

It wasn’t likely she’d make.

of Dover. Stoically and firmly he re-
strained his wife from touching the
bodies, from doing the little things a
country woman does for the dead. He

was a deputy sheriff himself, and he-

knew the correct procedure in such
matters.

ITHIN the hour, one by one, the
men gathered at the grief stricken
Herndon home. First, Sheriff
Clyde Trinkle, and his ' daughter,
Deputy Sheriff Helen. Trinkle, fol-
lowed shortly by Attorney General
Howell and Judge Link. The, local

undertaker, John Ridgeway, came to
act as Medical Examiner.

It was Ridgeway who examined
the bodies first. The examination was
not complete—no more than an in-
spection of the bullet wounds and a
movement of the arms. Nevertheless,
it was sufficient to enable Ridgeway
to announce with certainty that the
deaths had occurred some hours pre-
viously.

“Before noon, I should say,” he
ointed out. “Rigor mortis is already
eaving the bodies, and that takes
quiet a few hours, even in this heat.”


across

the table. “I wish we had more of
them. Sheriff; pardon me, but if
he’s that kind of a person, why don’t
you appoint him a deputy and give
him a gun right now. hat’s what
I’d do.”

Trinkle beamed, striking the table
with sudden ardor. “How about it,
Alvin? You want to apply for a
commission now? I have an extra
gun I can let you have.”

“Suits me, Sheriff,’ Hicks an-
swered, his natural arrogance boosted
by the offer. And ten minutes later,
at Trinkle’s dictation, he had written
and signed the following: “Sheriff
Clyde Trinkle: I am herewith maki
application to you as a deputy sheri
on your force while I am working
on this thing and trying to catch the
gang who killed Herndon’s niece
and son-in-law. I am here to visit
my father and will work until I re-
turn home later. I will thank you
to borrow your gun and will return
it again. Until this debt is better
paid, I am sincerely yours, Alvin
Hicks.”

It will be noted that the sheriff, in
dictating the application, used several
words found in the death note. ,

Bidding the now thoroughly in-
flated suspect a casual goodby the
officers drove to police headquarters.
There they acquainted the officials
with their business in Evansville and
obtained their promise to keep Hicks
under surveillance during. the next
few days. e

Trinkle returned to Dover, while
Summer went directly to Memphis.
On the next Monday the private
sleuth went openly for the first time
to Trinkle’s office.

“You've finally won your case,”
he said, smiling broadly and gripping

the eagerly extended hand of the =thought they were
“Experts. say that the same

sheriff.
hand wrote both the death note and
the deputy’s application.”

“Alvin Hicks!” Trinkle breathed
the name. : :
“Without a doubt,” Summer said.
Moving swiftly, the sheriff tele-
phoned the police in Evansville.
Within an hour he received word that
the wanted man was in custody.
Elated over the prospects of a final
solution of the. case to which they
had given so much time and effort,
the two got into the*sheriff’s car and

sped toward Indiana.

HE prisoner faced them in his

cell, voluble with vehement
denials of any connection with the
crime. Loudly proclaiming his in-
nocence and challenging the sheriff
to convict him, he readily waived
extradition back to Tennessee.

But his boasted confidence -gradu-
ally wavered while he sat and
meditated behind the bars of the
Tennessee jail. Ignoring the pris-
oner’s egotistical attitude and profane
defiance at the beginning, Trinkle

circumstances which tied him to the
crime; including the expert’s opinion
coupling the two specimens of hand-
writing together as his own.

“IT was a damn fool to write that
junk,” he bellowed to Trinkle a few
days later. “I might’ve known you
wouldn’t let me be no deputy sheriff.”

“Yes, that was when you. put your
foot into it,’ Trinkle responded
quickly, seeing the prisoner’s guard
down. “But Alvin, you can’t dodge
the law forever. It would’ve come
out some other way.”

“Like hell it would.” The bitter-
ness in his voice drew the sheriff’s
sharp attention to -the man’s .face,
now paled, sweat coveréd, his lips
quivering.

“Why don’t you:tell.me about it,
Alvin?” Trinkle encouraged doggedly.
“Don’t you think you’d feel better?”

“I .guess so,” he muttered, all.sem-
blance of defiance gone. “I killed
Ruth . . . because I loved her. Sheriff,
I couldn’t stand it any longer. I shot
her with John Luffman’s gun, the
one he stole from Mr. Herndon, I
reckon:” ,

“What about Grady, why did you

kill him?”

‘J didn’t. John did it. We went
there together. I killed one and he
killed the other.”

The sheriff looked incredulous.
“Alvin, are you telling the truth?
It won’t help your case one bit to tell
a lie.” But now the rumor regard-
ing Luffman’s resentment against the
young mail carrier flashed’ through
the sheriff’s mind.

“T’]l tell you what happened,” the
prisoner reiterated. ‘We made it up
together. John hated Grady because
he wouldn’t quit hauling his girl, he
etting too thick.”

Trinkle recalled the shrewd deduc-
tion made by Helen, his daughter and
chief deputy, regarding Luffman’s
ability to see both victims through
the living-room window, and swelled
with pride. The young chief deputy
had been right, after all.

Trinkle immediately called Dis-
trict Attorney-General W. C. Howell,
who, in the presence of Detective
Summer and himself, reduced Hicks’
startling confession to writing. Then,
on May 11, 1945,' 21 months after
the murders, the trio took Hicks’
signed confession to the Tennessee

enitentiary where Luffman, realiz-
ing the futility of a.denial, readily
admitted taking part in the slayings
and signed a full.confession.

On Saturday, August 11, 1945, to
climax an action-packed trial, Judge
Dancey Fort sentenced each of the
confessed slayers to death by electro-
cution.

Stan Bartley and Len Henty are
fictitious names, used to spare em-
barrassment to persons not criminally
involved in this case.

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WHAT WAS EXPLANATION BEHIN

The men grouped in the close,
heavy air of the hot parlor nodded
somberly. Methodically, then, they
went on about their prescribed tasks.
Photographs were taken of the two
bodies and of the room.

Finally Sheriff Trinkle turned his
attention to the death weapon, ;

“You ever seen this before, Link?”

“he asked of Deputy Herndon.

Herndon bobbed his head abruptly.
“J have,” he said in.a carefully. con-
trolled voice. He hesitated for an
appreciable moment, then went on
slowly, “It’s mine. Missed it a couple
of weeks ago. I thought then that it
had been stolen. But now—’* ;

He made a weary gesture of uncer-
tainty,.and his shoulders sagged.

Sheriff Trinkle nodded sympathet-

jnally and turned back to a study of

D THEI
Grady Cherry and his wife, Rufine, whose bodies were found in the living room
of their home, together with an anonymous,

ee Th

w

Re MYSTERIOUS DEATHS?

the corpse of the young woman. That
was when he noticed the scrap of
paper that had been beneath the re-
volver, almost concealed by the girl’s

arm.

._ He picked it up, studying it care-
fully in the waning light, ‘and a deep
frown creased his forehead. Aware
at last of the waiting men silently
watching him, he cleared his throat
and began reading aloud, slowly ‘and
painstakingly deciphering the crude
scrawl in which the note was penned:

Deputy Sheriff Herndon: Here
is your gun, also. your Niece. I

owed you and Trinkle a debt, and -

I am paying them. <I will visit
him later. Take good care of the
gun. I’ may want to borry it _again

some time. Thanks for the use of it. ©

The Gang > . ‘

crudely scrawled “vengeance” note.

He finished at last and glanced at
Judge Link and Attorney General
Howell, and finally at Herndon, him-
self. The latter shook his head.

“Tt don’t make good sense,” he said
flatly. “I don’t know any gang.”

Sheriff Trinkle glanced from the
note in his hand to the dead girl. She
could have written it herself, he
thought, just to make it look less like
a murder and suicide—a pitiful effort
to remove some of the stigma and
shame. Deliberately, however, he
refrained from voicing the suspicion.

After that there were only routine
things to be done. ‘ The bodies were
taken into Dover by the undertaker to
be embalmed and prepared for a
funeral. Sheriff Trinkle took pos-
session of the revolver and the
scrawled note.

Grim-faced and taciturn, making of
their grief a private thing, Deputy
Sheriff Herndon and his wife watched
their neighbors depart.

What remained now was the matter
of sifting evidence and clues for -pre-
sentation to a Coroner’s Jury. But
what evidence? What clues?

There was nothing—beyond the ob-
vious facts.

Grady Cherry had been a pleasant
and good-natured young man. He
was a rural mail carrier, conscientious
and friendly at his job. Everyone
knew him—everyone liked him.

His wife, Rufine, had been a pretty,
attractive blonde girl. She, too, had
no known enemies. But she hadn't
been well lately. A few months be-
fore she had’ given birth, but the baby
hadn’t lived., Since then she had been
ailing and despondent and had talked
about going to the hospital to stay.

And a morose woman, grieving over
the loss of a baby, is apt to do strange
‘things, unpredictable things.

Perhaps the verdict reluctantly
arrived at by the Coroner’s Jury was
inevitable. It was either that—mur-
der and suicide—or one of murder by
persons unknown. And the latter
didn’t seem to jibe with the facts.

But the verdict didn’t close the case.

Such cases are never closed in a
small and closely knit community.
Uncertainty breeds rumors, doubts,
and suspicions. Little hatreds and
jealousies, long and carefully hidden
from the world, come to the surface.
Gossip feeds on gossip, and what was
a whispered, question yesterday be-
comes a shouted fact tomorrow.

So it was in the little hill village of
Dover. The dark.and menacing finger
of unspoken accusation pointed one
way and then another. Anonymous
letters were secretly dropped in the
mail and found their way to the top
of Sheriff Trinkle’s worn and scarred
desk. ‘In Barrow’s barber shop, and
at the crossroads store, and around
the filling station, each man had his
theory—each man knew what he
knew, even if he wasn’t telling all
of it! é

The dead were buried, but they
didn’t rest in peace. .

Nor did time ease the tension.
Months went by, and those who had
merely differed at first in their idle
theories now became split by bitter
‘animosity. Understandably, the rela-
tives of the dead couple were openly
dissatisfied with the verdict, clamor-
ous in their insistence that ‘Sustice” be
done.. And the Herndons wanted the
- stain removed from their name.

Therefore, in October, 1944, Sheriff
’ Trinkle came to a decision. The case
was now fourteen months old, and he

pe two
had littl 3
John eis er
had acted as th:

had done
with its
hundred
had a trai
Common
always be:
ever min
Conside
and the
townsfolk,
might be
But not fr
He reca]
known pri
originally
where his {
a’ preacher
presenting
Studying
fin, too, ha
was still
down with
unable at t
vestigate t
signed an :
results we:
He remir
the case \
any clues t
prove that
murder anc
morbid sui
cold.
_Then an
his staff.
The man
had worked
fore, and {
high . regard
severing de
qualities of ;
Griffin tu:
Cherry myst
to_go ahead.
2 the
he faced a cd

and gossip h

the case that

Picture of

occurred. He

with Sheriff
the basic fa
they were.
ere wer:
case that She:
scrawled note
found at the ;
and the bull.
two bodies,
ummers st
Speculative
meditatively ;
hen, for mo;
he sent them
pert ballistics
32 revolver.

The next da
and it was th.

The bullet ;

herry was f;
That taken fr;
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body.

That meant |
used. But only
the Scene of the

nd in Pari.
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t became nex

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Department of Institutions.

W. 0. BAIRD, M.D.
COMMISSIONER?

COLOR Co Ce MENZLER - eA

*

eRe D. GREENLAW
NASHVILLE 3. TENN. cates * SSinzeToR

SECRETARY . :

Xai,

Be pe ee

“above. ashe ution. - eae
glad to ‘forward. he file in ae case. when it has been oa : we

d of. ‘in. gene: Supreme Court and the date for electrocution

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a Division of Pardons, Paroles and Probation cS

aan HAIRMAN.
Cc.’ Cc. MENZLER - », D. GREENLAW °° *
DIRECTOR } ve py set

| SECRETARY

m pertaining to the ee
een by electrocution. = —

hist advised mete”
s onse.whon it has been
_ date, for electrocution’ =.”
y ithe near future and they =
86-Shelby County. SS
E ‘eRutherford County.

¢

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Yours very truly

* Reads: G eenlaw
Secretary. aro

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“© Pivision of Pardons, Paroles and Probation
fo) We 'Q. BAIRD. (CHAIRMAN.
6. G. MENZLER » . D. GREENLA
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These search terms have been highlighted: hanged mitchell county

The Hancock County Hanging

On December 16. 1896. Maried Hatfield was hanged for the murder of Jonas Trail. the account of
which was detailed in an article published in the Knoxville Sentinel.

The newspaper article was reprinted by Earl H. Garland in 1966. Thanks to Mr. Garland's
preservation of this priceless item from the past. we have an account of the only legal hanging that
ever occurred in Hancock County. Tennessee.

HE MAKES 4 FULL CONFESSION OF HIS COMPLICITY IN THE MURDER OF JONAS
TRAIL

Yesterday marked an important epoch in the history of our neighboring county of Hancock. as it
witnessed the first legal hanging ever within its borders. Maried Hatfield. the vouthful murderer
of Jonas Trail. was hanged by Sheriff Buttry and his deputies about 1 o'clock p.m. upon a
common scaffold erected about one half mile from the jail. The scaffold was erected upon a stout
platform in which there was the usual trap door. This platform was surrounded by an enclosure
30 x 30 feet of heavy oak planks 10 feet high and located in a low place with hills on all sides. The
condemned man was taken from the jail Saturday and baptized in a creek nearby. and then said
he was ready to meet hire deom. About 3000 people from the surrounding territory of Keatucky.

Virginia. and Tennessee viewed the hanging from the surrounding hills. When the scaffold was
reached the condemned man utterly broke down and cried long and loud. In fact he was so broken
up that he could neither stand up or talk. and the few words that he wanted to say to the crowd
had to be said through the mimister and others. and when the black cap was drawn he had to be
held up by the Sheriff and his deputies until the drop fell. He was 22 vears of age.

The attached confession was made Friday night last by Hatfield and sent to the Knoxville Sentinel
by a special correspondent:

HATFIELD’S LAST CONFESSION - Sneedville. December 11. 1896

“I was along and participated in the murder of Jonas Trai. | went with the woman. Haney
Jordon. on the night of the 2 Sth of March 1896. to kill Trail for his money. Trail was selling liquor
at a county “blind tiger.” He had been to the Jordon woman's house something like one month
before the murder and showed his money to Mrs. Jordon. She told me a few davs after this that

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HATFIELD, Marion

Marion Hatfield was hanged at Sneedville, Tenn.
for murder on December 16, 1896.

1897 undated Chicago TRIBUNE, sent by Massey &
containing 1896 execution list.

Atlanta Constitution 19-17-1896 [6

to the
He was one of the Hattrelds oF feuding fame. Contessed
Murder of ones Teil Aidblic Cyxecuthvre in The Sneed ville ie:
Theater luttyessed b Y 5000 people in Spite of law requiring prive ,
CXecutions. Ae deed yellow. Had to be carried Te gallows and Wen

Through The Trap tha kneeling posttion:


d to a stop in the Ges r—a gun: in’ n’em.. .I narrowed, as he read the note... dened by. the death of their two-week-

ires trotted ‘into. the
the dusty road.» Ken-—
or, was in the “van;
45-year-old “Herndon.

hen I come up to water ~
d 40’clock,” he blurted,
-om his exertion. “Cot-—~

eur

Hh
I

Tf
|

quill
| sil

ers
oT

re, > PALS ’ Pm
#3 CM es fe

Ad -Sunday morning was rudely shattered by gunfire in'the dwelling of The victims were Grady “Cotton"' Cher-
' Deputy Sherif N.K Herndon at Tharpe, a’ tiny community in northern Ten- ry, the local pra onal sented shat
_nessee. Some hours later a hired hand reported the discovery of two bodies. his wife, Ruthine. A note was found.

ye a %e

Se eee.

‘trigger guard.

a

asked. “Why would he leave such a
misleading note?”

Herndon shook his head. “I can’t
guess. He and his wife never had any
serious quarrels. They seemed to have
about gotten over the young one’s
death.” ;

“Cotton was in good spirits this
morning?”

“re say so.”

Trinkle had seen powder burns on
the dead man’s flesh. He had also
noted that the weapon lay just to the
right of Cherry’s body and could have
fallen there from his hand.

“If he wanted us to believe someone
else did it,” the sheriff remarked, “the
plan wasn’t well thought out. If we
prove by his handwriting that he
scrawled the note that’s all there is to
this case.”

Trinkle lifted the revolver by the
It contained six car-
tridges, two of which had been dis-
charged.

“There wasn’t anything around here
for a thief to steal,” he pointed out,
“and I can’t think of anyone who had
a grudge against you or me, as this note
says.”

Herndon was plainly downcast. “You
may be right, sheriff,’ he conceded,
“but neither Cotton nor Ruthine seemed
to be thinking of anything like that at
the party last night.”

-Trinkle wrapped a , handkerchief
around the gun and stowed the parcel
in a pocket. “What party was that?”

Herndon explained. He had enter-
tained on Saturday night for a dozen
or more close friends. There were sing-
ing, dancing and refreshments. The
-Cherrys seemed to have enjoyed the
affair,

- Suggests Grudge Motive

Trinkle took out his notebook. “Who
all was here?” The guests were Mr.
and Mrs. Kennedy, John Luffman, Alvin
Hicks, Mr. and. Mrs. Otis Wehring,
‘Bessie Luffman, Fred Dreyfus and four
others.

“T can’t see how any of them could be

mixed up in this,” Herndon said. “You
and I have arrested quite a few men
in the line of duty, Clyde. One of them
might have come back here and done
this thing—just to get even.”
’ “With your gun?” Trinkle scoffed.
“And- why would that person. kill the
Cherrys rather than one of us? No,
that doesn’t: sound too. good.”

Herndon’s ire mounted: “But I’m
sure Cotton couldn’t have done it!” he

-snapped. “We’re not going to let it
ae ak way, are we?” ‘.

Trinkle shook his head. “Nope,” he
promised. “I’m investigating this case
to the limit.”

_ The bodies were removed to a funeral
parlor in Dover, and two local plysi-
cians were engaged to perform. the
autopsies. j

Trinkle, Herndon, Judge Link and.
Prosecutor Howell canvassed the vil-
lage and neighboring farms, but learned
that the only person seen around the
deputy’s farm that day was John Luff-
man. He had come, of course, to do the
chores. -

The sheriff took the scrawled mes- - Park

’ Sheriff, Trinkle

sage and the death gun back to his
office where. his stunning daughter,
Helen, was in charge. She was his chief
deputy, and Trinkle was proud to
assert that she had proved one of his
best peace officers. He and the eager
young woman examined the card and
weapon carefully, but neither bore
fingerprints.

The pistol was a cheap weapon.
Herndon explained he had not reported
its theft because he believed he’d
merely mislaid the gun somewhere
around the house. '

“Where perhaps it was found by one
of your party guests,” Helen Trinkle
suggested. “As soon as we hear the

autopsy report, let’s talk with them all. -

I'll interview the women. It may be
one of them saw or heard some-

It required but a brief invéstigation
to satisfy the sheriff that no man he or
Deputy Herndon had arrested in the
past was responsible for the deaths of
Cotton and Ruthine. The post mortem
reports verified the supposition that
both had been killed by bullets, and
fixed the time of death at around 10
a.m. Sunday.

One by one the Saturday night party
guests were questioned. “Every man
jack of ’em has an alibi for Sunday
morning,” Sheriff Trinkle reported.

“And the women all say both Cotton
and Ruthine were in good spirits at the

shindig,” his daughter contributed. .

“There’s not a whisper of a clue among
the gossips up in Tharpe, either. I’ve
been listening pretty cl
Meanwhile Deputy ion had dug
up a specimen of Cotton Cherry’s hand-

- writing, as well as a sample-of John

Luffman’s scrawl. The latter he ob-
tained because. Luffman was the only
person. known to have been around the
farm on Sunday. Even without a

glass it was easy toa see

magnifying
neither the victim nor the hired hand
could have written the message on the

On August 19 Magistrate Burgess,
acting as coroner, an inquest.
The verdict of the jury left the case
wide open. It classified the deaths as
due either to a suicide ag or a double
murder. _ Convinced: Cherry had
not penned the message left behind,

was sure it was mur-
der. ; ,

Afi oe next 14 months he conducted
what called a “quiet” investigation.
Then he threw up his hands and called
on Attorney General Howell: —

“We'll never know the truth about
this . unless we’ engage services

of an experienced. detective,” he ad-_

mitted, :

Howell agreed. He knew Trinkle
had made an honest attempt to solve
the puzzle although handicapped by:
the. lack of facilities and scientific
traini : :

“T think it can be arranged,” he said.

On October 6, 1944, he and Trinkle-

journeyed 300 miles across the state
to. Memphis and explained the case to
William T. Griffin, head of the William
-T. Griffin Secret Service, a private de-
tective agency; and his superintendent,

Chief deputy sheriff under her
dad, stunning Helen Trinkle re-
membered a peculiar incident...

Griffin was skeptical. “It’s a long time
since that thing happened.”

“T’d still like to tackle it,” Summers
spoke up.

Griffin ed. “It’s all yours.”

Howell and Trinkle had brought with
them the note, pistol, the two lethal

bullets, samples of handwriting by

Cherry and Luffman, the statements of
Herndon’s party guests, and a full re-
port of the sheriff's futile efforts cover-
ing more than a year.

Different Bullets

Summers asked for a couple of days: | q

to study the evidence. He soon discov-
ered the slugs were of unequal weight.

The bullet removed from Ruthine’s
head weighed 99 grains, which was the
approximate weight of slugs taken
from the pistol’s undischarged car-

tridges.

But the pellet extracted from her
husband’s brain weighed 120 grains—
21 more! Did this mean two pistols
had been used in the crime?

“Maybe,” Summers explained, “the
heavier bullet picked up extraneous
‘matter in passing through bone. How-
ever, two guns and two killers is a
possibility.” ey *

Examination of the death note elim-

‘inated the dead husband as its author.

It absolved John Luffman.too. .
“But there is a clue in this writing,”

Summers pointed out to the two

Stewart County officials. “It’s barely

visible to the eye.. However, the magni- ;

fying glass brings it out clearly.

“MAKE MI
AMATEUR

Atter working on th
a year, Sheriff Clyc
Stewart County had

and in every- instance
with a tiny fishhook.
. i character;
hook may yet dangle
+he visiting officers
a admiration for

¢ “We should have
ago, 4 the sheriff said.
"Maybe it’s not to.
replied. “There’s no
except the one the ki!
But I don’t buy th:
t it was somethin;
ing Cherry, his wife
tt e out for ic
Was Octo r 12
got his first look at t)
and talked to Deputy
The uncle of Ruthine (
ing_to finance the pr
ee ‘
ion’t know of an
or Ruthine had,” he
‘but there was an inc
weeks before their de.
have a bearing on the
‘Ruthine was out i

‘ ‘one day As Herndon wen

shots flew over her hes
ad house, terrified. “A
ere were quite a few |
so I figured one of the:
gun too near the house.
find out who it was.”
It might not have b
Summers declared,
Herndon nodded. “Ti

| lieve now. I
r person who wrote this note# er hag
crossed his ‘ts’ with a separate stroke, F

to say anything about

| Someone was trying to |


2838 Oi:
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bg bk

et ate lt
t
egy

‘d heriff under her
rca Helen Trinkle re-
sered a peculiar incident...

is skeptical. Be a long time
thing happened.”
‘ike t tackle it,” Summers

ed. “It’s all yours.”
I einkle had brought tain

full re-
Rewk. 5 futile efforts cover-

than a year.
Different Bullets

extracted from her
3 brain weighed 120 grains—
| Did this mean two pistols
used in the crime?
,e,” Summers explained, “the
bullet picked up extraneous
in passing through bone. How-

and two killers is a

1e pellet

ination of the death note elim-

he dead husband as its author. '

ved John Luffman too.

there is a clue in this writing,”

inted out to the two
tt Prose officials. “It’s barely
to the eye. However, the magni-

brings it out clearly.
—_ a, whe wrote this note

y

3

Atter working on the case for over

a year, Sheriff Clyde C. Trinkle of .
Stewart County had to admit defeat.

and in every-instance began that stroke
with a tiny fishhook. It’s quite a dis-
tinguishing characteristic, and that fish-
hook may yet dangle a murderer.”
The visiting officers openly expressed
their’ admiration for the investigator’s
‘“We should have had you a year

~ ago,” the sheriff said. .

“Maybe it’s not too late,” Summers
replied. “There’s no motive apparent
except the one the killer himself gives.
But I don’t buy that completely. I
think it was something deeper—involv-
ing Cherry, his wife or both. \ We'll
strike out for Tharpe tomorrow.” —

It was October 12 when Summers
got his first look at the murder. room:
and talked to Deputy Sheriff. Herndon.
The uncle of Ruthine Cherry was help-
ing to finance the private detective’s:
‘work, = ae

“I don’t know of any enemy Cotton

. or Ruthine had,” he told Summers,

| his ‘ts’ with a separate stroke,’

“but there was an incident about two
weeks before their deaths that might
have a bearing on the case..

“Ruthine was out in the barnyard
one day,” Herndon went on,:“when two
shots flew over her head. She ran into
the house, terrified. About. that time
there were quite a few hunters around,
so I figured one of them had used his
gun too near the house. We never did
find out who it was.”

“It might not have been a hunter,”
Summers declared. :

Herndon nodded.
lieve now. I never could get Ruthine
to say anything about it, though. If
someone was trying to kill her then, I

“That’s what I be- ,

However, a private sleuth helped to
run this killer to earth. He broke
down and implicated another suspect.

don’t know who it was or why.”

The - private detective asked him
about the stolen murder gun. .

“It just disappeared,” Herndon said.
“My. house is usually full of people on
Saturday nights. But whoever swiped
that pistol must bé our man.”

“Unless he peddled or gave it to
somebody else,” Summers answered.
“Anyhow, I'd bet the theft narrows

the field of suspects down to people who-

had access to your house.”

“That would include about half the
residents of Tharpe,” Herndon said.

Summers saw a photograph of a
young woman on the mantel. Herndon
noted his interest. “My niece, Ruthine,”
he explained: “A beautiful girl.”

The private detective nodded
thoughtfully. “She was married at
17,” he mused. * “Did Cotton Cherry
have any serious competition?”

Girls Rode With Cherry

Herndon caught. the point. “You
mean rivals?) No, I can’t remember

4

-any. That was six years ago, though.

Any unsuccessful suitor should have
cooled/off in that time.”

“How about some admirer after her

e?” m2

“I never heard of anyone. Why do
you ask that?”

“I’m casting around for a motive. I'll
wager those barnyard shots were not
accidental.”

The private detective wanted to know
about Cherry. Herndon said he was a
plodding, methodical man devoted to
his wife. 'The husband, in addition to
carrying the rural mail, made additional

“MAKE ME A DEPUTY AND I'LL FIND YOUR KILLER!” AND THE
| AMATEUR DETECTIVE DID REVEAL THE GUILTY MAN’S IDENTITY

This man had figured in the case be-
fore, but investigators had cleared
him of suspicion. He also confessed.

income by riding workers between
Tharpe and the war plants in Model
and Dover.

“Women passengers, too?”

. “Yes, some young girls rode with
him.” ¥

When Summers retired to his hotel
room that night his mind was busy
with speculations. On the following
morning he drove to Model, six miles
to the north, where Cherry had worked

out of the t office.
He penn out fellow employes of the
dead carrier and wanted to know

whether Cotton ever had talked about
any of his women passengers. -

One of the clerks nodded. “I don’t
think they meant anything to Cotton,”
he said, “but he was beginning to get
into trouble over a couple of them.”

“In what way?”

“Their fathers started to think there
was more to it than just a ride back and
forth to work.”

“Was there?”

‘Don't ask me. Cotton said he was
going to cut out riding women passen-
gers. Some girl’s old man threatened
to beat him up.”

“You know those girls?”

The clerk named them. One was the
daughter of John Luffman. The others
were Blanche Wehring and Sadie
Wells.

“I believe we can cross Luffman off
the list,” Sheriff Trinkle suggested.
“After all, we’ve compared his hand-
writing with that of the note, and
found they don’t match. Sadie Wells
is married, and her dad was dead at
the time, so he (Continued on page 49)

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Bullets for Two

(Continued from page 29)

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(Continued from page 9)

anything further was said between the
two officials,. their attention was
drawn to a well-known, elderly citi-
zen of the community who came up
and quietly touched the sheriff's
shoulder,

“Clyde,” he began in a lowered
voice, “this may not be any account
but I’m going to tell you anyhow. I
happen to know that John Luffman
and Grady had been at dagger’s point
for weeks. It started over Luffman’s
eighteen-year-old daughter riding on
the mail truck with him. I guess she
was perfectly innocent, but that didn’t

keep old John from getting boiling -

mad. He told Grady not to dare to
04 her up again, Sut the boy told
im the truck was a public convey-
ance and the girl was entitled to ride
the same as anyone else.”

“Did she ride any more?”

“She certainly did. Less “uan a
week ago I saw them pass my house.
I thought then that there’d be trouble,
and since this has happened I thought

“you ought to know,”

Learning that Luffman had left:the
scene, the officials drove directly to
the shabby little tenant house where
he and the daughter lived alone. They
found him seated on his front steps,
industriously fanning himself with
his sun-browned straw hat.

“I just told Grady to keep her outen
his truck,” he explained. “I weren’t
mad er nothin’. An’ we didn’t have
no short words. I jist said I didn’t
want my gal a-runnin’ over the coun-
try > gawbings 8

“Did you know that she rode with
him after that?”

“Yes, I did, Mr. Trinkle. That’s why
she’s not here.” He turned sullenly
and motioned toward the open front
door. “I give her a good whoppin’ an’
she runned off to Dover. I’m goin’
after her tomorrow.” er

“Did you and Grady have any words
the last time?” Judge Link inquired,
observing the man’s apparent ner-
vousness.

“No. I didn’t put the blame on

Grady. ‘Hit was my gal a-runnin’ off
that made me so infernal mad.”

HAT whey, | the sheriff met with

the judge at his office in the court-
house. Their faces were drawn and
burdened with official Bi eens A

“Clyde,” Link ‘began, “the people
‘are certainly stirred up over this
thing. I’ve never seen anything like
it. few still insist on suicide, but,
shucks, those young eople didn’t
have any reason to estroy them-
selves.” ee

“Judge, you’re absolutely right,”
Trinkle replied. “And I can’t under-
stand why Herndon can’t see it, Why,
‘he was so .positive they had killed
themselves. he even grabbed u the
sap and, I’m afraid, smudged a the
b

ngerprints, He’s a good man, Judge,’

ut they’re his people, you know, and
naturally it’s hard for him to let him-

<

self believe they were murdered right
in his own home.”

“And with“his own pistol, too.”

A perturbed light came into the
sheriffs eyes and remained there
while the two stared at each other,
during several moments of silence
“That’s been bothering me too, Judge,”

-he admitted.

Moments later the judge asked,
“What’s your next move?”

‘T’ve sent for Carney Baggett, a
fingerprint expert with the City Police
at Clarksville. I want the prints of
the dead couple and what he can get

- Off the pistol. I’m saving the note, of

course, to compare with the hand-
writing of any suspect.”

At the mortuary the next morning
a surprising event occurred. While
Baggett was working on fingerprints,
Herndon, pale and worn, arrived.

“Sheriff, I want to be in on this,”’ he
announced bluntly. “I have a sample
of Ruth and Grady’s handwriting, and
I'll give you some of mine. Also, I
want. my fingerprints taken: Then, I
hope you'll send the whole thing to
the FBI at Washington.” Exceedingly
pleased with his deputy’s attitude, the
sheriff agreed to follow his sugges-
tion. .

S EVERAL days later Trinkle quietly
called a man named Alvin Hicks
out of a group of idlers in front of a
Dover drug store. This heavy-faced
man _in his middle twenties lived in
the Tharpe community. Trinkle knew
him as a questionable character, but
was willing to gamble on the fellow
being able to throw some light on the
recent tragedy.

“T just know one thing, Sheriff,”
Hicks disclosed with apparent reluc-
tance. “I’ve been thinking about it
ever since Ruth and Grady were found
dead. On the Saturday night before
that Sunday, there was a big blow-out
in the ridges. While the thing was
going on, I went outside with another
ellow to take a drink. There were
some other men out there and I
heard one of them talking. It was
‘pretty dark but I’m sure it was Len

enty. I knew his voice.. He was
awful mad at the Cherrys—something
about turning him in to the Federal
men. At any rate, he said he was
going to get even with them if he
went to the chair.” -

“Alvin, are you giving me the
straight goods?” Trinkle demanded,
his thoughts running back through the
years he had known Henty. “Len’s
been in‘ trouble before, you know.”

“Sure, he’s dangerous, Sheriff. But
you ought to know, you’ve sent him
up enough.”

“Yes. Did you know the man he
was talking with?”

“No, but the boys who were with
me might know.”

‘In view of Henty’s past record this
information, in ‘Trinkle’s opinion,
made him a prime suspect. Elated
over the prospect of an early solution
to the puzzling case, he drove directly

. to. the Henty cabin, secluded in the

hill country east of Tharpe. Here the


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At this juncture the FBI reported
that the only legible fingerprints on
the pistol were those of Herndon.
The note on the card bore no resem-
blance to any handwriting specimen
submitted.

FTER this the investigation

dragged on for months. Clues
were uncovered and run down with-
out results. Some rumors were ban-
died about until proved to be without
foundation; others persisted to harass
the conscientious sheriff. One that
continued to bedevil him was that
Deputy. Herndon and young Cherry
had had numerous arguments in
which the uncle threatened to take
extreme measures in behalf of his
niece. The reported trouble between
Luffman and Grady grew with time,
until now many charged that the
tight-lipped tenant had chosen a
time and place to visit his smoldering
vengeance upon the man, inciden-
tally murdering the woman for good
measure. But when Luffman was
indicted for a statutory offense and
sent off to serve five years in the
state penitentiary, suspicion of his
connection with the Cherry murders
gradually faded from official minds.

Suddenly, out of’ nowhere, it
seemed, the spotlight fell on Alvin
Hicks, the sheriff’s erstwhile in-
formant. In addition to what Hern-
don had told Trinkle, other bits of
information he gathered here and
there indicated that for months prior
to her death, Hicks had been not only
a persistent suitor to Ruth but a
troublesome one as well. From seem-
ingly authentic sources, he learned
that the girl had rebuffed his ad-
vances time after time, finally being
compelled to report him to her uncle
and to her husband. ;

More weeks went by without suf-
ficient evidence being unearthed to
justify an arrest. But’ the bulldog
tenacity of the sheriff persisted.

“We'll solve this case yet,” he con-
tinued to insist in the face of one
failure after another. And he called
a secret conference in which he,
Deputy Herndon, Judge Link and
District Attorney-General W. C.
Howell participated. As a result of
this meeting, he was authorized to
engage an experienced detective, a
stranger in Stewart County, and send
him into the Tharpe community to
ferret out the truth.

With financial support from. the
county and voluntary contributions
from several friends and relatives of
the dead couple, including Deputy
Herndon, the sheriff set out to find
the man he wanted. He decided on
Park Summer, a well known private
detective from an agency in Memphis.

After an exhaustive review of all
the known details, the experienced
sleuth agreed with the sheriff’s theory
that the double murder had been
inspired by passion, revenge, or
both. Therefore, .to solve the case,
one or more persons with a motive

+. aN is bai

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as well as opportunity to commit the
crime, must be found. Summer set
out with this in mind.

In the guise of an itinerant sales-
man, the detective visited practically
every home and talked to all the
people he could reach in the Tharpe
community. On Saturdays and other
occasions when Dover’s public square
was the gathering place for rural
folk, he made it his business to en-
ter into the street gossip that always

-makes the rounds in a small Ameri-

can town.

Even to this experienced inves-
tigator, his efforts for a time seemed
hopeless. But one day he burst in on
Trinkle with:

“Sheriff, I believe we’ve got some-
thing. Alvin Hicks has disappeared
and none of his neighbors are will-
ing to talk. Just before the murders,
this man told at least two people
that, unless he could persuade Ruth
to leave Grady and run away with
him, he would take her life. In addi-
tion to his threats, on the Sunday
morning of the killing he was seen
dodging through the timber less than
a mile from the Herndon home.”

An intensive search for Hicks was
instituted. Weeks later Trinkle got
word that the suspect was employed
in a war plant at Evansville, Indiana.
He and Summer immediately set out
for that city, on the way devising a
scheme by which they might trap the
man, if guilty.

RINKLE posted himself near the

entrance where Hicks was_ em-
ployed and, under pretense of look-
ing for another man, made his meet-
ing with Hicks appear accidental.
After rather expansive greetings be-
tween the two, the suspect readily
accepted the sheriff's invitation to
dine with him and his salesman friend
at a local hotel.

“Sheriff, I guess you’ve given up
trying to find out how Grady and
Ruth Cherry got killed.” Hicks raised
the subject during the meal, walk-
ing right into the trap set for him.
“Did you ever make out whether they
were killed or committed suicide?”

“Well, Alvin,” Trinkle replied,
simulating awakened interest, “we
haven’t exactly quit the case and
we're not yet sure just what hap-
pened. By the -way, Alvin, you
tried to help me in that case once,
so wk can’t you come back home
and ‘iet me make you a deputy? I
wouldn’t mind paying a good reward
to have that case cleared up.”

Hicks grinned, an egatistical glint
in his dark eyes. “I’ll bet I could find
out how those people got killed in
no time,” he bragged, resting his big
hands on the table. “Wait till I come
to Tharpe next month. Why, hell,
yes, Sheriff, P’ll help you.”

“That’s fine, Alvin,” Trinkle ap-
proved, ier’ a lively sense of
appreciation. “I believe you are the
very man I need. By George!” he
exclaimed, turning to Summer who,
apparently, was paying little atten-
tion to their conversation. “Parks,
how about that for a loyal con-
stituent! We had what some of us
think was a bad murder in our coun-
ty a while back. Alvin here lives
right where it happened. He’s just
promised to come home right soon
and help me work it out.”

“Now, that’s what I call a good
citizen,” Summer replied, appar-
ently taking a new interest in the
dark, round-faced young man across

the ta!
them.
he’s th
you a!
him <¢
I’d do

Trin
with $
Alvin’
comm
gun |

“Su

swere:
by the
at Tri:
and
Clyde
appli
on yt
on thi
gang
and s:
my fa
turn
to bor
it agi
paid,
Hicks
It w
dictati
words
Bid
flated
office:
Ther:
with °


ow

-

energetic officer suffered a set-back.
Although there were signs of habita-
tion about the place, the doors were
securely locked and no one responded
to his knocking. Reluctantly he turned
away and drove back to Dover, de-
termined soon to repeat the call.

gi ere next day, however, a clever
young woman turned the spotlight
of suspicion back to Luffman. Miss
Helen Trinkle, the sheriff’s daughter
as well as his popular chief deputy,
had joined her father and Judge Link
on an inspection tour to the Herndon
farm. .Being familiar with all the
known facts in the case, she soon
called the men’s attention to a circum-
stance that would have done credit to
a veteran detective.

“Look, Daddy,” she exclaimed, “Mr.
Luffman said he looked through that
screened window that morning and

‘saw Mrs. Cherry lying on the floor.

Then, you remember, he said he
peeped into the same window in the
afternoon and decided something was
wrong and rushed over to Bartley’s.
Now, here’s the point: I answered Mr.
Bartley’s call at the jail. He told me
that Luffman had just reported to him
that both the Cherrys were dead.”
She paused for a moment, studying
the room, then: “Judge Link, you’re
as large as Mr. Cherry. Suppose you
lie down on that davenport and Daddy
you go outside and see if you can see
him through the window.”

Instantly grasping the importance
of the young chief deputy’s theory,
the men quickly acted out her sug-
gestion.

“I couldn’t even see any part of the
davenport,” Trinkle reported, re-
entering the room. “It looks like our
friend Luffman either assumed a lot
or knew more than he saw through
that window.”

A few minutes later the stolid sus-
pect was making a desperate effort
to meet and overcome this discrepancy
in his story.

“You've jist got ever’thing wrong,”
he growled, when questioned by
Trinkle. “I didn’t say I seen Grady. I
told the Bartleys that I’d bet he was
dead too, ’cause I knowed he was sup-
posed to be in the house with Ruth.”
This, in the face of the positive asser-
tion of Bartley, supported by mem-
bers of his family, that he reported
both Cherrys dead, the woman on the
floor and the man on the davenport.

“Well, he may have been using his
imagination,” Trinkle observed as
they drove back to Dover. “But I’m
certainly keeping him in mind until
this thing is settled.”

OX morning several days‘ later,
Trinkle received a heartening sur-

prise. Deputy Herndon came to the

jail office and with few | pigpaainggeion

frankly admitted that he was now
satisfied that his relatives were mur-
dered. Immediately the sheriff invited
him to become active in the investi-
gation. And their first joint effort
brought a stinging disappointment to
the sheriff and, at the same time,
blasted their case against a prime
suspect.

On numerous trips to the isolated
Henty home, Trinkle had found no
one there. Now he decided to tr
again, taking Herndon with him. ‘A
few minutes before midnight, after
parking their car around a bend in
the narrow road, they went forward
on foot. Coming in sight of the cabin
their hopes instantly rose when they

.

saw the faint glimmer of an oil lam
through the bedroom window. Wit
drawn gun, Herndon picked his way
through impeding bushes to reach the
back door, while Trinkle, after giving
him time to take his stand, boldly
sounded an alarm at the front door.
During several moments there was an
ominous silence, then came the shrill
voice of a woman: “Who is that, and
what do you want?” ;

“This is the _ sheriff,’ Trinkle
quickly replied. “Open up. I want
to see Len.”

“Jist give me time to git somethin’
on,” she requested. “If that’s Mr.
Trinkle, the: High Sheriff, you’re the
very feller I want to see.” “Moments
later she opened the door, admit-
ting the officer. “Why, howdy,” she 4
greeted him. -<“It shore is Mr.
Trinkle. Have a cheer. You say you
air a-lookin’ fer Len?” An odd smile
played about her thin lips.

“Yes, Mrs. Henty,” Trinkle replied,
directing his flashlight into the dark
corners of the room as he strode back
and opened the door’ for Herridon.
“We want to.question him. Is he
here?” ‘

_ The woman made a curious little
noise deep in her throat. “Why, Mr.
Trinkle,” she. exclaimed, “Len’s. still
in the pen. That’s what I wanted
to see you about. I’ve jist been up
there an’ got his papers. The war-
den said his time was up fer parole
a long time ago an’ if you'd jist sign
fer him, the board would shore turn
him out.”

“Yes, I thought he was out long
ago,” Trinkle said vaguely, glancing
at the legal-looking documents she
had taken from the mantel. “You
come to Dover when you can and
we'll fix up these papers.” _He moved
beh gue the door, followed by Hern-

on. -

“That Alvin Hicks regain sent
us on a wild goose chase,” Trinkle
complained as they. stumbled back
toward the car. “I think I'll give
5 ha a kick in the pants when I see-

im.”

“I hope you do,” Herndon replied
after a few moments. “He never did
show the proper respect for Ruth, or
—— eit er, for that matter.”

“On account of certain things he
said to her after she married Grady.
He used to hang around my place
with Luffman, pretending to be help-

. ing him, but his main reason, I thin

‘

was to bother Ruth when she came
over. She complained to me and I
told John to keep him away. Alvin
is pretty bad after women, you
know.” :

Now, more than ever, Trinkle was
tempted to give Hicks a scolding, but
at their first meeting the man quickly
convinced him of his good faith.

“I just made an honest mistake
trying to help you,” he. solemnly in-
sisted. “But, of course, if Len’s in
the pen, it was some other fellow out
there talking whose voice fooled me.”

“Well, Alvin,”’: Trinkle stressed,
“you put me on the wrong trail once.
Suppose you get me on the right one
by finding out who that man really
was.”

R Hicks earnestly promised to do his
est.

“A lot of hot air,” Herndon ob-
served bitterly, when he heard of the
conversation. And Trinkle won-
dered if there was not something be-
tween these men that might, if

known, throw some new light upon

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43

ae


| man advised
rors that each
en shot a single
He expressed
> wounds were
at close range,
Further, from
bodies, it was
had died at
iorning.
{ence of a strug-
house. Utensils
e, giving off the
ood, led to the
1e woman had
ner before death
A billfold in the
containing con-
obviated the

| hearing it was
rady Cherry had
_S. Postoffice at

carrier in the
tuth, since mar-
time between her
ne and the Hern-
evidence was of-
stablish a motive
yne for murdering

OP me,

STEWART COUNTY JAIL, Dover, Ten-
nessee, where one of the murderers
grudgingly admitted: "! was a fool!"

SHERIFF CLYDE TRINKLE mixed skill and

aneuver a killer into a
position from which there was no way out.

psychology to

\
the young couple. It was generally
conceded that both were friendly
and popular with all their neighbors.
Under the circumstances, the jury
reported they had come to their
deaths by gun-shot wounds at the
hands of a party or parties unknown.

As soon as the inquest was over
and the bodies started to a mortuary
at Dover, Trinkle again questioned
Deputy Herndon.

“N. K.,” he began, “‘do you believe
that either Grady or Ruth took your
pistol back yonder and kept it until
today?”

“I haven’t the least idea, Sheriff,”
he replied soberly. “It doesn’t seem
like they would. All I can say is
that it was taken. I don’t know who
got it nor where it’s been.”

“What about this note? Do you
think either of them wrote it?”

The deputy took the Paper,
studied the writing with avid in-
terest. “It’s not Ruth’s writing,” he
finally asserted. “Unless she used
her left hand or something. I don’t
know Grady’s.-But the lines are so
heavy, I believe a man wrote it.”

After: this, Trinkle lapsed into. a
thoughtful silence, contenting him-

self with listening to others, an in-
cessant flow of neighborly specula-
tion. Finally, after all was said pro
and con, he conceded the possibility,

as contended by Herndon and his-

supporters, that the couple had died
as the result of a suicide pact. How-
ever, he insisted that as far as he was
officially concerned he- would con-
sider them murder victims until fur-
ther developments proved otherwise.

In questioning the Herndon fam-

‘ily and others conversant with the

young couple’s outlook on life, the
possible reason advanced for self-
destruction was the fact that, a few
weeks before, they had lost an in-
fant at childbirth.

“T still believe it’s murder,”
Trinkle stubbornly announced, and
continued to probe into the events
of the day.

AMONG the late arrivals at the

scene was N. A. Link, the popu-
lar judge of the Stewart County
Court.

He soon took sides with the sheriff,
offering the resources of the county
as well as his personal assistance in
bringing the guilty person or per-

SMILING SLEUTH: Chief Deputy Helen
Trinkle, daughter of the Stewart County

(Tenn.) sheriff, who pointed out a rather

pertinent discrepancy in a suspect’s story.

sons to justice. That was imperative!

“In my opinion, a cruel outrage
has been perpetrated upon our peo-
ple,” the fiery judge exclaimed to a
group about him. “And we’ll- use
every means necessary to back our
sheriff and to see that justice is
meted out.”

During a lull in the conversation,
the clever county judge studied the
death note. “Look here, Clyde,” he
said. “Whoever wrote this said he
owed you and Herndon a debt. Does
that suggest anything to you?”

“No, Judge, not right now,”
Trinkle answered thoughtfully.
“That’s had me guessing ever since
I read it. I guess we’ll have to do
a little checking on that. I do hap-
pen to know, however, that there
are several out here that might think
they owe us something—especially
Herndon—because they’ve found out
they can’t get by very long ~with
him on the job.”

“Liquor?”

He nodded. “Other things, too.”

“Don’t you have anybody in mind
right now?” Link persisted.

Trinkle shook his head. But
before (Continued on page 42)

*


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Left to right are
Sheriff Biggs, Don-
ald J. Parsons, bal-
listic expert of the
FBI. Attorney Gen-
eral R. Beecher Witt
and Aasistant Attor-
ney General Bronc
Johnson, who fig-
ured prominently in
the trial which was
held in the Polk

“Do they own any guns ?” Biggs asked.
“Yes, they’ve got a thirty-two. I loaned
them some ammunition for it a few days
ago.” .

“Then your gun is also a thirty-two?”

“I have two guns. One is a thirty-
eight and the other a thirty-two. Almost
everybody around these mountains owns
some sort of a weapon.” Headden took
a gun out of his holster and showed it to
Biggs. The sheriff examined it curi-
ously, then handed it back. “Where is
your thirty-two?” Biggs inquired.

“Jack took it out of my car that day,”
paeaciden replied. “He must have it with

1m.”

Biggs nodded absently. The young
widower’s time card at the tunnel project
long since had proved that he could not

DETECTIVE

have committed the crime. But
Jim Colby’s .32 needed some investi-
gation.

Biggs hurried to Jim Colby’s home
and confronted him with what he had
heard. The young man admitted going
to the Headden place but loudly denied
any knowledge of the massacre.

“Bill Headden says Lecia Headden
ordered you not to come to the house any
more,” Biggs reminded him. “Didn’t
that make you awfully mad?”

“Sure I was sore. But not enough to
kill, and especially to smash in the head
of a little baby. Sheriff, I couldn’t do a
thing like that!”

Biggs ignored the protestation. He
searched the house and found a .38 on a
window sill. Colby admitted owning the

gun but declared it had not taken human
life.

“All right,” said Biggs. “If you’re as
innocent as you say, then give me an
account of your whereabouts from five-
thirty until seven-thirty on the night of
the murders.”

Colby thought for a minute. Then he
gave a detailed account of his movements.
But it seemed that he was alone during
that ‘time and could give names of no
corroborating witnesses.

Biggs took him into custody, then drove
by the place where 20-year-old Merle
Colby was staying. The youth could not
give a satisfactory alibi and he possessed
a .32, so he also was arrested.

Tries New Tack

i Detach 3 the men to Benton, Biggs
lodged them in the Polk county jail.

However, the Colby’s insisted so
loudly upon their innocence that Biggs,
pending expert advice as to whether both
or either of the guns had been used in
the slaughter, turned his attention to
other angles. As he mused over the case,
a new possibility struck him with pow-
erful impact.

Recalling that Julius Goforth, who
lived in Bill Headden’s home, had been
at the murder scene on numerous occa-
sions during the day of the murder, the
sheriff wondered if Goforth also had
been a frequent visitor at the Headden
home since the arrival of pretty Mrs.
Glowan. |

A swift survey among the mountain
folk, soon corroborated the sheriff’s sur-
mise. A neighbor said he always came
to the Headden home in company with
Jack’s brother, Bill.

Biggs sped to Bill Headden’s home and
interviewed Mrs. Headden. “When your
husband and Goforth came home the

[Continued on page 50]

19


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quartered,” he muttered.

The Colbys, however, could give no
proof to back up their suspicions. But
since Jim Colby had mentioned Bill Head-
den as a possible suspect, certain things
began to assume new significance. The
sheriff remembered the fear in the eyes
of tle mountain people he had attempted
to question.

He recalled Bill Headden’s nervous ac-
tions when he reported at the murder
scene, and after a moment he evoked a
mental picture of Headden and Goforth
talking together apart from the crowd.
They had left the scene together, soon
after Deputy Clayton was sent to phone
the prison for the bloodhounds that un-
fortunately were not available.

Alibi Planted?
IRCUMSTANCES seemed to indicate

that Headden had left because he
was afraid Warden Russell’s dogs would
immediately point him out as the killer.
Was Bill Headden one of Arlene Glow-
an’s many suitors, as Colby had indi-
cated? But when Sheriff Biggs started

musing over the possibility of Headden.

being the killer, he remembered the man’s
alibi. He was supposed to have been
asleep when the crime was committed.

That alibi, Biggs perceived, definitely
threw suspicion on Goforth. Was this
suspicion the result of circumstances, or
was it deliberately planted?

It seemed incredible that Bill Headden,
a constable of the law, should be guilty
of such an atrocity; more incredible still
that he should have killed his own
brother’s wife in such cold-blooded
fashion.

AA AACUUULSASA HELA Y Om

he would never confess. And if he had the
man’s character figured out right, he knew
Bill Headden would never willingly sur-
render to the law on a charge of murder.
Biggs realized he would have to employ
a clever strategy to get Headden into the
doors of the Polk county jail.

If Headden were guilty, then it ap-
peared that Goforth knew something
about the crime, But Goforth would never
break down unless he was faced with
proof that the officers were positive of
his friend’s guilt.

In an effort to secure this proof, Biggs
sped back to Archville and talked again
with the man who had heard the shots
and screams and had seen the car near
the Headden place. “It appears,” he told
the man, “that your description of the
murder car coincides with that of the car
owned by Bill Headden.”

Biggs saw him wince. He persisted,
“Did you know it was Headden’s car?”

After a moment’s hesitation, the man
nodded. “I thought it was Bill’s car,
Sheriff, but I honestly couldn’t see who
was in it.”

“Someone could have borrowed the
car,” Biggs suggested.

“T thought of that, except for one thing.

' J—well, I thought I heard Bill Headden’s

voice just before the shooting started.”

Biggs rose, tense with excitement.
“Why didn’t you tell this before?”

The man shrugged miserably. “I was
afraid, Sheriff. I wanted to be certain I
was right. I don’t want anything like that
to happen to my wife and kids.”

Under further questioning, the neigh-
bor said he had thought two persons were
shooting at each other. He said some of
the shots seemed to be coming from a

weapon,

Sheriff Biggs drove back to Benton, and
once more confronted Julius Goforth.
“Suspicion points to you and Bill Head-
den,” he told him bluntly. “Now are you
going to tell me what you know or shall
I charge you with murder and place you
on trial?”

Goforth still refused to talk. Biggs said
slowly, “It’s going to go hard with the
man who killed that little baby.”

Heard Shots

CoO? winced and sat in silence
for a long minute. Then he sighed.

“Bill Headden did it,” he said. “Bill
killed them all.”

“Did you see him?”

“No, but I sat in the car. I heard the
shooting. And when Bill came back to the
car he said, ‘There’s nobody left to tell
the tale.’”

Biggs asked, “But why did Bill Head-
den do a thing like that?”

Goforth shrugged. “I'll. just tell you
what I saw and what I heard him say.
We left Jack’s house when he went to
work, but later we returned. Bill said,
‘I’m going in there and make Lecia go to
bed.’ A short while later I heard a lot of
shots. I heard someone holler two or
three times. Then Bill came out with a
gun in his hand and we drove off.”

Remembering the neighbor’s  testi-
mony, Biggs said, “But you returned a
few minutes later and blew out the lamp.”

Goforth nodded. “That’s right, Sheriff.
Then we went on home and went to bed.
We stayed there until Jack sent for Bill.”

“Why didn’t you tell about this
sooner?” Biggs said with ominous calm.

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id ”

folk. But it was finally accomplished.
All named on the list, including the wives
of the married men, checked out with dis-
turbing certainty.

“Back to scratch again,” the sheriff
confessed wearily to Clayton. “Can you
suggest something ?”

“Sure,” said the deputy readily. “Why
don’t we talk to Jack Headden again?
He may remember something that ex-
citement knocked out of his head on the
night of the murder.”

Biggs agreed with alacrity and the two
officers sought out the young widower.
“I want you to tell me everything you did
the day your wife was killed,” Biggs in-
structed. “Mention everyone you saw.
There may be a clue lying around loose
somewhere along the line.”

Questions Brother

1S ame complied willingly. His
brother Bill had come to his house
that morning and they had gone to
Spring Town to buy liquor. They re-
turned and, because Lecia had been nerv-
ous for several days, Bill had promised
to stay with her for a while after Jack
went to work: Young Headden said he
had ridden to the tunnel project with a
friend of Bill’s named Julius Goforth.
He had seen no one except Goforth and
his brother until the time he reported
for work.

When Biggs was certain that he could
learn nothing more from the widower,
he went on to the home of Bill Headden.
“Bill,” he began, “Jack says you were at
his house the day of the murder after he
left for work. How long did you stay?”

Headden chewed on a match stick as
he considered the matter. Finally he said,
“I guess I must have left around four-
thirty.” He turned to his wife. “What
time was it when Goforth and I got
home ?”

The woman rubbed her chin. “Near as
I can remember it was around five-
thir.

“Had you been drinking any of that
liquor you and Jack got up at Spring
Town?” Biggs asked the husband.
“No, I didn’t take any. I wasn’t well.”

“Know of anyone who had reason to
do the killings °”

The constable fingered his dark stubble
of beard, then frowned and shook his
head. Biggs suddenly realized that he
was a mountain man too.

Carefully he said, “Let me put it like
this. Did Mrs. Headden or Mrs. Glowan
do anything that day which might have
made someone mad ?”

Headden looked startled. “Now that
you’ve mentioned it, Sheriff, there was
something,” he said slowly. “Lecia asked
me to have Julius Goforth leave. He was
fixing a flat tire in front of the house. I
told her I couldn’t order him off a public
highway.”

“Did you tell Goforth what she said?”

“Not until he finished with the tire.
Goforth started into Jack’s house and I
told him what Lecia said, that he couldn’t
go in.. And he didn’t.”

The sheriff mulled over these facts.
“Goforth took your brother to work soon
after that, didn’t he?”

Headden nodded. “He was going to
pass the place where Jack works and said
Jack could ride with him.”

“Did Goforth come back later ?”

“Ves, he did. Then we went home to-
gether. Julius stays at our house.”

After a moment’s silence, Biggs asked,
“See anybody else around, acting suspi-
ciously while you were at your brother's
house ?”

The constable lowered his voice to a
whisper. “I’ve been wanting to tell you,
Sheriff,” he said. “But I didn’t want to

point the finger of suspicion until I was
sure about sonie things.”

“Then you did see someone else ’”

“Yes. About five minutes after Jack
left with Goforth, Jim Colby came by and
started in the house. I told him he
couldn’t go in.”

“Did he go away then?”

“Ves, he drove off. But a little later
I saw another car drive up, and I saw
somebody run down a fill toward Jack’s
house. I squatted in the bushes and
waited to see who it was. When the man
got near the house I saw it was Jim
Colby. I came out of the bushes and put
my gun on him. I told him, ‘This is the
third time I’ve told you to stay away from
here and you'd better get!”

“And did he leave ?”

“Ves, he drove away.”

Biggs asked, ‘‘Why did you insist on
keeping Colby away ?”

Headden cleared his throat. “Lecia
asked me to keep the Colby boys, Jim and
his cousin, Merle, away from the house.
She said they had been there along with
several others that morning while Jack
and I were in Spring Town, and that
they had come so often and raised such a
ruckus it made her nervous. She sent
word to them to stay away, but they came
back anyhow.”

Biggs straightened in his chair and
asked, ““Who are these Colbys? I don’t
believe I’ve ever heard of them.”

The constable said, “They’re a couple
of young fellows from south Georgia.
They’ve only been here a few weeks.”


VVC LOULLG Qibbd bbe LENE ECA Latta Ustsrr.
It looks like it has been torn from a lunch
bag of the kind workmen carry. I haven't
had time yet to verify the presence of
blood but I suggest we try for a possible
invisible fingerprint.”

“Then the usual methods failed?”

“Yes. But I don't give up so easily.
Suppose we apply a solution of benzidiné,
alcohol and hydrogen peroxide?”

“I see,” said Bondy, “you're after a
bloody fingerprint. Well, let's try.”

The two seasoned investigators deftly
brushed on the swiftly prepared mixture.
The pattern of papillary lines began tak-
ing shape in brown-black relief. Pereta
placed a thin piece of glass over the im-
pression.

“IT suspect the nightwatchman,” he
stated bluntly. “I rechecked his state-
ments and came across a contradiction.
Remember how he told us that Kotarek
sent him away at eleven and that he went
home to stay with his sick wife? Well.
that was only half a truth. Because he lost
no time in visiting a nearby tavern—at
least long enough to be seen.”

“We have his fingerprints,’’ Bondy said
grimly. He took an envelope from his
desk and removed two photographs show-
ing the watchman’s impressions. “Let's
compare them with the bloody print from
the lunch bag,” he suggested as he headed
for the door.

A moment later Bondy and Pereta
peered through the microscope, snapping
figures at aides who jotted them down in
breathless silence.

Glancing at the result, the faces of the
detectives fell with disappointment. “No,”
the inspector said resignedly, “this does
not check at all. I admit the watchman
could be a potential suspect but he did
not touch this piece of sackcloth.”

Returning to his office, he was sur-
prised to find the relative of Mrs. Kotarek
waiting in the reception room.

“Inspector,” the voung lawyer said in a
tight voice, “I rushed here to see you
once more—the murderer contacted my
office.” He handed Bondy a letter, post-
marked Apr. 16, p. m.

Inviting the man to step inside his of-
fice, Inspector Bondy slowly examined
the contents of the already opened en-
velope. He found seven banknotes
amounting to almost 200 Czech crowns
and a telegram form on which was
scrawled the cryptic message:

DeMAC AOL 4b dD BAUER AREER EDO THEE

let. No use looking for me. I] shall be

dead when this reaches you.

“Well, gentlemen, what do you make of
this?” the attorney asked excitedly, his
gaze darting from the inspector to Pereta.

Bondy did not answer. His trained gaze
was on the missive. He noted that it had
been mailed from the General postoffice
on Sindrisska boulevard. The envelope
had been purchased there and the hand-
writing was obviously disguised. He
stared at the wrinkled telegram form.

“IT am afraid you destroyed possible
fingerprints,” he finally said.

“Yes, Iam sorry. But I was so excited
I hardly knew what I was doing.”

“Whoever sent this was anxious to
close the envelope tightly,” remarked
Pereta. “See those glue smears, In-
spector?”

“Yes, I do. And there’s our only hope.
Do you mind staying with this gentleman
while I consult Chemist Gesenka?”

“Why, certainly, Inspector.”

“May I witness the examination?” the
young lawyer said quickly. “I am terribly
interested in this phase of investigation.”

“No, I am afraid you will have to wait
here,” Bondy replied evenly.

Gesenka studied the thin layer of glue
at length before he began to dissolve it
chemically. In that manner he was able
to extract a number of tiny scraps which
he examined under the microscope.

“The person who applied the glue to
the envelope,” he stated, “was most likely
a man. He was very nervous. His coat
sleeve came in contact with the glue. He
wore a woolen coat of fine tweed fabric,
colored in two shades of brown.”

The inspector’s forehead was wrinkled
in thought. “Thank you, Mr. Gesenka,”
he said after a tense patise. “You have
tracked down the murderer of George
Kotarek.”

Albin Staedl, still wearing his ex-
pensive English tweed suit, was very calm
when Bondy and Pereta entered his of-
fice. “What brings you here, gentlemen?”
he asked smilingly gesturing toward two
chairs.

“We came to take you with us,” Bondy
said sternly. “I charge you with the mur-
der of your partner, Kotarek.”

“You found out soon enough, didn’t
you?” the 45-year-old slayer offered
amiably, puffing at-his cigar.

ipa Daria! wieewtg Wetay aes

“No, sir.” The partner gazed into space.
“IT won't deny my guilt. I killed him Fri-
day night. I had been begging him for a
chance to talk this thing over like gen-
tlemen but Kotarek wouldn't hear of it.
I called him at home just before he left
but he hung up on me. When I came to
the apartment house I was just in time to
see that blonde slip outside.”

“Wait,” Bondy snapped. “What do you

mean by ‘this thing,’ Staedl?”

“Something concerning Mrs. Kotarek.

Her husband suspected us—I won't go
into that now. His suspicion was wholly
unjustified. I respected his wife as a
wonderful person, and liked to be with
her. But there was no affair, gentlemen.
George, however, wanted to drag her
name into the gutter and insisted on start-
ing divorce proceedings.

“Well, when he refused to listen to me
that night I lost my head. I picked up a
dog leash which was lying on the floor
and struck him. A scuffle followed. Sud-
denly he drew a miniature pistol. I dis-
armed him and the gun went off. He
collapsed. I bent down to him and shot
him again—through the temple this time.
I did not know that the gun had been
bought by Mrs. Kotarek. When I learned
of it I grew frantic. I hoped mailing the
bills and a note might take the suspicion
off innocent people—well, gentlemen, I
achieved my purpose. Please don’t use
handcuffs. I shall go along quietly.”

Albin Staedl, Prague gentlemen killer,
was brought to trial during Aug., 1936.
After recovering the murder gun from
the bottom of the Vitava, authorities had
an ironclad case. For the deadly minia-
ture pistol was still wrapped in the blood-
stained sackcloth fastened around the
weapon with Miss Renten’s dog leash.

All through the trial Staedl stuck to
his original story that his relations with
the wife of his 47-year-old victim had
been above suspicion. He was found
guilty of murder and sentenced to 20
years at hard labor.

But there was no peace for the woman
he had tried to protect. Paula Kotarek
found herself unable to bear the weight
of suspicion. She grew weary of denying
the charge that she had supplied her lover
with the deadly gun. Shortly after the
trial she died from an overdose of sleep-
ing tablets.

Triple

Death and the Sex-Crazed Suitor

[Continued from page 19]

evening of the murder, did they stay
home?” he asked.

Only Bill had stayed, the woman said.
He was sick and had to go to bed. Julius
went out again and returned about 8:30.

Later, when a neighbor came to notify
Bill of the triple murder, Goforth had
gone with Bill to Jack Headden’s house
and had even served on the coroner’s jury.

One item in the woman’s testimony
struck the sheriff forcefully. When the
neighbor had arrived with the news and
she had awakened her husband and their
boarder, Goforth was sleeping fully
dressed except for his shoes!

Did this incident mean anything?

Biggs assured himself he would find
out at once. Mrs. Headden told him
where to find Goforth. In a few minutes,
Sheriff Biggs was taking the 33-year-old
mountain man to Benton.

50

Goforth protested. “But I have told
you everything I know, Sheriff,” he in-
sisted.

“Suppose you explain why your alibi
differs with that of Bill Headden.”:

Goforth squirmed. “Well,” he said, “it
might have looked like I left when I went
to the outhouse but I came right back in
and went to bed.”

An hour later, Goforth was lodged in
jail with the Colby boys. But a surprise
was on its way.

A few days later, the report from the
ballistic expert stated that the weapons
of the Colby boys had not been used in
the killing. As Biggs talked over the case
with the two Georgia youths, Jim Colby
said, “Looks to’ me like Bill Headden’s
got a little explaining to do.”

“What do you mean?” asked the sheriff,

“How come he was so all fired con-

cerned about Lecia’s condition?” Colby
snapped. “I think he just told me Lecia
wanted me to go away. Maybe he chased
me away because he wanted to talk with
Mrs. Glowan all by himself!”

Sheriff Biggs’ eyes narrowed. “Explain
that,” he said.

Colby said furiously, “Didn’t he try
to throw suspicion on me? Isn’t that proof
enough? He and Goforth had been pussy-
footing around Arlene almost every day.”

“But why would he kill Mrs. Glowan if
he wanted her that badly?”

Colby paused. “Maybe she liked some-
one else better. And maybe he killed
Lecia because she wanted all the men to

stay away from the house. Bill Headden’s a
got a mean disposition. He was pfobably

so riled up at Lecia that he killed both.
“And the baby,” Biggs prompted.

Colby cast his eyes downward. “The


4& MA
cious of
y strict

; almost
lead at

id Moss
*kly ex-
sit.
Cotton
arah or
daugh-
ack and
Cw Cot-
always
I didn’t,

pparent.
‘ummers
it Moss
h.
sponded.
I was
_ 1 dis-
en miles
Sunday

s out of
ummers
:om-
rlier
..w this
igh time
i alibi.
in Luff-
. despite
tten the

Vashville
port that
e Hern-
cal with
s of Cot-

een fired
near the

were no
Trinkle.
gunning
er didn’t
ly meant
wonder

ks, Sum-
voring to
Ruthine.
the name
ireatened
ail truck
ighter.
‘ging, the
cover no
ave been
Ruthine
e shot at
thwarted.
prog-
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ittmas CAT-

\VE CASES

Ps

rier, Things looked bad.

Early in the spring of 1945, although
he had been working for months on
the case, Summers was little farther
advanced than Sheriff Trinkle had
been when he had sought the agency’s
aid.

Howell and Link who had been
watching the private detective’s prog-
ress—or lack of it—were beginning
to feel that the case might never be
solved. In another few months, it
would be two years since the mail
carrier and his young wife had died.

But Summers was not ready to give
up. Instead, he began studying the
records at the Dover courthouse, fer-
reting out the names of all persons
who had ever been arrested by
Trinkle or Herndon. |

The private detective was now be-
ginning to believe the note left be-
hind with the bodies. When the killer
write, “I owed you and Trinkle a debt
and am paying them,” he sure meant
it, Summers now realized.

Hence, in compiling his list, he went
beyond the two-year boundary
Trinkle and Herndon had set up in
casting about for a suspect among
the arrested men of the community.

His eyes suddenly became focused
on one name,

“Who is this Reed Moss?” he asked
Herndon. “Is he related to Jud?”

“His son,”. the deputy replied.
“Young Reed worked for me at my
farm one summer. Trinkle arrested
him on a breaking and entering
charge when he was nothing but a
kid. In fact, it turned out to be only
a boyish prank, and the court let him
go.”

“H’mm. That seems mighty impor-
tant. Reed is one fellow who would
have known both Cotton and Ruth-
ine well. He was around them that
summer. He might have borne a
grudge against you and Trinkle, too.”

Herndon nodded. “Yes, I fired him
and Trinkle arrested him. But I
don’t think he’d commit murder.”

Summers shrugged. “Can't tell
who’d do murder,” he answered.
“That kid’s worth looking into. Where
can he be found?”

Herndon said Reed Moss was work-
ing on a local farm. He had been
given a draft deferment because of
his skill.

“We'd better talk to him,” Summers

said,
* =e *

EED MOSS, a well-tanned, fine-

proportioned youth with thin lips
which remained tightly closed as the
private detective addressed him, took
the officers’ visit with ill grace.

“I figured you’d be here,” he said,
“after talking to my old man. But
you're away eff base, I didn’t have
anything to do with it.”

Summers wasn’t convinced so eas-

TRUE CRIME DETECTIVE CASES

ily. “Look, Reed,” he replied, “I've
been looking for a man who might
have had ideas toward Ruthine Cher-
ry. You fit that bill.

“I’ve also been looking for some fa-
ther who resented what he thought
was Cotton’s attentions toward his
daughter. Maybe I was wrong about
that. It could have been her brother
who made the threats. And that bro-
ther might have been you.

“In other words, you're in this
thing from both angles. By the way,
what’s your alibi for that Sunday
morning?”

Reed Moss “snorted. “I've got no
alibi, and I don’t need one,” he
snapped. “I was just around, as you
might say, on that Sunday. But I
wasn’t anywhere near the Herndon
house. I wouldn’t have killed the
Cherrys. I liked them both.”

Summers nodded. “That’s what I
said. Of course, you liked Ruthine
the most. There’s a question of a sto-
len pistol in this case too, and since
you once worked around the Hern-
don house, you could have known
where the deputy kept it. What about
that?”

Reed sneered. “I still think you’re
nuts!” he exploded. “Look, there was
a note left behind in that crime,
wasn’t there? Well, I can prove in
five seconds I didn’t write it.”

“You mean, you'll give us a sample
of your writing?”

“You bet! I'll write that whole note
for you if necessary.”

Summers, now feeling the .youth
had him, was compelled to accept the
challenge. Producing a notebook, he
bade young Moss write.

As the youth predicted, his writing
didn’t resemble that on the back of
the Mother’s Day card. One glance
was sufficient for Summers.

“But those questions you asked
have given me ideas,” Reed Moss said.
“If you weren't such a tough guy, I
might give you some of the answers.”

Summers now saw this youth had
to be placated. He took a different
tack.

‘I’m not so tough, Reed,” he
soothed. “I’ve just got a job to do.
If you know anything about this mur-
der, you should spill it. Especially
since you say you liked the Cherrys.”

Reed Moss, still moody, glared. “But
that would be the only reason,” he
answered. “I know the name of a
guy who was trying to make up to
Ruthine and was pretty sore when
he couldn’t get to first base.”

“Who was that?”

“Alvin Hicks. He was once ar-
rested, too. I remember him saying
somebody in the sheriff's office was
going to pay for that.”

Summers was taken aback, but
Herndon nodded his head.

“He’s right about Hicks being ar-

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85

OHN LUFFMAN dashed breath-
lessly into the farmhouse kitchen.
_“Comé quick!” he blurted. - “]
found the Cherrys—Cotton and
Ruthine — dead — uP at Herndons’!
Better call the sheriff, too!”
The neighbor and his wife, horri-

fied, rose from

Looks like they was killed,” Luff-
man continued. “I saw plood all over

It.was three-thirty o'clock on, a hot
his wife, in the hamlet

The neighbors
had planned to spend the day with
the Cumberland River

‘the living room nine a.m.
morning, but
sleeping.
his chores abou

There certainly - wasn’t
like murder on. their minds.

and they always got a

jhe thought they were
He was busily. engaged in
t the place, 50 he had
anything
The

Cherry's had been married six years
long well.

Ruthine come running into
the room, screaming.
Something made a sharp,
cracking ‘noise an
whizzing ¢

d came
hrough the air.
The young matron fainted.

not looked in again until three. p.m.

Then he saw blood.
Sheriff Clyde C. Trinkle at Dover, f

Herndon house. — ;
“We'll be right down,” Trinkle told

the neighbors. i
He arrived shortly after five with '
Cc. Howell, »

Attorney General .
County Judge N. A. Link and Magis
trate J. A.. Burgess. The latter was 4

deputy coroner.
Hearing Luffman’s excited story, the
officials entered the Herndon living

room after —

_ It was quickly discovered that. the
hired man had not exaggerated at all.
d—had been
for some time. Furthermore they
died of pistol shots.
Grady “Cotton” Cherry, twenty:
eight, lay on a.davenport, as though
CRIME YEAR BOOK

he were sl
temple was
had entered
His wifé ]
feet away.
She was
dress smoc
knees, hanc
a blanket 5
form a pillo
“There wa
the young”
which blooc
ened.
Trinkle e
a word, the
“Kinda lc
his wife an
commented
The othe:
who had be
the bodies,
“There's
hand,” he

The
ed.

that
him
stat:

CRIME YEAR

sated,” he said. “It was on the om-

laint of a young girl. Hicks drew a

shy his name ‘wasn’t on the list.”
Summers was silent a moment. “But

e wag a guest at your party that Sat- ©

rday night,” he finally said to Hern-
ion. “How come you invited an ex-
onvict?”. ’ Ne

Herndon grinned. “Oh, Alvin isn’t
. bad sort at heart. Only a bit im-

sulsive. Lots‘of young fellows get in-

o trouli over girls.”.
Summers nodded. “So this one
ould have’ repeated himself. He

ould have been the fellow who shot .

‘t Ruthine: . Where's he now?”
“He left town last year. I hear he’s

vorking in some war plant in the

nidwest, but don’t know where.”

Thanking Moss for his information, _
summers left with Herndon for the.

-ourthouse, On the way back, the
leputy said, “You didn’t take long to
1otice that Moss’ writing didn’t agree
with the death note.
looked fairly similar.”

Summers now explained something
he had been keeping to himself for
months. :

“T examined that Mother’s Day card
pretty thoroughly,” the detective told
Herndon, “and. noticed a peculiar

characteristic. The fellow who wrote ©

it crossed his ‘ts’ with a separate
stroke. And he began that stroke with
a tiny hook. I’ve been looking for
that ever since.”

At the courthouse, Sheriff Trinkle
was able to tell him something more
about Alvin Hicks. -

“He hurg around me quite a bit at
the beginning of this case,” he said,
“wanting me to.make him a deputy
so he could help solve the crime. I
couldn’t do that, of course. Then,
later, he lost interest.” Pas

Summers suddenly snapped to at-
tention. “Wait a minute! He wented
tq help solve a murder before anyone
knew one Had been committed? Why
you fellows yourselves figured it was
a suicide pact at the time!”

Trinkle seemed. jolted. “That's
right! Say, how'd he know ... : See

“Never mind now. How are we go-
ing to find where he is?”

Trinkle said his father lived in Do- ©

ver. Summers waved that aside. “It’s

got to be something else; we don’t

want him tipped off.”

After the sheriff thought a moment,
he remembered Hicks had been pay-
ing a lot of attention to Sarah Moss
before he left. ‘

“That’s an angle,” the private de-

tective said. “Maybe the girl would

get his address for us.”
Sarah Moss, when told her father
and brother were under suspicion in
the case, agreed to aid the authorities.
That night, she visited the Hicks’

86

'

I thought it ©

‘home and saw a letter from Alvin

lying on the living room table. She
memorized the return address.

_ This was better than Summers had
hoped for. No one would warn Hicks

* that the authorities were on his trail.
: * * «+

O* May 7th, Summers and Trinkle
arrived in Evansville, Ind., and
found Alvin Hicks at his boarding
house. At Summers’ suggestion, the
sheriff broached a plan. to the youth.

“Alvin,” he said, “we’ve been work-
ing on those murders for almost two
years without result. I remember you
once asked for a chance to help out.
I could sign you up as a deputy now,
if I really thought you, could be of

, assistance.” .

Hicks’ eyes gleamed. “Gee, I'd like
that!” he enthused. “I sure could
solve that case for you, Sheriff.”

Trinkle nodded. “Then there’s' one
thing to do. While you're out here, I
can’t do much: about it. But if you

make an application in writing—I

mean, just as if you're already home—
I can get you appointed. Then you
can come back.”

Hicks agreed.
What’ll I write?”

Trinkle pulled a piece of paper out
of his pocket. He and Summers had
previously composed the application—
one which included almost all the
words in the original note.

He provided Hicks with paper and

“Sure, Sheriff.

: a pencil, then read off the application.

The former Tharpe youth wrote:

“I am herewith making applica-
tion to you as a deputy Sheriff on
your force while I am working on this

thing and trying to catch the gang |

that killed Herndon niece and son-in-

_ law. I here to pay a visit to my father

and will work until I return home
later. I will thank you to borrow your
gun and will, return it again. Until
this debt is better paid I am sincerely
yours ste
=: Alvin Hicks”

Summers took the youth's illiter-
ately-worded script back to Dover
and studied it under a glass, alongside

- the original.

“There it is!” he gloated. “See the
separate stroke for the ‘t’ crossing and
the tiny hook at the beginning of it.

_ Hicks is the fellow who wrote that

original message on the back of the
Mother’s Day card!” 5

On Friday, May 11th, Summers and
Trinkle, with Deputy Sheriff Charles
Keating of Evansville, placed Alvin
Hicks under arrest. Removed to Do-
ver, the youth, after almost twenty
hours of continuous grilling, broke
down and confessed the killing of
Ruthine Cherry to Attorney General
Howell. .

But, he declared, John Luffman,
and not he, had first shot Grady
“Cotton” Cherry.

“It was this way,” his signed 1,000-
word atatement, said. “Luffman was
sore at Cotton for fooling around with
Bessie. I had been trying to force my

-attentions on Ruthine. So that day,

after the Herndons left,.we figured
would be a good time to take them
to task about it. We, thought about
the plan at the party the night be-
fore. °

“When we entered the living room,
Cotton was asleep on the couch and
Ruthine was in the. kitchen. Luffman
walked right up to Cotton and sho
him through the head, .

“When Ruthine came running into
the room, screaming, I fired a shot to
keep her quiet. The bullet struck her
in the head and she fell down.”
’ Hicks said he then laid the young
woman out and wrote the note on a
card he found in Mrs. Herndon’s desk.

. In addition, he admitted having pre-

viously shot at Ruthine in the barn-
yard.

On May 14th, Howell and Griffin,
the private agency head, went to the
Nashville Penitentiary and showed
Hicks’ statement to John Luffman.

‘The prisoner readily admitted it was

true, and that he had ‘actually shot
Cotton as alleged. Luffman said he
threw his gun in the Cumberland Riv-
er, but Hicks had left the second
weapon, previously stolen from Hern-
don, on the living room floor.

His statement totalled more than
900 words and was signed in the pres-
ence of witnesses,

The motive, according to the killers,
had a basis in the fancied grudges the
men had against the Cherrys—Luff-
man becayse he resented Cotton's
supposed attentions to his daughter—
though his suspicions had no founda-
tion in fact; and Hicks because Mrs.
Cherry wouldn't have anything to do
with him.

- On August llth, Alvin Hicks, 22;

and John Luftman, 45, were found |

guilty of murder in the first degree by
a Steward County jury, with a rec-
ommendation of death by electrocu-
tion. Judge Dancey Fort fixed No-
vember 9, 1945, as the date of their
execution. They had been charged
with the slaying of Mr. and Mrs.
Grady Cherry.

But Summers is convinced the
crime never would have been solved
had not the egotistical Hicks left the
hoax message behind. For the man
never had a grudge against Trinkle
or Herndon. He merely intended to
throw the authorities off his trail.

Instead, he crossed himself up with
a hook on his ‘t’ stroke.

*

The names Jud, Reed and Sarah
Moss and Ralph Palmquist are ficti-
tious to spare unnecessary embarrass-
ment to persons innocently involved
in this crime.

TRUE CRIME DETECTIVE CASES

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TRUE CRIME DET

- lara taint

M ea one ’

all photos used in this story were specially posed for CRIME YEAR BOOK |
be hci models. Photos by Lod Wagner.

aning into
eaming.
: g sharp,
and came
jh the air.
on fainted.

gain until three. p.m.
ood.

C, Trinkle at Dover,
ten miles away, an-
ne call. He was com-
at the riews, and gave

iat no one enter

it down,” Trinkle told

hortly after five with
eral W. .C. Howell,
N. A. Link and Magis-
dale The latter was a

's excited story, the
fan's Herndon living
‘rinkle ordered that &
. made to his deputies.
kly discovered that the
d not exaggerated at all.

were dead—had been
», Furthermore they had

sho ts.

otton” Cherry, twenty-

a davenport, as th though
CRIME YEAR BOOK ©

he were sleeping. But in his right
temple was the mark ‘where a bullet
had entered and penetrated his brain.

His wifé lay on the floor, about four .

feet away.
She was carefully. laid out, with
dress smoothed down. around: her

knees, hands folded across her chest,.

a blanket padded under her head to
form a pillow.

There was a hole in the center of
the young woman’s forehead, around
blood had congealed and black-
en

Trinkle eyed the situation without

a word, then coughed significantly. .
“Kinda looks like Cotton did this to
his wife and then killed himself,” he
commented to Howell and Link.
The others nodded glumly, Burgess,
who had been superficially examining
the bodies, added his confirmation.
“There’s a gun lying near Cotton’s
hand,” he said, “and a note tucked

The man brooded and brood-

ed. over the fancied wrong’

that Cotton Cherry had done
him until he was put in a
state of fury, enough to kill.

> CRIME YEAR BOOK

|
E

into the side of ‘the blanket under
Ruthine.” ~

He withdrew a square of pasteboard
and handed; it to the sheriff. ‘Trinkle
saw it was half: of a Mother's Day
card. apparently received earlier by ©
Mrs. Herndon.

‘On the back was scrawled a mes-

sage which the officer had difficulty
deciphering. Over: by the window, he
finally made it out. The note, written
in black pencil, said:

“Deputy Sheriff. Herndon here is
your gun also your. niece, I owed you
and Trinkle a debt and am paying
them. I will visit,him later. Take good

=e


is Waiting
_to get a

Thy didn’t ~

sent when
e’s afraid
the ques-
aica from
ow about

ve direc-
te in his
-d to be

s. Wright
r car was
g three
reminded
had seen
open the

me and
here and
y got out
After a
they’re
hing me
in,” she
o long?”
de even
In Mrs.
e things

that she’

‘ootpads,

nar car,
sa
ket,
ing
Oo make
‘em like

_—_———-
sue

iiieseiitieeinen

eet

(Continued: from page 19)
as he expressed it. Griffin told him to come

on to Memphis as he hada job for him. -

The job he had in mind was* the Cherry
case,
The first week in May, 1945, Summers

was given the Stewart County assignment,

He, of course, had seen the reports and
Possessed a general idea of what it was all
about. The first thing he did, after estab-
lishing himself in- Sid Folks’ Home Hotel
in Dover, was to go into-a conference with
Sheriff Trinkle, Judge Link and Attorney
General Howell. The meeting took place
in the Judge’s two-room office on the public
square, ‘

“Tell me the whole story in minutest
detail,” he said when he had settled him-
self comfortably in a chair.

The three Stewart County officials took
turns recounting the details of the baffling
Case. Occasionally, at some point thaf\im-
pressed them, one or the other would lean
over and touch the investigator.

“Did you hear that?”

“Yes. Yes. Go on.”

Nearly three hours went by. At the end,
Summers rose and after slowly pacing
back and forth across the Toom for a time
he said, “Do you have photographs of the
girl’s body as she was found by the first
person who reached the spot?”

They had several such photographs and
gave them to him. : After studying them
carefully for a time hé seemed to come to
a decision on a point that had been baffling
him. Then he said suddenly: “All right,
gentlemen, now. we'll 80 on a little man-
hunt.”

While Luffman had never been cleared
entirely of suspicion in the case, evidence
against him was purely circumstantial.
Even the scribbled note, it will be remem-
bered, did not compare with his handwrit-
ing. For the time being, Summers appeared
to ignore him, to concentrate on some
undercover investigation of his own, Fi-
nally, late the afternoon of his third day
in Dover, the detective located a girl who
gave him the information he was seeking.

Although she was able to describe a cer-
tain suspect, she could not remember his
name. She said that he had moved away
some time before.

Armed now with a description, and
aided by the Sheriff, Summers was soon
able to identify this person as one Alvin
Hicks, twenty-six. A check of old records
brought to light that, some five years be-
fore, he had been convicted of a charge
of attempted rape and sentenced to one
year in the penitentiary. Now he was em-
Ployed in a war plant in Evansville, In-
diana. And it was discovered he had left
Stewart County for Evansville a day or two
following the Cherry murder,

Wanting to avoid any long-drawn-out
delays by the problem of extradition, Sum-
mers suggested that Sheriff Trinkle visit
Hicks in the Indiana city. He urged him
to get him to return to Dover “‘to help solve
the Cherry case.” :

This the Sheriff did. He returned alone,
reporting that Hicks had promised to show
up for the week-end. However, he failed
to. put in an appearance,

Now the detective made a trip to Evans- |

ville. He found the suspect to be a tall,
slender individual; thin-lipped and of quiet
manner. He turned out to be a singer and
guitar player, who performed over the ra-
dio occasionally with a troupe of hillbilly
singers,

“Look,” Summers told him, “the Sheriff

needs help bad.
“you a Deputy,

tain he wou e
‘ve you a gun and every-
thing,’ if you’d return and help him out.

Why don’t you write him a letter and ask -
him?” 1 ba

“I don’t. know how to write it.”

“Get a paper and pencil, I’ll dictate it.”

Hicks agreed, Following is the letter he
posted: :

“SHERIFF CLYDE TRINKLE:

“I am here with making application: to
you as deputy Sheriff on you force. While
I'am working on this thing trying to catch
the gange that killed herndon niece and |
son in law I have to pay a visit to my
father and will work until I return home
later. I will thank you to borrow your
gun and will return it again after the use
of it. Thank again until this debt is better
paid. I am sincerely yours,

: ALviIn Hicxs.

In dictating the letter, Summers made
sure to have the writer insert in his own
handwriting words that appeared in the
scrawled note left at the murder scene,

Trinkle no sooner received it than he
had it rushed to Memphis where Inspector

. Griffin compared it with the murder note.

He found the script to be identical. One
distinguishing characteristic found in both
samples was that the writer, when crossing
his “‘t’s,” invariably attached a tiny barb.

During the “ necessary delay involved,
Summers remained in Evansville, keeping
a tail on Hicks ih the event that he might
get suspicious and try to run away. He
didn’t, and not long afterward he was
arrested by~ an Evansville (Vanderburg
County) deputy sheriff. on a murder charge
and. brought to the courthouse for booking,

That evening ‘Sheriff Trinkle, _accom-
panied by Judge Link and Attorney Gen-
eral Howell, arrived in town prepared to
extradite the prisoner,’ To the surprise’ of
all, Hicks, apparently in a daze, signed
extradition papers without any hesitation.
It all happened so quickly that there was
actually some foundation for the belief that
his. slow-working mind interpreted all the
activity as part of the process of his being
taken back to Dover and’ sworn in as
deputy.

Climbing in the back seat of the car with
him for the return trip, Summers gave him
a broad hint of what the real score was,

“May the best man win,” he commented,

The prisoner just smiled. He was silent
on the long return trip until the detective
Suggested that the group join in singing
some old-time songs.” Then the one-time
radio singer livened up and led the vocal-
izing: Such old timers as The Cannonball
Express, Sweet Adeline, and My Merry
Oldsmobile were rendered’ with great en-
thusiasm if not with flawless technique.

It was late on the afternoon of May 7th
when the group arrived in Dover. Hicks '
was promptly committed to the Stewart
County Jail, while Summers made a quick
trip back to Memphis for a conference
with Inspector Griffin, . “

Meanwhile, the bullets extracted’ from
the heads of Rufine and. Grady Cherry had
been submitted by the Inspector for anal-
ysis to an expert ballistician. The report
came back that the one that had ‘killed
Grady was a .38 caliber, while that taken
from Rufine’s head had been a .32 caliber,
and was fired from the weapon found
propped up beside her. :

On May 8th, the detective returned to
Dover and requested that Hicks be brought
into the Attorney’ General’s office so that
he might interview him at leisure,

One thing Summers particularly prided
himself on wag that he always made friends
of the murderers he succeeded in discover-
ing and convicting.’ He never browbeat
them. In fact, he often spent. hours. dis-
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; 93

>

he hired man,
Grady Cherry

ar townsman
vays been “a
» was snake-
that Grady
a box holder
a post-office
e informant
iy of getting

se attention
centrated on
un, first re-
1en found to
1 the killing.
d, had been
isoner whom
na year be-
charge. He
on.
“ned that this
na frequent
e. It would
~ her to have
the original
Anyway, it
, the day of
town where
lant,
ad remained
several days
right he had
d thereafter
to help out.
e Sheriff and
ry over and
about 8 a.m.
pent most of
i been about
he first went
on the fgpor,
did not an-

mpletely sat-
on. It seemed
result of his
n’s being in-
convicted on

enced to five |}

r facts. From

a relative of Luffman’s who will be known
in this story as Hoag, he learned that
Rufine and Grady had been planning to
leave the Herndons and go to live with
Cherry’s relatives. The deputy and his
wife were much opposed, being very
fond of the young woman.

The night before the killing, according

to Hoag, he had talked with Mrs. Hern-

don and found her in a very upset condi-
tion. She was crying and had said: “I’m
afraid we’re going to lose Rufine. She’s
going to the hospital to stay. The doctors
say her case is hopeless. Only a few days
ago she fixed a dress for me and then told
me it would be a good one to wear to her
funeral.” ‘

She explained that the young wife had
been ailing ever since the birth of a child
a few months before. The baby did not
live.

Hoag further declared that: “Before
Rufine’s baby was born she was in the
potato patch when someone fired a shot.
It sounded like a rifle shot. Just, one.
The. bullet grazed Rufine’s head. Rufine
said somebody was shooting at her and

looked.around to find out who it was. Off
to the side of the house on the edge of the
woods back of the henhouse she found
where somebody had set on a log. She
could see the man’s muddy footprints. It
was from right around there that the shot
had seemed to come.”

As the months rolled by, and in the
absence of any tangible answer to the
riddle, the Stewart County Coroner’s jury
wrote the case off as “murder and sui-
cide.” Even Mr. and Mrs. Herndon were
of this opinion, in spite of the fact that
none could account for the existence of
the scribbled note. This had been checked
against samples of handwriting of each of
the victims as. well as of the now im-
prisoned Luffman. There was no re-
semblance. :

Neither could anyone account for the
fact that there were no powder marks
on the bodies, in view of the “suicide”
verdict. And it seemed obvious that.the
revolver had not fallen out of Rufine’s
hand, if she had been the last to use it. It
had been carefully balanced between her
arm and her body.

Stewart County continued to seethe
with rumor and gossip. Herndon re-
signed as deputy sheriff. He and his
wife abandoned their farm home and

: moved to Detroit. Marshall Cherry took

over his brother’s mail route. The bal-
ance of the Cherry clan clamored for
justice and demanded that the investiga-
tion not be dropped.

It was in October, 1944, that Inspector
Griffin was called into the case. The
agent he assigned* checked and re-
checked the evidence but came up with
nothing new.

Now, on this day in February, 1945, as
he and. his wife were studying it, he
handed her a report. It had been decided
that it might be worthwhile to question
Luffman in prison in connection with
the Cherry murders and this report stated
that he had been questioned and while no
direct reference had been made at first
to the double murder, in the mental test
given him certain words had purposely
been introduced to get his reactions.
These words were: cherry—borrow—
niece — blood — forehead — all of them
either connected with the death note or
the killing. The interesting thing, the
report stated, was that each time these
words were mentioned Luftman hesitated
in replying, more than when other words
were used.

Now, Luffman had heard the death
note read once—only once—and that was
on the evening the bodies were discov-
ered, a full year and two months previous.
Now he was questioned in prison about

that note and asked what his recollection °

of it was. As taken from the report, this
was the wording as Luffman recalled it
from memory:

“‘Here is your gun and your niece.
Also I owed you and Trinkle a debt and
I am now paying it. Take care of the
gun. I might want to borrow it again.’
He then added: It began, ‘Deputy Sheriff
Herndon: Here is your niece and your
gun. Also I owed you and Trinkle a debt
and I am now paying it.’”

The report continued:

“This is an almost exact quotation of
the note made from memory more than a
year after he last saw it. He says he
heard it read once by a boy on the night of
the homicide. Thereafter I showed him
the actual note and he was greatly agi-
tated at the sight of it, but made no com-
ment, I pointed out how accurately he
had quoted it, but he made no comment.”
Inspector Griffin shook his head as his
wife finished reading the report.

“You can see, can’t you, that this case
needs further investigation?” he com-
mented.

It was not so long after this that Griffin
received a long distance telephone call
from a man in West Plains, Missouri, who
had worked for him years before when
he (Griffin) was Chief Inspector of the
Frisco Lines. His name was Park Sum-
mers and Griffin had a great deal of
respect: for his ability as a detective.
Summers had been sick but was now
well again and he wanted to “get back
into the saddle,” (Continued on page 93)

In Stewart County jail, Hicks whiled
away the hours playing on his guitar

s
i %

19


s route, in what
e community.
Sunday, August
{ his wife, with
a picnic. The
as left at home
‘, A. Link hap-
the Cumberland
at Dover that
he piecnickers as
about 7 A.M.
Luffman, forty-
an who worked
vho lived about
vn home, called
>» Chadwick. He
r of the deputy

believed some-
ne.” Normally
rk on Sundays.
er, he had bor-
am to haul, on
f the corn crop.
to his own crib
1e had knocked
ch time, getting
the houf¥e, and
ed out hastily.
y into the living
impse of Rufine

immer day, and
iat she was tak-
: on the floor in
ut when, as the

) Herndon, near
» were murdered

By FRED MENAGH

day wore on, he discovered her to be in exactly the same .

position when he called the third time, he decided she must
be ill. .

Chadwick dispatched his two daughters, Charline and
Corinthia, to investigate. Both girls walked right on into
the living room. But they stopped in their tracks just inside
the, threshold. Charline fainted. For both Grady and
Rufine were dead.

About 5 p.m., and almost simultafeous with the discovery
of the bodies, Herndon and his wife returned. They were
completely baffled, and shocked at what had happened.

Sheriff Clyde C. Trinkle was summoned. Following him
to the scene were Judge Link and Attorney General W. C.
Howell. : ‘

The law officers found Grady lying on a couch in a corner
of the room with his face to the wall and one arm under his
head. He had been shot once—in the back of his head. The
bullet had entered near the base of the skull, in the center,
and ranged toward the right temple. The position of his
body indicated that he had undoubtedly been asleep at the
moment the fatal shot was fired.

RuFIne’s body was stretched out on the floor alongside the
couch. She was lying in the opposite direction from her
husband. A rolled-up quilt was under her head for a pillow.
She had removed both her shoes and stockings, apparently
for comfort. She had been shot once only—in the center of
her forehead near the hair line, the bullet ranging slightly
upward.

Her arms were crossed on her chest. A nick on the fourth
finger of her right hand looked suspiciously as though it had
been grazed ‘by a bullet. Propped muzzle up between her
body and her right arm

was a .32-caliber revolver, What was the reason for the

This weapon was promptly murder of Grady Cherry and
identified by Deputy his attractive wife, Rufine?

Marshall Cherry, brother of one of the victims, with Sheriff Clyde C. Trinkle (right), of Dover, Tennessee, talks
Park Summers (left) and Deputy Sheriff Herndon (right) with Alvin Hicks after he had been brought back from Indiana


18

Compare the note at left, found at the murder scene, with the’ letter
at right, dictated by Summers and written by Hicks to Sheriff Trinkle

Sheriff Herndon as one that had been
stolen from him two weeks before. He
had customarily kept it in a holster hang-
ing at the head of his bed. When it dis-
appeared he had reported it to Sheriff
Trinkle. °

On the floor, and held in place by the
butt of the revolver, was a note scribbled
in lead pencil on what looked like a piece
of a greeting card. It read:

DePuTY SHERIFF HERNDON: Here is your
gun also your Niece. I owed you and
Trinkle a debt and Iam paying them. I will
visit him later, Take good care of the gun.
I may want to borry it again some time.
Thanks for the use of it.

(THE GANG)

Examination of the gun disclosed that
it contained four cartridges and two
empty shells. No powder burns were
visible on either of the victims.

John T, Ridgeway, Dover undertaker,
first viewed.the bodies about 6 p.m. He
reported that rigor mortis was already
leaving the bodies. In his judgment this
indicated that the pair had been dead for
many hours, at least, long before Sunday
noon.

Dr. C. R. Crow, Dover physician, ex-
amined neither body until after they
were embalmed. He expressed the opin-
ion that the victims could have met death
any time between Saturday, midnight,
and Sunday, between the hours of 8 and
10 a.m. Although he removed the bullets
from the heads of each, no post mortem
nor thorough physical .examination was
ever conducted.

Dover, it might be explained, while the
county seat, and an enterprising com-
munity, was a town populated by only
three or four hundred people. Tragedies
of this nature were seldom, if ever, ex-
perienced anywhere in the sparsely set-
tled county. A post-mortem examination:
would have been looked upon by relatives

_of the dead as a horrible and, unnecessary

thing. Thus what, in large cities, has
grown to be the accepted and scientific
procedure in such cases was dispensed
with here. Asa matter of fact, it was not

even considered and the bodies had been
embalmed while discreetly covered with
blankets.

Sheriff Trinkle, a thorough and con-
scientious law-enforcement officer if
there ever was one, left no stone un-
turned in his investigation. He worked
long and tirelessly on the case, following
out every lead to the very end. And
there were many of them. As. Griffin
pointed out to his wife, everyone began
evolving theories that involved everyone
else. i

Take, for example, the statement of
Glamer O. Barrow, a Dover barber who
declared he was squirrel hunting the
morning of the double murder “about five
or six hundred yards from the Herndon
tarmhouse.”

“At about 9 a.m.,” he stated, “I heard
two shots fired which sounded like they
came from at, or near, the Herndon resi-
dence. They were spaced about the
length of time it would take to fire, reload,
and fire again, a single-barreled shotgun.
I am sure the shots could not have been
more than ten seconds apart; They
sounded to me like shots from a .410 and
I thought to myself that if it was some-
one hunting they would not do any good
over in.the tall timber where I was. It
sounded like a small gun. It could have
been a pistol. :

“On the Monday following, Jinks Hern-
don was in my shop. I told him about
hearing those two shots. He jumped and
said that it was Hill Gatline shooting
squirrels. I told him to tell me what kind
of a gun Gatlin was shooting. He said a
10 gauge. I asked him didn’t he think
I could. tell the difference between a 10
gauge and a .410 shot. I give it as my
best judgment that this was not a shot
from a 10-gauge gun.” 3

Numerous anonymous notes and letters
were received. Each of them cast suspi-
cion on various people. There was the
character referred to as the local “ladies?
man,” who was declared to be a Peeping:
Tom. Another resident, it was reported,
had been discovered living with a re-
cently widowed woman without benefit

of matrimony.. Still another townsman
was referred to as having always been “a
bit queer since that time he was snake-
bit.” It was even recalled that Grady
Cherry had once prosecuted a box holder
on his RFD route for forging a post-office
money order. Maybe, the informant
pointed out, this was his way of getting
revenge,

While the Sheriff paid close attention
to all of these reports, he concentrated on
the puzzle involving the gun, first re-
ported stolen by Herndon, then found to
have apparently been used in the killing.
This weapon, he remembered, had been
confiscated by him from a prisoner whom
he had convicted, more than a year be-
fore, on a disorderly conduct charge. He
had later given it to Herndon.

Checking carefully, he learned that this
fellow’s girl friend had been a frequent
visitor at the Herndon home. It would
Nave been a simple thing for her to have
lifted it and returned it to the original
owner. But she denied this. Anyway, it
turned out that this suspect, the day of
the killing, was in a distant town where
he was employed in a war plant.

Luffman, the hired man, had remained
at his employer’s home for several days
after the tragedy. The first night he had
sat up with the bodies and thereafter
did everything he could to help out.
Questioned repeatedly by the Sheriff and
others, he gave the same story over and
over—he had left his home about 8 a.m.
that morning on foot and spent most of
the day hauling corn. It had been about
10 a.m., he declared, when he first went
in the house and saw Rufine on the floor,
apparently asleep, since she did not an-
swer his knock or call.

Sheriff Trinkle was not completely sat-

isfied with his repeated version. It seemed
too vague and hazy. The result of his
investigation led to Luffman’s being in-
dicted by the Grand Jury, convicted on
a statutory charge, and sentenced to five

years in the penitentiary. i

The Sheriff unearthed other facts. From

John Luffman (above), the hired man,
held a grudge against Grady Cherry

a relative o
in this sto
Rufine and
leave the |
Cherry’s ri
wife were
| fond of th
I The nigh
to Hoag, h
don and fo
tion. She
| afraid we’:
going to th
say her cas
ago she fix
me it woul
funeral.”
She exp
been ailin;
a few mon
live.
Hoag ft
Rufine’s b
potato pat
It sounde:
The bullet
said some

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HILL, John, white, hanged at Covington, Tennessee, on Oct. 10, 1905,

"Covington, Tennessee, Yt. 10, 1905<John Hill, an aged wife murderer, was hanged
here today shortly after 11 o'clock, Hill said he was ready to meet God, Nis neck
was broken by the fall, but the body was allowed to hang 0 minutes, The crime for
which John Hill, a well known white farmer, suffered the death penalty today, was the
murder of his wife, Sate Hill, in July, 1903, Hill had repeatedly threatened his
wife's life because of divorce proceedings instituted by the latter, and it was de-
veloped at the trial that she had lived in continual dread of her husband, On the
night of July 16, 1903, while Mrs, Hill was attending to her twin babies, she was
shot through a window, death ensuing instantly. Suspicion at once centered on Hill
as the guilty party arid he was placed under arrest. At the trial the evidence was
wholly circumstantial, but of such convincing certainty, that a verdict of guilty
was rendered by the jury. The supreme court reversed the decision of the lower
court and a new trial was ordered, A second jury found Hill guilty and he was again
sentenced to death, Governor Cox granted the unfortunate man a 30 days' reprieve
which ended today when he paid the penalty for his crime with his life," JOURNAL,
Atlanta, Georgia, October 10, 1905 (7:3).