California, P, 1864-1980, Undated

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By Bert Murray

' “SHE'S BEEN THE dearest, sweetest thing. I've ever known.”

countered Lee Borden Judson to the charge that his wife had turned

| killer again. But his life, too. was forfeit to the sinister charms
of the thrice-wed Louise. He was exonerated in a murder case. on
INS LDE

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es

1N A HEAVILY watered flower bed all but barren of ~ ie
Los

plants, Angeles detectives began to dig. Only a
foot and a half below the surface they came upon the
body of a woman. This discovery blasted sky-high the

varying stories of Mrs. Margaret Logan’s whereabouts.

HEARING A decision in her husband’s case, Louise Peete
burst into tears. “I’m so grateful.” she sobbed. “There
is the fairest judge I have ever seen.” What will she have
to say when her own fate is announced in court? A paroled
slayer, this strange woman is facing a new murder rap.

ROM THE woman across the desk Walter Lentz, chief of ©

District Attorney. Fred N. Howser’s bureau of identification, |

took the two sheets of paper. They were reports which 7
California law requires employers of paroled prisoners to fill;
out at regular intervals. an :

“Louise Peete, eh?” Lentz muttered.
to now?” :

Mrs. W. F. Weisbrod, state parole officer, stepped to his side7

“What’s she been up %
and tapped the signatures on the papers with a finger. “You'll
note that one report is dated June 1, 1944, the other August 1,77
she said. “Both supposedly were signed by Mrs. Margaret.
Logan, for whom Mrs. Peete was housekeeper and companion.
But look closely at the handwriting.”
Lentz quickly agreed that the signatures were those of tw0.
different persons. “You believe Mrs. Peete has been-signing 7
her own reports?” he asked. | 3
“I do. Since June. That’s a violation of her parole. And =
when Louise Peete steps across the line, it’s time to discovef”
why. ” 4 re ‘
With that statement the chief investigator was in full accord.
For Mrs. Peete, now 63, had badgered police over the nation
most of her life—for virtually all of it, that is, except the 197
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years between 1920 and 1939 when she was in California’s
Tehachapi prison for murder. r
Born in Louisiana, Louise developed from a lovely child into
a languorous beauty. Her personality was inflammable, and
‘oward this slim girl with the blue eyes and breeze-tossed tresses,
many hearts were to go out—and be crushed.
. Early in her teens the girl married Harry Bosley, a young
salesman, and the honeymooners took up residence .in a boarding
i0use in Shreveport, La. Before long boarders began to report
Jewelry and other possessions missing. No one suspected Louise
until several stolen items were found in her room, and even then
€r prepossessing beauty saved her from prosecution.

She and Bosley lived in Oklahoma City, Dallas and other -

cities in the Central West, and invariably their period of resi-

‘nce in a rooming house was ended by the discovery of neigh-

TS valuables in Louise’s hands. But still her loveliness kept
Out of jail. Finally, however, her husband left her.

€ Southern beauty next turned up in Boston, where she

ay as Miss Louise Gould, a 19-year-old heiress, and she

k Socialites of the Hub City for a merry sleighride. She got

hehe her tall tales of estates in Germany and Norway until
penchant for thievery again exposed her, but she managed

to get out of Massachusetts with a comtortable bankroll—and
still without having spent an hour in police custody. She merely
turned on the charm, and nobody would accuse her.

Returning to Dallas, she became involved in a sensational
diamond theft. She squirmed out of that jam scot free, too.
But Harry Faurote, a hotel clerk to whom she reportedly gave
a $700 ring, took his life when the scandal broke. He was only
the first of several who would die because of their association
with Louise. ;

She next married Harold Peete, a Denver salesman, but they
were estranged by the time the fateful charmer arrived in Los
Angeles in the spring of 1920. There she answered a news-
paper ad for a housekeeper, and was hired by Jacob Charles

Denton, a millionaire mining man with a mansion in the swank

Wilshire section of the city.

Not long after Mrs. Peete installed herself in the Denton
menage the neighbors’ eyebrows began to lift at her being seen
a great deal on Wilshire Boulevard in finery which suggested
far more than a housekeeper’s income—while Denton was not
observed around the place at all.

Late in June of 1920 the millionaire’s 16-year-old daughter
Frances, unable to understand why she’d not heard from her
father, went to the Los Angeles district attorney’s office. Investi-
gator Charles Jones began to make inquiries.

In September Mrs. Peete left suddenly for Denver. Behind
her the investigation of Denton’s whereabouts was pressed by
the D.A.’s man and by Russ Avery, a lawyer who handled much
of the mining millionaire’s legal work.

They learned the housekeeper had shopped in the city’s finest

. Stores, that her purchases were large and made under Denton’s

name. She was also receiving the rent from tenants to whom she
had leased the Denton home.

The probers further discovered that before leaving for Denver
Louise hired a gardener to dump a load of earth in the base-
ment and arranged for the purchase of a quantity of cement.
She explained she wanted to bury a number of possessions of
Denton’s late wife ; her employer, she said, was so grief-stricken

over his mate’s death that he could not stand to have her things

around.

A search was made of the mansion. Walled up in a crypt in
the cellar of his own home, the investigators found Jacob
Denton’s body. He had been-shot, trussed, strangled and wrapped
in a quilt. It was established that he had disappeared on June 2.

Under arrest, Mrs. Peete was ready with the answers. She
said the body, badly decomposed, was not Denton’s, but that
of a man that he himself had murdered. She insisted she moved

out when she suspected what her employer had done. _ And

where was Denton? She didn’t know.

Her story did not hold water, and her past was catching up
with her. She was brought to trial early in January of 1921.
She did not take the stand in her own defense, was convicted
of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment at
Tehachapi.

The state prison board set her term of servitude at 20 years
—and she was paroled only in October of 1939. She was allowed
a year off for good conduct, for it must be said of Mrs. Peete
that she was a model prisoner.

The prison board agreed to Mrs. Peete’s using the name of
“Lou Ann Lee.” It also approved when, in October of 1943,

she went to work as housekeeper-companion for Mrs. Logan, a”
real estate operator who lived at 713 Hampden Place in Pacific:

Palisades, a community overlooking the ocean, Louise had held
several other jobs before this one, and her parole record was
clean. ea

Mrs. Logan and her husband, Arthur C. Logan, were life-
long friends of the murderess. Neither had believed her guilty
of the Denton killing. And in 1929, when Harold Peete became
the third man in Louise’s life to die violently—shooting himself
in a-Tucson hotel room—Mrs. Logan’s sympathy for her friend
overflowed. .

A well-educated and kindly woman, Mrs. Logan had reared i

Louise’s daughter—a young woman now happily married. Later ~~

she urged prison authorities to allow her to act as sponsor of

a parole, promising to see that Mrs. Peete led an honest and
productive life henceforth. In this manner, the release was
effected; the prison board members felt that here was a. parole
that portended well.

Familiar with the details of Mrs. Peete’s record, Lentz re-* 15

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warning takes only forty-five minutes.
When a businessman calls Headquarters
to complain that he’s just been gypped,
two policemen immediately telephone
warnings to fourteen key business firms.
These fourteen each then call five other
merchants, and so on. '

A recent example of Trur Derective’s
aid to law enforcement was shown in the
case of John Campagna, a fugitive wanted
by the Internal Revenue Service of the
Treasury Department. Campagna had fled
from the American authorities to Canada
and resumed his criminal activities there.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police be-
came suspicious of his actions and placed
him under surveillance. In the meantime
his photograph had been submitted by the

reasury Department to Trur Detective
for publication in the Line-Up. A few
weeks later a reader in Canada spotted
Campagna’s photograph in the magazine

and brought it to the attention of the -

local police who in turn communicated
with the United States Treasury Depart-
ment, Campagna’s_ arrest — followed.
Brought back to the United States, Cam-
pagna was quickly convicted and sentenced
to Federal prison.

FBI Director Hoover’s hatred of cor-
ruption goes down through the ranks of
his men. After the recent smashing of
the corrupt and crime-ridden Pendergast
machine in Kansas City, Missouri, the
aroused citizens got themselves a new po-
lice chief, L. B. Reed, a former FBI Special
Agent. And one of the first things Reed
did was to make his 600 policemen sign
this statement when they received their
pay checks: “I do solemnly swear that I
am not paying any dues to any political
club or organization; that I am not pay-
ing any lug or tribute to any one as a

result of my appointment, and I do sol-
emnly swear that I will not pay any such
dues, lugs or tributes, so help me God.”
. ...The Secret Service has moved quar-
ters in order to have better facilities for
its new, streamlined setup. It’s still in
the Treasury Building. Tho difference is
that one enters at Room 116% instead of
196%. One of its old rooms is now oc-
cupicd by Captain William D. Puleston,
ex-head of the Navy’s spy-fighters. -Sec-
retary of Treasury Henry Morgenthau,
Jr. called Puleston out of retirement to
handle delicate investigations involving
munitions-running and foreign _ warship
activities in our waters... . Attorney
General Frank Murphy has sent out warn-
ings that Federal prosecutors and mar-
shals, under the Hatch Act, are forbidden
to engage in important political activities,
It’s a choice: either to give up their Fed-
eral jobs or their political posts. One of
the first to quit his job has been John
J. Kelly, U. S. Marshal at New York
City, who preferred to hold his position
as a Tammany leader. . .. With the end
of the first year of the New York
World’s Fair, the Secret Service can look
back upon a superb record, indicating
how well it guarded Fair visitors from
counterfeiters. Out of eighty million dol-
lars handled at the Fair, only $1,100 worth
turned out to be “queer.” .. . Secret Ser-
vice Chief Wilson and Charles Schwarz,
public relations adviser to Treasury Sec-
retary Morgenthau, have just finished
some work on a movie. It’s a Hollywood
two-reeler, on which the Treasury men
cooperated to show how counterfeiters
work. For the first time, the Secret Ser-
vice suspended its rule against photograph-
ing genuine American currency. That was
SO movie-goers could see the differences
between “queer” and good money.

Invitation to Doom

(Continued from page 64)

interested listeners, he explained that the
officer had confided to him that members
of the bank-robbing gang had been over-
heard plotting to rob the Haight-Fillmore
bank in the immediate future. There
was a $5,000 reward out for the leader,
but the detective was not interested in it.
He wanted only the credit for catching
the gang, and the promotion it would
bring him. Marenco could keep the re-
ward,

“Joe, please stay home!” Mrs. Marenco
begged. .

But the young janitor was not to be
dissuaded from his role of amateur de-
tective. In addition to the excitement of
the manhunt, he was jubilant over the
prospect of the reward. It would) mean
a trip back to Italy and all sorts of
pleasant things, ;

The next morning, when he arrived at
the bank shortly after dawn, the De-
tective Sergeant was waiting for him in a
shadowed doorway. He beckoned, to him
furtively. uk

“T think they may be inside now!” he
whispered. “I’ve been watching the bank
for hours, and I think I saw a light. Now
I want you to help me. Take this gun,”
he said, pressing a black. automatic into
the janitor’s hand, “and go on in as
though you suspected nothing. I’m just
giving you the gun in case of emergency,
if anything goes wrong. Let them capture
you. Then, while they’re ‘busy dealing
with you, I’ll walk in and take them by
surprise!” :

His heart in his mouth, Marenco
nodded, stuffed the gun in his pocket and
walked up to the bank door. He unlocked
it and went in. The interior was a pit

FEBRUARY, 1940

of darkness, He turned and pretended. to
lock the door behind him, but, of course,
he did not actually lock it. He advanced
toward the row of cages. There was no
sound, no sign of anything amiss.

Gingerly, as though he were treading
on eggs, Marenco walked through the
bank, toward the rear, Gradually, as his
eyes became accustomed to the gloom,
he saw that there was no one there.

He went back to the door and turned
on the lights. At that moment, the De-
tective Sergeant burst in and whipped out
an automatic.

“Where are they?” he demanded.

“There’s no one here.” Marenco smiled.
“You must have had the wrong tip.
Everything's all right.”

peek! G, the man lowered his gun. He
advanced into the bank, and peered
under the desks and into closets.

“I guess you're right,” he admitted
finally. “There’s no one here. It must
have been a bum steer we had.” .

He took the gun from the ‘janitor, and
exchanged a few more words with him
before leaving, cautioning him again to
secrecy and telling him he would return
as soon as he again got a line on the
phantom bandit gang. Then he left, and
Marenco locked the door.

The latter said nothing to the other
bank employees when they arrived. He
observed them covertly, wondering
whether any of them shared his exciting
secret.

Mrs. Marenco was almost hysterical :

when she learned of the gun episode. Her
husband promised he would be careful,
but secretly resolved to do , everything

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petemeeeen

Sa a aS ARTUR ae ten

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possible to get that $5,000 reward.
A few nights later, his friend, the gray-
haired officer called on him at home. Be-

cause Mrs. Marenco and John were not |

supposed to know the secret, the janitor
did not introduce them, but they peered
from the kitchen as the officer walked into
the front room with Joe.

The two men had a long conversation
about bank robberies in general, and what
should be done in the event of a holdup.

After that, the officer appeared once
more at the bank, early in the morning,
to tell. the janitor he had learned the
bandits were lying low for a while.

Days passed, with Marenco still exer-
cising the utmost vigilance at his work
and looking suspiciously at every passer-
by, but still no attempt was made to rob
the bank. Neither did the Detective Ser-
geant return.

The days lengthened into weeks and
months. Marenco was still instinctively
vigilant, but seldom thought any more of
those exciting days of his amateur co-
operation with the police.

HE still kept his secret inviolate except
from his family. He didn’t even
mention it to the officer on the beat, who
stopped in at the bank just before Mar-
enco left each day. : .

Then, one chilly morning in October,
the Detective Sergeant appeared at the
bre again as Marenco was polishing the

oor.

“We've a tip that the gang is ready to
strike again,” he said. “I’ll have to ask
you to help me once more.”

On Hallowe’en morning, Saturday, Oc-
tober 31st, the gray-haired officer sidled
quietly up to Marenco again.

“Monday’s the day!” he whispered.
“They're coming around early in the
morning and will try to break in. I
want you to come here an hour earlier
than usual, so you can get your work
done and be out of the way. If they
see you working in the street, they ma:
come in. On the other hand, if your wor!
isn’t done, they’ll be suspicious.”

Marenco told his wife and brother what
the officer had said. Quieting their mis-
givings, he went to work at 5:30—before
dawn—on the foggy morning of Novem-
ber 2nd.

Haight Street was still littered with
confetti and paper streamers from the
Hallowe’en carnival of Saturday night.

From his hide-out window the slayer
had this view of the Bank of America
(right center) “ 4

108

iy RANI, , mi |

: Marenco ruefully regarded the windows

of the. bank scrawled with children’s gro-
tesque designs in soap-tracing.

The officer was waiting, huddled in a
dark doorway smoking a cigarette.

“Okay, let’s go,” he told the janitor,
stepping toward the bank as Marenco
approached. “Let me in quickly, now, be-
fore any one sees me, and I'll hide inside
while you go ahead with your work.”

Marenco, shivering with the cold,
opened the door and they entered the
bank.

“Don’t turn on the lights,” the De-
tective Sergeant whispered.

The two men were black silhouettes
against the graying windows through
which light from the street-lamps glowed
faintly. ;

“The little supply closet in the back
where they keep the stationery is a good
place to hide,” Marenco offered. “I’ll take
you back there.”

“Okay.” : :

The janitor led the way toward the rear
of the bank, opened a little door.

“This is the place,” he said, stepping
inside the closet and moving a stack of
paper aside. “I’]|——” ‘

His words dicd in a choking gasp, as
he felt the muzzle of a gun pressing
against his back!

There was a hard, steely laugh from

‘behind him. Then the gun roared, and

Marenco slumped to the floor with 3
groan. ;

At 7:20, William De Martini, the man-
ager, and Melvin Donohue, a teller, ar-
rived to start the day’s work. Not the
usual banker’s hours, ‘but this was Mon-
day, the first work-day of November, and
they had to come early to finish getting

_out the October statements and other

end-of-the-month work.

De Martini opened the front door,
frowning with displeasure at the litter that
lay on the street. The two men passed
into the bank. The interior was still dark,
as the light of the late dawn had scarcely
penetrated the fog.

A casual remark froze on De Martini’s
lips. With one accord, he and the teller
raised their hands and began to back to-
ward the door.

“Stand where you are!” snarled the gun-
man, and they obeyed the command.

He was a weird and grotesque figure.
The two men would have laughed were it
not for the deadly purpose that gleamed
in his eyes, and the lunt-nosed, black
automatic gripped in his hand. Lookin,
at him in the gray light that seepe
through the windows, De Martini could
not help but think of the costumes of
the Hallowe’en masquerade that had
surged along Haight Street two evenings
before.

The man wore over his head a huge,
square, brown paper shopping-bag—the
kind grocery stores give to shoppers
‘when they have many bundles to carry.
Holes had: been cut in it for the gun-
man’s eyes and ears, and the open end
was drawn tight around his neck.

He reached behind him to another
paper shopping-bag that lay on a table.
‘Step over here!” he snarled.

At_that moment, another teller, Joseph
G. Ellson, entered the bank. He per-
ceived the situation at once, but, before
he could retreat, the masked man covered
him and lined him up with the others.

From the second bag, he took a ball of
twine and a coil of insulated wire and
thrust them at De Martini.

“Here—tie up your boy friends!” he
ordered. Seeing that resistance was futile
and trying to stall for time, the bank
manager complied. Finally the hands of
the_two tellers were bound behind them,

“Now pull the shades down all the way,”
the gunman directed. De Martini obeyed,

Lieutenant James C. Malloy

vainly scanning the street for some pas-

‘ — whom he could signal. A few
a

merchants across the way were opening
their stores, but they had seen De Mar-
tini enter the bank and could not pos-
sibly think anything amiss when they
saw him pull down the blinds.

The hooded individual switched on a.
little light near the vault. “Now get busy
and open this vault,” he rasped. De
Martini noted that the man spoke directly
to him, apparently knowing that he was
the manager and had the combination.

“You'd better do as I say,” the bandit
warned, noting De Martini’s reluctance,
“You have a wife and family. Dick
plugged the janitor already. Unless you
want the same, you’d better open the
vault!”

Who was Dick? Was there an accom-
plice lurking in the background? It was
true that the janitor was missing. He was
ubually busy polishing the doors whenever
De Martini arrived early,

The latter moved to the vault, prodded
by the gun, and _ his trembling hand
fumbled with the combination. Three
times his nervousness made him miss it.

“T’ll give you one more chance!” the
gunman snarled. “Quit stalling!”

This time the lock clicked, and the
heavy steel door fell open.

De Martini, without waiting for an
order, took out his keys and opened the
grilled inner door—a secondary affair of
widely set steel bars, used to protect the
vault in the daytime when the outer door
was open.

TE masked man motioned the three
bank workers into the vault, then
forced De Martini to take out three cash-
boxes and put them on a table.

As he rifled the boxes of their stacks
of currency, he relaxed and chatted
casually with his victims.

“You _know, this is the best Hallowe'en
prank I’ve ever pulled,” he told them.
‘It’s meant a lot of work for me. I’ve
been watching this place for months with
& spy-glass—watching évery move you’ve
made. But it’s worth it!”

From two of the boxes, he scooped up
currency, stuffing it into the empty bag
and into his pockets. The lid of the third
box jammed, and the bandit, after strug-
gling with it with his left hand, cursed
and gave up trying to open it,

He began to hurry a little. It was get-
ting lighter outside, and the sounds of
traffic were loud from the street.

Ordering De Martini to-face the. wall,
he swiftly tied the manager’s hands be-
hind him and shoved him inside the vault,
with the others. The bank man, with
visions of suffocation, managed, in pass-
ing, to turn the combination so that the
door would not close completely,

The bandit swung the grilled inner

TRUE DETECTIVE MYSTERIES

story.
tective
to Ma
to sec
The I
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failed
had be:
the fat:
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fancied
wanted
kept th:
immediy

FEBRUARY

Dae «!


sidan Rmeeas soe

es

‘stay home, Joe

want to lay a trap for the robbers, and-
we need your help.”

With brisk sentences, he explained
that a notorious bank-robber was known
to be in San Francisco, and that accord-
ing to grape-vine information, he was
planning a job in the Haight Street
district.

fines taking you into my confidence be-
cause I’ve checked and found that the
bank people trust you,” he told Mar-
enco. “I want you to keep your eyes
open for any one suspicious hanging
around thé bank. I'll keep in touch
with you. Meanwhile, don’t mention a
word about this to any one—the fewer
people who know. about it, the better.
Above all, don’t tell any of the other
people who work in this bank. There’s
a possibility the robber has an. inside
helper.”

The young janitor did not tell even
De Martini of the officer’s visit, but later
that morning, when he went home, the
important secret proved too: much for
him to keep and he told his family.

His wife, Maria, her eyes wide with
fear, clutched at his arm. “You'd better
!” she exclaimed. “There
may be shooting. They might kill you!”

Mrs. Morenco (left) sob-
bingly related how she
pleaded with her husband
to inform the police of
his early morning visitor

Faced with the prospect of
death by suffocation, Bank
Manager de Martini (be-
low) saved his own life and
that of two of His employees

His brother, John, squinted thought-’
fully. “Maria’s right, Joe,” he said.
“You shouldn’t have anything to do
with this business. Let the police catch
him. It’s none of your affair.”

Joseph’s enthusiasm was dimmed a
little, but not extinguished.

“But the detective trusts me,” he
argued. “He said the police know I’m
an honest man. They want me to help
them. Don’t worry—nothing will hap-
pen. I can take-care of myself.”

“T)ON’T have anything to do with it,
Joe,” his wife pleaded. “Stay
home. Tell them you're sick!”

“And how do you know this fellow is
a cop?” John demanded. “He might be
a fake.”

“Nonsense,” the janitor declared. “I
can tell a cop when I see one. Besides,
he’s going to keep in touch with me. A
faker wouldn’t do that.”

“Just the same,” his brother replied,
“T’ll bet ‘he never shows up again. It
sounds phony to me.”

“Okay. Wait and see!”

The next day, Joseph was all smiles
when he came home.

“The detective sergeant came back,
just as he said he would, and he’s no
phony,” Marenco exulted. “He told me
all about it this time.”

To his (Continued -on page 107)


PRIDS

Counterfeit Syndicate
: AM MANGIL

BY WILLi
The Story Thus Far:

OHN KNIGHT GILES, convicted of

murder, was sentenced to life’in the
Oregon State Penitentiary. There he
became friendly with two inmates, El-
liott Michener and Richard Franzeen,
and the three made numerous plans for
the future. Michener and Franzeen
were released after several years, and
followed Giles’ advice to take up coun-
terfeiting. Unsuccessful in producing

the necessary engravings, they made an.

after-hours visit to a Duluth engraver
and forced him to make the plates.
Secret Service Agents set out on the trail
of the counterfeiters, but lost them when
Franzeen and Michener, receiving word
that Giles was ready to make a break,
hurried to his aid. .

After his escape from prison, the lat-
ter resumed his criminal career, with
Franzeen and Michener as his hench-
men. When friction developed, he added
Brady Morris to the gang as his body-
guard and pal. Franzeen withdrew from
active participation when Giles blamed
him for the failure of a train holdup.

As they failed to take in more
than “chicken feed” from their various
activities, Giles announced that the gang
would return to counterfeiting. He and
Morris went -after hours to a St. Paul

FEBRUARY, 1940

way,

up a

once

with

zeen,

engraving company with the intention
of forcing employees to make engravings
of a ten-dollar bill. Company officials,
remembering that the Secret Service had
sent out a warning to be on the alert for
just such a visit, tipped off the author-

ities. A trap was set, into which Giles
and Morris | unsuspectingly walked.
Michener, sitting in the getaway car,

escaped, picked up his old pal, Franzeen,
and the two went to the West Coast.
They kept in cash with forged checks,
then one day, Michener told Franzeen
to get out his gun for the next job... .

The Story Concludes:
Part Five

FTER considerable driving, Miche-
ner stopped the car in back of
45 Second Street, in the busi-
ness section of San Francisco.

Franzeen looked out in surprise. “Say,
this is a printing company,” he com-
mented.

“Not exactly,” Michener replied.
“They just sell equipment here—all
kinds of printing presses, big and little.”

“You mean we're going to make some
more ‘queer’?”

“Right.”

“But,” Franzeen argued, “Giles tried
it, and now look where he is!”

“Sure,” sneered Michener.
member we

Franzeen argued no more,

his knowledge of
a. ten-dollar Federal Reserve bank-note.
The room fumed with chemicals as he
made the photo-engraving. Then they
worked with the press.
something that

“T just don’t think
money this way.”
“Tl get it yet!”
“JT wonder if even
mused his burly pal.
“Giles again! Go on!
team up with him if you think he’s so
smart!
-gome of this queer.”

But Franzeen was stubborn.
not,” he announced bluntly.
“You know what I’m going to do?
I’m going back to Minnesota—to the
woods. Come on—let’s go hunting and
fishing,

“But re-
did it in Duluth our own
and look where we are?”

but took

station in the alley, ready to shoot

it out with anybody who might try to
interfere. ‘

Michener jimmied his way into the
building. ‘A
carrying out the press he had disman-
tled in the company’s
They got back to
incident and set up the press. And

short while later, he was
salesroom.
Alameda without

Michener went ahead with

again,
printing to duplicate

And out came
made Michener snort

disgust. He tried duplicating a

five-dollar bill. Again failure.
“You know what I-think,” said Fran-

uttering something sensible at last.
it’s easy to ‘make

swore Michener.
Giles could do it,”

Spring him and
to try to push

“Pm

But I’m going

and take it easy for a while.”

Michener looked at his rebellious satel-
lite with disgust. yp
Two days (Continued on page 127)

(Top) “Home” of three of the
gang for many years to come.
(Above) Elliott Michener pre-
ferred the Milwaukee River to
capture—that is, until the icy
water enveloped him

SPT ay EO |

a


have had a duplicate made. The landlord
only faintly recalled such a man as we
described.

At Headquarters, we pieced our meager
facts together. Several significant items
stood out:

1. The killer, according to the
Marencos, “looked like a cop.” He
walked like one. Hence, he might have
been a renegade police officer from
some other city, or perhaps had once
been a special officer or watchman.

2. He had introduced himself to
Marenco as a “Detective Sergeant.”
There, he had unknowingly made a
serious mistake that might well have
wrecked all his plans had the Marencos
been familiar with our police system.
This title has not been used in the
San Francisco Police Department since
Detective Sergeants were made In-
spectors ten years before. This in-
dicated that the killer had not been
in contact with. the San Francisco
police recently. The probability was
that he had come from some distant’
city.. We dispatched special queries
to all cities where the post of Detec-
tive Sergeant exists.

3. The home-rolled cigarettes,
smoked down to the end, indicated
that he might have been an ex-con-
vict. Convicts roll their own, and,
since tobacco is scarce, smoke down
to the last drag, sometimes even hold-
ing the stub on a. toothpick.

We made every effort to secure in-
formation from the neighbors. Some one,
we felt, must certainly have noticed the
man in his daily comings and goings
from the flat where he, by his own admis-
sion, had watched the bank for months
with a spy-glass until he was -familiar
with the movements of all-the employees.
But ‘Haight Street is a busy shopping
center, and no one seemed to remember
him particularly. ‘

One man, who daily caught a five a.m.
street-car at Haight and Fillmore, had
noticed, several days before, a well-dressed
elderly. man walking west on Haight
Street, away from Fillmore, at the time.
He had thought it strange, because at
that hour the only péople usually abroad
at that corner are those waiting for street-
cars. He had not noticed the man’s face,
All he recalled was a neat-fitting gray suit
and highly shined tan shoes.

E checked the neighborhood boot-

blacks, with no results. One mer-
chant thought he, recalled having seen a
big. Lincoln sedan, an old model, circling
the block suspiciously on several occa-
sions, but could give no description of
the driver. :

We questioned the Marencos again and
again, but learned nothing further.

Now that the first shock of his brother’s
death had passed, John Marenco seemed
loath to talk to us. It was apparent that
he feared underworld reprisals if he said
too much, though he denied that he
had received any warnings. We brought
him to Headquarters and showed him
volume after volume of Rogues’ Gallery
pictures, but at each photograph he mere-
ly shook his head. ‘

Then, from a pretty young waitress,
came our best description of the killer—
and another important clue. Finding no
one who had observed the fake Detective
Sergeant in daylight on busy Haight
Street, Inspectors McMahon and Frank
McCann concentrated on the few night
workers. In Wimpy’s Restaurant, an all-
night place a few doors from the bank,
Waitress Beatrice Schneider, of the night
shift, revealed that our man had come
there for a hamburger and coffee on sev-

110

eral occasions—the last on the morning
before the holdup.

“I noticed him,” she related, “because
he was like a sphinx. He didn’t talk or
joke with me like most customers do. He
just sat there, gulping his food. He wore
his hat pulled down over his eyes, and I
noticed that an upper front tooth was
missing. His face was white and puffy—
prison pallor, maybe. There were lines
under his eyes; in fact, there were lines all
over his face.”

From the-rest of the description, which
included highly polished tan shoes, we
were convinced that it was the same man.

Then Beatrice Schneider produced an
empty catsup bottle from under the coun-
te

r.

“He used this bottle,” she said. “I’m
certain he was the last man to touch it,
because I put it here when he was done
= it. Maybe his fingerprints are on
it.

We rushed the bottle to the laboratory,
found only one fragmentary group of
prints other than the girl’s. It was im-
possible to classify, but we hoped that

_ We could use them to identify the killer

by comparing them with those of suspects.
We sent copies to the FBI’s file of single
prints of wanted men at Washington.

TO ALL STATE AND POLICE
OFFICIALS

The Line-Up Department (pages
74-75) is for your use. We want to
‘help you catch your Public Enemies—
send in photos and descriptions of
badly wanted criminals. When we
publish a picture in TRUE DETECTIVE
2,000,000 readers immediately become
. your aids. So far, one out of every
five fugitives published in the Line-
Up has been captured—more than
250 captured to date—by TRUE DE-
TECTIVE and its associate magazine,
MASTER DETECTIVE!

Meanwhile, at our urging, Beatrice
Schneider drew a rough sketch of her mys-
terious Customer. She was a fair artist,
and insisted she had drawn a good like-
ness,

A newspaper artist touched up the pic-
ture and it was printed throughout the
nation.

This new information—about the man’s
pallid face—again pointed to an ex-con-
vict, but John Marenco still insisted he
could not find the man among our
Rogues’ Gallery pictures. Mrs. Marenco
declared that she had not paid enough at-
tention to his face to remember it.

The fact that the bandit’s landlord or
neighbors did not come to us when the
picture and description were printed
argued one of two things—either he lived
in an underworld hideout among crimi-
nals, or he was a Jekyll-Hyde character,
living in a respectable neighborhood, and
none of the neighbors dreamed of sus-
pecting him.

The days dragged into weeks, the weeks
into months, and no new clues developed.

Once, we thought we were on the right
trial when we learned that a woman who
ran a Haight Strect delicatessen, had sold
the place shortly after the holdup and told
friends she was going away with her boy
friend. We traced the woman and found
that her “boy friend” was an ex-convict,
but not the man we wanted. :

Again we thought we had the killer
when an elderly man and a youth were ar-
rested after a spectacular bank holdup—
in the Mission District, but we found that

the elderly robber could not possibly have

been in San Francisco on the day Marenco
was slain.

I wrote to Police Departments all over
the United States, Canada, and Mexico,
and in England, Australia, France, and
Germany, giving them all. the facts and
appealing for records of any similar cases.

My main hope was to trap our John
Doe killer through his modus operandi.
I felt that somewhere in the world he
might repeat his crime, or had perhaps
committed a similar crime in the past.
For his method was a singular one. His
story stands alone in police records of the
United States—and of the world, so far
as I have been able to ascertain after al-
most two years of search. Not even Scot-
land Yard nor the famous French Sireté
had ever heard of a case in which a man
planning a holdup and murder had im-
personated an officer and cultivated the
friendship of his intended victim.

The feeling began to grow on me that
perhaps the killer would not repeat his
crime—that he might have deliberately
stolen just. the amount he thought he
would need to keep him for the few re-
maining years of his life.

More than three years have gone by;
and we are pressing the manhunt as re-
lentlessly as ever. Recently, we thought
we had’ the murderer when the _finger-
prints of a man dying of tuberculosis at
the county hospital seemed to match the
prints on the catsup bottle. But he
proved an alibi.

| Nap trchg Nore: After the foregoing
story had been prepared: for press
we received a memorandum from

Harvey Halloran, the co-author, cov-

ering a new development in the case
_ and which is given below.

On the morning of March 16th, 1939,

Robert Perry, sixty-one, self-styled Alas-
kan miner and engineer, met Janitor Jack
Anthony, twenty-six, in front of the Bank
of America at Logan Heights, San Diego.
He had apparently struck up a previous
acquaintance with Anthony, who also
acted as ore watchman at the bank.
' He forced the janitor, at gun point, to
drive him to Balboa Park, where he shot
and killed Anthony and took his keys. He
returned to the bank and let himself in,
‘to wait for the arrival of employees.

He was thwarted, however, by a simple
pian which the manager and a teller had

een using for years. One man never
went in alone, early in the morning, but
waited till at least two were there. They
took turns entering first. If anything were
wrong, the first man would give a pre-
arranged signal to the man outside. This
plan was inaugurated when the bank—
after the Marenco case—had issued a bul-
letin warning its employees.

On that March morning the teller en-
tered first and Perry held him tip. The
manager, when the teller didn’t come back
to the door, knew something was wrong
and called the police. Radio car officers
captured Perry as he fled.

He entered a double plea of not guilty
and insanity. On June 7th, he was found
guilty of first degree murder, and faces
death unless he is found insane at his sec-
ond trial—which is unlikely. He still in-
sists he did not kill Anthony.

Lieutenant Malloy is convinced Perry
is the man who killed Marenco, and con-
siders the case closed—that is, he will no
longer actively look for the killer.

Marenco’s brother and other witnesses
positively identified photos of Perry. He
was further identified as the man who held
up and terrorized an elderly couple in their
San Francisco home some years ago. Ques-
tioned by San Diego officers, Perry denies
any knowledge of the Marenco case,
though evidence shows he was in San
Francisco at the time.

TRUE DETECTIVE MYSTERIES

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FEBRUARY. 1

eM Rt ABM a


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killed somewhere else, his body car-
ried into the park and hidden ‘in the
underbrush where only by chance it
would be sighted by passersby. The
coroner placed the time of death
somewhere’ between midnight and
three a.m. this morning. The body
was removed to a local funeral home
where efforts are being made to estab-
lish identity.’ ” ;

“Nothing about the other Balboa
Park mysteries?” Taylor broke in.

“Oh, sure, they always print that
list,” Jackson replied. “ ‘With the dis-
covery of the body today,’” he went
on reading aloud, “‘San Diego po-
lice are faced with another clueless
Balboa Park murder mystery, at the
outset seemingly as hopeless of solu-
tion as others that have baffled them
within the past few years. The mur-
derer of pretty little Virginia Brooks,
whose ravished body was found in a
canyon just outside the park, has
never been apprehended. Attractive
Helen Bradshaw was slain near the
Indian Village in the park. When her
body was found it bore 19 stab wounds.
Her slayer, too. has managed to elude
police. Celia Cota was murdered in
the backyard of her home on the edge
of the park. Like the others, her
murderer also escaped the law,’ ”

“I remember those cases,” Taylor
said as they rounded a corner and
swung toward the branch bank half-
way down the block. “Particularly
the Cota case. It happened just about
the time I came here five years ago.
And there have been many other
crimes in the park like holdups and
sluggings. It’s strange’ that such a
beautiful park—one of the most beau-
tiful city parks in the country—
should be the hot spot for crime and

ARENA OF DEATH—

crime mysteries in San Diego. If this
new case isn’t any easier to erack than
the old ones the police may have an-
other unsolved murder on their hands.

“Well, here we are,” as they stopped
at the entrance to the bank. “Now
let’s forget crime and get down to
business. After all our business is
banking, you know,”

ACKSON nodded and stepped for-

ward to unlock the door. He en-

tered the bank and started down
the corridor. Taylor, as was the cus-
tom of the two, halted just inside
the front door where he stood waiting
while the teller made a quick survey
ot the interior. It was a precautionary
scheme the two had worked out to-
gether. They also had agreed on a set
of signals to tip off Taylor should
Jackson run across anything out of
the way in his hasty check. From
his post just inside the partly opened
door at the street entrance, the man;
ager was in an advantageous position
to dash for help should the occasion
arise. But it never had. The two
laughed and joked about the “caution
system” they had devised. And after
several uneventful months it did
seem needless.

So Jackson gave it scarcely a
thought as he walked down the cor-
ridor that morning, his mind on the
new murder in beautiful Balboa Park,
picnic and playground for all San
Diego. A quick survey of the bank
lobby and the tellers’ cages revealed
that no one was hiding there and
everything was in order. The time safe
had not been tampered with. Taylor’s
office was empty, his desk and furni-
ture shiny with a fresh coat of polish.

That left only the restrooms. The

San Diego’s Balboa Park, considered one of the nation’s loveliest city parks,

was chosen by masked murderer for disp

osing of his victim. Arrow marks Spot,

ladies’ room, as usual, was spie and
span, thanks to the efliciency of the
janitor, J. R. Anthony. Anthony had
been employed by the bank for
months and was in line for a salary
increase because of the manner in
which he did his work,

Only the men’s room remained. On
the point of calling to Taylor that
everything was as it should be, Jack-
son pushed open the door, stuck his
head inside and gave a quick glance
around. He started to turn away.

“Open it wide and come in with
your hands above your head!” came a
low but com manding voice.

The startled teller froze for an in-
stant, then whirled. A man who had
been crouched out of sight behind a
large waste container was straighten-
ing up. He seemed to be a tall, angu-
lar fellow in dirty bib overalls and
blue work shirt. But it was his head
which held Jackson’s horrified atten-
tion. For a moment, in the half-light,
he thought the intruder had no face!
Then he saw it was concealed by a
paper sack. Narrow slits had been
cut in the sack for his eyes, nose and
mouth. And in one hand the grotesque
figure clutched a revolver.

“Don't open your head,” the crude-
ly masked man ordered. “And get in
where quick or I'll let you have it.”

“You'll never get away with this,”
Jackson faltered as he edged into the
restroom and the door with its air
catch closed behind him.

“That's my lookout, not yours,” the
sack bandit retorted. “This is a stick-
up and I'd just as soon shoot as look at
either of you. Now tell your buddy
out there to get in here, too. Tell «&
him everything is all right. And if
you tip him off 1’ll kill you.”

With the gun jabbed against his
back Jackson pushed open the door


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door shut, and its lock clicked. He banged “T told him he ou
the heavy steel outer door, apparent!
intending to close that also, but when it up!” John Marenco related. “But Joe |
failed to shut he left it swinging open, wouldn’t listen to me.”

cursing,

Then, moving stiffly with his huge mask,
which was like a fantastic diver’s helmet,
he switched off the light and hurried to-
ward the back of the bank, out of sight

of the three men.

Half an hour later, pretty, dark-haired
Jeanette Daugherty, the bank manager’s

secretary, arrived for work.

Puzzled at finding the lights off and
the bank apparently deserted although
the door was unlocked, she stepped to-
ward the vault. She dropped her purse
and screamed sharply as the three men

shouted to her.

.White-faced, she swung back the steel
door, took the keys which De Martini
awkwardly passed to her through the grille
with his bound hands, and untied the
three prisoners. The manager rushed to
the telephone to notify the ‘police, while

the others gasped out their story.

CAUTIONING the girl to stay where

she was. Donohue and Ellson switched
on the lights, hastened to the rear of the
bank and found the back door unlocked.

The gunman had made good his escape.

Jeanette Daugherty, being _ curious,
started to follow them when the open
door of the little stationery closet caught
her eye. She crossed to it, peered in,

Her shrill scream brought the three
men running. Face down on the floor of
the closet was sprawled the body of
Joseph Marenco, the janitor. In their ex-
citement, the others had forgotten him.

“There’s no wound on him,” De Martini
said. “It looks as though he died from a
heart attack!”

But when Deputy Coroners arrived, the
bank employees learned that Marenco had
met a more sinister end. He had been shot
in the back. The, bullet had. severed the
spinal cord, killing him almost instantly.

De Martini and the others, of course,
could give no description of the masked
man except for his clothes. He had worn
a good-looking, well-pressed gray suit, and
highly polished tan shoes.

A check-up revealed that he had taken
$3,750—$200 of it in two-dollar bills, In
addition, a 38 caliber Iver Johnson re-
volver, with the bank’s initials stamped
on it, was missing.

We spread out a drag-net immediately,
but the gunman had vanished into the fog
and had gained too great a start on us.

At first, we sought two men, on the
strength of the masked man’s remark that
“Dick” had killed the janitor. We also
thought it just another bank robbery—
probably the work of ex-convicts who
would be caught shortly—until we talked
to Marenco’s family and heard their amaz-
ing story.

“I warned him to be careful,” the

widow sobbed when Inspector William
McMahon broke the news to her. “I told
him he should let the police catch that
bandit, and not have anything to do with
it.”
Bit. by bit, McMahon learned from her
and from the victim’s brother the whole
story. Amazed, he heard how the “De-
tective Sergeant” had introduced himself
to Marenco months before, cautioned him
to secrecy and enlisted his cooperation.
The Inspector was told of the gun inci-
dent; of the phantom robber gang that
failed to materialize; of how Marenco
had been told to come to work: early on
the fatal day,

He learned how the yoans janitor had
fancied himself an amateur etective, had
wanted to get the $5,000 reward, and had
kept the secret from every one except his
immediate family.

FEBRUARY, 1940

, simple matter, however, for the killer to

ght to investigate and
make sure that cop was on the up-and-

THE SECRETS OF

“He looked just like a cop,” the Maren-
cos insisted. “He—why, he even walked
like one!” : :

The brother, John, was able to give us
a fairly good description of the man. He
was of medium height, stocky, about
fifty-five or sixty years old, rather dis-
tinguished looking, with gray-white hair
and a thin, pencil-line gray mustache.
His eyes were blue-gray. His face was
lined and seamed. He had an air of
authority about him. :

I held a conference with Captain of:
Inspectors Charles Dullea and Captain
Arthur Layne, head of the Homicide
Squad. We agreed, from the story of the
Marencos and of the bank victims, that
the elderly mustached man had been
alone in the job—that the accomplice,
Dick, was mentioned to shift the murder
blame. The long campaign to win the
janitor’s confidence had all the earmarks

of a lone wolf’s job. ; :

It was obvious what had happened. He
had met Marenco when the janitor came
to work early that morning, and Marenco,

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totally unsuspecting, had let him into the
bank. Then, in cold blood, he had shot
the trusting janitor in the back—for no
conceivable reason except that the un-
fortunate man knew his elderly visitor’s
face too well. The murder must have
been planned from the very beginning.

We sent out the meager description over
the police teletype, and scanned the
records of recent releases from San Quen-
tin and Folsom. There was no recently
discharged ex-convict who fitted the
killer’s description.

Aghast at .the ruthlessness and de-
liberate, planning of the murder, we con-
centrated every branch of the Department
on the manhunt. The FBI joined us,
since the Bank of America is a national
institution. .

We warned banks and merchants ‘to
watch for two-dollar bills.

DETECTIVES and G-men made the
rounds of the neighborhood of the
crime, and it was not long before we un-
earthed more evidence of the deliberation
with which the killer had planned his job.

I had assigned the men of my detail
to try and find the hideout from which
the killer had boasted he had been watch-
ing the bank for months. Inspectors Mc-
Mahon and Fred Butz, scanning the street,
recalled that three or four years pre-
viously, they, too, had watched the bank
for several days, in anticipation of a
hold-up that did not come off. They had
occupied, with the cooperation of the
landlord, a vacant upper flat at 571
Haight Street, the windows of which af-
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“For rent” signs still placarded the win-
dows of the apartment. On a chance that P R 0 S T A T E
the killer might have used this same place, , SUFFERERS

McMahon and Butz obtained a key from
the landlord and climbed the stairs to the
empty rooms.

On the floor by the bay windows, they
found a litter of more than 150 cigarette
stubs. They were all of the home-rolled
variety, and all were smoked down to the
last possible fraction of an inch! Obviously
some one had stood or sat by those win-
dows for weeks, smoking one cigarette
after another,

The landlord could give us little help.
The intruder must have had n key to the
flat, for there were no signs of forcible
entry. In past months, the landlord had
given keys to many people who wanted to
look at the apartment. All the keys had
been returned. It would have been a

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nee oe

i

er

Robert C., white, asphyx. Calif. (San Diego) on 7/19/1940...

; UNKNOWN—
What linked the paper-sack man with
this then- unidentified murder victim?

T WAS a mild California morning
in mid-March of 1939... Two men
were strolling down the south San
Diego street, deserted exce t for a
handful of laborers and s opgirls

and an occasional early delivery truck,
on their way to work. At the kiosk
they paused and read the blaring
headlines in the first street editions:

"ANOTHER MURDER MYSTERY
IN BALBOA PARK

“How many does that make?” Neil
D. Jackson asked his companion as he
slipped a paper from beneath the lead
weight and handed the newsboy a

coin.

“Tt7]] say in the story,” E. O. Taylor
remarked idly. ‘He and Jackson were
chief teller and manager, respectively,
of the Logan Avenue branch of the
Bank of America. Living near each
other, they had months before as-
sumed the responsibility of opening
the bank mornings so that they could
enjoy their walk together. “Every
time there’s a murder in Balboa
Park,” Taylor expanded, “the news-
eee dig out the old count. Must

eep the reporters busy checking.
Especially the unsolved cases. What's
this latest one?”

Jackson shook out his paper. “ “The
body of an unidentified .man was
found early today in a thicket of un-
derbrush south of the cactus garden
in Balboa Park,’” he read aloud.
“The body was discovered by neigh-
borhood children playing in the park
before school. The frightened young-
sters ran to their homes and told their
parents, who notified. police.’ ”

“Any suspicion as to who did it?”
Taylor asked.

ackson ignored the interruption to
continue reading. “ ‘Directed to the
place by the children, Detective Ser-
geant Edward Dieckmann, head of the
Homicide Squad, with other officers
cleared away the brush enough for an
on-the-spot examination.

“‘Balboa Park’s latest murder vic-
tim was a man between 35 and 40
years of age, dressed in tan coveralls.
Death, according to Dieckmann, was
caused by a bullet fired into the base
of the brain. The location of the
wound, the detective said, precluded
any chance of suicide. The man’s
clothing bore no marks by which he
might be identified. His pockets were
empty, reve, § police to the belief that
robbery was the motive for the killing.

“ ‘Dieckmann stated there was noth-
ing to indicate that the man had been
slain at the place where his body was
found. Yet the body was some dis-
tance from any park roadway and no
automobile tracks could be located in
the vicinity. Detectives are working
on the theory that the man had been

By WILLIAM MUNROE


: me,” Dieckmann
n’t like the looks
acks alang here a

‘io approached the
‘et. At each the
nn had suggested,
the shack on the
hese consisted of
quarters, chicken
ies, almost every
ure, and now ap-
d for every con-
<cept as a hiding
e sack bandit.

ore the three kept
without finding a
ney sought. When
{ an unsuccessful
way nearest the
varallel to it, they
street. Here also

ans it up here,”
to the patrelmen
ne up and down
ra block in either
’ we try the streets
‘ the bank. There
‘ny places to hide

n went around ir
wait while Dieck-
look at the back
after a time but
‘re not there.
?” he called inside
had moved away
se and was watch-
indow.
’ man over there.”
¢ross the street to
w in overalls who
1e corner looking
“I just happened
tipped Wells and
t see the bandit’s
sack but I’d swear

tarted across the
coming in below
was walking to-
iim. Dieckmann

jon’t go for your
have it,” Wells
i just in front of
continued to re-

Dieckmann had
heir guns on the
ent over him for
the hip-pocket
rolman took a .32

no resistance to
was taken back
e bank. Jackson
Vv.
s him,” he said
it’s pretty hard
med to memor-
fy a man. whose
on, this fellow’s
) those worn by
general posture
are identical. I
o recognize the

pect refused to
cred at them in

re talk for fear
‘S voice,” Dieck-
But if he wasn’t
an bet he'd be
if trying to con-
If. you can get
ke to have you
tation with us in

OSERATRIETS IS

case he does talk.: He will eventually
and he could save us and himself a lot
of trouble if he’d start now.”

But the suspect would not speak as
he was piled into the prowl‘car with
Wells and Pierce. Dieckmann drove
Jackson to the station in his car.

“What’s new on the Balboa Park
murder?” the bank teller asked as
they started into the city,

“Nothing, to be perfectly honest
with you,” Dieckmann answered.
“We know as little about it yet as any
case we ever handled. And we’ve had
some tough ones there in the park and
vicinity.”

“Do you have any leads at all?”
Jackson wanted to know.

“None. All we know is that a man
is dead. Murdered. No one has come
forward to try and identify him. By
the way, Jackson,” he changed the
subject abruptly, “did anything strike
you as odd when that sack bandit left
you and made his getaway?”

“Yes,” the teller replied. “I didn’t
get to see him go out of the bank be-
cause the air catch closed the door of
the rest room on me and he had
warned me not to leave. I was afraid
to open it for fear he was just outside.
But Mr. Taylor said he didn’t leave by
the front door.”

“And there being only two doors
then he must have left by the back
one,” Dieckman said.

“But the-vback door was locked,”
Jackson countered. “As soon as Mr.
Taylor told me he hadn’t gone out the
front way I tried the back door. Pa-
trolmen Pierce and Wells tried it, too.
But he had to go that way to disap-
pear so quickly.”

“How would you explain it?” Dieck-
mann asked,

“He must have tampered with the
lock, sprung it in some fashion so it
would latch after him when he went
out,” Jackson offered. “That’s the
only explanation I have for it.”

“The funny part of it is that the
lock on that back door hasn’t been
tampered with,” Dieckmann told him.
“The bank was entered with a pass-
key. And the bandit went out the
back way and locked the door after
him. Has it occurred to you that it
could have been an inside job with
this paper-sack bandit a stooge for
someone In your own organization?”

“Good Lord, no!” Jackson exclaimed.
He was thoughtfully silent for a mo-
ment. “I was just running over our
employes in my mind,” he said pres-
ently. “Of course, one never knows.
But I don’t think of a single person
in our branch that I would even sus-
pect.: Every employe there has been
with us for years,”

“How many of them carry pass-
keys?” Dieckmann asked.

“T’d have to check on that,” Jack-
son returned. “But it would be a
simple matter.”

“There’s a possibility that one of
your employes loaned his key to this
sack bandit long enough to have a
duplicate made,” Dieckmann sug-
gested. “Then again, one of them
might have lost his key and this fellow
found it.”

“But an employe must report a lost
passkey immediately,” Jackson said.

“It could be one of the newer em-
ployes who was afraid to report it for
fear of being bawled out or fired,” the
detective argued. “We know this. The
bandit came through the back door
and left that way. The door was
locked. That means he had a passkey.
As quickly as we get this fellow

booked, we’ll work on that key angle.
You get hold of every passkey in your
organization. And we'll make sure
that it’s the passkey originally issued, |.
not a new key or a duplicate.”

T THE police station the lanky sus-
A pect was searched. Aside from the

.32 Colt automatic that had been
taken from him at the time of his
arrest his i yielded nothing but
the usual litter in the pockets of most
workingmen. In his wallet were a
few dollars in currency, but it did not
contain a single paper that would
identify him. In addition, there was a
leather container with several keys
folded in it. These apparently were
an automobile key, a house key, and
two or three keys to Yale locks. Dieck-
mann looked at them closely. None of
them were new. He quickly tossed
them aside, for just then the paper
sack, with slits torn in it for eyes,
nose and mouth, was taken from in-
side the fellow’s shirt.

“He doesn’t have to speak now for
you to identify him,” Dieckmann told
Jackson. “I guess this does it. Well,
that washes this case up in a hurry. I
wish they were all as easy.”

At that moment the suspect found
his voice and started answering the
questions he wanted to. In answer to
Dieckmann’s first query he said his
name was Robert C. Perry. The mo-
ment he first spoke Jackson nodded.
“That’s the bandit’s voice, all right,”
he said.

“Give us-your right name,” Dieck-
mann told the fellow.: “Robert Perry
sounds more like the guy who dis-
covered the North Pole.”

“That’s right,” the man agreed. “Ex-
cept I spell it differently. And Robert

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Perry isn’t my name. But it’s as good
as any. And you or nobody else will
ever know my right name.”

“Suit yourself,” Dieckmann
shrugged. ‘“We can convict you under
the name of Perry as well as any

/fan INVENTOR

believes he has an invention, a search of
the most pertinent
should be made an

rior U. -S. Patents
a report obtained

other.”

After the man who called himself
Perry was booked on a charge of at-
tempted bank robbery, Dieckmann
took a few minutes out to learn if any
progress had been made in the Balboa
Park murder case. None had. So he
went back to the bank, taking with
him the key container found in Perry’s
pocket. At the bank, he went directly
to the back door. One of the keys in
Perry’s container fitted the lock on
that door. But the key was by no
means new and showed evidence of
long use.

More than ever convinced now that
the job was one’ from the inside,
Dieckmann again went into confer-
ence with Taylor and Jackson, who,
immediately upon his return from
headquarters, had gone among the
employes of the bank and collected
their passkeys. Without exception
they had produced them. There was
not a newly made key in the lot. And
no key had been reported lost for more
than a year. Dieckmann showed the

‘ key in Perry’s container to Taylor and

Jackson. Both agreed that it was a
bank issue.

“Then all your employes aren’t here
today?” Dieckmann queried. “Be-
cause if this key we took off Perry is
a bank issue it’s a dead mortal cinch
that it came from someone in your
organization, Now whose key haven't
you checked?”

“There are three employes who are
not working today,” Taylor said. “But

they have their keys and are on their

relative to its patentability. Write for
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57

"ASO RITES eT 7 TERRIA


ie and
of the
iy had
ik for
salary
ner in

od. On
r that
, Jack-
ick his
glance
ay.

1 with
‘ame a

an in-
ho had
-hind a
ighten-
, angu-
Us and
is head

i atten-
\f-light,

10 face!
d by a

.d been

yse and
otesque

ast his

acrack. “Mr. Taylor,” he called, “it’s
all right.”

Peering over the teller’s shoulder,
the sack bandit watched Taylor. But
instead of coming forward the man-
ager stiffened, whirled suddenly,
leaped through the open doorway into
the street and disappeared.

Jackson attempted to appear as sur-
prised by the manager’s actions as the
bandit himself. The masked intruder’s
revolver jerked threateningly. But
before he could speak the teller
caught the sound of a distant police
car siren. And despite their paper
covering the bandit’s quick ears got
it, too. :

“Stay where you are if you want to
live,” he warned, shoving Jackson
aside and backing through the door-
way. The door came shut. Jackson
heard him tiptoeing away. But in
which direction he couldn’t tell. Then
everything became silent, even the
siren on the police car which ap-
parently had been responding to an-
other call, ‘

NCE outside the bank, Manager
Taylor ran to a nearby store. There
he put in a-call for police. He

hung up and stepped back into the
street just as a black and white San
Diego police prowl car came cruising
along. The manager shouted. Radio
Patrolman George Pierce pulled the
prowl car over to the curb and leaped
out, followed by his companion, Pa-
trolman Ben Wells, as Taylor puffed
up. The bank manager ‘told them
what little he knew. But that was
enough to send Wells dashing to the
rear entrance. Pierce and Taylor en-
tered through the front door to en-
counter a white-faced Jackson.

“What was it?” Taylor questioned.

“A man with a paper sack over his
head for a mask,” Jackson gasped. “He
. Y held a gun on me.”
me Bo ten eS “Where'd he go?” Pierce demanded.

“Didn’t he come out the front door?”
Jackson (Continued on page 55)

SPHINXLIKE SILENCE—

An unusual study of the man with the paper-sack head, known to police only '
as “Robert C, Perry.” His clamped jaws never opened to tell his real name.

. a"

‘

SPECIALIST— CRIME SCENE— - ;
Sgt. Edward Dieckmann, shown with secretary Helen Bohn, View of Logan Heights branch of Bank of America, where
deals in homicide. He ended career of the masked bandit. killer lingered too long, was nabbed by alert detectives.


her and
nee this
ad made
rned the
te. She
lie any-
for the
in her
now in
of the
1;

, 1896

little
lines,
be of

{lL in a
ication
quaint-
e such
pardon
vent up
o., and
1e, and
me ere
i be so
aproper
image
silection
ind also
iffair of
> esteem
ve heart,
vead, as
to you
of our
rged and
have en-
hat time
ir hands.
f receiv-
cy pleas-

at Wil-

urvey.

letter to
ed: “It'll
syn County
a copy of

ill take it

nal!”
said,

od his son
pportunity
» Clinton

declined. :
ifter three
‘ge against
vy indicted
irst-degree

ird’s letter
ight on an
_ balanced
re how Ida

took no

jes Harvey
ig: accused

he cistern,
or board,
:y, beating
ng on the
th an im-
y filling a

is of the
rmers who
n County,
ievous In-

had at-
entice the

t trial be-
tudied the
ould they

bring in? As it turned out they
brought in none. For the sickness of
one juror closed the trial; meant a re-
deal of the human cards. The second
trial began in June. Bitterly con-
tested, it lasted two weeks. At the
end, the jury took four hours to arrive

at its verdict: guilty of second-degree
murder. Judge Van Pelt sentenced
Jim to life imprisonment.

And so the Harvey murder case
seemed over. The police closed their
books; the court had handed down
its verdict; the convicted man had
already begun to serve his sentence
in-the state penitentiary.

Yet, because of two men, the case
did not remain completely closed. One
of the two had power, prestige,
wealth . .. and lived in a mansion.
The other was weak, unknown, poor

and lived with the Salvation
Army. One was the Governor of the
State of Ohio, Judson Harmon. The
other was Jim’s father, William P.
Harvey.

The old preacher had given up his
church, come to the capitol to be
near his son, and there had joined
the ranks of the Salvation Army. He
had come to aid the man who had
accused him of murder.

The governor lived nearby, in
terms of miles. But in terms of
accessibility, he was years away. The

patience and heart-break of those
years is not recorded. How many
times did the same weary, aging feet
trudge up and down the mansion’s
steps? Sometimes the steps were dry,
sometimes wet; sometimes hot with
summer sun, sometimes slippery with
ice. Season after season, William
Harvey came and went.

Finally, on November 23, 1910, it
was the Governor who sent for Har-
vey. The white-haired preacher, now

more than 80 years old, trembled as:

he was, ushered into Governor Har-
mon’s private office.

There, beside the great desk, sat not
only the Governor, but James Harvey,
dressed in business clothes. They
both rose as the aged man entered.

Judson Harmon smiled and ex-
tended his hand. “Tomorrow is
Thanksgiving Day. I know it will be
a day of rejoicing for you, for. I am
going to give you back your boy!”

The Governor, who had served as
Attorney- -General of the United
States in President Cleveland’s -cab-
inet, and also on the common pléas
bench, let it be known that he had
made a careful study of the records in
the Harvey case. As a result, he had
not been thoroughly convinced of
James Harvey’s guilt.

Yet Ida Harvey was dead. Someone
had killed her. Who?

MAN WITH THE PAPER-SACK HEAD

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

asked. “He was in the men’s room.
He warned me not to leave there. I
didn’t until I figured he was gone. But
I don’t know where he went.”

Pierce, followed by both Taylor and
Jackson, went through the bank. But
the paper-sack bandit had disap-
peared.

“What I can’t figure out,” the pa-
trolman said to the teller when nag
had searched the place thoroughly, “
how, if that fellow had a gun on fois,
you were able to tip Mr. Taylor off.”

“Tt was in the way I told him every-

thing was all right,” Jackson ex- -

plained. ‘We had worked out a sys-
tem of signals. We’ve joked about
them a lot, because, I guess, neither
one of us figured we'd ever really use
them. When we opened the bank
mornings, he’d stand at the door until
I had looked things over. If every-
thing was all right, I’d call out ‘It’s all
right, Mr. Taylor,’ ‘But if anything
was wrong I was to put his name first.”

“T don’t get ‘it,” Pierce admitted.

“It’s. really simple,” Jackson said.
“When the sack bandit forced me to
call to Mr. Taylor I’ said: ‘Mr. Taylor,
it’s all right.’ The minute I put his
name first Mr. Taylor knew it was all
wrong.”

“I was thunderstruck for a mo-
ment, too,” the bank manager put in.
“When I heard that ‘Mr. Taylor’ first
I had to stop and think for fear I
hadn’t heard right. You see, it’s the
first time he’d ever used our danger

signal.”
“It’s a pretty slick one at that,”
Pierce grinned. “A case of when it’s

al] right it’s all wrong. But time’s
wasting. Let’s have a detailed descrip-
tion of our man and we’ll look around.”

The teller described the tall sack
bandit. After the two patrolmen left,
Taylor and Jackson locked the bank
and had a look around themselves.

But in the minutes that had elapsed
the sack bandit had disappeared.
Meanwhile a large crowd of curi-
ous citizens, as well as early patrons.
had collected outside the bank. Taylor
and Jacksoh gave up their search
presently and elbowed through to re-
open the door. And business began as

usual on'the stroke of ten at the Logan:

Avenue branch of the Bank of
America.

T POLICE headquarters, Detective
Sergeant Dieckmann was adding
up his pitifully small score in the

Balboa Park murder mystery. Like
other cases that had come out of the
beautiful 1200-acre park, in the heart
of San Diego, to baffle police, this one
was without a single clue: They had
the body of a man without a shred
of identification upon his person. He
had been shot and his body apparently
brought to the park from some other
place. The early editions of the news-
papers had carried appeals for any-
one who knew of a missing person to
contact police, who hoped that some-

- one would thus establish the vic-

tim’s identity. As mid-morning ap-
proached no one had called. And
Dieckmann fretted as he waited and
hoped for some break in the mystery
murder,

The telephone rang. He snatched it
up eagerly. “Police headquarters.
Homicide,” he shouted into the mouth-
piece. “Dieckmann speaking.” :

“While you’re waiting for something
to turn up in the Balboa Park case,

Ed,” came the voice of Chief of Detec-'

tives Harry J. Kelly, “I wish you’d
slide out to the Logan Avenue branch
of the Bank of America.”

“What’s wrong out there?” Dieck-
mann asked.

“They’re looking for a funny man
with a paper sack over his face. Pierce

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and Wells just ealled in about it,”

“Paper sack over his face?” Dieck-
mann erupted. “What is this, a rib?”

“No, it’s a fact,” Chief Kelly told
him. “Pierce and Wells are out there
now looking around. Better hurry.
Might be something. I’ve put out a
dragnet in the vicinity. The fellow
might still be hanging around the
neighborhood.” ;

Still’mulling over the park murder,
Dieckmann got a police car and
headed for south San Diego. Arriv-
ing at the bank he found everything
quiet and business being transacted
as usual. He was shown into Taylor’s
office. Jackson was called and the
two gave the detective the story.

“A paper sack over his head with
slits torn for his eyes, nose and
mouth,” Dieckmann remarked. “I
guess I’ve heard everything now. Well,
Ill have a look around. By the way,
if your bandit wasn’t inside when
Pierce and Wells got in here, and he
didn’t leave by the front door, how
else could he have gotten out?”

“There’s only the back door,” Jack-
son told him. “But it’s kept locked.
It was locked when your officers tried
it a few minutes after the fellow dis-
appeared.”

“Ghosts,” Dieckmann grinned.
“Ghosts with paper sacks over their
heads.”

He left the two, went outside and
around to the rear door. Fresh foot-
prints were plainly visible but in the
sandy, shifting soil they were of little
value. And once they reached the
paved alley they were lost.

Examination of the lock revealed
that it had not been tampered with.
The bandit apparently had gained en-
trance through the back door by
means of a passkey, left the same
way and locked the door behind him.

Heontartonr the bank, Dieckmann
made for the men’s room. But he
could find nothing there. The place
was as spotless as the rest of the bank
and the large waste receptacle behind
which Jackson said the bandit had
been hiding was empty.

His mind divided between the park
murder and this new intriguing case,
Dieckmann went outside again. Here
he met Wells and Pierce. The patrol-
men had just completed a cruise of
nearby streets in the prowl car with-
out sighting a suspicious person or a
man who even remotely resembled the
sack bandit as described by Jackson.

“How about the alleys?” Dieckmann
asked.

“Haven’t made them yet,” Wells
said. “It’s little more than a shanty-
town toward the water, there.”

“And just about where a man on the
dodge would try and hide,” the detec-
tive remarked. “Come on, let’s have a
look.”

In the alleyway behind the bank
they faced the rear of ramshackle
residences and store buildings, each
with a shed of some sort on the back
of the premises.

“Certainly plenty of places to hide,”
Dieckmann observed. “We might as
well get into them. Let’s try the houses
first. We'll get the tenants to show
us into the shacks in the rear. These
places behind the stores are probably
storehouses. You fellows take the
right hand side of the next street over,
I'll take the left. If we can just flush
the guy the dragnet will pick him up.
Have you noticed any of the boys on
location?” ;

“Logan Avenue’s alive with them,”

| Wells replied.

“That’s okay with me,” Dieckmann
said. “Because I don’t like the looks
of these back-lot shacks alang here a
little bit.”

One by one the trio approached the
houses on the street. At each the
tenant, as Dieckmann had suggested,
was asked to open the shack on the
back of his lot.. These consisted of
storerooms, living quarters, chicken
coops, rabbit hutches, almost every
type of alley structure, and now ap-
parently being used for every con-
ceivable purpose except as a hiding
place for the fugitive sack bandit.

OR an hour or more the three kept
Fup their search without finding a

trace of the man they sought. When
they had completed an unsuccessful
check of the alleyway nearest the
bank and the one parallel to it, they
moved over another street. Here also
they found nothing.

“That -about cleans it up here,”
Dieckmann called to the patrelmen
when they had gone up and down
the second street for a block in either
direction. . “Suppose we try the streets
on the other side of the bank. There
must be just as many places to hide
over there.”

The two patrolmen went around ir
front of the bank to wait while Dieck-
mann had another look at the back
door. He followed after a time but
‘Wells ‘and Pierce were not there.

“Where'd they go?” he called inside
to Jackson, who had moved away
from the teller’s cage and was watch-
ing out the front window.

“They’re after our man over there.”
The teller pointed across the street to
a tall, angular fellow in overalls who
was loitering on the corner looking
toward the bank. “I just happened
to notice him and tipped Wells and
Pierce off. I couldn’t see the bandit’s
face because of that sack but I’d swear
that’s him.”

Dieckmann too, started across the
street. Pierce was coming in below
the fellow. Wells was walking to-
ward him, facing him. Dieckmann
came up at his side.

“If you’re armed, don’t go for your
gun or I'll let you have it,” Wells
warned. He stopped just in front of
the man, who simply continued to re-
gard him sullenly.

By now Pierce and Dieckmann had
come up. They put their guns on the
fellow while Wells went over him for
weapons. And from the hip-pocket
of his overalls the patrolman took a .32
Colt automatic.

The. man offered no resistance to
arrest. In cuffs, he was taken back
across the street to the bank. Jackson
sized him up carefully.

“I’m satisfied that’s him,” he said
after a time. “While it’s pretty hard
for a banker, accustomed to memor-
izing faces, to identify a man whose
face he’s never seen, this fellow’s
clothes are similar to those worn by
the sack bandit. His general posture
and his movements are identical. I
know I’d be able to recognize the
bandit’s voice.”

But the surly suspect refused to
speak. He only stared at them in
silence. _ ‘ :

“Guess he don’t dare talk for fear
you will recognize his voice,” Dieck-
mann,commented. “But if he wasn’t
the right man you can bet he’d be
squawking his head off trying to con-
vince us he wasn’t. If.you can get
away, Jackson, I’d like to have you
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way down with them. That leaves
only one not accounted for.”

“And that one?” Dieckmann wanted
to know.

“J. R. Anthony, our janitor, car-
ries it.”

“Get hold of him,” the detective
ordered. “While we’re on these keys
we might as well clean them up.’

“Oh, we can’t disturb Anthony,”
Taylor protested. “He’s the finest
janitor we’ve ever had and he: works
like a Trojan around here. He was in
the bank until almost midnight last
night. I know, because I worked late
myself and. we left the building nearly
at the.same time. He sleeps days and
doesn’t get up until mid-afternoon.
I'd hate to disturb him.”

“You needn’t.” Dieckmann reached
for the telephone. “I will. I want
these keys checked—now.: What’s
his number?”

Taylor supplied the telephone num-
ber and Dlecknatin placed the call. A
woman answered,

“T’d like to speak to J. R. Anthony,”
the detective told her. .

“T’m Mrs. Anthony,” the woman
said. “My husband isn’t here.”

“Where can I get in touch with
him?” .

“T don’t know.”
certain catch in the voice.
this talking, please?”

“Detective Dieckmann of the San
Diego police.”

“['m so glad you called, Mr. Dieck-
mann. I was just about td call police
and ask them what I should do about
my husband. He didn’t come a
last night. ‘It’s the first time and .

I’m so worried.”

“Oh, oh,” ‘Dieckmann ejaculated
under his breath. “Do you have a
picture of your husband, Mrs. An-
thony?”

“Yes.”

‘Tll send right out after it. And
we'll do what we can to locate him.
You tell my men anything that occurs
to you that may help.”

“About this Anthony,” he said to
Taylor and Jackson as he hung up and
swung around. “Is he a pretty steady

There was an un-
“Who is

guy?” ;
“He’s a model man as far as we
know,” Taylor answered. ‘Why?

What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Dieckmann said, “‘start-
ing for the door. “Only your model
janitor ‘didn’t go home last night and
his wife is pretty worried.”

He left the two staring after him,
quit the bank and returned to head-
quarters. There he had a radio car
contacted and sent to the Anthony
home-to pick up a picture of the miss-
ing man and find out about his habits.

While he waited, Dieckmann again
checked progress on the Balboa mur-
der case. Still nothing had turned
up. He wandered about headquarters.
In the traffic department he found that
an abandoned automobile had just
been brought in. With idle curiosity
he glanced .at the registration slip on
the steering column. The name on it
hit him like a blow. J. R. Anthony!
And the address was the same he had
just called from the bank.

“Where'd you pick it up?” he asked
a traffic officer.

“Been parked near the corner of
Seventh and Date just outside Balboa

‘Park since early this morning,” the

officer replied. “We figured .

But Dieckmann didn’t wait for him
to finish. The radio car that had been
dispatched to the Anthony home had
just driven up. One of the patrol-

men handed over a picture of Anthony.

“Get right back out to Anthony’s,”
he ordered. “Pick up Mrs. Anthony
and bring her to the funeral parlor
where we took the body from Balboa
Park. I don’t think we’ll have to look
any farther for her husband. Poor
devil,” he muttered under his breath
as he turned back to the traffic depart-
ment.

After another look at the registra-
tion card he drew from his pocket the
key container that had been taken
from Robert Perry. The automobile
key in that container fitted the igni-
tion lock of J. R. Anthony’s car. The
thing added then. It was Anthony’s
passkey with which the sack bandit
had entered the bank.

Mrs. Anthony identified. the body
found in Balboa Park as that of her
husband. She was led away, near
collapse. To the charge of attempted
bank robbery against Perry now was

‘ added the charge of murdering. J. R.

Anthony.

Perry entered a plea of not guilty.
He waived preliminary’ hearing.
trial was set for April 4, 1940. He
continued to. mask his real identity
behind the alias of Robert C. Perry.

San Diego officers could get little
out of the sullen prisoner. He did tell
them, however, that he had come to
San Diego from Oakland, California,
on the trail of his wife who had taken
most of his money and deserted him.

Oakland police were contacted.
Perry had no criminal record in that
city. But when the full details of the
story of the sack bandit and murder
in San Diego reached Oakland police
they were quick to dig up a similar,
unsolved case there involving a fugi-
tive known as Rogers.

The bandit had lived in a rooming
house conducted by the wife of a
janitor of an Oakland bank. He had
made friends with the janitor and had
killed him to secure the key to the
bank. Perry’s picture was sent to

Oakland. He was identified as the |

long-sought Rogers.

Stubbornly refusing to give his real
name, Perry was brought to trial in
San Diego before Superior Court
Judge Gordon Thompson. Hé was
convicted of first degree murder. On
the day. of sentencing, however, he
withdrew his plea of not guilty to
enter a plea of guilty. A new trial was
asked by his attorneys but it was de-
nied. Perry was sentenced to die in
the gas chamber at San Quentin
prison.

Legal bickering and reprieves post-
poned his execution until July 19, 1940.
On that date Robert C. Perry was
strapped into the single chair in San
Quentin’s gas chamber. Two white
pellets were dropped into a pan of
acid behind his back. A few minutes
later he was pronounced dead. But
he went to his doom, as he said he
would, without revealing his true
identity. As Robert C. Perry he was
tried, convicted and executed. And

to this day no one knows the real -

name of the paper-sack bandit who
died there in the gas chamber at San
Quentin for killing a bank janitor to
secure his passkey.

Thugs pulled a dirty trick—liter-
ally—on Reuben Mortimer, New-
ark, New Jersey, supermarket
manager. After robbing him - of
$128 they bound and gagged him
and stuck him feet first into, of all
things, a garbage can.

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Dae aes

‘showss officers? examinin

JIBy Mark Stevens

PETERSON (SERNSKY), Asphyxiated, San Quentin
Los Angeles) on April 9, 1918,
HE telephone buzzed angrily. Detective Lt‘ R. F. Mc-
Garry of Los Angeles Central Homicide Detail slipped
out of bed, crossed the floor, and picked up the offending
instrument, :
“The division is calling,” said a crisp voice at the other
end of the line. “Captain Brown wants you to report im-
mediately. Pick up McCreadie on your way in. It looks like
. murder.”
Blood found in the seat of this car lead —@ “Tell Brown we'll be there ‘in twenty minutes,” McGarry

detectives to the solution of a beastly | acknowledged. coe : :
crime atter they investigated attack on The veteran detective put up the telephone and climbed

a coastguardsman while patrolling.


Pe NT eT ee ta ne ee

PERRY,

Robert O,, white,

La’ OWNED,
CONTROLLED
EWSPAPER : a

sp

EXCLUSIVE ASSOCIATED PRESS... WIREPHOTO... UNITED PRESS

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA. FRIDAY. JULY 19, 1940

a? cotiq de

Zounty Clerk’s office remained open

‘0 accommodate the last-minute crush
ad residents who wanted to register

if EN ” nom

= *

TERS REGISTERING—THE LAST-MINUTE CRUSH

as voters. This shows the crowd

e

that jammed the office at

8 p.m. The presidential election, which promises to be a
spirited contest, has aroused new interest.—Tribune photo.

TRAFFIC OFFICER KILLED:

HERE CHASING

An attempt to apprehend a speed-!
ing motorist last night cost the life
.of Patrolman Leo T. Cunningham,,
35, when his police motorcycle!
3 | struck a traffic button and hurled!
, jhim 135 feet through the air.
: Alas! Patrolman Clavin N. Clayton, who,
. ROUT: 3150 was pursuing the motorist on|
‘08IN8' another motorcycle, reported he|
id to-}stopped and rushed to his fellow
iuced officer to find him pinned under’
-46,337 his motoreycle with the motor still:
|running and the rear wheel Spin-:
e for | ning. |
elec-: Cunningham died 20 minutes later;
Clerk ‘at Merritt Hospital. ;
‘rev-| Clayton said that he and Cun-
‘tf be-'ningham had just started pursuit of:
i. Or- the motorist east on East Fourteenth
close Street near 54th Avenue when the
accident happened, Cunningham had!
jshifted to high gear and was travel-|
» stil, 198 about 40 miles an hour when!
° the front wheel passed over the!
well traffic button. Clayton said. |
4 350 Captain Ira F. Reedy, head of the;
7 ,police traffic bureau, said he be-:
heved that Cunningham was lonk-!
, ing ahead to pick his way through,
tal traffic and did not see the traffic’
button. |
' Clayton gave first aid at the scene)
of the accident until the arrival of
stra- 2 ambulance,
sters | Cunningham {s gurvived by a
~, widow, Mary, of 2625 Ivy Drive. He
Joined the department on May 1),
1928, and on January 3, 1939, he was
assigned to the traffic division.

ut it
that

new!

SPEEDER

é
Leo T. Cunningham, Oak-
land policeman’ killed last
night when his motorcycle
crashed while pursuing a
speeder.—Tribune photo.

™ POPULATION GAINS
“IN NAPA COUNTY

with:
gure!
NAPA, July 19—Slight increases}

7 at!

FIREMEN SAVE LIFE
OF NEWBORN BABY.

NAPA, July 19—Napa firemen

Slayer, 70, Dies
In Gas Cell

Robert C. Perry Meets
Death Caimly for
Fatal Bank Robbery

SAN QUENTIN PRISON, July. 19.
—(WU.P)\—Calm and unflinching, Rob-
ert C. Perry, 70, was executed in
San Quentin’s lethal gas chamber
today for the murder of J. R. An-
thony, a janitor, during a holdup of
a San Diego branch of the Bank of
America in March, 1939.

Perry entered the chamber and
was strapped t6 tHe death seat at
10:02 am. He was pronounced dead
at 10:14 am.

There was an unusually small
number of witnesses in the chamber
room,

On April 18, Perry was granted a
second 90-day reprieve of sentence
by Governor Culbert Olson to allow

1
i
|

more time for consideration of og [ie at the time, awaiting trial for

application for executive clemency.

The State Advisory Pardun Board | eyewitness closely followed that of

investigated information connecting |
'Perry with the killing of Joseph}
| Marenco during another bank
holdup in San Francisco on No-
vember 2, 1938.

Perry was convicted of the Sanj
Diego murder in June, 1939.

Acting Warden Clinton Duffy said
Perry apparently was the oldest
person ever executed by the State.

According to testimony at Perry's
trial, he confessed meeting: Anthony
at the door of the branch bank,
forcing him into his own car and
driving him to Balboa Park, where
he shot him.

Perry was a farmer Alaskan sour-
dough and alleged bogus doctor. He
was the 12th man to be sent to the
gas chamber in California.

te at,
in the 1340 population of Napa yesterday saved the life of the new-

Two Hurtin Auto

|half, according to intimations given
bey wlanen

Police Trial |
On Beating |
Is Recessed -

Eyewitnesses Teil
Of Fatal Battle
In Oakland Jail

|

Trial of Patrolmen Glenn Han-)

cock and August D. Peirce, on)
charges of manslaughter and as-!
sault growing out of the death of!
Fred Fernelius following an as-:
)serted clubbing at the City Jail
|was recessed today until Monday|
' morning. |

Two eyewitnesses to the alleged:
assault testified at yesterday's |
session. |

Edward Peterson, who was in the

jail awaiting hearing on a vagrancy|
charge at the time of the alleged|
occurrence, was on the stand!
throughout the afternoon.

Peterson came bounding out of

his cell when he heard the sounds
of a scuffle, and throughout the as-
serted beating of Fernelius stood
in the runway before the cells, with
only a barred door between him
and the two defendants and their
prisoner, he testified.

Under questioning by Assistant
District Attorney J. Frank Coakley,
he stated that he watched the of-
ficers clubbing Fernelius, who sank
to the floor under the blows, was
handcuffed and again beaten. A sex
WITH GESTURES leased

He illustrated his gruesome story | Said, C
with dramatic gestures, dropping)!
back with his hands raised to jJ-
lustrate how Fernelius warded off :
the blows, and then dropping to
bse: floor to show how the victim
fell.

“Drop that bucket and
come here and drag him out of
here,” Peterson said he heard
Peirce shout after Fernelius was
apparently unconscious on the floor.
“This is only an example of what
goes on around here,” Peirce said
directly to Peterson after the fray,
the latter testified. male vi
| The witness then declared that a ea el
{pool of blood on the floor after|°** ‘S.
Fernelius was taken away by trus.| 76 prem
ties, measured between 12 and Pal a. Hy
inches in diameter. ‘I WAS

Much of the cross-examination| Today.
i Cansisted of comparison of the wit-/that sho
|ness’ testimony before the Grand}me. I'v
Jury and at the current trial, with/ was druj
Defense Attorney Leo Sullivan en-| was dai,
|}deavoring to impeach the witness; The di
jfcr the various discrepancies assert. |began ati
edly uncovered in the comparison,|Chace of
| The morning session yesterday ley, was}
; was largely occupied by testimony | attempti
jof Louis W. Hellman, also in the{/her brot
i of the dj

When }
and Kaoit
Sargent
ing the [

EX:
hh

Berkele!
vestigat’
theft oj}
burglar:
home a:
land.
When
Avenue,

burglary, whose testimony as an

Peterson.

On cross - examination Sullivan
again succeeded in pointing out dis-|the man. |
crepancies In the witness’ testimony| He pici-
at the trial and before the Grand]0on Webst

Jury. to the Ch
TWO MORE DAYS Mrs, Cha:
the car.

The prosecution is expected to
take at least two more days with
its case, and will call two more pris-
oners to testify, as well ag physi-
cians and medical examiners. Then
the defense will open its case, pos-
sibly late Tuesday or Wednesday,
and will have at least a dozen wit-
nesses, according to Sullivan and
Charles Brennan, associate defense
counsel,

Both Peirce and Hancock are ex-
pected to testify Aan their own be-

OFFICER
Suddenl.
wheel, jar
gear and
Sargent, «¢
holstered :
at the car.’
Then he
into the ai
of Srgt. FL

Carm


nt pitmtenmenttdhe rans
pacha en catia ele ah DD oy

iataleiiinn te

a
;
7
i
i
'
|
{

Police chemist and detective look with horror on
the brutally beaten body of Marion Berger atter
she was found washed ashore north of swank
beach near famous Hollywood movie colony.

.

speedily into his clothes. He knew..that central would call
his working partner, Detective Lt. R. B. “Mac” McCreadie.

Exactly seven minutes later, Bob McGarry pulled up in front
of his partner’s residence. McCreadie came down the steps two
at a time and climbed in. “Something must be buzzing Mc-
Garry,” he said, “to get us out at this hour.”

Captain Thad Brown, veteran Commanding Officer of the
murder squad, was waiting for them at Central. “All we have
on this one,” Brown said, “is a report from Sheriff Howard
Druley of Ventura. A civilian slugged a coastguard patrolman
about midnight last night. It happened south of Oxnard. The
coastguard tied him up. They searched his car, a 1936 Ford sedan
and found a woman’s clothes, a lot of blood, and a purse. They
called the sheriff and a couple of deputies, found a ration book in
the purse issued to Mrs. Marion E. Berger of 3096 San Marino
Avenue. We’ve checked the address and Mrs. Berger is missing,

“When he was booked, this fellow claimed his name was Jack
Peterson. The Ford is registered in that name, but the I
Bureau checked it out. Peterson is an alias. The guy’s real
name is Sernsky. He’s an ex-con. Picked up here in 1940 on
a burglary charge. It was your case, McGarry. You ought to This ex-convict: repayed’ a friendship. - Cops..
remember him.” questioned? him» after: finding: the. body. of

'... dead: woman:and he said he had tried to save
her after she: was: attacked by a strange man..

Ne ee ne Re EE RR IRE FIT RE EERE EEE we A

Pe at Re ae ee ree Le

y

Marion Berger lived an impeccable life
and police found it difficult to find a
motive for her brutal death. Friend
of the family was questioned and his
Story failed to make sense to the law.

The dead woman was
thrown into the sea at
this point not far from a
coastguard station which
lay behind Point. Mugu.

David Berger left home
on a trip and while he
was gone his wife was
hostess to a murderer
who later killed her,

“T do,” McGarry said. “He used to run the soda fountain at
Pico and Western,”

“That’s why I called you on this job,” Brown said.

“IT know him too,” McCreadie spoke up. “That drug store
is pretty close to the Wilshire station and I used to eat
there.”

Brown nodded. “Good. So much the better. They’re hold-
ing the car and the rest of the stuff in Ventura. We’ve already
contacted Pinker and Larbeg. You can pick them up at the’

Lab, That’s all we know, but Ventura will have the rest of the
dope.”

Oo’ THE way to the police laboratory, located cattycorner
from the City Hall and. just up the street from the new
Times Building, the two detectives recalled what they knew
about the suspect.
“He was a pretty good burglar,” McGarry said. He cleaned
up sixteen service station jobs the last time. He fell in Missouri
ona burglary, and I think it was auto theft at Kansas. His name
was on the parole sheet about six months ago.”
“I remember he was quite a ladies man,” McCreadie volun-
teered. “A lot of dames used to hang around the drug store.”
Los Angeles Police Department’s internationally famous
forensic chemist, Ray Pinker, and fingerprint expert, John
Larbeg, were standing on the steps of the police lab when the

ene hc cats bo ts nn ee ee ee ee
~


|
a
|

Mrs. Lois Gordan identified the dead
woman aiter examining blood-stained
hair she had dyed the day previous.

homicide car pulled to the curb. Pinker loaded two suitcases
full of scientific equipment into the trunk and the four officers
headed for Santa Monica and the Malibu highway.

It was a strange case and a peculiar beginning. It might
well prove to be a wild goose chase. For the benefit of Pinker
and Larbeg, McCreadie repeated all the information Captain
Brown had given him.

The Los Angeles officers reached Ventura at five minutes

past ten. Big, easy going Howard Druley, was waiting for
them. “We’re going in circles on this, one,” the sheriff said.
“Everything points to murder, but Peferson won’t talk. Last
night when the boys picked him up he wouldn’t even tell them
the time of day. This morning he wants me to listen to a funny
story. Claims he had a fight with somebody at Point Mugu
over this woman. Says she went off with the other guy and
they headed for San Francisco.”

“Where is the car with all the blood?” Pinker asked.

“It’s in the garage. I want you to go back down the highway
where all this happened. You can talk to the coastguard. Depu-
ties Frederick and Peterson who handled the suspect last night
are going to meet us there.”

McGarry nodded. “Okay. We'll follow you.”

Druley invited Pinker and Larbeg to ride in his car.

Eighteen miles south of Oxnard, coast highway 101A follows
the curve of the coast line around Point Mugu. Druley, in the
lead, pulled up beside a coastguard command car and a sheriff’s
cruiser parked on the coast side of [Continued on page 66]

11

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[Continued from page 11]

DE VEGHIVE, ; Mesing One Corpse

the highway. The sheriff introduced his
deputies, Frederick and Peterson, and
coastguard Coxswain George Thorough-
good, Seaman 1/c D. E. Peters and
Seaman 1/c C. A. Goodson. “These fel-
lows can tell you what happened last
night,” Druley said.

The coxswain nodded. “We’ve been
patrolling this coast ever since the war
started. Last night one of our boys, Sea-
man 1/c Kenneth Sneathen, was as-
signed to this section. At 11:25 Sneathen
called the O. D. room at our station N11
down the road about half a mile. He
reported everything quiet. At 11:26 he
called back asking for help. He sounded
dazed over the telephone. He said that
aman had struck him. Peters and I came
down in a command car to investigate.
As we were leaving camp, Sneathen
called again to say his assailant was driv-
ing north in a grey sedan. Goodson or-
dered the road blocked at our station N10
three miles north of here.

“When Peters and I reached here,
Sneathen was standing beside that rock.
There was a grey Ford coming south on
the highway. We drove across the road
and turned our spotlight on the driver.
He had to stop. Peters covered him with
a sub-machine gun. I tied his hands with
Sneathen’s pistol lanyard, then bound
his arms with Sneathen’s duty belt. We
took him back to camp and I had the
Ford brought in.

“Sneathen told us that after calling in
the first time he came around a point and
saw this Ford parked on the water side
of the highway headed south, lights burn-
ing. Sneathen was working with his dog,
Boots, and they came on down to investi-
gate. The car was empty. He didn’t
open the door and look inside, but about
that time he saw a man climbing up the
bank from the ocean. Sneathen asked
him where he had been and the fellow
said he was looking for a man and woman
who had gone fishing. They talked. a
minute or two and the fellow seemed all
right, but Sneathen decided to take down
his license number and be on the safe side.
He went around the front and started
writing it from the plate, and this fellow
slugged him.

“Sneathen didn’t see the blow coming,
and doesn’t know where the fellow got
the tire iron. He went down. The man
started to hit him again, probably would
have killed him, but Boots jerked his
leash free, grabbed the man’s wrists and
knocked him down. Sneathen crawled
to his feet, drew his gun, and started
backing toward the telephone jack. He
was still stunned from the blow and too
weak to hold the gun up.

“The fellow started for him again, but
he was frightened off either by the dog
or by the pistol. He went for his car,
turned around and drove north with the
lights off.

“Sneathen still doesn’t know why the
fellow slugged him. When we got him
back to camp, I called our command post
at Oxnard, notified the sheriff, and these
fellows came down.” , .

The Los Angeles officers who had
listened without interruption to this long
recital, turned now to deputies Frederick
and Peterson who took up the story.

“When we got here,” Frederick said,
“the coastguard boys’ had found the
blood, the woman’s clothes and purse in
the back of the car.”

“What were these clothes you found ?”
McCreadie asked.

“A girdle, a brassiere, and some under
clothes.”

“Did you find anything else ?”

“When we booked him,” Druley said,
“he had $10 in a billfold, $110 in his pants
pocket, and this morning the jailer found
a white gold wedding ring set with dia-
monds in the toilet in Sernsky’s cell.”

“IT suppose you searched the ground
around here?” Pinker said.

Thoroughgood shook his head. “No,
we've marked the place where Sneathen
said the car was parked. I’ve got crews
searching the beach for her body, but we
figured we had best have someone who
knows what they are doing go over the
ground here before it was all messed up.”

Pinker smiled his approval. “Good
for you.”

Fue TY yards north of where the

officers were standing, the highway
narrowed to go through a cut in the solid
rock. Thoroughgood pointed to a tele-
phone line which came around the rock
and then went north on the seaward side.
“Sneathen called in from there,” he said.
“The car was parked here.” The cox-
swain walked south twenty feet to a place

at the edge of the highway barricaded by.

a road repair sign.

McGarry brought Pinker’s equipment
and the sheriff of Ventura pointed to a
pool of dried reddish brown liquid. In
the liquid were the distinct marks of a
tire pattern.

Ray Pinker studied the stains for a_

moment and nodded his head slowly. “It’s
blood all right. We’ll take enough for
a sample to identify and type it. Now
let’s see if we can follow the stains from
here.”

Pausing frequently to study the
gravelled shoulder, Pinker pointed out a
trail of bloody drippings. Down over
the parapet embankment the trail led to
the sea-washed sand below.

“He dumped the body in here all BE

right,” Pinker said.

“That’s the way it looked to us,”
Howard Druley replied. The patrolman
surprised him as he came back to the car.

McCreadie added his theory. “Sure, /

and when they had him tied up he tum-

bled. Sneathen ‘hadn’t seen him, so he

We ae ge

renee
aah ig

*,
bad
us

someon
far, we’
charge.’
The
tight.
McCrea
popular
Evety o
law eon
the érim
the body
lent mis
The c
Picion 01
missing.
could be «
must pre
dead. A
Sernsky |!
it possibl
though th
was to be
ing an eye
might thr:
that grizz!
refuse to
had said, :
The sev
small roon
dence in
McCreadic
happened.
once befor
“They c
Druley :
Sernsky bi

SS ee
ne Corpse

rom page 11}

é gesn’t know why the

him. When we got him
‘ called our command post
ified the sheriff, and these
flown.”

ngeles officers who had
t interruption to this long
aow to deputies Frederick
‘ho took up the story.

‘ot here,” Frederick said,
‘d boys had found the
‘an’s clothes and purse in
car.”

these clothes you found ?”
éd.

drassiere, and some under

d anything else?”
ooked him,” Druley said,
. billfold, $110 in his pants
> morning the jailer found
edding ring set with dia-
let in Sernsky’s cell.”
‘ou searched the ground
Pinker said.
xd shook his head. “No,
he place where Sneathen
s parked. I’ve got crews
each for her body, but we
best have someone who
2y are doing go over the
ore it was all messed up.”

@ approval. “Good

is north of where the
2 standing, the highway
through a cut in the solid
-hgood pointed to a tele-
ch came around the rock
.orth on the seaward side.
d in from there,” he said.
oarked here.” The cox-
uth twenty feet to a place

‘e highway barricaded by

ign.

ught Pinker’s equipment
sof Ventura pointed to a
eddish brown liquid. In
: the distinct marks of a

* studied the stains for a
ided his head slowly. “It’s

We'll take enough for
‘ntify and type it. Now
an follow the stains from

quently to study the
ler, Pinker pointed out a
drippings. Down over
vankment the trail led to
sand below.
the body in here all
said.
way it looked to us,”
ied. The patrolman
; fame back to the car.
lded his theory. “Sure,
had him tied up he tum-
hadn’t seen him, so he

ibis nabs

Laide x

,

dummied up on a murder and began
figuring out a good story to tell.”

Pinker, who had carefully gathered
samples of blood over the entire route,
said, “It’s a good theory, but it isn’t evi-
dence. Let’s go check the car.”

As they prepared to leave, a coast-
guardsman came running up waving
something excitedly in his right hand.
“Found this on the beach,” he shouted,
“about three hundred yards south.” He

/handed the object to Druley who in-

spected it and passed it to McGarry.

It was a woman’s shoe, a well-made,
high-heeled suede pump, soaking wet
with sea water,

McGarry tossed it to Pinker. “The
current must have carried her south,” he
said. ‘‘We can look for her body to come
out about Malibu. If we can identify
this shoe as hers, it’s going to help.”

In Ventura they made a detailed
search of the Ford Tudor sedan. There
was a great pool of blood on the rear
floor. On the front floor mat tucked
under the driver’s seat, they found a
blood stained steel tire iron. Beside the
tire iron Pinker found a man’s left hand
pigskin glove. It too was blood stained.
This was the weapon Peterson, alias
Sernsky, had used on Sneathen, and if
the Los Angeles detective’s theory was
right, he used it earlier to murder
Marion Berger.

When Pinker had finished his work
inside the sedan and officer Larbeg had
completed his search for fingerprints, the
four Los Angeles officers and Druley
and his two deputies went into the
sheriff’s private office.

“We're going to have to find that
body,” McCreadie said, “or else dig up
someone who saw Sernsky kill her. So
far, we’ve got everything but a murder
charge.”

The veteran homicide detective was.
tight. There was no corpus delicti. *

McCreadie was not referring to the
popular misapplication of this phrase.
Every officer in the room knew that in
law corpus delicti means “the body of
the crime” and it has nothing to do with
the body*of. the victim despite its preva-
lent misuse by fiction writers.

The case against Sernsky was sus-
picion of murder. Marion Berger was
missing. Before the body of the crime
could be established in this case, the state
must prove that Marion Berger was
dead. An eye witness who watched
Sernsky kill her could do this and make
it possible to convict the ex-con even
though the body of Marion Berger never
was to be found, but the chances of find-
ing an eye witness were remote. The sea
might throw back her body, but if it kept
that grizzly burden and if Sernsky would
refuse to talk, there was, as McCreadie
had said, no murder charge.

The seven griin faced officers in that
small room went over all the bits of evi-
dence in their possession. © Finally,
McCreadie said, “Sernsky knows what
happened. McGarry here handled him
once before. He might talk for him.”

“They can’t count us out for trying.”

Druley sent word to the jail to have
Sernsky brought down. It was agreed

BVERY important discovery relating

to mind power, sound thinking and
cause and effect, as applied to self-
advancement, was known centuries ago,
before the masses could read and write.

Much has been written about the wise
men of old. A popular fallacy has it that
their secrets of personal power and suc-
cessful living were lost to the world.
Knowledge of nature’s laws, accumulat-
ed through the ages, is never lost. At
times the great truths possessed by the
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men in high places, but never destroyed.

Why Were Their Secrets
Closely Guarded?

Only recently, as time is measured; not

-more than twenty generations ago, less

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A half hour after his fight with the
Coast Guardsman, Sernsky was show-
ing his automobile to Sheriff Durley.

“You see now why I’m certain some-
thing awful has taken place?” he ask-
ed the officer. ‘Look at that back seat.
That’s exactly how I found the car
this morning.”

Durley asked, “Why didn’t you re-
port this before?”

“Well, I couldn't be sure. You hate
to accuse a Man of murder, and may-
be even now everything's all right—”

“Not with that evidence.’ Durley
pointed to tufts of woman’s hair on
the back seat—red, color-rinsed hair
that appeared to have been torn out
in a desperate struggle. The Sheriff
reached on the floor and lifted up a
pair of panties. Crammed in one cor-
ner of the seat were other feminine
articles: A brooch and a wrist watch.
Also on the seat there was a blood-
stained towel wrapped around a pair
of men’s trousers.

yor say the name of the man you
suspect is Sarrowsky?”’

“Sarrowsky —or Sarrazowski. He
worked with me at the plant where
Mr. Berger is the personnel manager.
I can't tell you much about Sarrow-
sky—but Jack Peterson could.”

“Who's Jack Peterson?” .

“Jack Peterson is his pal. I wouldn’t
be surprised Jack was in on this with
Harry. What does surprise me is about
Mrs. Berger—’”’ *

“What about Mrs. Berger? What
was she doing going to San Francisco
with these two men you're talking
about? What's the point of that?”

Sernsky didn’t answer those ques-
tions—apparently, the Sheriff thought,

Coast Guardsmen M. F. Thoroughgood,
left, K. R. Sneathen and Wallace Hanson
played an active role in the investigation

out of respect for his employer's wife.

“Where is her husband?” Durley
asked. ‘Where has he been all this
time, and why hasn’t he reported her
missing—if a murder has been com-
mitted here?”

“David Berger went up to Duluth on
business the early part of this week.
He’s not expected back until next week.
That much I know. Anything else I
can only make a guess at.”

The Ventura County Sheriff shook
his head. Maybe Sernsky could “make
a guess,” he thought, but he himself

along Malibu Beach.

In Los Angeles, Lieutenants R. B.
McCreadie and R. F. McGarry were on
hand to take up the investigation. While
waiting for Sernsky, they had traced a
Mrs. Marian Berger, who lived at No.
3096 San Marino Avenue, and learned
from neighbors that she had not been
seen since Monday. Her car was miss-
ing from the garage of the home, and
there was other evidence—in the form
of neglected daily newspapers and other
deliveries—that the house had been un-
inhabited since the early part of the

Detective Lieutenant R.

B. McCreadie examines the tire

iron used to strike a Guardsman patrolling the beaches

couldn’t afford any conjectures. It
seemed clear enough that a crime of
extreme violence had taken place in
the back seat of Sernsky’s car; the red-
dish-tinted hair and the dried blood on
the towel bore eloquent testimony of
that. The point was, where had the
crime taken place? Had Mrs. Berger
been slain and tossed into the sea off
Point Mugu? If so, the officials needed
the body to furnish the necessary “cor-
pus . delicti”—-without which there
generally could be no conviction.

3 ae my ond knew what he was going to
do. Conduct a foot-by-foot search
of the coast-line and send out boats to
comb the surf in the hope of spotting
the victim. The rest of the job would
be up to the Los Angeles County au-
thorities, for these people came from
their domain. It would be up to Los
Angeles Central Homicide to question
Sarrowsky and Peterson and to determ-
ine what connection, if any, they had
with the suspected slaying.

It was morning before the formali-
ties had been completed in Ventura
County, allowing Sernsky to make the
trip to Los Angeles with Deputy Sher-
iff Harold Peters. Statements and de-
scriptions had been left in Ventura
files for possible checking against any
new leads that might be established

week, They learned that her hus-
band, a thick-set, pleasant man of
about 40, was an executive at Six Wheels
Incorporated, a.war plant. His duties
took him on periodical jaunts through-
out the Northwest.

The neighbors said that Mr. and Mrs.
Berger were an ideally, married couple,
never having been heard to quarrel or
otherwise to indicate that there was
anything but perfect understanding
between them. Mrs. Berger was de-
scribed as a dark, pretty woman in her
middle thirties.

No one had seen any strange men
around the house while Mr. Berger was
away, and the neighbors said that they
had thought that Mrs. Berger was stay-
ing with friends until her husband
— from his latest trip to Minne-
sota.

HEN Sernsky arrived in Los An-

geles, Lieutenant McCreadie told
him about the Mrs. Berger who lived
on San Marino Avenue.

“That’s the woman Im talking
about,” Sernsky replied. ‘“If—if she’s
missing, that makes it look bad for
Sarrowsky.”

- “If you suspected this Sarrowsky of
bad reputation towards your employer’s
wife, why did you lend him your car?”

“He told me she wanted him to drive

Tathtiden 2k

RENE as ison oh ge Bie 8 AD


David Berger, husband of When
the victim, tried to beat
up a suspect, but is

held back by ‘Deputy
Sheriff M. W. Skelly

drove her all the way there.”

“Why?”

“There—were blood stains in the
car when he left it at my place in Los
Angeles. He left it without saying a
word—and I found it this morning.”

“What're you doing out here at this
time of night?”

MLIARRY used to say he took Mrs,
Berger out here to Point Mugu
and they used to sit and look out at the
ocean. There was beach sand caught
in the tires when I looked at them,
so I thought Harry had taken her out
here again and something had hap-
pened. I started over at. the end of
Malibu. and drove down this way—”

“And a good way to get your head
shot off! Don’t you know this beach
is patroled—and traffic is forbidden
after sundown?”

Sernsky shook his head weakly. “I
know it now.”

“Where’s your car?”

“Parked up there off the road a bit.”

“We'll get it and drive to the near-
est beach telephone. You’re kind of
handy with a tire iron, and I’m in
pretty’ bad shape.”

“I don’t know how I can apologize
enough. You see—I was thinking that
Harry might have returned to the
scene of his crime—and all I could
think of was to save myself—”

“Don’t tell me about it! This is a
matter for the police. When we get
to the telephone, I’ll put you in touch
with Sheriff Howard Durley, of Ven-
tura County.”

Mr.

and Mrs.

David Berger took this
picture, they did not
know that soon their ba-
by would be motherless

AA name


her to San Francisco, and it was be-
cause she was my employer’s wife
that I didn’t dare offend both him
and her by refusing. Of course, now
that I look back at it, I realize I was
doing her an injury when I thought I
was doing her a favor. But maybe—
maybe you'll find her safe in San Fran-
cisco! Do you think that’s possible?”

“No, I don’t. We got a call from
Sheriff Durley in Ventura shortly after
you left there this morning. A woman’s
clothes were found on the beach not
far from Point Mugu. Ration book
and personal cards found with this
clothing show beyond a doubt that they
belong to Mrs. Berger!”

JRAT afterncon Los Angeles detec-
tives located David Berger in Du-
luth, Minnesota. He telegraphed back
that he was taking the first airplane
home and would arrive at the earliest
possible moment.

Sernsky, meanwhile, asked permis-.

sion to remain at Police Headquarters
to await developments. Inasmuch as
he was under technical arrest as a ma-
terial witness, anyway, Lieutenants
McGarry and McCreadie were glad to
oblige him.

Homicide Captain Thad Brown took
personal charge of the investigation.
His first move was to dispatch a wire
to San Francisco police asking them to
check hotels for a Marian Berger and
a Harry Sarrowsky or Sarrazowski. He
also told them to be on the lookout for
a third person—Jack L. Peterson. The
Captain didn’t believe they would find
any of the people there, but he wanted
to take every precaution.

Then the Captain questioned -
Sernsky.

“Tell us all you know about Harry
Sarrowsky and Jack Peterson.”

“Mr. Berger can tell you more about
them than I can,” Sernsky replied. “He
hired them, you see. We’re—all one big
family, I suppose you could say. What
I mean is—”

“What you mean is all a little beyond
me, Sernsky,” Captain Brown said.
“The violence of your attack upon the
Coast Guardsman is another thing I
can’t explain. Either you were scared
out of your wits of this Sarrowsky—”

“If you were afraid a murderer was
going to relieve you of your only wea-
pon, and kill you with it, you’d get
violent, too,” Sernsky interrupted.
“When David gets here, he’ll know what
it’s all about. I’m here to give you what
help I can until he arrives.”

Captain Brown turned to Lieutenant
McCreadie. “Take a ride over to the
war plant and see what they have in
their records about Sarrowsky—”

“It might be Sarrazowski—or even
Saraezewski,” Sernsky told the officers.
“You want to get it straight, or they’ll
tell you there’s no such person work-
ing there.”

JI(-HECK Peterson, too,” Captain

Brown said, “I don’t expect you’re
going to be able to walk in there and
arrest them both, but it’s time we got
a line on them.”

As McCreadie was leaving, Lieuten-
ant McGarry entered the office. “I
found the place where Mrs. Berger re-
ceived her beauty treatments,” he said.
“It is the Gordon Beauty Salon, in the
neighborhood of the San Marino ad-
dress. Mrs. Lois Gordon, who runs the
establishment, recognized the tufts of
hair found in the back seat of the

This is Boots, being held by Wal-
lace Hanson, when he was being
trained for the emergency he met

car. She states that she is certain the
hair is similar in shade to a color rinse
she gave Mrs. Berger last Monday
morning!”

“Good. On that score, we’ve got
everything but the body—and every
resident along Malibu Beach has been
asked to keep an eye out for its appear-
ance.” He thought for awhile. “I be-
lieve you ought to check that seven-
eleven number,” he said to McGarry.

“Seven-eleven?” asked McGarry. “I
—don’t get it.”

“Seven-eleven,” Captain Brown re-
peated. He looked at Sernsky.

“Oh—right enough.”

“Seven-eleven Valencia Street, that’s
where I live,” Sernsky spoke quietly.
He looked from one officer to the other
with some amusement. ‘“You’re send-
ing him out to where I live?”

ul .’ replied Captain Brown. “Any
objections?”

Sernsky settled into his chair, crossed
his long legs and laughed. “None at
all,” he said. “Not an objection.”

Later that day, the three detectives
met again in the office of Captain
Brown. Sernsky had gone into another
room to get some sleep and to await
the arrival of his employer.

“The labor turnover at the Six Wheels
plant is the same as at that of most
war plants,” McCreadie told the other

(Continued on Page 43)

John Sernsky, a friend of the Ber-
gers, discusses the case with
Attorney Leola Buck Kellogg

“In order to prove an alibi for the
time Frank Aguerre was killed.”

The young man denied knowing any-
thing about Aguerre’s death, insisted
that he had left Saturday night instead
of Sunday morning.

“We'll soon see,”’ Roberson told him.

He and Duncan escorted Cercas to
the night ticket agent’s home, asked
the man: ‘Is this one of the passengers
who left for Big Spring at half-past
two Sunday morning?”

HE ticket agent looked at Cercas
solemnly for several moments, then
nodded. ‘Yes, he was one of them. I
remember he acted terribly jumpy,
kept looking over his shoulder as if he
were afraid of being followed.”
Roberson and Duncan took Cercas
down to the County jail, booked him
for murder, then questioned him again.
“You might as well tell us all about
it, Cercas,”’ Roberson told him. ‘“We’ve
got you dead to rights. You'll save a

But Why Bump

officers, “and they had a couple of
‘Petersons’ in their files, along with any
number of workers whose name began
with ‘S’ and ended in ‘ski.’ The strange
part is that none of these—that is,
neither Sarrowsky nor Peterson—are
on the payroll at the present time. They
seem to be transient employes at best.”

“Well, are there such men—or aren't
there?” asked Captain Brown.

“From what I could make of the
records, there are both such men—
but they are not presently employed
at the Six Wheels.”

“All right, that’s about what I ex-
pected to hear.” Brown turned to Mc-
Garry. ‘You didn’t find any suspicious
evidence at Sernsky’s place, did you?”

“Not a thing.”

“I didn’t think you would,” Captain
. Brown walked to the window. ‘‘We’ve

turned up a thing or two. Sernsky is
an alien, which isn’t anything neces-
sarily against him of course. And we’ve
put out feelers on the records of Harry
Sarrowsky and Jack Peterson. We've
already received notification from
Kansas that Peterson has a burglary
conviction against him. But I don’t
know if it’s the Peterson we want. We
ought to have pictures on that soon.”
The Captain paused. “A lot of guys
wouldn't mind killing their employer—
but why bump off the boss’ wife? That’s
what I don't understand.”

“Berger ought to be in tomorrow,”
McCreadie said, ‘He may be able to
tell us. And, as personnel director of
his company, he might provide a line’
to the identity of the two suspects—
Sarrowsky and Peterson. He must have
known something about his wife’s
friends.”

“Everything we know about the hus-
band is to his credit. We can’t find
one thing against him. But he'll be
here tomorrow, as you say, and we'll
let him speak for himself.”

T WAS a bewildered man who walked

into Central Homicide on the morn-
ing of May 12, 1944. He was short and
thick-set, and behind his business
man’s spectacles he wore the expres-
sion of a person who hoped what he
had heard was not true. This was Da-
vid E. Berger, husband of the missing
woman. It was obvious that a police
station was new territory to him, and
he was completely at the direction of
the officers with him.

He saw the familiar face of John F.
Sernsky, and he started to hold out his
hand. “John,” he said, “What—what
has happened to Marian?”

Sernsky appeared upset himself. It
was as if he had difficulty speaking.
“Mr. Berger, I was waiting for ‘you
to come home to tell you the whole
story. This is the way it happened:
Marian called me and asked if I would
take her to Ocean Park.”

“Ocean Park?” Berger’s. bewilder-
ment increased. “What would she
want to be doing there?”

“That is what I didn’t understand,

@

lot of wear and tear on yourself if
you'll make a confession.”

The young man raked trembling
fingers through his mop of long black
hair. Then he nodded.

“I might as well tell you about it. I
killed Aguerre. You know why? He
wouldn't let me go out with his sister.
I am madly in love with her.”

“What about Ledesma? What part
did he play?”

“He didn’t want me to kill him. He
advised me to keep on with the voodoo
business. But I tried everything and
nothing worked. I was getting des-
perate. I knew that as long as Aguerre
lived I had no chance with his sister.

“I saw him arguing with Joe Ortega
Saturday night and I followed him.
When he left Ortega I kept right be-
hind him. It was very dark. And
when he started across the vacant lot
I slipped up behind him and cut his
throat.” .

Roberson immediately released Joe

Off the Boss’ Wife?"

either. But she was your wife, so I
did not see how I could turn her down.
I agreed to drive to the corner of Pico
and Olympic Boulevards, where she
wanted me to pick her up.

“She was there when I drove up.
When she got in the car, she told me
she had suddenly felt she wanted to go
on some of the rides she had taken
when she was a child—you know, the
roller coaster and things like that.”

“But—what happened after that?”

“This—this is what I did not want
to tell anybody but you. She—she
really wanted to go to the park to
meet—to meet Harry.”

“Who is Harry? Was he a friend of
Marian’s?”

41GCARROWSKY'’S his. last name, I

think. Mr. Berger. Your wife met
Harry—there and they borrowed my
car. Harry said they were going to San
Francisco. Then I found my car re-
turned—with the evidence that there
had been trouble. I tried to find out
for myself, before notifying the police.
Then, a Coast Guardsman caught me
on the beach and there was nothing
to do but make a statement of the
facts.”

“Why didn’t you tell us all this?”
asked Captain Brown angrily. “How
come you kept this Ocean Park business
to yourself?”

“I said,” Sernsky declared loudly,
“that I wanted Mr. Berger to be the first
to know. I don’t see that it’s important
where they met, just as long as you
know they did meet. and drove off
towards Point Mugu!” *£

Berger was almost in tears and his
voice trembled. “Do you think she’s
dead? Do you think this Harry killed
her? John—tell me!”

“She may be in San Francisco.
There’s always a chance of that. May-
be—”

“She’s not in’ San Francisco, and
never has been there!” Captain Brown
interrupted. ‘San Francisco police
haven’t got a line on them as yet.” He
faced the husband. ‘You may as well
accept the fact, Mr. Berger, that your
wife is dead. Her body will be washed
up between here and the end of Mali-
bu Beach. She never got farther north

-than Point Mugu, I can assure you—

and all any of us can do for her now is
to determine who killed her.”

The Captain questioned Berger
about Sarrowsky and Peterson, but the
husband did not recall their names.
This led the officers to believe more
than ever that the two men were trans-
ient employes who had worked just a
short time.

The next morning, Captain Brown
told McCreadie: “We have every bit of
evidence that a crime has been com-
mitted, but we still haven’t made any
real progress. Why don’t you take a
drive out Ventura County way and see
if Sheriff Durley has anything new?”

“T’ll do that,” McCreadie replied.

- “What came back on those feelers you

A i mA lite

Ortega and his friends. Cercas was in-
dicted and his trial set for September
17, 1934. Before the indictment was
returned. however, he repudiated his
lengthy and signed confession.

E WAS not tried in September. He
was granted a continuance. Then
he made a second confession, told Ro-
berson where he had hidden the mur-
der knife. The weapon was recovered:
and on January 21, 1935, Cercas was
brought to trial. He was convicted of
second-degree murder and sentenced
to 15 years in the Texas penitentiary
at Huntsville—where he died August
22, 1938.
Pedro Ledesma was convicted of un-
lawful practice of medicine and sent-
enced to a short term in jail.

The names of John Armes, Joe
Ortega and Peter Moro are fictitious
to protect the identity of innocent per-
sons.

(Continued from
Page 17)

sent out regarding Sarrowsky and Pet-
erson?”

“Wherever those men are, they are
both ex-convicts with records for burg-
lary in Missouri and Kansas. But we
won't know if they’re our men until we
get their pictures.”

There were many things puzzling the
officers. Where were Sarrowsky and
Peterson now? And where—if she
were slain—did the killer of Marian
Berger hide her body?

“I’m going up to Ventura County
now,’ McCreadie told the Captain.
“Maybe Durley will have some sort of
a lead for us.”

But when the Lieutenant talked to
Durley in the Sheriff's office, he learned
that the Ventura County officials like-
wise had made little progress. in their
end of the investigation.

“What chance do you think we have
of recovering the body?’ McCreadie
asked the Sheriff.

“If it’s in the ocean,” Durley replied,
“it'll take at least a week for it to come
up. Can I do anything for you now?”

“We're trying to understand Sern-
sky’s part in this affair. Did he show
any evidence of guilt when you first
saw him on the beach?”

“Nope. None at all. We found
Sernsky with Sneathen, the Guards-
man. A little later on two other
Guardsmen—Wallace Hanson and M.
E. Thoroughgood—joined us. They can
all tell you he acted like he was telling
the truth.”

“He was here in your office for some
time while you took statements from
him, Did his actions during that time
lead you to suspect anything?”

“No, he seemed to be giving us a
straightforward account of everything.”

UST then Deputy Sheriff Peters, the
man who had taken Sernsky to Los
Angeles, came.out of the washroom.
After greeting Lieutenant McCreadie,
he asked the Sheriff, “Did we ever find
out who owned that wedding ring
somebody left on the wash basin in
there the other night?”

“No. It’s still.in the safe there. I’m
surprised no one has called for it. A
wedding ring is something people don’t
like to lose.”

“What’s this about a wedding ring?” _

asked McCreadie.

“Somebody must have dropped by to
use the washroom—people are always
doing that—and he left a wedding ring
on the basin a couple of nights ago.”

“Oh, a man’s wedding ring,” said
McCreadie losing interest.

“No—no, I guess it’s a woman’s ring
all right. Say, what about that!”’ Dur-
ley jumped to his feet. ‘How did a
woman’s wedding ring get in that
place?”

“Was this on the night that Sern-
sky was here?” asked McCreadie.

Peters answered that question.
“You're darn tootin’ it was! And—
listen—Sernsky went into-that wash-
room not once but several times dur-

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. as they sat on the afternoon of Friday,

December 15, 1944, examining the suspect:

pafole sheets.

t 63 a woman should be able to
down,” he said. “But we'll soon
find out what’s wrong.”

The following Monday the chief in-
vestigator brought the matter to the at-
.tention of District Attorney Howser, who
summoned Inspector William Penprase_ of
the sheriff's office and Captain Thad
Brown of the Los Angeles police homi-
-cide detail to check on the paroled mur-
deress.

From neighbors these officers learned
that Mrs. Logan had not been seen since
late in May. And Mrs. Peete—known
in the community as Mrs. Lee—on May 2
had married a man named Lee Borden
Judson, with whom she was living in the
Logan home.

Louise passed off her new mate as a
retired banker, but in reality he was a
messenger for the Bank of America. De-
tectives were told he was an honest, de-
pendable employe, well liked and with a
spotless record. A tall, neat man of 67,
he had known better times as a news-
paperman and business executive, but due
to his age had been unable to find a more
suitable job than the one he now held.

Penprase and Captain Brown were
puzzled over the whereabouts of Margaret
Logan. They soon learned that Mrs.
Peete—since it was by this name she was
best known to them, they continued to use
pite her third marriage—had ex-
ed her benefactor’s disappearance
from public view with a strange story
indeed.

Arthur Logan, 75 and at one time
the representative of a large American
firm in the Orient, had been an inmate
ot a mental institution, but had been re-
leased in his wife’s care. According to
Louise Peete, he went berserk in May,
attacked his wife and inflicted such
wounds on her face that she was under-
going plastic surgery. She was reportedly
too sensitive about her appearance to ap-
pear in public. And after the savage
assault, according to Louise Peete, Logan
had been returned to the institution, evhere
he had died on December 6.

The investigators . discovered. that
Logan had indeed heen recommitted to
the asylum. Mrs. Peete had taken the
elderly man to the psychopathic ward of
General Hospital on June 2, representing

herself as his foster sister and repeating ..

the tale of his brutal attack on his wife.

Then other neighbors revealed that
Louise had told several differing stories
about Mrs. Logan’s disappearance. One
was that her benefactress was visiting in
“the East; another that the woman was in
a Glendale sanitarium; others had Mrs.
Logan recuperating in a San Bernardino
rest home, and seeking to regain her
“health in the Mojave desert.

e variance of these stories spurred .

@eeector Penprase and Captain Brown
to dig further into the situation at the
Logan home. They began to examime
Mrs. Logan’s business transactions.

+ The 64-year-old woman was. well
known for extensive operations in real
estate. A check of banks disclosed that
her accounts had been dormant since May
-21, when a $3 check was cleared. One

teller recalled that he last spoke to Mrs.
Logan on the telephone on May 19; when -

he called because he questioned the sig-
nature on a $200 check. He’ said Mrs.
Logan requested him to honor the check,
saying that “Mrs. Lee”
around to “make it good.” The draft
bore Mrs. Peete’s endorsement as “Mrs.
Lee,” and that of her husband Lee
Judson. :

This information indicated that the
$200 check may have been a forgery, and

_that the kindly Mrs. Logan, knowing its

consequences for the parolee in her
charge, hastened to cover up so that
Louise Peete would not be caught: How

many times in the past had this fateful ©

woman's charm saved her from just pun-
ishment! Investigator Lentz figured it
had happened too often. -
“Our handwriting experts
parole reports are forgeries,”

say the
he pointed

out, “I'd bet we can prove she wrote this -

check. I believe-we’d better probe Mrs.

A SOUTHERN beauty in her youth, Mrs.
Peete looked like this when convicted of
the murder of Jacob: Charles Denton. a Los
Angeles mining millionaire, back in 1929.

*

Logan’s disappearance to the limit—inas-
much as Jacob Denton vanished in some-
what the same way.” _

Officials of the institution in which
Arthur Logan was confined from June

_until his death produced records to show

that in those five months he had received

-not a line of correspondence, nor a single

visitor. .

When he lay dying the celuna authori-
ties sent a wire to his wife, but it was
not answered. The only communication
they received was a telegram after his

- death: It was signed “Mrs. Logan” and

bluntly ordered them to turn over the
body for medical research.

“That doesn’t sound like Margaret
Logan,” Penprase said. “She was a for-
giving soul—too good-hearted. Even if
he cut her up, she’d have known he was
not responsible for his acts. She'd never
have deserted him completely.”

Lentz and Brown agreed. “I’m afraid,”
said the prosecutor’s - assistant, “that
Louise has been up to her old trick of
murder again.” He ground a cigarette
stub into an ash tray. “She’s been faithful
to only one mate all her life—and his
name is Doom.”

would drop:

At noon on Wednesday District Attor
ney Howser summoned the reporters. a
signed to his office into a conference. - He?
told them about “Mrs. Doom,” but warned
that the story was off the record unti
he gave them the green light. True to
the traditions of their craft, they honored
‘his confidence. Then five hours later |
he called them again. ;

“We've got enough on her to ee he
in as a parole violator,” he said. “Within:
two hours Mrs. Peete will be in custody. ?
And we'll be searching for a corpse. You’
may alert your city editors, but hold off
publication of the story ‘until we find |
what we're after.” - 2

Two carloads of detectives, headed by
Captain Brown, were already enroute to-
the Logan home. They reached the resor
community of Pacific Palisades at 7
o'clock and, while the squads surrounded
the place, Detective Lieutenants Roy
Vaughn and Harry Hansen approached
the door of the stucco bungalow.

MRS. MARGARET LOGAN disappeared,
and then her husband was placed in a men-
tal institution. where he. died. Police were
asked to believe he had killed his wife.

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Mrs. Doom!

(Continued from page 17)

persuading. “You're on parole—from a
murder sentence. Mrs. Logan has not signed
your report sheets for the last five or six
months, has she?”

Mrs. Peete did not answer immediately.
But finally she looked him in the eye with
a disarming show of candor. “No,” she
admitted. ‘I signed them.”

The captain thrust instantly into the open-
ing she’d allowed. “Louise, tell me frankly—
have you blown your top again? Did Mrs.
Logan go the same way as Jacob Denton?”

Her eyes fell. ‘‘My friends always told
me I would blow my top some day,” she said.

“Then you're ready to confess? You killed
Margaret Logan? What did you do with
the body?” ;

She tossed her head merrily. Her laughter
caught the veteran sleuth off base. “Confess?
Me confess? To what? What kind of a
gag is this, anyway?”

An old hand with criminals, Captain
Brown was not long upset by the front
Louise put ‘on. Indeed, it only more firmly
impressed him with what her past had been.
He remembered that in the Denton case she
had never confessed; she’d even taken the
20-year rap without going on the witness
stand, where she would have been at the
mercy of a cross-examining district attorney.
He knew he could expect no admission from
her that she had done away with her erst-
while benefactor, and yet he was certain such
was the case. He must produce evidence—
undeniable evidence of Mrs. Logan’s murder.
And this he meant to do.

“Take her downtown!” he snapped. “We've
got work ahead of us.”

The detectives had come prepared. Elec-
tric floodlights were set up around the house,
and under their glare the scene resembled a
Hollywood premiere, even to the crowds of
curious who gathered. But this was no gala
screen opening. It was a grim search for
the latest victim of Mrs. Doom!

It began in the basement of the Logan
home, for it was in a cellar that Denton’s
corpse had been ‘uncovered 24 years before.
Lieutenants Vaughn and Hansen found the
Logan basement small and earthen-walled.
Only part of it was under the house, owing
to the incline of the hillside.

The two men examined the floor and found
nothing. Then their torches played upon the
walls and Hansen exclaimed, “Look there!”
His light fastened upon a dark splotch where
water was seeping through.

“You'd get no seepage like that through
hard-packed earth,” he said. “The ground
above the damp place must have been loos-
ened since the foundations settled.”

The investigators went upstairs, and met
Brown. He had spotted a sack of sand lying
against a back fence—a bag which he at first
believed to contain cement.

The trio headed for the spot nearest the
seepage in the cellar. It was directly be-
neath Mrs. Peete’s back bedroom window and
was sheltered by a graceful avocado tree.

At its foot was a neat flower bed, rising in
a slight mound. The earth was loose and
damp, as though it had been recently watered,
but the bed itself was bare save for a few
flower pots. Bordering the bed on three
sides—the house forming the fourth side—
was a curbing of brick and cement.

“This flower patch,” Brown exclaimed, “is
about the size of a cofin! It’s been watered
heavily—which would be one way of holding
back the odor of decomposition. Mrs. Peete
may have planted something more than flow-
ers outside her bedroom window !”

Vaughn obtained a shovel and sank it into
the vielding earth, He worked swiftly.

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Eighteen inches down the spade the loose dirt
ended, and the watchers caught a telltale
smell. Five minutes later there lay uncov-
ered the body of a woman, fully clothed
except for shoes! Decomposition was so far
<n that the features were indistinguish-
able.

Brown flashed the news to Lentz in the
district attorney’s office. Lentz called in the
waiting reporters and photographers, and Los
Angeles’ biggest crime story in months broke
in black headlines.

MBS: PEETE had not yet arrived at the

Prosecutor’s headquarters, but Judson
was being questioned by Deputy District At-
torney John Barnes. Judson altered his story
somewhat—and it was:a significant change.
He admitted being in -the Logan home the
night of the reported attack by Logan against
his wife! But, he insisted, he had heard
nothing since he was. asleep in one of the
bedrooms.

Barnes broke the rfews of the body’s dis-
covery to the elderly man. Judson appeared
genuinely shocked. He denied having any
part in Mrs. Logan’s death, and refused even
to believe that Louise was Mrs. Peete, a
paroled slayer. ‘

“Why—why, she’s been the dearest, sweet-

est thing I’ve ever. known,” the man ex-

claimed. “I can’t believe this of her.”

Mrs. Peete was brought in and placed in
an office far removed from her husband. The
fact of the finding of Mrs. Logan’s body was
kept from her._

The corpse’s stage of decomposition indi-
cated Mrs. Logan had been dead for several
months. Thus it could not have been she who
dispatched the telegram to the mental insti-
tution requesting that her husband’s body be
given to medical science. The police were
sure the sender was Mrs. Peete, although she

denied it vigorously. She continued ‘to stick

to the story she already had told.

Then she was returned to the Logan home
and led into the floodlighted yard. She must
have known what awaited her, for even be-
fore she arrived at the brink of the shallow
grave she turned and buried her face in the
shoulder of the D.A.’s matron, Mrs. Jones:

“T can’t... I can’t look,” she sobbed. “Oh,
please don’t make me look... .”

Judson made a later appearance at the
grave. He stared in stony silence, but to
newspapermen a few moments afterward he
repeated his earlier statement that “my wife
is the dearest, sweetest thing in all the
world.”

More than two score official photographs
were taken of the body and its surroundings,
and the corpse was rings by the coroner
to the county morgue. Mrs. Peete and Jud-
son, still kept apart, were escorted to the
Hall of Justice and booked on suspicion of
murder.

‘Then detectives set out to bolster their evi-
dence against Mrs. Doom. Under the Logans’
living-room rug, Pinker took scrapings.
Marks of blood were visible in the hardwood
flooring. Ina dresser drawer in Mrs. Peete’s
bedroom the detectives found two guns, a .25
Colt automatic and a .32 Smith & Wesson
revolver. Both weapons were empty.

Brown called a conference. “We'll know
how Mrs. Logan died as soon as the autopsy
is performed. The immediate question is,
what was a possible motive for killing her?
It couldn’t have been that $200 rubber check
Mrs. Peete cashed. Mrs. Logan took care
of that, and it was small potatoes anyway.
There must be something more . . . some-
thing big, like in the Denton case.- Louise
Peete must have been trying to take over
all of Mrs. Logan’s property . . . nothing
less!”

Late that afternoon, police learned Mrs.
Peete had profited at least to the extent of
$910 by Mrs. Logan’s death. Mrs. Jessie B.
Masters, worker in the Security First Na-
tional Bank of Santa Monica, related that on

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IVING ROOM lights gleamed through

venetian blinds. Brown rang the bell.

The door opened and Mrs. Peete stood ,

before him, a question in her eyes, but
with her lips curved in a friendly smile.

Seeing this notorious woman close up
for the first time, Brown was surprised.
She looked nothing like a femme fatale,
a paroled killer. Here was a woman
whom time had scarred little, even after
nearly two decades in prison. She seemed
much younger than 63, and was dressed in
quiet good taste; and when she spoke her
voice was strong, clear and musical.
age was evident only in the sprinkling of
gray in her hair, in the matronly plump-
ness of her medium-size figure.

“We're from the police department . . .
routine business,” the captain said.

“Come in,” Mrs. Peete: directed, step-
ping aside. Brown noted her matter-of-
tact tone. Had she been expecting them?

Lee Judson glanced up from his chair
in the living room.

“Police,” his wife said.

Brown’s glance slanted to the floor.
On the thick rug lay an open, metal
strongbox with papers strewn about it.
The captain crossed the room in quick
strides and knelt. One glance told him
the papers were personal, belonging to
the missing Mrs. Logan and her husband
—insurance policies, ration books and the
like,

Brown rose, his manner disarming. He
was certain Mrs. Peete had no idea why
he and his men were there. He signaled
to Judson. “I want to talk to you a

minute.”
The other officers trooped in. While

‘Mrs. Peete was asked to remain in the

living room—in the company of Hansen,
Vaughn and Mrs. Marjorie Jones, a dis-

trict attorney’s investigator assigned to

act as matron—Captain Brown faced

Judson in the breakfast nook of the-

kitchen, out of earshot of his wife. Join-
ing them were D. A.’s Investigators Aldo

Her’

‘wearing a heavy black veil.

Corsini, Walter -Sullivan and _ Police

‘Chemist Ray Pinker.

“What is this all about?” Judson de-
manded.

“You own this house?” Brown asked.

A puzzled look clouded the elderly
man’s blue eyes and he shook his baldish
gray head. “No; it belongs to the Logans.”

“Where’s Mr. Logan?”

“Why, he died in an institution on
December 6.”

“Where is Mrs. Logan?”

“In a hospital or sanitarium.
know which one.
here frequently, so it can’t be far away.
She arrives in a cab sometimes, usually
You see,
she’s having plastic surgery done.”

“Then you’ve seen her ?”

“No; but my wife has. Mrs. Logan
was here just last week. She always
returns home in the daytime when I’m at
work downtown.”

“When did you move in here?”

I don’t

“I would say it was around June 2—

the time Mr. Logan was returned to the
asylum and Mrs, Logan went to the
sanitarium.”
Prodded by questions, Judson told of
the alleged attack on Mrs. Logan.

“On June 1, while my wife and I were

living at the Glendale Hotel, Louise went
to visit the Logans. That night she

‘phoned me at the hotel and told me that

Mr. Logan had flown into one of his rages
and assaulted his wife. Louise sare
she’d better stay all night.

“I came out here the next morning

about 10 o’clock, and my wife met me in
the driveway. ‘She was very pale, her
hair was dishevelled and hig eyes blood-

. shot.

“ “T asked her what had happened. She
said she and the Logans were preparing
for an automobile ride, but as they got
in the car the phone rang. Mrs. Logan
went back to answer it and Logan fol-
lowed. Shortly after, my wife heard

However, she comes

-disfiguration that she would leave no for-_

screams and rushed into the house. There
she found Logan attacking his wife ...

‘biting her nose and neck. He had chewed

the nose completely off !’”

“You saw this?” Brown asked. -

“Oh, no. My wife told me everything.
Louise said Logan was in an insane.
frenzy. She started to call the police but
Mrs. Logan begged her not to. . . said she
didn’t want him arrested. The poor .
woman was bleeding something terrible.
My wife tried to separate them and Logan
bit her on the hand. Finally she got them
apart and Logan quieted down. Then he
didn’t seem to remember anything. Louise
gave him some tablets and he fell asleep.”

“You saw Mrs. Logan when you got
here ?”

“She was gone by then. Louise said
she was very sensitive about her appear-
ance and didn’t want to be seen. She |
asked my wife to take care of her house |
and the real estate business for her.”

“Did she call a doctor to treat Mrs.
Logan? > ;

“I think not. Mrs. Logan was very
touchy, like I said, and” didn’t want any-
one to see her.”

“Was Logan here he you arrived ?”

“Yes. He appeared to be in a daze. My
wife and I agreed the best thing was to
have him recommitted to the institution.

He seemed harmless enough then, so
|
|

‘Louise took him to the General Hospital
‘psychopathic ward on a bus while 1 went

on to work.” ree

Brown shot a slaxice: at t Pinker: Sead
son. was merely repeating one of the
stories Mrs. Peete had told regarding
Mrs. Logan’s disappearance. .The only
part of it that could be substantiated was
that Logan had indeed been taken to Gen-
eral Hospital on June 2.

“Judson, there must have been a ike
loss of blood if Mrs, Logan’s nose was
torn off,” the captain said. a saw |
some blood?”

Thete was x stain on the fiving , TOOM

rug, about two or three feet by ‘ar feet.

The davenport was spotted too.” —
“Where’s the carpet now ?”

Judson led the officers into a beifrocas”

“It was cleaned and moved in here,” he
explained. Though faint, the stain was
plainly discernible. :

Captain Brown. nodded ‘to one of the
district .attorney’s men, who led the
elderly bank messenger away. Pinker
and the homicide ace agreed that the hus- |
band might be telling a straight story so |
far as he knew, but they did not believe it |
was the truth, |

“If Mrs. Logan lost ‘enough blood to |
soak up eight or 12 square feet of a rug,

-sShe did not leave this house under her

own power,” the police chemist ‘said.
“She’d have been carried out in a basket.”
“I figured as much,” Brown said
grimly. “Let’s see Mrs. Peete.” es
Detail for detail she repeated her hus- ~~
band’s story, Asked for the address of .
the sanitarium in which Mrs. Logan was.
undergoing her facial repairs, she lamely | —
confessed she did not know. “Margaret =~
was so afraid somebody would see_her

warding address,” she said. “I see ba 4
only when she comes here.” * oe
-- Brown leaned forward. His tone was ,
confidential, (Continued on page 47) 17

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Francisco police headquarters, launching a manhunt on their beats, looking for a man whose upper left front
that spread from one end of the Pacific Coast to the tooth was gone—a gunman who had shot to death an
innocent man as the prelude to the robbery of a bank.

other.
It came as the first concerted move to solve one of the The crime occurred on Monday morning, November

most wanton murders committed in San Francisco in 2, 1936.
| _ years. And as the search for the wanted killer spread Joseph Marenco, janitor at the Haight and Fillmore

fan-like over the West, police laid a trap of uniformed Branch of the Bank of America, came to work earlier
men around every exit from the city. than usual that day. He was early because a few days

nih ia decries cede

THESE SLUGS——
put the owner of this gun
in the gas chamber.

CRIME DETECT AS

(Fee (2 f)

before a strang<
that there was 2
“T’m a serge:
hear there’s a h:
“When’s it co:
“Bither Satur:
the other answe
get over there ‘
gone and look
And don’t tell «
So the janit
stranger to th


it-going trains
stopping cars
incisco patrol-
all and tavern
pper left front
t to death an
‘ry of a bank.
ng, November

and Fillmore
work earlier
se a few days

before a stranger had called at his home to warn him
that there was a plot to rob the bank.

“I'm a sergeant of police,” the man told him. “I
hear there’s a holdup brewing.”

“When’s it coming off?” Marenco asked.

“Either Saturday, October 31 or Monday, the second,”
the other answered, consulting a small calendar. “Let’s
get over there to the bank tonight when everyone has
gone and look things over. We've got to lay a trap.
And don’t tell anyone. It would spoil everything.”

So the janitor trustingly took the shrewd-looking
stranger to the bank, unlocked it, and showed him

At large for nearly two
years, the snag-toothed
bank bandit who shot his “i
victims from behind was
trapped by a microscope.

BY
CHARLES G. JOSEPHS

pe]

CAPTAIN——

Charles Dullea made

@ microscope

about. Tensely, they discussed plans to foil the holdup.

“I’ve just taken the examinations for lieutenant,” the
“sergeant” explained. “If we put this over right, ’ll get
my promotion quicker.”

As Marenco stepped into the bank on the morning
of November 2, he found himself face to face with a
holdup man leveling a gun. Although the bandit wore
a paper bag over his head for a mask, with slits cut
out for his eyes and mouth, Marenco had no difficulty
in recognizing him as the stranger who had warned
him of the approaching robbery.

With a revolver barrel pressed to his ribs, the janitor
was forced to the rear of the bank. A moment later the
gun: barked and Marenco fell to the floor—dead from a
bullet that went plowing through the back of his neck,
severing his spinal cord.

The body was dragged into a little stock room close
by and the murderer calmly awaited the arrival of his
next victims.

He was not alone long.

Soon a key turned in the front door and William P.

INSPECTOR——
Engler at last got the
break he wanted.

talk.


<

PE EY

2 romne
a ee

LIEUTENANT——
James Malloy’s squad
overlooked no _ clews.

‘De Martini, manager of the bank, walked in with two

of his tellers, Melvin Donohue and Joseph G. Ellson.

“Stick ’em up,” the robber yelled, poking a gun at the
unsuspecting three.

They complied readily and as they stood with up-
stretched hands, the man with the mask handed De
Martini a handful of wire and told him to tie up his
companions.

The banker next was ordered to open the vault.
Thoroughly frightened, he turned the dial to the right,
then to the left, and pulled. The door refused to open.

“Don’t try any funny business on me,” the bandit
warned.

De Martini tried again. For the second time he failed.

The holdup man pressed closer; angered at this delay
in his work. ‘“You’ve got one more chance to open up
and give me the money,” he said gruffly. “Maybe you
don’t know it but you'll find out pretty soon. Dick
plugged the janitor.and unless you want the same you’d
better quit your stalling.” ,

This time the combination clicked. De Martini
grabbed the money bags and turned them over to the
gunman,

The robber snatched them greedily, chuckling at the
success of his undertaking. “I’ve watched this here
joint for a month with glasses from a window,” he re-
marked. It was obvious from every move he made that
the crime had been planned well in advance.

Then he herded the three into the vault and shut the
door.

Terrified, they waited until they felt sure he had de-
parted; then began calling loudly for assistance.

It was half an hour later that De Martini’s secretary,
Miss Jeanette Daughert-’, arrived for work. She heard
their voices and hurried to their aid.

De Martini ran to the telephone and called the police.

70

Te 25%

as
ve
s3

Koen e hee

>.
Het es
cal

Pe Tee
SB hetand

AS

But before officers ar- A GUN—
rived, the four came upon tt his back, De Martini
the crumpled body of the opened a safe.
janitor. He was lying on
his back and they thought
he had died of fright. Not until a deputy coroner ar-
rived and moved the body did they realize that Maren-
co had been shot to death.

By this time uniformed patrolmen and _ inspectors
from the “upper office” -were at the scene, combing
every inch of the bank for clues. Lieutenant James
Malloy, head of the robbery detail, took charge. With
him were Inspectors George Engler, Fred Butts and
William McMahon. '

De Martini and his companions told their story
briefly, tracing their movements from the moment they
had entered the place. From them the officers gained
this description of the bandit:

Age—about 60 or 65.

Height—5 feet 8 inches, medium build.

Hair—grey with small grey moustache.

Dressed in a grey suit with tan shoes.

Talked with a slight foreign accent. Walk was
sprightly.

“Nothing else you might have noticed about his ap-
pearance?” Malloy asked. “Remember, the slightest
detail may be our most important clue.”

Donohue, the teller, was the first to answer.

“Yes, it comes back to me now,” he began. “Through
the mask I did notice something. He had a tooth miss-
ing—his upper left front toot ahd

Malloy scribbled hurriedly in his notebook.

They searched the place for a gun. There was none.

Then suddenly McMahon brought the others to his
side. “Get a look at this,” he exclaimed. He was point-
ing to a little shelf just outside the stock room door. On

it lay a .32
ejected by tl
He stoopec
his compani:
heel marks
“That me:
remarked. “‘/
we have no
“Not at a
not that typ«
the flesh. °
touched the
The back
the manner
checkup of
The inspe
to headquai

: mained behi

scene and t
Captain ¢
sumed pers:
wanted mar
throughout
to every pol
As quick]
himself int«
acters; sear:
that might
In the Id:
through the
now at larg
Fingerpri
Here and tl
observed. ‘
have been
Toward }


Je Martini
safe.

oroner ar-
iat Maren-

inspectors
+, combing
ant James
arge. With
Butts and

heir story

oment they
‘ers gained

Walk was

out his ap-
1e slightest

ver.

. “Through |

tooth miss-

n.

e was none.
thers to his
> was point-
ym. door. On

ithe manner of the robber’s getaway.

SECRETARY——
Jeanette Daugherty
walked into a hold-up.

it lay a .32 calibre shell,
ejected by the lethal gun.

He stooped and showed
his companions a line of
heel marks on the floor.

“That means he was shot outside the room,” Butts
remarked. “And the body was dragged in here. Strange
we have no blood stains.”

“Not at all,” the deputy coroner interrupted. “It’s
not that type of a wound. Notice these powder burns on
the flesh. The muzzle of the gun must have almost
touched the body.”

The back door of the bank was found ajar, showing
And a quick
checkup of accounts revealed $3,500 had been taken.

The inspectors scattered. Some went hurrying back
to headquarters to launch the manhunt. Others re-
mained behind to continue their minute scrutiny of the

1 scene and to search the neighborhood.

Captain of Inspectors Charles Dullea at once as-
sumed personal command. While descriptions of the
wanted man were being flashed by teletype and radio
throughout the West, orders went with lightning speed
to every police station. in San Francisco.

As quickly every member of the department threw

T himself into the chase, looking for suspicious char-

acters; searching pool halls and taverns; hunting clues
that might lead them to the man they wanted.

In the Identification Bureau, inspectors went poring
through their books. Photographs of known bandits,
now at large, were scrutinized.

Fingerprint experts were sent hurrying to the bank.
Here and there on dusty shelves finger marks had been
observed. Some of these, the inspectors thought, might
have been made by the slayer.

Toward noon Lieutenant Malloy and McMahon re-

his murderer, huh?” he exclaimed.

turned to the captain’s office to check reports and dis-
cuss further moves.

“We've learned a good many things about this fel-
low,” Malloy began. “First of all we found his hide-out.
You remember what he said about watching the bank
through glasses. Well, we found a vacant flat directly

‘across the street from where he must have studied the

bank for weeks.”
“For weeks?” Dullea inquired skeptically.
makes you so sure of that?”

“It’s this way,” Malloy went on. “We found the
owner and he tells us that about a month ago a man
of the same description called for the key and returned
it a few hours afterwards. He must have taken it to a
locksmith and had it copied. Why, we found about 150
cigarette butts strewn about the floor.”

“What else?” Dullea pressed, impatiently.

“There’s a small restaurant not far from the bank,”
McMahon interjected, picking up the story. “A wait-
ress, Beatrice Schneider, tells us this fellow was there
quite often in the last few weeks. She remembered him
by his missing tooth. And by that same tooth—the miss-
ing tooth, I mean—we traced him to a rooming house
on Octavia: Street. He went under the name of Don
Carlos Araya there.

“And we found he’d occupied several other rooms
in the neighborhood just before. Must have been camp-
ing around there for months planning this job and stick-
ing close.”

“Do you suppose he had a side-kicker?” asked the
captain.

“Pm certain it was a one-man job,” the lieutenant
insisted. “I know what’s in your mind—that crack of his
about ‘Dick plugging the janitor.’ I’m sure that was
only thrown in to give us a bum steer. This bird works
alone.”

They were still theorizing when Inspectors Butts and
Engler hurried in.

“Listen to this,” Engler exclaimed. ‘We've just left
the widow. Maria Marenco’s her name. And we've
seen John Marenco, the dead man’s brother. You ought
to hear their story... .”

The others shoved their chairs forward, curious to
know what new development had come.

“The widow tells us a strange man called on her hus-
band a week ago,” Engler went on. “From her descrip-
tion it was no one but the bandit—missing tooth and all.”

Engler then related how the caller had represented
himself as a police sergeant and had warned Marenco
that the bank was to be held up. He told of the visit
the two made to the place so the stranger could get the
lay of the land; how they had conferred on plans to
thwart the robbery.

“Why, the fellow even came back a few days ago
Engler said. “And Joe Marenco served a round of
drinks while they talked things over.”
Dullea rose excitedly to his feet.

“What

”
?

“Playing host to
“Fell for the plot
and played right into this bird’s hands.”

As they talked, patrolman on motorcycles and de-
tectives in radio cars scooted from one end of the city
to the other, running down wild reports that came from
everywhere.

The wanted man was being sighted in a dozen places
at once.

From nearby towns ‘came flashes of arrests—suspi-
cious characters picked up here and there; men vaguely
resembling the hunted killer; men with air-tight alibis
released as fast as they could be questioned and their
stories checked. .

Police work soon simmered down to two main lines
of effort. In San Francisco a small army of plainclothes-
men was scattered through (Continued on page 87)

71

cae at

}
f

INSIDE FACTS FROM POLICE RECORDS

= L 0 D E S$ T 0 N E angle,” suggested McCreadie. “Ber- me work when you knew I was an Berge
RK ger says he gave his wife $65.00 ex-con. You don’t think I killed body
Loo sen aes just before he left her and that your wife, do you?” Wate
POWER she had $35 rent money she col- “J don’t know what to think. lm she h
sre you wntueky in games, wove, mt lected. On the other hand, Sernsky frantic,” sobbed the bereaved hus tered
Pe ey. yoo ey Legend says anclent owes money advanced him by the band. “I must find Marian’s body
5 gecults, | carried toe, tee genuine | company. Too, he has a girl friend and give it a decent burial. Won't
POWERFUL LUCKY CH ARM he likes to spend money on.” you help me, Jack?” AF
one to DRAW, COMPEL, ATTRACT luck to numbers in “The money Mrs. Berger should Sernsky wept bitterly and said he At tai
peg ot gr "anor tht Ne Der” have had figures up to about the | wished he knew what had happen -
natural claims mace. Sold as genuine extra highly mag- amount that Sernsky had stuffed ed to Mrs. Berger. nogra
netic FU LL STRENGTH lodlestones or your money back. + : k t ” d Br n : : sky a}
Krung ee at ARANTHED allie potna.D wih all Infor bts his pants pocket, muse own. So did the officers working on pe i
FREE“ tel Siler, Real No. Th (eal oe Good Looks like the lad may have lifted the case. They realized how dif- lis s
FREE vay 0 ey Si cita-ar wow York 3. NY Mrs. Berger's bank roll; ficult it would be to get a convic, had b
: oo McCreadie nodded. Berger is tion without proof that a murder to
S a9 | Positive the wedding ring found in had been committed. They were i he
SES 3 the cell toilet bowl at Ventura be- worried. Then time—that impor « he
9 longed to his wife. He described it tant factor in most murder cases ui —
icottiomerria | tO US when he got off the plane © —helped them out and produced ‘ raat
saisfaction | even to & place where it had been the corpus delicti. is aptai
, r e ]
Bright, colors and beyaiaeey ig is no. guest ae Just a week from the night it 4 r, a
jor’ the. entire family te te still M ceaind aver nner was cast into the sea, Marian Ber- Aske
j a : er’s body floated in with the tide were
1921 Canal LEADER MAM. bag os bg 13, N.Y May have been washed down ot Ania Beach 15 miles south- ment
23" "| into the sewer. How did Sernsky east of Point Mug sky’s
” gu.
CKS manage to hang on to the rings? defian!
“The coast guardsmen returned eure Airs twat rovcy al whose Cont
@moen- | his belongings to him when they peautiful home fronts on this sky. nc
ne ack: turned him over to the deputies saat ‘aor anyon ° 4 henge —the .
Ger one each, taken and for several minutes he wasn’ on. hte . Oe a, ne : during
Bee, Bicycle, etc.. s owing circles handcuffed. He may have secreted e coasta blackou S. at morn: Judge
Beeind' Key Marks, with vinguiete 'm- | the rings in his mouth. Then, when ing, Coast Guardsman Specialist
structions $1.00. . ’ 4 month.
THE TELLURIUM O.. he was left alone in the cell woe Joseph Kaunos of can’p NS,
a ickiniateie oe Wallece. Idehe | Drobably figured he had better get jad warned her to keep & close It w
. yy | rid of them and so spit them out.” posers as peer cleo id a te
Facts About EPILEPSY McGarry shrugged his shoulders. vr oe rg a week after being su Mra J
; : F at “The plumbing at the Ventura jail . . ert
is n 00 li b .
THe od to interesting ard ee etn inet, T ‘al | got a thorough going over yester- Mrs. Runyon and a friend, ‘Mrs. that bh
mailed rer copy to anyone who writ [OF - day, but—no ring. Just the same, 1 Estelle Bergholtz, took turns watch- Hereer
¢. M. SIMPSON still can’t see this as @ robbery ing the surf, with binoculars. La aaeas
Address Dept. 9-10 — 1840 W. 44th Street we in the afternoon of May 17th, they gs
Cleveland. Ohio ‘ “Yq like to find some other mo- sighted something moving far out ing eh
tive,” Captain Brown agreed. “Sern- near a shoal of rocks. It was a Avenu
sky has promised to tell everything body. Rubber boots, gloves and a prepsnd
to. Berger when they meet this ne coat were in — oe od hened
morning. Hope he does.” wo women courageously wa ed in-
“ ARTHRITIS - NEURITIS © “Let’s hope the meeting pans out to the surf and covered with the bludgec
— a gear anne? re — something,” sighed McCreadie. “If Polo coat the nude body of a wom: Unde
ruggist or by mat postpaid for $1.4). ; j - p
Money back if first bottle fails co satisty- that guy changes his story 260%, = Tye poet ia von “—or rag
f LV'll go nutty. He has as many stories ing tide, they towe e y rying
MEF aepoovingery en nd as a chameleon has colors.” ashore. wife frc
: ee nant The meeting between Dave Ber- Captain Brown and Lieutenants . “Har
THE WORLD MAGICIAN ger and the man suspected of hav- McGarry and McCreadie hurried to sky wit
ORLDS GREATEST MAGI! ing murdered Mrs. Berger was & Encinal Beach. Identification was his car
BL ACK HERMA dramatic one. Berger, distraught, simple. It was Marian Berger's way in
“Nghe 055 +6 and shaken with grief, begged Sern- body. She had been murdered. tion he
; f " § sky to tell him what had happen- Heavy blows across the base of the having
ag - ed to his wife, but the man accused i heard f
: | of this hideous crime continued to to the
Sy tidiont repeat: “You don’t think I could Mrs. Be
piack Hoeman, Haurackions have said thal fy volume do such a thing, do you, Mr. Ber- upon h
anyone may, grrtor mone, that ower, success, drei | Ber? You befriended me and gave ad dis
in this volume would unlock @ store-house of knowl- Th
edge and power. If you never thowent It Per ihe yo ° e..
fel eat out taking progress—if your luck never . dazed
seems tO reach you— your joved ones seem to be coast a
ating ats oh You seem te, eats etm vo we bet, | [eam ee mag A
vecuted.tevercome these eeaitions send oniy i | | PRESS Reseenyeanae ne Ete oe Youn;
ee oy the learns given guy art tovenent | [ope ta inact, Sh "rat Sea es An saan then w:
your ‘ ur ih aye he ts the t 4 COMED SOT eel 4. That the Oro eer, te tomes
z Orie Book Purports to Tell You How t® Pe tee a ie atl eg wed aaa a, ata, a at hg t
° Master the mysteries Unite people for ra inte wont seas erenowae ee “aie ar sac een ee ra e atts
z of Astrology marriage rT yuat tho wamed and wchtreans of the Ply, editor, managing editor, ond fe whens Nemeewrine eects Fat eno That to, Pree etoeet conditio
v4 Gain love © oppo- Remove. the source breotnese menanett, £76: Publicher, Loule H. Bitherk lett, 341 Charch Street. N. T.. Gnd cenditions under whirh Mactibobters tend, seattty helters whe rs ‘appene ©
site sex of unhappiness Boj Mase minal Ore Tat Corona Serest, bY eee oe Be Seen ee teee cen ante ae eet et aceite OS Susre ; the gra
Make people do your Interpret your Sin iooenin ot Grea ote He Y. : sr tot Ses retin tn ety tins
bidding , dreams numerically St et mea 5 emai Mae ets Ser thet ere aie char socriten tam Se 08 ee. ee, ie cruel de
pe lucky inany game — Gain mastery of oc- ect i ee a a sea esters, ‘eaaed be pwern 9 ond eid wooo 2 a as Sernsky
Cast a spell on any~- cultism SRrperetion, the names ond sddrenses ‘a oe Morners most be. given, M MAURICE COTNE, Netery Fubite a inl, en Sugies Sree eat. SKY
one Develop your psy- : Mrs
Hetter your condition chic power ' ; le
tring happiness to Know what others crimina’
broken lives are doing |
Money Back Guarantee | every ta
CONTINENTAL CC. . | cedure
126 Lexington Ave.. Dept. BD, New York 16, N. Y. | logical }
ant clai

38 ,

was an
{ killed

ink. I’m
ved hus-
vs body
1. Won’t

| said he
happen-

‘king on
10w dif-
1 convic-
_ murder
ey were
t impor
ler cases
produced

night it :

rian Ber-
the tide
es south-

whose
on this
a beach
) days of
iat morn-
Specialist
ramp N'8,
p a close
came to
being sub-

‘iend, ‘Mrs.
rns watch-
alars. Late
17th, they
ag far out
It was a
ves and a
ass and the
7 waded in-
d with the
‘of a wom-
the incom-
the body

Lieutenants
2 hurried to
ication was
in Berger’s

murdered.
base of the
on, Autopsy

‘Judge

CONFIDENTIAL DETECTIVE CASES
HOSPITAL
BILLS |?

Berger was not dead when her
body was thrown into the sea.
Water in the lungs indicated that
she had gasped when the body en-
tered the water.

AKEN to the morgue by Cap-

tain Brown, Lieutenants McGar-
ry and McCreadie and Police Ste-
nographer Eugene Bechtol, Sern-
sky almost collapsed. His pale, blue
eyes stared wildly at the mutilated
body of the once lovely woman who
had been a friend. He was unable
to speak for several minutes. Final-
ly he gasped: “My God! It’s ter-
rible—that’s Marian!” Then, with
sobs racking him, he -turned to
Captain Brown, “That’s Mrs. Ber-

ger, all right, but I didn’t kill her!”

Asked by ‘Captain Brown if he
were willing to repeat this state-
ment before the lie-detector, Sern-
sky’s eyes became glassy and he
defiantly refused to take the test.

Confronted by the husband, Sern-
sky. now related a different story
—the same story that he clung to
during his trial before Superior
Newcomb . Condee four
months later.

It was a story even more weird
and fantastic than the preceding
ones. Questioned by his attorney,
‘Mrs. Leola Buck-Kellogg, during
the trial, the accused told the jury
that: he had started to take Mrs.
Berger to the depot to check her
baggage prior to her departure for
San Francisco the following morn-
ing—that they stopped on Menlo
Avenue to make inquiry about an
apartment and that when he re-
turned to his car, he found “Harry”
pludgeoning Mrs. Berger.

_ Under Mrs. Kellogg’s adroit ques-
tioning, the jurors saw Sernsky
trying to protect his employer’s
wife from the murderous advances
of “Harry’—they were shown Sern-
sky with the wounded woman in
his car fleeing up the Coast High-
way in ‘search of a first aid sta-
tion he claimed he remembered
having at one time visited. They
heard him pictured as having gone
to the ocean to get water to soothe
Mrs. Berger’s wounds, only to find,
upon his return, that the woman
had disappeared.

The. Jury was told that in his
dazed condition he thought the
coast guardsman was “Harry” and
so “Came up the bank swinging.”

Young Coast Guardsman Snea-
then was not present to testify, be-
cause the wounds he received in
the attack had developed a serious

condition, but his testimony before.

the grand jury was read and the
cruel details of the attack refuted

Sernsky’s claim.

criminal practice behind her, used
every tactic known to criminal pro-
cedure to present to the jury @
logical picture of what the defend-
ant claimed happened on the night

Mrs. Berger met her death. But the
cold logic of the evidence presented
by Deputy District Attorney Charles
Johnson, stopped her at every point
and made Sernsky’s story ludicrous.
Lieutenant McGarry, who had han-
dled the investigation for the Dis-
trict Attorney, had arrayed wit
nesses whose testimony could not
be questioned, and Prosecutor J ohn-
son made the most of each link
in.the chain of circumstantial evi-
dence.

Through the experienced eyes of
Forensic Chemist Ray Pinker, the
jury saw bits of Mrs. Berger’s
auburn hair caught in the blood
that soaked the car seat; through
pictures they saw where the blood
had run out and across the run-
ning board of the car. The car had
not been in motion when the blood
ran straight across the board, Pink- -
er had pointed out. Some time must
have elapsed between the attack
and the disposal of her body.

The blood on the car, on the
rocks leading down the embank-
ment and the few spots on the de-
fendant’s clothes, was human
blood, Pinker testified, and-he fur-
ther explained that a robe or blan-
ket would have protected the sus-
pect’s clothing when he carried the
body down to the sea wall. He had
found blood contaminated on the
tire iron, he said.

Brought in as & surprise witness
for the State, an attractive young
girl furnished a motive for the
weird slaying.

couple had spent with the Bergers.
During the evening, the girl and
Sernsky had quarreled and Sern-
sky had called her “an old hag”.
Mrs. Berger had remonstrated and
sided with the girl. It was believed
Sernsky had pitterly resented Mrs.
Berger’s attitude.

The girl, called as a witness for
the defense, acknowledged that
Sernsky often playfully called her
such names aS “an old hag” and

“an old goon”, but it was shown
that after that evening at the Ber
ger home, 4 rift had developed in
the love affair between the lovely
young girl and the suave, Polish
alien with his old-world fondness
for pulchritude.

Evidence showed that Sernsky
had been drinking during the af-
ternoon; that he was in debt; that
he had called on his girl friend at
six o’clock the evening of the mur
der, and had found his erst-while
sweetheart ready to g0 out wit
another man.

Robbery, plus violent rage at
Mrs. Berger, because he believed

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39


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the table. -- ond be-
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AND SEEMS ate)

pin wonder. And how did he do the dozens upon

Phantom Woand.. Rubbing One Dime Into Three. .-

DO ALL OF THESE TRICKS AND MORE! More than that
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How to Teor o Cigarette
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How to Palm a Con

Walnut Shells ond Peo

The Broken Motch Trick

The Mognetized Poker

The Floating Hot

The Climbing Ring

INSIDE FACTS FROM POLICE RECORDS

she had caused him to lose the af-
f{ the lovely girl, were the
motives given to the jury to weigh.

nw
g, 1944, of First Degree
murder after 24 nours ‘of delibera

The verdict was without yecom-
mendation and since the alienists
reported the accused as sane, Jan
saraczewski, alias John
Sernsky, alias John Jack Peterson,
faces the gas chamber for the wan-
ton killing of the wife of the man
who had befriended him.

Beanie the 5-year-old shepherd
collie who saved Coast Guards-
h Sneathen’s life at
lonely Point Mugu rock shortly be-
fore midnight, May 10, 1944, actual-
ly proke training when she sprang
at the throat of the man who at-

is fasci-

nating ort. AND YOU DON’T NEED EXPENSIVE GADGETS

to perform © single one of the mystifying tricks jam-

packed into this great book. A few coins, o table, o glass darted out . the door. Tossing a
imi nickel on the counter, ner annoyer

ind simt-

a nearby call box.

she cried, pointing. “please,
m ,

Hauptmann
West on Liberty Avenue,

one of his years, put a
tersection, Waltham

turned south.

_ many more

two-story house

\
. . A se
1 vanished pehind the puilding.

hurried after her. Outside, he stop-
ed. The girl was running toward
a policeman who was approaching

“phat man’s been following me,”
help

e.
Before the officer, Patrolman Wil-

scurried, toward the murder lot,
displaying remarkable agility for

Casting swift glances over his
shoulder at the officers closing in,
he raced on for a plock and @ nalf,
then swerved sharply into an un-

he ran up on the pack

cavernous

Coast Guard War Dogs are train-
ed to attack only if they see &
movement
“watch ’em

not wait—she was a bundle of fury

After Boots frustrated the at-
tempt on the seaman’s life, Lieu:
tenant Commander
Smith, commanding officer of Coast

cots had peen ticketed
to civilian life because

smith. He

programme
for her, when she saved Seaman
Sneathen’s life.

(Continued from page 17) 7

stood rigid, listennig, straining to

was 3 small
sound in one corner of the room.
of there,” parked
Coote, “or we'll shoot.”

“No shoot, no shoot,” came a

vick response in a heavily accent-
ed Italian voice.

A shadow disengaged itself from
e officers swooped,
each grabbing 2 man’s arm. Haupt-
tch. Their pris-
oner Was the man they’d been chas-
ing. He’d peen hiding pehind an
ice box in the corner. Coote’s hands
ran deftly over his clothes. He was

med.
“what's your name?” Coote deé-

whe man looked at him dully.
“No unnerstand,” he replied.

to Jamaica police
he continued to
remain stolidly silent to all ques-
tions except ‘to voice an occasion-

al “no unnerstand.”
him,” Lieutenant Leg-

\ ing it for 10 days. 1 am not convinced that Ican | “Quick
1 perform these magic tricks, | may return it and you , ” 4
will promptly refund my mone 1 orch, panted Hauptmann. “Search
sen E D. sim poy the yoiwen $1.00 \ The porch, extended the width of ett directe
plus 26¢ postage oan .O.D. charges. 5 ine
C1 Tenclose $1. 0 power will POY a the building, was enclosed, its win The man was wearing a soiled
dow shades raw and rumpled plue suit with a pin
pair of heavy wor

a NAME
MDDRESS through its door into a
or Stare room. Instinctively, they flattene officers, however, nis pocket yield:
1 en ot sone ee us) [against a wall. Gons Shand, they 0d HE cash and bank Pooks

40

eT


rhlBnNSON, John J. (

; Pi ; ae 7 : Wily c OV

ET AT sister’ =

Exclusive on the spot photos take you step by step through a
| murder investigation with the ace homicide sleuths of the

Los Angeles Police Department. Brilliant detection just as it actually happened!

ist confirms that stains on pigskin glove are human blood.

solve their cases don’t happen in real life.

Investigation begins as Detective Hansen takes sample from

stained mud where glove (below) was found in city gutter. vation, patience and simple deduction.

in a gutter, they made their arrest in 24 hours.

on the results to bag the murderer.

claim never happen in real life!

ROR LR: 4
| oe Uy 4 pire 9

At Police Crime Laboratory, Detective Brown watches as chem-.

IKE most of their professional brethren, Detectives
Harry L. Hansen and Finis L. Brown insist that
the flashes of genius with which fictional sleuths

zthe caine Te Star investigators of the Los Angeles Homicide Bu-
reau, Hansen and Brown claim that their most impor-
tant weapons are the more “elementary” ones of obser-

The unusual pictures on these pages follow, step-by-
step, the activities of the pair in tracking down the
slayer in one of California’s most shocking and sensa-
tional murders. With only one useful clue, a glove found

Most important in their success was the manner they
put together three widely-separated events: the glove;
the slugging of a Coast Guardsman and the finding of a
corpse. The connecting links were vague, but Hansen
end Brown traced those connections and acted swiftly

The detectives themselves called the process ‘‘deduc-
tion’—or perhaps, still being modest, “hunch.” To most
expert observers, however, it looked very much like one
of those flashes of genius that Hansen and Brown would

TRUE CRIME


25 BLADES

PROFESSIONAL BLADE CO.

32 GREEN STREET

NEWARK 2, N. J

CONTENTS SEPTEMBER, 1945

INSIDE detective

West Peterson, Editor N

Carlos Lene, Betty Gleason, Associate Editors Otto Storch, Art Director
THE THIRD DEGREE......... Wig, NS oe The Old Sleuth 4 POSTMASTER; Please send no-
NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.................. enLarry, Roberts 6 (STS Mette! Form 3379

x York 16, New York
| | i ar BPM, § Asis rene ae 1
HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION............ '..Dr. LeMoyne Snyder 8 ‘*
CHASING CHICAGO'S PHANTOM FIREBUG. . Harrison T. Carter 14
APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH........... s++r-Amthoay Durand 18 |NSIDE DETECTIVE, Volume 22,
SAN FRANCISCO'S LADY cops... cents. PY at a Ine ated "ae
MURDER SMELLS SWEET...__: ; ton and South Avenues, Dunellen,
OEE eS We ee EE Jack Harrell 22 {9ropd South Avenues, Dunellen,
2 149 Madison
PUZZLE OF THE PAPER SCRAPS............ John Ne Makris. 26 MUmZibtionofices, 1 16, N.Y
Set icago advertising ofice, 360
CASE OF THE SCHEMING HATTER........__. Walter $. Tobias 30 - 5 /ychioan, Avenue, Chicago
; ents. Sub-
- cyutare heer pape TEE COREE EEE AEE OE te 32 sion in the United Ses
eee ee 00 year, su
“t WITNESSED THE cRIME!”.. | Dorothy Merrill 34 wiion $2506 year
“4 te matter
MECKTIE PARTY. 22. Joo Smith 31 Lnvory 15,1935, ot the Post
the Act of March '3, 1879. The
Cover Kodachrome by Pagano ey sed egnerellr Al pel

INSIDE DETECTIVE jis a periodical for the dissemination of t I informat
Crime-prevention news to the police officers, county coroners 3 ~ epee pant sheng

The Third Degree —

WE HAVE three “postscripts” this month life imprisonment.” The killer was a good
to bring Insme: Detective readers up to Prophet; the death sentence was imposed.
date on cases described in recent issues. fry THE ,
In the May I. D., under the title of “Mrs. HE OLD SLEUTH became sort
»” Bert Murray gave the inside story of. an uncle, or something, the other
of Mrs. Louise: Peete,‘one of the most ex- day when Larry Roberts, conductor of
traordinary murderesses in the annals of the ig se but the Truth” depart-
merican crime. Since then, the woman has jnent, became the proud father of @
. bouncing baby boy. The junior crimin-

sentenced to die. . *
“ye : . . ologist weighed in at Z_pounds 8 ounces,
Louise Peete is scheduled’ to go to the and—yop,: you ¢ gh a get

San entin gas chambes,” Bert informs ; :
, SP mis: rat 4 mediately’ turned over to a hospital
The’ Old Sleuth, ‘A jury: of eleven women identificati ie: web: ean his foot-

and. one man found her guilty of first degree
murder, without recommendation of mercy. prints!
sentence was imposed a few days
later by sore anole B. Landreth. How-
ever, under ifornia law an automatic. ap-
peal is entered in behalf of all persons so -
peepee. At this writing, Louise is in-
‘ehachapi prison awaiting review by the
appeals court. She’s hopeful. . . .” —_—_—
D. readers will remember the case of human head floating in the calm wa

self-addressed bon Poo ;

Joseph Medley, whose murders of red-haired Reif’s Lake. The constabulary and fire de-

women were related in the July issue. Tried partment closed off a dam at the head of
in Washin for the slaying of Nancy the lake, Pumped out a half-million gallons
Boyer, Medley. heard a jury. vote the death of water, and discovered—a murder victim’s
sentence against him, also. ‘As we. goto press corpse? Not at all! On the muddy lake bot-
ense counsel: announce they will appeal tom they found only a rag doll, 14 inches in
“on the basis of newly found evidence.” length! The “human head” seen by the boy
In the July I.D.’ ‘also we presented the belonged to the discarded plaything!
amazing tale of James W. Hall, 24-year-old While on the subject of odd police jobs,
taxi driver who took wp: murder as a sideline we might mention that the. b
-and confessed to numerous’ hitchhike slay- ‘Rockaway Beach, N. Y., had to take a five-
ings, as well as to the-killing of his wife. foot alligator into custody. It seems that
He was put on trial in Little Rock, Ark.,. in neighbors complained that the *gator was eat-
connection with his wife’s death, and the jury ing all their cats. The owner of the strange
returned a midnight verdict of “guilty in the - pet was brought into court on a charge of
first degree.” ene boring a dangerous animal. .. . ell,
Our story quoted Hall’ as’ saying, “I sup- » variety, so they say, is the spice of life. See
pose I'll get the chair, but that’s better than, you next month! © © -—THe Oxp Steutn.

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April 15, 1943, Mrs. Logan and Mrs. Peete—
the latter known to her as Mrs. Lee—had
placed $1,000 in escrow for the purchase of
a $49,875 piece of property from Colonel and
Mrs. Robert C. Muser and their daughter
Margine. The Musers also put up $1,000
in escrow. “

The deal did not go through, and fate in
June of 1944 Mrs. Masters received a call
from Mrs. Peete stating that Mrs. Logan was
ill and had given her a power of attorney.
Mrs. Peete. subsequently presented a legal
form marked with an “X” as indicative of
Mrs. Logan’s signature, together with the
signatures of “Lee B. Judson” and a woman
as witnesses. Judson himself forwarded a
letter to Mrs. Masters stating he had wit-
nessed Mrs. Logan’s consignment of power
of attorney. | :

On July 22 the escrow was cancelled. Mrs.
Peete declared she was willing-for the Musers
to take back their $1,000 and that she and
Mrs. Logan would pay the expenses incurred.
Two days later the bank presented a check
for $910 to Mrs. Peete. This was later de-
posited in the joint account of Mrs. Peete
and Judson at another bank.

“Which indicates,” Brown pointed out,
“that both Mrs. Peete and Judson were in-
volved in a fraud, since neither could have
obtained the ‘X’ mark of. Mrs. Logan, who
doubtless was dead at the time.”

The following day Dr. Homer Keyes,
deputy county autopsy surgeon, made his
report. He said Mrs. Logan’s death had
resulted from a fractured skull with a gun-
shot wound as a contributing cause.

Dr. Keyes declared he had been unable to |.

determine if the nose of the victim had been
severed. He had found a bullet wound at

the base of the neck, but the slug was not

in the body and there was no second mark
in indicate the missile had passed completely

through. Then he noted that’ three of the

front teeth were broken at the roots. This
could indicate that Mrs. Logan had been
shot in the mouth, and that the bullet had
gone out the back of the neck: ‘

Brown recalled. Judson’s statement regard-_

ing the bloodstained davenport. Mrs. Logan
could have been sitting on the sofa when

-Mrs. Peete stalked in with a gun!

quiries. in the Logan neighborhood
turned up the information that Mrs. Peeté
had had the living room walls redone several
months earlier. And the davenport had been
recovered. : he 7?

THE WALLPAPER behind the davenport

was Cut away. There was a spot where the
plastering had been patched. Behind _ this
Pinker found the bullet! It was of .32
caliber, the size of the S. & W. revolver.
However, the chunk of lead was so badly
smashed that police held little hope it would
be usable in a ballistics test.

The following
Smith & Wesson gun through initials on its
It had belonged to the late husband
of Emily Dwight Latham, a. state parole
officer. Mrs. Latham herself had died in
September of 1943, and the coroner reported
her demise due either to an overdose of a
heart stimulant or to natural causes.

There had been nothing suspicious in her
death at the time. But now it was learned
that Louise Peete had been her housekeeper
when she passed away! Shs, :

One last piece of evidence-was gathered
from thé painter and upholsterer who had
renovated the Logan davenport and living
room walls. They asserted the jobs were
done late in June, thus proving that Mar-
garet Logan was actually in her grave when
Mrs. Doom collected the $910 refund from
the. bank. CsteGeg

Captain Brown went to Louise Peete’s
cell and spread his cards before her. She
put on the air of injured innocence as the
homicide detective talked, but when he taxed
her with responsibility for Mrs. Latham’s

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sn Louise lashed back at him in cold
ury.

“How dare you say I had anything to do
with. that?” she snapped. “Mrs.-Latham was
my friend.” ;

“So was Mrs. Logan. And Jacob Denton,”
Brown reminded her.

Mrs. Peete firmly insisted she was inno-
cent of all three deaths.

“We've got you in a tight spot in the
Logan. murder,” the captain said firmly.
“Why not make it easier for yourself—and
for Judson ?”

“My husband is innocent—innocent, do
you hear?” Mrs. Peete cried. “He is a good,
fine man. He has nothing to do with this.”

“But you have,-haven’t you, Louise?”

Her dark blue eyes were like daggers
stabbing into his face. “I want to talk to
Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz. I’ll make a state-
ment to him.”

Sheriff Biscailuz, who had been a deputy
at the time of the Denton case, knew Mrs.
Peete well. He got from her a nine-page
statement, written in her own hand. That
night Deputy District Attorney Barnes made
an announcement to the press.

“Mrs. Peete,” he said, “has admitted bury-
ing Mrs. Logan’s body !”

The remainder of her statement is a
closely guarded secret. But it may be dis-
closed, without jeopardizing the state’s case
against Mrs. Peete, that in it she adhered
to her original story of Logan’s attack on
June 1 against his wife, except that now
she accused Logan of the murder. She de-
clared the insane husband beat his mate in
the face with the gun and then shot her.

The woman explained her attempt to hide
the crime by saying she feared no one would
believe the story of Louise Peete, paroled
murderess. She was apprehensive of being
blamed for the slaying, since Logan’s mind
was a complete blank. So she buried the
body in the dead of night, and she did it
alone, she said. She claimed Judson was
innocent of any participation in the ghastly
affair.

Neither police nor the district attorney
placed any more credence in this version
of Mrs. Logan’s fate than in Louise Peete’s
previous stories. She was locked up to await
a preliminary. hearing.

With her safely behind bars, the Los
Angeles authorities believed that her role
of Mrs. Doom was effectively written out
of her tragic life. But they were wrong.
On January 5, 1945, her cellmate, 29-year-
old Constance Renner, held as a parole
violator, was found threshing in convulsions,
her feet secured to the bedpost by her own
stockings. There was a note saying, “Life is
more than I can bear.” She was suffering
from an overdose of sleeping tablets.

Doctors saved Mrs. Renner’s life.’ Jail at-
tendants searched Mrs, Peete and took five
more of the sleeping pills from her hair. “I

~planned to use them if I could not rest,” was

all she would say of the affair.

Preliminary hearing for Mrs. Peete and
Judson began on January 10 before Munici-
pal Judge William M. Byrne. Deputy Dis-
trict Attorney Barnes was the prosecutor.
Judson was represented by Attorney Ward
Sullivan, an associate of the famed Jerry
Giesler; Mrs. Peete by Deputy City Public

‘Defenders George Chatterton and Robert

Antram.

Barnes outlined the facts as they con-
cerned Mrs. Peete,- and then concentrated
upon Judson. He charged the husband with
sharing the profit in the escrow deal and
with falsely witnessing a power of attorney
after he knew Mrs. Logan was dead. The
prosecutor not only contended that Judson
had told conflicting stories about the reported
assault on Margaret Logan by her husband,
but argued that the bank messenger must
have known by the amount of bloodshed and
by Mrs. Logan’s ‘continued 2bsence that the
attack story was phony.

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However, the deputy district attorney
failed in his effort to hold Lee Judson for
trial on a murder charge. Judge Byrne
granted a defense motion for dismissal of
the charge.

At this Mrs. Peete burst into tears. “I’m
so grateful—so glad,” she sobbed. “There
is the fairest judge I have ever seen.”

But there was no dismissal for her. She
was ordered held for trial in Superior Court
for the murder of Margaret Logan.

There a jury must balance her record and
the weight of circumstantial evidence point-
ing to her (for it is a virtual certainty she
will never confess to the slaying) against her
unsupported story that Arthur Logan killed
his wife in a fit of homicidal mania.

But no jury will ever be called upon to
weigh the fate of Lee Judson in any action
whatever. For on the day following his
exoneration in court, he leaped from one of
Los Angeles” tallest buildings. He too had
known the spell of Mrs. Doom. .

But Ghosts
Can't Kill!

(Continued from page 12)

“I can’t get it out of my mind,” he said.
“The word Paddie is the answer to all of
this. It must be a nickname which had no
obvious connection with his real name.”

R OBEY leaned back and smiled reminis-
cently. “When I was a lad in school,”
he said, “there was a young chap named
Clarence who made everybody call him Jack.
He just hated his own name and was ready
_to use his fists to change it. We got so that
we almost came to forgetting what his real
name was.”

Cherrill rose. “That's it,” he said and his
voice had the ring of conviction. “We'll
have to ask authorities at all the camps
to’ make a blanket inquiry of men called
Paddie, regardless of the name on their
enlistment papers.”

The task, even more difficult than the
earlier one, was begun. In the next 48
hours the two investigators questioned dozens
of men. A new light came into their eyes
when 26-year-old Andrew Brown strode into
a commander’s office and confronted them.
Brown was dark and powerfully built.

Cherrill said, “Hello, Andrew.”

Brown winced and then grinned sheepishly.
“If you don’t mind, sir,” he said, “I’d rather
be called Paddie. I don’t like Andrew.”

“To be sure,” Cherrill said affably. “They
had told me that and I forgot. Paddie,

where were you on the night of September |

17? Or I should say about 12:30 o'clock on
the morning of the eighteenth?”

Paddie Brown gave his questioner a long
and steady look. “I was drinking with a
couple of friends,” he said. “We were at
the pub in Arundel and all came back to the
camp together.” aoe

“Fine,” Cherrill said. “What are the others’
naines ?”

Brown gave the information and was dis-
missed. If he noticed that he was under
surveillance as soon as he left the company
headquarters he gave no sign of it. His
companions were called in.

“We're investigating a murder,” Cherrill
told them sternly. “Andrew Brown says
he was with you on the morning of Septem-
ber 18. How about it, lads?”

At the word “murder” the men had gone
pale. The bolder of the two licked dry lips.
“Paddie was with us that night,” he said.
“But he didn’t come back to the camp with
us. He stayed on at the pub after we all

left.”

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“ported their ~
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The two detectives talked with Mrs.
B. F. Baca, who occupied the apartment
directly beneath the Bergers.

Mrs. Baca had been home on the eve-
ning of May 10th. She remembered
hearing some one walk around upstairs,
but heard them depart about nine o’clock.

“Didn’t you hear anything that might
have been a fight or a struggle?”
McGarry asked.

“No, the Bergers are very quiet
people.”

“Did any strange men come to see

Mrs. Berger after her husband left
town ?”
“No strangers. That fellow who

works for Mr. Berger at the plant was
here a time or two. In fact, Marion told
me Wednesday that he was coming to
take her to the train.”

“What’s his name ?”

‘The woman shook her head.
remember.”

Could it be that Sernsky was telling the
truth ? Who was the mysterious employee
who had been on such good terms with
the missing woman? Where did she plan
to go on the train? And why was there
no indication of this projected trip to be
found in the apartment?

McGarry, who had wisely secured a
police picture of Sernsky from the files,
drew the photograph from his billfold
and handed it to Mrs. Baca.
that man around here?”

“Why, that’s the man. He’s the man
who works at the plant with Mr. Berger.
He’s been out here lots of times.”

McGarry and McCreadie thanked Mrs.
Baca for her information and raced for
the Six Wheel plant to make some star-
tling discoveries. David Berger, as Per-
sonnel Manager, had helped Sernsky
with his parole. He had given the ex-
convict a job, loaned him money, and
extended him many social courtesies.

“T don’t

ad bbe br mystery of how Sernsky had

located his victim, how he had per-
suaded her to take that automobile trip
with its bloody pause on Menlo and tragic
final act in the cold waters of the Pacific
near Point Mugu was at=last explained.

With a new determination to build
an air tight case against Sernsky,
McCreadie and McGarry returned to
headquarters where Thad Brown listened
to their report.

“This fellow Berger was his best
friend,’ McGarry said, “so he repays
by knocking Mrs. Berger in the head and
throwing her body in the ocean.”

Brown nodded. “We wired Berger
in Chicago this morning. He'll get here
on the plane at 6:45a.m. tomorrow. You
fellows better meet him.”

“We will,” McCreadie said. “He can
probably identify the clothes, the shoe
that was found in the water, and the
wedding ring they got in Ventura. Any
news of her body?”

Brown shook his head. “The coast-
guards have two boats working on it.”

“We were going to check Sernsky’s
girl friend to see what she knows,”
McGarry said. Brown nodded. “Good
idea.”

Sernsky had given the officers an ad-

“Ever see.

dress in suburban Altadena. -The place
proved to be a remodeled house which
‘had been cut up into apartments. In re-
sponse to McCreadie’s knock, a willowy
sultry-eyed blonde in negligee and mules
opened the door.

“Hello, Betty,” McGarry said. “We're
friends of. Pete’s. ”

The girl stepped back.
boys.”

McGarry took in the luxurious fur-
nishings. “Nice place you have here,
babe. Does Pete pay for it?”

The girl’s response was a_ throaty
laugh. ‘‘Pete’s a nice guy, stranger, but
he couldn’t pay the rent on the back bed-
room.”

“He told us he was in the dough.”

“That’s what he told you. I’ve been
around enough boys, to know a cop when
I see one, so I know Pete’s in trouble
again. Why not get down on the ground
and tell me what you want to know.”

“Okay,” McGarry agreed. “Pete killed
a dame Wednesday night. We want to
know when you last saw him and any-
thing else you know about him, and we
want the truth.”

“I saw him Wednesday night. He was
here about seven o’clock.”

“Had he been drinking ?”

“No, he wanted to borrow
money.”

The two officers exchanged quick
glances. “Was he broke?” McGarry
asked.

“He was always broke. Listen, Pete
used to run a soda fountain. When I hit
this town, I was broke and hungry. He
fed me for a month and I haven’t forgot
it. I was sorry for him when he got in
trouble before and tried to help him.
When he got out this time, he camé to
see me. I’m doing all right now, and I
loaned him some money, but I wouldn’t
help him cover up a murder or anything
else.” oe

“Did he ever talk about the Bergers ?”

“Sure, they were good to him. When
he left Wednesday evening he said he
was going over to take Mrs. Berger to
the railroad station.”

“If we got you in court would you re-
remember the things you’ve been telling
us?” |

“T wouldn’t lie about it, but I would
rather not go.”

McGarry nodded.
go see him in jail?”

“Tf he wants me to.”

On their ride back to the city,
McCreadie said, “So he’s broke at seven
o’clock and wants to borrow some money.
At midnight when they get him, he has
one hundred and twenty bucks. He killed
her for her money and the rings.”

At Wilshire the two officers went in
to Sernsky’s cell. ‘Did you find her body
yet?”

“Not yet, Pete,” McCreadie said. “Her
husband is coming back from Chicago.
He’s been good to you, hasn’t he?”

The lean faced ex-con nodded.

“Helped you on your parole, got vou
out of jail, gave you a job, loaned you
money, had you out to his place for
dinner. What are we going to tell him,

Pete?”

“Come in,

some

“Would you like to

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’

that’ McGarry should try interviewing
the prisoner alone.

John Sernsky, alias Peterson, ap-
peared refreshed and unworried after his
night in jail. He smiled amiably when
he recognized McGarry. “What are you
doing up here ?”

“Just digging around, Pete. Let’s go
in the other room and talk.”

In the con room, when the door was
closed, Sernsky said, “Just like old home
week. That’s Mac with you, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. We got this Berger
thing to clean up, Pete. Want to tell
me about it ?”

“What do I know about it ?” ¢

“She left L. A. with you.” McGarry
was shooting in the dark. Sernsky didn’t
react to the accusation.

“You find her, did you? Did she tell
you that?”

“She didn’t tell me.
Pete.”

“Yes, the sheriff said she was dead.
Where is her body? I’d like to see her
body.”

She’s_ dead,

TEWENT on and on, McGarry jam-
ming his questions home. Sernsky’s
replies evasive and non-committal. They
went over the earlier robberies. They
talked of Sernsky’s years as manager of
the soda. fountain. Finally, Sernsky
came back to the subject.

“What are you L. A. dicks doing here
in Ventura County?” he asked. “You
don’t have jurisdiction, do you?”

“We might ?”

“I would kinda like to go back to L. A.
with you.” :

“This is the way it is,’ McGarry ex-
plained. “If this killing took place in
Los Angeles we can take you back. If

it happened up here, we will leave you -

with the sheriff.”

“How would you know where it hap-
pened?” *

“You tell me, Pete.”

“Would you believe me?”

“No, I wouldn’t, but wherever it hap-
pened there is bound to be some physical
evidence. You tell me and I’ll call the
city.and have the boys check on the loca-
tion you name. [If it’s right, we’ll take
you back with us.” r

“Well, I’ll tell you this. I’m not going 3

to talk about it.”

“Okay. Then you stay here.”

“If, went back to the city with you,
would you let me telephone my girl ?”

McGarry hesitated. “We might, Pete.”

“Okay.”

“Where did it happen ?”

“A long way from here.”

“As far as Malibu?”

“Further than that.

“Where ?”

“Well, about a block east of Vermont,
between Olympic and Pico.”

“Which way were you headed, Pete ?”

“South. There is a little dip there
and some houses on the east side. There
is a vacant lot on the west.”

McGarry stood up. “TI’ll check it.”

Once outside the con room, McGarry
raced to the sheriff’s private office. “I
think I’ve got something,” he told the
waiting officers.

In the city.”

McGarry telephoned Captain Thee
Brown in Los Angeles, reported their
progress to date and described the loug..
tion Sernsky had given. seaige

“We'll check it,” Brown growled, “gy
call you back. Hold everything.” “me

The street Sernsky had described
proved to be Menlo Avenue and opposite
1134. The officers found three pools of

‘blood and a blood stained right hand pig-
skin glove. Saas

The news was flashed to McGarry in
Ventura. Druley promptly released
Sernsky to the Los Angeles officers,

In Los Angeles, McGarry drove di
rectly to the Menlo Street address. On)
the trip down, Sernsky refused to am."
plify his statement, but now he seemed
willing to get out of the car and try to —
find the exact spot where Marion Berger.
had been killed. “4

Sernsky walked back and forth for a
moment. He shook his head. “It wag
right about here, but I don’t find it.” <=

McCreadie pointed to a police car
which had been parked over the principal
blood spot to protect it from traffic. “Ig.
that it?” aa

“Yeah, I guess that’s it.” “ae

Pinker and Larberg stayed at the seen
to gather samples of this blood. Sernsky _

was taken down town. ee

At homicide headquarters, Lloyd ~
Hurst and Thad Brown joined the ques- va
tioning, but Sernsky refused to talk, —
Finally, Brown ordered Hurst and
McGarry to take the prisoner upstairs
and book him. ee

“I thought you were going to let me
see my girl,’ Sernsky objected. :

Brown and McGarry held a whis-
pered consultation> It was decided to
grant the prisoner’s request and permit ~~
him to visit his apartment and get a a
change of clothes. eo

“He might start talking,” Brown said, ~
“and we might pick up something from =~

this girl.” ee
McGarry and McCreadie took Sernsky —
to an apartment on Valencia Street
where the suspected murderer secured a =
change of clothes. Sernsky held stub-
bornly to his evasive answers. S
“You're not telling us anything,” ~~
McGarry said. “We’re going to take
you to jail. When you decide to tell
the truth, we’ll bring your girl to see _
you.” oe
Sernsky was booked at the Wilshire
station on suspicion of 187 PC, official
designation for the crime of murder. ;
McGarry and his partner checked with
Headquarters Homicide and then went _
to work to establish a background of in- =
formation for this bloody puzzle. es"
At the San Marino address of Mrs.
Marion Berger the officers learned that
the missing woman was the wife of ©
David Berger, Personnel Manager for _
the Six Wheels Company, a war plant ~
manufacturing portable equipment for
the Army. Berger was believed to be
out of town. i
The Bergers had been living in the
second floor apartment. McCreadie and ~
McGarry secured the keys from the
landlord. The smartly furnished in-—
terior was in apple pie order. z

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70

“Tl tell him. I’ll tell him the whole
story when he gets here.”

“You'll have a chance to,” McCreadie
said.

When David Berger climbed off the
Transcontinental Airliner Friday morn-
ing, he looked like a man in trouble. His
eyes were red and sleepless, his skin was
pale, and the corners of his big friendly

- mouth were turned down.

McCreadie and McGarry met him and
introduced themselves.

“Have they found Marion ?”

“Not yet.”

“Where is he?”

“In jail. He says he wants to tell you
the whole story.”

“All right. I’ve got to know.”

At ten minutes past nine, on that morn-
ing of May 13, a jailor brought Sernsky
into the con room at Wilshire.

In a low voice Berger said, “Hello
Pete.”

The ex-con nodded. ‘Have you seen
the papers ?”

“I haven’t read any papers, Pete. I
got a telephone call. They told me
Marion was murdered and they couldn’t
find her body. I’ve got to find her, For
God’s sake, tell me about it. I went away
for the first time in four or five years,
and this happened.”

“What makes you think she’s dead ?”

“Because they can’t find her, and
they’ve got her clothes.”

‘In response to the pleadings of that
bereaved husband, the prisoner began to
talk.

“IT went by your place Wednesday
night. There was a light on. I went up.
There was a man there, some fellow I
didn’t know. He and Marion were going
to San Francisco. I begged her not to
go. Finally, we all got in my car. Down
there on Menlo he hit her. I don’t know

why. I tried to stop him. Then we went
wh

dark as to motive. But they had decided
upon one thing. The revenge angle would
be the one they would pursue first.

“We want a man who knew Coffeen
real well, a man we can question regard-
ing his past life and who might give us
some important clue,” Johnson said.

They checked their list of names. They
had talked to several of the slain man’s
relatives. They check-marked the name
Martin (Danny) Needham, one of the
prize fighters Coffeen had once managed.

“Here’s one we haven’t been able to
locate. Let’s find him and maybe he can
help us.”

They learned Needham was staying
at the home of a cousin, Miles Cour-
chaine several miles out in the Spokane
yalley toward the Idaho line. So they
drove out and found Needham, a tall,
rangy man with greying hair, a promi-
nent Adam’s apple and the gangling,
loose walk of a fighter.

“You used to know Coffeen pretty inti-

1 /)GUIEZETIYZ| Win, Place or Show

to Santa Monica in search of a doctor.” *

Sernsky elaborated on his role as the '
protector of his friend’s home. He said —
they had gone up the coast, that there.

had been a fight, and that this man of
mystery had torn off Mrs. Berger’s
clothes, forced her into the car and driven
her away.

Sernsky’s story was full of holes. He
was lying. In disgust Brown ordered
him returned to his cell.

The grim faced men of Homicide did
their best to comfort Berger. Sernsky,
not content with murdering his friend’s
wife, now deliberately sought to dis-
credit her virtue.

| Fats on the afternoon of May 15,

the pounding Pacific tossed the nude
and battered body of Marion Berger on
the beach at Cornell, California, twenty
miles south of the spot where Sernsky
had sought to hide his guilt.

There were marks on the woman’s
head and face where the ex-convict
slugged her with the tire iron.

On October 6, 1944, Superior Court
Judge Newcomb Condee fulfilled that
prophesy by sentencing the balding ex-
con to death in the gas chamber in San
Quentin.

Sernsky was delivered to the State
prison on October 12. As in the case of
all first degree convictions where the
death penalty is invoked, an automatic
appeal was carried to the Supreme Court
of the State of California.

One week before Christmas, 1944,
Sernsky contributed a final macabre
touch to the strange mystery. Detective
McCreadie received a Christmas card
postmarked San Quentin. On the inside
beneath a printed Christmas wish of peace
and good will, Sernsky had written: “No
doubt, you will be surprised to hear from
a future spook.”

[Continued from page 31] .

mately, didn’t you, Danny ?” they in-
quired.

“Sure,” said Needham. “He used to
be my manager. We did pretty good in
the ring, too.”

“We want to know if you could give
us any idea as to whom might have had
a motive to kill him. You didn’t do it
did you?” . ;

Danny grinned. “TI used to get mad at
him when he made me keep in training,”
he said, “but not that mad. Besides, I
just got back in town from Seattle the
day before they found him dead. I was
out there working in a war plant. Made
a pretty good stake, too.”

“How about some information that
might help us,” interrupted Meader
when he saw Needham was starting to
tell them more.

“Well, I know he liked women pretty
well. But young women. That part I
read about in the paper about the note
saying something about married women

tell nv
night
with 4
T can
from t
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prove
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4/9/194 Nad

it the nippy breeze

ged beach Seathen
listening, sniffing.
ense with her head
pright.
alerted. “What is
1g?” Boots’ reply
her lead him on.
1 stopped and lis-
‘ould hear nothing
ie animal’s senses
‘d the tug of her
Boots led him
« the beach drops
vith sharp-pointed

‘nn saw the outline
ilder of the high-
d his eyes for the
mobile. His first
parked for secret
he saw that there

car. Her shaggy
m the car to the
12 on the beach?”

‘ness of the steep

ae

ctim after her body cia e ° Police Chemist Pinker leans over
The vw was dragged from the NOR. ' : :
- e i leutenant of Detectives Richard B. MeCreadice (right ’ holds «2 Mlashlighd.
the orps an \s :

Look for the
E. LOVE-MAD
— MURDERER

ugu and her corp:
P lived a geim 1

7 a DETECTIVES —
No V-(94+-6


ee
pe tied Bie

stay oe Re OD og

ornia’s El Dorado Yesterday and Today 91

$e
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A
bit
a
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iy
Fs

of his past savings. One of the boldest and most
noted hold-ups on the overland route was that of

: BULLION BEND,
June 30th, 1864, when the two coaches of the
Pioneer Stage Company, driven by Charley Wat-
son and Ned Blair, were held up and robbed of
the mail and seven sacks of
bullion,—which was being
shipped from Virginia City,—
at a turn in the road about
two and one-half miles above
Sportsman Hall station. The
robbers failed to get the main
treasure-box of Wells, Fargo
& Company’s express, it be-
ing on one of the other three
coaches that were yet to come.
Immediately on the arrival of
the two coaches at Placer-
ville, Sheriff Rogers was in-
CHARLEY WATSON. formed of the robbery, and
Pioneer Stage Driver. making up a posse composed
of Deputy Sheriff Staples, Constables Van Eaton,
| and Ranney, and several others, started in pursuit
ie of the robbers. The posse was divided, Sheriff
Rogers and his men went direct to the scene uf
the hold-up, while Staples, Eaton, and Ranney
took a road to the southeast in hopes of head-
ing off the robbers or picking up their tracks
on some of the cross roads leading from the
scene of the hold-up to the southern part of the

4

Bo Lh la r ‘or


~a

94 California’s El Dorado

Jarboe, George Cross, Wallace Glendenin, Joseph
Gamble, John Ingrain, H. Gately, and Preston
Hodges. These men were later captured at their
rendezvous by Sheriff James B. Hume and Deputy
Van Eaton, brought back to Placerville, where
several were tried. Preston Hodges was found
guilty of murder in the second degree and sen-
tenced to twenty years in the State’s prison, and
Poole, who was considered the better one of the
band, was found guilty of murder and was exe-
cuted September 29th, 1865. The balance got a
change of venue to Santa Clara county, where they
were tried and acquitted. Five sacks of bullion
were recovered, it having been hidden in various
ways and places near the scene of the robbery.
Another incident which is worthy of note and
connects itself with El Dorado county history and
the overland mail route was Horace Greeley’s visit
to California. It was in the sumer of 1867, and
the news of his coming had preceded him several
days, and being a distinguished gentleman, he was
received accordingly at each station. At the mo-
ment of taking his seat inside the stage coach at
Carson City, Horace spoke to the driver, Hank
Monk, informing him that it was necessary that
he be at Placerville on time, as he, Greeley, had
agreed to deliver a short address to its citizens
before departing for Sacramento. Ilis stage was
due to leave Placerville on the arrival of the coach
on which he was a passenger. Monk answered
with a quick “Yes ’er”, and at the erack of his whip

*Notes from Upton’s Pioneers.

Yesterday and Today 95

the coach gave a sudden lurch ahead and they were
off. The further they traveled the faster the

went, and the rougher it seemed to Horace fer
he was now no longer able to hold his seat ' His
appeals to go slow were frequent, but to each Monk
replied: “Keep your seat, Horace. I'll get you
there on time’’, and he did, and just before the ap-
pointed time for their arrival at Placerville ther

were met by a committee of citizens on horeenaake

OLD STRAWBERRY HOUSE.

Pioneer Stage Station ;
be er ; utior and Resort, on Road Betw -laverv
ike ‘Tahoe and Carson City. Lovers’ Leap Rock in the Distaee’

and escorted into the city, where Mr. Greeley de-
livered a short address from the first veranda
of the old Cary House, and in the course of his talk
he told of this wonderful ride and repeated Monk’s
words. Horace Greeley and Hank Monk have since
passed away, and the old historic hostelry which

EARS ar

SH RE he FETT TT AY:

SES 839 VA lh

bese!

aber bg Petts alata

ramen ye grants
ESAT ob St ae

sate

ACER

Arata.

SS

pha ee Spa eet Ghee eT S

96 California’s El Dorado

has been the scene of many exciting times is now
being razed* to make room for a more stately and
up-to-date hotel. The old building was erected by
William M. Cary, being completed in August, 1857.

A telegraph line was constructed across the
Sierras from Hangtown to Carson in 1858 by the
Placerville and Humboldt Telegraph Company, and
the first and only railroad to date to enter the
county was the continuation of the first railroad
built in the State, the Sacramento Valley line,
being first built to Folsom in 1855, then to Latrobe
and finished to the old mining camp of Shingle
Springs in 1866, the terminus of the road until
May 25th, 1888, when it was completed into Placer-

ville. The town of Latrobe was laid out by the field -

engineer of this road and named by him after the
location engineer of the first railroad built in the
United States. After the completion of the Central
Pacific railway to California, 1868, the overland
mail by stage was discontinued. At the same time
the county practically became depopulated, owing
to the easy method of returning home, for those
who cared to go, and the rush to the other rich
discoveries which were being frequently reported
from other parts of the State, and the population
that the Empire County once had has never re-
turned. What has been said is only a glimpse of
the past when old El Dorado ranked first in wealth
and population among the counties of the State,
but the placers of El Dorado could not last forever,
yet this is what they have accomplished, the tide

*March 15th, 1915.

California’s El] Dorado 97

of emigration in the early fifties, surged toward
these treasure vaults. The great wave reached its
culmination and then burst into thousands of
fragments, scattering the spray all over the west.
Go north, go east, go south, and you will find the
results of El Dorado gold. Visit the great cities
of the west and ask who laid their foundations.
iil Dorado county has furnished material that has
been and will ever be a great power in the building
up of the various industries of this western land.

To strong arms and brave,brave hearts she gave
her golden treasure, and bade them go forth and use
it in the building up of a mighty nation, and all she
asked in return was

REMEMBER THE GIVER.

But the past alone is not all that remains of
Kl Dorado. She has a present existence which
claims more than a passing attention. Although
the population of 1852 is not to be found among
her hills and valleys; although many of the miners’
cabins have fallen to decay, and only here and
there a heap of stones remains of the stone chim-
neys that stood at their backs; although a series
of tailing piles point out the exhausted surface
diggings, yet in the place of these you find other
evidences of activity and wealth in the El Dorado
of today, which shows a permanency not to be
found in those early times, when the pioneers
came here to get rich and return to their far-away
homes.

A golden past, an earnest present, and a prom-
ise for the future, whose magnitude we now cannot

sept tae

pa os

ids caida selenide daca aoe Gh dE aL

ek a


¢ x
j Ed ‘ 7 3
Be
a.
a i
99 California’s El Dorado Yesterday and Today 93 :
county. They succeeded in the latter and took the i
trail, following the bandits to Pleasant Valley, 4
od where Katon was sent back to inform Sheriff :
Rogers of their discovery. Staples and Ranney .
continued on the trail, Overtaking the robbers at Bn
the Summerset House, where a fight ensued, Sta- |
ples being killed and Ranney dangerously wound- 2
ed. The robbers were in a room in the house, and :
when Staples entered at the door, and demanded q
a surrender, his answer was 4
the report of the bandits’ a
revolvers. At the same in- g
stant Staples fired, and fell :
dead on the floor. His shot F
struck one of the robbers 3
named Pool in the head, but q
did not kill him. After taking .
everything of value from the ‘%
bodies of Staples, Ranney, 5
q and their wounded comrade, \
they fled, leaving the latter a
behind. About ten days later i:
‘three out of the remaining
five, who, on their way to iP
° : COON HOLLOW CHARLIE re
their rendezvous in Santa (CHARLES SADDLE) 8
Clara county, met a Sheriff and his posse on i
j the lookout, who immediately attacked and a if
battle ensued, in which one of the trio was killed, :
another later died from his wounds, and the i
third was captured and brought back to Placer- @
ville, where he turned State’s evidence and gave

the names of his comrades, J. A. Robertson, Henry
. “CURLEY DAN.”  (B. B. BURCH.)
“~ A Pioneer Stage Driver.


‘ PEEVIA, Charles, white, hamged Folsom Prison CA (Kern) 8=27-1926.

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sLalted Presse leared Wier)
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Oa the war Into the Mattary from
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bere ‘

“tee wae asked to teil the of
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“Burgess (her trainer), wanted me
to rome veut twies, but I woulda’t
ae it.

“The only time I fen like stopping
Fas whem the (wo tuge accompany-
jog me get too close and 1 cowld not
go forward because of the back.

3 Tues Were Hindrance

| > Sertrude paid the tuge were more
ef a Nindraney than a heip and that
the Bowlogas editue who theaght dif-
ferentty later had apologized to her
for hia doubts

“Pon? EAcrie refused to tell news-
Papermen how much he had won on
hte Geauhter’s successful awim. but
& Teperter who had ‘covered’ the
artim sal4 “Pop” had won $12,000,

Mines Palerle maid sha had tost five
Pounds while ewimming the channel
byt that abo had put on 17 pounds in
Weintug. “bl wanted to be thin when
f wot tack but they fed me eo mach
fa Germany that ET feet like an ele-
phant,” whe raid.

_ Bil Free Agent -

Admitting ‘hat there would be @
financtal retird fur her feat, “heady!
steted (hat she wan still a free agente
Bhe would not give an opinion about
the $75,068 puree that William Wrig-
fey offered for a Catalina Taland

_“iderhy.’

tthe maid ahe knew nothing about’ a
chatienge of $20,000 (hat she was re-
ported to have offered (o .swim anys
one acrosa the channel again,

“Romebody aaid something ty ‘pop’
that I could net do it amain and he
seid he'd bet $26 000 that IT could,” she
vaid {

Mies Mderio aatd that her ambition
had been realized when abe atepped |
put of the water on the Engliah eomat |
Aud that there were no more goals for |
which she could amire. “ft don't know |
ot anvthtog left tu do, do yout! «he
remarked to newapapennen Bho |
added that ahe did not infend to re-!
tire but would keep on awimming. |

Emotion Overcomes F
The reception that rhe réecetved all
the war up the bay brought ber to
- tears and made ber 6 nervous whe,
ouald hardiv heep seated when she
eas being pit through the “third dey
y KTee" by the presa, Lut the enation
Wee nechiog to what phe > ehowesl
when she walked out on the pler amd
aivewt ban inte « mew Teaming réd

ter “There's the needs

“ye been talking a5 muh ab Pig
“Pep" eeud, and tho git! almost tok

fo er arm Ji wan pen die y
and  everwhedw ae
that

the

Las

f

{
!

we
Th was with great diffieetiy
the police tieared a wey for
“perade through 4 crowd that
-) Pave Rumbered cheese to 100.8 when
erd woes epread thruugh the Cinkn-
OI Miteset 24

r

; heeton, Det, earing theg hat ware

| many ave being pat te the manufac.

; Oeials

‘etd Howard Thorburn, hie life crushed
| owt

1 WUNARUPP TELLS

PRONFGETING TALE

\
Youth Whe Clalins ty Ite
Heir of Rich German
Family Held

elena ede 4
/ Sawmteted Pores leoerd Wrees - }
ADECA'RRQUM No ML Ane He |
Thee the math: hald bere tn onemens i
ten fib @ hed otek ehame and |
iw e otalae he te Theron (toons Beater |
ee Vrepae@e fr, eoten of |
the wantthy faantiy of Cerman aim.
Pousttion markelenturere, Weat wider |
tha harme af Qeogre Adoreaan at New |
Haren, Conn, Inet faih when be fe!
tended ta enter Yale University, ee
the Prntementd af Lo BR Pert of Aj-
reneoreen, when be eonfrented the
j ettnged baron, Parr, a Yale atudeot,
anit the routh ‘ad feeued worthives
che ke at New Maven
Moaliamecenty ertth thia tdentitt-
“ation (me tolerance from polive
Separtments at Pittehurg and Wit-

vente fer the @.
we te be the ane
faruy of anne.
in Gettted

shies aften. griting the
Prooth and tte oormpanion. ' Chartes
{ TeeterR, sad ther were ifclined ta’
| Petieve the etary taid br the latter,
Vou Krerp,' they declared, told own-
fUcting wiertes of hia activities, in
hie fwememsion Were €& Rumbet of
Rowena rer cltippings demeriding him ae
an “enemy of war’ and qacting him
‘ee saying the Krupp factoriea Ger

Warn claim-

wf ¥ah Krupp

ture of implements of peace,

Stationery bearing the letterhead of
Reury Vord and purported te be
eigned by the dutemehile manufac
ture?, war among the effects. The
fad earn the automobile he la @riving
was Orenented ta him ty Mr. Ford.
Ne gave hie New York address as
S45 Jerk avenue.

Tactaok, who soya he a student
af Deowa university at Providence,
Sevjarea he kr hia compasion tt
tha eaat br\th ww “Aaros.t pe}
but thdt wheh they started on their
Crose- country ¥ip he umed the name
ot Véew Krupp

Queetioned th police and Inmnigra-
tom officials, the young man claiming
to be Von Krybp, Jr., insisted that
his real name was Yor Krupp.

He waa arrested at the request of
Denver police. He sald he would
waive extradition to return to Wilm-
logtem, Det, to fnee a charge of ia-
suing bed cheeks. He denied ever
heaving cashed a check there or in
Musburg, Hie traveling corspanton,
however, sald Von Krupp had cashed
checks in beth places, according to
the police,

Tartech wld pottoe he had been en-
geged a2 @ traveling companion by
the alleged baron and that he had
often been suspicious regarding the
identity of the young maa, but that
his #uspictons had heen aliayed by
the alacrity with which noted men,
inchuding Harvey Firestone and Henry
ne nocepted Von Krupp , at his

MINE-BLAST DISASTER
CLAIMS 44 WORKERS *

 (Coatiaued From? From Page One)

T cam recognize”’ J. M. Olson, one af
the survivors, sald after viewing the
bedies In the morgue.

In the oppressive heat of the mina,
working in an atmosphere laden with
noxlous fumes, the rescue workers
were constructing a hallway through
thejdebria ax they moved forward to
extrore the lant galleries In search of
bed es, .

hen the explosion came yesterday
#6 miners were ready to enter the
Paasager leading to the elevator shaft.
They escaped unharmed,

Pastore Enter Mine

With the fitat rescue party, which
managed to wet eee mine about
two hours after ¢ viet, went the
Rey. F, 8. Konfria of St. Anthony's
church +f-Clymer, the Rev, James
Brady.of Bt. Bernard's church of In-
Gispd- and the Rev, John Loya of st
Nitholaa’ Greek Catholic church of
Clymer; They planned to adminiater
the lant rites to any found dying Ina
the pit

Father Koendria sald on emerging
that he had seen the bodies of at
least a dozen men torn by the ex-
pinsion, Others had died peacefully,
bcathgities ny gas.

No. Po mine was known to have been
wAveous for years, butrevery Known
vatety deovies had been Installed, of. |}
valid, Nothing but electric |
humps were used tn the mine and all
rotors were spark proof, ~

A similar explosion here in June,
jim, killed 37 perdons,

‘aov TRYING TO KEARN
EOUCATION KILLED
(Aeeuctated Fives lruerd Wires
CLYMMR, Pa. Auk. 9t—~In
temporary moteie meur the Clmer
min® today tested the body of 10+rear-

the

in eohwequence of fle effurta te
cart muncy with which ty contaue
hin etudien at deltyeburg Uotiege.
Howard's father, John Thorburn.
mag death two yeara aga under the
wheels of wm freight: train Howard
werked heed for a year catherine wut-
Nelont -findae to attend the college
dutina tha last term, .
Summer vevation thwe found (he
yout’ eager te Work, fur he nended
money tf he was to return to school
Cod thn ot » ~ me z

ios IN
RXICO ARK
DETE R MINE D

§ Aeotahew Pinas beoard Bev

MARCH CTF, Ange FF ~4te
tH Measee's riiigtéews totes ora
a ner ses of fageniog whether 4
PEROTIRE HOPTRS ar yeere te #f.
farm the th iewtive, There writ be
FO feenmntion of Hathetio ehernh
Rotvinee I 126 repent. The one
reenteament if made tne
Comore satranate 14 8 IHtete-
mene tr the Tatheat jn wehbe tae
Selief te veprenedd thet Ire Mewi.
tan GeYErement ie atiemeting te
areets & eehiam. withig thew

ranks

“et, with Gee's aif." the
tatament adds, “Catholice wilt
et. yield te buen terest,”

The ttatement sare thet Cath.
eiiee in Germany “tong endured
Premark's tyreqnical lowe but fH.
Paty recevered thelr Koerty white
the ivem ehanecation sew nia sf
torts deeredited and @iad aban.
Gencd & hia castion” The wis-
senate caea ne Pepe ef bine.
Siete lmerevement ia the s#ituas
tea,

KERN mis IT
FOLSOM PENITENTIARY

gen J. J, Smith.
hands

“Doot-bye, warden,” nid the con-
demned man; “good Iuck to you.”

Died Gameoiy:

The prisoner stood without Ninch-
ing while the deputies adjusted the
Diack cap over his head and tled his |
legs together. The noose was thea
adjusted and the trap sprung.

cine tkecution waa termed prison

ls as a “perfect hanging.” The
ners neck was droken and geath
eas instantaaeous,

Gafford waa employed last March by
& won of the murdered man tg asatat
hin awed father on a farm ta Kern
county, and waa given a shotgun with
which fo shoot rabDits.

Story of Crime 2

The two quarreled incessantly and,
necording to Gafford, “I could not
stand the old man’s naggin’ at me.”

In ofe of the quarrels Cafford took
up the gua and ahot the old man to
death. The killing took place March
M. He went to Wagon, then to Bak-
ersfield, and fled north with @ circus.

Me was arrested st Abderdecn.
Wash. and on hin return confessed
to the crime and was sentenced by
Superior Judge J. W. Mahon of Kern
county to be hanged,

“) AM NOT AFRAID,”
“! AM RHAOY TO GO.”
(United Presa Leased Wire)
FOLSOM PRISON, Aug. 27.--After.
& sound night's sleep, Harry Oafford,
52-year-old negro, who waa ached-
tled to be hanged here at 10 o'clock
thte morning for murder, declared he
Was preparing to meet bin fate.
"T mm not afraid. I ant ready to
go," he sat. “Reema funny, though,
that this le my last day on earth.”
Oattord. had the reguiar._préson
Wreakfast of bacon and ,eggs, toast
and coffee, which he ate with relish.
Last night, when told by the war-
den that he could order any kind of
meal he chose, Gafford said: “Get
me pork chops and watermelon.” _

Jewel Store Looted —
* of $50,000 jn Gems

ay
: (United Preas Leased Wire)
LAWTON, Okla., Aug. 27.—-Four or
five unmasked bandita entered the
store of the Osborne Jewelry Com-
pany here today, bound and gagged
A. H. Osborne, the propristor, and
several customers, and eacaped with
diamonds and othof articles of jew-
eiry reperted valued at between
$40,900 mnd@ 366,000.
eee é
UNDER THEIR NOSES
108 ANGELES,. Aug. 27. (A.P. =
Deputy sheriffs, who have been ecour-
tng the ceuntry and telegraphing all
over the state for tha past week in
an effort to locate Herbert Wright,
fought him m the couaty jail, where
he had been throughout the. search.
Wright was wanted for! questioning
in connection with «a burglary.

|
H
oie

i
I

|

{

|

The twa shook

|

Glendale

H Tamer

Nesiden
From Injuries ;
Radly Hart;

eaters
ifetted Freee Laseed h
ONMMARIR, Aug FF »€trs.
i, of OR EH Lew
(Oemiad, wee bed gad
wrwtvemn, ieteding tee dew
; iret erty deviey Ee aap
Ponte om the — r}

here, °
Tee Caughter, , tos Mar
| Orresi, 25, eutfered a sgrm

| newt trPNeietu, tert wate seat che

bert

Mish Dye Murrar. af Sets
sireet, Leg Almelo” had
bed oo badly erusied it
hereasery ta have i sempetn

Th4 auchient oomarred ww &
Murrey, whe wae értving, ¢
and the cag swerved mf the
oferturned,

Mies Murray Waa enable
nary, Getalia of the eoident
Ing. ber Tiret reeotioniinn of |
come after whe tevived seve a
wiew later.

O, i. Jones, hekd of the
Meter company, Pulletinn, ¢!
the necotdent and Teperted ie
Hee,

Mra. Walter's body was he!
Dilfendertier wndertaking
here pending arrival from
ier teday of Mrs, Gereli’s

8. Orrell. :
. Miew Murray and Mrs. Or
unde treatment az Bt Joh
pita

CALVINISTS REPOR

RiENIBERSHIP (fs

FAsswoiated Pree ke Prees Leaord
PHILADELPHIA, Aug.
J) 2vangeli in bs
‘gifta to benovolences of the
terian church in the United :
America, during the nat yen
corded in the anowal statis

port.

The recoria show the som
membership totais 1,369,111,
crease of 35,352.

There was a lose of 84
during the year, leaving a
96-45 and aw joss of 27 mintet
Ing 9999. . 3

The Sunday aschtol memt
the church was recorded sai
a decrease of 14,478. Total
tlone were $61,186,722, «
$3,803,734. For benevolence t
eave $16,063,742. an increase
339. Of thie eum national &
received $5,142,128 aad for:

‘| slons $4,062, OO oe

FALOUS HAN KL
RIVAL, WOUNDS ¥:

(Untied Presse Lesaed &

POMONA, Aug. 27.—Ear:
jealousy, Albert Andrews
kilied Bert Dow, wounded }
FB. Botes and then shet ance
himaeif, secording te ses é
twuday,

According to — police,
climbed through a window
Boles’ home, where she and
sitting together on a Dever

Dow wae killed with a ©
head and Mra Boles wa
atightly with a bullet in th
‘The Intruder then turned +
bimeetf, grazing his sealp *
bullet

He was heid on a charge

Fears 94 Passe?
on Ferryhoat

{ Aeacctated
NOAKHALL
Ninety-four passeng:
river ferryboat are de
been drowned whee t
sized in mpkdstream and br
One hundred passengers
board and only sia are hax!
been saved. Many were ©!
by the swiftly rushing we

lad
or

HOW

Ls

\

iT OFT
TAT YOU MY

EVEN IN PIGIESSS —

MDPHISS
HAVE

IDEA TAT WIL”
SWE THE DIY—


rent — dae ee ee eee

errren Missing
if, 000,000 Loss:
if- Coast Storm

on ae

‘
eatitlnaboollee Lemewvamtod Hepes Taawce Rive. }
‘ i ty, Pa RLS ANE Ang, Moan ewe?
ona LN peeicmtinn @ 90 ow eet at eted tts |
P k At EER COEeNit tee benteted wort ©
ar Thin emem ing fe rhe berrteade whtnd /
etree pie Laeaietee full comet Wirt:
et  theday night & tewem heater tait nf |
en ‘tee, ahd etenerts thaw had bere mae |
rented ene fwditoared
Thittere fixberwen ere Miaeing mim |
he Warstarte fleking coinage and
SOOO he pacites have Cound weeedrhe t4 (
Tet @ny trees «f the wen He thege

Dette
Te & frmret (helt refi mas have
j kore doen in the storm

DOePerty vintage wae ovtimatad te. .

Suey mt 84 Or OO Minty Pee cent of
standing orome wee repetied @etroy
ed fhe gete-ewea aree okt h

stretrb@e rlan® astenet 18 miles
Fonckmen ale, walleret heat tly when
CRs were Aree ned at kite Be fan. |
ne trees }

4 s
Pe hee by
Fe ty yak a

ye
*

FOR MURDER -

3 *
Vea geet athe ate

Se

Ane tit ane by dn Ah meet. Se Spam ore mit ”

I on

BO de rere «nme

lent hin

a tage etalon

MAS, PEEVIA
mo Ly EXCGULED

O'S

1S te 98 tne Denn ie

‘Shoot Two Deputy 4
Sheriffs; Capture
Chief ‘of Police; ;

i
!
}
i
riencicrwsorent

| demecteted Prone bowed Wm
Rew Vie, Aw 08 Bindi
i Vetengtow's tatty tectag Heel oe nod
iw ke @ magnet fut thence eee of + u
sreee atel simmering pePewse denne w
ave barring (he pullie Fromm the oH
enema | Aart © eeteitionment where ©
reste Hemdrets sere detewn cose
‘fren thee deweg of the marinary see
we ebper lewedeee fr «
seard Me gtrenge gestertap te pews ort
‘ ripertition ef Giwerdera Se the ex rele
termmds ther here Gunma ta Che“ &
f Neeriy (4 pereohe were Stemi ted |
laws the treaty poeterdey tng ome of
Siew lected ws coed) Ble wee @ ete
hied o ht Malan wuseia Pree tee wae &

Se cme mn tee

Tore Slave er! | MUAKOGER, OF, ane BP ~
Negro Slayer of Forn Pr} MUAKooes, Obie, ane. 7

, 4 ” ef of
Slave: wt, Wane IGE le gue. cr ror ot totems
Z Unflinchingly ‘

wae taken Captive By twe bande
* }
|\DANCES CHARLESTON |

ee

ar

after # gun feet on the Alwert
Pine highwey weet of Gatetaw te

tay Ve weended men ere Bert z
i Cotten an@ Perry Cruntutste E dennapepend * can wie daaie
- IN HIS LAST HOURS! Teer wer’ wen tere tea mes | Mame (ied “Mo poner tn pero

thing pursuing the twe benette.
eeting en a tip that the pale Red
Participated 12 2 Sann robvery

i emirTathes by bringing Remery tut
Sate amwepted af the do

12 weer

ke

—
ord

| Enjoys Final Repast of

near here, They evertucs the ire were barre!

ANTS TAXREDUCTIONS
CANS: ~ 1N4926 VISIORED:

or Dots} Experts Sex * Surpios o
vution $400,000,000; Disagree
Near With Treasury

fy JOSEPH & WASHEY ¢
(4 ptt Peres Lemont Blew)
WASHINGTON, Aug tT —- Tre gove |
errroent will close the cartent Meceds
Year Sith @ rurptee ctece 14 Sine. nee.» |
fer opening the way for tax rector.
Liem be F928 federal Mnancial «rpeets |
predicted today it, the face of & wlate- \

wr
Shoe Distrtet
sae Civevunt.
Rempie Mee
; ton’ f ber
t dnaping are

f R.A. Me.

os rent by geting Secretary the |
a dint Troasury Winetom yesterday that be:
ers aw iy. new Seay ert mn fe sient
: yer) Peaptte the ghewny attivude taken

Mieeertes! kid.

Sporehenston, Ds edrifnivtratag leader tusand an-

mther tas cut fn the imrnediate futurn, |
TY effictale pormied emt that it:
P Ureeent prosperity continues the |
Tathen’s revenues will mann be wuffi-:!
cent ta justify annther reduction

je the first 35 day« of the fiscal}
sear there was a surplus of $54.671,-/
334.85 im the treasury coffers’ ae com. /
tared with a balince of anty $22.930.-
ere far the corresponding pertoad hast
rar, Preethaily all revenues excert
miscelaneows taxss hate increased. |

Administration ecomomy policies are >
belag rigsily followed. Kependitures
fur running the pation this fieral |
year have been $342.248,000. «4 de. |
crane of Reariy $44,606,000 onmouared +
eerb tte coat im the same period y
eee

{

‘
* mystertotes
the eratwel-
from Anse!
1 atthoritivs:
hed hic and |
oPheren foe

4
at teeved at!
Sr hat stabs!
fewesd abdue- «
a tlepiene ;
© evangelist!
+ before vee]
‘a4 ——- 2
witueea’' bee
“44 ashe oie
a? saaank

“ — STREET CAR PILOT,

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27 —Pulice ig
! day were arekimg the motorman of a}
hit aad run” street car whieh struck ,
es AN RuUtomabile last night, overturned |
Set Guenio™ jt and draxget i 75 Ieet, killing one
‘aie ce xia: | = and verieusiy injuring another.
om 7 } The deag man ix J, William Davis, ;
} Pasadena motor car denier. His cdta-
* panivn, Eyred Audersan, although o-|
vereiy® hurt, whe Peported on the coad!
to recovert at the receiving hospital
this morning.
According to the taveatizating offt- |
— the accident ja the firet of the |
on record here, although
files are filled with such accidents “7
which antomubiles and truc reeks figured.

have nhoon

LS SELF &

- oe

Wores LETTER CARRIER Kit KILLEO |
27.—Dieap- LAKEPORT, Aug. 27. (A. P)—Bar-}
ore 22, whet neay M. Amea, w letter carrier in San:
day, accord. | Francises tor to years, wan killed and |
1 tower othere were tajured, none vert-!
Piece, came ously, when their satemobile skidded |
feral months and overturned lagt evening on the
Kis wweets | Middie ¢reek road at the fout of Elk
wi, when ehe } rvantalo near here. «

outh wbortly j *.-
National League
Ps «

At Cincinnath— oar

Browklyn .....0.
{| Clocinnats

take a trip

p~eet
Rivey and &

’ Oeaawich y and Tayiar:
Eeuatmann ant Harnett

tot. by ea- > AS WMitebote <> é
Fayhsp. j Boe | New Work. Gesis sys hovers
Ned Dak! wee | tebe. eK!

‘eae wae

Ls = ck and Watermelon: |
rhage ad tog

thee ear and terees the ponce Sect, hha Pesvited @ oateteg reas fy
; dosnt Prom Foon Wives shor 1a ateempany them, apere Winttryd Mudnet, the atat's coveted ;
petite wie ie te Katee  rtiggeot ee
om PRISON ag. 37.-—f STilimg the cer the offerre Ped | te pee ;
3 £ a ren driving. They cantinued rehat the tenty oTormated get purer
Heary QGafford, alles Chagies’ A On the ighway, We the Madsat veg Ri Wainer |
| Peevia, Mi-yaarold pro hae ee ewrteters
} Uae eines we maanieunatcy: pereienpteecee| “| oGhink ¢ should Be Marted tw
was hanged hera today “ m a i ’
‘ 0, wok b y wrens Bt ie the mere eg te te
murder Om « farm near "Wane, yeetlog: pines.” baS@: Mr, Cisean. The

i kere county, lsat March, of J.C.

A Peactet gverd wae etihtaee af
ries reuest méian @ pretest) by aeett+
\ Peevied tatiene .

* George Pte, Valemtion’ «

§ OR Abowt twee midee out ef Kaite-
few and ® Trenning gun bettie go>
+ When the we shovtion hed
worded, tre bandits stepped

ane
wae &

4Aeeteinn, however, awaita the orrts «

dead. Woman Thinks She Was) fescsh Valentina, was dur te Kanaan
Gator appeated vbtwercty  uncen:; Loity at Tae yp. ms. telex wn the Abobd-
jeerned when tee was fed fran ied Stolen di Years Ago fen Kents Limited af the Heat beieod
\death cel. He shock Reamda with} ‘ Railroad, asecerting te ‘station, eff).
Warden J, J Smith, expressed the ‘at San Mateo ciale here, Mise Nekyt it em route be
bege ghat they might mi¢et in the | - New York far. Valentin « Lunmersi

Sertt. He pleaded
lees bts capture in Aberdeen,

aged negro and former
slave. Hin execution [alowed the!
 phingcon slaying in the recerd (me!
for Califoruia, of five months and
three days. The trap Was «prong
‘et 16:05 and: 12 minutes and 4
seconds later be was proacanced

Tewedsay of Vaientiene fenioer Ad-
bette Chuatletme® os the Moments

KIDNAP oie

iC ated Preaa Leased Bey
Pisvgdimeiane eTyvyY, Aue FS «tte
reported finanewr vf the Win

XM

‘ ryt: ‘ peeenenaee :
free nM tine aeatieaa areanaaail ' ited Preas Lewerd Wire; The Potten star tefused ta see we wa~

paperimen at Fl Dae e hem the ie a
stepped there for a few minutes “yre-
tetday.

by the Kev Wl OH. Davia, a noere! PAMADENA, Ave. 27—Mie Lula |
Raptist minteter ef Oakland tle made { Darker, Pasadena nurse, Petigves atye |
BO sialement while om the mmffeld. [nay te the miution of the fanaa *

The condemned nagro epent_pea | Anaoie Meoney Kiinaping case whieb |
fast efternoen and evening in | atirred San Francieos 46 yeare ago }
i
4

FILMLAND CAPITAL
TO JOIN IN HOMAGE
HOLLYWOOD, Ave... 37-04. # >

Particuierty geod humor, He |  syins Parker, who tx atunt 36 veare The witth uf @ restinent from the

amused Pimectt by dancing the ‘ old. ha» appenied to San Francians of the fuieral servires foe Ko
Chrartesten in the death call, {police tn an effort fo posattty Mtentify } goiokt iced Metivenrnd "nnd. tte
ene wp his celebration with 4 her ne the Mooney girt wha diay: | thousands of fim folk Meuday ~i!
east of watermelon and perk | peared from a plenie Ia. Belmont ) my tribute of earew in thy death
serene, for sianer, | Pari, Kan Mateo, in 1982, ithe mereen aliek. Rewdutions pmane-
Atter rou hi nlewp he «et aun unable ty remember Many | vy the Axeoctation of Mothes Pt tore
heartily Pe bomkiwee’ ona me, be ate detalle, but [recall vaguely that To progucers. Inc... call upen the entire
[himaelf ready to gu through with phe | VS" taken from a beat by a man end\induatey to join jn twa ninutes ©
hangine woman and later tahen by train an | silent tribute (Catentine Manda
ater did wot discuan the murder | ht to Kentucky," Mise Barker mald ;

oday.
ite
Sey ORR TAD ary! IVa: F have beats

rytng to|

= SEEKHITAND HUN 5

FICIALS Te T ¥
PERFECT HANOINa”
tUnited Prees Leaeet W Arne

Wash, f A : VALENTINO a
‘ h oy who my parents were, veres | GOCIETY ORG iguo
wets ® Month after tha kiltieg. years aco L looked up some rhe (Asaociated Byres Lodaed Wire

“nated Harker in tong Beach I!
‘found two aiaters whe raid they had |
‘Vved te Kentucky and. had been paid;

| beewes,

j once for caring for some children
awed PRISON, Aug. 27—Henry ! {When f told them. omy story, one |
— nite be gsr rPeveia bee | them said “niaybe you" are Annie
ne murdarer oO owre:
weer farmer of Wasoo War rani nee }™ ddl eoclation of Chicdge annnunced, The
bh “i $ ei oe Mies Harker “sit she remeniberea | gesoriation was organizad wih af
ere today at 19:05 a: im. The prie-i “sitting on a litte chair on & dig boat, | jogge, an aaaistant state's attorney
sak entered the death chamber at! with water all sround,” In company | ana three other lawyere as tte incor
18 a. mm. Approximately 20 wit- {of a strange man and wowan. She! poratora: tt plana t erect a mone.
inclnding sherltia. deputies | sald she came to California 12 years | }ment to Valeatiny in some city part.
and prisog officials, were Preson& | aga from Memphis. after m Hfe of | <a mtinnntciiptsalpplbcnite viii
The trap was sprung at 14:63 a. mi. / travel throughout the muuth Im the
prison physician pronounced the |

portal services for the dead actor will &
he held at & larep Chirnay batirowm, GF
the Rudotph Validating Memorial A«-> §

‘au SEAS SHAE |

pont d ree = Bart BF rent — ere tet erie hewn roar
Fined. the firme wife of the dead man.

i

B eve rolnutes, and 45 seconds Later | eer-plorment of various families, i

The Mooney calid waa $ when she}

2 dead. Before mpunting the scat: dinappeared {n 1882. Nothing ha been |
fold Gattord wits escorted Vefore War- | heard? Of the child aince. i” ~ ENDED N p 7 we

: (Continued on Page Teo)

b
+o. }

t zm
_| American League |
b

CUILDREHA, Texan, Aug. 27—The |
automobile ride of &

*] ; see & ; ywte rion 3

(First gamey - “| woman Iawyer and twa young mes

At Hoxton RU, companions ended In tragedy. bere |
(Cleveland .... a) * 12 | toda v. ‘

- ‘ Heston Vise eb Mixa Lila Clark “Frankiin, +. ef fg
fAseaciated Preas Leaerd Wire} 2 Shewe and L. Sewon: Welser and; Ardmore,. Okla, recent. graduate of §
KAN PRANCISCO, Aug, N—TheTHtoken ¢ Columbia Law. Behool’ at Icbanot,
Chronicle says that a “petition giving | a i Tenn, was found dead tn ber hatst
formal notice of appearance tm the) At Bostuu: “RH. Kl eoom with @ bullet wound threat
estate” of James L. Flood, who died |Meveiand . & it Zi the heart. A smal Calibre ee, he
February 15, 1924. leavipg an estate, Boston ., 4 1%. incur the body, }~- ‘
extimated at $18,506,000, will be flied Battarles: Dilter. ekeye: TWudini Miss Wrankiia errived here wae
today in Gem Matee county courte | Bmith and Sewell: Heimach, Wingfield | time after nridnight baat ninht .—

i-
{
}
1 | Narnrtated Prone Lrteed Wire}
{

aa

on behalf of Mra. Joba P, Gavin of | and Guaton (iz aablisin- igi two young men in an au
Tom Angeles, who claims she if & Axjeot of her viet and the auton the |

@auchter of the muitindilonairs, At Priladeiphia— ride haa. nut been aacerteimed. Rong ‘
Attorneys for Sire. Gavin, the pas} St. Lowle: .is..ieceee: young men were = Motaned wy, i :
says, wi eclaiot that she & | Philadelphia * j

per ‘
Constance May Flood, the daughier) Batteriee:- Gaston and Bebang: W Mise Prankiin preeticnd tale bn Art
@echrane=—————-— mother te pete:

49 sewers

The firet Mra, Flux died January 18,”
1899, Rt the Callfornia tWvhpen's tow

pital fiers. She hae we EE 6 ave been
& #ister of hs wide, t
Mra. Uevin Sars ate was, plhcod

m a convent prior te Floul’s aécond

i, HO hilais
Sites Mina cael! 88 sas DA Raton

selected 2!
ot at which
ane


oe

the wedding

pT. LT. RICH

of blood in
was found i

* (Left) Suspect's glove found in a pool

COXSWAIN MARVIN F, THOROUGH: fr.
SOD, left, and SEAMAN. t/e WAL- |.

LACE. HANSON, right, examine. the 2
wound of SEAMAN  f/c KENNETH &:

SNEATHEN, victim of the vicious attack. 2:

DAVID E. BERGER. left, identifies

ring shown him by

ARD B. McCREADIE.

Los Angeles. The mate
n his car, 75 miles away-

4 me Sei care? CPR

see if it were

i) shows
DUR
* SS) funni
~~ Ywhich

been

pitch-dark.” ;
1944, wasn’t a dark night.o> -- eee
os after

May 10,
ded the pack-reaches

coast,
overcast clouds almost plottgd out
ght that tinged the

the moon’s li

sooty shadows with yellow. Visibil-
ity was poor. But when Sneathen
crossed to the edge of t

and looked down toward the sea, he
could see plainly a man standing
very still, half way between the
top of the embankment and the
25 feet below. Again, ~

sea wall
Sneathen felt the tug on the col-
lie’s leash. Now he knew what

Boots had heard.
“what's going on down there?”

_the coast guardsman challenged.
up. This is the

1.’ The man re-

onds, then climbed slowly up the
pank, the shifting shale making @
grating sound as
rolled downward

At the. top, the stranger eyed

the coast guardsman &
almost reluctantly to. another chal-

lenge:
“A man and @ woman are down

there fighting. She’s a married
woman and oughtn’t te be out with
this guy: I was trying to get them
to go home.”

The stranger’s voice
ly, apologetic, and Snea
led. It wasn’t his duty to check on
spooners. He made @ casual reply
as he moved to the front of the
car, and, as 3 matter. of routine,
jotted down the license number.

was friend-

/

then chuck: |

plac

“High-t
fishing,”
his noteb
to see. w
he stroll
edge, Boo

Withou:
with all
fear back
across thi
felled hir
scending |
Protected
a streak o
bh forwarc
Nar.
throat. =
Sha ,
wae

Sailant, sw:
yy, turned
ar. He
before the
the seat an
and sharp
gashes in }
The furio
minutes to
inside the c
ing, when hk
N-11, her he
But aid w:
dog reachec
Mugu. While
(Contin


HAT’S wrong, Boots?"
In the shadowy midnight
darkness Seaman 1/c Ken-
neth Sneathen reached down-
ward until his fingers touched
the silky ruff of the shepherd
collie dog at his heel. “Hear
something, you ol' .sand-pound-
er?"
4a For several moments the youth
cted 8 ai and his coast guard patrol dog
, Awe uke, remained motionless. Then, hear-
seni Ve oft) -tag : ing nothing, they moved forward
. Point |, on their nightly patrol... four

. The look-
Mugu oe NC uae. miles off the Southern California
a Ta

he tip

t|
i
i
*

coast, just south of the new

_ Naval Base at Port Hueneme.

Sneathen had noted only the
slightest twitch of the dog's
leash, but six months of com-
panionship and duty—for eight
hours a night—had drawn the
young coast guardsman and his
dog closely together. Now, in
the darkness, Sneathen pondered
this slightest incident. Boots,
with ears trained to catch any
sounds foreign to the pounding
surf, must have heard something
unusual,

THE KILLER CHANGED HIS STORY AND HIS

It was with a sense of relief
that he sighted an automobile
parked along the edge of the high-
way some distance ahead. Boots,
no doubt had seen this car, he
reasoned.

Quietly, he proceeded to the side
of the parked car. The lights were
off and the car was unoccupied. It
hadn’t been parked there long—
the hood was warm to his touch.

“Your eyes are better than mine,
Boots,” said Sneathen. “I wonder

NAME SO OFTEN HE

- {HAD THE POLICE BAFFLED — UNTIL THEY INVESTIGATED HIS PAST

\

11


ing the time we were taking his state-
ment and making other routine
checks!”

“Where is the ring now?” McCreadie
asked. “Let’s have a look at it.”

HE three officers went to a corner
safe. Sheriff Durley twirled the dial

and pulled back the door. A box mark-
ed “Lost Articles’ lay on the top shelf.
The Sheriff took this out and laid it on
the desk. On top of various items in
the box was a simple, old-fashioned
wedding band. Lieutenant McCreadie
picked it up and turned it so he could
read any inscription that might be en-
graved on the inner side. One glance,
and he had found what he had come
after. There was an inscription “D to
M—Forever and Ever.” From David to
Marian This was the irrefutable miss-
ing link that connected the murderer
with his victim.

As soon as McCreadie returned to
Los Angeles with the ring and told his
Captain the latest developments, Brown
ordered Sernsky brought to his office

at once. While McCreadie had been
away, the Captain had learned other
details that, coupled with McCreadie’s
news, tied the guilt to Sernsky.
“There is nothing to be gained by
denying anything,” Captain Brown told
Sernsky. “You figured out a pretty
smooth story, but when you left Mrs.
Berger’s ring on the wash stand out at
Ventura, you linked yourself right with
the crime!” $

rs | DON’T know anything about the

ring,” Sernsky replied  sullenly.
“Why don’t you find Harry? He could
have left it out there—”

“There is no Harry. You're the only
Harry there has ever been. We have
just been provided with Bertillon file
pictures of you, Sernsky, which show
that you have used the names of Peter-
son: and Sarrowsky-Sarrazowski in
different states. And that you have
a burglary count against you here in
California. You're all. three of these
men, Sernsky. Why don’t you break
down and tell us the truth?”

So He Shipped Himself One

Lieutenant Breitzke asked.

She had been dark-complexioned,
about 23 years old.

Breitzke said, “Twenty-three? You
sure?”

“Yes. Maybe younger.”

But the woman in the trunk had been
in her mid-thirties. What did this
mean?

Mrs. Santos was a_ good-looking
woman. She spoke both English and
Spanish fluently. She had not been
with Santos when he first registered,
but she came later, then went away,
then returned. She appeared and dis-
appeared several times.

And once another woman, either her
mother or her sister, came to visit the
couple. She brought with her two boys,
one about eight and the other about six.
When this happened the Santos moved
into a large room.

Breitzke frowned. “Two boys, eh?”
And he recalled that boy’s clothing—
a boy about that age—had been found
in the trunk.

Santos, when he registered, had given
no previous address.

And when he checked out he left no
forwarding address.

Breitzke hammered at this, trying to
get a handle on the job of tracing him.
And then the chambermaid recalled
that once she had heard that Santos
worked in the commissary of a hotel
in the Loop. But she didn’t know
which one.

The Homicide men left the hotel.
And Breitzke got the help of the detec-
tives of the Central District, covering
the Loop, in checking every hotel in an
effort to find Santos.

W4s he a crucial figure in the case?
Or was he drawn into it only acci-
dentally? It seemed incredible that it
could be only coincidence. The towel in
the trunk led to the Fleetwood. A man
at the Fleetwood had been known as
John Lopez. And the man who shipped
the trunk signed himself John Lopez.

But—and this was the hitch—the
woman at the Fleetwood, Mrs. Santos,
was described as being at least ten
years younger than the dead woman_
Did this one discrepancy knock down
the whole Santos angle?

The only way to find out was to find
Santos.

Detectives Martin Tully and William
Howey of the Central District, men who
knew South State Street like the backs
of their hands, began a canvass of their
own. They reasoned that if Santos
had lived at the Fleetwood for several
months he might have friends in the
vicinity who would know where he now
was. Moreover, the officers moved
among the show people, into the down-
at-the-heels rooming houses of the
district, intoe-the honky-tonk saloons,
hoping to get:some clew to a woman
who had vanished recently, a woman in
show business.

44.

And Breitzke went to join his Homi-
cide Squadmen at the Railway Express
agency,

They had established one thing:
John Lopez had given no address when
he made out the waybill. .

Otto Karbusicky, chief special agent
of the Railway Express Company at
No. 612 South Clinton Street, assigned
special agent Albert Weidenhofer to
aid the police and he began a check of
the mountainous records of the com-
pany. Each day’s waybills were put
into wooden boxes and labeled by date
and kept in a huge rack that lined the
wall. Weidenhofer and the detectives
waded into the stacks of papers until
they found the waybill on which the
trunk had been shipped.

But it showed no Chicago address for
John Lopez. He simply had shipped
the trunk to himself at Los Angeles on
Sunday, April 30. Weidenhofer said
that chances were that the handwrit-
ing on the waybill was not Lopez’s, but
was that of the clerk who had received
the trunk from him.

“Who's the clerk?”

Vip eeexnoren checked company
records and_ discovered that
Charles R. Heniff had been the clerk on
duty. The officers hurried to the Dear-
born Station. They discovered that .to-
day was Heniff’s day off. While one of
the officers was getting his address, an-
other officer questioned other employes
at the station.

Thus they found David Greaney, an
express foreman who recalled seeing
the trunk on the platform on Sunday.

“It was there before three o’clock in
the afternoon,” he said. “But I don’t
know what time it arrived.”

“You didn’t see it brought here?”

“No. Heniff would be your best bet
on that.”

By this time they had located Heniff’s
address. And at that point Lieutenant
Breitzke joined his men and went out
to Heniff’s home. And here, far south-
west from the crowded Loop,'the of-
ficers got their first line on the elusive
John Lopez.

Heniff said he remembered well the
shipping of the trunk.

“They brought it in at one o’clock in
the morning—a funny time to be ship-
ping a trunk.”

“They?” Breitzke asked curtly.

“Yes. Two men and a boy.”

The officers stared at each other.
What did this mean?

“Tell us about it,” the Lieutenant
said. “Everything.”

Heniff recalled that Lopez had been
aided in bringing the trunk to the sta-
tion by a boy who appeared to know
him and a man who seemed to be a
taxi driver or someone simply employed
by Lopez to help. The trunk had been
very heavy—245 pounds—and they had
had a lot of trouble with it. Once the
rope broke and Lopez had to fix it.

sii aaiedaiamteaiaeaiiniiii a ee cae |

“All right,” said Sernsky suddenly.
“T’ll take you out to where it happened.
Only—stop questioning me!”

And then Sernsky took Captain
Brown and his two Lieutenants to the
1100 block on Menlo Avenue.

“This is where it happened,” he told
them. ‘‘We had an argument. I struck
her. Then I drove out to the ocean
and dropped the body in the water.”

Officers investigated the spot on Men-
lo Avenue. There they discovered a
glove and a tire track on the ground.
The glove matched another glove that
had been found in Sernsky’s car just
a few hours before. And it was proven
that the tire track was made by Sern-
sky’s car.

HEN David Berger—who had iden-
- tifled his wife’s wedding ring—
saw Sernsky, he lunged at the man and
would have beaten him if the officers
had not restrained him.
On May 17, the body of Mrs. Marian
Berger was thrown up by the sea four-
teen miles north of Malibu Beach.

“The finding of the body completes
our case against Sernsky,” Captain
Brown told his men. “He confessed
killing Mrs. Berger with a tire iron, then
retracted it and went back to his story
about Harry. We don’t doubt Harry
killed Mrs. Berger, too—but Harry is
also Sernsky, whose real and complete
name appears to be Jan Francis Saraz-
zawaki, alias John F. Sernsky and Jack
Peterson, ex-convict. Sernsky was em-
ployed at the war plant under all these
names. He got away with this by
using these aliases in different depart-
ments, and on various shifts.”

IN MAY 19 the Grand Jury issued an
indictment, charging Sernsky for-
mally with the murder of Mrs. Berger.
He was arraigned before Superior
Judge Clement D. Nye on the indict-
ment, where he pleaded not guilty and
not guilty by reason of insanity. Alien-
ists were appointed to examine him,
with date of trial set for July 18 in the
court of Superior Judge Newcomb
Condee.

Dead Woman (Continued from Page 40)

“He spent an hour at the job. I gave
him a hammer and some nails and he
was out on the platform an hour nail-
ing the lid down tight and fastening it
with wire.”

“Did the taxi driver help him do
that?” ,

“No. Soon as they got the trunk up
to the desk Lopez paid him and he left.
I’m not sure he was a taxi driver but
I think he was. He was somebody like
that anyway. Lopez gave him five dol-
lars. They had a little argument about
how much he was to get. Lopez only
wanted to give him three dollars but
the taxi driver reminded him that five
was the price they had agreed on and
the boy backed him up.”

“Who was the boy?”

“He seemed to be a friend of Lopez’.
He was about twelve years old.”

“Can you describe Lopez?”

Heniff said he was about five-feet-
eight and weighed around 165 pounds
—a good-sized man. He spoke with a
heavy accent, Heniff recalled, and he
looked Mexican or, perhaps, Italian.
He wore a gray hat, a two-toned sport
jacket, gray slacks, and black shoes.

“His clothes were flashy,” Heniff said.
“Like actors wear.”

Breitzke nodded. That jibed.

“How old @ man was he?”

“Maybe thirty-five. He was a queer-
looking fellow, with thick blubbery lips
and heavy-lensed glasses and a dark
complexion. He sort of gave you the
creeps. And with that accent, too.”

Certainly Lopez had been cool, un-
hurried. He had argued with the taxi
driver about the five dollars; he had
spent an hour nailing the lid shut on
the trunk. Seldom had the officers en-
countered such a setup.

When Heniff told him that the ex-
press charges would be $25.54, Lopez
changed his mind about paying the
charges and shipped the trunk collect
to Los Angeles.

“He said he was going out there by
bus and that he’d claim the trunk when
he got there and pay the charges.”

HENIFF said that the handwriting on
the waybill was his own, not Lopez’.
“I don’t think he even touched the way-
bill, if you’re thinking about finger-
prints.” -

Breitzke talked to Heniff a little
longer but he learned nothing more.
The clerk said he was sure he could
identify Lopez if he ever saw him
again. And then the officers left.

A further checkup showed that the
trunk had not been called for and de-
livered to the station by the Railway
Express Company. So there was no
‘way to trace Lopez’ Chicago address
that way. Since the trunk had been
brought to the station past midnight
it seemed unlikely that any private
moving company had done the job.
Therefore, Heniff’s belief that Lopez’

helper had been a taxi driver seemed
reasonable.

And so Breitzke told his men, “Find
that cab driver. Talk to the starter at
the railroad station. Talk to porters
and others around the station—one of
them might have recognized the driver.
Get the Yellow and the Checker and
the Morton and the other companies to
check through their trip sheets. I'll
get the newspapers to ask the driver
to come forward. Somehow we’ve got
to find him—he’s our only link now
with Lopez, he’s the only one who
knows where that trunk came from.”

Breitzke went down to Headquarters
to see what else had been accomplished.

The men who were hunting Santos
had not found him as yet. They still
were checking Loop hotels.

The laundry marks had not paid off.
poco had been eliminated as untrace-
able.

Wieboldt’s store reported that it was
impossible to trace the yellow playsuit.
Apparently it had been a cash sale and
the purchaser gave no address.

Identification—that was what they
had to have—Breitzke knew. If they
could find out who the woman was,
chances are they would know almost
immediately why she had been killed
and perhaps even who had killed her.
For it was obvious that the killer had
gone to great lengths to conceal her
identity, to get her body away from
Chicago.

But what else could they do?

BREITZKE went down to the Misssing
Persons Bureau. They had a couple
of names for him—names of women
who had disappeared.

But the officers could not match up
the missing women with the slain one.

Out in Los Angeles, Captain Brown
was working on a similar angle. The
sister of a woman, who had disap-
peared a year before, said that a re-
versible coat found in the trunk re-
sembled one that her sister had worn.
But when she viewed the body at the
morgue, she said it wasn't that of her

However, her uncertainty when she
first saw the body made the detectives
realize that decomposition was going
to make visual identification almost
impossible.

And so Los Angeles Police Chemist
Ray Pinker peeled the fingertips of the
dead woman and prepared them in the
crime laboratory. From them he made
sets of fingerprints. He sent one set
to Lieutenant Breitzke in Chicago by
wirephoto and another to the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, in Washing-
ton, D.C.

From an airplane factory, where the
missing woman had worked, the Los
Angeles detectives obtained a set of her
fingerprints. They did not match those
of the dead woman.


everything de-
any pursuers.
ving down, he
ght a few min-
ed into a little-
ng off through

ed to, none of
! of Mrs. Peete,
small daughter,
he District At-
and the driver
‘he vital thing
ete to some se-
e could be per-
il story of what
mansion on So.
2re the officers
les Denton had

been murdered four months earlier.
Louise Peete had told many con-
flicting stories about her connection

with the strange case, and it. was .

Doran’s theory that she had not told
all she knew—that she was.¥cover-

ing’ for someone. If he could gain -

her confidence, he believed he’d get
the true facts. But -he knew he
wouldn’t get to first base if she were
allowed to reach Los Angeles and
the newspaper men and women
waiting there. After several confer-
ences with officials of the Salt Lake
Railway, the El Cajon Pass siding
had been chosen as the most likely
spot to make an unscheduled stop.
Once Mrs. Peete was taken off the
Overland Limited at that remote

spot reporters would have difficulty

picking up the trail.

To avoid a possible leak, Albert
Colin,.who was bringing Mrs. Peete
from Denver, was not notified until
an hour before the unscheduled stop
on the California ‘side of the sum-
mit. }

The reporters were taken wholly
by surprise. Three of them took up
the chase. in the flivver, that hap-
pened along;%ibut they .missed the
dirt road down which the two official
cars -had sped. The reporters, as

angry as prodded wasps, tore down ©

the highway to San Bernardino,
eighteen miles distant, and spent

‘hours in fruitless search. Los An-

geles papers were notified by wire.

Every effort was maae to locate the
missing witness and the two county
cars.

In the meantime, Doran’s car,
closely followed by the second sedan
carrying his assistant, Investigator
Colin, and Deputy B. N. Smith,
bumped through the timber with at
least one of the occupants enjoying
the road’s tortuous windings. Louise
Peete, her gray eyes dark with ex-
citement, her creamy skin flushed by
the crisp mountain air, was smiling
warmly. And Doran, studying her,
tried vainly to find an answer to the
mystery. Whom was she protecting?
Was her friendly, soft-spoken hus-
band hiding some guilty secret?
What had (Continued on page 56) :

4


big, black sedans roar away, before
the reporters aboard the train real-
ize that Bill Doran has “kidnapped”
the star witness.

PART TWO

S the big sedan, in which the
lovely murder suspect, Louise
Lofie Peete, was being “kid-
napped,” sped away from the El
Cajon Pass siding, Chief Deputy
District Attorney William C. Doran
turned in his seat and looked back
at the Overland Limited.
Steam hissed from the sides of
the engine like wispy, white clouds
and the train’s warning ‘whistle

echoed through the pines, tall .and
black against a thin, gray sky, but
still the group of newspaper men
remained gathered about a lone
automobile that had driven up to
the siding a minute after the so-
called “snatch.” Other reporters
were scrambling from the train.

Bedlam had hroken loose. The train.

could not proceed.

Bill Doran was worried. Would
the angry reporters commandeer the
flivver and give chase? Were all his
carefully laid plans to be upset be-
cause an auto chanced along? Lean-
ing forward, Doran whispered to his
driver, “Take the first turn-off you
come to and drive like the devil!”

The chauffeur nodded. He had

been instructed that everything. de-
pended on eluding any pursuers.
Almost without slowing down, he
skillfully swerved right a few min-
utes later and careened into a little-
used dirt road leading off through
the timber.

Where this road led to, none of
the party—consisting of Mrs. Peete,
her husband, their small daughter,
Miss Hal Bland of the District At-
torney’s office, Doran and the. driver
—knew or cared. The vital thing
was to get Louise Peete to some se-
cluded spot where she could be per-
suaded to tell the real story of what
had happened at the mansion on So.
Catalina Street, where the officers
believed Jacob Charles Denton had

been mur
Louise

flicting st:
with the
Doran’s t}
all she kr
ing” for :
her confic
the true
wouldn’t

allowed t
the new:
waiting t)
ences wit
Railway,

had been
spot to n
Once Mr:
Overland


| ENIGMA WO

occurred between the attractive
Louise and Charles Denton during the
week they had occupied the Catalina
Street mansion together? What was
the motive of the murder? Passion—
greed—jealousy—revenge?

The sedan’s sudden stop, where the
dirt road intersectéd a through high-
way, brought Doran back to the pres-

ent. “Glenn Mountain Ranch_¥is that:

way,” announced the driver, pointing
right. “But it’s closed for the winter.”

“Closed, huh?” Doran’s eyes light-
ed up. “Step on it! If it’s closed, we’ll
open it ea

The early fall twilight had already
begun to blur the outlines of the
ranch buildings and bungalows when
the two cars rolled up in front of the
office. Gray smoke spiraling up from
a stone chimney told them the place
was occupied.

A few minutes later, Bill Doran
was in earnest conversation with the
caretaker of the popular resort, who
nodded approval as Doran outlined
his plan: “We need a few hours with-
out interruption; a place to hide our
cars; and the assurance that, if we
are followed, our presence here will
not be disclosed. The whole. case
may rest on what happens in the next
few hours.”

The caretaker’s: frank smile wid-
ened. “Count on me. Lucky the last
guest left a week ago. There’s only
the cook and a chore boy left.”

“Great!” said Doran. “One bine,
more. As soon as they get settled,
someone may want to use the tele-
phone.”

The caretaker grinned knowingly.
‘Tl tell him that the line has been
disconnected. And that line can be
disconnected,” he said, indicating the
office phone. ;

Thus it happened that when, a short
time later, Mr. Peete tried to talk over
the office phone, he found the line
“dead.”

It was this fact, that the Glenn
Mountain Ranch phone went dead
during the afternoon of October 4,
which sent a Times reporter to the
mountain resort on what he believed
was a hot lead. However, after a
brief talk with the caretaker, ‘the
newsman departed in disgust, leaving
the youthful chore boy, who had-hid-
den the two cars, chuckling de-
lightedly. He actually had taken part
in a detective case.

Dusk had drawn a shadowy curtain
over the whispering pines before
Doran and his party slipped away
from Glenn Ranch the next evening
and proceeded to La Crescenta, a
suburb of Los Angeles, where Doran
established Mr. and Mrs. Peete in a
cozy bungalow at the La Crescenta
Hotel. Bill Doran’s lips were settled
in a grim line-as he and his assistant
drove away from the fashionable hos-

He had much valuable infor-
mation; it must all be carefully
weighed.

Before a roaring log fire in the spa-
cious lounge of Glenn Ranch, the
evening before, Doran and Mrs. Peete
had talked for long hours. Doran’s

Ce.

assistant, Albert Colin, Ben Smith and
Miss Bland had been present; but, at
Mrs. Peete’s request, her husband had
not listened in on his wife’s story.
The dancing shadows thrown by the
snapping logs had added. a cheery
note to the scene, but the story that
Ben Smith took down in shorthand
was not a pleasant one. It was a
story of passion and deceit—a story
destined, if true, to change the lives
of many people. She repeated that
Denton and the Spanish woman had
quarreled violently one night in his
suite and that, unknown to them, she
had looked in on the scene to find
him threatening the Latin beauty.
Mrs. Peete’s Glenn Ranch story dif-
fered from the one she had told Den-
ver reporters in only a few particu-
lars. But these particulars were vital
ones. ‘They might solve the case.
Doran was eager to investigate them.
But, back in Los Angeles, Doran
faced the angry newsmen out to get
his scalp. You could fancy a chuckle
back of the Examiner’s story next
morning that Attorney O. N. Hilton
of Ontario had secured a writ of ha-
beas corpus to bring the Peete family
out of hiding. According to Hilton,
Mr. Peete had retained him by wire
shortly after the party left Denver
and he had arranged to take Mrs.
Peete from the train at Ontario. How-
ever, a wire sent by Peete from Vic-
torville, just east of El Cajon Pass,
advised Hilton that the District At-

‘torney had other plans. The wire,

dated October 4, read:. ‘

“Given no alternative. Leaving

train before Ontario. Going in by

auto D. A. Office.”

Hilton told the Examiner reporter
that it was almost: midnight the fol-
lowing night before Peete managed
to reach him by telephone. Peete
said, according to Hilton, that they
were virtual prisoners at La Cres-
centa. The newspaper article pointed

out that Doran was liable under the’

California kidnapping laws, if it could
be proved the Peetes were being for-
cibly held. .
Apparently, this wasn’t the case, so
far as’ the lovely Louise was con-
cerned. When surrounded by repor-
ters that afternoon, she reminded
them that she was a voluntary wit-
ness. “Mr. Doran has been most
thoughtful of us and I’m here to help
him in every way I can,” she said,
_ When asked to pose with a flower
in her hand, the woman’s lips curved
in an odd smile and her .eyes nar-
rowed. “I’d like to see you reporters
holding flowers,” she retorted blandly.
“Flowers? What kind?” one of the
reporters wanted to know. $
Her reply was dramatic. “Lilies,”
she hissed. ie:

Be DORAN was surprised when,
late that night, he received a
*phone call from his lovely witness.
She must see him at once, and pri-
vately. An hour later, Colin ushered
Mrs. Peete into the prosecutor’s inner
office in the County Building. Re-
questing that her husband remain in

MAN OF HORROR HOUSE

(Continued from page 41)

the outer office, Louise Peete faced
Doran across the narrow office table.
It was a tense moment for Doran.
Intently, the hard-fighting prosecutor
stared into her gray eyes—strange
eyes with brown flecks in the gray
that made them seem tawny at times
—eyes that were now deep pools of
misery.
“TI believe down deep in your.heart,
Louise, you would like to tell me the

‘truth about this whole business,” Do-

ran 2 elgg Seah

“Yes, I would, but I can’t,” she re-
plied. ‘

“Why not?” Doran asked, gently.

His lovely visitor’s eyes brimmed.
“I can’t hurt him.” She nodded to-
ward the half-open door beyond
which sat her husband whose head
was bent over the child sleeping -in
his arms. “They would take my child
away from me.”

“If you haven't killed Denton and
have been merely indiscreet, your
husband will understand. It would
‘be foolish to tell the grand jury any-
thing but the truth. You .can’t be
indicted for indiscretion. The jurors
are reasonable men. No one will ever
know.what you tell the grand jury.”

Louise Peete drew a long breath.
She seemed about to speak when
Peete, in the outer office, stirred rest-
lessly. Hastily, the woman drew her
furs about her shoulders and joined
her husband. The moment Doran had
hoped for had passed. He would
never know what she came there to
tell him.

By now, the Peete case was pre-

’ senting more facets than the Kohinoor -

diamond and was changing each day
like a revolving kaleidoscope.

The brown substance taken from
the basement stairs and from Den-
ton’s bedroom rug was declared by
Dr, Lyman P, Stookey to be human
blood. A second st mortem es-
tablished conclusively that the body
found in the basement grave was that
of Charles Denton. Autopsy surgeons
removed the flesh from the right arm
and disclosed an old fracture between
the wrist and elbow.

The announcement by the autopsy
surgeons that the stomach and kid-
neys were in a better state of preser-
vation than the other internal organs,
indicating the possible presence of

oison, sent the press into a dither.

he large clot of blood in the lungs
had indicated strangulation. Poison—
strangulation! - In. headlines that
could be read a block away the
papers screamed: DENTON BURIED
ALIVE! DENTON DRUGGED, THEN.
BURIED!

A check: to locate the possible pur-
chase of poison followed. Examining
the household bills at the Catalina
Street house, Rush Blodget found a
grocery slip showing a purchase that
the reporters considered most un-
usual. - On June 2, Mrs. Peete had
ordered fourteen bars of laundry soap
and two days later had purchased an
additional ten bars. Another slip
‘showed the purchase on June 4 of six

cans of chloride of lime. Two weeks

later, hov
were retu

From a
came the
her depar
was nego:
house _ fc

‘ claimed,

attorney '
Charlie
disposed
Peete, ha:
sell the D
Questione
Peete had
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had urge
Denton v
trip with
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horough=
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Point Magu near which Kem Seathen was patrolling
when he interrupted the murderer and nearly lost
his life. “Beots” his Navy watch-dog rescued him.

arms and sub-machine guns, were speeding toward the
scene. At the same time the reports of the strange
attack were ‘being flashed over the Naval Communica-
tions System.

In the meantime, Seathen fought back unconscious-
ness and cautiously made his way back toward the auto-
mobile. This time he drew his automatic in readiness.
He weaved dangerously and his hand was unsteady. He
wondered if he would be able to shoot even if it be-
came necessary.

As he approached the car, the headlights flicked on
and he stood in the glare of light. He tried to hold
himself steady but he weaved back and forth. The man,
realizing that Seathen was near collapse, got out of the
car and slowly moved toward him. “You can’t shoot
me,” he said. “You’re done for.”

Seathen raised his gun. “Stay where you are!” he
commanded. But the gun wouldn’t hold still., Slowly
the man inched toward him. Seathen wondered if he
should shoot. “Stay back,” he warned.

By sheer determination not to lapse into another
coma, the sailor stood his ground. Then, suddenly it
seemed, there was help! Around the winding highway
came his shipmates. Thoroughgood and Peters, rid-
ing in the first car, slammed to a stop and leaped out,
guns bristling.

“Okay! Okay,” announced the man in the face of
the menacing guns. “It’s all a misunderstanding.”

Seathen was placed in one of the jeeps and rushed to
the hospital at Port Hueneme. The man, kept carefully
covered by a dozen guns, shrugged and refused to talk.
Thoroughgood, in an effort to find what had: motivated
the assault of a civilian on a uniformed man on duty,
looked into the Ford sedan.

“Holy cow!” he exclaimed as his flashlight played
around the front seat. “There's blood all over this
crate. Something pretty gory has gone on in this car.”

Thoroughgood reported his find from secret Plug-in
No. 544 to Chief Petty Officer Dale Uffieman, in charge
of Station N-11. “Sounds like Seathen walked in on
something where he wasn’t wanted,” Uffleman com-

Ta
.

The car which belonged to the victim with some
of her clothing. The blood running underneath
the door proved that murder had been committed.

mented. “Keep a full patrol on the highway. Watch
the car until I can notify the Sheriff. We'll get civilian
officers and Naval officers down there as soon as we can.”

pEPuty Sheriffs Harold H. Peterson and William T.
Fredrick, of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office,

responded to the call. In Oxnard, on their way, they
picked up Chief Petty Officer R. L. Barry, of the U. S.
Naval Shore Patrol. Seathen was by then in the hospi-
tal being treated for deep lacerations about the head.
His attacker, a medium sized man with thinning brown
hair receding well back on his forehead, was still held
at the scene.

“What’s this all about?” Fredrick asked him. “Why’d
you try to kill the boy?” .

“I thought he was trying to kill me,” the man replied.
“It was all a mistake!”

Peterson flipped open his notebook. “Your name?”

“Sernsky—John F. Sernsky.” . The speaker eyed the
sailors apprehensively. “What are they going to do
with me?”

“From their temper,” Deputy Sheriff Peterson told

him bluntly, “I think they’d like to have a crack at you.
But if you’ve committed no military crime, you’ll be our
prisoner.”

“I haven’t committed any crime.
fellow who did it.”

“What other man? Did what?”

“Beat poor Marian—Mrs. Berger, I mean.”

“Wait a minute,” Peterson said, “Let’s don’t talk in
riddles. Who is Marian Berger? Who beat who? :
And why?”

“It’s all very simple.” Sernsky spread his hands.
Then he went on to explain that he was a shipping-
clerk for a war-factory, Six Wheels, Incorporated, in
Los Angeles. Mrs. Marian Berger was the wife of the
personnel manager, a very personal friend of his. Her
husband, Dave Berger, was out of town on business,

It was the other

Early in the evening he had taken Mrs. Berger out
dancing.
“In Ocean Park,” he went on, “another man began

hea ce

2+
+
SS eeees ere!

ad
ood >

Si3;
eore
:

?

Dave Berger (left) flew back to his home to find hig wife
killed. We is shown talking to Detective Lieut. McCreadie.
One of the major suspects can be scen between the two men.

beach, the .slow-moving clouds broke away and the
night lighted enough for him to see the shadow-like
form of a man among the rocks below. The man turned
and started climbing up the slope. Seathen said
nothing. When the man reached the top, Seathen,
challenged him.

“What were you doing down there?”

Startled, the man stopped. “Oh,” he gasped. He was
carrying a long thin object in his right hand.

“This is the Coast Guard Patrol,” Seathen announced.
“The beach is restricted along here.”

“Sorry,” the man recovered himself. He spoke in a
friendly, confidential tone. “A couple are fighting down
there,” he said. ‘‘She’s a married woman, too! I was
down there trying to settle it.”

Seathen smiled. “That's none of my business. But
I'll have to ask you to move along from here. He took
a notebook from his pocket and walked over to the car
to write down the license number.

“What’s that for?” the man asked. “As soon as I
get them, Ill get right out of here.”

“Just a routine report we have to make,” Seathen
said as he walked back to the man standing at the
edge of the road. ‘May I have your name?”

“Really, sailor, there’s no need of this,’’*the man pro-
tested. “It might cause some embarrassment.”

Seathen grinned knowingly. “Don’t worry. This is
for our records only. The name?”

The man hesitated, “Let’s just forget it,” he sug-
vested.

“Sorry,” Seathen replied.

“Now you don’t want to get a woman into trouble,
do you?” the man said. “We'll. get right out of here.
There.” he pointed down to the seawall. ‘You see them
down there?”

Seathen looked again into the darkness, turning
slightly. In a flash he saw the man move suddenly, but
he was too late to avoid the blow which crashed onto his
head. He felt the jolt of the blow and reeled sideways.
Another blow followed.. He felt himself falling. Across
his mind flashed the thought that he had been a fool to

Z Was Lonely

Night Near

’

Lurked in the Gloom, |
Fe ia :

Ready To Strike the

ee

oa: ;
Unwary Shore Patrol!

io
sy
ea

ote
ake

iN

trust the stranger; then he didn’t know anything.

The assault had come with amazing suddenness. But
the attacker had not counted on the reaction of Boots.
With a suddenness and a viciousness equal to his own,
the Collie leaped at the man’s throat even as he struck
her master. With a side-swinging blow the man struck
the dog.

“Get!” he cried. “

Roots was hurled back. But ina second she regained '

her feet. Growling and snarling, she attacked again
with all the fury of her instincts. “Get!” the man howled
and struck back at her as her fangs sank into his flesh.

Boots fell only to lunge again. The man, nearly off-
balance, managed to regain his footing. He struck at
the animal. But once again Boots’ teeth found flesh.
Realizing his plight and knowing that the animal would
eventually tear him to pieces, the man slung his weapon
with desperate fury. But the dog kept coming at him.

He staggered toward the car, lashing out desperately
with his Weapon. He reached the car finally and
slammed the door against the lunging Boots. The dog
reared against the car. She raced around it, seeking a
means of getting at her prey. For several minutes she
fretted, then suddenly, as she had been trained, wheeled
and raced through the night to her home, Station N-11.

LTHOUGH the dog had been prevented from making
« the kill her instinct desired, she had succeeded in
saving her master’s life. Except for her timely attack,
‘he heavy blows being rained on Seathen would have
been fatal. Not only had the collic halted the murderous
attack but during those brief minutes when she tried
to kill the stranger, Seathen had recovered consciousness.

With Boots tearing at the car, the groggy Coast
Guardsman pulled himself to his feet. Blood streaming
down his face, he staggered to Plug-in No. 544, and called
his station. He wasn’t sure whether he would hold out
long enough to say: “Send help quick!”

Within a few seconds Coxswain Marvin IF. Thorough-
good, Donald E. Peters, Seaman First Class, and two
jeeps loaded with Coast Guardmen, armed with small

arms and
scene. At
attack wer:
tions Syste:
In the n
ness and ca
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He weaved
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came nece:;
As he 2
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Seathen
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Thoroug
No. 544 to
of Station
something


flirting with Mrs. Berger. I didn’t like that, because
Dave and me are good friends. But the first thing I
knew he had disappeared with Marian. I followed them
out of the place, then on up the coast. When I got here
they were having a fight. Then suddenly they drove
off.” He pointed northward. ‘“‘They’re probably head-
ing to San Francisco where Marian’s mother lives.”

The officers listened to the story without comment.
It didn’t ring true, but they thought they’d wait until
later for further questioning. They turned their atten-
tion to the 1936 Ford sedan. The silent evidence there
told a much more believable story.

There was blood splattered over the front seat. It
had run down to form a pool on the floor before oozing
beneath the right front door and making streaks across
the running board. “That’s a mighty lot of blood,”
Fredrick said. ‘This could be a murder case.”

In the rear compartment there was a suitcase filled
with woman’s clothing, a paper sack containing a pair
of black slippers, a large black purse, and a wrist-watch
flung on the seat.

“Something very wrong with this setup.” Peterson
shook his head grimly.

The car was reyistered to Mrs. Marian Berger, 3096

Deteetive Lieutenant Richard B. MecCreadie (left) and Detective
R. F. MeGarry (right) are shown as they led the killer (center)
through the courthouse hall en route te face trial for murder.

Detective Lloyd Hurst made many
investigations and then located
the actual scene of the murder.

San Marino Strect, Los Angeles.
And at the base of the steering
column there was a well-worn man’s
black leather glove.

“You wouldn’t like to tell us the
straight story about all this?’’*Peter-
son eyed Sernsky.

“T am telling you,” Sernsky in-
sisted.

“Nuts!” Peterson snapped. How-
ever, he decided that there was little
point in arguing at that time.
Further investigations would bring
out the truth.

fy DED by the Coast Guardmen,
the officers made a flashlight
search of the area immediately
around the car and along the rocky
beach. But nothing was found of
any importance. ‘“We’ll have to
leave a closer search until morning,”
Fredrick decided. “I think we
might as well get this guy and the
car into Ventura for the sheriff to see.”

It was nearly daylight when the officers arrived in
Ventura. Sheriff L. Howard Durling was waiting for
them. The veteran officer made no comment as he
watched Sernsky being searched and his personal
articles laid out on a table. Undersheriff William Suy-
tar also stood by watching the procedure and the
articles.

Among the articles in the man’s pocket was a bill-
fold containing a single ten-dollar bill and identifica-
tion cards. But, crammed into one pocket was a total
of $110 in crumpled bills.

At the sight of the loose bills, there flashed across
Durling’s mind the thought that a robbery might have
been at the bottom of things. ‘You must have got this
money in a hurry,” he said dryly, ‘to have had to stuff
it in your pocket like this.”

Sernsky’s eyes flashed. He said: ‘You’ve got the
wrong idea, Sheriff. That’s my money. I often carry
it like that.”

“Maybe,” Durling admitted. He picked up the bill-
fold and began examining the cards in it. ‘So, you say
your name is Sernsky,” he said after a moment. “You
seem to have a lot of names. Here’s an Alien Regis-

tration ©
mame is
card says
hell are -

“They
have the

“Don't
tell us the
firigerpri:

“Okay,
one thins
Marian.”

“Oh, n
that?”

In Du:
demeano:
Sheriff.”

“You ai
what all
car mean

“Look.”
well get t
That’s w!
so help m

forward 1:

“Go on.
“T don't

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Ocean Pa
get out of
the road
up and st

“Well, !

And ther:
and yank
than me.

face and |

before I «
were bot!
Durlin:
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i OWE

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present w

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Berger, ;
Francisc:
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The ra
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been Ma:
Back °:
Brown, |
Bureau.
Darling s
you'll be:
find out -

“We ce:
a lab che:

you out.”
“T wish

Brown -
Pinker, h:

mediate],


ENNETIH Seathen, Seaman First Class, U. S.. Coast Her pointed nose sniffed constantly at the nippy breeze
Guard, made a final check of his equipment at for any unfamiliar scent.
Station N-11. He slung his detachable telephonc- For nearly four miles down the rugged beach Seathen
kit over his shoulder; snapped his duty-belt around and Boots walked, always watching, listening, sniffing.
Nis waist and clipped his holstered automatic to it. Then suddenly Boots paused, stood tense with her head
Then he picked up a strong leather leash and walked up _and her eafs standing sharply upright.

to where his patrol-dog waited. Seathen stood still, his own senses alerted. ‘What is

“Okay, Boots.” He spoke softly to the yellow-and- it, Boots?” he asked. “Hear something?” Boots’ reply
white shepherd collie. “Here we go again.” As he was to tug at her leash. Seathen let her lead him on.
hooked the leash, the dog wagged her tail in anxious A little farther along, Boots again stopped and lis-

readiness to begin the nightly patrol. He patted her  tened and sniffed. But still Seathen could hear nothing
head. “Take it easy, girl. It’s a long time from mid- himself. However, he knew that the animal’s senses
night to eight.” were keener than his and he followed the tug of her
On the night of May 10, 1944, Seathen and Boots leash. With increasing anxiousness, Boots led him
were one of the links in the vast man-to-man patrol along the edge of the highway where the beach drops
chain which stretched the full length of the Pacific Coast. sharply to the water's edge littered with sharp-pointed
Although the public knew little about it, Jap submarines boulders and smaller rocks.
were constantly seeking a place to strike along the
coast with a weapon more deadly than the few shells PEERING into the darkness, Seathen saw the outline
lobbed into an oil refinery above Santa Barbara, Cali- of a sedan parked along the shoulder of the high-
fornia. Their mission now was to land spies and way. As he moved closer he strained his eyes for the
saboteurs; to pick up agents with stolen documents; to outline of the occupants of the automobile. His first
receive messages flashed from shore. It was the mission thought that it was probably lovers parked for secret
of Seathen and Boots—and all the rest of the network petting, but when he reached the car he saw that there
of men, dogs, secret telephones, and radios—to inter- was no one in it.
cept the enemy’s activities; to thwart their plans. But Boots wasn’t interested in the car. Her shaggy
Patrol Station N-11 was a part of fhe system which tail still rigid, she tugged away from the car to the
operated from the new U. S. Naval Base ‘at Port steep edge:of the highway. “Something on the beach?”
Hueneme, some fifty miles up the coast from Los  Seathen whispered. ‘That’s not good.”
Angeles. The Station was located at Point Mugu, a Then as his eyes searched the darkness of the steep
stretch of rock-strewn beach along which U. S. High-
way 101 skirts the ocean’s edge for many miles.
Seathen and Boots, as they had done for six months
previously, began their nightly patrol at midnight.
They walked slowly southward from Point Mugu. With
blackouts and dimouts strictly enforced, there were
very few automobiles along the coast at that hour. It
was a lonely, monotonous patrol with only the pound-
ing surf and an occasional automobile horn to break
the stillness of the night.
On this night the surf pounded furiously, its roar
dimming all other sounds. Slow moving clouds obscured
’ the starlight, leaving objects mere shadowy forms at
even close range.: But despite the roar and the dark-
ness, the cyes and ears of, Boots were keenly attuned.

Seaman Kenneth Seathen (center) met the murderer
at the scene and nearly died for it. His buddies
are shown here examining his cruel head injuries.

The victim a‘
the cerpse x

Mrs. Marian Berger as she looked before she \
brutally murdered near Point Mugu and her cor
thrown into the sea. Her killer lived ‘a grim


- Ploneers of El Dorado

By ©

CHARLES ELMER UPTON

Author of “The Life and Work of the Rey.

C. C. Peirce,” etc.

| habe no words to Speak their praise.

Theirs was the deed; the querdon ours.

Che wilderness and Weary daps

Were theirs alone; for us the flowers.

[A. J. Waterhouae|

Placerville, California
CHARLES ELMER Upton, Publisher
1906.

S4e0 COUNTY FREE USL.DY
SS the Be

mace See eT
ren racyay STEEL |

ede

COSALE, CALFOONIA

G9SL ‘62 °4dog VO ‘oTTTALooeT a pesuey Stim

TeMnou Ty,

GEORGE C. RANNEY, |

| SPECIAL DEPUTY-SHERIFF AT BULLION BEND.

a

est types of Anglo-
hood, and inured for
the rigors and
swept coast, the
aturally become

more than centuries to
hardships 0
people of N
leaders in every li
chattel slavery an
life of the nation,
among the first
down to them
Revolution; and to

industrial slavery,

d “state rig
New Eng

rotect the
e battle
a far greater peril,
foundation

from th
-day, when
menaces the very

GEORGE!C. RANNEY. - | 129

of America’s liberties, again are the descendants
of the Puritans marching in the vanguard of the
army of emancipation.

George C. Ranney, a true son of New Eng-
land, was born in Middletown, Connecticut,
April 22, 1827. When the boy was fifteen years
of age, the family moved to Hartford.

In December, 1848, George C. Ranney became
4 member of the ‘Hartford Union Mining and
Trading Company,” organized principally for the
purpose of mining and trading in California. On
the morning of February 17, 1849, Ranney, to-
gether with the other members of the Company,
boarded the ship, “Henry Lee,” lying in the East
River, New York City, and began the long and
perilous trip around Cape Horn. Arriving in
San Francisco Bay on September 13, Ranney,
House, McKinstry, Griggs, Prindle and others
chartered a steamer—paying $25 apiece, and
came up the river to Sacramento. In that city
they hired a worn-out ox-team to convey them-
selves and their effects to Hangtown, as it was
then called. Reaching the latter place about the
first. of November, they began mining as soon as
their health permitted. All the party had become
sick on the way up from Sacramento, probably
on account of the sudden change from ship-
board to land.

They settled in a cabin which they bought,
partially finished, and prepared for winter before
they began working. During his first day of
“prospecting” in Spanish Ravine, Ranney took
out about $76 with a little rocker he had made,
from a description, while aboard ship. Ranney
thinks that he made the first ‘“long-tom’’ seen in
California, but he is not positive. Ranney fol-


4

130 PIONEERS OF EL DURADO.

lowed mining, diversified with an occasional job
of carpentering, until 1861. It was Shortly after
this that he was elected constable in Placerville.
Between nine and ten o’clock, on the evening
of June 30, 1864, the two coaches of the Pioneer
Stage Line, bringing silver bullion from Virginia
City, Nevada, were Stopped at. Bullion Bend,
above Sportsman’s Hall and fourteen miles from
Placerville, by six men, armed with shotguns
and pistois, and eight sacks of bullion were
Stolen. Ned Blair was driving the first team,
and Charles Watson the second. Blair was or-
dered to halt. The robbers next demanded the
treasure-box of the express company. Blair
answered that he had none: Whereupon he was
commanded to throw out the bullion, He re-
plied, ‘‘Come and get it!” Two of the bandits at
once covered him with their guns, while two of
their companions came forward and took out the
bullion. They did not secure the treasure-box,
however. Blair requested them not to rob the
passengers. They replied that they had no in-
tention of doing so, but that all they wanted was
the treasure-box of Wells, Fargo & Company.
Seeing that Blair’s Stage had halted, and sup-
posing that the driver had met with an accident,
Watson stopped his team, got down, and hurried
to his assistance; but two of the robbers ad-
vanced, with shotguns leveled, and, ordering
him back, at the same time demanded the treas-
ure-box and bullion. Watson had no alternative
but to comply. The bandits took from his stage
a small treasure-box—from Genoa—and three
sacks of bullion. Both Stages were filled with
Passengers, but, as it happened, none was armed.

The leader of the band, before leaving, handed.

GEORGE C. RANNKY. 131

Watson this receipt: .

“This is to certify that | have received from
Wells, Fargo & Co., the sum of $———,, cash. for
the purpose of out-fitting recruits enlisted in
California for the Confederate States army.

R. HENRY INGRIM, .
Captain Gommanding Company. C. S. A.

“June, 1864.

Between one and two o’clock the next morn-
ing the two stages came into Placerville, bring-

ing news of the robbery. Immediately Sheriff.

William Rogers appointed Constable George C.

Ranney a special deputy-sheriff; then the sher--

Van Eaton, Deputy-Sheriff Joseph Staples, and
also a “trailer’’ and a posse of six or eight men,
Started in pursuit of the robbers. Sheriff Staples
and the posse secured a fast freight wagon and
hurried to Bullion Bend, the scene of the hold-
up. Ranney, Van Eaton and Staples first went
on horseback to the junction of the Placerville
and Diamond Springs road and a cross-road
which led from the stage-road at a place near
Bullion Bend. Going up the Diamond Springs
and Placerville thoroughfare, they discovered the
track of the robbers, who had evidently taken
another road and gone south, crossing the North
Fork of the Cosumnes river.

Ranney and his companions held a consulta-
tion. Van Eaton, who was still suffering from a
bullet wound received in a skirmish with another
gang of criminals some weeks before, did not
feel able to stand a long ride. Accordingly, it
was decided that Van Eaton, instead of accom
panying Ranney and Staples, should go to the

Scene of the robbery and notify Sheriff Rogers of

iff, accompanied by Ranney, Deputy-Sheriff John:

28 Neg sce chests PS ote. c PER TAS ae

132 PIONEERS OF EL DORADO.

their discovery of the bandits’ trail. So Van
Eaton turned back and Ranney and Staples
crossed the river and followed the tracks of the
robbers. They reached the Somerset House at
the summit of the hill beyond the stream, just
after daybreak. Here they wished to make some
inquiries; accordingly they dismounted, and,
hitching their horses, started toward the house,
Ranney going to an open door at the farther end
of the building, while Staples went to the kitchen
door.

When Ranney entered the room, he beheld
Sve or six men, some lounging about on the floor
and others on a sofa at one side of the apart-

ment. All were armed, and at the moment Ran-_

ney stepped inside he noticed that every one of
them put a hand upon a revolver. Naturally he

felt instantly that these were the men he was
~ looking for. But, without exhibiting any signs
of suspicion, he quietly said, “Good morning,’
and asked the road to Grizzly Flat. He was told
that he would have to ask the landlady, as the
men were strangers and could not give him any,
directions. Ranney thanked them, said ‘‘Good-
by,” and, steppiny outside, walked towards the
spot where the horses were tied. .

Ten or fifteen feet away Ranney met Staples
coming along a narrow walk and carrying a
double-barreled shot-gun, which he was in the
act of cocking. Ranney motioned him to go
back.--- It was not safe to speak aloud, as the
robbers were within hearing distance.—-Staples
did not heed the warning, but walked on in a
very excited manner; whereupon Ranney put his
hand on the other’s shoulder to stop him. But
the excited deputy-sheriff brushed his com-

GEORGE C. RANNEY. 100"

panion aside and hurried on to the door. Ran-
ney, not wishing to desert his foolhardy com~
rade, followed. They stepped into the room.
side by side, Staples instantly leveled his gun
and called upon the bandits to surrender. fhe
words were scarcely spoken when shots came
from all directions. Staples fell, sank in a heap,
fired, and dropped at Ranney’s feet. His shot
struck Poole, one of the robbers, tearing away
one side of his face. Staples, having a shotgun,
had drawn the first fire of the robbers. Two
shots had gone clean through his body, and he
died almost at the moment his own gun was dis-
charged. Ranney and he had fired simulta—
neously. Now, seeing that his companion was
killed, and that he alone must contend with six
desperadoes, Ranney turned to flee. As he did
so, a ball struck him in his side and lodged In
the muscles of the lower back. But he man-
aged to get out of the house, and he then broke
into arun toward the horses, intending to hide
behind them and make an attempt to stop the
bandits, who had rushed out and were shooting
at him He. succeeded in gaining the desired
shelter, but in a twinkling his pursuers had |
dashed forward and uncovered him.

Seeing this, Ranney sprang up and made for a
large boulder some fifty yards distant, turning
sidewise and answering the fire of the robbers as
he ran.

Suddenly a bullet struck him in the right side,
just below the line of the heart. A gush ol
blood came from his mouth and he fell to the
ground, struggling for breath,

The five bandits rushed forward, and, with
their revolvers pointed at Ranney’s head, de-


134 PIONEERS OF EL DORADO.

‘Manded,

“Is there any more of you fellows around
here?”

Ranney replied, “No,” and the outlaws con-
tinued tauntingly,

“Did you think that two damned Yankees
could capture six Confederate soldiers?”

Then followed more oaths and abuse, and
Ranney had resigned himself to his fate, when
Suddenly a young. woman emerged from the
house and came hurrying toward him.

It was Mrs. Reynolds, a grass-widow who
was staying with the landlady, another Mrs.
Reynolds, though not a relative.

Running swiftly forward, the woman shoved
two of the bandits aside, and going up to Ran-
ney’s head, cried scornfully,

“Ain’t you ashamed! Shooting a dead man!”

At that the robbers, evidently thinking that
Ranney was too far gone to harm them, lowered
their pistols and went back toward the house.
hen, crossing the road, they entered the stable,
. brought out their horses and saddled them.
Tearing a piece from the table-cloth, they ban-
daged the side of one of the men whom Ranney
had wounded during the flight from the door.
This done, they rolled Staples’ body over and
robbed it of a watch, some money and a pistol,
took forty dollars and his revolver from Ranney,
and after substituting two of their poorer horses
for those of Ranney and Staples, they mounted
and rode off.

With the assistance of Mrs. Reynolds, Ranney
Succeeded in getting back into the house. He
_ Was hardly a moment too soon: for one of the
robbers returned, and, entering the room where

GEORGE.C. RANNEY. 135

lav his wounded comrade, Poole, he coolly ap-
plopriated his pistols and then rode away again,
leaving his companion in crime to die or be cap-
tured, as the case might be. -

Ranney layon an old mattress in another room,
trying to stop the flow of blood from the wound
in his breast by holding his hand on it. The floor
was sidling, and he could see where the blood
had run in a narrow, red stream entirely across
the apartment. He could feel himself growing
faint, and he asked the young woman if there
were any Stimulants in the house. She answered
in the negative. Ranney seemed to recover
momentarily, but directly he began sinking again.
He said to the women—his preserver and her
namesake—, .

‘Pull my shirt open and see if you can do
something to stop this bleeding, or in the next

int I'll go off.”
athe women were so badly frightened that they
could do little to assist, but they managed to tear
open the shirt, and then it was seen that the
flowing from the wound had almost ceased and
only a small jet was coming out. — ,

At sight of the clotted blood inside the shirt
both women were near to fainting. At this junc-
ture someone on horseback rode up to the door.
It proved to be a physician from Diamond Springs,
on his way to Grizzly Flat. He entered the room,
and, after examining the wound, said gravely,

‘Looks pretty bad for you,.Mister. There’s two
bullets in there.”

But he was misled by the appearance of the
wound. The bullet, striking’ Ranney in the right
side, had come out at the opposite breast, leaving
a clean hole at both entrance and exit, and thus


136 PIONEERS OF EL DURADO,

giving the appearance of two wounds.

‘*! can’t do much for you,” the doctor contin-
ued; ‘‘but I’ll do what | can.”

He asked for some cloth, which, being given
him, was put into the wound, stopping the flow
of blood.

It was between eleven and twelve o'clock be-
fore Sheriff Rogers and his posse arrived at the
scene of the shooting. The Sheriff had previous-
ly gone to Sportsman’s Hall, close to Bullion
Bend, and had arrested, on suspicion, two men
who had come to that hotel shortly after the rob-
tbery the night before. Sheriff Rogers had these
men in custody when Deputy-Sheriff VanEaton
brought word that the track of the bandits had
been found; but the Sheriff, despite this intelli-
gence and Van Eaton’s_ urging, continued to lin-
‘ger at the Hall, holding as prisoners men against
whom he had not even a scintilla of evidence.
_When, finally, he did arrive at the place of con-
flict, as we have seen, all danger was over, one
faithful officer dead and another lying wounded.

And in the meantime news of the shooting had
reached Placerville and Dr. Worthen had come
out; also some other persons, including Under-
Sheriff James B. Hume, who was out of the
‘county on Official business at the time of the rob-
bery and had just returned to Placerville. Hume
had great affection for Staples, and when he saw
the dead body of his friend and also the living
robber, Poole, who was not fatally injured, he
was frantic with grief and rage.

Shortly after this Sheriff Rogers and his posse
returned to Placerville, taking Ranney, ithe
wounded Special Deputy-Sheriff, with them, so
that he might be given medical attention in a

GEORGE C. RANNEY. 137

more convenient abode. The body of the ill-
fated Staples was also carried with them; and
the wounded robber, Poole, was taken down to.
await trial and punishment.

Much criticism of Sheriff Rogers was indulged
in, and not without reason. First of all, he had
gone to Bullion Bend, the scene of the robbery
itself, in order to capture the malefactors, when
any Sane person should have known that the
place of crime would be the last place in which
to look for a criminal. And, finally, when he
learned that the track of the outlaws had been
found, he still delayed going to his post of duty.

Deputy-Sheriff Staples’ apparently foolhardy
act in attempting the capture of six armed des-
peradoes was also the subject of much adverse
comment. But the following incidents will af-
ford a solution of that matter:

Some time before the hold-up at Bullion Bend,
the McCullum band of outlaws had been com-
mitting depredations on all sides. Under-Sheriff
Hume and Deputies Van Eaton and Staples had
located the bandits near the road leading from
the Somerset House to Fiddletown. Hume and
Van Eaton went into a thicket to drive the rob-
bers out, leaving Staples to guard the exit. The
outlaws opened fire, wounding Van Eaton. Sta-
ples’ horse became frightened at the shooting and
galloped off with his rider, who was as brave a
man as ever served the people of El Dorado
county. Leaving Van Eaton at a residence near
by, Hume and Staples returned to Placerville to
report. A physician was dispatched to attend
Van Eaton and the next day Ranney went out to
attend the wounded officer.

Staples happened to be inone of the Placerville


Re ee ee EE a

133 PIONEERS OF EL DURADO.-

barrooms not long after this, when one of those

garrulous heroes who are always in the rear,.

made the remark:

‘‘Staples took damned good care to keep out of
danger!’’

Staples, overhearing the words, said angrily,

‘“‘The next time | go I’llbe brought back dead
or I'll bring back my man!’’ And the tragic se-
quel has shown that he kept his pledge only too
well.

After the wounded robber, Poole, had been
jodged in the Placerville jail, he made a confess-
ion, impticaiing a large number of men ina con-
spiracy against the Federal government. He
stated that he and his companions belonged
‘to a strong company which had its rendez-
vous in the Coast Range mountains near
San Jose, and which had been organized for the
purpose of bushwhacking through Southern Cali-
fornia and into Texas, and that their party had for-
merly belonged tothe Quantrell band of guerillas
in the South. He added that he and five others
had been sent up into El Dorado county for the
purpose of raising funds wherewith to equip
themselves for the raid.

Shortly after their encounter with Deputy-
Sheriffs Ranney and Staples, five robbers were
observed in the vicinity of the Somérset House.
Later, the wounded outlaw and one of his com-
panions disappeared and nothing more was ever
heard or seen of them. The three remaining
bandits reached the rendezvous in Santa Clara
county about ten days afterward. The Sheriff
of that county, with a posse, was awaiting them.
He demanded an immediate surrender. But in-
stead of yielding, the three outlaws stood up and

gave battle to the posse. One of their number
was killed, another so badly wounded that he
died in a day or two, while Glasby, the young-
est of the trio, fought until his pistol stock was
shot off and his clothing shot full of holes, be-
fore he was captured. At the trial he was al-
lowed to turn state’s evidence and was given his
freedom.

On August 2, Under-Sheriff James B. Hume.
and Deputy-Sheriff John Van Eaton arrested the
following men in Santa Clara county and brought:
them to Placerville two days later:

Henry Jarboe, George Cross, J. A. Robertson,
Wallace Clendenin, Joseph Gamble, John Ingren,
H. Gately and Preston Hodges.

These persons and Thomas Poole, also, were
charged by Allen P. Glasby, one of the stage-
robbers, with being accomplices before and after
the robbery at Bullion Bend. Upon this evidence
the Grand Jury found bilis of indictment against
them, whereupon Judge Brockway issued war-
rants for their arrest. They were arraigned in.
the District Court on August 19, 1864, and were
attended by their counsel, Messrs. Hurlburt & Ed-
gerton and J. M. Williams. The case again came
up in the District Court on November 22. Preston
Hodges was convicted of murder in the second
degree, and was sentenced by Judge Brockway to
twenty years at hard labor. Thomas Poole, the
best man of the entire gang, was, by a strange
miscarriage of justice, found guilty of murder In.
the first degree, and was hanged in Placcrville,
at noon on the 29th of September,1865. The re-
maining prisoners were allowed change of venue:
to Santa Clara county, where they were tried ang.
acquitted.


" ee

140 PIONEERS OF ELDORADO. =

The robbers had carried only a few hundred
‘dollars and one bar of silver bullion from the
Scene of the robbery. The rest of the bullion
was found buried near the spring at Bullion
Bend. The bar they took with them was after-
ward discovered under the sill of the barn at the
Somerset House.

George C. Ranney, who, in the capacity of a
special Deputy-Sheriff, made so plucky a fight
at the Somerset House, was able to be on his feet
again about ten days after the shooting; but, as a
memento of that fearful experience, he carries to
this day, imbedded in the muscles of the lower
back, the bullet which struck him as he fled from
the apartment where Staples died.

George C. Ranney was married in Placerville
to Miss Matilda Hendry of Illinois, May 22, 1853.
They nad eight children, three of whom are now
living. Mrs. Ranney died in Oakland, California,
‘on the 6th day of July, 1893.

From 1861 to 1901 Ranney followed the busi-
ness of a carpenter and mill-wright, in which he
was a painstaking, efficient workman. ‘The
author’s father, Franklin Upton, of Massachusetts
who came to Sutter Creek, Amador county, in
1853, and in the early Sixties moved to Placer-
ville—was for many years associated with him
in those occupations. He always spoke in the
very highest terms of Mr. Ranney’s ability and
of his sterling qualities as a friend and a man.

In 1901 George C. Ranney retired from active
life—not because of physical disability, for his
‘body is sound; but because he concluded that
his failing memory would render it unsafe for
him to assume the leading part in mill-work as
+e had long been accustomed to do. |

MAIN STREET, PLACERVILLE, IN 106.
Photo by G. W. Potter.


POOLE, Thomas, wh, hanged Placerville, CA 9/24/1865

Ss ie
+3 wna EE “ road

CALIFORNIA

“WITH

JLLUSTRATIONS® BIOGRAPHICALSKETCE is

338 OF ITS “38
PROMINENT'MEN @ PIONEERS.

OAKLAND, CAL.
18838

PROLO SIOLL. PUBLISHER.

EL DOTADO COUNTY FRTz LIBRARY
549 MAIN STREET

ee cD aon ge

————————

GEORGE C. RANNEY. 141

He lives to-day near Slatington—Kelsey—where
his daughter, son-in-law and two grandsons—
lately from Colorado—are also staying. The
men are engaged in a mining enterprise.

Mr. Ranney has of late years become an ardent
believer in socialism. In common with many
other thoughtful and unprejudiced men and

women, he looks forward confidently toward the _

day when our country shall cease to be a wealthy
oligarchy, ruled by the idle rich for the ben-
efit of the rich, and shall become in truth a “gov-
ernment of the people, by the people, for the
people.”


150

HISTORY OF EL DORADO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA.

by the swift current, and he disappeared under the
water. His body was found in some driftwood at an
old dam, and in the endeavor to get it Mr. Shed
came near enough drowning also. Mr. Leander White
was one of the earliest inhabitants of El Dorado
county, and one of the pioneer stage drivers. He left
California late in 1855, going east and to Canada,
from where he returned accompanied by his wife, who
was left with two helpless children at Sacramento to
mourn his sudden death.

BOLD ROBBERY.

SpanisH Camp, January 12th, 1863.

On Saturday last, the 10th of January, this camp
was visited by a band of guerrillas, who had as little
respect for the rights of property and law as there is
possible in man. About 7 o’clock four men—W.
Porter, C. S. Smith, P. West and Ike Hitchcock,
seated themselves in the store of W. E. Riebsam for
a game of whist, Messrs. Adams and Riebsam were
standing near. Suddenly four men entered, each
armed with a large navy revolver, cocked and held at
the party around the whist table. They ordered all

in the store to remain quiet, which order it was useless.

to. resist; one of the robbers put up his revolver,
turned around to a coil of rope, cut off several lengths
and tied the men in the store. They then searched
each man, taking every valuable and attempted to
open the safe, the key of which they had taken from
Mr. Riebsam, but failing, they forced Mr. R. to un-
lock it for them. They soon rifled the safe of its con-
tents, but there being but little cash in it they were

greatly exasperated and departed. They took in cash }

and dust about one hundred and seventy-five dollars,
and clothing and provisions. to the amount of about
one hundred and twenty-five.

The man who opened the safe and searched our
pockets was masked, and the man who tied us was
very large, dressed in a gray frock-coat and dark pants.

After leaving here they took the road towards Sac-
ramento ; a short distance from E. Bryant’s they met
Mr. Brandon’s teamster and robbed him of forty-five
dollars in cash.

We thought it prudent to quietly submit under the
circumstances ; we were unarmed and at the mercy of
the robbers. Whilst we were bound two Chinaman and
a white man came into the store, and it was some time
before they could comprehend affairs. They, too, were
served like us. HIN. 1

STAGE ROBBERY,

On June 30th, 1864, between g and tro o'clock
Pp. M., onthe narrow grade about two and a-half miles
above Sportsman’s Hall, the two coaches of the

ene ee

Pioneer Stage line were stopped by six Mer -_
with shotguns and pistols, and eight sack :
taken away from them. Ned Blair way
first team, Charles Watson the second,
ordered to halt by seizing his leaders and
them. They demanded the treasure box
them that he had none; whereupon h
to throw out the bullion, and he replied: 4 ¢
get it!” And while two of then covery
their guns, two others came and took out the lat
They did not get the treasure box, Blair nak tion,
not to rob the passengers, and they replied ‘ dl then
not their intention, all that they Wanted was Mt tt was
ure box of Wells, Fargo & Co. af the
Observing that Blair’s stage hal st
posing that Blair had met with ay
stopped his team, left his seat, and

Blaiv Was
topping
UMA Rlaiy told

e way Ordered
|

“OMe aNd
Q hin With

treag.

Spped, andy
Acetdent, \y
hurried to h

Up:
AHO

i . is

sistance ; but when he was approaching tio 4 as.
. ’

robbers advanced toward him and covering [yj Of the

their shotguns ordered him back and dent YU with

treasure box and bullion. Med the

Watson was force
ply, and they took three sacks of bullion
treasure box from Genoa from his Stage,
were filled with passengers, but que
them was armed.

The “captain” of the band, betore
Watson, handed to him the following re
to certify that I have received from Wells, ye
Co. the sum of $ cash, for the purpos wie .
fitting recruits enlisted in California for thy Co fed.
erate States army. “one

R. Henry
Captain Com’g C

ty COM.
and y small
Both "tives
er to say, None of

he Partad fron,
Celpts “Thig is

Titers,

June, 1864. OS. A,

Immediately on the arrival of the Stages at p

ville, Sheriff Rogers was informed of the lacer.
and he, accompanied by deputy Sheriff Stu m
stables Van Eaton and Ranney, policeine i.
and Williamson, and several attachess ; :
company, started in pursuit of the robb
Rogers, with Taylor and Watson, Arrest
the Thirteen Mile House, one Was recogni,
Watson as one of the robbers, They Nhat hy
supper the night before at the Mountain Ran Poi
left and called between 12 and , loc a but
morning at the Thirteen Mile lTouse, anki nN the
proprietor to allow them to sleep in his stay a the
his answer, that he did not allow anyone _ ) i On
his stable, they declared to have Bui Veep [ny
couldn’t pay for a bed; but he told them that anit
sleep up stairs in his house, and they cor y inight
proposition. For concealing their countenacn. the
had drawn their hats over their faces, whiiles oa the
and entering the house. In the morning they nk

hbery,
’ Con.

“ht, Sheritt
ed twa Man at

Over.


1}

peed ike PRIN Rt eet

ree
*

ea is RG Fak

—

errr ee

“FATT PORTE.

CRIMINAL ANNALS.

151

slept themselves and were arrested while in bed,
brought to Placerville and lodged in jail.

Meanwhile deputy Sheriff Staples and Constables
Van Eaton and Ranney tracked the robbers to the
head ‘of Pleasant valley, where Van Eaton left his
companions, in order to inform Sheriff Rogers of
the route the robbers had taken, and the two con-
tinued the pursuit in the direction of the Somerset
House, on the road to Grizzly Flat; arriving at the
latter place Staples inquired of the landlady if there
were any men in the house, and she replied; ‘‘ Yes,
six, up stairs.” He rushed up stairs, seized a gun
standing at the door of a sleeping room, burst the
door open, and presenting the gun, cried: ‘‘ You are
my prisoners!” But scarcely had he uttered these
words, when the robbers fired, wounding him fatally,
he fired at the same time, hitting one of the robbers
in the face. Officer Ranney, also, was dangerously
wounded, both officers were robbed by taking their
money, watches, horses and arms ; whereupon they
decamped, leaving their wounded companion behind.
On August 2d, Under-Sheriff J. B. Hume and deputy
Sheriff Van Eaton arrested in Santa Clara county,
Henry Jarboe, George Cross, J. A. Robertson, Wallace
Clendenin, Jos. Gambill, Thos. Poole, John In-
gren, H. Gately and Preston Hodges, and brought
them to Placerville on August 4th. The above named
parties were charged by Allen H. Glasby, one of
the stage robbers, with being accomplices before and
after the stage robbery, and upon his evidence the
Grand Jury found bills of indictment against them,
whereupon Judge Brockway issued warrants for their
arrest. They were arraigned in the District Court on
August 19th, attended by their counsels Messrs.
Hurlburt & Edgerton and J. M. Williams. The
case again came up in the District Court on Novem-
ber 22d. Preston Hodges was convicted of murder
in the second degree, and sentenced by Judge
Brockway to 20 years’ imprisonment at hard labor.
Thomas Poole suffered the extreme penalty of the
law, his execution took place September 2gth, 1865,
at 12 o’clock noon.

At Pekin, in the lower part of Mud Springs town-
ship, three Chilenos became engaged in a fight on
Sunday, March 18th, 1866, the result of which was
the killing of Casas Rojas and Marcellius Bellasque
by Pedro Pablo. The murderer was arrested by
uther Chilenos present, and handed over to special
constable Bailey, who started to Shingle Springs.
The night being dark and stormy, and under cover of
the darkness the prisoner freed himself from the
handcuffs, jumped from the horse and escaped. The
sheriff was ‘notified, and sent Under-Sheriff Hume
and Jailor Cartheche in pursuit of the murderer,

ine

who finally was discoverel hy q brother of one of
the murdered men In a quart mill near Diamond

Springs, on the following Wednesday He informed
Constables Bailey and Shrewsberry of his whereabouts

and they arrested and brought the culprit to Placer-

ville; where he was examined before Justice Sher-

wood and committed to jail +s
WL awaitin tion of
the Grand Jury. g the actlo

A terrific and most savaye fight with knives took
place near Garden Valley, on the morning of April
30th, 1866. The combatanty were Jose 5 Baton and
Alexander Gladden; both haq been ° hinkin +o.
gether very hard, and became engaged ina are |
which resulted in the fight, Gladden cut os a
of Eaton’s nose, besidey intlicting some mnore
wounds upon him; but Paton cut his assailant in a
terrible manner, literally, to use the |

anguage of one
who saw the murdered man, « guag

slicing him up.”
HIGHWAY ROWHHRS ARREST

Three desperate fellows, giving their names as
Faust, De Tell and Sinclair, starteg from Sacramento

in the later days of July, 1867, with a determination
to make money some Way, They commenced by
robbing houses along the road and on Tuesda
August 3d, stopped a teamster on his return from
Carson Valley, just above Nportaman’s Hall, and made
him shell out; then comin up the road rabbit
houses at their pleasure, alyo picking u ae he
was driving a water cart on the ea Fi for ten of
twelve dollars. Under-Sherjff Hume with =, Gosse
of three or four men, Went jn shite eauit. anid
being informed of their course betw een he tim eb
Constable Watson, of Strawberry he lovin Siok
them at a point in the roar near Os dts toll house
which they could not well yet fend About half.
past eleven on August 5th, the robbers came up all
armed with rifles. Hume ordered them to sto
whereupon one of them fired, the shot taking effect ‘a
~ mesg part ob Eiunie’s eg m, though toe hurting
him seriously. Hume then ordered his men to fire
and when the smoke cleared Away they fourtd two
them lying on the ground, ong being fod she gthier
unhurt; the third one had tean seen fallin off the
bridge, and until the next Morning was believed to be
drowned in the creek; fut then they found that he
had recovered and crawled under the < ve ahiere lie
stayed until ail were in the taj] house. he ‘ean
two coats—started back tiywards Placerville One
hour after daylight the Sheriff’, party struck his track
and he was captured a shirt distance above Brockless’
bridge, and both the prisunery brought to Placerville
and lodged in jail. Before Court Sinclair stated : My
name is Walter Sinclair; aim one of three men fat

liv, 4860 Stratfof@ Ave.
mar ties rN
err . ey oy -
Milford, CT enler +
(enlery 877-7470 4198 Main Street

ie ce CT
372-4348

Another /egal hanging ar
P laceruille Cali fornta-

Themas Poole

\ September £9, (86S

New One f

The Golden One Page | of 2

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The Golden One (October 1999)

E! Dorado, Spanish for "Golden One", was one of the
original 27 Counties of the Staie of California. These va |
County boundaries were conformed as a matter of an Act,
signed February 18, 1850. Though there were many
discoveries of precious metals in the area now known as
the State of California, the discovery of gold in Coloma on January 19, 1848 by
James W. Marshall produced "gold fever", and the population exploded as
hoards of men swarmed into the area.

Surely thinking they were going to strike it rich. In essence, the discovery of gold
put California "on the map" and furnished incentive for exploration and
development of the whole far western section of the United States. Along with
those seeking their fortune, there were bands of organized desperadoes who laid
in wait at the mining camps. The only law was that which people took into their
own hands to stop crime. Mostly, the "law" resulted in the suspect being

hanged.

There are a few stories of how Placerville became known as Hangtown. One is
that Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Tibbet had traveled across the plains, finally arriving
in 1849 at a mining camp in El Dorado County. Shortly after their arrival, one
morning Mrs. Tibbet went into the backyard and found four men hanging in a tree
as a result of an evening's brawl. Mrs. Tibbet promptly said she was going to call
the place Hangtown and the name stuck. Though it was later changed to
Placerville, Hangtown is still a familiar term in the area.

Also in 1849, a man named William E. Shannon, a New York lawyer and Captain
in the New York Volunteers, joined the mad rush for gold. However, Mr. Shannon
made his living by setting up a lucrative general mercantile store, then adding a
hotel. General Riley, the Military Governor, soon appointed Shannon to be the
Alcalde (Spanish for Mayor/Justice of the Peace), because there was no formal
Government or effective law enforcement. When California became a State on
September 9, 1850, Shannon reportedly moved to Sacramento where he
resumed his law practice. According to the 1850 census roll taken in Coloma in
November, William Rogers was listed as Sheriff, the first one in El Dorado
County. Sheriff Rogers is also named as Sheriff in 1864-65. Through the early

http://www. google.com/search?q=cache:rxGH.. /goldenone.html+hanged+by+thetsheriff&hl=e 1 2/9/01

The Golden One

years the role of Sheriff took on different activities. Additionally, there was
usually a Constable in the area for law enforcement.

There are so many notable characters and events that were famous and
infamous in the history of El Dorado County, it is very hard to profile only one or
two. Probably the most well-known is the Bullion Bend robbery. Reportedly, a
band of men, led by Thomas Poole (who had earlier in his life been an
Undersheriff for Monterey County) and Ralph Henry aka Captain R. Henry
Ingrim, sought to raise funds for the Confederate Army. Their plan to get the
money was to steal it. They rode to a spot 14 miles east of Placerville, and on
June 30, 1864, stopped two Pioneer Stage Line coaches traveling with their
shipments from Virginia City, Nevada to Placerville, California. After stopping the
stage and appropriating over $40,000 in silver, "Captain Ingrim’ wrote out a
receipt to Wells Fargo & Co. certifying that he had received cash. The stage was

allowed to leave, and the band, mounting their horses, stopped at a spring where
they hid al! the money except for two silver bricks and the strong box cash.

Meanwhile, the stage reached Thirteen Mile House and telegraphed the news of
the holdup to Sheriff William Rogers, who immediately set out with a posse to
look for the robbers. The gang rode hard until they arrived at the Somerset
House, a large hotel on the north fork of the Cosumnes River where they spent
the night. In the morning, two of Sheriff Rogers' deputies, Joseph Staples and
George Ranney, rode up asking Mrs. Reynolds, the proprietor, if she had seen
any strangers around. She nodded her head and motioned them to a side door.
Deputy Staples rushed into the room yelling. "You men are all my prisoners!"
whereupon he was met by a barrage of gunfire, killing him instantly. Word was
sent to Placerville of what had happened.

With a price on their heads, the bandits fled El! Dorado County. They stopped at
a farmhouse south of San Jose and told the farmer, Edward Hill, of their plan to
rob the payroll for the workers of the New Almaden Quicksilver Mine. He quickly
notified John Adams, the Sheriff of Santa Clara County. Sheriff Adams formed a
posse and ultimately captured several of the group. Some of the money was
recovered. Tom Poole, however, stood trial alone for the murder of Deputy
Staples. On September 29, 1865 he was hanged on the Placerville gallows.

Today E! Dorado County is a contrast in lifestyles from the ski slopes to remote
little communities to a bustling Placerville, Cameron Park and El Dorado Hills.
County Government and retail business constitute a large part of the economy.
Though some of our residents go out of County to work, they retreat at the end of
their day to the sunshine and peacefulness of the Country.

Created by |.S., El Dorado County. California

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Page 2 of 2

“.

+

POOLE, ‘Thos,
Placerville,

STaa NS yaa Sa

California’s =:
| El Dorado Yesterday and Today

v\
HERMAN DANIEL JERRETT

bbe ew

: PRESS OF JO ANDERSON
= SACRAMENTO, 1915
§ :
_
‘ EL DORADO COUNTY FREE LIBRARY

. ; S49 MAIN STREE
PLACERYVILLE, CALIF. 95667


* ary criminal. That’s why I am so sensi-

* Lentz nodded To valp,
you're, right. about that. Maybe this
whole: thing will turn out to be a
Minor matter, but I’m going to put a.
couple of top men on the job to in-
“vestigate this thing,”

_Vaughn of the Los Angeles Homicide’
=squad. Armed with a fairly detailed —

went out to the Logan home in Hamp- -

es suburb. *
It was Louise Peete hersalf who an-

2. officers identified: themselves and Cap-

~” “No, she’s not,’
plied. ‘‘Mrs. Logan is away on a trip.”
“When do you expect her back?”

indefinite about that.” 1
How long has she been gone?”
“Several months.”

Brown and Vaughn exchanged

asked: ‘Is Mr. Logan in?”

# died two ate ago.”

» But | killed. when the opportunity came again,»

-years ago, but Louise is not an ordin- ©
‘ary person. She was not even an ordin- |

“tive about these reports. And that’s _

‘why I feel that if they are to be inves-
tigated, the esate should be.

“I think:

The men Lentz selected were Cap-'
‘tain Thad Brown and Lieutenant Ray ;
account of the facts in the case, they iY

den Place, Pacific Palisades, Los Ange: , ae
~» band is dead?”

swered the doorbell. The two police.

tain Brown asked; “Is Mrs. Logan in?! ,
” the housekeeper re- 4

“I really don’t know. She was fae an

riick glances, then Lieutenant Vaughn

The: woman lowered her eyes and |
“murmured, “Mr. Logan is dead. Hey

ed they continue the interview inside

and Mrs. Peete led them into a large,
~ comfortably furnished living room. *

“How did Mr. Logan die?” Captain |
Brown asked after he had seated him- —
self in a chair opposite the woman.

Louise Peete shook her head slowly -
from side to side. “I’m afraid I don’t ©
know, exactly. You see, Mr. Logan

had be@n confined to a mental institu-
__tion for the last several months and he
» died there.”
_ This was another surprise. No one
had said anything about Arthur Logan
_ being in an insane asylum.

: “Then you're living here all alone?”

- Brown asked.
~ “No, my husband is staying with
me. We’re occupying the house while
Mrs. Logan is away.’

Does Mrs. Logan know that her hus-

“Oh yes, I’m sure she does.”

-', “Well, didn’t she come home for the

funeral?”
“There was no fuieeal: As far as I

‘instructions to turn her husband’s
body over for hospital research.”
‘How do you know that?”

“Mrs. Logan. told me. She called me
up the day her husband died and said
, she had already instructed the asylum

‘on the arrangements for Mr. Logan’s |
. body, and that she was, going to be:

away for some time.”
“Who has been filling out your
parole reports during the. time Mrs.

Logan has been away?” ‘Brown asked ; -
~~ abruptly. :
«-  The:woman lowered her eyes for
“= several moments and then looked up ©
with a ss embarrassed emile, “I a s

». yourselves,”

» really didn’t mean any harm by it. ey

know, Mrs. Logan gave the institution —

have," she said in a small voice.“
pected: that’s what you weré here
about the minute. “you _Antroduced

ne :

». Her voice quavered and shé tw te
her hands in her lap, unhappily,

ing it would work out all ce
“bit her lip. and paced, Al te it did-a.

transgression. Besides, if this. was ‘al
ie there was. to the matter,: it ‘becami

“ worry about. The two homicide. “mer
; asked a few more cues in, an ef

what they had learned. — , |
They were preparing to leave when.
‘Lee Borden Judson, the housekeeper’ S
~ forgotten third husband, walked in.”
Quickly, Vaughn and Brown led.
him away into another room, out ce)
the presence of his wife, and proceed
ed to question him. To their amaze
ment they discovered that Judson wa
completely unaware of his wife’s true —
identity and past history. He knew her’
only as Lou ‘Ann Lee, the name she |
had assumed after she left the wo- .
-. man’s prison, the name under which -
she had married him. Of her previous”
marriages and the murder of. Jacob:
Denton, he knew nothing. Nor did he:
know anything of Mrs. Logan’s dis-
appearance except for. what his wife
had told him. © pay
The Judsons had been living in &
hotel in town at the time and on June’
1, Louise had stayed away all night. '
The next day she had told her husband ;
_of Arthur Logan’s attack on Margaret:
and how Margaret had gone. into.
hiding. She had also told him: that:
Arthur Logan had been committed to.
an asylum and that they could mov
into the Logan home until Marea
turned.
Judson had believed his wife’s story
implicitly and continued to believe it:
» even now, though he was considerably
shaken by the newly acquired know
- ledge of her past, Captain Brown did.
not doubt Judson’s honesty.
Suddenly Lieutenant Vaughn | said,:
Listen, Thad, maybe” this is »far-"*
- fetched but why don’t we g0 down the 2

- (Continued on. page 46).


oh "She Served 18 Years For Murder « a

hai i.

ay Went F Free To. Kill Again» ia

HE. STATE PAROLE OFFICER
y ‘was a woman: She took a chair

igator fot the ' Los Angeles district
pattorney: and laid a file of papers in a:
anila envelope on his desk.

©? 1 think I need your help,” she be- .
Beart: Auiely. “I think one of my pa-

4 icks on me.”
= “Lentz smiled ctpetativohy “Pil be -
glad to do whatever I can. What's the

%t

nen Cay

bs ut The parole officer hitched her chair \:
a —_ to face the man more directly. ©
s concerns Mrs. Louise Peete who
4 s paroled the fifth of October. She’s
~ been: working as a housekeeper for a

psades and her record has been a good
7one, , But’ now, I’ve. come across some-

. iMrs Margaret Logan in Pacific Pali-~

; boi thing ‘that disturbs me: ery much, 4.

$ hty

ake a look at these.”
" ) The, woman selected two sheets of.
“SPaper/out of her! folder: and paned,)
Mthem across the desk. “These are:

& pe ee 4
* ae took’: the: papers and read

t ie Peete” was doing well at her job and».
Sy adhering strictly to the conditions of
je her parole. Both reports were signed in
the right places by Margaret Logan.
‘Lentz ‘started to lay them down.
%<But then something about the signa-
"Se tures” caught his eye and he studied ,
“> them once more, carefully comparing |
big one with ‘the other. Presently he look- «
Laie up.and nodded. “I see what you
mean. T he handwriting, isn’t the”

isamez?i 88)

. ¥

plied,. “You'll notice one of these re-.
jive ports is dated June 1, 1944, the other.

Pig

fa

ar 8 yeets.)"“Once I I discovered the ©

ples of the employer reports Mrs.’ wt
ogan.» is: tequired to ‘send,,us -each),,
’ whom she worked as housekeeper. But .-

lke

's : ;
¥ “Exactly, * the parole officer re-.

idee ry 1944, ” She reached into her Bi

-. discrepancy I did a little checking in

the files. The results are quite startling ©

.at least they are to me. In all the

» reports submitted prior to June, the
signature of Margaret Logan is authen- *

tic. In all six reports since June the *

' signature has been forged and appar-: ©

ently by the same person each time: I.

have a feeling that since June, Louise © -
_ Peete has been filling out her own ~

~ parole reports.” ©

“Very likely,” Lentz agreed. “Have )

“you questioned her about it?”

“No, I haven’t. I felt I ought to take.

it up with your office first.”
The D.A.’s investigator raised his

eyebrows in surprise. “How come? I.»
~ should think this is a fairly routine |

case for you.”

( t ssdy it would be, but not when it in-
volves Louise Peete. Do you happen to

~ know why ‘she was originally sent to, :

py renachapi woman’s prison?”

Lentz shook his head. “I’m afraid I
+ don't.”

“It was for murder. . .
1920 of Jacob Denton, a man for

that’s not all,” the parole officer con-

_ tinued rapidly. “The woman has had a.
“ome: very strange and checkered career. She |
‘ Mo the: Taf berna ti ihe gave, Louise , 7

was a child bride at the age of fifteen
‘and from what we know, her husband
divorced her. because she was con-

“ stantly walking off with valuables lift-
ed from the homes of friends and —

“neighbors. She was never arrested for

~ any of these thefts. Somehow, in each

_ instance, the matter was hushed up
and kept from the police.
“Later, in Boston, she was suspect-

> ed of being mixed up in a fairly large .
, jewelry theft but again managed to °

‘avoid the law. However, a man with
whom she was involved there didn’t

' have the same kind of luck and he end- *~

ed up committing suicide. She married

_ named Harold Peete. He also committ-
"ed suicide. shortly after she was jailed

‘POLICE bps oT oe CVE sk

The woman smiled grimly. “Ordin- : 4

the murder in ©

a second time, married a Denver man +

for the Denton killing. So there you"
-have it, two suicides and a murder in=

amount of larceny. That’s why I can’t
take a routine attitude toward these _
forged parole reports.”

/ «the account with rapt attention. Now.

ii

background I’m surprised the woman.
- the story there?”

' ‘The story involved Margaret
Logan,” the parole officer replied. °
“Somehow she became interested in —
husband, Arthur Logan, pleaded re- ~

_ the woman her freedom. In 1939,

the woman’s life plus a considerable. 4

th ate
- was ever able to get a parole. What's ot 1

“*

Louise Peete’s case and she and het ~

peatedly with the parole board to give

Walter Lentz had been listening to." Bx te

he leaned back in his swivel chair and."
“gazed teflectively at the ceiling. Pre-.74@,
. sently, he said, “With that kind of.”

after Louise had served eighteen years — Be

the sponsorship of Margaret Logan.”

Logans?”

“Very decent people. Mrs. Logan is

a fairly successful real estate operator t
and apparently a woman with an uns 7
usually kind heart. She’s been very .

«,.of the family.” ae. :
~~ “And you say Mrs. Peete’s paroled
record has been a good one “all: this
) time?” ~

Beak

got out of jail she was given permission ‘.,

to change her name to Lou Ann Lee in» *+

of her life sentence, the board finally. ** j
relented and paroled Mrs. Peete under’

“And what kind of people are the Boos Bt

good to Louise. She’ 8 Practically one . at,

“To my knowledge it has. After she ‘ if

the hope that with a new identity she,

' would be able to rehabilitate herself,’ > “

That seems to have worked. According ~
to the information we have, her five”
years out of jail are without blemish.
And recently, last May, she married an.
4 elderly bank messenger named Lee G
Borden Judson, and that appears to. bey.
_ working out very successfully” ‘

She paused for a moment and then® &
‘added. “I don’t like to brand anyone
. simply because of what happened »

434

4,
en ae
Beh ,


Qed up in the cellar wall of his home.”
: The: lieutenant eee significantly.

‘ “They. ging 6 the Woodes staircase
’ ut to thé back yard again.

this fingers into the ground. “‘Ray, wait

is. Do you notice the way the earth
pund here is loose and black: as

g07% Ae me perl ay
He dug his whole hand into the

distance, giving it a wide beam. Even

3 ‘thought but neither found it
7 necessary to express it.

mean “You stay here jand see that Louise
iiand- her husband

ouse,”, “Brown said in a low voice.

ap
ia

couple of shovels.”

‘Peayed body of Margaret Logan!

bX you go inside and bring out Louise.”

bg °A-groan exploded from her lips. “It’s
oe a, argaret,” she sobbed.
Margaret. I buried her there. myself.
But I didn’t kill her.” —

x murdered his wife in a fit of insanity.

a cellar and look around. You remember ~
Show they found Denton? He was seal-

Ecuistted among the flowers, digging

though, it had. been dug up. not so Jone : (

pound and came up with a fistful of ©
soil. Then he straightened up and play-
od his’ flashlight on the spot from a

in’ the dim artificial light both men ©
could discern the- oblong outline of a’ :
yatch ‘of ground that seemed darker
pa ‘not as solidly tamped down as the
(Surrounding area. They both had the |

don’t leave the .
8 ‘I'm going to fetch. the sheriff and a |

i ‘Forty'minutes later in an improvis-: : M
ed” grave eighteen inches deep under:
the’ avocado tree, they found the de-»

“She remained calm and poised as |
; she walked along the side of the house ;
ato ‘the back yard, but as Lieutenant:
‘es Naughn led her to the open grave she
aw ye esuddenly threw up her hands to shield.
a her eyes from the sight of the corpse. .

hl P25% Arthur’ Logan, ‘she claimed, had 1

Roca Captain Brown put his shovel aside Ae
ne pand'tumed to Vaughn. “Okay Ray, «

searched the
house, and in Louises’ bedroom they

Then later, in the living room, they

» found a bullet imbedded in the wall.

‘YT Know it’s

— hhad‘been afraid to report it to the : ‘1
D olice st they rite her. So she had | a

Nile

tol.

On Jan. 10, 1945, Louise Peete
Judson and her husband were arraign-
ed before Judge William’ M. Byrne.

_ Judson was discharged as having had
no part of the murder.
The next day Lee Borden Judson |

“hea to his death from a downtown
| Los Angeles skyscraper.

Despite the mounting evidence
against the woman, she steadfastly

r ‘$0 ie i 4 1 ‘ *
he elt Bye Pe na so HY ba
+
q ew ESS

‘the manner in! which she had been“
‘murdered. Then the}

-» found a pistol buried among her per- °

sonal belongings in a bureau drawer. ; @

_ The bullet had comé from Louise’s pis- -

: ybrotested., her innocence. For a nile, i

- tive for the murder but digging deeper

“Logan, thus giving her complete con
' trol over the dead woman’s propert

er court but to no ayail. The appeal

. was execute’ n

the police were baffled to find a mo-

into the case they learned that Louise. .
had attempted to secure, through for!
gery, power of attorney for Margaret

and assets. p

In June, 1945, Louise Peete Judsona :
was tried before a jury of 11 woman
and one man in the court of, Superior ;
Judge Harold B. Landreth, in Los{)
Angeles. She was found guilty and sen-
tenced to die in the gas chanbers a
San Quentin Prison.

The decision was appealed to a high-

was rejected and in May, 47, Louise
© Ty Sh. fh

4 ie x


shi pads Sees 5!
5 ty On ete, fa he ®

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CRIME DETECTIVE

Be ian

Woburn, Mass. Dr. Ensang W. Cheng (left) of Reading, Mass., and
florist Henry J. McCue, are taken to jail on charges of illegal surgery in
connection with the missing high school girl, Catherine Dulong, Troop-
ers equipped with shovels sought her body on Dr. Cheng’s property.

His gun, by the way, was a .32 auto-
matic.”

Even before he had finished his
story, the San Francisco inspec-
tors were convinced that the San
Diego killer was the man_ they
wanted.

Now the fact that he had used
a .32 gun made it still more con-
vincing. The weapon that killed
Marenco never had been found.

There was a hurried parley. An
hour later the San Diego officer was
returning South with McMahon and
Engler in his car. They wanted to
meet the prisoner face to face—to talk
to him and get a confession that
would be clinching.

At the San Diego jail Perry was
brought before the San Francisco
men. His resemblance to the Marenco
killer was astounding. There was the
missing tooth—the same one described
so often—and every other similarity

of features and of stature.
And as they looked at him more
closely, the San. Francisco inspectors

discovered for the first time why he |

had used a paper sack and then a shirt
sleeve to mask his head. In both cases
he had taken careful pains to conceal
a large wen on his neck that would
have. been an undeniable identifying

mark. .
They talked to him about the San

Diego crime. And as he spoke they
detected the same slight foreign ac-

cent that had been mentioned by the’

San Francisco victims.

Then they looked at Perry’s gun
and asked him how long he had
owned it. He insisted it had been his
for at least five years and maybe
longer.

At last, quite incidentally, they
mentioned the Marenco crime. Perry
denied even having heard about it.
And as he protested innocence, his

eyes fell on the weapon lying on a
desk before him. There was a visible
twitch of features. He looked wor-
ried. Then suddenly he asked to cor-
rect his previous statement—he had
NOT owned it four years, he insisted,
but for only ONE. : .

Then from the San Diego polite
Engler and McMahon obtained the 32
bullet that had been extracted from
Anthony’s body. They rushed it back
to San Francisco and gave it to
the department’s scientist, Inspector
Frank Latulipe. .

Many times before Latulipe had
made lead bullets talk. He knew that
the ridges in revolver barrels left
distinguishing marks on bullets as
they were ed; that no two guns
made similar marks.

Time and again Latulipe had identi-
fied a lethal weapon by firing it; ex-
amining the bullet under powerful
microscopes and comparing the barrel
marks with those on a leaden pellet
taken from a body.

Now they ws their expert the bul-
let that had killed the San Diego
janitor. In his safe he had guarded
for more than two years a little ball
of lead taken from the dead Marenco.

“We want you to compare these two
bullets,” Malloy instructed him, “and
tell us if they were fired by the same
revolver.”

“You'll have a positive answer : to-
morrow morning,” Latulipe promised.

The inspectors waited anxiously.
When they returned next day they
found that science had made two bul-
lets point an accusing. finger at the
old man in the San Diego jail.

Before them stood greatly enlarged
photographs of the markings on the
questioned bullets. The pictures spoke
for themselves. The markings were
identical! Both bullets had been fired
from the same revolver!

There seemed nothing more to do.
The hunt for the Marenco killer ap-
peared to have ended.

But that same day someone in the
department remembered another case
that seemed to tie in with the two
already solved.

Henry Reinke and his wife, pro-
prietors of an apartment house, had
been robbed by a lone bandit two
years before the Marenco murder.

There was something about the job
that resembled the technique of
Perry.

Two days later the Reinkes were
located in another section of the city.
Both related how they had been way-
laid and robbed by a grey-haired
bandit with a missing upper tooth.

“Why not let them have a look at
Perry,” Captain Dullea suggested.

“All right with me,” Malloy coun-
tered. “And while we’re at it, we'll
take Marenco’s brother with us.”

Perry already had been taken to
San Quentin penitentiary, doomed to
die in the new lethal gas chamber
which California has substituted for
the gallows.

He had pleaded guilty to the
Anthony murder and demanded a
trial for his sanity. A jury quickly
adjudged him sane and the judge con-
demned him to execution.

At state’s prison Marenco and the
Reinke couple took one look at the

condemned man and were convinced. —

They identified him positively by the
missing tooth.

Perry, shaking his head, was taken
back to his cell in “Murderers Row”
to await the day when he will be led
into the gas chamber and put to death.

!

They had
to do was
then I co!
let me go |
There we
dine-and-
try. I wo
work.
The ca]
“You're p'
said to m
and smar*
with me.
thing.”
They to
room at
of a lot «
the room
coffins.
fectant a
“See t)
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Nulty, t
old, thre:
besides
other coi
tion att
old, an ¢
ing the «
station a
I stare
I hadn’t
on a ¢
third de;
in jail—
“There
the
ing
ri
ace. ©
beyond
on a ha
young k
the capt
the you
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They s:
they w:
for him
one wh
she’s 1
school.”
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of trav:
signati«
buggin;
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minute
in my
“The
captair
bittern
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you kr
why ¢
me?’
mothe
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Mrs. }
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hands.
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faces °
my po
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ashan
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choke

ee oe re


remarked,
word.
Mrs. Lagi-
2,” Deputy
us up in
ng to live
se,”

fiery jeal-
they said.
making a
e wouldn’t
; came the

‘rry,” she
i Cyb after
in blanket
ned home
r 18, 1925,
ork clean-
: car. They
\nd as we
vut killin

ey scrape

that eve-

sobbed,
The man
-! I want-
ve the one
er behind
es. Grover
irried him
—my hus-
ona shrill
e was too

in to move
taken into
ought face
Genevieve
confessed.
March 13,
ter Harry
i, Deputy

‘he old

d took

iurder.

See eee ay

Later that day, both Terry and I ap-
peared before 5 udge George W. Sam-
ple, in Ann Arbor, for sentence. Both
of us pleaded guilty. The prosecutor,
in summing up the_evidence, stated
that we had killed Harry Cyb for his
money. But that is as false as some
of the circumstantial evidence that
pointed to my guilt. I killed Harry
Cyb following an ar ument over re-
turn of an Indian blanket.

Here, at the State Prison of South-
ern Michigan, I have tried to put all

every district. The guard at every
exit from the city was increased.
the fugitive had not left town, they
were determined to block his escape;
to run him down by a systematic
search of every section—a fine-tooth
eombing of every building that might
harbor such a man.

The aid of every dentist on the
Pacific Coast was enlisted. Through
their state associations, descriptions of
the man with the missin tooth were
broadcast. Some dental chart the po-
lice were sure, should reveal an im-
portant clue. ;

Outside the city the manhunt
already had spread, covering all the
country. Telegrams were sent to every
large center in the Middle West and
through the East, ordering a lookout
for a grey-haired man with a missing
upper left biscuspid.

They directed further that records
of ex-convicts be studied for such a
person. A man so desperate and cal-
culating in his plans must be an old
offender. . ;

To augment this the ee hastily
prepared circulars—t ousands of
them—giving a detailed description
of the killer and ordering his deten-
tion. The hunt was rate further
by a reward of $1,000 for his capture.

As fast as these came off the presses
they were sent airmail from one end
of the country to the other. .

The search became country-wide.
Police and sheriffs’ offices everywhere
joined in the job.

The Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion, under orders from Washington,
threw itself into the hunt. Uncle Sam
is relentless in_ his — of those
who rob federal banks.

With such a drive it seemed that
the fugitive could not. escape. Yet
the combined efforts of the country’s
man catchers produced no worth-
while clues. Shi th

“Tf we can’t catch him in the United
States, let’s get European police to
help us,” Captain Dullea told his men
one morning after they had gone
through a sheaf of worthless reports.
“Perhaps they know him on the other
side. Maybe he’s taken refuge there.”

1 \Y/ eee circulars were printed. They
were sent to Scotland Yard, to
France, to Italy and to other countries
of continental Europe. _.

There was anxious waiting but the
police were doomed to disappoint-
ment.

Then, more than a month after the
Marenco killing, came an incident
that spurred San Francisco authorities

CRIME DETECTIVE

that ugly past behind me. For six
years. ave worked among spacious,
beautiful flower gardens on the prison
premises. Today, I am employed in-
side these four walls to supervise the
work of fifty other inmates assigned
to three and one-half acres of the
most beautiful biological species ever
seen. The job is just what I needed
to help me erase those memories of
that dark night that I slugged Harry
Cyb with a hammer.

Some day I will go before Michi-

87

gan’s parole board. My story will be
an unusual one. I will tell them that
flowers—fragrantly fresh, meaning-
less objects to some people, but beau-
tiful, living souls to me, have en~-
couraged me to seek the better things
in life.

Whether I am released one year
from now—ten years—or never—
my association with flowers behind
drab prison walls, I can truthfully
say, has been the driving power in my
self-reformation.

SNAG-TOOTH KILLER

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 71

to renewed effort.

A bandit, single-handed, held up the
janitor of a moving picture theater
in an outlying district of the ae He
was waylaid as he came to work. As
in the bank robbery, the gunman ap-
peared to know his victim’s habits.

Ted Canavar, the janitor, yelled for
police and the holdup man bolted for
the street. The bandit he described
resembled the slayer of Marenco.

Again the whole San Francisco po-
lice force went into hurried action.
combing every section of the city. And
again their efforts came to naught.

Time slipped by and with it the
manhunt slackened; then slowly
ended after months of tense activity.
In the rush of other things the Maren-
co killing came finally to be forgotten
except by the few men in the robbery
detail.

Even with them there was little
they could do. The case became some-
thing to be stored in the back of their
minds—to be remembered when a
holdup man_ was captured or when
reports of a bank robbery came from
some distant point. af

Still the unsolved murder remained
an aggravation. With Malloy and his
men it was a sore spot. It irritated
them. Even to themselves they could
not admit defeat. j

“There’ll come a break some time,”
the lieutenant often said. “It will
come when you least expect it.”

And Malloy’s words proved to be
a prophecy. The proof came more
than two years later.

It came unexpectedly one morning
in a routine-looking letter from the
police of San Diego in Southern
California.

“We have Robert C. Perry in
custody here,” the letter stated. “Our
records show a man of that name is
wanted in your territory for prac-
ticing medicine without a license. A
warrant was issued for him there
some three years ago. Our man ad-
mits killing a janitor in a bank hold-
up here a few days ago. Please
investigate.”

By a strange coincidence McMahon’s
eyes fell on the message as he stood
reading a report in the inspectors’
office at headquarters. He scanned
the first lines curiously. Then some
strange impulse led him to read on.

Before he had even finished, he was
running with the letter to Malloy’s

office.

“Read this,” he said, thrusting the
paper excitedly before the lieutenant.
“Read it—then tell me what it brings
up to your mind.”

Malloy scanned the letter carefully.

“No two ways about it, Bill,” he
said finally. “Bring me the whole
file on that Marenco case. I’m calling
San Diego for more details.”

Next day an inspector arrived from
the South with photographs and a
minute gmt a of the man in jail.

Malloy and his‘men eyed them curi=
ously. “Get a look at that missing
tooth,” he exclaimed excitedly.

“Not only that,’ McMahon added.
“His hair seems to be grey; the face
is wrinkled; there are puffs under the
eyes. And then... .”

“The age is about right, too—around
65,” Engler interrupted. “And the
height and build are perfect. It’s a
natural or just one of those coinci-
eeneer that comes once in every life-

ime.”

EE the San Diego inspector they
heard the details of the holdup.
And as he spoke Malloy’s men stared
at each other in amazement. The
whole procedure was so like the
Marenco job.

“The janitor’s name was J. R.
Anthony,” said the detective from the
South. “He was employed _at the
Logan Heights branch of the Bank of
America.

“Perry, our prisoner, made his ac-
quaintance. Then, on the morning of
the murder, Perry called early at the
bank and drove the janitor out to
Balboa Park. What passed between
them only Anthony could tell—but
we found the janitor later shot to
death. His body was hidden in a
clump of bushes.”

“Where was he shot?” McMahon
interrupted.

“Through the back of the neck—
the bullet, a .32, cut his spinal cord.”

“Exactly the same as the way
Marenco died,” Malloy shot back.
“Please go on.’ :

“The killer p greens: the dead jani-
tor’s keys an
bank, let himself in, and waited.

“Soon the first two employes came
to work—two tellers, a man named
Hagan and J. M. Zung. The bandit
held them up and led them to the
back of the place with upraised hands.
For a mask he wore a blue shirt sleeve
as a hood.

“A moment later the manager ar-
rived. His name is Taylor—E. oO.
Taylor.

“Taylor caught one glance of his
men with their hands over their heads
and ran out to call police. Officers
came rushing to the bank. There was
a scuffle and Perry was overpowered.

hurried back to the

scant

By LIEUTENANT JAMES C. MALLOY, San Francisco P
As told to HARVEY HALLORAN © <

Pretty Jeanette Daugherty
(left) was the first to arrive
at bank after the masquerader
had vanished, leaving a trail of
‘death and empty cash boxes

CALIFORNIA'S GRIM RIDDLE OF THE
HALLOWE'EN MASQUERADER

OSEPH MARENCO, the young
janitor, was whistling a gay Italian
tune and beating time with his mop
as he swabbed the sidewalk in front

of the Bank of America on a bright May
morning. :

He was inordinately proud of his hum-
ble job, for he held a position of trust.
From a chain at his waist dangled a ring
of keys—the keys to the Haight-Fill-
more branch bank at 546 Haight Street,
San Francisco.

Every morning, Joseph arrived long
before any of the other employees. With
his key, he let himself in. Alone in the
bank, with the door locked behind him,
he cleaned up the floor and dusted the
desks, moving among stacks of confiden-
tial papers and valuable records.

TRUB DETHCTIVE MYSTERIES


young
Italian
is MOp
n front
it May

is hum-
f trust.
{a ring
cht-Fill-
Street,

ed long
3. With
e in the
nd him,
sted the
onfiden-

YSTERIES

A drawing (right) of the
killer who spent months
gaining the friendship
and confidence of the men
whose doom he plotted

He liked to imagine himself the trusted
custodian of the big vault with its shiny
steel door,-where the money was kept
at night—though. of course he could not
open it.

He unlocked the front and back doors
always with the utmost caution, for he
had been warned when he was given the

job that some day a bandit might try”

to force his way in.

He scrubbed the floors, mopped the
sidewalk, polished the doors, washed the
windows, until the bank’s staff arrived
for work.

Manager William de Martini, himself
a young Italian, always had a pleasant
word and a bit of praise for the ener-
getic, efficient janitor, and Marenco
would go home to his wife and children,

resrvaRY, 1940

or off to other janitorial jobs, happy in
the knowledge of useful work well done.

So, as he cleaned the sidewalk early
that May morning of 1936, he whistled
merrily, from.a free and happy heart.

The street was almost deserted—the
only signs of life were at the corner of
Haight and Fillmore, a key intersection,
where many street-car passengers trans-
ferred.

Marenco suddenly stopped whistling
and frowned as a man in a gray suit ap-
proached him. His hands tightened on
the handle of the mop as the stranger—
who had sauntered up from Fillmore
Street, keeping close to the doorways—
paused deliberately and looked into the
bank. Then he beckoned to Marenco.

The janitor approached ‘cautiously,

but relaxed a little with the realization
that the door was locked, that they were
standing out in broad daylight, and that
the man—dignified, elderly, well-dressed
—did not look like a desperado.

His first words set Marenco’s doubts
at rest.

“I’m a detective sergeant, Mr. Mar-
enco,” he said, “and I’d like a few words
with you.”

He looked over the young janitor with
searching, gray-blue eyes. Under his
close-cropped gray mustache, his mouth
was tight and grim.

Bewildered. and excited, Marenco led
him into an adjoining doorway.

“We have a tip that this bank is going
to be robbed—probably early some
morning,” the officer told him. “We

63


he ae

The capture was speedy — but long months of work went into gathering evidence!

eR

—

a ae ee

eg omees oman aie

eR ogee rR

‘2
Link to murder comes when neighbor recalls seeing victim with man having odd ©
morks on orm. Police photograph captive, Jan Francis Sarcezewski, in jail cell.

Network of evide:
put together by H: e
sen and Brown, «
‘minated in S
Quentin gas ch
ber execution for 3
Saraezewski = (le
Ring he tried to
rid of was identi
as Mrs. Berger's;
blood on the gk
was also shown
be hers. He later
mitted striking
denied killing

Several later, their case ‘com-
plete, Honsen and Brown orrive at court.
WRUE CRIME

» original clue. to
abandoned by fugitive.
TRUE CRIME


step through a
2 sleuths of the

ially happened!

own watches as chem-
ve are human blood.

brethren, Detectives
4. Brown insist that
iich fictional sleuths
in real life.

geles Homicide Bu-
it their most impor-
tary” ones of obser-
on,

ges follow, step-by-
tracking down the
shocking and sensa-
1 clue, a glove found
in 24 hours.

vas the manner they
d events: the glove;
and the finding of a
vague, but Hansen
is and acted swiftly

the process ‘“‘deduc-
t, “hunch.” To most
{ very much like one
n and Brown would

TRUE CRIME

Miles from the city, an unidentifie
woman's corpse is found on. th
A beach. Head wounds were fata

¥
he yee

SOR he ES nice

Vi8 771d):
Ca

he
Hin eK, of Ms 4s

| beak known ma
fer discovery of corpse, reports tell of assault by un
ae cowek Sonia 6 connection, Brown and Hansen set up road blocks of are

Another plece of the puzzle; stains on
the ground near glove are also blood.

sedan canon through road block. Chase and warning shot ends in his captu:

Big break comes when driver of a black Ford

The BODY |
on the BEACH «=.

Another piece of the jig- -
saw puzzle fits into

ed body of the victim is
identified as that of
Mrs. Marion Berger, of

patience and deduction that Homicide sleuths
Brown and Hansen consider the main attributes
of their work. They tracked down a neighbor who had ;
seen victim and slayer together and hastened to photo-
graph the markings by which she could identify the
man. They found the beauty operator who had dyed
Mrs. Berger's hair, and found she could testify that
patches found in Saraezewski's car belonged to the vice ,
tim. They prepared a detailed timetable of events show-
ing that the accused had the time necessary to commit
the murder. eo ts :
The result for Saraezewski was conviction for first-
degree murder. For the detectives it was the satisfaction
of a piece of business well-handled. END.

FTER the capture of the suspected killer of Mar-
ion Berger came a long period that called for the |

he
Wa

th ihe Hh

Keeping in touch with headquarters, Hansen learns of identifi-
cation of Mrs. Berger, tells his superiors of capture near beach.
28

place when the botter- © §

*:: ‘Los Angeles, California. .

Taking no chances with their desperate prisoner, Brown holds
the gun, while Hansen searches. There is still no link to murder.

: FAs

‘ wes
act ho PAS
We

wate

Next step brings a direct link to the original clue. Mate to

blood-stained glove is found in cor abandoned by fugitive.
TRUE CRIME


PETERSON, John J. (SERNSKY), asphyxiated San Quentin (Los Angeles

@ A MEMBER of Los Angeles’ Central Homicide detail,
Detective R. F. McGarry was used to being awakened in
the middle of the night. Now, roused by the shrill ringing
of the phone by his bed, he lifted the receiver.

“The division is calling,” said a crisp voice at the other
end of the line. “Captain Brown wants you to report im-
mediately. Pick up McCreadie on your way in. It looks like
murder.”

“Tell Brown we'll be there in twenty minutes,” McGarry
acknowledged. _

The veteran detective put up the telephone and climbed
speedily into his clothes. He knew that central would call
his working partner, Detective Lt. R. B. “Mac” McCreadie.

Exactly seven minutes later, Bob McGarry pulled up in
front of his partner’s residence. McCreadie came down the
steps two at a time and climbed in. “Something must be
buzzing,” he said, “to get us out at this hour.”

Captain Thad Brown, veteran Commanding Officer of the
murder squad, was waiting for them at Central. “All we have
on this one,” Brown said, “is a report from Sheriff Howard
Druley of Ventura, A civilian slugged a coast guard patrol-
man about midnight last night. It happened south of Oxnard.
The coast guard tied him up. They searched his car, a Ford
sedan, and found a woman’s clothes, a lot of blood, and a
purse. They called the sheriff and a couple of deputies,
found a ration book in the purse issued to Mrs. Marion E.
Berger of San Merino Avenue. We’ve checked the address
and Mrs. Berger is missing.

“When he was booked, this fellow claimed his name was
Jack Peterson, The Ford is registered in that name, but the
ID Bureau checked it out. Peterson is an alias. The guy’s real
name is Sernsky. He’s an ex-con. Picked up here in 1940 on
a burglary charge. It was your case, McGarry. You ought to
remember him.”

“I do,” McGarry said. “He used to run the soda fountain
at Pico and Western.”

“That’s why I called you on this job,” Brown said.

“I know him. too,” McCreadie spoke up. “That drug store

She:came:back-fromdead to¥finger’’ mam:whorkilled:her=

is pretty close to the Wilshire station and I used to eat
there.”

Brown nodded. “Good. So much the better, They're hold-
ing the car and the rest of the stuff in Ventura. We’ve already
contacted Pinker and Larberg. You pick them up at the
Lab. That’s all we know, but Ventura will have the rest of
the dope.”

On.the way to the police laboratory, located catty-corner
from the City Hall and just up the street from the Times
Building, the two detectives recalled what they knew about
the suspect.

“He was a pretty good burglar,” McGarry said. “He
cleaned up sixteen service station jobs the last time. He fell
in Missouri on a burglary, and I think it was auto theft at
Kansas, His name was on the parole sheet about six months
ago, if my memory serves me right.”

“I remember he was quite a ladies man,” McCreadie
volunteered. “A lot of dames used to hang around the drug
store.”

Los Angeles Police Department’s internationally famous
forensic chemist, Ray Pinker, and fingerprint expert, John
Larberg, were standing on the steps of the police lab when
the homicide car pulled to the curb. Pinker loaded two suit-
cases full of scientific equipment into the trunk and the
officers headed for Santa Monica and the Malibu highway.

It was a strange case and a peculiar beginning. It might
well prove to be a wild goose chase. For the benefit of
Pinker and Larberg, McCreadie repeated all the information
Captain Brown had given him.

The Los Angeles officers reached Ventura at five minutes
past ten. Big, easy going Howard Druley was waiting for
them. “We’re going in circles on this one,” the sheriff said.
“Everything points to murder, but Peterson won’t talk, Last
night when the boys picked him up he wouldn’t even tell
them the time of day. This morning he wants me to listen to
a funny story. Claims he had a fight with somebody at Point
Mugu over this woman, Says she went off with the other guy
and they headed for San Francisco.”

by: Leslie: Gomez:

April, 1963.

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LL chet ical

32

someone who knows what they are do-
ing over the ground here before it was
all messed up.”

Pinker smiled his approval. “Good
for you.”

IFTY yards north of where the

officers were standing, the highway
narrowed to go through a cut in the
solid rock. The coxswain pointed to a
telephone line which came around the
rock and then went north on the sea-
ward side. “Our man called in from
there,” he said. “The car was parked
here.” The coxswain walked south
twenty feet to a place at the edge of
the highway barricaded by a road re-
pair sign.

McGarry brought Pinker’s equipment
and the sheriff of Ventura pointed to
a pool of dried reddish brown liquid.
In the liquid were the distinct marks
of a tire pattern.

Ray Pinker studied the stains for a
moment and nodded his head slowly.
“It’s blood all right. We'll take enough
for a sample to identify and type it.
Now let’s see if we can follow the
stains from here.”

-Pausing frequently to study the
gravelled shoulder, Pinker pointed out
a trail of bloody drippings. Down over
the parapet embankment the trail led
to the sea-washed sand below.

“He dumped the body in here all
right,” Pinker said.

_ “That’s the way it looked to us,”
Howard Druley replied. “The guard
surprised him as he came back to the
car.”
- McCreadie added his theory. “Sure,
and when they had him tied up he
dummied up on a murder and began
figuring out a good story to tell.”

Pinker, who had carefully gathered
samples of blood over the entire route,
said, “It’s a good theory, but it isn’t
evidence, Let’s go check the car.”

As they prepared to leave, a coast-
guardsman came running up waving
something excitedly in his right hand.
“Found this on the beach,” he, shouted,
“about three hundred yards south.” He
handed the object to Sheriff Druley
who inspected it and passed it to
McGarry.

It was a woman’s shoe, a well-made,

| high-heeled suede pump, soaking wet

with sea water.

McGarry tossed it to Pinker. “The
current must have carried her south,”
he said. “We can look for her body to
come out about Malibu. If we can
identify this shoe of hers, it’s going
to help.”

In Ventura they made a detailed
search of the.Ford Tudor sedan. There
was a great pool of blood on the rear
floor. On the front floor mat .tucked
under the driver’s seat, they found a
bloodstained steel tire iron, Beside the
tire iron Pinker found a man’s left-
hand pigskin glove. It too was blood-
stained. This was the weapon Peterson,
alias Sernsky, had used on the guard,
and if the Los Angeles detective’s
theory was right, he used it earlier to
murder Marion Berger. ;

When Pinker had finished his work

inside the sedan and Officer Larberg
had completed his search for finger-
prints, the four Los Angeles officers and
Druley and his two deputies went into
the sheriff’s private office.

“We're going to have to find that
body,” McCreadie said, “or else dig
up someone who saw Sernsky kill her.
So far we’ve got everything but a
murder charge.”

The veteran homicide detective was
right. There was no corpus delicti.
McCreadie was not referring to the
popular misapplication of this phrase.
Every officer in the room knew that in
law corpus delicti means “the body of
the crime” and it has nothing to do
with the body of the victim despite its
prevalent misuse by fiction writers, .

The case against Sernsky was sus-
picion of murder. Marion Berger was
missing. Before the body of the crime
could be established in this case, the
state must prove that Marion Berger
was dead. An eye witness who watched
Sernsky kill her could do this and make
it possible to convict the ex-con even
though the body of Marion Berger
never was to be found, but the chances
of finding an eye witness were remote.
The sea might throw back her body,
but if it kept that grizzly burden and
if Sernsky would refuse to talk, there
was, as McCreadie had said, no murder
charge.

The seven grim faced officers in that
small room went over all the bits of
evidence in their possession. Finally,
McCreadie said, “Sernsky knows what

happened. McGarry here handled him
once before. He might talk to him.”

“They can’t count us out for trying.”

Druley sent word to the jail to have
Sernsky brought down. It was agreed
that McGarry should try interviewing
the prisoner alone.

John Sernsky, alias Peterson, ap-
peared refreshed and unworried after
his night in jail. He smiled amiably
when he recognized McGarry. “What
are you doing up here?”

“Just digging around, Pete. Let’s go
in the other room and talk.”

In the con room, when the door was
closed, Sernsky said, “Just like old home
week. That’s Mac with you, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. We .got this Berger
thing to clean up, Pete. Want to tell
me about it?”

“What do I know about it?”

“She left L. A. with you.” McGarry
was shooting in the dark. Sernsky didn’t
react to the accusation.

“You find her, did you? Did she tell
you that?”

“She didn’t tell me. She’s dead,
Pete.”
“Yes, the sheriff said she was dead.
Where is her body?

ming his questions home, Sernsky’s

replies evasive and non-committal, They E
se

went over the earlier robberies. They
talked of Sernsky’s years as manager of

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“What are you L. A. dicks doing here -
AMAZING DETECTIVE —


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in Ventura County?” he asked. “You
don’t have jurisdiction, do you?”

“We might?”

“I would kinda like to go back to
L. A. with you.”

“This is the way it is,” McGarry
explained, “If this killing took place in
Los Angeles we can take you back. If
it happened up here, we will leave you
with the sheriff.”

“Would you believe me?”

“No, I wouldn’t, but wherever it
happened there is bound to be some
physical evidence. You tell me and
I'll call the city and have the boys
check on the location you name. If it’s
right, we'll take you back with us.”

“Well, I'll tell you this. I’m not going

to talk about it.”

“Okay. Then you stay here.”

“If I went back to the city with you,
would you let me telephone my girl?”

McGarry hesitated. “We might,
Pete.”

“Okay.” ;

“Where did it happen?”

“A long way from here.”

“As far as Malibu?”

“Further than that. In the city.”

“Well, about a block east of Vermont,
between Olympic and Pico.”

“Which way were you headed,
Pete?”

“South. There is a little dip there
and some houses on the east side.
There is a vacant lot on the west.”

McGarry stood up. “I'll check it.”

Once outside the con room, McGarry

raced to the sheriff's private office. “I

think I’ve got something,” he told the
waiting officers.

McGarry telephoned Captain Thad
Brown in Los Angeles, reported their
progress to date and described the
location Sernsky had given.

“We'll check it,” Brown growled,
“and call you back. Hold everything.”

The street Sernsky had described
proved to be Menlo Avenue. The of-
ficers found three pools of blood and
a bloodstained right-hand pigskin glove.

The news was flashed to McGarry
in Ventura. Druley promptly released
Sernsky to the Los Angeles officers.

In Los Angeles, McGarry drove di-
rectly to the Menlo Street address. On
the trip down, Sernsky refused to am-
plify his statement, but now he seemed
willing to get out of the car and try to
find the exact spot where Marion
Berger had been killed.

Sernsky walked back and forth for
a moment. He shook his head. “It was
right about here, but I don’t find it.”

McCreadie pointed to a police car
which had been parked over the prin-
cipal blood spot to protect it from
traffic. “Is that it?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s it.”

Pinker and Larberg stayed at the
scene to gather samples of this blood.
Sernsky was taken down town.

At homicide headquarters, Lloyd
Hurst and Thad Brown joined the ques-
tioning, but Sernsky refused to talk.
Finally, Brown ordered Hurst and
McGarry to take the prisoner upstairs
and book him.

AMAZING DETECTIVE

“I thought you were going to let me
see my girl,” Sernsky objected.

Brown and McGarry held a whis-
pered consultation. It was decided to
grant the prisoner’s request and permit
him to visit his apartment and get a
change of clothes.

“He might start talking,” Brown
said, “and we might pick up something
from his girl.”

McGarry and McCreadie took Sern-
sky to an apartment on Valencia Street
where the suspected murderer secured
a change of clothes. Sernsky held stub-
bornly to his evasive answers.

“You're not telling us anything,”
McGarry said. “We’re going to take
you to jail. When you decide to tell
the truth, we’ll bring your girl to see
you.”

Sernsky was booked at the Wilshire

station on suspicion of 187 PC, official

designation for the crime of murder.
McGarry and his partner checked

with Headquarters Homicide and then

went to work to establish a ———

of information for this bloody puzzle.

At the San Marino address of Mrs.
Marion Berger the officers learned that
the missing woman had been living with
her husband in the second floor apart-
ment. McCreadie and McGarry secured
the keys from the landlord. The smartly
furnished interior was in apple pie
order.

The two detectives talked with a
woman who occupied the apartment
directly beneath the Bergers.

She had been home on the evening
of May 10th. She remembered hearing
some one walk around upstairs, but
heard them depart about nine o'clock.

“Didn’t you hear anything that might
have been a fight or a struggle?” Mc-
Garry asked.

“No, the Bergers are very cities
people.”

“Did any strange men come to see
Mrs. Berger after her husband left
town?”

“No strangers. That fellow who

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“Where is the car with all the blood?” Pinker asked.

“It’s in the garage. I want you to go back down the high-
way where all this happened. You can talk to the coast guard.
Deputies Frederick and Peterson who handled the suspect
last night are going to meet us there.”

McGarry nodded. “Okay. We'll follow you.”

Druley invited Parker and Larberg to ride in his car.

Eighteen miles south of Oxnard, coast highway 101A
follows the curve of the coast line around Point Mugu.
Druley, in the lead, pulled up beside a coast guard command
car and a sheriff’s cruiser parked on the coast side of the
highway. The sheriff introduced his deputies, Frederick and
Peterson, and the coast guard coxswain. “These fellows can
tell you what happened last night,” Druley said.

The coxswain nodded. “We've been patrolling this coast.
Last night one of our boys was assigned to this section. At
eleven-twenty he called the O. D. room at our station N11
down the road about half a mile. He reported everything
quiet. At eleven-twenty-two he called back asking for help.
He sounded dazed over the telephone. He said that a man
had struck him. I came down in a command car to investi-
gate. As we were leaving camp, he called again to say his
assailant was driving north in a grey sedan. We ordered the
road blocked at our station N10 three miles north of here.

“When I reached here, he was standing beside that rock.
There was a grey Ford coming south on the highway. We
drove across the road and turned our spotlight on the
driver, He had to stop. We covered him with a sub-machine
gun. I tied his hands with a pistol lanyard, then bound his
arms with a duty belt. We took him back to camp and I had
the Ford brought in.

“The guard told us that after calling in the first time he
came around a point and saw his Ford parked on the water
side of the highway facing south, lights burning. He was
working with his dog, and they came on down to investigate.
The car was empty. He didn’t open the door and look inside,
but about that time he saw a man climbing up the bank
from the ocean. He asked him where he had been and the

_ Detectivesssat: on: therbeachi

- 20imiles:fromsthe:murders

_. site; and: waited: forsther
__ tidesto: bringin: the:hody>

AMAZING DETECTIVE

fellow said he was looking for a man and woman who had
gone fishing. They talked a minute or two and the fellow
seemed all right, but the guard decided to take down his
license number and be on the safe side. He went around the
front and started writing it from the plate, and this fellow
slugged him.

“He didn’t see the blow coming, and doesn’t know where
the fellow got the tire iron. He went down. The man started
to hit him again, probably would have killed him, but the
dog jerked his leash free, grabbed the man’s wrists and
knocked him down. The guard crawled to his feet, drew his
gun, and started backing toward the telephone jack. He was

_ still stunned from the blow and too weak to hold the gun up.

“The fellow started for him again, but he was frightened
off either by the dog or by the pistol. He went for his car,
turned around and drove north with the lights off.

“The guard still doesn’t know why the fellow slugged
him, When we got Sernsky back to camp, I called our com-
mand post at Oxnard, notified the sheriff, and these fellow
came down.” an

The Los Angeles officers who had listened without in-
terruption to this long recital, turned now to Deputies Fred-
erick and Peterson who took up the story.

“When we got here,” Frederick said, “the coast guard
boys had found the blood, the woman’s clothes and purse in
the back of the car.”

“What were these clothes you found?” McCreadie asked.

“A girdle, a brassiere, and some under clothes.”

“Did you find anything else?”

“When we booked him,” Druley said. “he had $10 in a
billfold, $110 in his pants pocket, and this morning the jailer
found a white gold wedding ring set with diamonds in the
toilet in Sernsky’s cell.”

, suppose you searched the ground around here?” Pinker
said.

The coxswain shook his head. “No, we’ve marked the
place where the car was parked. I’ve got crews searching
the beach for her body, but we figured we had best have

Ironic: fate:thwarted hisiattemptito disposeof: corpsex.


~

here a time or two. In fact, Marion told
me Wednesday that he was coming to
take her to the train.”

“What’s his name?”

The woman shook her head. “I don’t
remember.”

Could it be that Sernsky was telling
the truth? Who was the mysterious em-
ployee who had been on such good
terms with the missing woman? Where
did she plan to go on the train? And
why was there no indication of this
projected trip to be found in the
apartment?

McGarry, who had wisely secured a
police picture of Sernsky from the files,
drew the photograph from his billfold
and handed it to the woman. “Ever see
that man around here?” :

“Why, that’s the man, He’s the man
who works at the plant. He’s been out
here lots of times.”

With a new determination to build
an air tight case against Sernsky, Mc-
Creadie and McGarry returned to head-
quarters where Thad Brown listened to
their report.

“We were going to check Sernsky’s
girl friend to see what she knows,”
McGarry said.

Sernsky had given the officers an ad-
dress in suburban Altadena. The place
proved to be a remodeled house which
had been cut up into apartments. In re-
sponse to McCreadie’s knock, a willowy
sultry-eyed blonde in negligee and mules
opened the door.

“Hello, Betty,” McGarry said. “We're
friends of Pete’s.

The girl stepped back. “Come in,
boys.” :

McGarry took in the luxurious fur-
nishings. “Nice place you have here.
Does Pete pay for it?”

The girl’s response was a_ throaty
laugh. “Pete’s a nice guy, stranger, but
he couldn’t pay the rent on the back
bedroom.”

“He told us he was in the dough.”

“That’s what he told you. I’ve been
around enough boys, to know a cop
when I see one, so I know Pete’s in
trouble again. Why not get down on the
ground and tell me what you want to
know.”

“Okay,” McGarry agreed. “Pete killed
a dame Wednesday night. We want to
Know when you last saw him and any-
thing else you know about him, and we
want the truth.”

“I saw him Wednesday night. He was
here about seven o’clock.”

“Had he been drinking?”

“No, he wanted to borrow some
money.”

The two officers exchanged quick
glances. “Was he broke?” McGarry
asked. .

“He was always broke. Listen, Pete
used to run a soda fountain, When I hit
this town, I was broke and hungry. He

fed me for a month and I haven't forgot.

it. I was sorry for him when he got in
trouble before and tried to help him.
When he got out this time, he came to
see me. I’m doing all right now, and }
loaned him some money, but I wouldn’t
rig him cover up a murder or anything
else.” ;

“Did he ever talk about Marion
Berger?”

“Sure, they were good to him. When

etal ih HM tthe

34

ve ttle
“You know what you need? A vacation.” ;

UU

ly WA ww

he left Wednesday evening he said he ~
was going over to take Mrs. Berger to ?

the railroad station.” €

“If we got you in court would you =

remember the things you’ve been telling -
us?”

“I wouldn’t lie about it, but I would ‘i

rather not go.”

McGarry nodded. “Would you like ~

to go see him in jail?”
“If he wants me to.”

On their ride back to the city, Mc- ©
Creadie said, “So he’s broke at seven —
o’clock and wants to borrow some |
money, At midnight when they get him, ;
he has one hundred and twenty bucks. ©

He killed her for her money and the F

rings.”

At Wilshire the two officers went in —

to Sernsky’s cell. “Did you find her body
yet?”

“Not yet, Pete,” McCreadie said.

At ten minutes past nine, on that

morning of May 13th, a jailor brought a |

Sernsky into the con room at Wilshire.
Now the prisoner began to talk.

“I went by the place Wednesday
night. There was a light on, I went up.
There was a man there, some fellow I
didn’t know. He and Marion were going
to San Francisco. I begged her not to
go. Finally, we all got in my car. Down
there on Menlo he hit her. I don’t know
why. I tried to stop him. Then we went

to Santa Monica in search of a doctor.” ~~

. Sernsky elaborated on his role as the
protector. He said they had gone up
the coast, that there had been a fight,
and that this man of mystery had torn
off Marion Berger’s clothes, forced her
into the car and driven her away.

Sernsky’s story was full of holes, He
was lying.

je on the afternoon of May 15th,
the pounding Pacific tossed the nude
and battered body of Marion Berger on
the beach at Cornell, California, twenty
miles south of the spot where Sernsky
had sought to hide his guilt.

There were marks on the woman’s
head and face where the ex-convict
slugged her with the tire iron.

On October 6th, Superior Court ~

Judge Newcomb Condee heard a jury’s
verdict of guilty and sentenced the
balding ex-con to death in the gas cham-
ber in San Quentin.

Sernsky was delivered to the State
prison on October 12th. As in the case
of all first-degree convictions where the
death penalty is invoked, an automatic
appeal was carried to the Supreme Court
of the State of California.

One week before Christmas, 1944,
Sernsky contributed a final macabre
touch to the strange mystery. Detective
McCreadie received a Christmas card
postmarked San Quentin. On the inside
beneath a printed Christmas wish of
peace and good will, Sernsky had writ-
ten: “No doubt, you will be surprised
to hear from a future spook.”

Four years later, in 1948, Sernsky—
his true name was Jan Francis Saraz-
zowski—sent no greeting card. He had
paid the supreme penalty for his
crime. 4

AMAZING DETECTIVE

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PHYLE, William John, white, asphyxiated San Quentin (San Diego) on 2-29-1952,

"San Quentin, Feb, 28-They tested the gas chamber for William Jerome Phyle of San
Diego today, and tonight he sits in his tiny death cell Listening to recorded mitsic.
His time is running out, The ex-paratrooper who killed a Bayview Housing Project
caretaker in 195, has made legal history with 10 stays of execution, For six years
he's been dodging death, But tomorrow morning at 10, he's due to leave the tiny cell
and walk not far, to the octagonal gas chamber, Never has he been so close to the
final hour, And never has the moment when he must enter the chamber appeared so
inevitable, Tonight he sits in his special death cell - a barren S-by-7 foot cubitée
just a few steps away from the gas chamber, He appears calm - at least as calm as
could be expected under such cirmumstances, He won't talk to reporters. He specifically
asked that he not be attended by chaplains,

'For his last meal he asked for spaghetti and meatballs, pie and coffee, But try as
he might he could do little more than pick at it. He asked that he be supplied

with classical records for the phonograph just outside the death cell - excerpts from
Wagner's 'Tannhauser,' some Beethoven, a few others. He called for a final, despera=
tion huddle with Atty, Paul Sloane, of San Francisco, one of three who have been
involved in Phyle's efforts to forestall his date with the executioner, But this
time, it appears the legal string has run out, Prison officials tested the gas
chamber and soon after ); psme Phyle was taken from 'death row,' hustled into an ele-
vator and brought down to the tiny cell in which he sits tonight.

"He can't see the chamber from his cell, but he must know it's not far away. Two
guards will watch him every second of the time until just before 10 tomorrow morning
when Warden H, 0, Teets will call for him, Phyle has spent every day in prison in
‘death rows Near him is Lloyd Sampsel, awaiting execution April 25 for a holdup
slaying in San Diego in 198, But the two San Diegans aren't particularly close
friends. Phyle doesn't talk much, his guards, report, and he has no buddies here€e
His last visit from his mother who now lives in Hollywood, was in 199, She has
written him seven times this month, but he hasn't answered, The curly-haired 37-year-
old San Diegan has made legal history, ‘hen he was tried for the murder of Elmer E,
Frazee, 59, in a $1.25 holdup, Phyle first pleaded innocent and innocent by reason of
insanity. Suddenly, in the midst of his jury trial, he ordered his attorney to
change his plea to guilty, He had written his mother just before the trial that he
knew he was headed for the gas chamber, He added that he wasn't sorry he killed Fra-
ZCC»

"But when he arrived at San Quentin in 19l)6, he began to make his determined fight
against the execution order. He caused sufficient disturbance that he was tried by
a Marin County Superior Court jury and found to be insane, Statelaw says you can't
execute an insane man, So he was transferred to Mendocino State Hospital, There,
according to the record, he told doctors he had tricked the jury and several physi-
cians 'by acting daffy and answering questions the right way.'

"within 18 days, the hospital superintendent adjugged Phyle sane and returned him to
San Quentin, From then on, it hasbeen one legal battle after another, Twice it has
zone to the U, S. Supreme Court and at one time his stay of execution arrived fewer
than 15 hours before the execution hour, The big legal question raised by Phyle's
golunteer attorneys has beeh:; Once a man has been found insane by a jury, can he
later be adjudged sane without a court finding? The state's attorneys argue that he
can be so adjudged, that there is no violation of. the "due process! provision of law
after the death penalty is ordered. Is Phyle sane now? Last Jan, 31, 3 of the pri-
son's top psychiatrists and medical experts examined him, They reported he knows
right from wrong and is a sane person within the meaning of the law. One of the
doctors, Rear Adminal M, D, Willcutts, USN (MC), ret., former commanding officer of
the Naval Hospital in San Diego and now chief medical officer here. Tonight Phyle
can listen to the radio or the phonograph - all night long if he wants to, He can
read if he wants - science fiction has been his favorite, But mostly he must con-
tend with the hands of the clock, the inexorable march of time. Sleep is going to

be difficult for Phyle tonight." UNION, San Diego, CA, February 29, 1952, page

one, columns one and two, (Photograph)

dhe

Tee Deser/£

enn TERANCE

a

I WHERE VICTIM WORKED—

For more than an hour ‘he smoked
watched the door of the office.

} squinted.

ect and switched on a light.

the office he did not hesitate, but pulled
door and walked in.

When the screen door had swung to,
the office look

arcs ¢ i A

uF? 2 CASP Sau foe
27) 175 2

’

i| The killer entered through front doors shown here,
shot Frazee twice, then fired a third “mercy” shot.

i Seasoned San Diego detectives were shocked at
the cold-blooded manner in which this slayer
related the circumstances of his crime!

| OR more than an hour the curly-haired, good-look-.
ing young fellow sat in the truck outside the office

of the Bayview Terrace housing project in Pacific
Beach, California, a suburb of San Diego.

cigarettes and

It was growing dusk. People were beginning to pass
\} in greater numbers on their way home from work. The
if young fellow eased himself in the seat of the truck and
flicked his cigarette into the street. Finally his eyes

A man had turned into the office of the housing proj-

The dark, handsome man stepped from the truck and
walked across the street. When he reached the door of

open the screen

the man inside

up and met the steady gaze of the
intruder. In his hand the youth clutched a gun. The

5

1%

man behind the desk looked at the weapon and spoke.

“J thought so,” he said.

The youth fired twice.

The man behind the desk slumped to the floor of the
office. The gunman walked over to the man, reached
into his hip pocket and took out his wallet.

Stuffing the billfold into his own pocket, the young
man turned. and walked back outside. Scanning the
street, he calmly reloaded his gun.

Then once again he entered the office. The man at
the desk was still moving. Without further ado, the
gunman walked behind the desk and, carefully aiming
his gun, he shot the helpless man a third time—straight
through the head.

This time he was sure the fellow was dead.

A humorless smile tugged at the corners of the youth’s
lips as he walked into the washroom off the back of the
office and washed his hands. Finished, he left the scene
of his brutal murder and returned to the truck, started
the engine and drove away into the deepening twilight.

sgaghne


pon and spoke.

the floor of the
,e man, reach
vallet. ,
scket, the young
e, Scanning the

ice. The man at
further ado, the
carefully aiming
ird time—straight

vas dead.

ners of the youth’s
off the back of the
3. he left the scene
» the truck, started
deepening twilight.

i aR Ry on i ae
ie, on, the floor KS
RY. his wile.


a E:

“] FEEL NO REMORSE!"—
That was the cool statement of the slayer pictured
at left, who committed crimes “for the thrill of it.”

T 4:56 p.m. on the evening of Saturday, November

24, 1945, Mrs. Elmer Frazee walked down Balboa
Street in Bayview Terrace and turned into the mainte-
nance office where her husband worked. She had come
to get him for dinner.

Inside the office, and not seeing her husband, Mrs.
Frazee called: “Elmer.”

She glanced toward the washroom. The door was
open and she could see inside the tiny room. Where
was her husband?

And then she saw him sprawled behind the desk on
his left side. The woman caught her breath and knelt
beside the man. Without feeling for his pulse she knew
he was dead. Something she felt inside told her this.

Reaching up to the desk, she got the telephone and
brought it down to the floor where she was sitting beside
her dead husband. She called the operator and asked
for police headquarters.

Almost before she had replaced the receiver she heard
the distant screams of the sirens coming from San Diego

out around the bay.

IEUTENANT EDWARD A. DIECKMANN and Detec-
tive Wesley Sharpe of the San Diego homicide squad
got out of the car and walked into the small office.
Gently they took the telephone away from Mrs.
Frazee, as she still knelt at the side of her husband, and
walked her outside to the police car.
_ Knowing it would be futile to question the grief-
stricken woman about the death of her husband, Dieck-
mann directed Sharpe to take the woman home while
he returned to the tiny building where the crime had
been committed.
The veteran detective scanned the interior with a

LIEUT.
(Photo
San Dic

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and veri-
t he had
lice were
the mur-

In another session with the vagrant,
Dieckmann got a confession to the
charge of assault in San Luis Obispo.
That was the reason the suspect had
taken to the bushes when the police
ne been spotted coming around the

ay.

Arranging routine -details for the
man’s return to San Luis Obispo,
Dieckmann crossed his chief suspect
off the list and again faced a blank
wall in the Frazee murder.

B* this time it was the morning of
Tuesday, November 27. Dieck-
mann still sat in his high-backed chair
directing the investigation of the baf-
fling case. On the corner of his desk
was a steaming cup of coffee—one of
many that he had consumed since re-

- turning to the station early the eve- .

ning before. His eyes were bloodshot
and tired, but they grew more deter-
mined as each new officer came in to
report that he had been unable to turn
up a clue in the case.

Again the telephone on the desk of
the detective chief jangled—as if had
most of the previous night.

“Dieckmann.” The veteran officer
muttered his name tiredly even before
the receiver was to his ear.

Then he stiffened to attention.

“This is Starr of the Escondido po-
lice,” came a voice over the wire.
“We have a fellow up here who says
he killed that Frazee in San Diego.”

Quickly Dieckmann switched on the
dictograph at his side. It was con-
nected to the telephone line. “Go
ahead,” he said.

“That’s about all,” the man called
Starr said. “Except that we found
the man in the garage of the -govern-
ment parking lot up here and he says
he’s the one that killed your main-
tenance man. Also we have the truck
—NH 483.”

“We'll be right out after him,” the
homicide chief said, and then hung
up the receiver and called two of his
men into his office from the squad
room.

When the new suspect had been re-
turned to San Diego from Escondido,
a little mountain community some 50
miles east of San Diego, he readily
gave the questioning officers all the
help they needed. In fact, he was
rather boastful.

“The name is William J. Phyle,” the
murder suspect said. “I have been
hanging around San Diego since No-
vember twenty-second with a view
to possible robberies. I came out to
the project lot about midnight Friday.
I decided to see what the prospects
were for a robbery, and I slept in a
truck near the office that night.”

Dieckmann made a mental note that
Friday night was the night before the
murder.

The suspect continued: “I pretended
like I was working there, took orders
and passed them along and saw how
the place was run. I noticed the safe
in the office where this guy Frazee
worked. I figured I might as well take
a crack at that safe. I followed Frazee
into the office and took my gun out of
the waistband of my pants. I didn’t
say anything, but he turned around
and saw the gun in my hand. Then
Frazee said: ‘I thought so.’ I figured
he knew too much, and I let him have
it with two shots and took his wallet.

“I. walked out of the office, emptied
the shells out of the gun and reloaded
it. When I went back in again Frazee
was sitting at the desk all bloody.
But his body was moving, so I walked
around in back of him and shot him

.

again—this time through the head.”
Coldly Phyle recounted to the listen-
ing detectives that he had then gone

he said, he went outside and got into
the government truck and drove
away. He didn’t examine Frazee’s

_ wallet until he was outside San Diego

on his way .up the coast.

“And when I found only a dollar
and a. quarter, was I disappointed!”
he exclaimed.

Without much questioning the offi-
cers learned that the man had stopped
in Solano Beach to eat and then had
made one other stop up the coast: ‘to
get a bottle of beer. Then he had
gone straight into Escondido and
driven the project truck into a gov-
ernment lot in that town because he
thought it would be less conspicuous,

The confessed murderer stated that
he wanted to “pull a couple of jobs in
Escondido: and steal some clothing.”

It, was alongside. the project truck
on the morning of Tuesday, November
27, that officers Charles O. Starr and
Charles -W. Van Vranken of the Es-
condido police had found the con-
fessed_ killer.

During the confession of the dark,
curly-haired suspect, officers of the
San Diego homicide bureau had been
working over the antiquatéd revolver
of the prisoner, trying to break it for
a look inside. When the suspect saw
that the men were having trouble
with the gun, he smiled and broke it
for them.

Still smiling, he leaned back in his
chair and posed for photographers.

When they had finished, his only
comment was: “I hope they get into
the Los Angeles and San. Francisco
papers.” :

Autopsy reports received while the
confession of the suspect was in proc-
ess indicated that Frazee would not
have died from the first:-two bullets
the killer had fired into his body.

“It was the third slug, the one
termed ‘mercy bullet’ by the suspect
that. finished the job,” Dieckmann
told his men.

Investigation of the killer suspect’s
record showed him to have been dis-
honorably discharged from the United
States Army, in which he had been a
paratrooper. It also revealed that he
had spent terms in both McNeil Island
Prison in Washington and Canon City
Prison in Colorado for auto theft.

Realizing that here was no ordi-
nary criminal who just happened to
kill, Dieckmann drew the man out.

First the police had him re-enact the
actual killing, which he did without
the least show of emotion. His cold,
black eyes pierced the detective chief
as he was asked questions.

- into the washroom to tidy up. Then, -

eves

to answer the startling question the
story continued: ©

“Everybody has to die. I am not
afraid,to die. I must have been about
eight yéars old when I first began to
steal,” he mused. “It wasn’t a case
of needing anything. My father had
been a professional baseball player,
my mother was in good circumstances.
It was the thrill.”

He had never been married, had
never even been in love with any girl.
The few affairs he had had with
women were to him as casual as a cup
of coffee.

He went to school and finished a
year and a half at a junior college in
Los Angeles. :

The law made its inroads on his life
for the first time in Los Angeles, when
he was 14. He claimed boastfully that
he had been arrested over 25 times.

“T beat the rap by joining the navy,”
he said.

His records told the officers that he
had served aboard the aircraft car-
rier Langley long before the war.

“They got me for a robbery job in
Los Angeles,” he continued. “I robbed
a furniture store and a grocery store.”

'He served several months in Ter-
minal Island Prison, then continued
his life of crime.

“J shot up a fellow named Mario
in Los Angeles,” he said, “but the fel-
low didn’t die and I wasn’t held.”

‘With a trace of pride, Phyle stated

that he had met a lot of high-class
bank robbers while he was serving his
time in prison. “And they accepted
a I learned a lot from them,’ he
said.

He told the police that he had never
operated with an accomplice. “It’s
easier pulling it alone,” he said. :

He estimated that his total loot for
his life on the shady side had been
something over $20,000, and added:
“J never drink. I don’t use narcotics
to give me courage to rob anybody.
I never had a friend, just acquaint-
ances.”

Before him, Dieckmann realized,
was the most cold-blooded killer he
had ever seen. Without batting an
eye the dishonorably discharged sol-
dier had told a story that would chill
even the hardest of men—a _ story
unique enough to be pure fiction but
still convincing enough to be the truth.

Still calm and calculatingly cold,
the killer suspect William J. Phyle
was arraigned before Judge A. F.
Molina and his preliminary hearing
was set for December 14, 1945.

His lips drawn tight, Phyle listened
coolly to the judge. Handcuffed, and

- in the presence of the wife and daugh-

Returned to the station, the killer .

suspect told the story of his life to
the police and newspapermen. “I feel
no remorse,” he stated, “I was drawn
to the killing.”

Dressed in a cheap sports coat and
a shirt open at the throat, Phyle
smoked and talked, showing no con-
cern, no feeling over the brutal act
for which he was being held.

“T have been alone all my life,” he
said. “I felt like a stranger in my own
home. When I decide to do something,
I am drawn to it. It’s like focusing a
camera, with the focus always becom-
ing sharper. I decided to rob that
housing project and I was compelled
to do it. Are you afraid of dying?”

Suddenly the suspect turned from
staring out of the window and looked
directly at Lieutenant Dieckmann, but
before the veteran officer had a chance

ter of the man he had killed, William
Jerome Phyle, 32, dishonorably dis-
charged paratrooper, was heard. And
without further action the man who
admittedly started on a life of crime
at the tender age of eight was bound
over to Superior Court for the mur-
der of 59-year-old Elmer E. Frazee—
a murder which netted the killer
exactly $1.25!

On August 6, 1946, in Judge Joseph
Shell’s court, Phyle was convicted
and sentenced to die in the gas

.chamber at San Quentin. The case

was automatically appealed and for-
mal sentence, after the first court’s
judgment was upheld, was passed by
Judge Shell, setting the date of exe-
cution. as December 6, 1946.

A short time before the day of
execution arrived Lieutenant Gov-
ernor Frederick F. Houser issued a re-
prieve and ordered that Phyle be
examined by the State physician to

65


LIEUT. EDWARD A. DIECKMANN—

tured (Photo at right.) Chief of Homicide Division of the
of it.” San Diego Police Dept. He directed murder probe.
ember practiced eye. He searched the desk and the tiny wash-
Balboa room off the office, but was unable to pick out an obvious .
,ainte- clue that would aid in the search for the brutal killer.
i come By the time Sharpe returned to the office it was dark.
And as the detective drew to a stop in front of the office,
Mrs. he was joined by a second car containing Deputy Coroner
E. A. Turner. ;
r was ‘ Inside, after an examination of the body, Turner told
Where Dieckmann that the man had been skot three times and
that two of the bullets had entered the chest and traveled
iesk on toward the pelvis, while the third bullet had entered
d knelt the top of the victim’s head.
e knew Dieckmann and Sharpe came to the conclusion that
ier this. the killer had shot Frazee while the man. was trying to
yne and hide behind the desk. After the first shot, the main-
g beside tenance man had slumped over his desk, hence the bullet
i asked down through the top of his head.
“This is a tough one,” the coroner mused, rising to his -
.e heard feet. “The man’s been dead less than an hour. From all
in Diego indications he was not touched.”

“Dead an hour,” Dieckmann figured aloud. “That ~
would fix the time at around four o’clock.”

id Detec- “An autopsy will tell us more about it,” Turner said.
ide squad z “It seems mighty strange to me that the body wasn’t
office. found before the wife came to call her husband to
‘om Mrs. dinner.” p
yand, and 7 “The body was quite well hidden from the street
q door,” replied Dieckmann, pacing to where the portion
he grief- , of the dead man’s body stuck out from behind the desk.
id, Dieck- “You could walk along the street a dozen times and not
yme while see it. If the wife hadn’t come inside she would never
-rime had ; have seen it.” eae
i The dead man lay on his left side with one arm
with a : stretched above his head. He was facing the door. His

‘hat was on the rack in the corner of the room and his
thinning white hair was stained. with blood.

There was some small change in a pocket of his
trousers and there was a handkerchief in his right-
hand coat pocket. ‘There was nothing more of value on
the man. The right hip pocket had been turned inside
out, and the veteran detectives could easily see where
a wallet worn day after day had left a prominent mark
on the outside of the trousers. The wallet was missing.
Identification men: were ordered to fingerprint the
desk and the washroom and office doors.

Meanwhile, with the arrival of other detectives from
headquarters, Dieckmann ordered a thorough shake-
down of the area around the housing project.

“Check all the night clubs, restaurants and bars,” he
ordered. “We know this housing project isn’t far from
Mission Beach.” The homicide chief named an amuse-
ment center on the outskirts of San Diego. “Pick up
every suspicious character and round up everyone with
a record as a gun-toter. We don’t know how much the
killer got with that-wallet, but he might want to spend
some of it. Watch for that, too.”

With his final orders, (Continued on page 64)

—
=

cena eee oe WE er

. HIGHWAY GARAGES—
' Jt was here that the killer was captured as he holed
up “to pull a couple of jobs and steal some clothing.”

|
i

64

CRIME

DETECTIVE

Dieckmann returned to the police sta-
tion in San Diego and sent out an all-
points bulletin detailing what little
the police knew about the crime.

B* 3 o’clock the following morning
more than 30 ex-convicts and
hoodlums had been picked up and
taken into custody. Each was ques-
tioned at length; each was turned
loose after furnishing an iron-clad
alibi.

Detectives assigned to various
phases of the investigation came in
all through the night without a single
clue to which they could successfully
tie the start of an investigation. The
police, it appeared, had run into a
dead-end on the Frazee murder. The
killer had done his job neatly and
without a hitch. He had not even left
so much as a smudged fingerprint.
Not a hair had been found in the
place.

All this suggested to Lieutenant
Dieckmann that the slayer was a
criminal ‘of experience. It further

bore out his contention that the killer .

had planned the murder-robbery.
There was the possibility that Frazee
carried large sums of money on his
person. If the job was not a planned
one, why was there nothing to give
a hint to the killer’s identity?

Then officers returning from the
Frazee home, where they had finally
been ‘able to question Mrs. Frazee
about the brutal murder of her hus-
band, reported that Elmer Frazee had
left his home on the morning of his
death with less than $1.50. His widow
did reveal, however, that he sometimes
carried large sums of money around
jhe: him. Sometimes $200 or $300, she
said.

The report left little doubt in the
minds of the investigating officers
that the killer had committed his
crime for the money involved. But
what they couldn’t figure out was the
$1.50 the widow said
left home with. Certainly. no criminal
would commit murder for a mere

1.50.

Further, the officers learned that a
person in a government truck had
waited for more than a hour in front
of the maintenance office for Frazee
to return. :

From inquiries made near. the office,
the police learned that the fellow in
the truck had been dark and rather

features.

‘A check with the maintenance yard,
where the Bayview Terrace project
trucks are housed, gave the investi-
gating police the license number of
the missing truck as well as a de-
scription of the truck itself. And,
more than that, no person at the yard,
and no person who had driven a truck
during the day had waited in front
of the office for the return of the
murdered man. The license number
of the truck the police now sought
-was NH—483.

Instantly, the station was alerted.

‘ narrowing

er husband had |

A description of the truck and the
license number and the meager de-
scription of the driver were flashed to
surrounding areas as well as to the

local prowl cars. The State Highway

Patrol was asked to be on the lookout
for the truck in the outlying district
around San Diego.

It appeared that the search was
down. Dieckmann was
truly thankful for the truck informa-
tion. It had been the first break in
an absolutely mystifying case.

Toward daylight the insistent
searching was rewarded.

One of the vagrants picked up in.

the latest dragnet broke under the
constant quizzing of the patient police,

He said his name was Harold Avery
and that his home was in Omaha. His
obvious nervousness had been his
giveaway. He fidgeted and squirmed
under the police questioning.. But
still another thing pointing to his
guilt in the case was the fact that he
had been arrested at the foot of Rose
Canyon, a‘section of Coast Highway
101 that comes within a few hundred
yards of Bayview Terrace and the
spot where Elmer Frazee was mur-
dered.

“What were you doing out. at _the
housing project?” Dieckmann asked.

The man looked out from tired eyes.
He seemed to fear the police question-
ing. And he shook his head. After
his first answer he hunched deeper
into his jacket. His action only served
to strengthen the circumstantial evi-
dence building up against him.

“Why did you kill the maintenance
man?” the detective chief snapped.

“YT didn’t kill him!” the suspect
shouted.. “I didn’t even know that
one had been killed until you guys
picked me up.”

The officers pressed their advantage,
believing that if the suspect continued
to be angry and snap answers to their
questions, sooner or later he would
slip up and they would have him

‘ there?” Dieckmann demanded.
Hastily, the man explained. He had’

gotten out of a car at the intersection

of Rose Canyon and Garnet Street in

the early are’: when the police had
rs :

gn
‘Why did you hide in the bushes
when you heard the police coming?”
“What have you

He turned to the squad car officer
who had brought the suspect in, with-

’

“MURDER AT $1.25

Continued from page 51

- the exact spot along the highway

where he had taken the fellow into
custody. The location was not far
from the scene of the crime.

Dieckmann swung back to the fel-
low on the straight chair. “Go ahead,”
he said. “What did you hide for?”

“T wasn’t exactly hiding,’ the man
whined. “I’m just afraid of cops.”

“Probably for a good reason,” the
detective chief snapped. ‘Lock him
up and let him think for a while.
He'll come around. I still think he’s
the one we want.”

He turned back to his desk as if the
matter had been settled. But the sus-
pect made no effort to get to his feet.
Instead, he started to talk in a hur-
ried, sputtering manner.

“Really,” he said, “J didn’t do it.
I was hiding from the police because

- I just got out of trouble in Santa Maria

this morning and I was afraid that
you were after me.”

The man continued: “I was arrested
in Santa Maria last night on a va-
grancy charge and let go this morn-
ne { headed for San Diego because
I had heard that there was a lot of
work down this direction. I didn’t
have anything to do with any killing.”
His head dropped on his chest. “Tf
you can find the man I came into town
with, he’ll tell you that I got out of
his car just as you police came down
the road.” .
not completely
satisfied. Something about the fel-
low’s manner didn’t ring true. His
story was lausible enough and very
easily checked. But there was some-
that the suspect was hiding. He
wouldn’t hide in the bushes just to
escape the police if he hadn’t done
something that the police could make
it mighty hard on him for.

“The story is too good to be true.”
Dieckmann looked squarely at the
fellow. But Avery remained silent.
“Lock him up.”

1X less than an hour, however, the
Santa Maria police had _ verifiec
Avery’s story. He had been in jail
the night before in their town. But

up the coast from Santa Maria, and
had fled after bashing in the head of
a drinking companion.
man had not regained consciousness
‘until late the morning before, which
was after Avery had been released
from the Santa Maria jail. This held
up the identity of the injured man’s
assailant until he had had time to
escape nearly half the length of the
California coast.

Further than this, the salesman that
Avery had ridden into town with was
located at an uptown hotel and veri-
fied the suspect’s story that he had
come into town just as the police were
= their way to investigate the mur-

er.

In anot}
Dieckmar
charge of
That was
taken to °
had been
bay.

Arrangi
man’s ret
Dieckman
off the lis
wall in t}

Y this
Tues¢
mann stil)
directing
fling case
was a st
many th:
turning ¢t
ning befo
and tired
mined as
report th:
up a clue
Again *
the dete
most of 1
“Dieck
muttered
the rece}
Then }
“This i
lice,” ca
“We hav
he kille
Quick!
dictogra;
nected
ahead,”
“That
Starr
the ma:
ment p:
he’s the
4 tenance
—NH 48
“We'll
homicid:
up the r
men int
room.
When
turned t
a little 1
miles e:
gave ti
help tr
rather |
“The
murde:
hangins
vember
to poss
the pro)
I decid
were fi
truck n
Dieck
Friday
murder
The s
like I v
and pas
the pla
in the
workec
a crack
into the
the wa
say an
and s
Fraze:
he kne
it with
the she
it. W!
was §
But h
aroun


6

determine whether or not the prisoner
was sane. In the latter part of De-
cember he was found insane and
sent to the Mendocino State Hospital.

Then, in the early part of 1947,
Phyle was again examined by the
State and adjudged sane and returned
to San Quentin, where the date of

execution was set for May 2, 1947.
Less than 24 hours before he was
to die, a stay of execution was
anted while his attorneys battled

or a writ as to whether or not a_

State physician could examine a man,
judge him to be sane and then con-
demn him to die. 7

At present,’ Phyle is in San Quentin
awaiting the outcome of this latest
legal battle in his behalf.

Eprror’s Note: The name Harold
Avery, as used in the above story, is
fictitious, as this character had noth-
ing to do with the Frazee murder.

WHERE THERE'S HOMICIDE THERE'S BLOOD. AND BLOOD WILL TELL!

The stories presented monthly by lead-
ing true detective magazines are not mere
mysteries. Each case is a true record—a
recording of old and new crimes through-
out America, and the cool, efficient work
of the men who stand behind law and
order, the men in whose hands rests the

protection of American citizens, the officers ~

who stand between you, the reader, and
crime.

Without these men, crime would run
rampant over the entire world. To detec-
tive fans, most of these cases are solved
in a manuscript of five or six thousand
words. But is it that simple to eliminate
suspects and to prove that a certain person
is the guilty party?

Crime detection generally represents
years of study and hard work. And only
in the fiction mystery is a so-called lone-
wolf sleuth to be found. In actual life
officials work together for a common cause.
The successful solving of a crime depends
largely upon co-operation.

A key figure in scientific criminology
is the laboratory pathologist. His opinion
is accepted by the Detective Bureau, the
Medical Examiner and even the District
Attorney. His word is law. He is the
unsung, hero, who can prove or disprove
a theory. Where there is homicide, there
is blood. And blood will tell when ex-
amined by a capable technologist.

Bloodstains vary. They can, however,
be picked up from peat * ace baskets,
stoves, glasses, clothes, murder weapons,
sinks, etc. In fact, there are few instances
where blood will not tell.

Bloodstains may appear black, blue,

green or grayish white on walls of different .

types. On brown wallpaper the stain, be-
cause of the forming of oxide of copper,
will be green in color. Blood on garments,
after being exposed to sun rays, turns gray:
or dirty white.

If the background is black, what then?
Does it present a problem to the patholo-
gist? The answer is no. By use of a flood-
light, bloodstains on a dark ground will
appear as a glossy varnish and are easily
detectable.

Blood in a sink where a killer has washed
his hands is often discovered by unscrew-
ing the valve beneath the watertrap and
allowing the remaining water containing
the minute particles of blood to drain out
into a container.

Bloodstains on a suspect are of grave
importance to the scientific investigator.
A garment that has been thoroughly laun-
dered will sometimes convict a criminal,
because -a microscopic examination will
reveal traces of blood within the seams
of an article of clothing. The suspect’s

hairline, fingernails, etc., are also carefully .

searched with the aid of a magnifying
glass. If particles resembling blood are
found, they are then scraped off into a
clean sheet of white paper with the sure,
swift strokes of a keen-bladed knife. This
type of detection is accomplished by using
an ultra-violet lamp. Blood may remain
in the cracks of a floor after a diligent
scrubbing. This is soon seen by, the eagle
eye of an expert. :
Where there are large stains found on
6 2 piece of evidence, such as a mattress,

eo To

part of the spot is cut away and removed
to the laboratory for testing purposes. In
the case of smaller stains, all of the blood
must, of course, be used; therefore, the
entire blood-stain is either sketched or
photographed in order to keep in mind the
original mark as it appeared prior to
testing.

There are numerous ways in which to
determine bloodstains from ordinary stains
of another. substance. Of these the benzi-
dine test ‘is extremely sensitive. Filtering
a saturated solution of benzidine in glacial
acetic acid added to a few drops of a
solution of perborate of sodium, in mak-
ing the test, blotting paper soaked in water
is carefully pressed against the stain and
a few drops of the above reagent placed
on the part of paper that was against the
stain. If the stain is blood, the paper turns
blue or green.

The guaiac test is far less sensitive. The
reagent is of a filtered. solution of guaiac
resin in alcohol or pyridin, to which has
been added a few drops of old, ozonized
turpentine. If blood is present, the blot-
ting paper turns blue in several seconds.

The leuco malachite test is the most
sensitive and reliable test employed by
the technologist. Using 150 ce. of distilled
water, glacial acetic acid 100 cc. and 1 gr.
of leuco malachite green, the reagent is
slightly green in color.

When making the leuco malachite test,
8 ce. of the stock solution is mixed with
2 cc. of a 1 per-cent solution of peroxid
of hydrogen.

When performing the test a piece of
filter paper is placed as near the stain as
possible, and, using a clean knife, a small
amount of the dried blood or unknown
substance is scraped from the stain onto
the paper. A drop of the reagent is placed
on the paper containing the particles with
a glass rod on the side of the powdered
blood. Soaked with the reagent within a
short time, a green coloring becomes ap-
parent. During this test a criminologist
should be ‘careful not to mistake small
green points, which often appear on poor
filter paper, as the true reaction of the
reagent in contacting actual blood.

~The microchemical tests of Teichmann
and. Strzyzowski are often used in the
laboratory. In the Teichmann’ method a
thread of material from the stain or some
scraped particles are dissolved.in a drop
of distilled water on a glass slide. The
glass is then held over a flame and the
fluid evaporated. Following this a glass
cover is put over the preparation and a
drop of glacial acid allowed to run along
the side of the cover. Seeping under the
glass by capillarity, the slide is carefully
reheated until the acid evaporates. This
procedure is carried out three times before
making a microscopic examination.

Coffee-brown hemin crystals will be
found if blood is present. Tests of this
kind must often be repeated since other

:

‘ ingredients occasionally give the same

reaction as blood, and it is sometimes
necessary to test other parts of a garment
to avoid making a laboratory error. ;
Reagents are kept in various containers
for different lengths of time after being
mixed. In the Strzyzowski system, how-

ever, the reagent must always be freshly
made before making the test.

This formula consists of 1 cc. alcohol, 1
cc. distilled water, 1 cc. ‘glacial acid and
three to five drops of hydriodic acid.
Made with the aid of a microspectroscope,
the spectroscopic examination requires
only a small amount of blood, which is
dissolved in a 30 per-cent potassium hy-
droxid solution with one drop of sulfhy-
drate of ammonia added. The preparation
is then examined with microspectroscope
and in the presence of blood, the spectrum
of the hemochromogen is easily seen.

After determining that the stain on an
article is blood, how to tell whether the
blood is human or animal?

Dealing only with fresh bloodstains, an
early method was a microscopical ex-
amination of the shape of red blood
corpuscles. Employing that test, however,

presented difficulties. It was only possible |

to differentiate between saurian and mam-
mal blood. ‘

There have been many commonly used
methods of determining the origin of
blood. The most frequently employed is
the precipitin reaction of Uhlenhut. The
powdered stain in this test is dissolved in
a saline solution for several hours, then
filtered to obtain a clear liquid and care-
fully mixed with human anti-serum, which
is obtained from a rabbit that has been
previously injected with human blood.

In the capillary tube method, the lower
end of a clean tube is brought into con-
tact with the saline solution extract of the
stain and a column about one-half an inch
is drawn into the tube by capillarity. In
that amount one-eight of a drop of the un-
known substance thought to be blood is
present.

The lower end of the tube next draws
up approximately the same amount of the
antiserum. At the junction of the two
liquids, a white ring will appear in from
two to five minutes if the blood is human.
Gradually becoming dense, within 20 min-
utes a white precipitate forms.

When a criminal denies the presence of
blood as being from the victim, ‘rather
stating its origin as having come from the
nose, from shaving, etc., the technologist
is summoned to prove or disprove this
claim.

A microscopic examination usually re-
veals the origin of blood through the pres-
ence of foreign substances. Mucus is found
in blood from the nose and sometimes
tiny hairs from within the nostrils.

Blood,, however, can only be determined
as NOT coming from a person. It is im-
possible to type blood as coming from a
specific individual. Blood-grouping tests
are helpful only when solved in a nega-
tive way. But these negative proofs are
many times as helpful to the officers of the
law as positive ones in eliminating a sus-

ct.

Officials from coast to coast like to
eliminate suspects. The police are human
beings as well as law officers, and are not
to be feared: So for your protection
investigations must be made in order to
apprehend criminals. And, confidentially
speaking, when everything else fails, blood
will tell—Lydia Emery.

midst oi
city, she
By n
unjust
heart. F
longer.
to, she
ordered
violatio
In the
like he
bearab]
For r
women
to each
commo!
spent a
Officer
to the }
“Tk
frankly
Trustee
“But y«
to be a
derful.
my life
The !
for the
stories
not fai
as had
larly t
desire
womar
the mc
have, «

HE
of 7
talk to
of her
just wl
fully, t
the fai
itself.
“In t
C. Plu
says |
fault «
come t
the pa
The
are di
men o!
cause
social
cal dif
Alth
willing
are fa
parole
often t
far be:
educat
is som
for a \
sional
to soci
Beat
ness
dicted
She
viciou
were
empir:
cently
in a
When
the on
to her


ee as it was, Was crowded. The processive wug

i

vee Enswinger and his Aids, and soon after, in ad*

1» Magnificent Datjonal tags und splendid and

*.

TAR MOUNT: pENOCRIT.|

ts eee wee

BW. OR wiens enn wir. 4. rancade: ) os. Boreas.
me

Lhe cong ve % ata
‘ Our country, oleaya night: but, right or wrong ;
eo} Sie eo ‘Sigs 5 eal gee ar

Cerner’: eae R6F mb epee ~y eeenee. me- s menpemmmerameocene Soo aaemnd

Keep it befare the Peaple!s

Rvety Chi tern my freoly-spoak. write and jubilel bisecen >
mente OM all subjcots, hetug respensible for the abuse of that
br Seba - vo ge P) ye : Pasted w restrain or ablirtdge the

' WOT Of (UO Prese.—( Comstitugis ‘ (a
article , Yectiees, ; [Constitugesr y California,

Ogtese shall make no laW Pdepeeiing an‘estattisbment ab.

bey bee a eheeine tlie (ree axercis ing. {
by ner of th w~(. CUMS
ertonton asthe Dnitad eves, Arsicts 7! pers ! : . {
freee. eee sea 7 pieete | {
YPLAOBAYVILE ©, OAT,

a

Baturday ln ady a, 1 64. |

: 2 te a < oe J }
= OITA ITD PGOunry.

Sree etme me cas.

a I - ee ere

Cevesration or tysFovura.—The eighty.
eighth soniversary-of our national independ. |
, Face was celebrated in thig city with unusual |
Ceremony, Prom early ia ihe Marning till uear
Dosen the roads leading into our town swarmed |
with peFoons hiatening io Wilueds the.es|cbra: f
tion, A national sulute and ringing of bela ay |
AUNTI8e roused from their slumbers our citie!
2608, aod soon after Impatient Young America, ;
bursting With fan, frolie and fire-crackers, ex- '
cited and boisterous, made lig. appedurance, |

~ heaton baring a, jully obime, ~and be bad it.
*romptly at the appointed hour the procession
Was formed on the Plaza by Chief Marshal

Durable order, marched through the psincipal
Wlreets Of our city to the Pavilion, where the
Sxercises were eouducied in uccordance with
‘he published Grogramme.s The Puviljog, larga

large, and the Militury aud Firemen, with their |

. elogunt banverg and Beak unitornis, made x!
fine display, The day was delicions|y cul, |
B04 6 bright breeze fanned the--flnahed cheeks
aod cooled the heated brow of those in proces:
slon. The Oration (?) was a°vidlent Abolition |
harangue, Wholly unsuited 4m the Booasion, dis-
creditable {0 ita author and Insulting tod lurge
- Portion ofthe andience. They were Fuvited to |
hears Fourthof July ordtign- -they wore treat: |
ed fon Vétiomougs and abusive radical Abof.!
tog SUMP speech, destitute of readoin, Propriay)
“i ety or deceney. The erator lo Cadvantageof’,
his peaition tw display. big party fealty nid bit- |
fernegs and biguity, ut the eypense of guod |
taste and gin breeding. We sacrificed: his |

~ Tgaity and judgment, on Which be prides him
. Sell, ty Brauity big political, Kpleen, ‘aud the |
plardite of thoge who are iucapuble af appre: |
CMU Cither, may huve recompensed him for
the sacritjce. Wy hope the day will not again”
bs desecrated jn this city by such nijsetuble
atu. -The fre-works, Ta ihe evening, werg!
Aye, and wore Witieséed by d large pucuber-al |
our couyiry BATE OE ene, "

.

etme s- illo

Fowseat or Journ M. Srarces.—Joseph M. '
Staples, who was killed by the stage robbers at |
the Sumeract House while sttemptigg to arrest
them oo Friday of lant. week, was baried by
Neptune Engine Ca. No. 2, of this cityjof which
he was a meniber, an Sqnirduy afternoon, His }
“body was Drniight (0 iia city on Friday highy,
and placed in the bull of the caMipuny és build.
aing,:which had been shrouded in Jnourning, ~ |
Rev. Mr. Peirce, ob Saturday afternoon preach .
od a feeling und impressive fuperal sermon, |
which qua listened. to bg inembers af the Fire
_ Department, caynty officials, a large’number of
Jadica and uther friends of the deceuaed. He
alao read a beautiful und affectionitte lett rit

_ breathing the very essence of purity and piety,
from the uged mother of the deceased to ber
loved avn, which he had recasred but a day ur
two before bis tragteal death, “and which was |
found on ‘hia bidy: ~ Hts: fuera was largely | !
Attended by the citizens of Plicerville und Cu
Joma—~be having beun an old and estecmed
resident of the latter pled. He wagan estima |
|

|

bla citizen, an excellent olicer und a warm
frienda—brave, true tiearted und Renerous— |
modest, courtewus and educated, and his death
is deeply deplored by those who knew him |
best. HHewus bornin Ireland.  ITis grind: |
fatbera, father, und two brother were clergy: |
| ACR. m

CO mF eR ee Rat ees oe twee oe ors


bis countenance
Se aM | Ce se WR prune OE

yesterday morning they called at the Thirteen
Milo House and usked the proprictor to allow
them to sleap jv his stable. He told them he
Gid not ullaw any one to sleep in his stuble.—
Thoy said they had no money and could not

pay for a bed. Mosold them they, might sleep.

up stuira in bis house, While talking each one
druw his hat aver his face the better to conceal

and were..trested while in bed. They were
bronght to town by Constably Van Eaton und
lodged in jail.” The “Captain of the band
before he purted froin Watson, handed him. tha
following; This is to certify that [ have re-
ogived from Wells, Fargo & Company the sum
of 3 cash, for the pucpose af outtitting recruits
enhated in- California tor tie Confederate States
Army. R. Henry Ingrim, Capt. Comg, Co. C.
§. A. Juno 1864." Deputy Sheriff Sta-

ples, Constubles Van Eaqon and Ranney track-

ad the robbers tu the head of Pleasant V alley

- Wher Van Raton-loit his-eempantonrs-in eden

to inforin Sheriff Rogers pf the route the rob.
bers hud taken. “Staples and Ranney cuutin-
ued the pursuit in the direcnen of the Soier-
set House, on the road leading from this ily
to Grizzly Flat.

tao d bey overzlept shemaelres,

to ee ee ee ee

rece pene =

On arriving wt the Somerset

Hoye Staples inquired of the landlady if there |

Wee ANy.Megin the huase---Shereplied—Y es,.
Ye rushed upestaira, seized a’;

six, up-stairs.
g vich was standing at the door of the
sleeping room, burst the duor open, wud pre-

senting fac gua, cried—You are ury prisonurs.
_ Bcarcely Wad bo uttered the words, when the
robbery” fred, wounding him fatally. Atthe

same time be fired, hitting one of the robbers

$9 the fuco. They also. .dungerously wounded

oficer Raoney, They robbed both officers,
taking thair money, watches, Horses and arma,
apd decamped, legving their wounded compan:
fon. Officer Huma want after the body af Sta.
ples and the woundod rabber yesterday after: :

nooa; but Ranney ig we badly hort, to be re- |

mover at present,

.
oy

vn ee

rated Contre: elaaeahaerantemiaae

*-4--

a awe ee me Uw 8

. accident,.Wataon halter Listuan, -left-bis seat

. back and demanded tho treasure bux and ibul-

POOLE, Thomas, white, hanged Placerville, CA pepvesber 19, 1865

-

Brace Nonvery.-—On Tharsday ourbt last be-
tween (la hours of OB ant to o'clock, an the
merece Brady aboot 24 wilus abore Sperts- |
man's Hall, «ix men, armed with ahot Kans |
and pistols, Alopped twool the stages of the
Pioneer line, and took from then eight sacks
of bullion. Ned. Wlair was driving the Giret,
téan and Charley Watawa the second, They
ordered Blair to halt, seized bia leaders and
stopped them, They demanded the. treasure
bex. Blair told them that ye hado't it. They
told him to throw out the bullion, ~he replied,
came and gtit. Twoof them covered him
with their gunk, while two vitheré took othe
bullion. Thay did't get the treasure box, =
Blair asked thonr notte rob the passengers. — |
They anid it nie their inteniions all they
wanted wag the treasure box of Wells, Fargo
&Co. Observing that-Blair'y wtagy had atop-
ped, and supposing thas DB. had met with an
and hurried to his assiqtanca., Aa be approach:
ed two of the robbers advanced towards hin,
covered him with their ahot gins, ordered tim

lion, W. was furced to comply, From his stage
they took three sacks of baltion aod asmall |
treasure box -from : Gchoa. Beth stages | |
were Allod with passengers, but unfartunaiely |
Bons ofthen) were armed. [mmudiately on
their arrivyl in this city Sherif Rogers: Waa ine
formed of tho robbury, and he, Deputy Sheriff |
Staples, Constablea Van Eaton and Ranney, |

* Policemen Quiley and Willaimsov, Swift, Wat-

son, Taylor and other attaches of the stage
company, started in pursuit of tbe robbers. —~ |
Yesterday moraing Shenif Rogers, and Taylor

_ aod Watson of tha Express Cu., arrested two

~ Watson recognized ono of tha nun,

of tha rubbers at the Thirteen Mile Lause.—

The vien-
ing before they had tukon Upper at tha Moun- |
tein Ranch and left. Betwoen 12 and 1 o'clock |

THE MOUNTAIN ‘DE MOCRAT. |

'
TaAkUsMy, - 4+ > > BOI ea.
». euvwicus AUD WM, vee Popa |

FP Pattee 4 ee

© Our country, alusiparight Buty: rh igh er Nevers. |
Band wccennth ail
sorcery t

OT ose a
Keep it before ene Prop

é
Beers aitizan yay freely speak, write arab pw ae

i agbjects, being CERpumyiote for He © © thet
rant! ‘yaa ha ee “shalt ii 9 br oa wre aH or lake okie |
Miner of — or af the Presv.=(Crstitatros fC ‘fv .

¥.
Hiei eet no law respecting 40 10h Sees | '
Rolixiow, oc prohibiting the tree exercise thoren!. 9

-

the (reedou of speech of of the Pr aeem| dmrsnimee iis 60 shia
vy atstation af tag United States, drtvute [-
f sriemremeespeect a aaa

PLACHWRVILLE, GAL.

eee ete cee ee am meee
ee en

Sacuntay.. PPh TEs ceuanvaseracere ata wy why 2, 1964.
eppapan ey " -

ee at anna -


aes

A A OD em UREN RTO My ew ome pataditmetenemvaaeenatadnss saemmemneaienminataanam -

“THE, MOUNTAIN DEMOCRAT.)
ei sscesalesatall Sele cage aie age ae
a Our country, alwouyariyrt ; but, right or worpng

— Our country,”

.
i oadeecedenesenditememaent Reateegngnenene
ae heel pr _

OO tee ee genre = et ae = he

“g -" “ edie ncinn hee cme een Bl

Vs | Keep it hefoguthe Peoplet |.
"very aluizen may Qealy speak, write and | neath
bees reauta ost all athjectp, being responsible for thé a of chet

Article © Section d. eek ;
Congress shal! ar eo jaw roapee\ine ab estadlighment of

wn

; Leligion, or prohibiting tha (ree exe dhdreol; or abridgtug 4
On A one Baris spevels or of the Prime. — FA mendes gap Gone
Ne ; atisustion of tre ‘nlsed Statee, drtioe i. ~
an ee a Caulk @ . |
j : 7

- SLAOBAVILLE, COAL.
is, | a pales 4 » *

a

. ry : ~ ry . ’
Haturday news igen Suly 16, 186d

a a
“Mae OTT w AND Qounrr. —

“" ya ~"
™m a

ve

aor *e * ie ,
‘Dasouerion or tus Stage Rovaras.—The
landlady of the Somerset Hoige gives the fol-
_ lowing description of the villaing who robbed
ux. the stages and murdered Staples, and-who bare
_ Bot yet been arrested. | They took “breakage ut |
- ber House on the magning after the robbery
and after they shot Staples they remained some
time and she observed tham attentively > Jobo
Clendening—weighs 150 pounds, dark hair,
_ __,_. toag whiskers, 5 foet'9 inches high, 80 to 83
Fo: 2 eee mee Ctatks- tect ge turer |
-70 feet 10 inches bigh, blige eyes-darkhai
Opa TD ahead, welgtie 180 poullda, 98 eae
— ¥eara of age, from Ban Josg; John Crenls
feet @inches high, heavy set, dark buir, dark
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44 yosre old; Ab. GillgipHe—s fet 9 roches
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weight 14) pounds, boy, logks rather effemi-
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-BMLU ENS Y crete cere MAY

Awotnen ov. rug Stank Roopens iw Jil. —

‘Officur Van Eaton brought to this
day, froin San Jose; Alinon Glag
Barty who robbed the glaze and

“Sheriff Staplos, at tho Senorsat House, on (he |
Tat instant. Qlasby ig the youngest of the par
ly, claims to be « uatiyg of Miasouri and to have

~8o9ted under WUthority of the Confuderate Goy-
sroment in robbing the stage. Originally thero |

wero eight men in thig party,.

Were arrested on tha morning after the-rob.
bery at the Thirtwon Mile House. Poole was
~erresled-at the Somerset House, Glasby at San
Jose, and near the bame placd Kroil was killed
and Clendening mortally wounded, Two of

them—George Buker and Ralp!

Still at large, but Oflicers aro ufter and fuel con.

lideut uf grresting them. Captai
Sherif of Santa Clary county, wh

ed by tho rabbars inatlempting to arrest them,
“formerly resided “tear Inbatews-i this coum}
hown to muay of our citizens,

ty, and ig well]

ete ott a

33, 1864.

city on Thurg
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killed Depaiy

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a

.

: almost ruined.
or nose off. She
. I don’t know
plastic surgery
2!” She put her

let it upset you
11 he didn’t hurt

ried to separate
a slight cut on
ag the previous
s. “I’ve got to
1acy Commission
ted.”

.” She could hear
neighbor. The
nt” reached her
door and called

with me to see
u in here and

.e herself went to
who lived next
| attack upon his
jlained, “but the
‘l about it. I told
omobile accident,
s gone to a sani-
ids treated. She
see anyone until
y husband and I
the Lunacy Com-

ife to have

ipathetically.
2 be such a nice

» said. “If you'll

helpless Arthur
owntown. While
the hallway with
uise, representing
ster, briefly ex-
charge that Mr.
come violent and
such ferocity that
lization. Since he
1 his previous in-
need no difficulty
ed to the Psycho-

gsany his wife and
Hospital, having
to. Armed with
2 slayer succeeded
ted as a patient.
tatement attesting
ind left him, sob-
in the hands of
later he appeared
ior Judge Dudley
reading the lying
ad given’ concern-
judged him insane
ritted to the State
: at Patton.
- was taken to the
2 Judsons checked
tel and moved all
.e Logan house. In
3 frequent inquiries
an’s whereabouts,
wers that sounded
imes she told him
the house in a taxi
cked up her mail.
revealing her ad-

here and look after
o return,” she
id I was going
ne died, so we

ve here.”

rious neighbors she

ith slight variations,

that Mrs. Logan’s

face was so disfigured that she refused to
see any of her former acquaintances until
the plastic surgery had been completed.

Meanwhile, she made free use of Mar-
garet’s automobile, with a neighbor acting
as chauffeur. She gave away some of the
dead woman’s clothes, had others altered
to fit her own now corpulent figure. She
sold Mrs. Logan’s electric mangle for
$15.00.

But these were minor items. When the
Parkers, owners of the $50,000 estate, in-
formed Mrs. Peete that they intended to
close the escrow in connection with the
deal because no more money had been
forthcoming from either Mrs. Logan or
herself, she graciously offered to allow
them to retain half of the down payment
of $2,000, and volunteered to pay the
escrow charges herself. Through this
transaction she received a check for $910.

Furthermore, she obtained a refund of
$182 from the railway company when she
turned in the two unused tickets to Den-
ver. This amount she immediately de-
posited in Mrs. Logan’s bank, to apply
against the $200 forged check. These de-
tails disposed of, she was now confident
that this. was the beginning of a long
period of prosperity.

For several months it appeared that she
would realize her ambitions. With no rent
to pay and an automobile that had cost her
nothing, she and her husband were now in
a position to enjoy life.

She had, she believed, obliterated all
trace of her latest crime. A dozen potted

geranium plants gave an innocent appear- °

ance to the slight mound under which
Margaret Logan lay buried. The blue rug
had been cleaned and the sofa re-uphol-
stered. A plasterer had filled in the small
hole in the wall made by the bullet that
had ploughed through Margaret’s neck,
and the living-room had been repainted.

Gee was waiting now for Arthur Logan
to die. On December 4th the hospital su-
perintendent had notified her by telephone
that he was critically ill. Posing as Mrs.
Logan, she had told the doctor that in the
event of Arthur’s death his body was to be
turned over to a medical school for scien-
tific purposes,

Once Arthur was out of the way she
would take’ steps to have the house legally
transferred to her own name. Already
she had obtained Deeds of Gift and Power
of Attorney forms which, with signatures
properly forged, would enable her to ac-

complish this. In addition she had found
among Margaret’s papers an insurance
policy issued in Arthur’s name from which
she would derive some $1,400.

On December 7th the long-anticipated
message came. A neighbor handed her an
unopened telegram. “I’m sorry,” she said,
“but I accepted this wire for Mrs. Logan,
thinking it was for me.”

Louise ripped open the yellow envelope
and eyed its contents intently and in si-
lence. The neighbor who stood by her
afterwards said that there was something
in Louise’s expression that scared her.
Finally she said softly:

“Arthur Logan is dead. Died last night.”

For a few seconds she remained lost in
thought; then, in a lightning-like change
of mood, turned and ran into the bedroom.
A moment later she returned with an
armful of Mrs. Logan’s hats. Placing one
on top of her head at a ridiculous angle,
she paraded back and forth across the
room, at the same time executing a comi-
cal little dance step. Finally, becoming
aware of her neighbor’s shocked expres-
sion, she sobered.

“Don’t get the impression that I’m trying
one of these on for Mr. Logan’s funeral,”
she said enigmatically. “I’ll buy this house
now, because Margaret has told me she
never wanted to live here again.”

Two days later Louise’s parole officer,
Mrs. Wave Walker, called at the Logan
residence. She was attempting to trace a
woman parole violator with whom Louise
had been friendly at Tehachapi. When
there was no response to her ring at the
front doorbell she walked to the rear of
the house and stood on the steps leading
to the back door, but saw no one about.
She noted with approval the well-kept
lawn. After a moment her attention be-
came riveted to a slight elevation in the
ground beneath an avocado tree. It ap-
peared to be about six feet long, with ge-
raniums spaced evenly along the top of
the rise.

Her heart was beating fast as she re-
called that when she had visited Louise
last June she had been told of the pur-
ported attack on Margaret Logan, and in-
formed that the woman was then in a sani-
tarium undergoing treatment for facial
wounds, :

She started making inquiries of neigh
bors. None of them had seen Mrs. Logan
since June lst. Without voicing her sus-
picions, she returned to her downtown
office and immediately asked her secretary

“But, dear, he may become President some day”

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¥
no idea who I am.
1 you?”
ce is Mrs. Logan?”
ble explanation re-
on Margaret by her
2quent sojourn in a

ee her?”

> or four days ago.
a taxi and stayed
e still wouldn’t tell

ying.”

er steadily. “You’d

uw’re going down to

office.”

ve I done?”

nge your clothes, or
ride downtown in

ord she started for
she emerged, wear-
Brown said soberly:
; well face facts. Are

t signed your parole

Who did?”
told me to. I’m at-
business while she’s
ant to be bothered.
friends to see her.”
‘ded her quizzically.
ir top like you

2d at the floor.

Steek Sai) ve told me that
low my top.” Then,
this admission, she

nitted to speak with
luz, whom she had
rial for the Denton

later. Are you ready
nands together in a

't take me downtown.
iing. Mrs. Logan will
comes every day or

the district attorney

of Walter Lentz and
orsini and Harry Dean
+ with Deputy Sheriff

ed firm and repeated
, go downtown. How-
sy her husband, Miss
» was placed in a cab
Hall of Justice where
ed Howser and his as-
were waiting for her.
of the party remained

‘ob Denton’s body had
cellar, Brown ordered
ne basement floor dug
as work served only to
. was buried there. The
back yard where flood-

4p.

the barely discernible
beneath the avocado
removed the twelve

e mound. “See what’s

‘id to Vaughn.

ovelful a human foot
earth. A few moments

gan’s entire body was

~ ughn as he paused
orow. “There she

the D. A.’s office the
ntly insisted that Mar-
live. Again and again
‘thur’s sudden fit of
which she said he had
; wife.

ee

Finally a clerk entered and handed
Barnes a note. After reading it he passed
it to Howser. Then, giving Mrs. Peete a
level look, he said: “I think we'll all take
a run out to the Pacific Palisades.”

She fumbled with her purse, “That
would be nice,” she murmured, but her
face had paled and she showed that she
had guessed the contents of the note which
informed her questioners that Margaret
Logan’s body had been found.

As the automobile came to a halt in
the Logan driveway, Captain Brown came
forward. “Louise, we’ve got something to
show you.” .

Reluctantly, she walked to where a
group of men stood silently beside the
shallow grave. Placing her large purse
over her eyes she turned away from the
gruesome spectacle. “Don’t mak. me
look!” she begged. “I can’t stand any
more.”

She was escorted inside the house where
Howser, Barnes and Brown again ques-
tioned her. Asked how Mrs. Logan hap-
pened to be buried in the garden, she in-
sisted that she be permitted to write her
explanation. “I have quite a lot to say,
so I would like to write it during the rest
of the night in jail.”

“In other words, you want time to figure
out your story,” the D. A. said.

Tests previously made by Chemist Pink-
er revealed that a quantity of blood had
soaked through the living-room rug, the
pad beneath it, and into the floorboards.

“How did the blood get on the carpet?”
Barnes asked.

“From her wounds. Please let me write
it.”

“Who is guilty of this murder?”

“I am not guilty of murdering anybody.”

“Did Mr. Judson bury the body?”

To this question she gave an answer
from which she was not to deviate at any
future time. “Why, certainly not. He’s
as innocent as you are.”

Howser asked why she had forged Mrs.
Logan’s name to her parole reports.

“Well, she hasn’t been able to.”

“Because she was dead you mean?”

“Oh, please, let me write all this.”

Barnes informed her she would have an
opportunity to submit a written state-
ment later on, but that just now there
were certain items he wished cleared up.

“Tell us just how she was wounded.”

“We were sitting in the car when the
phone rang. Margaret went back to the
house to answer it. Arthur followed her
in. After a few minutes I heard a scream
and rushed inside the house. Mr. Logan
had her. He acted as though he had her
by some part of her face.”

“What do you mean by ‘he acted as
though?’ ”

“Well, he had bitten off part of her
nose. She was bleeding.”

Earlier in the evening Bechtel had found
a .25-caliber automatic pistol and a rusty
revolver in a dresser drawer of the bed-
room Louise Peete had used. Shown the
weapons and asked which one had been
used in the slaying, she declined to answer.

ONVINCED that further questioning

was useless and that her entire state-
ment to date had been a clumsily con-
structed fabric of lies, the officials returned
her to Los Angeles, where she was booked
on suspicion of murder. She was lodged in
the women’s quarters of the county jail.

Her husband was also taken into custody.
He presented a pitiable figure, and ap-
peared dazed from the shock of discover-
ing he had married the notorious Louise
Peete. To reporters he said:

“I guess I must have been very gullible.
I trusted her implicity. Even now, I can’t
think badly of her, it seems. And here I
am, in jail.”

At their preliminary hearing, held on
January 10th, 1945, before Municipal Judge
William M. Byrne, Judson told a straight-
forward story of having been duped by his
wife into believing Mrs. Logan was alive.
On the following day the judge dismissed
the complaint against him, but ordered
Louise held for trial.

And now, Pretty Louise was about to
score for the sixth time.

At 2:12 p.m. on January 12th—less than
twenty-four hours after he had been re-
leased from custody and officially absolved
of all guilt in connection with the bizarre
case—Lee Judson committed suicide by
leaping from the twelfth floor of a down-
town office building. Considerate of others
to the last, he did not plunge to the street
from a high window, thus endangering the
lives of passersby, but chose, instead, the
stair well. His broken body was found
in a lifeless heap on the fourth-floor land-
ing.

Informed of the suicide, Louise was
thoughtful, then said, “Well, he was a good
man.”

On April 23rd, 1945, the accused woman
went to trial in Department 41 of the
Superior Court before the late Honorable
Harold B. Landreth. A jury composed of
eleven women and one man was im-
paneled. Public Defenders Ellery Cuff
and William Neely—the latter now a Su-
perior Court judge—represented the de-
fense.

District Attorney Howser, now Attorney
General for the State of California, as-
sumed personal charge of the prosecution
and chose as his aide Assistant District
Attorney John Barnes, whose bulldog te-
nacity in cross-examining witnesses has

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made him a factor to be reckoned with,
particularly in any case involving murder.

I was an interested spectator throughout
the trial.

Louise claimed that at the time she had
been tried for the murder of Denton, she
had been forcibly restrained from testify-
ing in her own defense. To make certain
that she would not again make such a
claim, her attorneys told her she could
decide that point for herself. She decided
she would tell her own story.

While on the stand, in describing how
Arthur Logan attacked his wife, she said,
“She (Mrs. Logan) had on a hat and coat
and so did I. He (Mr. Logan) seemed to
be twisting her neck ... and I walked
around them trying to use my head and
separate them. It was just a snarl... Once
they clinched and walked around quite a
bit. He went to the kitchen and came back
with a steak pounder and he hit her with
it. g's”

She went on to describe how Mrs. Logan
finally sank to the floor, and then added,
“She was still conscious and we talked. I
spoke of getting a doctor but she said no;
she said she thought she could handle the
situation . Arthur went into the front
bedroom and came out with a gun and he
hit her with the end of it. He hit her with
the steak pounder and she fell... I turned
her over and he whacked her again.”

When Assistant District Attorney Barnes
got her cornered in her lies, she said to
him, “.. . and you are being very unfair,
Mr. Barnes ...I don’t want you to con-
fuse me. I want to tell my story and you
can wrangle it any way you like later.
You don’t want the truth.”

Mr. Barnes asked her what subject was
discussed as she washed the blood from
Mrs. Logan’s face. She replied, “We could
not have talked about the opera or the
weather.”

At another point she turned a venomous
look on Barnes and said, “Mr. Barnes, I
don’t think that question is fair. Let me
tell it my own way and then you can pick
it to pieces.”

Barnes at one point asked her, “How
long did it take you to dig that grave?”
And she replied, “I don’t know. It seemed
endless.”

SKED why she had not notified the

police of the fight that resulted in Mar-
garet Logan’s death, she answered: ‘‘Be-
cause I was on parole and could not stand
an investigation.”

On May 28th the evidence was all in
and after the jurors had deliberated three
hours, the lone male member, who had
been elected foreman, announced that a
verdict had been reached. The court clerk
accepted the slip of paper handed him by
Judge Landreth and solemnly intoned:
“Guilty of murder in the first degree.”

There was a breathless hush as specta-
tors waited for the added words from the
jury that they had recommended mercy.
No such words were spoken. This made
the death sentence mandatory.

Four days later, in a crowded courtroom,
Judge Landreth ordered Mrs. Peete to
rise. Flanked by her attorneys, she stood
quietly while the dread sentence was pro-
nounced: “. .. whereupon the said Louise
Peete shall be delivered to the warden of
the State Prison at San Quentin, to be by
him put to death by the administration of
lethal gas in the manner provided by the
laws of the State of California.”

Soon afterward she was transferred to
Tehachapi, there to await the outcome of
the automatic review of the case by the
State Supreme Court—a procedure that is
followed in California in all cases where
capital punishment is involved.

Attorney Morris Lavine interested him-
self in her behalf and did his utmost to

save her life. However, almost two years
after her conviction the Supreme Court
upheld the death sentence.

On the day before her scheduled execu-
tion a group of news reporters called upon
her at Tehachapi. Early the next morning
she was transferred to San Quentin. Miss
Agnes Underwood, then a feature writer
for the Los Angeles Herald-Express, and
now city editor, wrote a story for her
paper covering the interview, parts of
which, with Miss Underwood’s permission,
are reprinted here:

To the People of Los Angeles, where
I was martyred, I, who am about to
die, salute you. I have been convicted
of two murders I did not commit. I
have nothing to fear. I have accepted
the inevitable.

I know my attorney Morris Lavine
has filed an appeal with the United
States Supreme Court, but I think
there is something wrong with the
laws of a country that do not permit
a defendant to get into evidence at a
trial things that are important to the
case. Trials are all “prosecution.”

She firmly refused to be photographed,
explaining: “My chin is up and I am smil-
ing and at peace. The people who would
look at my picture don’t want to see me
that way. They want to see me suffer.
But don’t forget. My chin is up. I feel
even better than I look.”

Wallace X. Rawles, another ace reporter,
wrote in part:

Louise Peete was born under an
evil star. For nearly half a century
Death clung to her skirts like a fatal
black magic curse ... Her three hus-
bands committed suicide. A Texas
hotel clerk killed himself after being
cleared in a gem theft of which she
was suspected. She died today in San
Quentin Prison ... old, unloved and
impoverished .. .

Yes, these four committed suicide be-
cause of her evil influence, and two others,
both of whom trusted and befriended her,
she foully murdered.

At exactly ten o’clock on the morning of
April 11th, 1947, wearing a printed house-
coat and with her hair neatly curled, she
walked swiftly into the lethal chamber.

Seconds later the sodium cyanide eggs
were dropped into the sulphuric acid solu-
tion, creating the deadly gases.

Warden Clinton Duffy, in an attempt to
shorten the frightful ordeal, had instructed
her to breathe deeply of the fumes. This
she did. Twelve minutes later she was
pronounced dead by two physicians.

The next day her body was flown to Los
Angeles and cremated.

Louise Peete, herself, was the seventh
victim of her own consuming lust for
money. But in the opinion of this writer,
there was still another—the eighth victim
—whose life was sacrificed on the altar of
her greed.

I refer to hapless Arthur Logan who
died, heartbroken, believing himself aban-
doned by the woman whom he had loved
and trusted for more than thirty years, In
all probability, he, too, would be alive to-
day had he not crossed the path of treach-
erous Louise Peete.

Epitor’s Norte:

The name Colonel Parker, as used in
the foregoing story, is not the real
name of the person concerned. This in-
nocent person has been given a ficti-
tious name in order to protect his
identity.

(Continued from pa
lived the horr***- ~
dergone. She
call to her fal

“There’s a .q---
know who it is?”

A slight improven
on Wednesday, Janu:
hope for her chan:
for the first time si
on his daughter, the
pital overnight. Sco:
strangers offered bi}
the entire West Hig
a body, with Coach
pearing at the hospi'
of others. .

UT within two d
condition took a
worse. Dr. J. R. R:
an operation to remc
a tiny and last hope
other blood transfu
just before the opera
James L. Potts of 149
As the father held
in his arms, when s
taken into the operé
slowly opened and
realized she was dy
“Poor Daddy,” she s
to be all alone now.”
She was right. A
Dr. Ripton wearily
switchboard operator
the end was near.
The ballistics depa)
day found the marki:
bullet too obliterate:

use in tests.

Janet died on Su
uary 19th, after sixt
And a city that had
heart, promptly smo
with flowers.

Thousands jammed
Mastic funeral parlo:
Avenue to pay final re
wearing in death the \

she was to ha’ g£
Now the cl f
unprecedente:

efforts of the pusne 1
more than 200 suspect
and the paucity of clue
satisfaction dinned o:
public demanded the «
slayer.

This situation was :
pectedly dramatic mov
new figure to enter th
Manager Harold H.
replaced City Manag:
a week before.

Burton, now an Assc
United States Supreme
most memorable of h
as Cleveland’s chief e
executive order in whi
sonal command of the
partment.

Immediately after t<
summoned Safety Dire
Chief Jacob Graul, I
tives Cornelius W. C
Matowitz and orderec
to him daily until furt

Also, by his directio
in Lieutenant Story.

“You've been chosen
a special squad to hur
Janet Blood,” he info
can have Detective S
your right-hand man.
any twelve men in the
will be relieved of all «

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for the file covering Louise Peete’s case.

It did not require an expert to deter-
mine, upon close examination, that the
routine monthly reports sent in by Mrs.
Logan since May, 1944, concerning her
charge bore signatures that differed slight-
ly from earlier ones.

Moments later Mrs. Walker was talking
over the phone with Walter H. Lentz, chief
investigator for. the district attorney. She
told of irregularities in Mrs. Logan’s sig-
nature in recent reports, and asked that
an investigation be made to determine her
whereabouts. No mention was made of the
mound, for Mrs. Walker, at that time, was
not certain of its significance.

N THE EVENING of December 20th,

Louise Peete, comfortably clad in loung-
ing pajamas, and blissfully unaware of the
secret inquiry that had been launched, sat
in a chair in the living-room. On the floor
beside her was a green metal strongbox
in which Margaret Logan had kept her im-
portant papers. Avidly, she perused these
documents. On the bed in the adjoining
room was spread a collection of costume
jewelry that had also belonged to Mar-
garet.

Lee Judson sat near by, reading a news-
paper. He. was still worried over the con-
tinued absence of Mrs. Logan, and con-
stantly questioned their right to live in
her house.

“The very next time she comes here,” he
told his wife that evening, “I want you to
get something in writing to the effect that,
we have her permission to stay here. You
never can tell what might come up, and
we must protect ourselves.”

“T’ll attend to it, dear,” she promised ab-
sently. “Don’t bother your head about it.”
More pressing matters occupied her mind
at the moment.

A few days earlier she had written the
authorities at Patton, forging Mrs. Logan’s
name to the letter, and enclosing Proofs
of Death forms to be signed so that she
might collect the insurance on Arthur’s
life. She should be getting an answer soon.

At seven o’clock her pleasant reverie
was interrupted by the harsh jangling of
the door bell. Opening the door she was
confronted by a party of five men and a
woman. They were Captain Thad Brown,
then commander of Central Homicide Bu-
reau and since promoted to Deputy Chief
of Police, Detectives Roy H. Vaughn and
Harry Hansen, Forensic Chemist Ray
Pinker, Police Reporter E. J. Bechtel and
Miss Marjorie Jones of the district at-
torney’s staff.

Louise’s jaw dropped as she stared at
the group.

“We're from the police department,”
Brown announced. “May we come in?”

“Why ... why, certainly.” Her gray-
green eyes mirrored terror, but she man-
aged a faint smile.

“What is your name?” Brown asked.

“Mrs, Lee Judson. And this... "—
indicating the tall, slender gray-haired
man across the room—‘“is my husband.
Can I do something for you?”

“You probably can. Do you own this
property?”

She answered in the negative.

The officers surveyed the room quickly,
not overlooking the strongbox, lid open,
that lay on the floor beside a stack of legal-
looking documents.

“I think perhaps I’d better speak with
you privately,” Brown suggested.

“Yes,” was the quick response. “We can
talk in the kitchen.” She led the way to
that room and closed the door. “What’s
wrong?”

“You’re Louise Peete, of course,” the
captain said evenly. “Does your husband
know that?”

She put a pudgy finger to her lips.

“Sh-h! Please. He has no idea who I am.
You won’t tell him, will you?”

“That depends. Where is Mrs. Logan?”

She went into a voluble explanation re-
garding the “attack” upon Margaret by her
husband, and her subsequent sojourn in a
sanitarium.

“When did you last see her?”

“She was here three or four days ago.
As usual, she came in a taxi and stayed
only a short while. She still wouldn’t tell
me where she was staying.”

Brown looked at her steadily. “You'd
better get dressed. You’re going down to
the district attorney’s office.”

“But why? What have I done?”

“Do you wish to change your clothes, or
would you prefer to ride downtown in
those pajamas?”

Without another word she started for
her bedroom. When she emerged, wear-
ing a dark blue suit, Brown said soberly:

“Louise, we might as well face facts. Are
you still on parole?”

“Yes.”

“Mrs. Logan has not signed your parole
papers since last May. Who did?”

“I signed them. She told me to. I’m at-
tending to all of her business while she’s
away. She doesn’t want to be bothered.
She doesn’t want her friends to see her.”

The detective regarded her quizzically.
“Louise, did you blow your top like you
did once before?”

For a moment she stared at the floor.
“You know, my friends have told me that
some day I would blow my top.” Then,
apparently regretting this admission, she
demanded to be permitted to speak with
Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz, whom she _ had
known during her trial for the Denton
murder,

“You can see him later. Are you ready
to go?”

She pressed her hands together in a
prayerful attitude.

“Please, please, don’t take me downtown.
I can explain everything. Mrs. Logan will
be here soon. She comes every day or
two.”

‘I’m sorry, but the district attorney
wants to see you.”

By this time Chief Walter Lentz and
Investigators Aldo Corsini and Harry Dean
had arrived, together with Deputy Sheriff
Joe Denis.

Mrs. Peete remained firm and repeated
she did not want to go downtown. How-
ever, accompanied by her husband, Miss
Jones and Dean, she was placed in a cab
and rushed to the Hall of Justice where
District Attorney Fred Howser and his as-
sistant, John Barnes, were waiting for her.
The other members of the party remained
at the Logan house.

Recalling that Jacob Denton’s body had
been concealed in a cellar, Brown ordered
a large section of the basement floor dug
up; but this strenuous work served only to
prove that no corpse was buried there. The
men repaired to the back yard where flood-
lights had been set up.

Brown observed the barely discernible
rise in the ground beneath the avocado
tree. Carefully, he removed the twelve
flowerpots from the mound. “See what's
under there,” he said to Vaughn.

At the third shovelful a human _ foot
protruded from the earth. A few moments
later Margaret Logan’s entire body was
exposed to view.

“There she is,” said Vaughn as he paused
to mop his perspiring brow. “There she
is.”

EANWHILE, in the D. A.’s office the

suspect vehemently insisted that Mar-
garet Logan was alive. Again and again
she described Arthur’s sudden fit of
insanity, during which she said he had
brutally mauled his wife.

Finally a clerk
Barnes a note. Aft
it to Howser. The
level look, he said:
a run out to the P:

She fumbled \
would be ni ~
face had pal
had guessed t
informed her yur
Logan’s body had |

As the automob
the Logan drivewa
forward. “Louise,
show you.”

Reluctantly, she
group of men stc
shallow grave. P
over her eyes she
gruesome _ spectac
look!” she beggec
more.”

She was escortec #
Howser, Barnes a
tioned her. Askec
pened to be buriec

-sisted that she be

explanation. “I h
so I would like to
of the night in jai
“In other words,
out your story,” th
Tests previously
er revealed that a
soaked through th
pad beneath it, an
“How did the bl
Barnes asked.
“From her woun
it.”
“Who is guilty
“I am not guilty
“Did Mr. Judsor
To this questior
from which she w:
future time. “W?
as innocent as you
Howser asked w
Logan’s name to fF
“Well, she hasn’
“Because she w:
“Oh, please, let
Barnes informed
opportunity to su
ment later on. bi
were certain
“Tell us ju
“We were
phone rang. Mar;
house to answer i:
in. After a few m
and rushed inside
had her. He actec
by some part of h
“What do you
though?’ ”

GORL

RAILR
Ev:

1s


a

‘aman Hanson
10e about five
* he coast where
2ach. The shoe
‘ater very long.
t leather and
e 7-B.”
» size as the
3ernsky’s car,”
“The pair we
sack are old

d Sheriff Dur-

near where
‘ked, Coxswain
‘ a large cos-
rose colored
Foye. “At the
own, we found
2aring apparel
‘ey have been
time.”
owman. “Now,
, Howard.”
long leg over
sheriff’s desk,
ern hat to the
“he boys have
here it to tell.
that Sneathen
‘. He told the
infirmary that
:d him started
turned back
“-arter of a
: past the
is car and
7x9 ue drew his
1e man to stop
pt coming. to-
he surely was
lights coming.
oot.” .
ooks like that
‘perate. Could

have been coming back to finish
the lad off.”

Jack Sernsky had good reason
to be desperate. “I might as well
tell you,” Sernsky grimly related
when he was brought in for further
questioning. “You'll find it out soon
enough. I’m an ex-con. I’m out on
parole. Ive been up three times for
burglary. You fellows know what
Folsom means. I didn’t kill Marian
—Mrs. Berger. If she’s dead, Harry
killed her.”

“With what?” Durley wanted to
know.

“That tire iron. The one I used
on the coast guardsman. I found it
in the bottom of the car after Harry
drove away with Mrs. Berger. I
took it with me for self protection.’

“why did you slug the coast
guardsman?”

“Tt knew something had happened
to Mrs. Berger when I couldn’t find
her in my car. I feared the worst.
I'd be the goat hecause I was a
three-time loser: I wanted to get

away.” Then seeing Durward Bun-

nel, court reporter with his note
book, Sernsky dummied up and re-
fused to answer any more questions.

“We know your record,” Durley’s
voice was harsh. “We found you
were going under three names:
your selective sehvice card gives the
name of John Sernsky. You carry
an alien registration card under
the name of Jan Francis Sarac-
zewski and your driver’s license
shows you also use the name of
John Jack Peterson. No trouble at
all to get your case history. If a
crime has been committed—and
circumstances point that way—
then you're in up to your neck,
Sernsky, and I don’t mean may-
be.”

“you can say that twice,” Sern-
sky snapped, his eyes blazing. “But
I didn’t harm Mrs. Berger.”

Heres? a short time later
another link was added to the
chain of circumstantial evidence
connecting Sernsky to the disap-
pearance of Marian Berger. A
coast guardsman reported to the
officers that when Sernsky had
been examined at camp N-11, he
had seen a diamond dinner ring
and a narrow band ring in the
man’s wallet. There had been no
such rings in the wallet when it
was examined at Ventura. A search
was at once made of the cell where
Sernsky had been confined for @
short time before he was booked.
From the bow! of the cell toilet,
Deputy Peterson recovered a band
ring.-The diamond ring was not
to be found.

“How about the rings you drop-
ped in the toilet?” questioned Un-
der Sheriff William Suytar when
the suspect was again brought to
the front office. “Going to come
clean now?”

Sernsky glared balefully at the
tall, proad-shouldered officer, “Go
ahead!” he shouted. “Start your

CONFIDENTIAL DETECTIVE CASES

third aegree. That’s the routine.”

“We don’t use third degree. You'll
talk eventually. They all do,” ob-
served Suytar mildly. “You'll be
crying on my shoulder and spilling
a different tale before the day’s
over. The boys say I have a way
with me.”

Sernsky turned frightened eyes
on Suytar, then snapped: “Tl. see
you in hell first!”

However, Suytar didn’t have the
opportunity of trying his powers of
persuasion on the towering sus-
pect. The arrival of homicide of-
ficers from Los Angeles changed
the picture of the case.

Upon learning that Mrs. David E.
Berger had been one of the occu-
pants of the blood-soaked car, Cap-
tain Thad Brown of the Los
Angeles Homicide Bureau, assign-
ed Detective Lieutenants Richard
B. McCreadie and Robert F. Mc-
Garry to the case. Together with
Forensic Chemist Ray H. Pinker
and Fingerprint expert Sergeant
John Larbaig, the trained homi-
cide investigators .made a quick
run to Ventura, 75 miles distant.

It was difficult to say who was
the most surprised when Sernsky
faced the Los Angeles officers.

“Good grief, Pete! I haven’t seen
you in years.” Lt. McCreadie sprang
to his feet.

Sernsky’s thin lips creased in a
bleak smile and his face flushed
as his eyes shifted from McCreadie
to McGarry.

It was the latter’s turn to be
surprised. “Well, I’ll_ be darned!
You’re the guy I sent up for burg-
lary seven years ago.”

Sernsky nodded. “Small world,
isn’t it?” His voice was_ bitter.
“Tieutenant McCreadie used to pa-
tronize the soda fountain at Pico
and Western where I worked be-
fore Lieutenant McGarry put me
over on the last stretch,” he ex-
plained to Sheriff Durley. Then,
turning suddenly to McCreadie, he
asked: “If Marian—Mrs. Berger—
was beaten up in Los Angeles,
would I be taken back there?”

“You'll be taken where ever the
crime was committed,” McCreadie
replied stiffly. “But don’t run away
with the idea, Pete, that you'll get
any better treatment in L. A. than
you’ve had here.”

“No—no! I wasn’t thinking of
anything like that.” Sernsky turn-
ed and glared at Under Sheriff
Suytar, who had nudged him gent-
ly in the back. “Only—Harry did
start beating Mrs. Berger up before
we left Los Angeles.”

“where?” McCreadie snapped the
question. The suspect had started
to sing. He might give. But, other

- than to say that while his car had

been parked under a palm tree
close to the Red Cross Center on
Menlo Avenue, Harry had beaten
Mrs. Berger over the head, Sernsky
refused to amplify his latest story.

While McGarry and McCreadie
were questioning the suspect, For-

ensic Chemist Pinker visited the
scene of the attack. He took sam
ples of the blood on the highway
and on the rocks down the embank-
ment. He found the top of the sea
wall contaminated with blood. Di-
rectly beneath the scratches, the
chemist picked up a small black
button to which were attached sev-
eral short black threads. The but-
ton had been torn from a garment,
he pointed out later to Sheriff
Durley, who showed him a similar
button which had been recovered
from the floor of Sernsky’s car
that morning.

“You won’t need to take blood
samples from the car,” Durley told
Pinker. “I’vé just had a report that
gives the case to Los Angeles.”

Captain Thad Brown had report-
ed to Durley that at 1134 Menlo
Avenue he had found evidence that
had substantiated, at least in part,
Sernsky’s remarkable story.

Captain Brown, Detective Lieu-
tenant Lloyd Hurst and Sergeant
Robert Lohrman had experienced
no difficulty in locating the palm
tree on Menlo Avenue near the Red
Cross Center. There lying in a
large pool of blood close to the
curb, Captain Brown had found a
man’s left glove—from the descrip-
tion, the mate to the glove found
in Sernsky’s car. Another pool of
blood was found by Hurst, a few
yards down the street.

The suspect was rushed back to
Los Angeles and without hesitation
led the officers to this same loca-
tion. Other than to say: “This is
where my car was parked when she
was hit,” he offered no further
explanation of the strange case.
“7)] tell Mr. Berger everything
when he gets back,” was his answer
to all questions. He was booked at
a suburban jail and the officers re-
doubled their efforts to find Marian
Berger’s body.

OAST Guard patrol boats, at

Sheriff Durley’s request, search-
ed the waters off Point Mugu for
the body believed to have been
cast into,the surf. Coast Guard
stations along the coast were on
the alert, but two days slipped by
and still the officers were confront-
ed with the question of establishing
a corpus delicti.

“we've got a lot of evidence, but
we need a body,” Captain Brown
told McCreadie and McGarry, as
he studied the report brought in
after days of intensive investiga-
tion. “We need a sound motive,
too!”

“The motive stumps me,” said
McGarry. “Dave Berger arrived
from the East by plane this morn-
ing and he is positive his wife was
not interested in Sernsky—Peter-
son, as they knew him at the plant.
In’ fact, Berger says his wife dis-
liked the man. He is positive she
wouldn’t have been out dancing
with him.”

“Wwe mustn’t overlook the money

37


, 4 week later,

1944—-before -

it Little Rock
of detectives,
dH. M. Judd,
. ind this cap-
not have oc-
slayer of two
crime.
staging his
Rock within

thing meant
? said, as he
i false mus-
Noticing that
thing his ac-
y: “Oh, I al-
I don’t want
ne. You see,
maybe I still

id murdered
she talked
d me more
about my
in’t have to
‘ was doing
»dy believed
ling around
straight.
intil she got
to her, and
and finally
choked
dy saw
nscious,
d stockings
around her
{ knew she
know the

Chief Little
under her

/ admitted.
Ww you guys °
-e’s lots of
ere.”

‘as only 50
d the mon-

eduled for
Jut on the
2 sawed a
one from
made his
3 hacksaw
out.

vaS recap-
trial reset
rs, he had
’ required

ballot to es

er in the

presided,
1 the elec-
date of
’ 1. The
\y Stayed,
d an ap-
no date
ring,

> F endle-
are ficti-
0 per-

CONFIDENTIAL
DEE GMINIE

managed to stagger to the nearest
secret plug-in, 100 feet down the
highway and reported to N-1l:

No need to tell Seaman 1/c C. A.
Goodson, who took the call, that
haste was necessary. Through his
mind flashed a picture of the bleak
coast line patrolled by Sneathen
and his collie. The call had come
from plug-in 544—that was just be-
yond the Point Mugu rock, above
a rugged rock strewn beach a few
miles from the new Naval Base. An
attack on a patrolman might mean
saboteurs—anything. Seconds later,
Coxswain Marvin F. Thoroughgood
and Seaman 1/c Donald E. Peters,
armed with sub-machine guns, piled
into a car and roared away to Point
Mugu rock.

The car’s

lights disclosed a

strange sight as Thoroughgood and

Peters reached plug-in 544. Sneath-
en, with blood running down his
grim, young face, held a gun on a
tall, disheveled man who was slow-
ly advancing on the coast guards-
man. Leaping from the car,
Thoroughgood and Peters ran for-
ward. As the white glare of the
coxswain’s powerful flashlight hit
the man, he slowly raised his hands.

“you win,” he muttered and
glared around as Peters’ machine
gun pressed into his back. He offer-
ed no resistance when his captors
thoroughly, if none too gently, pin-
ioned his arms behind him. It was
then, young Sneathen with a satis-
fied gasp, slid, unconscious, to the
ground. ‘

ee the arrival of two cars
loaded with excited coast
guardsmen, Coxswain Thorough-
good, sub-station leader, established
a patrol of the highway and coast
line where the attack had occur-

, Ted, and rushed SP 2/c Clark

Young with the wounded seaman
to the Naval hospital at Point
Hueneme. In the glare of car lights
and surrounded by grim-faced
coast guardsmen, the stranger was
marched back to camp N-11 to
await the arrival of deputies from
the sheriff’s office at Ventura.

In his cursory examination of the
stranger’s car, Thoroughgood had
made a_ startling
back of the front seat was covered
with what seemd to be partly dried
blood. From one of the secret plug-
ins, Thoroughgood had reported
this find to Chief Petty Officer Dale
‘Ufieman, at Camp N-11. Sheriff L.
Howard Durley at Ventura was im-
mediately notified.

discovery—the .

CONFIDENTIAL DETECTIVE CASES

MYSTERY AT POINT MUGU —

(Continued from page 13)

Deputy Sheriffs William T. Fred-
rick and Harold H. Peterson, ac-
companied by Chief Petty Officer
R. L. Barry, of the Oxnard Shore
Patrol Station, reached camp N-11
shortly after midnight. They were
back in Ventura at dawn, but dur-
ing those few hours had uncovered
what appeared to be a mysterious
crime.

Sheriff Durley was waiting. With-
out comment, he eyed the man
whose personal property was being
listed by the night jailer. The man
was unusually tall with broad
shoulders and pale blue eyes like
the eyes of a china doll. Light
brown hair, thin on top, had been
carefully trimmed by an expert
barber. His sport clothes, while
they showed the rough handling
by the coast guard dog, were of
good material. The shirt was a soft
blue silk.

Sheriff Durley’s eyes narrowed as
the jailer counted the handful of
crumpled currency taken from the
right hand front pocket of the sus-
pect’s trousers—one hundred and
ten dollars—a lot of jack to be
stuffed loose in a pocket when the
man’s wallet contained but a sol-
itary ten dollar bill. Now, Durley
believed, robbery could be added to
the score against the man booked
as John F. Sernsky, 37, a shipping
clerk for a Los Angeles defense
plant.

Leaving the suspect in the cus-
tody of the jailer, Durley followed
Fredrick and Petersen into his pri-

- yate office where the deputies had

piled a miscellaneous collection of
articles on his desk.

“It’s a honey, Howard,” Fredrick
reported jubilantly. “It has all the
ear-marks of a murder.”

Durley grinned. “Got yourselves
a murder, have you? Well, go
ahead. Spill the beans.”

Fredrick, one of Durley’s chief
investigators, related briefly: “Har-
old and I were on a job at Oxnard
when the radio call came through
that a coast guardsman had been
slugged at Point Mugu rock. We
picked up Shore Patrol Officer Bar-
ry, and stepped on the gas. Got to
Point Mugu at about 12:13. The
coast guard boys had taken the guy
who did the slugging back to Camp
N-11, along with his auto. It’s a
36 Ford, two-door sedan. It’s down-
stairs.”

“Jt’ll keep. Let’s get to the mur-
der part. What did you find?”

“Blood ... plenty of it. All over .

the front seat—on the back and

_ the cushion. A big pool on the floor

under the front seat. It had even
run out and across the running
board.”

“Someone badly wounded was
carried in that front seat,” Durley
thought aloud.

“It was a woman,” said Peter-
sen. “In the back of the sedan was
a suitcase filled with women’s
clothing. A woman’s wrist watch, a
pair of women’s shoes in a paper
sack and a large black purse on the
back seat. We found that glove on
the floor in front,” indicating a
man’s right glove of pig-skin
leather. “Every reason to believe
the wounded person was a woman.
There were several tufts of long
hair, reddish colored, in the blood
on the back of the seat.”

“This is probably what Sernsky
used to lambast the coast guards-
man.” Fredrick indicated an iron
bar—part of a car spring. “But it
doesn’t seem to have any blood on
it. We picked it up on the floor in
the front of the car. There was a
half bottle of beer there also. Those
clean towels were in the dash com-
partment and that soiled one was
in the back,” pointing to the var-
ious articles. Then picking up a
large black leather purse, the
remarking: ‘You'll find this mighty
deputy placed it before the sheriff
interesting, Howard.” -

Thoughtfully, Durley studied the
contents: the usual make-up, hand-
kerchiefs, a gas coupon book, a
railroad ticket from Los Angeles
to San Francisco, validated ‘for the
‘Daylight Limited’ of May 11th out
of Los Angeles, and two ration
books.

“May 11th—this morning—some-
one’s missed that train,” Durley
observed dryly, as he flipped open
the cover of the ration book. A few
seconds later he reached for the

_ telephone.

“Get me Los Angeles Homicide,”
the sheriff instructed tersely, then
turned to his deputies. “Bill, you
and Harold wake up Roy Foye at
Point Hueneme and tell him to
hustle out to the “Big Cut” and
take charge of the investigation.
T’ll rush Howard Bowman out for
pictures aS soon as it’s daylight.
Bring that Sernsky guy in after I
talk with Los Angeles.”

“This is Durley at Ventura,” the
sheriff told Sergeant M. W. Haub,
at Los Angeles, when the con-
nection had been established. “we
have the makings of a good mystery

35


INSIDE FACTS FROM POLICE RECORDS

prought back from the “Big
—as the Point Mugu rock was
eepened the mystery
on the coast guards-

up here at Point Mugu. Looks like
we'll pin a murder tag on it before
long. Bloody automobile .. . bunch
of women’s things but no sign of
the woman... coast guardsman
slugged when he went to investi-
gate the auto... Here’s the data
to date:” and Durley outlined the
findings.

“Things in the auto appear to
belong to Mrs. Marian Berger, 3096
San Marino Street, your city. Her
ration book and that of David E.
Berger, same address, were in the
car, Wish you’d check on the Ber-
gers, also the fellow who did the
slugging and who owns the bloody
car... name of John F. Sernsky,
address 711 Valencia Street, L. A.
Y’ll be calling you again. Sernsky’s
story may clear things up.”

But the story told by Sernsky
only added to the mystery. He said
that he had been out dancing with
the wife of his employer, David
Berger, personnel manager of the
6-Wheels, Inc., @ Los Angeles de-
fense plant. Berger was East on a
pusiness trip so Sernsky said he
took the wife to Ocean Park. While

name he did not know. He had
followed the couple up the coast
on the Roosevelt Highway. He had
overtaken them near Point Mugu
rock, There, he had seen this
stranger beating Mrs. Berger and
had interfered. The man and Mrs.
Berger had driven away going
north. She would, in all probability,
be found at her mother’s home in
San Francisco.

| arcs that morning, when con-
fronted with the evidence of
plood in his car, Sernsky altered’
his story. The man’s name was
Harry, he now told the officers.
Harry was tall and had red hair.
Harry was jealous of him. Harry
had followed Mrs. Berger and him
up the Coast Highway in a Pontiac
sedan.

alone for a few minutes,” Sernsky
explained, “and when I got back
I found Harry in my car beating
her. I saw him strike her over the
head with some weapon. I pulled
Harry from my car and we fought.
He knocked me out for a few min-
utes and when I could realize what
was going on, both he and Mrs.
Berger had disappeared.”

“when you tell a lie, tell a good
one,” said Sheriff Durley with a
chuckle, as he watched the tall,
proad-shouldered suspect being led
away. “That certainly sounds like
a whopper to me.” Then turning

latter part of Sernsky’s story,
“what did you boys find at Point

Mugu?” .
The information which Howard

Bowman, chief of the Ventura Bu-
reau of Investigation, and Deputy

36

“Seaman Hanson
shoe about five
the coast where
ow beach. The shoe
he water very long.

Foye nodded.
found a woman’s

called—only d

of the attack there is a shall

hadn't been in t
It is a black patent leather

ugu, Deputy -
gabardine pump,

Seaman 1/c
nd Seaman 2/c

Enroute to Pt. M
Foye had picked
Wallace Hanson a
Upchurch, who ‘were on
At daybreak, these two
dsmen together with
amp N-l1l, began 4
y foot of the
he highway an
t to the Big Cut.
h that indicated
en committed:
hway and drops of
bankment to the
3 the top of the
and marks that

ame: size as the
Sernsky’s car,”
“The pair we
per sack are old

shoes we found in
n Fredrick.

patrol duty.
found in the pa

coast guar
others from C
careful search of ever “Go on, Roy,” said Sheri:
embankment, t
seawall adjacen
They found muc
a crime had
blood on the hig

ey.

“On the highway near where
Sernsky’s car was parked, Coxswain
hgood found a large cos
ooch set with rose colored
” continued Foye.
sea wall but farther down, we found
several articles of wearing app
which looks as if they have been
on the beach a long tim

Durley turned to Bo
let’s hear from you,
draped a long leg over
the corner of the sheriff’s desk,
and shoved his Western h
back of his head.
given you a
It was darne
had a dog with
doctors at the Nav
the man wh
to drive away, b
after going abo
mile. This time
guardsman @

ocean, ayd, acros
sea wall, scratches
indicated something had
ged over it.

“Looks like something heavy
shoved across the sea wall into
ocean,” Foye sai
only a fou
but on the ocean
is twelve feet high at 1
e breakers dash a
d throw a lot of spray
trong swirling. mo-
t the base of the
trong current
to the ocean. Also, a
d into the water

d_ gravely.
ft on the inside,
side the sea wall

ow tide, ‘At “The boys have

there it to tell.
d lucky that Sneathen
him. He told the
al infirmary that
ked him started
ut turned back

high tide th
the wall an
and there is a S
tion of the water a
all and quite a s
Jeading out
suction downwar
which would have been
m the top 0
the coast guards-
ed. The attack oc-
It was high tide at

he drove past the
ked his car and
then says he drew his
d shouted to the man to stop
t the man kept coming. to-
d that he surely was
r lights coming.

or three feet fro
wall at the tim
man was slugg'
curred at 11:30.
about midnight.”

“Tf a body was
no better place c
found, I take it, you th
a body, Roy?”

ward him an
en he saw ca
% want to shoot.”

“Jt looks like that
desperate. Could

to be disposed of,

ould have been
Durley sighed.

Sernsky guy was

* » os Seige MRCS ’

]
t

to be
tell J
when
questi
enoug
parole
burgl:
Folsor
—Mrs
killed
“Wit
know.
“The
on the
in the)
drove
took it
“Wh:
guards)
“J kn
to Mrs.
her in
I’d be
three-ti)
‘away.”
nel, co.
book; S«
fused to
“We k
voice w
were g¢
your sele
name of!
an. alie:
the nan
zewski
shows y
John Jac
all to ge
crime h
circr
then
Sern _
be.” ”
i c.
Sky sna
I didn’t i

OWE\
anot!
chain of
connectin;
pearance
coast a
theeti’
been exar
had seen
and a na
man’s wal
such rings
was exami?
was at onc
Sernsky h:
short time
From the
Deputy Pet
to be founc
“How abc
ped in the
der Sheriff
the suspect
the front «
clean now? «
Sernsky ¢
tall, broad-s
ahead!” he

= HOWARD. E. ‘BOWMAN, -tighti
shows. SHERIFF ~L.. HOWARD”,
“DURLEY the bloodstains:on the
“running board of the suspect's car’
ewhich' indicated fhat the ‘car. had
been ‘stationary for some ‘time:

“after. the victim: had. <been
‘placed ‘in,_.the. front seat. :
spra a
r
an t
most bIOE the “High-tide’s a funny time to be
5 that ting Visibil- fishing,” he observed as he slipped
ith yell then his notebook into a pocket. Curious
at when en an to see. what was going on below,
ige of the hig he strolled again to the bank’s
toward th a iing edge, Boots close at heel.
man stan! the Without warning, a blow, struck
way between. sie with all the force of hatred and
pankment @ ‘Again fear back of it, caught Sneathen
-eet pelo & col: across the right side of his neck,
che tug © the a felled him. An iron bar was de-
w he * ew W scending over the guardsman’s un-
“4 e? protected head a third time, when
ig on do ther . a streak of yellow and white flash-
rdasman challenge”: ed forward, as Boots, with a vicious
"ak up Lage at snarl, sprang at the attacker’s
» The E throat. :
pe tor a few grat Sharp teeth found their mark,
a ped slowly UP oe With a scream of terror, the as-
pre shale making | sailant, swinging his bludgeon wild-
as the small geo’ ly, turned and ran to his parked
: rd af ach’ Seed car. He scrambled inside, but not
- the stranger at ae before the snarling dog had torn
Ds ggman and TeP a) f. the seat and one leg from his pants
tantly to ancther ch | and sharp teeth had ripped deep
van ati gashes in his thigh.
a2 woman a od The furious dog tried for several
Oy, she’s 2 with * minutes to reach the man cowering
peghtn't to be out m | inside the car, then, true ‘to train-
ous" rying to get the ing, when left alone raced back to
was eners N-11, her home camp for aid.
ers oI ee But aid was on its way before the
rger’s Vgneathen COO, «4 dog reached the camp at Point
ic, i auty 7 1y | Mugu. While Boots was keeping his
at b de @ al rece assailant at bay, Sneathen had
ke the front. Stine (Continued on page 35)
e ;
_
a pe license BUND!

saeedann dil Pe
Ly ee aa

7 Seago.

YU

adndaaa

*

Se

air een -—~ a is oe LaLa” cae tenOnings
er 4 ‘ Pau i ” Ries

KILLER:
overtime,
e efficieat police

Peete faced
office table.
t for Doran.
ig prosecutor
‘yes—strange
in the gray
nny at times
eep pools of

a your heart,
> tell me the
usiness,” Do-

in’t,” she. re-

ked, gently.
‘es brimmed.
> nodded to-
loor beyond
whose head
| sleeping -in
ake my child

Denton and
screet, your
1. It would
ad jury any-
Zou .can’t .be
The jurors
one will ever
and jury.”
ong breath.
speak when
stirred rest-
ian drew her
s and joined
at Doran had
He would
ame there to

ise was pre-

the Kohinoor -

ing each day
cope.

taken from
| from Den-
declared by
to be human
mortem es-
iat the body
‘ave was that
»psy surgeons
che right arm
ture between

the autopsy
ich and kid-
ite of preser-
ernal organs,
presence of
nto a dither.
in the lungs
ion. Poison—
adlines_ that
k away the
ON BURIED
7GED, THEN

possible pur-

Examining
the Catalina
iget found a
ourchase that
-d most un-
s. Peete had
laundry soap
purchased an
Another = slip
June 4 of six

Two weeks

later, however, five of the six cans
were returned.

From a prominent real estate firm
came the story that at the time of
her departure for Denver, Mrs. Peete
was negotiating a sale of the Denton
house for $28,000. Denton, she

‘claimed, had given her a power of

attorney to make such a sale.
Charlie Hamil, the plumber who
disposed of Denton’s suits for Mrs.
Peete, had also been endeavoring to
sell the Denton house, it was’learned.
Questioned, he told officers that Mrs.
Peete had asked him to list the prop-

erty with several real estate firms. She: |

had urged a quick sale, saying that
Denton was away on a clandestine

trip with a Spanish woman. and might >

not return for a long time:
Mrs. Falon, the dréssmaker, told
Sergeant Hickok. that one day in

July Mrs. Peete after talking on the’

*phone, joyfully announced that Mr.
Denton had just told her he intended
to give her all his furniture and
would be out soon to bring her a
power of attorney. Mrs: Falon fur-
ther related that soon after this Mrs.
Peete gave her a number of small
articles from the Denton home.
Among these was a box containin
baby clothes, a hee of tiny shoes an
toys for an infant. Police believed
these were mementoes of his wife and
baby that Denton had highly prized.

Regretfully, Mrs. Falon told: Hickok
that in exchange for these gifts she
made her friend a lovely waist out of
a man’s heavy white silk shirt. Two
of her uncle’s white silk shirts had
been reported missing by Denton’s
niece.

Poe rine the coroner’s inquest
—October 9—which established
that Jacob Charles Denton had been
murdered, the grand jury took up:
the investigation of the crime.

Walking in the hotel: grounds with
Hal Blan
jury convened, Mrs. Peete stopped
suddenly and asked: “Can I trust you,
Miss Bland? I must talk with some-
one!”

The District Attorney’s investiga-
tor showed no surprise as she drew
the younger woman to a seat under
a gnarled oak tree, “You can trust
me,” she assured Mrs. Peete.

With a sigh of relief; Louise Peete
related a strange story: Denton and
the Spanish woman quarreled down-
stairs all the night of June 1, she
said. Hearing the sounds of a scuffle,
she had stolen down the back ‘stairs
and entered the kitchen just after a
shot was fired. Denton, a revolver
in his hand, was seated facing the
Spanish woman. ° She had been shot.
Blood poured from: a wound in the
woman’s shoulder.

“The bullet. had torn pekeis, Mir ed
shoulder and struck the back 6f
sink,” Mrs. Peete explained.
member: seeing the bullet spinning
around in thé’ sink.”

Mrs. Peete had helped dress the
wound. Later, Denton took the wo-
man away. When at noon he returned,
he carried his right arm in a sling.
“I'm sure the woman’s friends are
responsible for Mr. Denton’s death,”
Mrs. Peete -insisted.

Rushed to the Denton home by
Colin and two detectives, Mrs. Peete
calmly pointed out where the Spanish
woman had been seated when shot
and where she said blood had filled
a plate and run down into the corner.

“Mr. Denton tried to wash up the

._ man and a two-fisted fighter.

on the morning the grand’

the
ay re- .

: i
TERN Tae RETR TTT CaN Ratt es

FACTS FROM OFFICIAL FILES

blood,” Mrs. Peete said. ‘He lifted
up the corner of the linoleum to wash
under it and the linoleum tore,” she
.added, pointing to where a jagged
rent showed in the floor covering.
“You'll | probably find blood under that
corner.
Eagerly the officers investigated.
They found plenty of bloodstains
under the linoleum. There was a
slight mark over the sink that could
have been’ made.by a spent bullet,
and bloodstains were discovered on
the table and chair. A large piece
‘of oilcloth that had been found in the

JUDGE RUSS AVERY: "I've known Denton
for. fifteen years. He was a self-made

But I'm
certain his relations with Mrs. Peete
were strictly business and nothing else.”

basement was examined. A jagged
shole in the oilecloth matched an in-
dentation in the table top.. Had the
Spanish woman really been. shot

- while seated at.this table? If so, how

account for the bullet Mrs. Peete
claimed she had seen spinning in the
sink? ‘A carom from the table to
the sink: involved a shot too compli-
cated for: even the officers to fathom.

WHEN the mayor, backed by a
disgruntled press, had announced

that the Denton case was not a ‘

pressed as it: should be and demande
arrests, Bill Doran had only smiled.
He was ready now. He had completed
arrangements whereby the theory
that.had caused him to have the in-
quest postponed—so that no. disposal
could: be made of the remains—would
be proved or disproved. Bill Doran’s
theory was that strangulation had not
been the cause of Denton’s death!

It was after midnight of October
18, that an' ambulance drove quietly
down an alley back of a downtown
Los Angeles office building.
stealthily, a heavily covered stretcher
‘was taken via the freight elevator to
the eighth floor of this building where
a group of white-clad men were wait-
ing. Hours later the same ambulance
returned to the county morgue. The
remains of Charles Denton had been
completely x-rayed by the Clarence
H. Jones Laboratory under the most
difficult and trying conditions, owing
to the decomposition of the body.

Next morni ag County ri ge Sur-
geon Dr. A, F.: Wagner, Bill Doran
and an assistant studied the results of
the night’s work. Doran had cause
now to-exult. His postponed inquest

Almost .

had been justified. The x-ray pic-
tures disclosed that Jacob Charles
Denton had been shot through the
neck.

For once, the papers got the breaks.
The public was now told that. the
x-ray and: post mortem following
showed the presence of bits of metal-
lic substance in the area at the base
of the brain and along the jaw;. that
there were pieces of shattered verte-
bra in the neck and a hole through
the neck of a size ordinarily made
by a bullet of .32 or .38-calibre. The
gunshot wound _ had _instantaneously
ended Denton’s life. The victim’s .32-
calibre revolver, found on a closet
shelf the day the body was discovered,
had contained an eure shell. Den-
ton, the press asserted, had been shot
from behind with his own revolver.

Two days later, District Attorney
Woolwine returned to Los Angeles,
bringing the bunco suspect he had
gone East to extradite. And now the
brew that had been cooking between
the newspapers and Deputy Doran
boiled over. f

Reporters boarded Woolwine’s pull-
man and laid their complaints before
him. Woolwine advised them that he
would take personal charge of the
Peete case and promised that every
bit of evidence would be given to
them. :

. Except that he did not make public

what transpired at the Glenn anch,
the District Attorney kept his word,
and the public learned many new and
startling facts.

The press now related that when
Mrs. Peete departed for Denver she
wore the expensive tailored suit she
claimed to have purchased for the
Spanish woman, and that she had
asked Denton’s nephews to explain to
her the action of quick-lime on hu-
man bodies.

As for the first story, Denver women
friends contended that Mrs. Peete had
never been seen wearing either . the
elaborate charmeuse gown or the $160
tailored suit which both her Los An-
geles friends, Mrs. Renee Falon and
the Hollywood woman, were certain
she wore away from Los Angeles. No
trace of any of the articles charged to
Mrs. J. C. Denton on the $680 bill
could be found among Mrs. Peete’s
possessions, according to Denver
officers.

But, as for the second story, Den-
ton’s nephews claimed that when they
talked with Mrs. Peete the middle of
June, one of them had chanced to re-
mark that if his uncle had been taken
into the mountains and killed, his
body might never be found, as every-
one since the war knew the action of
quick-lime in destroying bodies. Mrs.
Peete had been very interested. She
had drawn them back into the house
and had asked many questions, they
asserted.

No less lurid was the story told by’

an insurance agent who had met Mrs.
Peete in May, when he changed the
fire insurance on the Denton home.
This man claimed to have received a

‘’*phone call from the new tenant the

rst week of June. She asked him,
he asserted, where she could purchase
a small quantity of cement. She ex-

lained that Mr. Denton wished to

ury some keepsakes of his wife and
baby in the basement of the Catalina
Street house.

When this story reached the re-
porters, a Times man prevailed upon
Rush Blodget to accompany him to
the Denton home. (As attorney for

57


.¢ Defender
) substanti-
ory she had

‘e complete
sh woman
, “She was
—I’d know

‘y for Den-
xperiencing
come from
that a wo-
iton’s legal
part of the
his woman
Denton in
105

ed that this
Jenton had
xr divorced

letters to
itire south-
rorce action
cob Charles
e after an-
:: “No such
ung’s mail
gales, Ari-
C. Denton
a there in
pleted by a
me woman
iat she had
and wanted

»s for their
only spiked
» estate, but
»f Denton’s
fe.

trial was
nse crowds
1 glimpse of
3; the press

came at the
1 the reason
sh to Glenn
tht. No fa-
re staged a
c than Ag-
he jury the
‘anspired at
argued that
been gotten
mises. But
Nillis ruled

defendant,
ing the trial
uise Peete
been hood-

vanity, the
| in the at-
ct by Doran
enn Ranch.
had talked
*st one and
men, every
n discussed;
-old was re-
kground, a
every word

eadly docu-
aating as a
hour, the
od on. And,
t’s face be-
reached the
‘there Doran
papers that
p from her
stark hatred
t she turned
tor. Among
ower of at-
-eete’s name
ture. J. C.

See Soo Ten ae eS

free pte eninaastoruhamntrerecrias he epstinli

iS He MOEA ES

_on March 12,

en Rs

“Who signed this?” Doran had asked.
“Why, I did that,” was Mrs. Peete’s
reply.. Then. she explained that. she
didn’t know why she had signed Den-
ton’s name to the document. She had
just been fooling around with a pen.

“I just wanted to see how the paper: ©

would look if Mr. Denton had signed
it, like he promised he would. I never
intended to keep that paper.”
Questioned further by Doran, she
denied emphatically that she had been
lo dag to copy nton’s signature
when she wrote his name on the paper.
Aggler, Vercoe and Scott fought
stubbornly to offset this damaging evi-
dence. Their witnesses insisted that .
Mrs. Peete ;had suffered from spinal
trouble for’ years and could not have
dragged a 200-pound. body into .the
basement crypt; that Denton had lost
part of a finger in a mine crusher and

To the trained eye of the firefighter
‘the twisted mass of wreckage in the

room had been burned by a heat far
more intense than that given off by a
wood fire. An examination of the room
revealed the reason for this—an empty
quart bottle of rye. Alcohol burns
with a fiercer flame than wood. A
blackened key lay beside the body.
Also beside the body was a .small
heap of burned ers, and it was
this that furnishe e first clue as to
the cause of the fire. In the opinion
of the police and the fire department,
the woman, while under the influence
of liquor, had tried to burn some
papers and the flames somehow got to
the alcohol. - ‘

That there could be any other ex-
planation for this horrible scene never:
crossed the minds of any of the officers. .
The reason for this was obvious:
There were only two means of en-
trance into the room of death; one
was through the double windows that

- faced the front.of the house and the

other through the door. The windows
were latched on the inside, while the
door was not only locked, with ‘the
key to it laying alongside the body,
but it had an inside bolt which was
locked securely in place.
The deputy medical examiner, who
examined the body, issued a.report
that death was due to excessive char-
ring, and that the fire presumably was

started when the victim tried to-burn ’:

some papers while under the influ-
ence of liquor. The body of Miss:
Coleman was thereupon removed to.
an undertaking establishment and,

then buried in St. Raymond’s Ceme-”

tery in the Bronx.
There the case would have rested,
marked down as one of those heart-
breaking tragedies that are daily oc-
currences. But weeks:,after the fire
had been forgotten a report on it’
passed through the hands-of Assistant: -
District Attorney T.° Francis Marro. '
He read that a fire of unknown origin °
had. swept through the combination,
dining room-bedroom of a Miss Mary’
Coleman at approximately. 7:45 a.m.
at Miss Coleman had -
been burned to death and that there
were no apparent signs of violence.

ST ee Oe he eee
FACTS FROM OFFICIAL FILES

that the recovered body, with a
fingers intact, could not be his. | -
ut the simple, gentle statement of
Denton’s daughter was more impres-
sive. “I know -my. father never ‘lost
art of a finger because I have ‘held
is hands,”. she said. ;

'» Woolwine relentlessly assailed the

defendant’s story of the Spanish wo-
man, a mythical personage invented
by her, he insisted. Denton, the prose-
cution declared, had been shot from
behind... Theft had been the motive.

'. The jury, after a short deliberation,
found Louise L. Peete. guilty of first -

dégree murder, but recommended life
imprisonment. :

e,case was carried to the highest
tribunal, where the trial court’s ver-
dict was affirmed. tgs eo gi Peete
spent eighteen years
bars before she was paroled.

hind prison

In spite of prison environment, this
strange woman kept herself attractive
and made many friends, who declare
she must have been viens f a
knowledge of her innocence. idly
enough, many believe she was framed
to shield some influential enemy of
Denton’s, and was led to fabricate a
story that convicted her by its falsity;
that she talked herself into prison.

That much, at least, is true. Lawyers
everywhere say that there was no di-
rect evidence connecting her with the
homicide; and that if she hadn’t gone
to the Glenn Ranch and had kept
silent, she could never have been
convicted. :

The names Albert Colin, .Charlie
Hamil and Renee Falor are fictitious
in order to protect the identity of
innocent persons. . ~

THE MURDER THAT COULDN’T HAVE

HAPPENED

This report would have been tossed
aside but for.a single fact. Miss Cole-
man had come into the district at-
torney’s office on three separate
occasions in the past complaining that
Linkie Mitchell, a notorious west side
mobster, had held her up three times
and had beaten her in an effort to
make her reveal where she had cached
a large amount of cash she was sup-
posed to have hidden somewhere in
the house she owned. On each of those
occasions the mobster. had beaten the
rap when he was able to furnish an
alibi that could not be broken down.
There was, of course, no mention any-
where in the official report that Linkie
Mitchell was connected with the fire
and the: subsequent death of Mary

-LINKIE MITCHELL: Guilty of many

offenses, he inadvertently set fhe law
in motion on this. case, bat he was telling
the truth when he said, “Whad'ya tink!

| ain't messin" wit small-time stuff!"

Sek es /

(Continued from page 23)

Coleman. Quite the contrary, a room
barred from within argued - against
foul play. Nevertheless, istant Dis-
trict Attorney Marro’s suspicions im-
pelled him to launch a one-man,
investigation.

The fact that Mary Coleman’s death
had been certified as an accidental one
had caused the police to release. her
body without an autopsy being per-

_ formed. On March 25,.1924, thirteen

days after the fire, the body was ex-
. humed and brought to the morgue at
‘Bellevue Hospital. The following
morning the report of Dr. Otto
Schultze was placed before Assistant
District Attorney Marro. It stated that
on the skull over the coronary suture
a flow of blood had matted several
strands of hair and had prevented
them from burning. The blood had
come from a wound made. by a blunt
instrument. The throat and lungs
were free from smoke scorches and
carbon. There was a complete absence
of vital reactions by the body.

It meant that Mary Coleman was

" dead before the fire started!

Quite obviously, if Mary Coleman
was dead before the fire started, then
it would have been quite impossible
for her to have the conflagra-
tion. Assistant District Attorney Marro
was confronted ‘with a murder which,
on the face of it, looked like it couldn’t
have happened. ... ~+ .

HE first move Assistant: District
Attorney Marro made was to order
the police to bring in Linkie Mitchell
for questioning and to round up the
four roomers who had dwelt in Miss
Coleman’s house at the time of the
fire and who now were scattered in
different rooming houses throughout
the city. These were Harry Fenton
and his nineteen-year-old wife Mary,
Fred Bell and Miss Daisy Bender.
Linkie Mitchell was questioned first.
A short, squat mobster, with a. long
record of 'Sileneck, he had enough ex-
perience with the law to know how to
take care of himself during a cross
examination. This time he appeared
indignant at being brought in on what
he termed a “wrong rap.” He dis-
claimed knowledge of the killing.


Judge Avery, who was special ad-
ministrator for Denton’s estate, Blod-
get had access to the house at all
times.) Equipped with flashlights, the
two men located several large chunks
of tg Garena cement.

Was nton’s crypt to have -been
cemented over? o had tried -to
mix the cement? Officers sought the
answers.

But the new evidence was not all
against the fair suspect. Detective
Sergeants Hickok and Canto un-
covered many facts to substantiate
Mrs. Peete’s claim that Denton or his
“double” had remained in Los Angeles
after June 2—the date the broker was
believed to have been murdered.

Neighbors had noticed lights in the
house during
Others were certain they had seen a
man with his arm in a sling entering
the Denton home during the first
week of June.

A friend of the slain man said that
Denton, accompanied by Mrs. Peete,
had called on him June 1, and he was
certain that two a later Den-
ton had called again. e fixed this
date by a check given a friend earlier
the same evening. Another friend of
Denton’s recalled the incident. Mrs.
Belina Falden, an acquaintance of
Denton’s friend, added some very in-
teresting facts.

On the occasion of the first visit
Mr. Denton had introduced Mrs. Peete
to her, remarking that his new tenant
would try to sell his property and
that he was to pay her a commission
if she did make the sale. Denton
had seemed interested in Mrs. Peete,
the woman recalled.

N November 25, the day before
she was scheduled to appear be-
fore the grand jury, Louise Peete
disappeared from the La Crescenta
Hotel. Woolwine was frantic. He
threw every resource of his office in-

to the search for the missing witness. .

Late the following night, Doran re-
ceived a ’phone call from Mrs. Peete.
She was sorry to have caused him
trouble. She had needed seclusion,
so had slipped away. Entering a
church by chance, she had remained
there all night for prayer and medita-
tion. And now her mind was clear.
She had decided not to testify before
the grand jury! :

To the reporters this was a great
disappointment, but on November 29
the grand jury, after examining many
witnesses, indicted Louise L. Peete
and charged her with the murder of
Jacob Charles Denton. Whereupon

the newspapers went to town. Claim- —

ing to have had access to the official
mee given Woolwine by the Pink-
erton detectivés, they now reported
that Mrs, Peete had been involved in
urifavorable affairs with at least half
a dozen men, in alleged bogus oil stock
deals, in the disappearance of dia-

monds and trouble with bank checks. .

“The report,” said the press, “sets
forth how she used her feminine
charms to lure money and valuables
from men.” ‘

The Herald reporter’s story went
into details of Mrs. Peete’s early life.
A relative of Mrs. Peete, whose name
was withheld, claimed that for more
than four years he was Louise Lofie’s
sweetheart; that he spent all his earn-
ings and mortgaged his property to

provide for her; that he was forced.

to break off relations with her because
he learned she was carrying on with
other men.

Then, according to the detectives’ re-

58

Mrs. Peete’s absence..

COMPLETE DETECTIVE CASES

rts, Louise Lofie married a Mr.

osley in Louisiana in 1910, and left
him after a few stormy months during
which he forced’her to return a large
diamond to a wealthy Dallas business
man who had been favored with sev-
eral visits from the lovely Louise.

Diamonds seemed to have been
Louise Bosley’s weakness. She patched
up her differences with her husband
and they moved to Dallas, Texas. Here
she was implicated in the ens, of
a $500. diamond ring from a wealthy
woman. et

Louise Bosley, according to the
Pinkerton reports, now departed for
new scenes, and her trail was picked
up in Boston in 1911.

Here, using the name of Louise
Gould and posing as the owner of
estates in Europe, she gained entrance
to one of Boston’s most exclusive
circles. Diamonds valued at $20,000
were missing after Miss Gould had
visited a wealthy middle-aged wo-
man, Police were called in and Louise
Gould returned the diamonds. The
owner refused to prosecute because
she feared notoriety, and the charm-
ing Bovthern girl hastily departed.

.Her marriage to Peete followed, in
1915. Married life was nat ‘entirely
smooth sailing. She required more
luxuries than te could provide. The
husband’s letter advising her that he
intended to sue for divorce had pre-
cipitated her sudden.return to Denve
in August, 1920. }

‘However, when trouble threatened
his extravagant, sensation-loving wife,
her husband forgot their differences
and affirmed his belief in her inno-
cence. Through the dark days pre-
ceding the trial he stood loyally by
her side.

The trial, set for November 29, 1920,
was postponed to January 19, 1921
when Mrs. Peete, who had changed
counsels several. times, decided to
place her cause in the hands of the

ublic defender, William T. Aggler.

uring the month Aggler was pre-
paring his case, there were many
startling developments.. Denton’s sis-
ter, who had hurried’ from her home
in northern California, an. a sys-
tematic search of the Catalina Street
house. Her first discovery was her
brother’s check book tacked under the
t in a corner of the upper hall.

It had been hidden there after June 1.

The last stub bore that date. Checks.

23, 24, 25, and 26 had been torn out.
The two checks which Mrs. Peete
claimed she had cashed for Denton
were numbered 25 and 26..__s..

In a locked, roped trunk, labeled
“property of Mrs. Peete,” Denton’s
sister found a pair of cuffs that had

been cut from her brother’s new white .

silk shirt; the shirt, which Mrs. Falor
said she had made into’ a waist for
Mrs. Peete. Stored in’ the bottom of
pe trunk were the missing linen and
silver. :

Another find of Denton’s sister was
a small revolver hidden in a baking
powder can and tucked back of one

of the furnace flues. The small weapon

was smeared with a’ reddish stain.
Five. of the six shells had- been ex-
ploded. One of the Los Angeles papers
spent $1000 tracing this weapon to a
hardware store in Waco, ‘Texas, but
there the trail ended. If this was the
murder weapon,~the one exploded

shell in Denton’s revolver might be

explained by the fact that he was
known to have always carried an un-
loaded shell: under the firing pin,
detectives pointed out.

As the papers continued. to make

Mrs. Peete look bad, Public Defender
Aggler tried desperately to substanti-
ate his client’s story—a story she had
changed many times. -

‘ When ‘pressed for a more complet

description of the Spanish woman
Mrs. Peete only repeated, “She was
very dark—she was lovely—I'’d know
her again if I saw her.”

Rush Blodget, as attorney for Den-
ton’s daughter, .was also experiencing
a few headaches. Word had come from
a law firm in Aine 5 that a wo-
man, claiming to be nton’s legal
wife, was about to claim a part of the
murdered man’s estate. This woman
asserted she had married Denton in
Redding, California, in 1905.

Blodget quickly ascertained that this
was true. Confident that Denton had
believed his wife dead or divorced

‘from. him, Blodget sent letters to

every county seat in the.entire south-
west, asking whether a divorce action
by either this woman or Jacob Charles
Denton was on record. One after an-
other, replies trickled back: “No such
record.” But one morning’s mail
brought a letter from Nogales, Ari-
zona. It stated that Jacob C. Denton
had divorced the woman there in
1908. The record was completed by a
letter signed by this same woman
in which she’ confessed that she had
been unfaithful to Denton and wanted
a divorce. ;

The press carried stories for their
pal, Blodget, which not only spiked
the legal action against the estate, but
cleared up the rumors of Denton’s
supposed common-law... wife.

bap nce the outset, the trial was
‘fraught with drama. Dense crowds
waited for hours to catch a glimpse of
the “Enigma: Woman,” as the press
dubbed Louise Peete.

The climax of the trial came at the
end of the first week when the reason
back.of Doran’s famous dash to Glenn
Ranch was brought to light. No fa-
mous producer could have staged a

' trial scene more dramatic than Ag-

gler’s fight to keep from the jury the
statement of what had transpired at
Glenn Ranch. Bitterly he argued that
Mrs. Peete’s statement had been gotten
by fraud and false promises. But
Superior Judge Frank Willis ruled
be the white-faced defendant,
who for the first time during the trial
displayed -emotion: Louise Peete
realized now that she had been hood-
winked. ‘

. A victim of her own vanity, the
lovely Louise had basked in the at-
tentions showered on her by -Doran
and his assistants at Glenn Ranch.
In this mellow mood, she had talked
freely. Questioned by first one and
then: another of the three men, every
phase of the case’ had. been discussed;

every story she had ever told was re-

told. And in the background, a
stenographer took down every word
she said. ns

Transcribed, it was a deadly docu-
ment—almost as incriminating as a
confession: Hour after hour, the
stenographer’s voice droned on. And,
as he read, the defendant’s face be-
came bleak. When he reached the
lace in the document where Doran

ad asked her about some papers that
Al Colin had gathered up from her
desk in Denver, there was stark hatred
in the half-closed eyes that she turned
on the assistant prosecutor. Among
the papers had been a power of at-
torney filled out in Mrs. Peete’s name
and bearing the signature: J. C.
Denton.”

“Who sign:

“Why, I di
reply. Then
didn’t know
ton’s name t:
just been fo:
“I just want
would look ;
it, like he pr:
intended to |

Questionec
denied emph
trying to ¢
bes she wr

gler, V

dragged a 2
basement cr:
part of a fin;

To the tra
the twisted
room had b«
more intens:
wood fire. A:
revealed the
quart bottle
with a fierc
blackened k
Also beside
heap of bw
this that fur
the cause of
of the police
the woman,
of Seen }
papers and t
the alcohol.

That ther«
planation fo:
crossed the n
The reason
There were
trance into
was through

- faced the fr

other throug
were latchec
door was n
key to it la
but it had :
locked secu

The deput
examined tl
that death wv
ring, and th:
started whe:
some paper:
ence of liq
Coleman wiz
an underta

District Att:
He read that
had. swept

dining room
Coleman at
on March 1
been burned
were no app


PEETE,, Louise, white, asphyx. Calif. (Los Angeles) 4-12-1947.

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT DATA SHEET

Califoeuin 2D

STATE INVENTORY #

—

OFFENDER TEETERS-ZIBULKA INVENTORY DATA OTHER SOURCE DOCUMENTATION
NAME: Louise py. = Pe WE |
RACE: W

SEX: vd J Cy men Auli 2 komm Af pr/- 193
OFFENSE; MUsved

DATE EXECUTED: Apai( te id

COUNTY: los Aapeles

AGE:

LR Mvedeeres j9uy Pf 2ol- 2479

| VICTIM
NAME: mes, MmaeyreT Cogan

AGE:

RELATIONSHIP
TO OFFENDER:

BACKGROUND
INFORMATION:

2 DATE CRORE y~uy 2 ou
COMMITTED: T 4) ?

DATE SENTENCED: June ,/74S
DAYS BETWEEN CRIME AND SENTENCING:

DAYS BETWEEN CRIME AND EXECUTION:
COUNTY SIZE:

DAY OF THE WEEK EXECUTED: Fa | hy
OFFENDER RESIDENCY:

4 MEDIA ACCOUNT OF CRIME: ad VA /
@ Jin she ShsT A
She uae paneled 1939, Fre ders age hee kuakinds

; me ee
os. 2 » She was wehtied” 2. 7rwer A ee 7
nip comes Ted Suicle, mee Clogans hustaud deed + ‘ou *
hes fiTa l pod shea Lourse Pele Lig el housed Lt var oY 17/~4 4

DuT heyaol che, bd kMed his wife, Jas hy Fel

a iat ok hel bc ttteoded han billed binec lf, antl a woman

Com panier sickeacd aad died I 4@ (dewte olile Livirs wel Aw.

*


made by John True that contradicted his testimony on he"
stand—the chief evidence that sent Barbara Graham to t er
death. The allegation that Barbara had confessed to Teetss
was directly contradicted by the prison matron who was.

present at every interview she had with the warden. With *
everybody concerned dead, the investigation fizzled out,

with the conclusion that “justice had been done.”

Whether she ever confessed or not—and nobody could 7
rely on Barbara’s telling the truth on any occasion—one 4
thing can be said with certainty: if there are such things ‘

as “born murderers,” Barbara Graham was not among
their number. Long ago her probation report found in her
“psychopathic personality tendencies which lead to de-’
linquency.” From her heredity, her background, her early:
history, one might have predicted that she could become.
a prostitute, a drug addict, a passer of bad checks—all :
varieties of criminality that are passive and can arise.
almost accidentally in a suggestible, easily led person
There was no strength in Barbara, but there was never any |
Viciousness or brutality, either—unless it came to the
surface from buried depths when Mrs. Monohan opened »
the door to her ring. Psychologically, that is most unlikely.”
There is no doubt whatever that she was a compulsive, 7
psychopathic liar. Caroline Anspacher, a reporter who)
spent many hours talking to her, noted a curious thing: 7
whenever Barbara was lying, her eyes would change color
and darken. So frequently did this happen that finally the?
Teporter said: “That was a lie, wasn’t it?” And Bs bara
frankly acknowledged that it was. In some strange way,
she seemed to lie brazenly and unremittingly about fact,
but to be unable to lie successfully about her emotia i
Her feelings, so long as she retained them, were real; t 5
she had no stability, and like a chameleon she chan sel
the color of her personality according to the hue of hose:
by whom she was surrounded. “a
It is barely possible that in close association with b tes
like Santo and Perkins she even took on enough of tt ir
characteristics to be able to commit a Savage murder, Bat
if that is true, it took thirty years for it to happen; ami
if at any time, by good luck, someone strong and patie
enough had taken over, someone.she could have trusty
for unfailing love, she might have become a very diff
being. The one unending search of her vacillating,
dependable life was for an emotional security
never fortunate enough to find.

72

The Murderer Was A Lady

LOUISE PEETE

ly stupid.
doubt that she

se thereafter,
(there was no other evidence),

have never considered myself
arly well educated,” she averred modestly, ee

developed a rather good epistolary and oratorical
73


style, she did quite a lot of solid reading, she was an ac=4 wife and to the daughter who was born a year after their
complished needlewoman, and knew something about prac=. | Marriage, and he stood by firmly through the terrible
tical nursing, and she was musically gifted, with a voice 7 shock which came to him in 1920. It is true that he di-
that deserved and had had some training. “I covet only«; vorced her after her first conviction, but she insisted that
two things,” she told an interviewer in 1927, “spiritual GR ‘she had asked him to do so for the child’s sake, and even
understanding and culture.” And she was decidedly per- “i -after the divorce he wrote to her in prison wishing he
sonable, even in middle age.. She was short, inclined to Ge could “exchange places” with her. In 1924, in Tucson,
plumpness, but pleasingly so, with chestnut hair and gray @™ Arizona, he also committed suicide. The little girl was
eyes, which though described by one ungallant reporter. Ga reared by relatives in the East and probably changed her
as “porcine” really were one of her best features. “She Ga > name.
was the clubwoman type,” remarked Clinton Duffy, then “3 It is possible that the child is the one person outside
warden of San Quentin. “If you had met her without know- a --herself for whom Louise Peete ever really cared. Her hus-
ing who she was, you would have thought her a leader of “Qe band came to Los Angeles and stayed with her throughout
civic activities in some suburban town.” She used her the Denton trial, and the four-year-old baby was in the
looks, but it was not beauty of which she was vain— Wi courtroom too. After Mrs. Peete went to San Quentin,
though she did, in one of her rare lapses from equanimity, Ga Betty was told that her mother was in a hospital. Louise
quarrel violently with a cellmate in the Los Angeles 4 © seldom wept, but she shed tears then. “I love that little
County Jail over which of them had the prettier feet! <3 - child with all my heart,” she said. “The one shining light
According to her own version, she led in youth “a Ga in my present plight is that my daughter has such a
sheltered life that did not permit of drinking and smoking, i ‘father as Peete.”

consequently I have never adopted either habit.” Accord- “Gir. But her family ties had not prevented Mrs. Peete from

ing to Alan Hynd, who delved more realistically into her 4 © leaving Denver for Los Angeles early in 1920. Later she
history, she was a young hellion, in Shreveport and later © said that she and her husband had had a “slight quar-
in Boston. This interlude in the Hub, according to her, was - fel,” then that he was ill and she had to make money to

to study for the opera, though Boston is seldom selected: Ge care for him, finally that he was planning a business trip
for that purpose; according to Hynd, it was a predatory | ‘to the Orient, and she went to the Coast to await his re-
foray among the Brahmans which ended in presentation 7 ‘turn. In this case, it seems strange she did not bring the
of a sizable bribe by her victims to persuade her to get: baby with her. “How different things would have been if
out and stay out. It was preceded by her first marriage, -I had gone with him to the Orient as he wished!” she
in 1903, to Henry Bosley. They were soon divorced, and sighed. He did not go to the Orient.
some accounts say that Bosley committed suicide in 1906, * The first fatal moment in Louise Peete’s life was draw-
If not, then he was the only one of her husbands who dig g near, She answered an advertisement and undertook
not kill himself. © to lease a house on South Catalina Street, not far from
In any event, from Boston Louise went to Dallas, where © Rosedale Cemetery, belonging to a wealthy middle-aged
in 1913 she met Harry Faurote, a hotel clerk. Hynd says ; widower named Jacob C. Denton. She was never Denton’s

she married him. There is no proof of that, but it is im “MMR housekeeper, as the papers called her later. Whether (as
dubitably true that Faurote was found dead with a bullet “ae Hynd alleges) she was something more—Denton con-

in his head, and that a diamond ring was missing and°@MR- tinued to live in the house—is of interest only to the
Louise was questioned by the police. The ring was found 4 neighborhood gossips. What is certain is that after May
later, and she was released without charges. “ 30th Denton disappeared, while Mrs. Peete stayed on in

She turned up next in Denver, where in 1915 she
married Richard Peete, a salesman. Peete is one of the
most pathetic figures in the whole story. He was a quiet,

humdrum, home-loving man, thoroughly respectable, ums

ambitious, and not very strong. He was devoted to
74

the house. In fact, she held parties in it, she sold various
valuables from it, she ordered clothing on Denton’s charge
accounts, she forged his name to checks, and on at least
one occasion she signed her name to an official paper as

s. J. C. Denton.” She sublet the house twice—neither

75


ve

2 : * " a
Louise, white, asphyx

Miriam Allen deFord

Murderers
Sane |
& Mad

AN AVON.

P * tee


MEDIA ACCOUNT OF TRIAL:

MEDIA ACCOUNT OF EXECUTION:

vernon (90

PERIOD OF INCARCERATION

STAYS OF EXECUTION

EXE jTIONER

WEINESSES

RITUALS

LAST WORDS

OTHER INFORMATION

ee


inquiries were made, and the soi-disant Mrs. Lee explained] Margaret Logan alive was on May 30th, twenty-four
that the woman had injured her hip and died of the in- 4 ars to the day since Jacob Denton had disappeared,
jury. For some reason there was no further investigation: 3 She too, it seemed, had gone on a trip. Her husband grew
In 1943 her parole officer, Mrs. Latham, with whom she “ie annoyingly persistent about her, and when he was told she
had been living, died (of natural causes), and Mrs. Peete Was ill in a hospital he could not understand why he
was transferred to the care of her old and good friend, could not visit her. In June Mrs. Peete finally succeeded
Mrs. Arthur Logan, in Pacific Palisades. Before she left 9 in having him committed to the State Hospital for the
Mrs. Latham’s home, she thriftily took with her an ob- = 4 Insane in Patton. He died there in December, still wonder-
ject that the dead officer would not be needing—a .32 4% ing in his lucid intervals why his wife of so many years
Smith and Wesson revolver. -  @® had turned against him and never came near him. It was

Arthur and Margaret Logan had become interested in perhaps the second cruelest thing Louise Peete ever did:
Louise Peete when she was at Tehachapi, had visited her. 9% the implication of Judson in her crime was the cruelest.
often there, and had become her warm friends. They were. 3 7 She did not even pay for Logan’s funeral, but had his
delighted to have her come to live with them. By this time body handed over to the medical college at Loma Linda.
Mr. Logan was an old man, slipping into senility. There | Now began the checks signed in Mrs. Logan’s name,
was nothing wrong with him but loss of memory and ex- % p the objects sold, the house taken over, Judson, to his be-
treme vagueness of mind, but there is no doubt that he 4 _Wilderment, had been told in June that his new home
got on Mrs. Peete’s ‘sensitive nerves. For the present, @je-was to be in Pacific Palisades, Mrs, -Logan, his bride’s
however, she had more important things to think about— 4 | “foster sister,” had gone away, and Mr. Logan would soon
namely, getting her hands on some of Mrs. Logan’s money 4 p follow her. Judson moved in, no glimmer of suspicion in
and property. The Logans were not really wealthy, as 3 > his trusting soul.

Denton had been, but they were very comfortably off. --@@- Unfortunately, the State of California was not so credu-

The whole tangled financial plot began again. There was. _ lous as Lee Judson. Mrs. Peete had been paroled to Mrs.
a story of a trust fund due Louise in Denver, with which . | Logan, and the monthly reports had to be sent in. They
she would pay her half of a joint lease with Mrs. Logan ~ (@ontinued to arrive promptly. They were glowing—too
on the Pacific Palisades house; tickets were bought for 4 _ Bowing. The Parole Board grew leery. Even so, it was not
both of them to go to Denver, but were never used. There Ge batil December—two weeks after Logan’s death in Patton
were misunderstandings and explanations that did not ex-qii—that they investigated.
plain, and an atmosphere of dissatisfaction about which > There was no “crypt” this time; Margaret Logan was
Mrs. Logan could do very little, and Mrs. Peete very @ buried under an avocado tree in her own garden. Louise
much. The chief problem was Mr. Logan, who, Owever aa Was a creature of habit; Mrs. Logan, too, had been shot
deteriorated mentally, could hardly fail to notice it if his 3 jm the back of the neck, as she sat at the telephone—
wife disappeared. At Mrs. Peete’s suggestion, he had been 3 /Perhaps, as has been surmised, to report to the authorities
sent to the Los Angeles General Hospital for psychiatric @jiesome of the things she had found out about her protegée’s
observation, but they sent him home again after nineteem Gi frauds and pilferings. But she did not die immediately; she
days. pmad to be finished off with the butt of the pistol. :

There was another complication. In May 1944 Mrs. ae It would not have been Louise Peete if she had not had
Peete had married again. Her new husband was an elderly Gea beautiful story prepared. Yes, she acknowledged she had
widower from Glendale, a bank messenger named Lee Ga Buried Mrs. Logan’s body—under her favcitte thee, But
Judson. He knew her as Anna Lee and had not the * ee me had not killed her. Mr. Logan, deceased, had done
motest idea of her previous history. She did not inform Mat. He had suddenly gone vigleatly insane and had
the Logans of the marriage. Judson continued to live im, eaten his wife to:death. Mrs. Peete had realized that this
a hotel in Glendale, and his wife merely visited him R her in an awkward position, in view of her past; so
there. ; Ss Be-had thought it best to dispose of the corpse and keep

Suddenly all this was changed. The last time an pwhole affair to herself.

- 78 3 ri 79

:
Fy
:
'


deal was concluded—and she took in a rowdy set of a
boarders. In the midst of this, Denton’s nephew and his 7

daughter by his first marriage began to make inquiries.

Louise Peete was one of the most superbly imaginative 4
liars on record. She never made up a small story when a’ 3

big one would do. To all inquiries she had an answer.
Denton, it appeared, was in hiding; he was humiliated be-

cause he had lost an arm. It seemed that he had had a |
visitor, a “Spanish-looking woman,” with whom he had }
quarreled violently, and who had knifed him—causing his 4

arm, apparently, to drop off. That was why she had signed

his name to checks—or, alternatively, she had met him 7
at his hiding place, and he had laid his hand on hers =
while she signed, thus making it “legal.” There were other 4
versions of the story, some related at the trial or after =
the conviction. They contradicted one another and they

were all wildly improbable, but she told them all with the
utmost blandness.
Another little difficulty in the ex-Denton menage came

out later. That was the question of the load of earth—or
was it fertilizer?—-dumped in the cellar, which Mrs. Peete ~

was going to use in the garden; and the trouble with the

furnace, which, when it was used, “made a noise like a ~
graveyard groan.” To repair this, she called in an un. :

usual character who described himself as a “heater expert,

actor, vocal teacher, and licensed real estate dealer”—he 3
was also an ex-burglar. He testified that Mrs. Peete had ~

asked him urgently if it would be necessary to enter “the

crypt.” The crypt, she said, she had had built in the =
cellar to preserve some of Mr. Denton’s belongings to =

which he was especially attached. She had indeed.
After Denton’s body had been discovered in the cellar

in September, and an X-ray examination showed he had a
died of a bullet wound in the back of his neck, Mrs. %
Peete, who had returned to Denver, was asked to come to |
Los Angeles to shed light on the mystery. She came vol- 3
untarily with her husband, but her stories failed to impress +4
the police. In January 1921 she was put on trial for the =

murder of Jacob Denton.

About the only defense that could be made, in the {
face of the overwhelming evidence, was that she would.

not have been strong enough to bury Denton’s body,
and would have been afraid to live on in the same ho
with it. It was not good enough. She was sentenced to
imprisonment.

76

“In San Quentin’s women’s department Louise Peete

= feigned as a sort of queen. The only serious contender for
» the throne was Clara Phillips, who had battered her rival
_ to death with a hammer; and Mrs. Phillips lacked the grand
© manner. In 1927 Mrs. Peete gave a newspaper interview
- from which one unfamiliar with her situation would
p.. scarcely have guessed it.

“The public must be educated to our needs,” she said.

~ “We need stepping-stones and people send us roller-
«= skates. We don’t ask for the advantages of a country club
-0r a university, but we seek curative treatment so that
;- when we are liberated we shall be prepared against any
; tecurrence of the so-called mental illness that brought us
> here.

“There should be some way, too, of segregating the

_. better educated, more refined women from those who
@ have been brought up in close touch with life’s slime and
_ filth. They should be protected against being sullied by

it.”
She turned wistful. “I wish I could see a sunrise or a

c sunset. It has been so many years since I have watched
_ the glories of either. When I am freed some day, I shall

seek a high hill near the Pacific and lose myself in the
sunset. Then I shall wait for the dawn to see the new day |

| . come again in the East.”

As San Quentin is magnificently situated on San Fran-

4 cisco Bay, and there are plenty of windows, it is difficult
» to see why Mrs. Peete had been barred from viewing

ther sunsets or dawns. Perhaps she could not enjoy them
except in the open air.
In November 1933 all the women in San Quentin were
transferred to the new California Institution for Women
Tehachapi. Mrs. Peete went with the rest.-The next

; time she saw San Quentin more than thirteen years had
-. passed, and she was about to be executed for another
- murder.

In April 1939 she was paroled, on her tenth applica-

4 fion. A shrewd observer remarked that she would “make
» headlines again one of these days; she is too used to being
-.&% personage.” She was allowed to take a pseudonym—

p Anna B. Lee. She spent her first days of freedom in a guest
' cottage, making curtains for a rest home for girls. Later,
p Guring the war, she operated a canteen for servicemen in
s Angeles. A woman tenant in the building suddenly
opped from sight,” leaving her home in disorder. Some

77


SOLO LL LLL LL LLLLELLLBLI LLLP NLL LAL LLORES LL LBAALE ELLA LEE DIES

Poor Judson, shocked and flabbergasted, was taken alongy

"as accessory.

On January 12, 1945 he was exonerated. On January |

13th he jumped out of a thirteenth-story window of an

office building. 3
“Our life together was so beautiful,” said his widow.s
“He told me ‘If you ever leave me I'll take sleeping-#
powders.’ ” 4
Then she pulled herself together. She spent the trial’
reading The Importance of Living, by Lin Yutang.

There were eleven women and one man on the jury.
They were not out very long. On just about the anniversary.
of Denton’s and Mrs. Logan’s deaths Louise Peete was;
sentenced to die. The State Supreme Court refused a}
writ of habeas corpus, and the United States Supreme.
Court twice refused to review the case. Twice her execte :
tion was postponed on the ground that new evidence was:
forthcoming; it did not appear. Two years after her com:
viction she was brought from Tehachapi to San Quentia
for execution. She was very tired when she arrived, but
she had only one complaint to make to Warden Duffy.”
The officers who drove her had sounded the siren all the:
way; it was conspicuous-and embarrassing, and no way
treat “the dowager of Tehachapi Prison.”

Until the last minute she could not believe that
sentence was to be carried out. “Governor Warren
Warren, now Chief Justice of the Supreme Court] i
gentleman,” she said, “and no gentleman would send #
lady to her death.” But the governor, with notable
of courtliness, said that there were no extenuating
cumstances, and refused to save her from the gas cham

Her self-possession never failed her. Attired in a graye
and burgundy print street dress, her still unturned 1h it
simply arranged, she walked from the condemned cel
across the hall to the death chamber with a firm, brisk
step. She sat down in the green metal chair- without b cing
ordered to do so, and looked on with interest ‘as the st
were adjusted. She smiled graciously at Warden Duffy
her lips formed the words, “Thank you.” Then she ck
her eyes and waited for the gas to work.

Louise Peete seems truly to have been one of those.@&
whom William Bolitho said that their self-compassi@
“sucks the meaning out of every existence but their ows,
whose lives are “a serial adventure in which each ¢e

Fis complete in itself; whose master-plot is known only to
themselves.” a
“ Indubitably she was able to persuade herself, for the
Moment at least, of the truth of every one of her false-
- hoods. Listen to her as she waited for her trial for the
} murder of Denton:
-  “T am able to preserve an attitude of calm because I am
+ innocent. I have no visions of a murdered man to shake
My nerves; no torments of remorse to disturb my sleep.
There are other women in this jail who are charged with
the murder of men. Some cannot sleep. Perhaps their
minds mirror death agonies. I have seen them pace the
oor and wring their hands. I have felt tremendous sym-
; pathy for them. My heart has been wrung with the wish
- that I could help them. At the same time I have thanked
© God that I am not tormented as they are.”
; Can anyone doubt that the very sound of these words
> transformed Louise Peete—while she spoke—into the
“noble, wronged, innocent creature she described herself
= as being?
* Her calm and self-possession were sublime. They were
almost stolid. All through the accounts of her trials such
phrases occur as “perfect poise,” “bright and fresh,” “as
calm as ever,” “she did not lose her composure.” “There
will be no screaming or hysterics,” she assured reporters. “I
am not built that way.” Yet there is plenty of evidence that
beneath the calm was a quick and irritable temper; she
Fwas easily angered, but nearly always she could control
"ber anger and bide her time. Only once, during the Logan
etal, when Captain Thad Brown, chief of the homicide
squad, testified to a conversation with her, she screamed:
y don’t you tell the truth?” Asked if she were nervous,
answered, “No, but I am humiliated.”
Somehow it seems to have been impossible for her to
that the world could fail to take her at her own
imate. She justified to herself everything she did; so
y wouldn’t other people take her word for it? When
was informed of Peete’s suicide, she said: “His health
$s poor and I think he felt remorse of conscience. If I
ould have confided in him I wouldn’t have got into the
@ouble I did.” Richard Peete, to her mind, killed him-
ef because he had failed his wife, not because she had
; d his life. .
p. spoke always with the utmost tenderness of her
id. “I feel the same things that other mothers feel.

81


I want her to have the best environment, the best teach
the best of everything. I have tried to get her these things
to shield her from the things that were not the best.” Ee
Yet this is the same woman who included among the’
things she stole from Jacob Denton a pathetic pair of
baby shoes and baby book marked “In memory of Dolly
and Baby—keepsakes”—his second wife, who had died ig%
childbirth. 4

The one obsession she never lost, the one pose that was 3

no pose because it was genuine delusion, was that of her 4
perfect gentility and delicacy. She might, on occasion,
scream and fight like a virago; she might suddenly descend q
into underworld argot, or dance with mad joy over full. 7
Ownership of her victim’s possessions: probably she had ‘;
had, as Hynd contends, her years of promiscuity, near-
Prostitution, blackmail, and even drug-addiction; she had’
certainly murdered two human beings and disposed of 4
their remains without a quiver: but with it all, to Louise 4
Peete, Louise Peete was a great lady. The theme recurs 3
constantly in her conversation. “I am not embittered, only 7
saddened at times.” “I have read how when fish swim a
beyond their depth they are crushed by the force of the +
water. I don’t want that to happen to me. I won't let it.” 4
“My sense of honor and sentiment kept me quiet [about E
Denton’s mishap at the hands of the mythical ‘Spanish- 7
looking woman’].” “I am innocent—it would be silly to 2
lie.” “I am ready to accept the inevitable. I have made 4

my peace with God and the world.”

In her very last interview, almost her last words on |
earth, she sounded the same note so often heard before: *

“I come from cultured, educated people, and I have 4
a background of culture. My parents were not delinquents, +
and they did not rear delinquent children.”

She probably inhaled her first whiff of cyanide-acid |
gas, fully convinced that she was a gentlewoman whose life
had been full of misfortune and misunderstanding, but who
to the end had upheld the banner of refinement.

The Sea-Coast Of Bohemia:

BART CARITATIVO

4 How much of Bart Caritativo’s lying and bovis dred
P self-deceptive? How much of it did he himself, in 2 i
© come to ‘believe? And is his utter, reckless ae chor
E tirely due to his oo Seated in a rE Te oe
; origina iS, Or 48-1
, Bet ihe bimeyed oh somehow if he had ae left a
F native Philippines? Perhaps we can simply say that ane
a people are stupidly smart, and that it is a ee 6
3 tribute, especially when it finds expression in a tong
| that is not one’s native speech.

In 1954, the year of his murderous activities, Caritativo

F ffeur and houseboy for a wealthy widow, Mrs.
4 S| sz (Ethel) Lansburgh. Mrs. Lansburgh lived eee
died in 1962) in Stinson Beach, Marin County, on the
F coast about twenty-three miles north of asi dese:
E This is a popular seaside resort, not ultra-fashionable bu

with a few rich all-year-round residents and a number of

3 medium-priced resort hotels along its three miles * white
» sand beach. The Lansburghs were among the wi
f After the lawyer died in 1951, his widow sontinns? 7
E live in their big house on the hill, overlooking one ° , -
3 largest resorts—a place called Sea Downs, ten cae Oo “
f with guest cottages, owned in 1954 by a Mrs. Cami
c Malmgren Banks.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Lansburgh had made rather a pro-

5 é of Bart, who had worked for the couple, and then
: foe Mrs. Lansburgh alone, since 1946. Mr. Lansburgh
© had lent him $4000, half of which he had repaid, and "
. 1952 Mrs. Lansburgh had gone Bart’s surety for a ban
E loan of $1200, half of which he still owed the bank.

roa ee

ie el ict ae ir a lt kid

. — OE ee oe ere
TREES AAR DUES SEER YR FREE SR ES SN

2 pig


38

Benefactress Margaret Logan (above) and —

her husband were the fifth and: eighth
persons to die because of Louise Peete

-Denton had good reasons for not

wishing to.live alone in the big house.
It had become a place of sorrow for him.
In. February, the week-old baby whose
birth he and Mrs. Denton had so eagerly
anticipated, died. And a month later
his wife joined her in death following a

‘sudden, brief illness. The tragedies had

left him stunned and broken in spirit.

It didn’t take Louise Peete long to
win his confidence. She was sympa-
thetic, pleasant and affable. She pre-

‘pared his breakfasts, kept the house in

an orderly condition and made herself
generally ‘useful.

There was a definite motive behind
all this, of course.

By pawing through Denton’s personal .

possessions during his absence, she
learned that his wife had had charge
accounts in the most exclusive stores.

‘Even now, some of Mrs. Denton’s ex-

pensive dresses hung in the closets.
Perhaps they could be altered to fit her.

And more important, she knew that |

Denton maintained a substantial check-
ing account in a local bank.

If something should happen to him,
she mused, she could convert these
assets to her own use. The house could
be sold or rented at a figure that would
provide her with a comfortable income.
Then, too, there was his expensive auto-
mobile.’ She could not, drive it, but she

Removing the crafty camouflage of flowerpots from the suspicious looking
mound, investigators uncovered grim evidence. “Don’t make me look,” begged
Louise (right), hiding her face with her pocketbook. “I can’t stand any more”

had acquaintances who could and would,
at her request. , ‘ ;
On the morning of June 2nd. Jacob
Denton mysteriously ‘disappeared. With-
in a few days relatives and friends, with
one of whom he had.had an appoint-
ment on June 4th, began asking ques-
tions. Where had Jake gone? What had
happened to cause him to break an en-
gagement with a business associate?
Louise was ready with several differ-

‘ent answers, depending upon who. had

made the inquiry. He had gone to
Mexico in connection with some mining
interests. He had left for Missouri to
visit his two brothers in that state. No,
she had no idea when he would return.
He had asked her to sell his house, and
this she was trying to do.

For awhile his nephew, niece and
friends were satisfied that he was, in-
deed, away on one of his numerous busi-
ness trips. But his daughter, attending
school in Phoenix, Arizona, felt. that
something was definitely wrong. Here-
tofore, her father had written her every
week, regardless of where he: might be.
She wrote to his attorney, Rush M.
Blodget, and asked that inquiries be
made. ; }

. At Blodget’s request detectives from
the Los Angeles police department called
on Mrs. Peete, who was still residing in
the mansion. Skeptical of her glib ex-

planations, they searched the house
thoroughly from attic to cellar, but
found nothing amiss. A. J. Cody, pri-
vate detective employed by Blodget,
launched a half-dozen investigations, all
of which came to naught. ,
Mrs. Peete’s next move was to sublet |
the dwelling to a family from Philadel-
phia and she then returned ‘to her hus-

band in Denver. Before leaving Los
Angeles she had exhibited signs of |
affluence, blossoming out in new cloth- :
ing bought, incidentally,. with checks |
totaling $750 to which:she had forged °
Denton’s name. ;

.By September the missing man’s |
daughter and nephew were clamoring |
for action. They insisted that he be-
located, dead or alive. On the 23rd day }

of that month Detective Cody and At-!

torney Blodget called once again at the
Catalina Street address. From the new
tenants they received permission to
make still another search. Closets were
explored in the faint hope that a secret |
panel leading to a hidden room might be
found, Carpets were lifted from the
floors in the belief that a trap door
might have been overlooked in previous
inspections. ° F

Finally the two men came to the cel-
lar, reached by a stairway from the
kitchen. No stains appeared on the
steps. The cement floor gave no ‘indi-


e suspicious looking
ke me look,” begged
in’t stand any more”

.

searched the house
attic to cellar, but
ss. A. J. Cody, pri-
ployed by Blodget,
-en investigations, all
naught.

=: move was to sublet
amily from Philadel-
returned to her hus-
Before leaving Los
exhibited signs of
ng out in new cloth-
entally,. with checks
hich: she had forged

the missing man’s
jhew were clamoring
insisted that he be
ive. On the 23rd day
tective Cody and At-
Jed once again at the
dress. From the new
‘eived permission to
search. Closets were
unt hope that a secret
hidden room might be
were lifted from the
ief that a trap door
yverlooked in previous

men came to the cel-
a stairway from the
ins appeared on the
nt floor gave no ‘indi-

e “fo

roe
<
4
4
”
es
&
*%
A

Patiently, the murderess waited until darkness settled over the Logan house
(above), before she began her grim task. Once, as she worked, she heard
a neighbor’s voice: “I tell you I distinctly heard someone digging!”

cation of having been tampered with.
They were about to leave when Blodget
called attention to one wall across which
boards had been nailed, apparently to
prevent a cave-in. He turned to his
companion.
back of those boards?”

’ “We'll soon find out.”

Cody, using a crowbar, managed to

. remove the planks. Exposed to view

was-a small enclosure, in one end of
which was a pile of debris.
now, they .removed several sections of
stovepipe and some lumber. Beneath
the ‘boards was soft dirt, not solidly
packed as would be the case had it been
there any great length of time. They
got shovels and started to dig. In less
than a minute they uncovered a man’s
foot, shod in a soiled white tennis shoe.

The mystery of Jacob Charles Den-

ton’s disappearance was solved. His.

body, fully clothed and in an advanced
stage of disintegration, had lain in its
makeshift crypt for almost four months.
An autopsy disclosed that he had been
shot through the neck.

Pretty Louise had scored for the third
time.

Returned to Los Angeles from Den-
ver, loudly protesting her innocence,
she went to trial in January, 1921, for
the Denton slaying. Her ailing husband
had. accompanied her from Colorado,

“Could there be anything .

Excitedly ©

though apparently not at her wish for
she expressed the utmost scorn for him
and seldom glanced in his direction as
he sat, white-faced and haggard, in the
front row of spectators. Her. child,
meanwhile, was being cared for by a
Mr. and Mrs. Logan, old family friends.
It was the first of many favors that
Arthur Logan and his.wife, Margaret,

believing implicitly in her innocence,”

were to bestow upon her. :

After a lengthy trial the jury of
twelve men found Louise Peete guilty of
first-degree murder and recommended
that the penalty be fixed at life impris-
onment.. :

In. 1924, Richard C. Peete, broken in
health and spirit, committed suicide in
a Tucson, Arizona, hotel room.

Louise served twelve years of her life
sentence in: San Quentin prison, then
was transferred to the new California
Institution for Women at Tehachapi,
where. she remained for ‘six more years.
During her stay there she had become a
proficient gardener, physically capable
of spading up large areas of ground,
hauling heavy loads of fertilizer to the

. rose garden and performing a day labor-

er’s work whenever the necessity arose.

After many requests for parole had
been denied her, she was. granted her
freedom on April 12th, 1939, and ordered
to report to Mrs. Emily B. Latham, an

39

Lee Judson (above) sadly told
the press: “I have been very gul-
lible; I trusted Louise implicitly”

“Louise was born under an evil star. For nearly half a century Death clung to her skirts like

a black curse,” a reporter said. Eight lives were the toll for this woman’s insatiable greed

Ar the age of eighteen, in the year .

1903, Lofie Louise Preslar, whose father
published a weekly newspaper in a small
Texas town, married young Henry Bos-
ley, a salesman, who took her to a
roominghouse in Shreveport, Louisiana,

for their honeymoon. Not only was the .

bride possessed of unusual beauty with
her soft brown hair, gray-green eyes
and flawless complexion, ,but she had
very “taking” ways. Her husband dis-
covered that, even during the first few
halcyon weeks of their marriage, she
would take whatever items of jewelry
or clothing caught ‘her fancy, regardless
of who happened to own them.

But by some strange quirk of Fate,
the Goddess of Luck appeared always to
be on her side. Even when stolen
articles were found in her possession,
her explanation—made in a: soft, musi-

36

cal voice, that she had only “borrowed”
them: so that she might admire them—
sufficed to soothe the wounded feelings
of the victims to such an extent that no
criminal charges were filed against her.

In 1906, soon after the San Francisco
earthquake, Henry Bosley committed
suicide.

Pretty Louise was next heard from in
Boston, Massachusetts, where she posed
as an heiress to vast European estates.
Accepted into the best social circles, she
soon gave vent to her absorbing passion
—purloining her friends’ valuables. She
was suspected and questioned, but due
to the prominence of her victims, who
were averse to publicity, she was al-.
lowed to go free. Her Boston connec-
tions irrévocably severed, she returned
to Texas.

Still known as Mrs. Bosley, she regis-

“hee (2éENEGTI VS

Ath. [47

tered at a Dallas hotel. Shortly there-
after she was suspected of a $20,000
jewel theft. In the investigation that
followed she managed to involve Harry
Faurote, hotel clerk, to whom she had
given a diamond ring for “safekeeping.”
Faurote was subsequently exonerated
by the police of any criminal intent, and
Louise was also released for lack of evi-
dence. However, as a result of his in-
volvement, even. though innocent,
Faurote, apparently convinced that his
reputation had been permanently dam-
aged, committed suicide. Chalk up
Death Number Two for Pretty Louise.

Some time prior to 1915—the exact
date is not known—she married Richard
C. Peete, prosperous automobile dealer
of Denver, Colorado, and of this union
one child was born. A few years later,
Peete contracted tuberculosis. Since his

skirts like

able greed

Shortly there-"
of a $20,000
ostigation that
involve Harry
vhom she had
“safekeeping.”
ly exonerated
nal intent, and
‘or lack of evi-
sult of his in-
igh innocent,
‘nced that his
nanently dam-
e, Chalk up
Pretty Louise.:
915—the exact
iarried Richard
omobile dealer:
1 of this union
‘ew years later,
osis. Since his

By M. KELLEY ARNOLD.

Enmeshed_ in_ lies, Louise
(left) cried hotly, “I am not
guilty of murdering anybody”’

earning power was greatly reduced, his
greedy wife promptly lost interest in him.

The summer of 1920 found her in
Los Angeles, California, following an
estrangement from her husband, who
remained in. Denver with their child.
Now thirty-five years old, she was a
very attractive woman, outwardly gentle
and cultured, with a most pleasing per-
sonality when she chose to exert her
undeniable charm. Actually, she had
come to the Coast seeking bigger game
than her nefarious activities had so far
netted her.

Early in May, Louise saw an adver-
tisement in the newspaper. A. beauti-
ful two-story mansion located on South
Catalina Street in the heart of the ultra-
fashionable Wilshire district was to be
leased to a responsible individual at a
reasonable: rental. The item that in-
trigued her most was a statement made
by the advertiser to the effect that one
bedroom was to be reserved for his per-
sonal. use. She answered the ad, ar-
rangements were duly made, and a few
days later she moved in. The owner was
49-year-old Jacob Charles Denton,
wealthy mining man.

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was the fifth person to die because of
Louise Peete.

Finally she rose, her decision made. She
had buried Jacob Denton in a makeshift
crypt. She would not make that error
again. Margaret should be buried in the
ground, safe from prying eyes.

She removed ‘her blood-spattered cloth-
ing and donned a pair of slacks and a
work-shirt which she had left in Mrs.
Logan’s bedroom closet at the time she
moved. With a cloth soaked in cold water
she made an attempt to remove the stains
from the rug and sofa, and sponged the
dress she had worn.

Finally the sun, a huge red ball, disap-
peared into the Pacific. She waited through
the brief California twilight for the dark-
ness she needed for her gruesome task of
preparing a grave.

Arthur still slept. She could hear his
labored breathing in the adjoining bed-
room.

At eight o’clock she went to the garage
and got a spade. For an hour she picked
and jabbed at the hard ground beneath an
avocado tree, just outside the breakfast-
room window. Once, as she worked, she
heard the voice of the next-door neighbor.

“But I tell you I distinctly heard some-
one digging,” the woman said clearly.

The murderess stood stock still, holding
her breath,

A man’s voice answered.
nation must be working overtime.” The
rays of a flashlight swept the yard.
“There’s nobody out here. Come back in
the house and forget it.”

After a moment there was the sound of
a door closing, then silence. The grave-
digger pressed her foot against the spade
and resumed her Herculean labors, while
the sweat trickled down her face. At long
last the job was finished. She had made a
trench six feet long, two feet wide, and
eighteen inches deep.

Returning to the house just before dawn,
she obtained a large piece of canvas from
the basement, wrapped it around the dead
woman, and tied it securely with rope. It
required several minutes to drag the heavy
body through the house and out into the
yard. With her feet she rolled it into the
grave, then hastily covered it with loose
dirt. If Arthur happened to notice the
newly turned earth, she would tell him she
was preparing a flower-bed.

“Your imagi-

MOMENT later she sank into a chair

in the living-room and fell asleep, ex-
hausted. Several hours later Arthur
awakened. Still sluggish from the effects
of the drug, he stumbled into the room and
called loudly for his wife.

With an effort Louise roused herself.
“Sh-h! Margaret isn’t here.
an automobile accident.”

At that moment the elderly man ob-
served the large, red stain on the rug. “An
accident?” he echoed. “Where is she?”

“Keep quiet, Arthur, and I’ll take you
to her. She’s in the hospital.”

Cannily, she had figured out the only
way in which she could trick him into
accompanying her to the General Hospital,
where she intended to have him kept un-
der observation in the Psychopathic Ward
for a few days, then committed to an
asylum for the insane.

Not long afterward the doorbell rang.
Her husband stood on the porch, his eyes
wide with amazement at finding her
disheveled and grimy, her hair stringing
about her face.

“What on earth is the matter?”

During the hours it had taken her to dig
the grave, she had carefully rehearsed the
answer to this question.

“Oh, Lee, something terrible has hap-
pened. Arthur went suddenly berserk yes-
terday afternoon and beat Margaret so

She’s been in.

severely that her face is almost ruined.
He even bit the end of her nose off. She
went away in a taxi... I don’t know
where ... to have some plastic surgery
done. Oh, it was horrible!” She put her
hands over her face.

“Now, now, you mustn’t let it upset you
like this. Just be thankful he didn’t hurt
you.”

“But he did, when I tried to separate
them.” She showed him a slight cut on
her hand, incurred during the previous
night’s digging operations. “I’ve got to
take him down to the Lunacy Commission
and have him re-committed.”

“Where is he now?”

“Out in the yard. Listen.” She could hear
Arthur talking with a neighbor. The
words “automobile accident” reached her
ears. She ran to the door and called
sharply to him.

“Arthur, are you going with me to see
Margaret? Then get’ on in here and
dressed.”

When he had obeyed, she herself went to
speak with the woman who lived next
door. ‘He made a brutal attack upon his
wife yesterday,” she explained, “but the
poor dear has forgotten all about it. I told
him she’d been in an automobile accident,
but the truth is that she’s gone to a sani-
tarium to have her wounds treated. She
said she didn’t want to see anyone until
her face had healed. My husband and I
are going to take him to the Lunacy Com-
mission, because he’s not safe to have
around.”

The neighbor clucked sympathetically.
“It’s so sad. He seems to be such a nice
man.”

“I must hurry,” Louise said.
excuse me—”

“If you'll

THAT afternoon poor, helpless Arthur

Logan was hustled downtown. While
her husband waited in the hallway with
the unfortunate man, Louise, representing
herself as his foster-sister, briefly ex-
plained to the clerk in charge that Mr.
Logan had suddenly become violent and
attacked his wife with such ferocity that
she had required hospitalization. Since he
was still on parole from his previous in-
carceration, she experienced no difficulty
in having him re-admitted to the Psycho-
pathic Ward.

Judson did not accompany his wife and
Logan to the General Hospital, having
other business to attend to. Armed with
the necessary papers, the slayer succeeded
in having Logan accepted as a patient.
She signed a written statement attesting
to the alleged assault, and left him, sob-
bing and bewildered, in the hands of
attendants. A few days later he appeared
before the late Superior Judge Dudley
Valentine who, after reading the lying
account Louise Peete had given’ concern-
ing Logan’s actions, adjudged him insane
and ordered him committed to the State
Hospital for the Insane at Patton.

The day after Arthur was taken to the
Psychopathic Ward, the Judsons checked
out of the Glendale hotel and moved all
their possessions into the Logan house. In
answer to her husband’s frequent inquiries
concerning Mrs. Logan’s’ whereabouts,
Louise gave some answers that sounded
convincing. Several times she told him
Margaret had called at the house in a taxi
during his absence, picked up her mail.
and departed without revealing her ad-
dress.

“She wants us to live here and look after
the place until she is able to return,” she
explained. “Anyway, she said I was going
to inherit this house when she died, so we
have every right to live here.”

To interested and curious neighbors she
told the same story, with slight variations,
and stressed the fact that Mrs. Logan's

face was so disfigur
see any of her form
the plastic surgery

Meanwhile,

garet’s automc

as chauffeur.

dead woman’s ciotn
to fit her own now

sold Mrs.

Logan’s

$15.00.

But these were m

Parkers, owners of
formed Mrs. Peete

close the escrow ir
deal because no m

'

forthcoming from «

herself,

she gracio.

them to retain half
of $2,000, and vol
escrow charges he ~
transaction she rece

Furthermore, she

$182 from the railw:
turned in the two v

ver.

This amount

posited in Mrs. Lo
against the $200 fo:
tails disposed of, si
that this was the
period of prosperity.

For several month

would realize her an
to pay and an autom
nothing, she and her

a

position to enjoy
She had, she bel

trace of her latest co
geranium plants gav
ance to the slight
Margaret Logan lay
had been cleaned a

st

ered. A plasterer |

hole in the wall ma
had ploughed throv
and the living-room

§

HE was waiting n:
to die. On Decemb

perintendent had not
that he was criticall
Logan, she had told
event of Arthu~’s 7--
turned over to
tific purposes.

Once Arthu:

would take: steps to}

tr

ansferred to her .

she had obtained Dee
of Attorney forms w
properly forged, wo

“B


{ tives Frank Herling

ieir statements back
told him. “We've
1 most of the day
he actual strangling
ll of us agreed that
be present.”
ere brought in.
to you the records
id,” Cody told them.
:0 be read to Hauck
al. Now, you are
murder and any-
‘ve been previously
against you. If you
tatements made by
rselves, that is your

vere read, Gardner
had been unaware
sault the girl.

2y shouted at him.
it.”

om May 4th, 1933,
icial letter of com-
ty Director E. E.

opportunity of
your meritorious
solving the recent
<ovich, and bring-
to justice.
isplayed and the
ch this crime was
>» this department.
your excellent
‘ecommended
of Detective.

ae was restored to
Shortly afterward
to Detective and
nt.
re held two months
.uck pleaded guilty
ers had jury trials
3, Gardner was the
All six were sen-
nment in the Ohio
bus. Gardner was
h, 1947, after four-
t. Gorman, Randall
led January 25th,
served between 15

NOTE:

ardner, Jim Gor-
nd Johnnie Boust
! are not the real
s concerned. In-
r men have been
2en given fictitious
ir identities.

Reporter!

the News"
3 Stations

wh in
news-

ms idl

Pretty Louise

(Continued from page 41) some unknown
reason, one of the tickets was cancelled
and Louise made the trip alone.

In the meantime Mrs. Logan gave the
Parkers a $2,000 deposit on the property
in question, which was to be purchased in
the name Mrs. Peete was then using—Lou
Ann Lee. The two women would then
attempt to re-sell it at a profit.

While in Denver, Louise wired Mrs.
Logan twice for funds and received in re-
sponse thereto a total of $300.

Shortly after her return to Los Angeles
she left the Logan house—for “personal
reasons,” as she explained it. On May
2nd, 1944, she married Lee B. Judson,
whom she had known for more than a
year. The mild-mannered, highly re-
garded widower, in his late sixties, had
been an easy conquest. For his benefit
she had assumed a new personality. Gay,
fun-loving, she stood for all that was dif-
ferent in the life of the sedate Judson. His
two grown children looked on approv-
ingly and did not oppose the marriage for
they felt that the woman whom they knew
as Lou Ann Lee exerted a cheerful influ-
ence on their father.

HERE was not as much difference in

their ages as the old gentleman thought,
for the new Mrs. Judson was almost sixty
—a fact which she was careful to conceal.
She kept her gray hair dyed a rich brown,
took excellent care of her skin, and dressed
modestly but becomingly. That she had
violated the terms of her parole by marry-
ing concerned her not at all.

The Judsons went to live in a hotel in
Glendale, a thriving city adjacent to Los
Angeles. Louise told her husband of her
friendship with the Logans, and finally
took him out to their Pacific Palisades
home and introduced him. She knew she
could depend upon them not to reveal her
true identity, nor to inform the Parole
Board of her unauthorized third venture
into matrimony.

Judson, a former advertising executive,
was currently employed in a downtown
bank, and Louise, finding his earnings in-
adequate to supply the luxuries she craved,
took steps to remedy the situation.

At her insistence that it was imperative
that both she and Mrs, Logan make a trip
to Colorado, the latter again purchased
two railway tickets to Denver at a cost of
$185. They were to be used a few weeks
later.

On May 19th, Louise Peete forged her
benefactor’s name to a check for $200 and
brazenly presented it at Mrs. Logan’s
Santa Monica bank. She received the
money, which she deposited to her own
account in another bank.

But this shady transaction was not to
go unobserved, An alert bookkeeper de-
tected irregularities in Mrs. Logan’s signa-
ture and brought the check to the bank
manager’s attention. He, in turn, tele-
phoned Mrs. Logan and requested her to
call and examine the check. She did so,
and while admitting that she had not writ-
ten it, asked that her friend be given an
opportunity to make it good.

Back home she phoned Louise at the
Glendale hotel and insisted that funds be
deposited immediately to cover the check
in question. This, Louise agreed to do. A
week passed, during which time no effort
had been made by the forger to make
restitution. Informed of this, Mrs. Logan,
again contacted Louise and in no uncertain
terms demanded action. Louise promised
to call at the Logan house on the following
day to straighten the matter out.

With insufficient funds -to cover the
amount of the check, she faced a serious
dilemma. If Margaret should resort to
court action, or reported this latest offense
to the Parole Board, Louise’s true identity
would be revealed to her husband. She
would be exposed as a convicted murderess
and, worst of all, returned as a parole
violator to the hated confines of the Wom-
en’s Prison at Tehachapi to complete her
life sentence.

This must not, and should not, happen.
She had killed before—she would kill
again. In her possession even now was the
revolver she had stolen from her former
employer, Mrs. Latham.

In the plan which was beginning to
evolve in her mind, she realized that not
only would she have to destroy Margaret,
but she would also have to dispose, in some
manner, of Arthur Logan. Well, that, too,
could be arranged. And this time, she told
herself, she would make no mistakes that
might endanger her freedom for a second
time.

That Margaret and Arthur Logan had
proven themselves her staunchest friends
during her trial for murder back in 1920,
meant nothing. The fate she had in mind
for Margaret would serve her right for
making all this commotion over a paltry
$200 check.

Early the next afternoon Louise took a
bus to the Pacific Palisades. Entering the
Logan house through the unlocked back
door with a smile on her face, she talked
volubly with the couple. About how hot
it was. About how happy she was with
her new husband.

“Let me make you a glass of lemonade,
Arthur,” she suggested brightly. “You look
so warm.”

HE ROSE at once and went to the kit-

chen. A few minutes later she reap-
peared with a tray on which stood three
tall glasses in which cubes of ice tinkled
pleasantly. It was a nice gesture, except for
the fact that into the glass she handed
Arthur she had dropped four potent sleep-
ing tablets. The unsuspecting man drank
the concoction gratefully. Almost immedi-
ately he said he felt sleepy, and retired to
his bedroom for a nap.

The two women, now dropping all pre-
tense of friendliness, began to talk. Finally
Mrs. Logan seated herself on a chair be-
side the telephone-stand and started to
dial a number.

That call, which undoubtedly would
have informed the Parole Board of the
forged check, was never completed. At
that instant Louise Peete whipped a re-
volver from her handbag, pressed the
muzzle against Margaret Logan’s neck, and
pulled the trigger.

Mrs. Logan staggered across the room to
a sofa, where she collapsed. Observing
that she still breathed, the frenzied killer,
using the gun as a bludgeon, struck a series
of savage blows across the top of the un-
conscious woman’s head. At last Mar-
garet fell to the floor and lay still, blood
streaming from the gaping wounds in her
head and neck.

Her husband, his brain benumbed by
the powerful narcotic, slept throughout
the entire macabre affair.

The killer dropped into a chair, where
she watched a red stain slowly spread in
a wide area across the blue carpet. She
must concentrate. There were a hundred
details to be worked out if this slaying was
to go undetected.

The Vulture of Death must have flapped
his wings gleefully, for Margaret Logan

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91


40

At. thirty-five, Louise (above) was an
attractive’ woman. An _ advertisement
placed by a lonely man intrigued her

Arthur Logan (above) was a stumbling
block in the sinister plans of the evil
woman. Carefully she rehearsed the lies
that were to rid her of his presence

officer of the State Parole Board at Los
Angeles.

Upon the day of her release, in a last
defiant gesture, she tore up her printed
parole instructions in the presence of
Miss Helen Monahan, prison superin-

‘tendent, whom she hated. -

The next few years were uneventful.
Under the name of “Mrs. Lou Ann Lee”.
—an alias she assumed with the con-
sent of prison authorities—she held
various positions as roominghouse man-
ager and housekeeper.

In.August of 1943, Emily Latham be-
came ill and employed her at a salary of
$25 a week to act as housekeeper. Three
weeks later Mrs. Latham suffered a
stroke and died in a Los Angeles hos-
pital. It is noteworthy, in view. of sub-
sequent events, that at the time her
employer was stricken, Louise rushed to
a telephone and summoned the ailing

woman’s closest friends, urging them to

come quickly if they wished to see Mrs.
Latham alive. *

Now at loose ends, she contacted her.

old friends, Margaret and Arthur Logan,
who owned an attractive home in Pacific
Palisades, a scenic-section of Los Ang-
eles overlooking the ocean, and asked if
she might visit them for a few weeks.
At that time Mrs. Logan was employed
by one of the local airplane manufactur-
ing plants.:A licensed real-estate broker,
she had temporarily given up this work
to assist in the war effort. She expressed
pleasure at hearing from Louise and not
only cordially invited her to visit, but
offered her employment.

“If you will look after Arthur and
help with the housework, it will relieve
me of a great worry,” she said.

Arthur Logan, seventy-four, had be-
come more or less of a problem to his
wife, who was twelve years his junior.
A recent: serious operation had left him
much weakened. Of medium height and

. her husband committed to an _ institu-

- Louise’s propaganda bore fruit.

For the’ ruthless slaying.of Jacob
Denton (above), Louise was sen-
tenced to life imprisonment—but
this did not end her evil career

weighing only 135 pounds, he was feeble,
tremulous and sometimes mentally con-
fused. Years before, he had been a suc-
cessful importer and exporter in China,
and it was there that Margaret, while
working as secretary to an oil company,
had met him. They were married in
Hong Kong in 1914.

Louise accepted Mrs. Logan’s offer
with alacrity. For her services she
would be paid $75 a month, plus room
and board. But a few days after moving
to the Logan house, she launched a
campaign to induce Margaret to have

tion for the weak-minded.

“Margaret,” she said, “you really
should do something about Arthur. |
don’t think it’s safe to have him here
with us.”

For awhile Mrs. Logan resisted her
suggestions. Devoted to her husband,
she was reluctant to turn him over to
the ministrations of others. But finally
She;
succeeded in convincing Margaret that!
Arthur would be better off if he were
under the supervision of experienced
nurses.

Late in the month, the two women}
escorted the harmless old gentleman to.
the offices of the Lunacy Commission,
and had him committed to a private!
sanitarium. Louise was highly pleased!
with the arrangement, but Mrs. Logan
was miserable. Each time she visited
her husband he clung to her in suppli-;
cation. “They’re good to me here,’ he
pleaded, “but I want to be with you.” |

When he had been there but nineteen;
days Mrs. Logan announced that she.
was bringing him home. Louise pro-/
tested vehemently. “But Margaret, you!
can’t do that! He’s dangerous. He
might become violent!” '

“Nonsense!”’ replied Mrs. Logan firmly.’
“He’s never so much as lifted a finger

aT

Richard Peete (
dealer, was Louise
When his earning
through illness,

against either of us
as far as that is con
weigh him by thirt:
he hurt us, even if
“T think you’re m
Louise said coldly:
“What you think
is his home and this
If you can’t put uy
I’m afraid you'll ha:
place to live.”
Recognizing . defe
raging inwardly, he
time being, and Art
grateful, was once r
Pacific Palisades bi
Not long afterwe
signed her position
and again entered a
field. Louise assis:
deals, receiving $25
for this added servi

In the spring of
learned that a large
Colonel Parker and
sale for $50,000. T
more money than
produce on short not
Arthur owned their
comfortable circumst
of this size was out o
is, until Louise men
trust fund at her d
Colorado.

Whether or not Mr
in by the preposter
matter of conjecture.
of her unwavering fai
evidenced at the- tir
murder, it seems safe
really believed Louis:
of money awaiting he
theory is substantiate
on March 17th, 1944,
chased two train ticke
city—one for herself,
Peete. But, for (Con


ving-of Jacob
uise was sen-
sonment—but
er evil career

1e was feeble,
nentally con-
d been a suc-
-ter in China,
irgaret, while
oil company,
‘e married in

Logan’s offer
services she
th, plus room
; after moving
> launched a
zaret to have
to an institu-
L.

“you really
ut Arthur. I
ave him here

a resisted her
her husband,
a him over to
‘s. But finally
-e fruit. She
Margaret that
off if he were
of experienced

ie two women
i gentleman to
cy Commission
i to a private
highly pleased
yut Mrs. Logan
me she visited
» her in suppli-
)» me here,” he
be with you.”

re but nineteen
unced that she
e. Louise pro-
t Margaret, you
dangerous. He

rs. Logan firmly.
s lifted a finger

Richard Peete (above), prosperous
dealer, was Louise’s second husband.
When his earning power was reduced
through illness, tragedy followed’

wainst either of us or anyone else. And
as far as that is concerned, we both out-
weigh him by thirty pounds. How could
te hurt us, even if he wanted to?”

“I think you’re making a big mistake,”
Louise said coldly.

“What you think doesn’t matter. This
ishis home and this is where he belongs.
If you can’t put up with the situation,
Tm afraid you’ll have to find some other
place to live.”

Recognizing defeat, Louise, though
raging inwardly, held her peace for the
time being, and Arthur Logan, pitifully
grateful, was once more returned to the
Pacific Palisades bungalow.

Not long afterward Mrs. Logan re-
signed her position at the defense plant
and again entered actively in the realty

feld. Louise assisted her in various

deals, receiving $25 extra each month
for this added service.

In the spring of 1944, Mrs. Logan
earned that a large estate owned by a
Colonel Parker and his wife was for
sale for $50,000. This, of course, was
more money than Mrs. Logan could
produce on short notice. While she and
Arthur owned their home, and were in
comfortable, circumstances, a transaction
of this size was out of the question; that
is until Louise mentioned the $100,000
trust fund at her disposal in Denver,
Colorado. .

Whether or not Mrs. Logan was taken

in by the preposterous statement is “a.

matter of conjecture. In view, however,
of her unwavering faith in her friend, as
evidenced at the-time of the Denton
murder, it seems safe to assume that she
rally believed Louise had a large sum
ad money awaiting her in Denver. This
theory is substantiated by the fact that
m March 17th, 1944, Mrs. Logan ‘pur-
dased two train tickets to the Colorado
cty—one for herself, and one for Mrs.
Peete. But, for (Continued.on page91)

EMBARRASSED

HEROINE

TaN
SY Od
iB of YP
(7 Vey
Us

Comme home from work to her
Pasadena, California, apartment in
the small hours one morning re-
cently, pretty 24-year-old Gloria
Miller mislaid a not-quite-out ciga-
rette. as she made ready for bed.
It burned down and fell behind a
davenport cushion on which her

clothing was piled.

She awoke two hours later to
find the apartment filled with
smoke. © ;

Miss Miller, a resourceful girl,
jumped up and battled the junior-
grade conflagration with pans of
water from the kitchen. It proved
stubborn, and she had to tear out
the smouldering davenport stuff-
ing with her fingers. Finally, after
a half-hour fight, she succeeded in
dousing the blaze to her satisfac-
tion. The damage: Miss Miller’s
slacks, blouse, and stockings de-
stroyed, and the apartment’s dav-
enport ruined. . ;

Exhausted by her’ single-handed
fire-fighting activity, and feeling
that she had done her duty, Miss
Miller went back to her inter-
rupted sleep. ?

Later in the day she left a note

for the apartment manager telling

him about it, and he in turn made
a routine report to the Fire Depart-
ment. ‘

Miss Miller was taken aback a
few days later when City Fire
Marshal Russell E. Stone served
her with a citation to appear in

court. The marshal informed the .

puzzled brunette that she was hr
ty of two violations of the State
Health and Safety Code: firstly,
she had caused a fire by careless

if ’
SONAR
CY aw 4)
AWS

smoking, and secondly,- she had

* failed to call the Fire Department.

immediately. : ;

“Under the new law,” he ex-
plained, “anyone discovering a fire
in a hotel or apartment house must
report it without delay. That ap-
plies even if you think you can put
it out yourself.” , ,

The new California statute, he

. pointed out, had been inspired by

the disastrous LaSalle Hotel fire
in Chicago,'in which the blaze
gained fatal headway while hotel
employees tried to battle it before
turning in the alarm. oe

“Let the Fire Department fight
fires,” Marshal Stone advised the
girl. “It’s our business.”

In court, where she pleaded guil-
ty to both counts, Miss Miller found
an unexpected ally in her land-
lord, William Burk, who took the
view that she was a heroine who
by her presence of mind had very
possibly saved the lives of the for-
ty-five other sleeping tenants. Al-
though Miss Miller had unwittingly
started the fire that jeopardized

lives,’ Burk told Municipal Judge —

William E; Fox: +35
“Tf I’ve never heard of that new

law,: how could this tenant be

expected to know about it? She
should. be rewarded; not punished.

‘Why, to show my appreciation, I’ve

reduced her rent ten per cent and

given her a new lease!”
Apparently unimpressed, Judge

Fox fined Miss Miller twenty-five

dollars. Pp

Landlord Burk gallantly paid the

fine for her. :

_—Epwarp S. SULLIVAN

41

ny lieu-
to the
saw the
60 near
ort, two
Patrol
imediate

ed. That

sallengee
t. You’d
ng rifle.

ip,” Seal
a chance

lights of
peed and
ed their
car,” Seal
some gas

1ave the
i. “They
i dragnet

‘ht have
ked car,”

that,”

have,
night.”
cross the

ou might
remarked
abruptly
t I see?”
the right.
w. They
feet from
and just
n Was a
rat’s it!”
n by the

the car
ond later
‘es noise-
he ready,
highway.
piled out
tarted to

shouted

‘ned; see-

a repeat-
un in the

Seal said.
ip slowly.
u're dead
hing cau-

searching
red them
ings guns,
Seal said,
least for

wey were
‘y were
illed to
‘d him-
, 32. The
Veber, 21.

son Bil

Questioned, Collins first insisted that
they had found the car parked and had
just gotten in to rest awhile.

“You can tell that story to the lieu-
tenant,” Seal snorted, “if you don’t
mind making a prize fool of your-
self. Let’s go.”

Hardly had they checked in with
their prisoners when Troopers Coen
and E. C. Guthrie arrived at the bar-
racks. Guthrie looked at the prisoners.
“That one,” he said, indicating Col-
lins, “has a record. I’m sure I've
seen his mug somewhere before.
ea the lieutenant?” he added to
Seal.

Seal nodded. “He'll be right over,”
he said.

When the lieutenant arrived he
subjected both prisoners to rigorous
questioning. At first Collins denied
everything. The lieutenant finally lost

patience.

“Get wise to yourself, Collins,” he
snapped. “We've got the bullets from
the murder gun and we’ve got your
gun. We also have very fine allistics
experts and you know what that
means. What’s morc, we have a wit-
ness to the shooting. Now, how about
talking a little sense?”

Collins hesitated and a flicker of
fear showed in his eyes. He shrugged.
“Okay, Copper,” he said. “I'll ta k.”

The murder had happened, he said,
because he and Weber had decided
that they had to have a_car. “We
wanted a good one,” he said brazenly.
“We decided that the best oh 6 to get
the kind we wanted was to hold up
somebody.”

Unemotionally he went on to relate
that he and Weber had seen Hill in
his car waiting for the light at the
intersection of Lee and Truslow
Streets. They had gotten into the car
and had forced the 39-year-old sales-
man to drive to the spot behind the
Edgewood Country Club.

“When we got there,” the killer,

pursued, “he didn’t want to get out
but I stuck the gun in his ribs and he
had to. I shoved him ahead of me into
the woods and let him have it. I had
to kill him or he’d have squealed on
me to the cops.”

Weber’s story was that Collins had

lanned the whole thing, and that he,

eber, had had no idea that Collins
meant to kill anybody. “I thought he
was just going to take the car and
scram,” he said.

On Friday morning, April 19, evi-
dence was presented to the Kanawha
County grand jury. That same day
both Collins and Weber were indicted
on a charge: of first degree murder.
They were being booked at the county
jail when Deputy Sheriff Bradford
Carte stared hard at Collins.

“I knew him when he was here be-
fore in 1943,” the deputy said. “He’s
a hard customer.”

Collins’ police record bore the dep-
uty out. He had served time in the
boys’ industrial school at Pruntytown
for larceny in 1940 and had _ been
lodged in the county jail in 1943 for
assault, battery and felonious cutting.

The two killers were tried sep-
arately, after Prosecutor Frank t.,
Taylor announced he would seck a

conviction of murder in the first de-
gree without recommendation for.
mercy, which would make the death
sentence mandatory.

Citing the fact that feeling in. the
community was running so high
against the two men that he doubted
that his clients could get a fair trial
in Charleston, John V. Brennan, de-
fense counsel for Collins, requested a
change of venue. Judge Cyrus Hall
denied this petition. ‘

Collins was brought to trial on
Tuesday, May 14. ‘Three days later,
the jury brought in a verdict of guilty
and Collins was sentenced to be
hanged on September 14. After sen-
tence was pronounced, Collins, who
throughout the trial had shown neither

-interest nor emotion, went on a ram-

page, cursing the judge and prosecu-
tor and saying that he hoped to see
them both in hell!

Twenty hours after Collins was con-
victed, Weber pleaded guilty to the
charge against him. After the evi-
dence against him was in, however,
his counsel pleaded for a continuance
of the case on the grounds that Weber
had such a low grade of intelligence
that he was not responsible for his
actions. The prosecutor, however,
maintained that he knew right from

wrong. After deliberating for two

weeks, Judge Hall sentenced Weber
to life imprisonment.

Epirer’s Nore: To protect an tn-
nocent person, the name Anthony
Jennings, as. used in this story, is fic-
titious

REAL

DETECTIVE

“Yos,” McGarry admitted, “But that
won't help you.’

Sernsky shrugged. “It’s better that
way.” Then he turned to Durling.
“There’s one thing I haven’t told you.
That’s this: Harry really started
beating Marian back in Los Angeles.”

“How can we know that?” Mc-
Creadie asked doubtfully,

“Because it happened on Menlo
Street, right close to a palm by the
Red Cross Center there. You look
there and you'll find some blood on
the grass.” Sernsky seemed to be
ready to tell everything, but just as
abruptly he stopped and refused to
say anything more. .

McCready telenhoned Captain
Brown in Los Angeles. “If this
proves straight, we'll bring the guy
back with us.”

HILE Sernsky was being ques-
tioned, Deputy Sheriffs Roy

Foye and Howard Bowman and a large:

force of Coast Guard men were comb-
ing the scene of the strange attack on
Seaman Seathen. They found a heavy
piece of automobile spring which ap-
parently had been the weapon used.
And they also found what they
thought were traces of blood on the
jagged rocks leading down to the sea-
wall

“We think,” Bowman reported by
telephone, “that this bird killed the
woman and threw her body in the
ocean

“And I think you're probably very

Look for the Love-Mad Murderer!

(Continued from page 21)

right,” Durling agreed. “We'll be
down that way very soon.”

The party of Ventura County of-
ficers and Los Angeles officers left
immediately for the scene. While a
minute search of the area continued,
Chemist Pinker-began a careful study
of the trail of blood. Long experi-
enced in such things, Pinker definite-
ly established the trail to the seawall.
Then, he found also blood spots on the
top edge of the seawall.

“Gentlemen,” Pinker announced,
“you'll find a body somewhere in the
Pacific Ocean.” .

Back in Los Angeles Hurst and
Lohrman were again on the move.
They located, without any trouble,
the ‘blood spots on the grass by a palm
tree in front of 1137 Menlo Avenue.
A few feet farther down the street
they found a second blood spot.

“What’s happened,” Captain Brown
concluded when he heard their re-
ports, “is that this monkey killed that
woman here. Then he drove up the
coast to dispose of the body. The Coast
Guard patrolman came along just as
he was finished heaving it into the sea.
He decided to kill the man to prevent
any witnesses being around.”

“T. guess he would have,” Lohrman
said, “if that dog hadn’t been there,
judging from the story.”

“Right,” Brown nodded. “UH get in
touch with Dick and Bob up there and
‘have him brought here. You fellows
find out where Dave Berger is and
wire him to come back as soon as

possible. We'll need him around.”

Returned: to: Los Angeles, Sernsky
clung to his last story as told in Ven-
tura. “You don’t think I’d harm her?”
he: said with apparent indignation.
“Why, Marian was my fricnd’s wife.”

“You're lying to us,” Brown told
him. “You didn’t slug that patrolman
for nothing. You didn’t want any wit-
nesses around.”

Sernsky shook his head. “That’s all
I have to say. Anything else I have to
say, I’ll tell it to Dave when I see him.”

The intimation by Sernsky that he
might have something special to tell
Dave Berger spurred the officers’ anx-
iousness to see Berger return to Los
Angeles. They had only to wait until
the following day when he arrived by
plane from the cast.

Met at the airport, Berger was pro-
foundly shocked by the possibility that
his wife had been murdered. He was
further shocked by the suggestion that
she had gone dancing with Sernsky—
or Peterson, as he was known at the
war plant—or with any other man.

“T can’t believe it,” he said. “Marian
disliked Jack. She wouldn’t go out
with him. I know she wouldn't.”

Berger was taken to Captain
Brown’s office and questioned closely.
He revealed that he had befriended
Peterson, employing him while he was
on parole. He had taken special efforts
to help him, He also revealed that he
had given his wife $65 in cash just be-
fore leaving for the east, and that she
was to have collected $35 in rent on a


made many
ion located
he murder.

os Angeles.
he steering
worn man’s

» tell us the
his?” Peter-

Sernsky in-

ped. How-
re was little
that time.
vould bring

Cinardmen,

flashlight
umediately
‘ the rocky
; found of
il have to
| morning,”
think we
uy and the

arrived in
waiting for
nent as he
is personal
‘illiam Suy-
‘e and the

was a bill-
i identifica-
was a total

shed across
might have
ive got this
had to stuff

‘ve got the

often carry

ip the bill-
so, You say
nent. “You
\lien Regis- .-

tration Card which says you’re Polish and that your
name is Jan Francis Sarazzawski. Then this draft
card says you’re John Jack Peterson. Just who in the
hell are you anyway?”

“They are all correct,” the prisoner announced. “I
have the legal right to use those names.”

“Don’t tell us that,” Suytar interrupted. ‘Why not
tell us the straight story. We'll find out, probably from
fiigerprints, just who you are.”

“Okay, suppose you do,” Sernsky said acidly. “But
one thing you won't find out, and that’s that I harmed
Marian.”

F Seca no?” Suytar said. “Have we accused you of

a ?*

In Durling’s office, Sernsky suddenly changed his

demeanor. “I guess I’m in a pretty tough spot, ,

Sheriff.”

“You are,” Durling told him. “But we don’t know yet
what all this blood and the woman’s clothing in the
car means.”

“Look.” Sernsky dropped his voice. “I might as
well get this all out in the open. ma three-time loser.
That’s why it’s going to be tough to explain this. But,
so help me, here’s exactly what happened.” He leaned
forward in an earnest attitude.

“Go on,” Durling said, “I’m listening.”

“I don’t know who this man is but I can give you a
good description of him. Marian called him ‘Harry,’
that’s all the name I know. He was after her down at
Ocean Park. Later we drove up the coast. I had to
get out of the car and take a little walk. I walked down
the road a little ways when I saw another car come
up and stop by mine.

“Well, I turned around and ‘hurried back to the car.
And there was this Harry beating Marian. I jumped in
and yanked him out and we fought. But he’s bigger
than me. Tall and red headed. He landed one in my
face and I went down. I don’t know how long it was
before I came to. But when I did, Harry and Marian
were both gone in his car. It was a Pontiac.”

Durling looked straight at the man. “IT don’t believe
it,” he said flatly. ‘‘You don’t look like you’ve been in
a fight.”

§ROWEVER. Durling’s disbelief did not cause Sernsky
to change his story. Ordering him locked up, the
sheriff and the other officers went downstairs to study
his automobile. There was only one significant thing
about a further study of the car. The amount of blood
present was certainly more than what would have re-
sulted from a casual fight. The blood was well set and,
in some blots on the back of the seat, there were a few
reddish hairs.

“Looks like we have a dilly here,” Durling said. “A
gruesome crime without any victim.”

In the black leather purse in the back seat was found
—in addition to the usual items of cosmetics—a gasoline
ration-book, two food ration-books for Marian and Dave
Berger, and a railroad ticket from Los Angeles to San
Francisco, stamped for the “Daylight Limited, May
llth, 1944.”

The railroad ticket, the traveling bag, and the other
items indicated pretty clearly that someone intended
leaving Los Angeles. “And that someone must have
been Marian Berger,” Durling concluded.

Back in his office, Durling telephoned Captain Thad
Brown, Chief of the Los Angeles Police’s Homicide
Bureau. “Just what has happened we don’t know,”
Durling said after explaining the known facts. ‘But if
you'll begin a check down there, we’ll see what we can
find out up here.”

“We certainly will,” Brown promised. “What about
a lab check on the car? I can send Pinker up to help

you out.” . .
“T wish you would,” Durling said. ‘
Brown was referring to famed Police Chemist Ray HH.

Pinker, head of the Los Angeles Crime Lab. He im-
mediately called Pinker, and assigned, ace investigators

—Detective Lieutenants: Richard B. McCreadie and
Robert F. McGarry—to accompany him to the scene
and to Ventura.

In the meantime, Brown assigned Detective Lieu-
tenants Lloyd J. Hurst and Robert H. Lohrman to check
the Los Angeles addresses of both Mrs. Berger and
Sernsky, which was given as 711 Valencia Street.

Hurst and Lohrman had no difficulty in locating the
addresses. They found, as Sernsky had said, that both
parties lived at the place. They also found that Mrs.
Berger was absent from her home. At the war plant,
Six Wheels, Inc., they found that, as Sernsky had said,
Dave Berger was in the East on a business trip.

As these checks were being made, McCreadie, Mc-
Garry, and Pinker reached Ventura. When they walked
into Durling’s office, Sernsky looked up with surprise.

“Well, Jack Peterson!’ McGarry exclaimed.

“So, it’s you they’ve got,” McCreadie chimed in.

“I never expected to see you men here,” Sernsky
greeted them. Then he turned to Durling to explain.
“Lieutenant McGarry is the officer who got me my last
rap on burglary. And I’ve known Lieutenant McCreadie
since he used to come into a soda-fountain in Los
Angeles where I worked.”

“What’s all the trouble this time?’’ McCreadie asked.

“He’s been giving us a tall story,” Durling said.

“If Marian got beat up in L. A. it would be a Los
Angeles crime?” Sernsky asked without looking at
Durling. ‘You fellows would have to take me back
there, wouldn’t you?” (Continued on page 65)

Chemist Ray Pinker holds the trousers worn by the
murderer which were almost torn from him by Boots,
Ken Seathen’s savagely faithful canine companion.


66

property they owned. This amounted
to $100, almost the same amount which
had been found hurriedly stuffed into
Peterson’s pocket.

Faced with the convineing. circum-
stantial evidence of murder, Berger
muttered, “It must be true. Marian
must be dead!”

Carefully the officers’ arranged a
dramatic meeting between the: griev-
ing husband and the disclaiming sus-
pect. Berger frankly wept as he
pleaded with Peterson to tell him what
had happened to his wife.

“Please, Jack, tell me. f’ve got to
find her body! I've got to know what
ey to her!”

eterson too wept. “You're my
friend, Mr. Berger. You know TI
wouldn’t have harmed your wife. Hon-
estly, I don’t know what happened to
her. The last I saw of her was there in
the car with that Harry fellow.”

The meeting ended that same day,
with both men weeping. The officers
shook their heads. “Those are croc-
odile tears Jack is shedding,’ Mc-
Creadie decided. “He puts on a good
act, but it is an act! We’ll have to
prove everything in this case.”

“But we still have to find a. body,”
McGarry warned. “A body in the
ocean is something you can never be
sure about.”

CoAst Guard patrol boats, at the

request of officers, kept a constant

vigil for a body in the Pacifie. And
all people who lived along the coast
were asked to be on the watch for any-
thing floating in the surf for several
miles above and below Point Mugu.

It was exactly one week later that
Mrs. Charles Runyon and Mrs. Estelle
Bergholtz, who were watching with
glasses from the porch of Mrs. Run-

on's home, sighted something bobbing
n the surf. As they watched they be-
came certain it was a body. Then, fear-
ing the tide would carry it out to sea
before help could arrive, the two
women gamely donned boots, rubber
gloves, and coats and waded into the
surf. Carefully they guided the float-
ing body to the beach.

here was no trouble in’ positively
identifying the nude body of Marian
Berger. Autopsy Surgeon Dr. Frank
R. Webb immediately performed an
examination. He found that there were
four deep gashes in her skull. “Any
one of he blows would have killed
her,” he said.

Taken to the morgue, Peterson
shrank back from sight of the body.
“It is Marian!” he exclaimed... “But I
didn’t kill her!”

Peterson steadfastly denied the
brutal crime. Although further inves-
tigations revealed that his motive had
been more than robbery. ‘

Marian Berger, only the night ‘be-
fore the crime, had advised a gir] with
whom Peterson had been going to give

Mother,

The Children of Violence

In Chicago, bewildered and alone after tragic stabbing of

four-year-old Corinne Boyke nevertheless tries to
comfort her little six-month-old baby sister, Patricia Ann.

=

him up. Hate had flared fiercely in his
eyes then, And the very night of the
crime he had first called on the girl,
only to find her resolute in her deci-
won,

But by the time he came to trial
before a jury in the Superior Court of
Judge Newcomb Condee, Jan Francis
Sarazzawski, his true name, had de-
vised what he believed was a logical
story.

This time he claimed that he had
started to drive Mrs. Berger to the
railroad station for her trip to San
Francisco. They had stopped on Menlo
Avenue for him to see about an apart-
ment. When he returned to the car he
tound her being murderously attacked
by the mysterious Harry. He fought
off the man, and started’ to drive away.
Harry followed him. In trying to shake
Harry he drove up the coast to where
he thought there was a First Aid Sta-
tion.

Along the coast, his story went, he
stopped and went down to the water's
edge to wet a handkerchief to sooth
the wounded woman’s brow. When he
returned, Mrs. Berger was strangely
gone and a car was disappearing up
the highway. Then he saw the Coast
Guardman and thought he was Harry
coming to attack him. In frightened
desperation he attacked him.

But there was one main point which
proved that this final story was as
fabricated as the others. Chemist
Pinker showed that the blood which
had run across the running board of
{he car had run and dried in a straight
line. The car could not have been
moving at the time the blood flowed
there. This proved that the woman
had been killed while sitting in the
car on Menlo Avenue. Then, seeking
to dispose of the body, the killer had
driven up the coast.

On September 29, 1944, the jury re-
turned a verdict of First Degree Mur-
der, without recommendation, making
the death sentence mandatory. But
the Appellate Court, automatically re-
viewing the case, reversed the verdict
on a technical ground and ordered the
case re-tried.

A second jury, listening to the evi-
dence, could but reach the same ver-
dict. Then, once again, Jan Francis
Sarazzawski was sentenced to die in
the gas chamber at San Quentin on
February 15, 1946.

In the meantime Scaman Seathen
recovered from his wounds, and re-
turned again to making the lonely
patrols of the coastline.

Masquerade

(Continued from page 6)

boarded a train for another destina-
tion and went out on a spree as long
as their money lasted. As soon as
they needed additional funds they re-
enacted their skit in another com-
munity. ’

Unfortunately for them, in Barstow,
they imtbibed too much for their own
good and failed to take the proper
precaution to get out of town. They
were immediately returned to San
Quentin where they remained until
they died,

No one knew their real names, nor
how many alibis they worked under
during the heyday of their career,
nor did they ever reveal how much
coin of the realm they managed to
take from unsuspecting small town
bankers before they were eventually
placed securely behind the bars.

PICK

soon
telephone
the licens
chance th
by the p
every sec
Highway
their cars
Anothe:
check wit
ment in
clothing: 'T
the attack
the blood
Since L:
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>

Coast Guardsman Wallace Hanson has a difficult time restrain-
ing Boots, the watch dog that saved another Guardsman's life

| So A Ih .
kG SERAL EG <

But

Why

Bump Off
The Boss’

Wit

They Called the

ea?’

Employes of This

Los Angeles, California, War Plant
“One Happy Family." Then Why
Would One of Them Want to Kill
The Boss' Wife? For What Motive?

By Z. Williams

Special Investigator for
ACTUAL DETECTIVE STORIES

Guardsman Kenneth R.

Sneathen whispered the or-
der to his dog, and pressed the collie’s
head down to earth. “Don’t make a
sound. There’s something prowling
around the promontory—and it’ll be
up here any moment!”

It was the night of Wednesday, May
10, 1944, on lonely Point Mugu, part
of the famed Malibu Beach stretch in
Ventura County, California.

The Coast Guardsman gripped his
club and moved forward cautiously.
He felt the reassuring pressure of his
service revolver at his side, and he ob-
served the tense posture of his faith-
ful patrol dog, crouched to leap at his
slightest command:

“Here it comes, Boots!” Sneathen’s
vaice was still a whisper.

A man, silhouetted in the moonlight,
was walking to the top of the ridge.
There he stopped and gazed out to sea.
Sneathen took four cautious steps to-
ward him, then commanded: “Stay
where you are! And—don’t turn)
around until I tell you!”

For a moment it appeared as if the
man hadn’t heard him. Then he turned
his head slightly, asked in a nervous
voice, “Harry? Is—that you?”

Sneathen walked up behind the man
and reached for the. gleaming object
that he held in his right hand. It was
a tire iron. .

In that instant. the man whirled
around, slashed out with the tire iron.
He seemed deathly afraid of someone.

“No, Harry!” he screamed. “You
got her—but. you're not going to get

De Boots—down!” Coast

me! I'll kill you, Harry—just as you
killed her!”

“Wait!” Sneathen was trying to
protect himself from the heavy tool.
“Im not—Harry. Stop it—or I’ll have
to shoot you!”” He heard the vicious
swish of the sharp iron a few inches
from his throat. “You fool—!”

At that moment, as Sneathen fell
over backward from a glancing blow
on his face, the sentry dog, Boots, flew
into action. Teeth bared, he sprung
at the tall man. The sound of tearing
cloth added to the melee, and the tire
tool fell to the ground.

“Call him off! Call him off!” the
man cried. “I—didn’t realize you were
@ Guardsman!”

GNEATHEN weakly rose to his feet.
Blood was streaking down his back
and shirt front. Everything had hap-
pened so suddenly he hardly knew
what had taken place. But when he
raised his hand again, he saw what
the collie was doing to the man.

“That’s—enough, Boots!” Sneathen
ordered. ‘‘We’ve got him now.”

The man’s voice trembled. “I didn’t
know-——I didn’t know. I thought you
were Harry. I swear!”

“What's all this about? Who’s
Harry?”

“Harry Sarrowsky. He came here
to murder her—Mrs. Berger.”

“Wait a minute. What's your name?”

“John F. Sernsky. Harry borrowed
my car. He said he was going to drive
Mrs. Berger to San Francisco. She’s
the wife of the personnel manager
where I work. But I don’t think he

spate Kae

Gz
3

tying Spee

ee

ne gen aks

eat SIFG


5

~~ 4

d in the picture on

of CWTI which showed

1869, The caption abovel th
PCT. rey identifies

a Sther gen-
by the same name, the man: hown is not
Lewis Wallace of India iana, whose

p printed on the margins of the pic Eure tak
= had History of
blame in for it, if it is tr

h t; , : ot oned “Captain Schwartz, Saeee : : a
) e, is of a member of the 39th New

nteer Infantry (Garibaldi G rd
nd shirt.

exactly the same as he

*

WY. is black with the two

is a copy of Garibaldi’ It
s. The unit contained

ier and Italians

CONFEDERATES
IN CALIFORNIA

MAT NIGHT on June 30, 1864 two Wells Fargo coaches
Mel dws the western slope of the Sierras toward Placer-

Qiifwnia. The driver of the leading coach applied the
ie we be veared the hairpin turn called Bullion Bend. As
wk owed down there was a shout from the darkness:
eo we'll fire!” Half a dozen masked figures emerged
ao fi Gxiering light of the coach lamps. The same voice
Steg “Gentlemen, we are not robbers. We’re Con-
misers. All we want is the Wells Fargo treasure to
‘@®mowt for the Confederate Army.” The second coach
fehind the first, and the warning and assurance were

aad quickly several treasure chests and heavy silver
wemoved from the coaches. The leader of the band
a receipt to Edward Blair, the leading driver, and the
whed into the night. The receipt was signed, “R.
captain commanding, C.S.A.”
lemar four miles farther down the road, at an inn called
lem Mile House, the drivers sent telegraphic reports of the
@ Placerville and to their company’s headquarters. In
fil, preparations were quickly under way for the search
There was an immediate and unexpected break.
ts after the vehicles lumbered away from Thirteen

ouse, two strangers appeared on foot and engaged a
room. They were arrested on suspicion, a suspicion that proved
well-founded. At Placerville the sheriff learned that a group of
strangers was at Somerset House, a wayside inn some fourteen
miles to the south. Early in the morning Deputy Sheriff Joseph
Staples and Constable George Ranney rode in that direction.
Boldly, since they knew that Sheriff Hume, with a strong posse,
was close behind them, the two men swung open the door of
Somerset House and demanded the surrender of the men inside.
A burst of gunfire killed Staples instantly and wounded Ranney.
But before falling he managed to fire one shot. One of the gun-
men staggered, but the band vanished. Sheriff Hume arrived
a few minutes later and quickly found the wounded raider,
who turned out to be a Thomas Poole, a former undersheriff
of Monterey County.

FOR TWO WEEKS nothing was heard of the other raiders,
Then, on the afternoon of July 14, a farmer named Hill, whose
place was on the New Almaden Road two miles south of San
Jose, came to the sheriff’s office. Three men, he told Sheriff
J. H. Adams, had come to his farm and asked to stay there
while they waited for some friends. Hill, suspicious, had slipped
away to tell the sheriff. His description was accurate, and Adams
nodded in recognition.

At seven o’clock that evening, as the sun was dropping behind
the Santa Cruz Mountains, Adams and a posse surrounded the
outlying cabin on Hill’s farm, His arrangements complete, the
sheriff shouted, “You’re surrounded. Come out peaceably, with
your hands up.”

There was a moment of silence. The cabin door burst open
and three men erupted, guns in hand, firing as they came. A
constable fell; one of the raiders tried to fire a second shot, but
sprawled on the ground as two bullets smashed into him. The
second man’s pistol was knocked from his hand by a posseman’s
shot; livid with terror, he raised his hands in surrender. The
third man fired at Sheriff Adams. The impact of the bullet
knocked the sheriff down but it hit his heavy silver watch. He
was back on his feet almost instantly. Someone, probably the
sheriff himself, fired directly into the pit of the man’s stomach.
He screamed and staggered into the brush where he was found
a few minutes later, moaning and helpless.

The wounded men were loaded into a wagon and taken to
San Jose. There the man who had fallen near the cabin door
died within a few hours. The man (his name was John Clen-
dennin) who had fired at the sheriff lingered through the night,
and died the next day.

IN the summer of 1864, with Confederate manpower ebbing
away, there were a number of schemes to tap the supposedly
large reservoir of Southern sympathizers in California. On the
very day on which the fight occurred at Hill’s farm, “H. Ken-
nedy, Captain, C.S.A.,” arrived unobtrusively in San Francisco
for the purpose of organizing the Southerners in California.
But to get any of them to the battlefields in the East would
cost money — more money than the impoverished Confederate
treasury could spare,

The unsympathetic State of California, refusing to recognize
the raiders of Bullion Bend as Confederate soldiers, tried them
for murder and highway robbery. Former undersheriff Poole
was hanged; the others received varying sentences, but eventually
all were pardoned. They had consistently insisted that they
were not bandits, but soldiers. The leader of the band, Ingram
(who apparently was never captured), carried a commission as
a captain in the Confederate Army, and the exclamation of
one of the band at Somerset House had a ring of sincerity:
“Do you think two damned Yankees could take six Confederate
soldiers?”

Whether they were regularly enrolled in the Confederate
Army seems unimportant historically. Their status was as regu-
lar as that of thousands of men who fought on the edges of
the war in the Eastern theaters. Their claim that they were
Confederate soldiers makes the little and forgotten fights at
Somerset House and Hill’s farm a part of the Civil War.

— Col. Clarence C. Clendenen.

31

ne

EE NESS eS Ns
~
5

a

Hangtown Apprenticeship

(Continued from Page 5)

_the eastern and southern parts of the
county. But he liked the job, probably
because it promised him three ‘‘squares”’
a day.

On March 4, 1860, after almost ten
years of hopeful but fruitless prospecting,
Jim Hume abandoned gold mining,
forever. He figuratively threw away his
Pick and pan, though he did not, as yet, pin
on a star and buckle up a Colt pistol. He
was appointed Deputy Tax Collector. His
chores were not al] pleasant — collecting
taxes from the poor, chasing tax dodgers
for their delinquent payments. But none
was worse than the badgering of the
county’s aliens, particularly the Chinese,

for the hated and unfair Foreign Miner’s

License Tax.

Like the growth of the Know Nothing
Party itself, the anti-foreigners’ law is a
part of the underside of California history,
of which native Sons are not proud. But it
was symptomatic of hard times looming
on the horizon. It was also an early
example of an American weakness, an
unfortunate character trait. This was a
willingness to blame personal misfortunes
on scapegoats — and the more exotic the
better. The Sonorans or Mexicans, the
Chilenos (Chileans), the Chinese, and even
the few French miners were natural
targets.

Certainly, collecting the odious
Foreign Miner’s License fee was no way in
which to start a great career as a lawman.
The original punitive law of 1850 had been
repealed anc: the tax “dropped from twenty
dollars a month to just four dollars by the
time Hume had to collect it. But it was still
discriminatory, though the State Supreme
court said no. It was just a fee, not a tax.

It would be pleasant to think that
Hume privately protested the law as a
disgrace. But he did not. This is expecting
too much of him. He was a man of his
umes, He was required to carry out laws,
not to interpret them, or to seek their
removal. And, of course, like all the other
lawmen, he got a 15 percent commission
on all taxes collected. And he had to eat.

Hume kept his tax collecting job in
1862 when he received an appointment
which was more to his liking, that of city
marshal and chief of police of Placerville.

How in the world would Hollywood
handle Jim's first role as lawman? Along
with the preservation of law and order
went other duties. He was street com-
missioner. He was, yes, dog catcher.
Worse, he was in charge of ridding the
Streets of the carcasses of dead animals.

8 Quarterly of the National Association and

Dad Nad Nal

The Daily News liked to josh him, poking
fun at his canine funeral processions up
Center Street. And the editor warned.

GL DORADO COuUW\Y KT Xx K

the Marysville jail. The trio ‘fled to. El *:
Dorado County, where Hume found Scotch
Tom, abandoned by his pals at the head of

readers who-owned live.animals to beware -.. .. Irish-Creek . because“he ‘was ‘Sick. Hiime ~~’

of Hume: “You had better tag your dog!’’
He Cleans Up the Streets
However, the paper was genuinely
,fond of Jim Hume, and applauded the city
‘council for appointing such a conscientious
man to a position of so many and so varied
duties. ‘Order begins to reign in War-
saw,” cried the editor, poetically. ‘The
streets are being thoroughly cleaned,
nuisances are slinking out of sight, and >

to clean streets was literal as well as
figurative or metaphorical. James B.
Hume, as street commissioner, had all the

. gutters in town. cleaned; that summer of- «
1862. He then repaired all broken sections ~

of the board sidewalks on Main and |

' Sacramento Streets, and he gravelled the
length of Main Street from the Plaza to
Stony Point.

Small wonder that the local papers
cheered Hume. ‘‘The streets and
sidewalks are beginning to look ’niff (i.e.,
nifty). Our city, under the administration
of our able, efficient, and energetic
Marshal, James B. Hume, presents a fine
appearance. Order and cleanliness is
manifest everywhere. Main Street, with its
new coat Of graveHatd-down With care and
precision, will soon be the finest street in
the county.’’’

Jim was easily reelected city marshal
in April of 1863, with 466 votes to his op-
ponent’s 185. He seemed settled down
again, safely in a new rut, this time that of
a low-level municipal administrator. The
county sheriff handled the big cases —

. robbery and homicide, leaving Jim cases
of drunkenness, indecent exposure, the
illegal blocking of Hangtown Creek, or a
minor Chinese riot. Hume was saved from
boredom by an occasional interesting
case: a horse rustling, a tunneling rob-
bery, a Mexican bandido waving a wicked

knife. Nevertheless, he must have eagerly

accepted the appointment of under-sheriff
of El Dorado County which was offered

March 4, 1864. But was the

Mountain Democrat prescient when it

cheered him as a clever gentleman who

would make a good officer, or was it just
being polite to a diligent, but rather
ding, city official?

Hume's first real case was no triumph

in his own mind, though the newspapers

praised him for faithful and fearless

.,

Gang of robbers which had escaped from
BS OL | FOR Hj jg

enter for Outlaw and Lawman History

“He tried to pick up, their. traiLin.the mor.

+.
. ae ae

discharge of duty. In May of 1864, he led
e pursuit of the threeman McCollum

arrested him and then overtook the other
bandits near Fiddletown. So far, so good.

But in the shooting which followed,
Hume’s little possee got the worst of it.
-Forty rounds were fired, he thought that
he had hit Ike McCollum, but it was im-
possible to see the outlaws. They were only
sixty yards away, but were in thick
manzanita brush — and night was falling.
Hume had only two. men with. him and .

..- crime is‘Towering its flag.””-The reference — when Constable John Van Eaton was shot ___

in the side, and Deputy Joseph Staples’
horse was wounded, Hume could not stop
the outlaws from escaping in.the darkness..: .-

ning, but was unsuccessful:;The best that

he could do was to pyt:Van,Eaton in.a....

settler’s cabin, then return to town with his
one prisoner and ask Sheriff William H.
Rogers to send a doctor to treat the
wounded officer. And while the Mountain
Democrat and Sacramento Union praised...
him, the under-Sheriff swore to do better
next time.
Bullion Bend Robbery

By the end of June, 1864, he had a
crack at one of the most bizarre cases of
robbery in the history of the West. Still, his _

“streak of bad luck continued. He was out of

town, in Stockton on sheriff’s office
business, when the Bullion Bend robbery
took place. He also missed the subsequent
gun battle and sadly learned that Deputy
Joe Staples, who had fought beside him~
“againstthe McCollum Gang, had been shot
dead.

As Hume reconstructed the story, two
Placerville-bound stages.from Lake Tahoe
had been stopped on a narrow curve high
above the South Fork of the American
River, near today’s Pollock Pines. The
leader of the masked road agents, who was
addressed as ‘‘Captain’’ by the others,
assured the frightened travelers, ‘“We are
not robbers, but a company of Confederate
soldiers. We don’t want anything of the
passengers. All we want is Wells, Fargo’s
treasure, to assist us to recruit for the
Confederate Army.” And when he was
done, the self-styled Confederate officer
gave one of the drivers a receipt for the
bullion, signed ‘‘Captain R. Henry Ingrim,
Confederate States Army.”

Sheriff Rogers led a posse in pursuit of
the bandits. He split his party and,
unluckily, it was the smaller unit of three
men that picked up the trail. Van Eaton,
still hurting from his wound, was sent back
for reinforcements while Deputy Sheriff


seph Staples and. Constable George
anney overtook the badmen at Somerset
douse, a roadhouse at a junction on the
route to Hume's old stomping ground of
Grizzly Flat.

Ranney was willing to wait for help,
but Staples wanted to take on the whole
gang, alone. He was foolhardy. But his
pride had been stung when his courage
was questioned by saloon bums in
Hangtown after his horse was shot by
McCollum. The deputy had publicly
declared, ‘‘Next time I go, I’ll be brought

‘back dead, or.I’ll bring back my man!’"::.

So it was that. Staples pushed his way
into a roomful of outlaws, brandishing his
shotgun. and. shouting,...““You. are. my

- prisoners!:Surrender!.” Instead, the six or
- seven_.men inside fired. The deputy’s
buckshot charge. caughtone badman in the.

face, but Staples. was soon down, and
dying. Ranney-made a run for the cover of
the chaparral, but he did not make it to
safety. He was shot in the back and,

hemorraghing, he. surrendered. Only. the.

intercession of the lady innkeeper saved
him from murder, execution style, by the
angry Rebels. SAGA ca:

About the author: Richard Dillon is the

librariun of San Francisco’s Sutro
Library, a branch of the California State
Library featuring old and rare history
books. He is the author of several books
and articles on western history. His ad-
dress is 98 Alta Vista Ave., Mill Valley, CA
94941.

. When Hume ‘finally..arrived on the
scene, the trail was cold. But he began an
exhausting. pursuit, He -finally gave up,__
seven days later, when the outlaws
abandoned their horses and split up, on
foot. Once again the under-sheriff was
hailed for his zeal and tenacity. Once

". more, he cursed himself for failing to
overtake his quarry. But the California
Police Gazette called Hume’s chase
through El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras
and San Joaquin Counties’ roughest
terrain, with little food or rest, the most
untiring pursuit-in California history...

Hume was skillful at grilling prisoners —

and he soon had all the real names of the
bandits from the wounded fellow. The
“Captain,” he Jearned,.was no Ingrim but .
was Thomas: Belt. Poole, .ex-under-sheriff
of Monterey County! Taking’ great pains,
Hume tracked the robbers*to Fresno and
Tulare County secret way stations on a
sort of Copperhead or Confederate un-
derground railroad..Finally, on August 1,
with loyal Van Eaton by his side and a
handful of bench warrants, he raided a
hideout in San Jose and nabbed ten Con-
federate sympathizers, including most of
the Bullion Bend gang. But not the
“‘Captain’’; the under-sheriff-turned-
Rebel had vanished, and he never surfaced
again. i. desta rape ier eT ES 0 Me

: ; Bags two Cattle Rustlers

There was enough variety in Jim’s job

to keep it from becoming humdrum even

_. without a Bullion Bend case. He continued

to patrol and protect the vital Carson
_Road, with its rich shipments of silver
. ’ bullion from Nevada’s Comstock Lode. He
“» became a notary public. He served on the
board which chose a fire chief and
“assistants for Placerville. And he helped
#-.Rogers conduct sheriff's sales of property.

. More interesting was the 1865 case which
. shad its denouement at Railroad House in

Clarksville, where two cattle rustlers were
holed up. Hume shot one and bagged them
both. .

. Jim Hume ran for sheriff in 1865 but
lost. Surprisingly, he won the race at the
polls for chief engineer of the Fire
Department. But, to everyone's surprise,
his victorious opponent, Sheriff Maurice
G. Griffith, appointed him under-sheriff,
rival or not, because he was so efficient
and zealous in his duties.

In 1867, Hume added to his growing
reputation by putting an end to a rash of
robberies on the Carson Road. Learning
that the three men responsible for the
crimes were on their leisurely way east, he
galloped ahead of them via a shortcut and,
with a few men, set up an ambush. His

Quarterly of the National Association and Center for Outiryy sat 9

choice of site was we

, : rfect, il
Bridge, just south o¢ ct, for Echo Creek ..

ke ' ; an
one bottleneck of their PG ne  anpelnale

“rs

As the three hover
eye seme “
twilight of August 2, 1g ry eigen

“ pd Hugh De Tell,
, wm. The under-sheriff
and his men returned the fee wa

smoke of the black, warn re: When the

\ powder ae; :
the pine trees, oie eh ruited off into

‘dead. Another, See Faust, lay

dir, s
Hume. But De Tel\ rage she vennayen

; ade his sf five
gathering darknegy *'ty* ts escape-in-the:: «5.

% f @ Arias »
capture. He had tw BANS leader’s actual

capture. ] AS) naar termed depen
in the road and it wit NS par fy ata fork”

drop on De Tell an Ba
__ The ‘Mountain Hei)
ville, and other pape
praises anew. (Dy
officers in ’Frisew

tS, sang Hume's.
ibtless, Wells, Fargo

Wwriff, and we

; , v ise when we say
that in this, as iy his official acts in

those qualities that Ave requisite in a first.

rate executive officer of the department to
» We ¢ :

and his fellow-citizy Congratulate him

wag meen that spared his life.”
umes next Wiajor. case involved his

‘Ws for the murder of a

ith again took office i
. ’ office in
Of 1868. ‘The next year saw him
chy ing a cowardly &iug which was
Pillaging Chinese in the Sierra foothill
with impunity, be, ; iehieic

: ~<ause the courts refused
to accept Chinexa testimony, Since he

could not use tha Chinese victi

witnesses, Jim lecided to ie rr ding
members convict themselves, He studied
them, picked QD) several and let the
weakling of the hit cool att der quite a spell
paged dearest Ne was pleased to

Vg os i
pis Ae Thin Cochin eebibice rial
ie = isi hix (rick of planting a false
Y e PTESS ind Order to trap another
crook. But it worked. And for the first time
in years the Mother Lanto Orientals could
_— easily. (tronieally, Hume’s next
te arrest was that of some Chinese who
eda Storekeeper ducing a burglary.)

* tt neh ny Kl Covado County
ume Wits finally elected sheriff
of El Dorado County, Apparently in a

(Continued aay Vage 8)

“wman History 7

Meee

Sets the greatest: ~~~

=