Illinois, G, 1879-1988, Undated

Online content

Striking with savage fury, a cruel death trio committed a hideous crime while
a bride waited at the altar. ~~ But clever detectives solved the mysterious
murder puzzle and, trapped the brutal killers.

IRGY

| Then, almost as an afterthought: “I wonder where Bill is?”
The moments of that Saturday morning, of July 3, 1937,.
dragged past as the hands of the little watch moved slowly

Pigs: with ex- from 10:15 to 10:30 and finally swung toward 11 o’clock. ei ‘ :
ni hit moment, Irene Traub felt the palms of her hands growing cold and
ite skirt and moist. Her companion, too, was showing signs of the strain.

be a eet veil. When 11 o’clock came and the bridegroom had failed to

Lite Nate in St. appear, Irene’s nervousness increased. Her body, tense and

| the ‘seettek es tired from the long wait, felt strangely chilled and numb.

for the pain rom The door swung open and she turned expectantly. But it

ae cession ‘ was only her father who entered, his face drawn with worry

_ and as she icbleed and concern which he obviously strove to hide.

nds seated “Spey , “Bill hasn’t come yet,” he said hesitantly, “I told him last

s her union ie night he’d better set the clock.”

mscious of a thrill sg they both knew that William Kappen had not over-

* dainti i slept. i

head. ey rage Nothing so trivial could have kept him from his own
wedding if he had wanted to appear, Irene Traub told herself.

; i
ly yet,” the girl And deep in her heart she knew now that he would not come. '
Later, crushed, filled with humiliation and shame, she
white glove and sobbed out her misery as she heard the countless feet move I

‘on her wrist, the through the decorated church, down the steps and out into the ” | ae
| almost time,” she street. ~ i
) any time now,” Her tears fell unheeded, leaving the satin of her bridal

gown stained. Finally, when quiet reigned. again, she arose

When |}

jee by

But th:

Nothin
wedding

Pater,
sobbed «
through

The do
slept.

Then, almo
The mon
dragged pa
from 10:1
Irene Trat
moist.
ppea
tired fron
was only
and conc
night he
And dee;

f her white skirt and
At her side

the

”” she

“It’s almost time,

in o
“They will be ready any time now.”

citement as she faced her great moment,

gathered up the sat
Irene pushed back a long white glove and

glanced at the tiny little watch on her wrist,
gift of her bridegroom

“T guess they aren’t ready yet,” the girl
said.

RENE TRAUB, demure, flushed with ex-

This was her wedding day, and as she looked _
over the heads of her friends seated in the
that made her tingle from her daintily slippered
whispered to the lovely bride.

feet to the top of her blonde head.

William Kappen, she was conscious of a thrill
stood a bridesmaid.

which would come the signal.for the procession
church, who would witness her union with

Anthony’s church in St. Louis, and peered
through the opening toward the sacristy from
to start toward the candle-lit altar.

gently pushed aside the mist-like bridal veil.
She stepped to the door of the ante-room in St.

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The detectives, above, who cracked the

Kappen murder case are, left to right,

Detective Sergeant John Sinclair, Detec-

tive James Ogden and Detective Harold

Bohlen, of the St. Louis police, and

Deputy Sheriff Frank Kerrigan, of St.
Clair county, Illinois.

The trial of the murderers of William

Kappen is pictured below. Seated around

the table from left to right are Defense

Attorneys Harold J. Bandy and Edward

F. Bareis, Marie Porter, John and Ralph

Giancola, and State’s Attorneys Fred J.
Bier and R. V. Gustin.

from the chair to accompany her parents
home.

Why had Bill forsaken her? Last
night he had seemed so happy when he
kissed her goodbye. All week they had
worked together, buying their furniture
and arranging it in the small, modest
apartment on Union boulevard.

They had no money for a honeymoon
but that mattered little, they agreed,
adding the last-minute touches to the
home in which they planned to take up
their new life together.

Bitterly Irene recalled it all.

“He might have told me. I'd rather
have died than have this happen,” she
cried wretchedly.

“Trene, Bill’s a good boy. Some-
thing’s happened and as soon as I take

you home I’m going to see him,” her
father replied.

“T’m not going home. I’m going with
you. I'll tell him a thing or two!” the
girl declared angrily and resignedly.

Henry Traub drove to the apartment
on’ Union boulevard. For William
Kappen already had taken up his abode
there, moving from rooms on Claxton
street, only a few days before.

Up the steps the disheveled bride flew,
with her father in her wake. Presently
she was pounding on the locked apart-
ment door, while Mr. Traub called out
pleadingly, “Bill! Open the door.”

But there was no answer and _ the
father strode toward the stairway, say-
ing, “Why he’s not even here! Wait for
me, Irene, I'll call the landlady.”

regal
they

wood

“PR

the except

the glea!
Nothing

T was her wed-

ding day and she was f =

the happiest girl in the

world. She stood, alone for a
moment, in the small waiting room of ,
St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in St. Louis
and nervously adjusted her veil.

She was glad to be alone if only for a moment. There
had been such confusion up to now; noise and good
wishes and laughter and plans! Such beautiful plans! When
Bill had sat with her last night in her parents’ home they
had been so. happy, so full of the quiet sure affection of
simple people. That’s what we are, she thought, simple
people. Bill has the apartment rented. I’m glad it’s on
‘Union Boulevard. A nice street. And Bill had said when
he left the night before that he had the cream in the ice-
box and a bright, yellow canary in a shining cage.

They couldn’t have a wedding trip. All they had was
Bill’s $1,000 soldier’s bonus money saved from last year
and what little he’d been able to save from his electrician’s
salary. But who cared about a wedding trip! The furni-
ture was bought and the ice-box was filled and they were
both young and in love. Suddenly she felt unaccountably
lonely for Bill. She was staring out the tiny arched win-
dow when her bridesmaid entered.

“Will we kid Bill about this!” The girl giggled and
flounced her ruffled skirt up from the floor and across her
knees as she sat down in the straight-backed chair.

“About what?” Irene Traub asked.

“Late for his own wedding! Listen, George and I have
got one all thought up for him. . . .”

24. 5 SOE! eae ee s

By Mirin McLean
and featuring

the Police Departments of ;
: St. Louis, Missouri |

ae and q
ab East St. Louis, ©
4 Illinois —

The door opened : *é,
again. It was Henry Ak
Traub, the bride’s father. ;

“T told Bill to set his watch
last night,” he began. ;

The bridesmaid laid down her flowers
carefully took a compact from the inside of
one long white glove.

“Your nose is just a wee bit shiny, Irene,” she said
as she arose and dabbed expertly at her friend’s face.

“Bill is just a few minutes late, Dad,” Irene soothed. “Why
not tell Irma to begin on the organ?” — .

“Well...” reluctantly he closed the door behind him.

“
1 ig

“There!” the bridesmaid gave a final approving touch |”

and stood back to survey her handiwork. “You never

looked lovelier, Irene. Your bouquet is heavenly and your
gown looks like a million, honest!”

“Thanks, dear. Is my hair all right? I’m afraid to move ~

with this. veil swishing around behind me.”

EZ perdnezmr

114 GBR ae

The filling station at East St. Louis where the murderers stopped to buy gasoline
to remove bloodstains from the rented Ford.

bitterness of supreme humiliation. All she could see
through the hot salt of her tears was the ridiculous little
penguin bath sponge perched cockily atop the rack of white
bath towels. All she could think was ... “the dime store,
we got that silly little North Pole bird in the dime store
yesterday.”

Then suddenly she broke completely and, stumbling back
into the living room, scooped up the pillows, the little blue
glass ash trays, the throw rug, the book of Shakespeare
from the end table.

She stood in the doorway with the pathetic assortment.

“Let’s get out of here!”

“But Irene .. .” her father shrugged his shoulders help-
lessly.

The landlady jumped as the door banged behind them. |

V. C. Leo, real estate dealer of East St. Louis, was trying
to sell some property he owned off Route 13 and close to
Belleville, to Dr. H. E. Rose, a physician of the same. city.
On the same afternoon that Irene Traub, stunned beyond
tears, was staring speechless from her bedroom window
while her frantic parents tried to console her, Leo turned his
car up the Travis Mine Road a few hundred feet away from
the Cat and the Fiddle country night club.

28 fi ; =

“If you’re thinking of building out here,” he was Saying
assuringly, “the night club won’t bother you. It’s down in
a hollow and far enough away so that... hey! You almost
wrecked us!”

“There!” the doctor pointed a shaking finger into a

clump of bright green weeds a few feet further on. “What's

that ?”
“Near those bushes? We'll find out ... for God’s sake!”
The real estate dealer jerked on his emergency brake.

At the top of the slight incline and within six inches of

the car’s wheels lay the body of a man.
Slowly the two opened the car doors and approached the

figure. Neither spoke as they stood above the corpse. The

doctor’s professional eye noted the thick clotted blood that
had flowed down from the nostrils over the dead man’s face
and neck, the odd air of detachment in that boyish face with
its mouth slightly opened, already a rich bait for swarming
flies, its ,blue eyes staring up into the burning sky, .the
peculiar, almost phosphorescent appearance of the skin and
the faint odor of putrescence, on closer examination the
small hole through the temple. '

V. C. Leo backed away choking out,

“But for God’s sake, Doc, he’s laid out like a corpse !”

| The rented Ford Vg sedan in

“Perfect. My gosh, I forgot! George said to remind him
avout the ring. Back in a minute !”

The bridesmaid rushed out the door, a whirl of tulle and
soft perfume. Through the open doorway Irene Traub could
look toward the candle-lit altar. She frowned hesitantly.

’

Irene Traub, could walk down the aisle on this third day
of July and become the wife of William Kappen. . . .

It was an hour later when, stripped of her pride, her last
defense, her glowing lilies faded and brown-edged, her net
veil screwed up into a damp, twisted rag, her nose frankly
red with weeping and two of her well-manicured nails
ruined, she watched the last of the embarrassed wedding
guests shamefacedly depart and the brown, swinging doors
close with a slow ‘crescendo for the last time. Her father
spoke,

“T can’t understand. . . .”

“Oh, don’t try! Please!” she sobbed bitterly as bewildered
Henry Traub comforted her.

“There, Irene. Bill’s a good boy. Tell you what we'll do.
I'll take you home. We'll 80 out the side entrance here. Let
me help you get that veil off ... there. Then I'l go and see
what’s happened to Bill.”

“I want to go with you. I'll tell him! I’ve never been so
humiliated in my life. I can’t face anybody again. Oh, I
could die!” :

“But maybe you’d better let me see him. .. .”

“No. Where’s the car?”

The neighbors in the vicinity of the two-story
frame house at 5372 Union Boulevard saw an odd

skirts wrinkled and her face red with anger,
run after her father into the entrance to
the upstairs apartment.

Without pausing to explain to the
landlady who stood in the lower 6

hall, they hurried up the steps to = ee

which the murder took place
and in which an ejected
shell from the deadly
gun was found.

the second floor.

“Bill!” the old man beat on the door. Then, as no one
answered. “Bill!”

“He’s not even here!” he exclaimed. “Get the landlady.”

staircase, her large ring of keys jingling from the waistband
of her apron she asked,

THE MYSTERY OF THE MISSING BRIDEGROOM 27

The four detectives who started a murder investigation “Why, Miss Traub, what on earth... . ?”

without even the victim's name and concluded it with “Never mind the talk just now. Where’ s Bill?”

the sort of evidence a state's attorney dreams about; “Bill Kappen? I don’t know....

from left to right, Detective Sergeant John Sinclair, . “Then open the door, quick!”

Detective James Ogden and Detective Harold Boland =~ The old woman bent down and fumbled with the lock.

of the St. Louis, Missouri, Secret Service division. When the door had swung open the three rushed in, the

At right, Deputy Sheriff Frank Kerrigan of East St. bride first, her father clutching at her arm and the mystified
Louis, Hlinois. “ landlady behind them.

The girl and her father stopped short at the sight of
numerous cigarette butts ground into the polished floor and -
the thick carpet. Irene Traub turned to her father.

“But Bill doesn’t smoke!” was all she could manage.
Where’. sto

Other than the cigarette butts, Satyting in the small
living room was in order. The canary drooped in his cage.”
The window curtains hung neatly. The pillows on the
davenport, her pillows that she had made nights after coming

. home from work, were as smooth as when she herself had
arranged them for the last time the previous afternoon.

Somewhat slower, the subdued little procession walked
through the kitchenette and into the bedroom. It, too, was
in perfect order except for one strange aspect. .. . William
Kappen’s wedding clothes, shirt, undergarments, studs, hose,
shoes, trousers and coat were laid carefully on the counter-

since it had been dressed the afternoon before. Irene Traub,
-with a small, sick feeling, recognized the peculiar corner she
had turned on the sheets, one that Bill was never quite
able to master. ... ;
As silently as they had entered, they left the bedroom and
returned to the puzzle of the living room.
“T’ll look in the bath,” Henry Traub mumbled.
A moment later,
“Say! This is funny.”
The bride and the older woman hurried to the door
of the tiny tiled bathroom.
“He’s left the water in the tub for a bath,” the
man pointed out. “And here’s his shaving
things.” He grew more excited as he turned
_ back to the half-filled tub. “Why, there’s
even a wash cloth in the water . .. and
soap!”
Irene Traub didn’t answer. All she
could feel in her heart was the

jae

Deputy Sheriff Frank Kerrigan
investigating the scene of
the crime where two im-
portent clues were un-

handkerchiefs and
the fact that the
> spot was liter-
ally covered
with poison

pane of the large colonial bed which had not been slept in-

' covered; two bloody ©

oe]

GIANCOLA, Angele & PORTER, Marie, whites, elec. ILS (St. Clair) January 28, 1938

NGELO

PS SD HC ine) age oY COE

and he DETULANT M

Above all, the lustful widow desired her

fatal wedding day. Her paramour

Youthful Angelo Giancola was the
willing tool of his corpulent mistress

way off to Angelo Ralph Giancola on

the night of April 6th, 1937. Lolling
in the arms of his mistress, parked on a
lonely road on the outskirts of St. Louis,
Missouri, the twenty-one-year-old youth
was drugged by a deadly combination—
passion gratified, the intoxicating fra-
grance of a perfect spring night and too
much to drink.

A strange pair, this, snared in the
treacherous web of an illicit alliance. A
casual observer might have called the
lithe, wavy-haired youth handsome. A
keen observer would have recognized
the weakness in his dull, unimaginative
features. Following graduation from
grammar school and despite the protests
of his honest, hard-working father, a
master tailor, Angelo quit school. Even-
tually he entered the employ of Mrs.
Porter during the latter’s short-lived
venture in the confectionery business.
It was then that the romance between
the thirty-eight-year-old widow and the
young Italian flowered. At the present
time Mrs. Porter was proprietress of a
boarding house and her lover a laborer
for a St. Louis contractor.

In appearance Marie Porter certainly
was not a creature of beauty. Short,
very fat, with small pig-like eyes and
straight brown hair, it would be hard for
a casual observer to understand the at-
traction she held for her young lover.
Yet the answer was obvious. For her
ungainly, lustful body was governed by
a brain that was utterly ruthless, shrewd
and crafty. Full well she realized that

Tes ELECTRIC chair seemed a long

to ae
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Willie.’
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sald he'd kill him, ‘hen another time
he said he could push Willie off a bluff
into the river and make it look like
suicide, and later Ralph said he’d been
experimenting with poisons, I didn't
want to do it, but Ralph pressed me, so
finally I said he could go ahead. He
promised to do a clean job of it, a ‘per-
fect murder,’ he told me.”

Mrs. Porter said that after Kappen was
slain, Ralph came to her and boasted that
it was a perfect crime. She declared
that she did not know John Giancola, and
was not aware he had had any part in
the assassination of her brother. She
also denied giving the brothers a key to
Bill’s flat. ‘

The three—Mrs. Pofter and Ralph and
John Giancola—were charged with first
degree murder, confined in the St. Clair
County jail in Belleville, and _ several
months later brought to trial. All were
convicted.

Mrs. Porter and Ralph Giancola were
sentenced to die in. the electric chair:
John got a 99-year prison sentence.

Speculation was high in Illinois whether
Mrs. Porter would walk that last mile
to the chair. No woman ever had been
electrocuted in the state. Only one had
been put to death, a woman who was
hanged in 1845.

Shortly before the execution date, on
January 20, 1938, a week’s reprieve was
granted both Ralph and Mrs. Porter by
Lieutenant Governor John Stelle, in the
absence of Governor Henry Horner.

However, the governor, branding the
crime as “deliberate, premeditated, cold-
blooded murder,” refused further clem-
ency. So on the night of January ‘27,
at a minute past, midnight, the death
were halted in front of Ralph Giancola’s
cell. ;

The handsome, dark-haired youth
walked firmly the last few steps to the
bare, dismal room at the end of death
row’s corridor and disappeared . behind
the little green door into eternity.

Other inmates of the death house were
tense with wonder. Would Mrs. Porter
really go to her death, or would there
be a last minute commutation of her
sentence? _

The dynamo’s moan died, and so did
Ralph Giancola. Then back down the
corridor the death watch slowly padded
to Mrs. Porter’s cubicle. There was to be
no reprieve. S

Clad in denim pajamas, the portly
matron lumbered down the alleyway into
the execution chamber, and paid for mur-
der with her life.

Eprtor’s Nore: To spare possible em-
barrassment to an innocent person, the
name Leonard McCoy, used in this story,
is not real but fictitious.

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able to swim—was
Porter.

“I want his body discovered,” she ex-
plained. ‘Otherwise I won’t be able to
collect the insurance.”

Other plans included running over
the hapless Willie as he walked to the
street car from his sweetheart’s home,
poisoning his whiskey with acid, and
beaung him to death with a hammer.
The first was discarded as too dangerous,
the second and third likewise were
abandoned following an actual attempt
to entice Willie into Mrs. Porter’s car one
night in early June. While she crouched
in the rear of the sedan, a hammer in her
hands, Giancola approached Kappen and
said, ‘Willie, Marie is in the car and
wants to talk to you.”

But the quarry refused the proffered
bait. “Well, I don’t want to talk to her,”
he replied.

Nervous because of a scout car parked
near by, Giancola and his mistress de-
parted. Following this incident Marie
Porter became more cautious. “I’ve got
to keep out of this altogether,” she told
her accomplice. “It looks like Willie is
afraid of me. Anyway, the police will
naturally suspect me because I’m col-
lecting the insurance. I want this to be
a perfect crime.”

Late in June, Angelo confided to his
brother John the precise nature of his
“big deal.” The latter, a slender be-
spectacled youth, a recent graduate of
the Hadley Vocational School, readily
consented to assist in performing the
cold-blooded slaying.

Preparations for the crime were per-
fected. After scores of locations for the
execution were examined the couple
selected a lonely path just off the Old St.
Louis Road, linking East St. Louis and
Belleville, Illinois, near the Cat and
Fiddle Roadhouse, seven miles east of
St. Louis.

Meanwhile, blissfully unaware that
his life was in jeopardy, Willie Kappen,
a slim man with sandy brown hair,
pleasant blue eyes and a pallid com-
plexion, made final preparations for his
wedding. Each evening now he dressed
carefully in his new suit and called upon
his fiancee. The latter, a tall, graceful
woman with warm, wholesome features,
shared his happiness at prospect of this,
her first marriage.,

An anonymous letter received by Miss
Traub earlier in the spring caused the
couple to remain severed from all rela-
tions with Kappen’s sister. The letter
warned her not to marry Kappen, stating
that the electrical worker’s mind was
that of a child, that he might go insane
and that he would always be sick. Both
he and his fiancee were certain in their
own minds that Marie Porter had writ-
ten the scurrilous and utterly false
charges.

On June 25th, about the time Angelo
Giancola enlisted the support of his
brother in the murder plot, William
Kappen moved from his rooming house
to a flat. On June 29th he closed his
savings account at the Mound City Trust
Company Bank, declaring that he wished
to buy furniture for his new home. The
marriage date was set for 10 a.m. Satur-
day, July 3rd, at St. Anthorfy’s Catholic
Church in St. Louis. Only the future

vetoed by Mrs.

bride’s parents and a few of her relatives
were invited. Early Friday evening Wil-
liam Kappen and his fiancee went to
church together and there made their
confessions. Supremely happy they
walked to Miss Traub’s home and there
discussed their marriage and honeymoon
plans.

Contrasting sharply with the above
scene was the grim drama being enacted
in another section of the city at the home
of Marie Porter. There the latter, her
round, expressionless face as inscrutable
as ever, issued final orders to her young

Willie Kappen and his bride-to-be had
planned to make their first home here
in an apartment on the second floor

lover and co-conspirator. “Remember,”
she cautioned, “no slip-up. This is going
to be a perfect crime. But we’ve got to
act fast. They are to be married in the
morning.”

“Don’t worry,” bragged Giancola, his
dark eyes glittering excitedly, “it’ll be
a slick job. I’ll see to that!”

Mrs. Porter pressed a key and a ten-
dollar bill into his hand. “Here’s a skele-
ton key for the front door of the flat
beneath Willie’s,” she explained. “It’s
empty, so you won’t have no trouble.
Take the money and go to the Kissell-
Skiles Rent-A-Car Company.” Several
minutes, later Angelo Giancola took his
departure.

It was 11 p.m. when Kappen arose to
leave the home of his fiancee. “I’ll meet
you at the church before 10 o’clock in the
morning,” he promised. ’

Following a long good-night kiss he
turned and hurried down the steps.
Under his arm he carried a shiny new
refuse container for the home to which
he planned to take his bride.

Meanwhile, Giancola was killing time
as pleasantly as possible. Shortly after
8 p.m. he drove his rented automobile, a
1937 Ford coach, to the home of a girl
friend and invited her to go for a ride.
She accepted. To avoid possible damage
to the reputation of an innocent girl we
shall not mention her name in this story.
Angelo then drove to his own home and
there invited his brother John and pretty

Be ey eette

sister Rita to accompany them.

For more than three hours the young
quartet drove about in aimless fashion
talking and laughing like a group of
carefree high school students. At mid-
night Angelo and John took the girls
home, then headed for the grim business
ahead, Parking their car in front of the
darkened house the young Italians, hat-
less and attired in somber, black suits,
detached themselves from the machine
and moved noiselessly up the front porch
steps. Quietly, lest he disturb their
quarry, Angelo fitted the key into the
lock. A slight click and the door swung
open.

Tip-toeing through the empty lower
flat the brothers reached the rear stair-
way. Angelo led the way. At the top
of the long flight a rhythmic tap-tap
froze both in their tracks. A moment
later they discovered the source of their
alarm ...a leaky faucet. John clutched
his brother’s arm, pointed to a thin shaft
of light beneath a door next to the
kitchen. Silently the two moved across
the floor. No sound came from inside
the room. Grasping the doorknob An-
gelo twisted it gently. The door opened
with a dismal creak. They peered into
the room. Stretched cross-wise on the
bed lay the nude form of Willie Kappen.
Beside him lay his wedding outfit, suit,
shirt, underwear and socks. He was fast
asleep.

Angelo gripped his .25-caliber auto-
matic and uttered a brittle commana:
“Willie, wake up!”

Sleepily the man sat up. His eyes
widened with alarm as he surveyed the
two grim-eyed young men. “What do
you want?” he gasped. Then, recognizing
Angelo, his jaw sagged and he gripped
the post of his bed. “Angelo, why are
you pointing that gun at me?” he de-
manded.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” snapped
the youth, “You’re going for a ride. Get
ready!”

“Angelo,” the little electrician cried
desperately, ‘‘what have I ever done to
you? I’m going to be married tomorrow.
You can’t do this to me!”

The young gunman’s face hardened.
“I said to get going,” he snapped harshly,
glaring at the little man in the bed.

Kappen broke down completely.
“Please let me live,” he pleaded. “I’ll
give you all the money I have. I’ll do
anything you say. I won’t breathe a
word, Just let me live!”

Angelo Giancola’s eyes glittered with
the feverish intensity of killer lust. Seiz-
ing a pair of light tan work pants, a
white shirt, white socks and black ox-
fords, he flung these at the trembling
man.
shut up!”

Controlling his shaking fingers with
difficulty, Kappen dressed slowly. The
two youths lighted cigarettes and at-
tempted to prod him into hurrying.

Finally dressed, Willie stumbled
rather than walked ahead of his captors.
On their way out the brothers flung their
unfinished cigarettes into the kitchen
sink. The neighborhood was in dark-
ness as they forced their victim from his
“honeymoon flat” into the car waiting
outside. All was quiet save for the faint,
ceaseless hum of a sleeping city.

“Hurry up. Get into those and |

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By STEWART CHANDOR

brother's death before the

fitted well in the cunning plot

’

not the least of her “attractions” was
her large sedan. Too, she fully under-
stood the effect of alcoholic stimulants.
Angelo, she saw to it, was always well
supplied with the latter preceding each
nocturnal excursion. Marie Porter’s
complete domination of the youth, with-
out the latter realizing it, was clinched
by her wily pandering to his greatest
weakness—his monumental conceit.

The woman spoke: “Angelo!”

“Yeah?”

“T’ve been thinking about my brother
Willie.”

A bachelor, William Kappen was an
electrical worker for the Moloney Elec-
tric Company of St. Louis.

“What about him?”

‘‘He’s going to get married.”

“Well, he’s old enough, ain’t he?”

The woman’s voice became razor-
sharp. ‘‘Not to get married. Not him,

anyway. That woman is after his
money.”
The youth sat up. ‘Money!’ he re-
peated.

“Sure, he’s got thirty-three hundred
in insurance.”

“But he’d have to die for her to col-
lect.”

“That’s just it.’ The woman’s voice
was vibrant with suppressed anger. “If
Willie died before he got married I’d
get the money.”

Comprehension slowly dawned on the
youth’s siuggish faculties as she cun-
ningly sought to justify her callous atti-
tude. ‘‘Willie don’t deserve to live,” she
said venomously. “Getting married at

his age! After all I done for him. Why,
he owes me more than a thousand dol-
lars. Didn’t I support him all through
the depression when he wasn’t earning
his salt? Hasn’t he always had a good
home with me until he got mad and left
after he met that woman?”

Mrs. Porter neglected to explain that
Willie left her home after a bitter quar-
rel over his refusal to turn his one-thou-
sand-dollar soldier’s bonus over to her.
Also, discovery that his sister had not
deposited in his bank account at the
Mound City Trust Company small sums
of money entrusted to her for that pur-
pose. Instead she had pocketed the
money and forged false entries in his
bankbook. Also, she neglected to ex-
plain that Willie had contributed more
than generously to the Porter household
expenses following the fatal shooting of
his sister’s husband, William, thirty-
seven, by their father, George Kappen,
sixty-five, on July 26th, 1935. Kappen
was found insane and committed to the
City Sanitarium in St. Louis. Mrs. Por-
ter’s four daughters ranged from four to
twenty-one years of age.

“Where’s Willie living now?” Angelo
asked.

“At Mrs. Bertha Hughes’ boarding
house over on Claxton Avenue.”

“Who’s the dame?”

“Her name’s Irene Traub. She’s Wil-
lie’s age and lives with her parents.”

“When do you expect they’ll take the
plunge?”

“Sometime this summer. That’s why
we have to hurry,” Mrs. Porter rushed

VER RR ee ee ee

Although fat and homely, Marie Porter
had a strange and fatal fascination

on. “You're the type to handle this, An-
gelo. You must know someone we could
hire to get rid of Willie. I'll pay you
well.”

She had played her hand deftly. By
flattery and appealing to his greed she
had scored a bull’s-eye.

“How much is there in it?”

“Kight hundred dollars. Your share
will depend on how cheap you can get
Willie bumped off.”

In this casual fashion one of the most
diabolical murder plots ever concocted
was born.

Through the days that,followed An-
gelo received telephone calls from Mrs,
Porter with increasing frequency. Al-
though his pudgy mistress called her-
self “Mrs. Brown” she did not fool the
boy’s kindly, gentle mother. The latter
remonstrated, counseled him not to see
the widow. But the youth had scant
time for his parents and his two pretty
sisters. However, to his twenty-year-
old brother John he’ said mysteriously:
“I’m working on a big deal.”

During long evening rides Marie Por-
ter and Angelo ‘‘cased” various spots in
Illinois and Missouri judged suitable for
the impending execution. To his mistress
the youth said: “I’ve decided to bump
Willie off myself. There’s no use split-
ting with anyone else.”

As casually as if they were discussing
the weather they discussed various ways
of dispatching their unsuspecting victim
The youth’s suggestion that they drown
him in the Mississippi River—a _ task
fairly easy inasmuch as Willie was un-

Three of the officers who cracked the case: Sgts. John Sinclair (left), James Ogden and Harold Bohlen.

Bohlen arrived at the apartment. By this
time Irene Traub’s condition was just
about two points on the right side of hys-
teria. John Traub explained the circum-
stances to the officers.

William Kappen had called at the home
of his fiancee on the previous evening,
bringing with him the new garbage can,
which now stood beneath the sink. This
was the last bit of furniture he needed to
set up housekeeping. He had left the
Traub house at about !1 o’clock. The
street car transfer seemed to indicate that
he had reached his own apartment prior
to midnight.

If some crime was connected with
Kappen’s disappearance, it did not ap-
pear to be robbery. Nothing seemed to be
missing from the premises. Moreover,
Kappen had turned over his wallet to his
fiancee for safekeeping. He had little
more than carfare in his pocket when he
had kissed Miss Traub goodnight.

The detectives jotted down a detailed
description of the vanished bridegroom
and Bohlen telephoned it to the Missing
Persons Bureau. The officers sent Irene
Traub, sobbing hysterically, home in the
care of her brother and set about a minute
examination of Willie Kappen’s apart-
ment.

They found nothing of any signifi-
cance, but at 1:15 that aftemoon Dr. H.E.
Rose and V.C. Leo, a real estate agent of
East St. Louis, did. They found a corpse!

Leo was driving Dr. Rose along Travis
Mine Road, a desolate area on the east
bank of the Mississippi River. The doctor
was interested in a block of real estate
there for which Leo was the agent. Leo
halted his car at a weed-covered lot. The

two men stepped out of the car.

They spotted the figure at the same
time. A man lay beneath a bush, hands
crossed on his breast. The face was co-
vered with dried blood. The skin had
been reddened by the blazing rays of the
sun. Dr. Rose knelt at the side of the
corpse. :

‘Dead,’ he said. ‘‘He probably has
been lying out here for ten or twelve
hours, judging by the sunburn.”

The doctor and Leo raced back to the
car and drove to the Cat and Fiddle Inn, a
nearby roadhouse. There, Rose tele-
phoned the St. Clair County sheriff's of-
fice in East St. Louis, Ill. The call was
taken by Deputy Sheriff Frank Kerrigan
who relayed the message to Sheriff Henry
L. Siekmann at the county seat of Belle-
ville, some seven miles away.

Siekmann and Kerrigan arrived at the
scene and in their wake came the county
coroner, the photographers and a platoon
of police reporters. The dead man’s poc-
kets contained neither a wallet nor any
papers of identification. ;

The coroner and Dr. Rose examined
the body. It seemed clear that the man
had been shot at close range in the left
temple. The bullet had emerged from the
face just below the right eye. An assidu-
ous search of the immediate area failed to
produce either the bullet or the weapon
from which it had been fired.

However, some 50 feet away from the
dead man, Kerrigan found two blood-
stained handkerchiefs lying beneath
some shiny-leaved plants. Recognizing
the weed as poison ivy, he removed the.
evidence rather gingerly.

The body was taken to a funeral home

in Belleville where the ‘coroner ordered —

that an autopsy be performed. In the

meanwhile the sheriff sent out a descrip-

tion of the corpse throughout St. Clair
County and neighboring St. Louis.

It was not at all surprising that Irene
Traub could not sleep that night. At 2
o’clock Sunday morning, she asked her
brother to go downstairs and buy the pap-
ers.

‘‘Perhaps,’’ she said, ‘‘there’ll be some
news of Willie.”

There was, indeed. Prominently dis-
played on the front page was the story of
the dead man near Travers Mine Road. In
addition, there was a photograph of the

corpse. Miss Traub stared at the picture ,

and cried, ‘‘It’s Willie. It’s Willie. He’s

been killed.”
John Traub took the paper from his

sister’s nerveless hands. He frowned. ‘‘It

looks something like Willie,’’ he said.

‘*But you can’t really tell. Maybe it’s not.
But I guess we ought to get in touch with
Sheriff Siekmann at Belleville.”

John Traub spoke to the sheriff, then at
Siekmann’s suggestion he called St.
Louis police headquarters. A squad car,
with Sergeant Sinclair and Detective
Bohlen in it, called at the Traub home and
rushed John and Irene to Belleville.

It was 4:30 in the morning when Irene

Traub and her brother stared at the figure ,

lying on the slab in the Belleville funeral
home. Irene Traub opened her mouth to
speak but no words came. Her face was
as white as the sheet half covering the
corpse. John Traub nodded gravely.

(continued on page 67)

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checking on Marie Porter’s boyfriends.
**She might have a lover,’’ he said, ‘‘who
would do her killing for nothing.”’

Marie Porter was so unattractive that
this theory didn’t get very far. But it was
decided to check on the woman’s friends,
particularly her men friends, if any.

Detective Bohlen, quietly questioning
the boarders, learned that Marie Porter
actually did have a lover. Moreover, he
was quite young, quite handsome. His
name was Angelo Giancola. He was 21
years old, dark, and possessed of an ar-
rogant manner. He wasa flashy dresser, a
fast man with a dollar when he had it, and
he had never held a job in his life. On
Friday, six days after the murder of Wil-
liam Kappen, the detectives brought
Giancola into headquarters for question-
ing. Sheriff Siekmann and Deputy Ker-
rigan aided in the interrogation.

Angelo Giancola did not care much for
policemen and that attitude was manifest
in his behavior. His answers were snarl-
ing and defiant. Asked where he had
spent Friday night and early Saturday
morning, Giancola insisted that he had
been at home in bed. His mother, he said,
could vouch for this.

An officer was dispatched to talk to
Mrs. Giancola. She failed to support her
son’s story. Giancolo had been out al-
most all night on the previous Friday. But
there was nothing unusual about this. For
the past six months, he had rarely come
home. He was under the evil influence of
‘*a fat, wicked woman.”’ That woman, it
seemed, was Marie Porter.

Confronted with his mother’s state-
ment, Giancola changed his story. On the
night in question he had hired a car, had
gone riding with his younger brother,
John, and two girls. Pressed as to where
he had obtained the money to hire the car,
Giancola finally admitted that Marie Por-
ter had given it to him.

‘Are you saying,’’ asked Siekmann,
‘that Mrs. Porter lent you money to take
out another girl?”

Giancola nodded unconvincingly. As
he did so, he scratched his left forearm
industriously. Siekmann stood up, cros-
sed the room and rolled up Giancola’s
shirt sleeve, revealing an ugly, reddish
rash on the youth’s arm.

‘‘What’t that?’’ snapped the sheriff.

Giancola shrugged. ‘‘Some kind of a
heat rash, I guess. I’ve had it about a
week.”’

“Vil bet you have. Almost exactly a
week. It’s poison ivy and you picked it up
when you tossed those bloody handker-
chiefs into the poison ivy along Travers
Mine Road.”’

This shook Giancola. Sinclair shook
him more when he said, ‘‘We can find the
car you hired and we probably can find
bloodstains on its upholstery. Now, why
don’t you tell the truth?”

“All right,’’ said Giancola, ‘I guess
I’m licked. Marie Porter killed Willie

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Kappen. She did it with my gun. She
didn’t want him to get married and trans-
fer his insurance over to his wife.”

According to Giancola, he, Marie and
Willie had gone to some taverns and
drunk beer. Kappen had become sick.

‘‘Marie told me to drive out into the
country. She was sitting in the back seat.
Willie was up front with me. She had my
gun. All of a sudden I heard a shot and
Kappen slumped in his seat. He was
dead. She made me dump his body in the
bushes.”’

The officers suspected that there was’

some truth in this confession but, cer-
tainly, it was by no means wholly true.
Marie Porter’s alibi for the night in ques-
tion was foolproof. She could not have
been riding around in a hired car with
Giancola.

However, the youth insisted he had
told the truth. He took them to the base-
ment of his home and showed them where
he had hidden the revolver which had
slain Kappen. Detectives took posses-
sion of the dark suit he had worn on the
night of the murder. Chemical analysis
revealed several bloodstains in the fabric.

Giancola was booked on suspicion of
murder and sent to a cell. However, the
officers did not consider the Kappen kil-
ling solved. It was clear that Giancola had
not told the complete truth. The investi-
gation continued.

The detectives learned that Giancola
had few intimate friends. He appeared to
be intimate only with his obese mistress,
Mrs. Porter, and his younger brother,
John. On July 11, Bohlen brought John to
headquarters in an effort to learn some-
thing more of the mystery of the missing
bridegroom.

John Giancola lacked the arrogant
toughness of his brother. He was a quiet,

reserved boy who had no police record .

nor any previous dealing with the law. He
was obviously nervous when the ques-
tioning began. Squirming in his chair, he
flatly denied any knowledge of the killing.

After a while, under the skilled inter-
rogation, the youth found himself bogged
in a mire of contradictions. Finally he
cried out, ‘‘Let me alone. Angelo killed
him. I didn’t fire that shot. We did it for
$800.”’

When he had become rather calmer, he
confessed in detail. Marie Porter wanted
Kappen’s insurance. She resented his
impending marriage and had asked
Angelo to hire a gunman to murder Kap-
pen. She was prepared to pay $800 for the
job. If Angelo could arrange to have the
job done more cheaply, he could keep

what was left over. Angelo decided to do - '

the job himself and pocket the.entire fee.
On Friday night, the Giancola brothers

(continued on page 71)
69

The Two-Timing Hushand And The Silent Watchdog

ing out his sentence for being a party to
the brutal murder of his wife.

One aspect of the crime still remains
unsolved, namely, why did Schlise’s
German Shepherd police dog refrain from

(continued from page 65)

barking at the intrusion of the person who
snuffed out the life of Mrs. Donald
Schlise. Only the assailant, whoever he
is, Knows, and understandably, he’s not
talking. *

(Editor’s note: The nicknames ‘‘Ike’’ and
“‘Ace” and the names Isaac Ponce and Emery
Quint were changed to protect the identities of
persons who were either acquitted or received
immunity from prosecution.)

Live

‘*There’s no doubt about it,’’ he said.
“That's William Kappen.”’

Since there was, at the time, no way of
knowing whether Kappen had been slain
in Missouri or Illinois, the sheriff's forces
and the St. Louis detectives agreed to
conduct the investigation jointly regard-
less of their judicial bailiwicks.

Irene Traub was given a mild sedative
which calmed her. Then, the officers
began to ask some questions. First, was
there anyone who could possibly have
wanted Willie Kappen to die? Was there
anyone who stood to gain anything by his
death?

Irene Traub answered those questions
with an emphatic affirmative. Marie Por-
ter hated Willie. She also hated Irene
Traub. She was dead set against the mar-
riage.

**Who,”’ asked Sinclair, **is Marie Por-
ter?”

‘“*She is Willie Kappen’s sister,’ said
John Traub. **She runs a boarding house
on Page Boulevard.”

Traub went on to explain that in the
spring his sister had received an anony-
mous letter warning her against marrying
William Kappen. The unnamed writer
had claimed that Kappen’s mind was that
of achild, that it was quite likely he would
eventually be certified as incurably in-
sane, and that, in any event, he would
always be mentally sick.

Irene had shown the letter to her fiance
who unhesitatingly pronounced it the
work of his sister, Marie Porter. Mrs.
Porter, it appeared, was very angry with
her brother.

Detective Bohlen listened to the names
which John Traub had mentioned and
something clicked in his memory.

‘*Porter,’” he said reflectively, ‘‘Kap-
pen. Those names remind me of some-
thing.’’ He turned to Sergeant Sinclair.
‘‘Wasn’t there a killing a year or two ago
involving a Porter and a Kappen?”’

Sinclair nodded. *‘I think so. We can
check it when we get back to headquar-
ters:

Irene Traub volunteered the informa-
tion that she had heard that William
Kappen’s father, George, was confined in
the St. Louis city sanitarium. He had

A Bachelor, Die A Bachelor

- (continued from page 19)

been involved in some kind of crime.
Irene stated further that she knew a great
deal of the relationship between Kappen
and his sister, but at this point she was too
exhausted to undergo further question-
ing.

She and her brother were taken home
to the Traub house on Genevieve Avenue
in the sheriff's car. The St. Louis detec-
tives arranged to talk to her again on the
following day. The next morning, Sinclair
and Bohlen checked up on the Kappen
family.

Marie Porter, nee Kappen, operated a
boarding house on Page Boulevard in St.
Louis. She had four daughters, ranging in
age from 4 to 21. Her husband, William
Porter, had been murdered on July 26,
1935, two years before, by her
65-year-old father, George Kappen.
George Kappen had subsequently been
judged insane and had been committed
to an asylum.

The murdered William Kappen was 28
years old, employed by the Moloney
Electric Company of St. Louis. Contrary
to the allegation in the anonymous letter,
Kappen’s employers stated that he was
an excellent worker with a high degree of

intelligence. He was a quiet man, a
bachelor who had never been in any trou-
ble.

Sinclair, having learned from the
Traubs that Kappen was a nonsmoker
and having observed the two cigarettes
on the drainboard of the sink, was con-
vinced that Kappen had been visited by
someone Friday night. That unidentified
character, or characters, doubtless had
taken Kappen forcibly from his house,
killed him somewhere and dumped the
body in the poison ivy patch along Trav-
ers Mine Road.

The question was, who? Sinclair and
Bohlen drove over to the Traub house on
Genevieve Avenue. By this time, Irene
Traub, the deserted bride, was in control

(continued on next page)

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Live A Bachelor,

Die A Bachelor

(continued from page 67)

of herself. Her grief had not passed, but
her hysteria had. She told the detectives
what she knew of the relationship be-
tween Willie Kappen and his sister.

After Kappen had been discharged
from the army in the late 40s, he had
moved into his sister’s boarding house.
When he had received a government.
check for $1,000 as terminal leave pay,-
Marie had demanded he turn it over to
her. Kappen refused. Marie had become
violently angry.

However, Willie had maintained an
amiable attitude toward his sister. While
he lived in her house, he had often given
her small sums of money to deposit in his
savings account. Marie Porter had not
done so. She had kept the money and
forged entries in Kappen’s bankbook.

Kappen, an even-tempered man, had
protested but had refrained from calling
the police. When his father had slain his
sister’s husband, Willie Kappen had been
most generous in contributing to the sup-
port of his widowed sister and her four
children.

Irene Traub showed the officers the
anonymous letter she had received coun-
seling her against marrying William
Kappen. It was: typewritten and un-
signed. There was no conclusive evi-
dence that it had been written by Marie
Porter. Nevertheless, both Irene Traub
and her brother were sure that the malici-
ous epistle could have come from no one
else.

‘No one else hated Willie,’ said Miss
Traub. *‘Why should anyone else object
to our marriage?”

‘‘Why should Mrs. Porter?’’ asked
Bohlen.

‘‘Well,’’ said Irene Traub, ‘‘she was
mad at Willie for leaving her house. Be-

sides, I think he had a life insurance pol-

icy made out in her favor, Naturally, he
would have changed it to make me the
beneficiary after we were married.”’

Sinclair and Bohlen left-the Traub
house and drove to Marie Porter’s estab-
lishment on Page Boulevard. Marie Por-
ter was at that time 38 years old. Her hair
was dark and greasy; her eyes black; her
complexion dark. She was some 30
pounds overweight and not physically at-
tractive. However, as the officers im-
mediately realized, she was nobody’s
fool.

She was, she claimed, desolated by the
death of her younger brother. It was a
frightful affair. It was also baffling. Willie
had no enemies. Marie Porter simply
could not understand why he had been
murdered.

Before the officers could ask any ques-
tions regarding Marie Porter’s relation-

ship with her brother, she said, ingenu-
ously, “‘It’s true that Willie and I haven't
been getting along well lately. I haven't
seen him for six months. But | certainly
regret that he was killed.”

Sinclair asked, ‘‘Aren’t you the ben-
eficiary of his insurance policy?”

Mrs. Porter nodded. ‘I collect $2,300.
His father, who is in the sanitarium, gets
$1,000. | happen to have the policies in
my possession. You can look them over if
you like.”’

Bohlen asked the woman about the
threatening anonymous letter which had
been sent to Irene Traub. Mrs. Porter
flatly denied having sent the missive.
Then Sinclair asked the key question.

‘Where were you on the night of July 2
and the early morning of July 3? That's
when your brother was murdered.”

“I was right here. You can check that
with my boarders. I was home all night
Saturday, all night Sunday, and we had a
big party here on Monday night. Inall that
time, I've been out of the house for less
than ten minutes at a time to buy
groceries and beer.”

Sinclair and Bohlen checked with the
boarders who corroborated Marie
Porter’s story. The woman had stayed
close to the house on Saturday and Sun-
day. On Monday, her 16-year-old daugh-
ter had married Marcus Crowe, a young
man who roomed in the house. Mrs. Por-
ter had thrown quite a party which in-
cluded food, drink and a six-piece or-
chestra.

Sinclair wondered if such a party were
appropriate within three days of the viol-
ent death of Mrs. Porter’s brother. The
corpulent woman shrugged.

‘Everything was ordered,”’ she said.
“The food, the liquor, the band. Should I
lose money because a brother whom |
didn’t particularly like drops dead?”

Bohlen and Sinclair left the Porter
house and conferred with the St. Clair
County authorities. On the face of things,
it appeared that only Marie Porter stood
to gain by her brother’s death. Yet her
alibi was unshakeable. Sheriff Siekmann
suggested that, perhaps, Marie Porter
had hired some hoodlum to murder her
brother.

Sinclair agreed that this was possible.
However, it seemed to him that too little
money had been involved. Mrs. Porter
apparently stood to collect less than
$2,500 on the death of Willie Kappen.
That left little financial margin to share
with a professional killer whose price is
usually high.

Deputy Sheriff Kerrigan suggested

(continued on next Page)

T.P.C.

P.C.

checking
**She mig
would dc
Marie |
this theo:
decided t
particulas
Detecti
the boarc
actually ¢
was quite
name wa:
years old. |
rogant ma
fast man \
he had ne
Friday, si
liam Kap
Giancola i
ing. Sheri!
rigan aide
Angelo ¢
policemen
in his beh:
ing and d
spent Frid
morning, ‘
been at ho:
could vou
An offic
Mrs. Gian
son’s stor}
most all nig
there was n
the past si»
home. He \
‘*a fat, wick
seemed, w
Confront
ment, Gianc
night in qui
gone riding
John, and t
he had obta
Giancola fir
ter had gi,
“Are yo
‘that Mrs. |
out anothe:
Giancola
he did so, |!
industrious!
sed the roo
shirt sleeve
rash on the
**What’t
Giancola
heat rash, |!
week.”’
“Pil bet :
week. It’s px
when you t
chiefs into t
Mine Road.
This shoo
him more wh
car you hire
bloodstains «
don’t you t.
“All right
I’m licked.

ee ee a ee LL ee ee
E op PSY. and terror. To suchan eatent was tip 06 tst-Omn wey s+:
potes are tow cue and 3& Wil IL.

“Head Troubles, ~_ | brow-beating and domineering carticd that | same from the Sth of Ms
ooo “ ey ae paid Bot
Oaey Wobe | cated 0 the undersigned to eel] the pr

would leave the house, and_ ict him alone. bearers ter described to eatisfy said notes €D
But the snswer was threats, and a course of Mow therefore {tn parsaence of the te
eaid Decd of Trust the undersigned will. |

| an
cunduct well calculated to excite Gises’ | Ox WEDNESDAY THE 33TH DAY OF AT

~~ Gerferal Il Health,

atica Ste = fears for bis own safety, Newman Was 6 es A. DE
i i ec Sagoalthogye : 7 sat i between the boare of tes (10) o'clock A.M
? d treaspasser Upon the premisca, and that it o'cisck P.M. of vpagpede day. op the premises

Deafnessy ac. was for the purpose of cjecting him that be} sftes dese cltpaobsndron- Hite.

! . : , to scliappahite vende to the higheet bid

line | eptered” the room, ere facts which Mr. | cash. the following described Heal Retate. t

4 ¢ x Py & ( a

Dec ae daid he dapected to prove. The teeth | glfiisrieen {ih ip block. momber alter
ibe fret addition to Yhe city of Catro. Tl

Pte ; Se ee 15 oO w 3 tee :
Lumbago, f = mony to sho that Gisse had ample cause | (ee tine Trastees of Cairo Cl i
for apprehending bodily harm froma man stinated in the Cocaty of Alexander. Dilc
sl} the rights and equity of redemption of

\
Catarrh, .
2 <a who had so defiantly catered” his house, | Wiittam W- Tborttoo snd Marthe NM. Thor
administrators

wife, thelr hetra, eXeCULOTR.

i : , be os . . J ‘
Nervous Compl {3 | threshed bim in his own room, refusing to | size therein, to eatlefy ri trdel and Be
leave on any terms—the testimeny to show | expesees of exer uting the Paine

Female Complaints, ete.| oy. } SOWAKD A. WILSON, Tro
. * | his will be so ample that the conclusion Springticid, Hls., duty tb. SY.

ae anyel gests set . re a b= Dimes rs -}that there Wae po interval for the cooling | yy .-gricaTION NOTICE ‘CHANCERY
t - 40D, eric 7; a ; . ota raat are
; Say peg is: neers Pata te tbe re ‘process, but gregt cause to apprehend hart: I 7 3
y's. and 8 thoaeand otber pains r pes ee ; s ; Aig ‘irenit

pide Kidevy tse age of Dyepepeis: ceaee |S” himself—to his pereon or property—will | corsry ae ribam | der COUNTY ne
term, 4 ee

ss : ‘ th be unavoidable. -
mre ae ; : : 3. M. PLillipe. ve Caroline E. Morrie, exec
ee ae The foundation [thus laid, the examina Carviiue B Morrie, Caroiine W Morris
ick S Morrte, Chatles E Morris, Mary

tion of witnesses proceeded, the attorney on | tix On bit] for Foreclosure.

either side seeking fo establish the aver- | —Affdavit of the nop-weldente of Cur
Morris, Executriz, Caroline B. Morris, Cs

‘LMBOLD'S BUCHU
dade } _| ments upon which they réspeetively pro- 4d Morrie, Frederick 8. Morrie. Charles Be M
va -“ Margaret’ Mortis. the defendants abov

: a) we Avi : b argare
pose fo wage the contest. ; having been Med tn the oMmce of the cler}
ee eee es cee We have surrendered considerable space eat eet car eesk pacer qatice
} we a ‘ . cee given to the patd non feeldent Ge endants,
ih’ yates the Stomach, to the State's Attogncy’s statement of facts, | complainant hae dled bie bil of complain:
<. , aa : 4 court on the Chatcery site thereof ou the
3 because it harmenizes with the evidence | orauty. A.D. 1678, Now, therefore, ae
the eald Caroline

| ptimatates the torpid Liver, Dowels, and Kid- | drawn out before the Coroner's jury,” and | ore, Caroline F,. Morrie. eae terice 8
‘oO healthy action, in renee the hlood of }i Posie ft} : it ‘ of in hi} "i Ni Charlee K. Morrie ant Margnret Murris +
«baa ig imparting new iife and vigor te re . ves us of the necessity OF IRGINRIDE 1 Le aatty be Aud appear before the aaid cit
ingle ‘rial will be enfficient toMdonvinece the tedious Itc ration. Whereip the evidence bad eae te the on he a Ae
hesitating of ite valnable remedial qnalitice. | for the people adds te or takes from the beiry of cairo, tb said county, op the IMb
tember; A. D. Wid, and siead, aDeWwer OF

: “rf atatement, thall be duly noted, The CVl- | theeatd complainant's bill of complalnt,

4 a on ine 7 -- o ‘ oulp oa : : :
: Lut | ptuted, wit] be taken eC ufeeeed, and Q

detail, oh tered agaivel you accoriing to the re

@aii}. JOHN A. REEY

{ICE <1 PER BOTTLE THE FQUVITARLE LIFE TREC RINCE 6, Yorum, Completnante Ralicli

— SOCIETY OF THE UNITED STATES ce I
MAKES THE FOLLOWING ANNONCE- 1 Bepset Aha NOTICE CMAN

Oy Six Bottles for @5. | . . |
oe . MEL I a LL } COURTY ©) LEXAMDER, ) county. Hepts
Maa Le The Uisaatisfaction which prevails eat ee wl A. 1. 1859.
2 ra throughout the community with regen to ec oe ;
Viveted ty any adderes free Fron ohecrvation at RS hac Eliaahoth Linker, William | eu will f
eae onerous conditions contained in Hfe assur- | Pinker, Dyas F. Parker. Jode
Parker, Hobsrt HH Cnupuing

fatiente” May com|sit hy etter, Meet iag the ves

¢ attentiod es hy calitne ance contracts. and: the judicial decisions

Anpetent PLyeiciane attend to correspondent? *- : ‘ ham, Lise KR Hngbee

jetteta phould be eddrecacd to. based thereon, together with the public in- Apidavitof the bon residence of Elte
4 jj ,. | Wiliam Linker. Dyas F¥. Parker, of tb

dérsement of the liberal usages of thig So- | Siitam Linked baving been Pah

KH, T. HELMROLD.

Irurgist and Chemist, - clety, an shown by its largely increased she clerk of a6 ssirco ce aot Alene
2 ® Li é

Priiadeipdis. fa. . business, has led the management seriously vd te hg fa ic com feinatA hae file
fa — to consider whether the contract ca Wd not | on the tech day of daly x ee Ne
+ . rok be almplified and certain conditions errsed eeenereDrae ?. said. Kilnabeth Ls
CAUTION! = | therefrom which have been the subject of sone A apaenge the pais eircalf coart +
“aud re meh criticism and misconception. =. || heh Nee at the coer — age Bee
in sald county onthe {eb dey of Bop

~ after a careful examination of the ex- | 19-9 and pleat, yn. the toch Seg ee

ve that thé private Z

y Catting Ss ced Mah ge Soke ate FELL : f th at ¢ lainant’e bill of corm

peat : eae beth nce of rome of the best companics in Pirsiaad things thereth charged gud °

we ig Use: i Rritain, who bave shown a grester | Sohe® bs tier ibe preve corte et
SE Stee en hen beem Customary ye this cording to the prerermf ald ¥

asi alt SE ces
de SONG, ey, Kip oe Mee Me, Myo, Rae Be
\ AON ee, ON Nee

2
ANE os

PES.

PS ey,
Oe” re

: nd

aah Sys

ants MDs
5?

ate

\
\

‘ getices twwnty counts
ton; ten cénte per lime for eucd

. Comm

big 6M TW aoe ane cure wy
egvertiaers we offer

tpcsce
ea to ratee of charges end macoer cf

per tine for iret tnrer
evbeoguest fnacm

tion. iy pf ° 4 . ° .
‘Tate paper may de fewerto! fie at Geo. P. Rowell
& Co.*s erepaper Advertising Bureaa, (10 proce
street) where advertising contrects may be
Mew ¥ork- ty , fee ‘
a subjects of genera] tnierest
to.{be pablic are at s:) times le. Rejected
maneseripta wil potbe retcraed
Letters edouid be addrvooed
“EB. A. Barnett, Cairo, Miinols ”

ood communircarione

Prod =

COXTINCED FROM FOURTY Pack.)

yas {
/
capitis nam tune cnlueapaineinchoescieg Pam AR ATT

Newman's head, the blood. and brains

The Curo Bulictin wili po

aay oF its employes, ¢
connected with the Bulletin,
same is made on a written onder
myvelf, apd the order must be «
the bill when preecnted, and ‘no
for advertising or job work are. ¥:
the same are endorsed by myself
fag eae E. A. B

Ricut yiMB To OPEMATE It _#

‘Fecent communication. with promi

operators, Wo tear that pow je a

; ues]
Por Debiiity, Loee of M

tertiva at Basiness, Sbortreve

gicory. Inétepoestion to

reath,

roubled with Thovahte cf Discuee. coneces of
ie n, Pain in the kk. Cheer. and Head, Rzeh of
\eard to the Heed. Centtetatce amd Dry Sxin.

ete allowed ta go Go

“Helmbold’s Buehw

__DOFS IN EVERY CASE, oe

Is UNEQUALED. ,

y weeds krowee

. rer

tr ja preectibed by

ing the walls, eveo the ceiling over
head. Seeing that Newman is dead, Glass
pow places the axe behind the door, and
passes out of the Dbuildiug. Saunte ring

time to take advant

ke ad of the stox
by the new combination method «

up the street he mects Ruth aml Virsa Mec.

Kerney. and, ahaking them by the hand, |

+ Bs

_aMBOLDS BUCHU

*
{Ze

Tides them “yood bye.”

incurre |} and aa the puni

Mra. McKerney
at unce remarked to Rath, “that man's doze
some mischief.” Going bome, sbe enters
her room. An {netant later she dashed
own stairs screaming that some one had
murdered Carter Newman. Constable
Pink McAllister at cance repaired to the
rom, found deceased as stated, with no.
weapone of any kind about his person or
within hi€reach. f

—“FWaving detailed the facts a8 above given
Mr. Mulkey said he had no other pame for
the deed, but malicious muzder, The ace
cused had never denied his guilt, and he
ag an officer of the law, should insist upon
tianging asthe penalty Charles Glase had
shinent de sould

Lawrence & Co. the New Yor!
whe have been so remarkably
heretofere. This system

reel Pures of Hnance and is unive
orders of thousands of custo
minssexl into ore Immense capita |
sted asa great whole, dividing
rata every indoth. In this way
tomer can Invest from $10 to #1:
equal proportionate success, | f
aame time «ain all the ndva
largest capital and Lest #kill in '
ing the marker.” Tht firtiia ne.
has “two uncrring rules of” suc
fuilexplanations, 850 will me
8 per sent; 8500 will return 8
on, according to the market. |
bends wanted, Depoaite recel
at Lawrence & Co., Bankers, 57
Pisce, New York City. |

LeG Alo

a °

Fost amigent poyshieee el overt the wot. in

Rheumatism,
Spermatorrhaa,
Neuralgia,

Nervottsness,.
Dyspepsia, |

Indigestion, —

———— (omstiparion,

Aches and

General Debility,
““Aney Diseases,
Liver Complaint.
Nervous Debility, |

Epilepsy,
Head Tranhles.

. fr

Pains,

worn

Tx partics who had him in charge,
el eked “that

ouffer
toe defendant had gail. ,
eecn ofa pairant nowt. 1 cag Ki!
another, Pil be willing to die” Act this
and more I. atiall eslabueh, and believe teat
Charlee Glass will reecive at) your handa,
that which he fears. Stern, exact ane its
partial justice. s

Ho. Binck, Ene, 0 half-paat 10 o'clock
made @ succinct showing of the fact» and
circumstances, upon which he ae pended to
robthe killing of the niieged malice. After
combatting many of the positions of the
prosecutor, he averred that Newman was pot
an invited yrient at Glass’ house, but an in-
troder, that he had estranged from Gines,
Mato is an old, worn out man, the affections
ef Ruth Brown! he had threatened Glase,
had beaten and kept him in constant dread

and terror. To such an extent was this

brow-beating and domineering carried that
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trots 1 Theme. wre re aed 6 he
order of court GRonap Fier

J the UHTEF'S SALE.

WHEREAS, William W. Thorn
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vreovtce In Alexander Cognty. th
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D. Hartwell's
asrosecution
onvictions

s had done the
to make a de-
ted the following
ned:
ichelderfer place
a few weeks be-
d. We had fre-
other about the
and thought we
» have some of it.
ped at the house
if they had any
we also inquired
. This visit was
talk of robbing
the sisters. Al-
at this time, save
planning to get
d of the robbery
me on until the

killed we went
ng a Winchester
-evolver. We went
the road to the
ie slough back of
On the way we
le, including one
o stopped at the
ked about duck
to the slough, we
o the house, talk-
the robbery and

aves would knock
9 do the robbing.
in and Graves got
on to the house.
irty, or a quarter

came out and we
ter. After getting
th her for perhaps
ves and I were
irb and watering
:iderfer was going
e talked to us from

irted home, going
yards and sitting

chelderfer was go-

ind came by where

- fence.

n toward the barn,
n’t do it. I’d rather

ill do the shooting,’
un. We started off
ig to go home and
{ log. Graves laid
id aimed at her, I

MASTER DETECTIVS

ee lll

“When the gun fired I asked him if he
had shot her. He walked about ten steps
and said, ‘Yes, I have.’

“We walked on to the house together,
each taking part in the search for the
money. I broke open the trunks with an
axe I found in the kitchen. We didn’t
find any money. Graves went back and
searched her, but he didn’t find anything.
We then dragged her body into the hog
pen where she wouldn’t be seen from the
house.

“That night we went to a dance and
occasionally spoke of the crime to each
other. Graves said he wasn’t afraid, be-
cause no one would ever find out who
killed her. He said, ‘They have arrested
a man for it and he can’t prove where he
was. That lets us out.’ We had just
heard that Mr. Schiller was in jail.

@ “LATER WE agreed between ourselves

to say that we had seen Schiller’s team
driving toward the farm. But when the
Sheriff questioned us, Graves forgot what
color Schiller’s horses were. He said one
was black and the other gray. I was the
only one who remembered that both
horses were black.”

When shown Price’s confession, Graves
made a statement in which he blamed
Price for the actual killing. Later, how-
ever, he admitted that he, himself, had
fired the fatal shot. The statement he then
made and signed was practically a re-
iteration of the confession Price had
signed.

When the accused men had obtained
legal advice, they changed their pleas to
“not guilty.”

After a long trial in which State’s At-
torney L. D. Hartwell, assisted by his
brother, the Hon. Joe W. Hartwell, forged

a chain of evidence that the defense could
not break down, the jury found the de-
fendants guilty. On the first ballot the
vote stood ten for the death penalty and
two against. The second ballot was unani-
mous for capital punishment. Judge O. A.
Harker pronounced the death penalty.

At 9:36 on Friday morning, July 10th,
1903, Sheriff Harris, at a signal from
Deputies Throgmorton and Hentz, tripped
the gallows trap in the courtyard at
Marion, Illinois, where the trial had been
held, and both men dropped through
simultaneously.

One of the witnesses to the double exe-
cution was George Schiller, who later told
the Sheriff:

“While I stood there watching, I thought
to myself, ‘There, but for the grace of
God, go I.’ You and your deputies cer-
tainly saved my life. Had you produced
a rifle and told me I killed Mrs. Reichel-
derfer with it, I would have believed you.
Honestly, I had myself thinking I had. I
knew that in my right mind I wouldn’t
have done such a thing, but with all that
liquor in me, I thought surely I had lost
my head.

“I was scared good and plenty and I
want to tell you, Sheriff, how grateful I
am that you stayed after this thing until
you cleared it up. Some people can drink
liquor and keep a pretty fair head while
they’re about it, but I can’t. I'll never
touch another drop as long as I live.”

For weeks after the murder was solved,
Schiller endeavored to learn where he
had spent the hours for which he had been
unable to account, but the mystery was
never cleared up.

Note: To protect an innocent person,
the name George Schiller, as used in this
article, is fictitious—Ed.

The Case of the Talking Brunettes

Continued from page 33—feared, were
plotting to kill her, too.

Lieutenant Lyle Morse, State Police dic-
tograph expert, was brought to the Ber-
rien County Jail, where he installed a
dictograph in Fradella’s cell. The latter
was coached regarding the kind of ques-
tions he should ask. Detective Hinckley
and Undersheriff Granzow, posing as
“Fradella’s friends,” then drove to Chi-
cago, picked up the diminutive widow
at her home and took her back to St.
Joseph.

The meeting between the pretty widow
and Fradella was marked by enthusiasm
on the latter’s part and by excessive nerv-
ousness in the girl. For a long time they
talked about mutual friends and old times,
but gradually Fradella worked the con-
versation around to the subject of her
father’s murder. “Gracie,” he said at
length, “did you ever really learn who
killed your father?”

The officers grouped around the dicto-
graph in a room upstairs held their breath.
At length they heard her whispered re-
sponse: “Yes.”

“Was it your aunt?” Fradella inquired,
striving te keep the eagerness out of his
voice.

“No.”

“Then who was it?”

“Are you sure nobody can hear us?”
the girl asked, and her voice trembled.

‘We are all alone,” Fradella answered,
as indeed they were.

“My sister Theresa told me that Joe
Neuff and Sam Tomisello did it.”

The names of the two men gave the
officers a real surprise. For the reader
will recall that both were arrested in 1935
and subsequently released after Neuff had
submitted to a polygraph examination.
They listened eagerly to the rest of the

NOVEMBeER, 1941

conversation.

“How did your sister get her informa-
tion?”

“Well, for a long time I thought it was
her husband, Joe Tomisello, who was in on
it. But anyway we talked about it and
she asked him if it was the truth. She says
Joe got down on his knees to her and said
he had nothing to do with it; that it was
his brother Sam and Joe Neuff. He said
his brother just looked on, though, and
that he had ridden out to the farm with
young Neuff to get some clothes.”

“Gracie,” Fradella said quietly, “don’t
you think you ought to tell the police
about this?”

@ THE OFFICERS heard the girl sigh.

“My sister told me that if it wasn’t for
her husband I would have been killed
long ago. She said they were going to
‘leave the lions loose on me.’ Which is
equivalent to the American phrase, ‘put
me on the spot.’”

“Does your sister know why Joe Neuff
killed your father?”

“She says it was because he figured Dad
had been fresh with his sister a couple
of years before, and because he knew Dad
had lots of money around the house. Prob-
ably only Joe knew how much, and where
it was.”

The following morning a meeting was
held by Sheriff Miller, Prosecutor Small,
Undersheriff Granzow and Detective
Hinckley.

“It’s plain to see that Grace Tripoli has
talked as much as she ever will,” Hinckley
pointed out. “I suggest that we arrest the
Tomisello brothers and Joe Neuff and see
what we can do with them.”

The State detective’s plan was promptly
adopted, and, that same day, arrangements
were made with Chicago Officers Frank

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o'clock. Did
wouldn’t give

Reichelderfer
aid. “I started
*s—yes, sure I
iany times on
ind didn’t get

the evening?”
essly. “I don’t
I was at a

et home?”

esman couldn’t
ither, he said.
He had been
hen the Sheriff
and was still

livery stable
3; team, Harris
ceturned there
ght.
d having over-
as going out to
had been about
fternoon, at a

there Harris
aloon, where he
it four o’clock.
ed.
ar where I went
nitted. “Maybe
‘all Iknow. My
w I had sense
ion’t know. But
to Nellie’s place.
e letters after I

sdged in jail on

Sheriff Harris
yman’s sister and
richelderfer had
.e very day she

+r drove out here
and when Mrs.
- produce them,
runks. Not find-
ed her in a fit of

‘e Schiller’s con-
ot driven to the
neriff went over
1ecking at every
sman might have
ast accounted for
ould find no one
his team.
iing to happen,”
nally. “I guess I
«. Maybe if I had
those letters as I
have been killed.”
‘mber where you
.”’ the Sheriff said,
a murder charge
ted out there with
tion of obtaining
you had to take
woman.
ositively that she
hat very day. The
manded them and
’t have them; you
i killed her. Then
iks. Or maybe you
; first and figured

MASTER DETECTIVE

a " ar eT ee

she was holding out on you;
then you killed her to make sure
she wouldn’t sue you. We’ve
got a pretty good case against
you, just as matters stand now,
so you’d better think fast. If you
can prove you weren’t there be-
tween the time you were last
seen at four o’clock, and six,
then you're in the clear.”

“But how can I prove any-
thing if I can’t remember where
I was?” Schiller protested. “Un-
fortunately liquor affects me
that way. When I have too
many drinks, I can’t remember
anything, although I seem to
know what I’m doing. I finally
managed to get home safely. I
took my team to the stable and
must have walked home from
there. But I can’t recall any of
that. I can’t even remember
going to bed after I got home.”

The Sheriff locked the sales-
man in a cell and started out
alone to see if he could pick up
the man’s trail. If Schiller had
driven to the farm and killed
Mrs. Reichelderfer, it was pos-
sible that he had committed the
deed without remembering any-
thing about it, although it
seemed incredible that he could
have done such a thing without
recalling some part of it, at
least. It was a puzzling situation.

Harris went to the livery stable and
searched the buggy, on the chance that
he would find the murder gun. There
was no gun in the carriage.

He questioned farmers along the road
leading out to the scene of the killing,
but no one had seen a rig go by, except
that of Miss Stafford, going toward
town, and returning two hours later.
One farmer who had been working
near the county road declared that he
was positive no rig had passed, save
that of Miss Stafford, between three and
five-thirty, when he left his work to
do the chores. There was but one other
road over which Schiller could have
reached the Reichelderfer place, and
to have come by this route he would
have been required to drive about ten
miles out of his way.

™@ WHEN THE Sheriff returned to

town that evening he was certain
Schiller had not killed Mrs. Reichelder-
fer, unless he had gone to the farm on
foot, which did not seem likely. Harris
was considering the possibility that
Schiller had hired someone to go to the
farm and get the letters, possibly some-
one he had met at any of the numerous
saloons he claimed to have visited. In
any event, he felt sure about one thing:
It had been those letters the killer was
after.

The house had been thoroughly ran-
sacked. Expensive silverware and some
jewelry had not been touched, which
was pretty good evidence that robbery
had not been the motive. At first it had
looked like robbery. The _ officers
thought possibly the silverware and
jewelry had been overlooked, but
Harris was convinced now that this had
not been the case. The silverware and

NOVEMBER, 1941

Sheriff H. S. Harris and his deputies
followed tangled clues and saved
an innocent man from the gallows

jewelry were in a drawer of a china
cabinet. These drawers appeared not
to have been opened, although two
similar drawers below them had been.

It was reasonable to assume that if
the intruder had opened two of the
drawers he would have looked into the
others. If the letters had been the ob-
ject of his search, it was easy to under-
stand why the entire house had been
ransacked; for of course the letters had
been destroyed and were not to be
found.

™@ DEPUTY SHERIFF Throgmorton

decided to return once more for a
thorough checkup of the premises. He
had searched the hog pen and barn-lot
before, without finding anything. He
now widened the scope of search to the
edge of the woods. He noticed an old
log about twenty rods from the hog pen,
and the thought occurred to him that
the log would have provided first-class
protection for a gunman lying in wait
for his victim. He had been convinced
all along that Mrs. Reichelderfer had
been shot either as she stood near the
hog pen or as she was walking toward
the barn.

Searching through the leaves behind
the old log he came upon an empty rifle
shell. The cartridge was from a .25-20

gun.

The bullet that had struck Mrs.
Reichelderfer in the chest had emerged
in the back. It had been impossible to
say from an examination of the wound
whether the shot had been fired from
a rifle or revolver.

The discovery of the .25-20 cartridge,
the deputy thought, solved the ques-
tion; for a bullet of that caliber would
not tear as much as an ordinary gun of
larger caliber.

Since no one had seen a rig
approach the farm in the late
afternoon, Throgmorton con-
cluded that the killer had gone
there on foot. He began search-
ing the farm for footprints, ever
widening the scope of his hunt
until he came to a small slough
at the edge of the property.

™@ THERE WAS a trail through

the slough used by cattle.
Walking along this path for a
distance, he came to a strip of
marshy ground where he found
the tracks of two men, who ap-
peared to have left the trail at
this point to detour around the
bog. The imprints were quite
clear in places and he was able
to take measurements of the
tracks. One man had been wear-
ing hobnailed boots, the other
light dress shoes. The trail it-
self, over which cattle had re-
cently passed, revealed no
prints.

Returning to the farm, ‘the
deputy went over it thoroughly
once more, but found nothing
that would help identify the men
who had left the tracks in the
bog. It was apparent that these
visitors to the farm had left by
some route other than that over
which they had come. Search-
ing along a fence that ran parallel with
the barn-lot, Throgmorton found mud
on the rails where someone had climbed
over. On the other side he discovered
in the soft earth a hobnailed print
pointing toward the county road lead-
ing to town.

Certain now that he was on a hot
trail, the deputy circulated among the
farmers of the area in an effort to find
trace of the two men whose tracks led
to the Reichelderfer farm.

“Why, yes,” one farmer said, “I saw
Jerry Graves and Cal Price going
toward the Reichelderfer place about
two o’clock Monday afternoon. In fact
they stopped and talked with me for a
while. They asked if there were any
ducks over in the slough.”

Graves and Price were neighboring
farm youths, each twenty-one years of
age, who lived about three miles from
the scene of the killing.

Miss Stafford, who had left for town
shortly before two o’clock on the after-
noon of the murder, recalled that she
had seen these youths walking along
the road about a mile from the farm,
but had thought little of it because they
seemed to be hunting rabbits. She also
remembered that they had visited the
farm a month before and talked with
her and her sister about work.

Moving cautiously, lest he arouse
suspicion, Throgmorton made several
inquiries and learned that neither sus-
pect owned a .25-20 rifle.

Watching his chance, he checked the
shoes the young men were wearing.
Neither wore hobnailed boots, he ob-
served.

Deciding at last to have a talk with
them, he hunted up Price, who said he
had not seen Graves since the previous
Monday, the Continued on page 72

The Riddle of the Divorcee’s Letters

Continued from page 43—day of the
slaying.

“Where did you see him that day?”
Throgmorton asked.

“I went rabbit shooting with him in the
afternoon.”

“Were you near the Reichelderfer
place?”

“No, we weren't,” Price replied. “We
were there one afternoon about a month
ago to see about work.”

Price said that he andGraves had walked
along the county road for about a mile,
then had turned off, going west into the
woods to look for rabbits.

“Did you meet Miss Stafford that after-
noon?”

“Yes, we met her on the road.”

“See anybody else?”

“Yes; a rig caught up with us and passed
us, going toward the Reichelderfer farm.”

The description he gave of the team and
buggy, and of the driver, coincided with
that of Schiller and his rig.

“What time was that?”

“It was just after we met Miss Stafford.”

“How long after you met her would you
say it was?”

“About fifteen minutes.”

@ IF THIS were true, then Miss Stafford

would have passed this rig on her way
to town, the deputy reasoned. But the
slain woman’s sister was positive she had
met no one.

“I didn’t see a sign of a rig,” she said.
“I am sure that I would remember it.”

The farmer who had been working at
the roadside had also declared that the
only rig to pass between two o’clock and
five-thirty had been that driven by Miss
Stafford.

Sheriff Harris decided to question
Graves and see what his story was.

“Did you meet any rigs along the county

road Monday afternoon while you were

rabbit hunting?”

“Yes—one driven*by Miss Stafford and
another one right after that, going the
other way. It passed us.”

“What kind of rig was it?”

Graves’ description was similar to that
Price had given, except for one discrep-
ancy. He said that one of the horses was
gray. Both of Schiller’s horses were coal
black.

Price maintained that Graves was mis-
taken, that both horses had been black.
“Jerry just don’t remember,” he said.

Meanwhile Schiller remained in jail.
“If I did this terrible thing they say'I did,”
he told his attorney, “I must have been
very drunk. , I don’t remember a thing
about it.”

The investigation was suddenly pointed
in another direction by the announcement
of a farmer, who lived about ten miles

In her home (above) ill-fated

Nellie Reichelderfer destroyed

the letters that figured so strangely
in the mystifying case

from the Reichelderfer home, that he had
seen a team and buggy pass his place about
six o’clock Monday evening going north
toward Benton. One of the horses was
black, he declared, and the other gray.
He could not give an accurate description
of the driver, for he had ‘not been close
enough to him, he said. The man was
driving very fast.

This report threw new light on the case
—for if there had been such a rig, there
was a possibility that someone not yet
suspected had done the killing.

Still there was the mystery of the shoe
prints in the marsh. The question of
where Schiller had spent two hours, for
which he was unable to account, also had
not been answered.

Turning their attention on the latest re-
port, the officers endeavored to pick up
the trail of the team seen driving north.

Miss Stafford, however, said she knew
no one who lived north of Herrin. The
sisters had had a quiet, uneventful exis-
tence and could count their male ac-
quaintances on their fingers. They con-
sisted chiefly of men of the community
whom they had met at church, and the
half-dozen or so neighbors with whom
they had little or no dealings. Schiller
had been the only man outside this small
circle that they had known.

Miss Stafford herself admitted that she
had liked the insurance salesman, and had
looked forward to the time when he would
become her brother-in-law. It had been
rather a shock to her, she said, when it
was discovered that he had started keep-
ing company with another woman,

“Nellie couldn’t understand it, either,’
she continued. “It hurt her very much.
At first she was furious, and threatened
to sue him unless he paid her a reasonable
sum. But it all wore off in a few days and
she tore up his letters. I think if Mr.
Schiller had come for those letters, she
wouldn’t have beaten about the bush; she
would have told him she had torn them up
and that she intended to forget the whole
matter.” ’

The. officers finally picked up the trail
of the team seen driving north and identi-
fied it as that of a hardware salesman,
who had been driving from West Frank-
fort to Benton.

He had not been in Herrin on Monday.
It was established definitely that he had
driven directly north from West Frank-
fort and, considering the hour of his de-
parture, it would have been impossible
for him to have gone to the Reichelderfer
place. He had never heard of Mrs.
Reichelderfer or Miss Stafford, neither
had Miss Stafford heard of him. He was,
therefore, immediately dropped as a sus-
pect and the officers returned to the
original problem. ‘

Meanwhile Deputy Throgmorton had
learned that Jerry Graves had been over-
heard to say in a Herrin pool hall, “They'll
never solve that murder in a million years,
not the way they’re going about it. I
could tell them a lot that they don’t know.”

Irritated by this remark, he picked up
both Graves and Price for further ques-
tioning. This afforded him an opportunity
to visit their respective homes with a
search warrant,

At Jerry Graves’ home he found a pair
of hobnailed boots with mud on them.

At the Price farm he found a .25-20
rifle!

“Where did Cal get this?” he asked
Price’s brother. ;

“He traded his .30-30 for it about a
month ago, to a fellow over in Johnston
City.” :

Confronted with the rifle, Price sud-
denly threw himself on his jail bunk and

‘State's he L. D. Hartwell's
handling of the prosecution
brought about convictions

sobbed out that Graves had done the
actual shooting. Urged to make a de-
tailed statement, he dictated the following
confession, which he signed:

“We passed by the Reichelderfer place
one Sunday about noon, a few weeks be-
fore this thing happened. We had fre-
quently talked to each other about the
money the sisters had and thought we
would like very much to have some of it.
On this Sunday we stopped at the house
and asked the sisters if they had any
work we could do, and we also inquired
where Ike Young lived. This visit was
brought about by our talk of robbing
somebody, particularly the sisters. Al-
though we did nothing at this time, save
talk to them, we were planning to get
their money. We talked~of the robbery
constantly from this time on until the
thing happened.

@ “THE DAY she was killed we went

hunting, Graves taking a Winchester
25-20 and I a .38 caliber revolver. We went
north from Herrin, up the road to the
creek, following it to the slough back of
the Reichelderfer farm. On the way we
met a number of people, including one
of the sisters. We also stopped at the
Morgan place and asked about duck
hunting. After we got to the slough, we
went through the field to the house, talk-
ing all the time about the robbery and
how we would do it.

“We decided that Graves would knock
her down and I was to do the robbing.
Therefore I took the gun and Graves got
a club. Then we went on to the house.
This was about two-thirty, or a quarter
to three,

“Mrs. Reichelderfer came out and we
asked for a drink of water. After getting
the water we talked with her for perhaps
twenty minutes. Graves and I were
sitting on the well curb and watering
trough and Mrs. Reichelderfer. was going
on about her work as she talked to us from
the porch.

“We got up and started home, going
south about a hundred yards and sitting
on the fence. Mrs. Reichelderfer was go-
ing out to the barn-lot and came by where
we were sitting on the fence.

“After she had gone on toward the barn,
Graves said to me, ‘I can’t do it. I’d rather
she would be shot.’

“Tf she is shot you will do the shooting,’
Isaid. I gave him the gun. We started off
just as if we were going to go home and
walked out past an old log. Graves laid
the gun over the log and aimed at her. I
turned my head away.

MASTER DETECTIVS

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NOVEMBER, 1941

youth attempted to prove he was at home
with his parents. This was speedily proven
to be a lie. Angelo then admitted
he had gone riding with a girl friend, his
brother and sister. He admitted having
rented a car from the car renting service
already named. Asked where he had ob-
tained the ten dollar deposit he fumbled,
told several lies, changed his story, be-
came hopelessly mired. Finally he blurted
out his first admission:

“Marie loaned me the ten dollars.”

“What for?” snapped Carroll, “To go
riding with your other sweetheart?”

Nervously the youth unbuttoned his
left shirt cuff and commenced scratching
his arm,

Deputy Kerrigan’s eyes suddenly nar-
rowed. Crossing the room in _ several
quick strides he halted beside the startled
youth. The latter was seated in a chair
alongside Chief Carroll’s desk. Without
further ado Kerrigan raised Angelo’s shirt
sleeve elbow high. An ugly rash was
bared.

“Where'd you get that?” he demanded.

“T—I—guess it’s a heat rash,” muttered
the youth.

“FINHAT’S not heat rash and you know

it,” Kerrigan snapped. “That’s a poison
ivy rash. And you picked it up when
you hid the two bloodstained handker-
chiefs near the Cat and Fiddle Roadhouse.
Angelo,” he said slowly, “you killed Willie
Kappen!”

The devastating effect of the officer’s
words was at once apparent. Chief Car-
roll summoned a police physician and the
latter promptly confirmed Deputy Ker-
rigan’s diagnosis.

Scant additional prodding was neces-
sary. Convinced he was _ hopelessly
trapped the youth cried: “Oh, what’s
the use! I did it and I’ll confess,”

But even then Angelo did not confess
the truth. Bitterly realizing when it was
too late that Marie Porter was responsible
for his present predicament, he sought
to implicate his former paramour in the
actual slaying. Glibly he described how
Marie Porter accompanied him to Kap-
pen’s flat, how she went upstairs and
presently emerged with her _ brother.
“Then,” he continued, “we made the
rounds. We stopped at a couple of dif-
ferent beer gardens and drank beer and
pretty soon Willie got sick. Marie told
me to drive out into the country and I
did. She was sitting in the back seat.
She had my automatic. Willie was up in
front with me. All at once I heard a
shot and Willie slumped toward the
door.”

The perfect crime at last appeared in its
true light—a coldly premeditated and un-
believably brutal crime. Officers punched
numerous holes in Giancola’s first confes-
sion. Their investigation had already con-
vinced them that Marie Porter had been
home the night of the murder. Moreover,
the youth was unable to lead them to the
beer gardens where he claimed he in-
dulged in a drinking bout with Marie Por-
ter and their luckless victim. Further-
more, officers well knew that Kappen was
a teetotaler as well as a non-smoker.

“You’re shielding somebody, Angelo,”
accused Chief Carroll. “Come clean.
Who helped you?”

But the youth remained adamant, re-
fusing to alter his story.

He willingly directed officers to the
hiding place in the basement of his home
where he had concealed the murder
weapon. In addition to the automatic,
officers took possession of the dark suit
worn by the youth the night of the mur-
der. Subsequent chemical analysis re-
vealed a number of bloodstains in the
fabric.

True Detective Mysteries

Officers proceeded with a systematic
investigation of Angelo Giancola’s friends
and acquaintances. Oddly enough, Angelo
was found to have no intimates as close
as his younger brother, John. On July
llth Detectives Ogden, Bohlen and Sin-
clair, acting solely on a hunch, arrested
the confessed murderer’s younger brother
and brought him to Headquarters for
questioning.

The quiet, studious appearing boy was
an easy subject. A poor actor, his re-
peated denials that he knew anything
were soon broken down under a steady
barrage of questions. Finally he sobbed
out a full confession, admitting his share
in the actual kidnaping and execution of
William Kappen.

“We did it for eight hundred dollars,”
he cried. “Mrs. Porter promised Angelo
that much money if he would do the job.”

Upon being shown his brother’s confes-
sion Angelo admitted that his first story.
was meant to cover up his younger
brother; that. Marie Porter did not par-

Sharing the brunt of the investiga-
tion were (left to right) Detective
Sergeant John _ Sinclair and Detec-
tives James Ogden and Harold Boh-
len, of the’ St. Louis Police _Depart-
ment, and Deputy Sheriff Frank Ker-
rigan, St. Clair County, Illinois

ticipate in the actual slaying but that it
was conceived and engineered by her.
Both boys made written confessions to
which they affixed their signatures.

Upon being arrested, Marie Porter be-
trayed no more concern than when first
questioned. Her endurance amazed even
the hardiest of her questioners. Hour after
hour she calmly replied with maddening
monotony: “What they say is not the
truth. I had nothing to do with it. I
never planned to kill my brother.”

Only once—shortly after she was con-
fronted by the two brothers, now arrayed
against her—did the woman weaken.
After hearing the two youths repeat their
confessions in her presence she said:
“Part of what they say is the truth. I
did talk to Angelo about a plan to get
rid of Willie a long time ago. But I said
no more about it and thought he had for-
gotten all about it too.”

“How much did you offer him at that
time to do the job?” asked Chief Carroll.

“Eight hundred dollars.”

“Would you have paid up?”

The woman’s small pig-like eyes opened
slightly. Her lips curled in a faint sneer.
“Of course. When I make a bargain I
stick to it.” .

Mrs. Porter denied she had supplied
Angelo with a skeleton key to gain ad-
mission to the flat occupied by her
brother. Incidentally, although a half-
dozen sewers were searched the key was
never located.

Mrs. Porter refused to affix her sig-
nature to her partial confession, made
in the presence of detectives and news-
papermen.’ |

The State’s case against the Giancolas
was infused with new strength by the dis-
covery of faint bloodstains on the up-
holstery and on the floor mat of the car
rented for the killing.

On Monday, November Ist, 1937, trial
of the three defendants was begun at

Belleville before Circuit Judge Richard
H. Mudge. The grief-stricken parents of
the two Giancolas employed separate
counsel for their sons, while a court-
appointed attorney undertook the defense
of Mrs. Porter.

Placed on the witness stand by his at-
torney, Angelo stated that his initial con-
fession, the one implicating Mrs. Porter
as his companion on the night of the
slaying, was the true version. He stated
that his brother, John, was entirely inno-
cent and that their signed confessions were
obtained by force.

He freely confessed his own share in
the murder plot. Likewise he freely ad-
mitted intimate relations with Mrs.
Porter. “We’d go out for some drinks
and then we would get all flustered,” he
testified.

A dramatic moment occurred at the
trial when the Giancola attorney placed
John on the witness stand. As the boy
was being administered the oath he drew
a rosary from his pocket, in plain sight
of the jury.

Assistant State’s Attorney R. V. Gustin
at once voiced a sharp objection. Court
was recessed before John was permitted
to testify. When the trial was continued
defense counsel withdrew John as a wit-
ness,

Mrs. Porter, wearing a plain dark dress
and a corsage of violets, likewise took the
witness stand. Displaying characteristic
calm under cross-examination, she ad-
mitted that she wrote the warning note to
Irene Traub, saying: “I did it to protect
her. Willie had the mind of a seven-year-
old boy.”

Mrs. Porter calmly denied having in-
dulged in illicit relations with Angelo.
Also she clung to her original story and
denied having in any way planned, con-
ceived or promised anything connected
with the crime.

N Friday, November 5th, all three de-

fendants were found guilty of first
degree murder. The jury fixed John’s
sentence at ninety-nine years. Under the
verdict, pronouncement of death sentences
upon Angelo and Marie Porter became
mandatory.

Mrs. Porter’s only display of feeling
was a nervous biting of her lip. Angelo
half turned in his seat and gave his
brother a congratulatory slap on the back.
The latter sat, shocked and completely
crestfallen over the severe prison sentence
he had hoped to escape.

Before pronouncing sentence Judge
Mudge said: “I am well aware of the
fact that the Governor has stated publicly
on several occasions that he would not
permit a woman to be executed in Illinois.
Should he see fit to commute the sen-
tence of Mrs. Porter, I am asking him
also to commute the sentence of Angelo
Ralph Giancola. If there is a question
of one being more guilty than the other
in this case, Mrs. Porter falls into the
class of being the more guilty person.”

On November 27th, 1937, all three
prisoners were removed to the Southern
Illinois Penitentiary at Menard, Angelo
and Mrs. Porter to await execution or a
commutation of sentence, John to serve
a ninety-nine year term.

After routine stays, the date of execu-
tion finally was set for January 28th, 1938.
Early that morning, Marie Porter, follow-
ing in the footsteps of her youthful para-
mour, walked to the death chamber. She
became the first woman to be electrocuted
in the State of Illinois.

To those readers who would like a
moral to this tale the cryptic comment
of Judge Mudge at the trial is worthy of
serious thought:

“I never saw a smart criminal!”

Brave

(Conti
DEPLORES

(E. M. C.)
for the good 7
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here’s to you.

TAX

(W. F.) Dis
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WANTS bh
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Mistress of Death—A Missouri Atrocity . 13

he snapped harshly, glaring at the little man in the bed.
Kappen broke down completely. “Please let me live,” he
pleaded. “T’ll give you all the money I have. I'll do any-
thing you say. I won’t breathe a word. Just let me live!”
Angelo Giancola’s eyes glittered with the feverish intensity
of killer lust. Seizing a pair of light tan work pants, a white
shirt, white socks and black oxfords, he flung these at the
trembling man. “Hurry up. Get into those and shut up!”
Controlling his shaking fingers with difficulty, Kappen
dressed slowly. The two youths lighted cigarettes and at-
tempted to prod Kappen into dressing more hurriedly.
Finally dressed, Willie stumbled rather than walked
ahead of his captors. On their way out the brothers flung
their unfinished cigarettes into the kitchen sink. The neigh-
borhood was in darkness as the young hired assassins drove
their victim from his “honeymoon flat” into the automobile
waiting outside. All was quiet save for the faint, ceaseless
hum of a sleeping city.

ReALeG the necessity for keeping out of the way of
prowling radio cars, Angelo drove carefully. Kappen and
John Giancola were seated in the rear. The latter held the
automatic in readiness in case Kappen should attempt to
attract the attention of passing motorists and pedestrians.
What must have been the thoughts of the little sandy-
haired ride victim? Several hours before, Kappen had been
happier than he had ever dreamed he would be. Now he
must have read in the pitiless faces of his young captors the
merciless ordeal ahead.

As their car approached the free bridge that spans the
Mississippi River, separating Missouri from Illinois, Angelo
issued a curt order to his brother: “Push him down on the
floor and hold your hand over his mouth.”

John obeyed.

Once they reached the comparatively desolate Illinois side
of the river Angelo’s foot grew heavy on the accelerator.
With. tires screeching, the light car swung onto Route 13,
the Old St. Louis Road, and rocketed along at a dangerous
clip. The shrill moan of the wind as it tore through the
lowered windows, the labored roar of the engine and the
vicious lurches of the machine over the uneven surface
effectively drowned out the pitiful entreaties and incoherent

sobs of the captive.

A few miles outside of East St. Louis, Angelo suddenly
slackened his speed. He flung two cotton handkerchiefs over
into the rear seat. “Tie his hands and stuff one of those in
his big mouth,” he ordered.

Again his sinewy young brother obeyed.

Several minutes later Angelo brought the car to a stop
and transferred Kappen to the front seat. John passed the
automatic to his brother and remained seated in the rear.

It was close to two a.m. as the car flashed past the now
darkened Cat and Fiddle Roadhouse. Angelo applied the
brakes and the light car careened far to the right as he swung
from the main road onto the Travis Mine Road. With lights
out the youth guided the car for a distance of approximately
one hundred yards. There he stopped and cut the ignition.

Deliberately Angelo withdrew his light automatic and
pointed it at his victim. A despairing sob, muffled by the
choking gag rammed down his throat, tore loose from the
doomed man. His eyes rolled wildly. It has been said
that hope lives eternal in the human breast. Yet it is prob-
lematical if hope did not surrender to complete despair in
the breast of gentle Willie Kappen during these, his final
moments of life. Gagged and his hands trussed behind his
back, Kappen lurched violently against the door of the car
in a pathetically futile effort to escape the smashing impact
of the impending bullet. His feet pounded the floor-boards
desperately.

The young Italian’s eyes narrowed as he took careful aim.
Calmly he pressed the trigger. A sharp report followed, ac-
companied almost instantly by the acrid smell of burned
powder. With a thud Kappen’s head landed against the in-
strument panel. ‘A crimson stream trickled from his head,
dropped from the panel to the floor-mat. The light caliber
bullet entered the dead man’s left temple and emerged below
his right eye.

Satisfied that the “perfect crime” had been committed
without a hitch, Angelo reached over and opened the door.
A slight push and the dead man’s body tumbled to the
ground. Then, with macaber humor, Angelo dismounted and
arranged the body in a sleeping position. Hastily he untied
his victim’s hands and withdrew the blood soaked gag. With
the clean handkerchief he wiped his (Continued on page 94)

Angelo Giancola (right) freely admitted to police his scarlet

romance with Mrs. Porter, widowed sister of the victim

Sheriff Henry L. Siekmann (below) of St. Clair County, : ; ‘Ve
aided in solving the strange riddle of Kappen’s death steeds:

own hands, the dashboard and floor mat.
Then walking about fifty feet from the
car he deposited the two bloodsoaked
handkerchiefs at the base of a_ thick
clump of bushes.

A moment later the car roared away
into the darkness. Before going home the
youths dropped the key used to gain
entrance to Kappen’s home into a catch-
basin.

Although the two murderers went to
bed immediately, neither was able to
sleep. At 6:30 Angelo arose and con-
cealed his automatic beneath a pile of
rubbish in the basement. Next he drove
the murder car to a neighborhood gas
station and cleansed the interior as best
he could. That evening at seven o’clock
Angelo returned the car to the rental
agency.

Meanwhile at ten o’clock Saturday
morning Irene Traub and her relatives
awaited the arrival of William Kappen at
St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. Priest,
altar boys and members of the wedding
party became more impatient as time
wore on and the happy bridegroom failed
to make his appearance. Finally, at 10:30,
unable to stand the suspense any longer,
Kappen’s fiancée burst into tears. Fling-
ing herself into the arms of her brother,
John Traub, she sobbed: “Oh, John, isn’t
this terrible. What do you suppose could
have happened to him?”

RAUB’S feelings were a mixture of

anger, apprehension and bewilderment.
He did his best to comfort his sister.
“Never mind us, Sis, he probably over-
slept. We’ll go out to the flat.”

Thus heartened Irene Traub dried her
tears and accompanied her brother and
the latter’s wife, Elsie, to Kappen’s flat.
They were amazed and alarmed to find
the rear door securely locked—from the
inside. Their alarm mounted as they
found the front door, for which Kappen
had no key, unlocked. Rushing upstairs
they surveyed the interior of the flat,
were stunned upon noting that Kappen
had not slept in his bed the previous
night. They examined the missing man’s
wedding outfit on his bed and the bath
tub full of water. The latter had not
been used for bathing purposes. Glancing
in the sink Traub saw the two cigarette
stubs dropped there by the Giancola
brothers.

“Say, Sis,” he exclaimed, “I thought you
said Willie doesn’t smoke?”

“He doesn’t!”

“In that case,” Traub said uneasily,
“somebody else was up here last night.
Maybe it was somebody who talked him
out of going through with the wedding!”

“T won’t believe that,” Irene Traub said
loyally. “Willie was as happy over get-
ting married as I. Something must have
happened to him on his way home last
night. Maybe he had an accident. Per-
haps he’s in a hospital right now!”

Silently her brother walked to a dresser
and picked up a tiny slip of paper. He
handed it to his sister. It was a Belle-
fontaine street car transfer, stamped at
11:30 pm. At the same instant the
woman spied the refuse container she had
given Willie the previous evening. It
rested under the sink. The woman’s last
traces of self-control vanished as she
again burst into tears and begged to be
taken home.

The body of William Kappen was dis-
covered at 1:15 p.m. Saturday by Dr.
H. E. Rose and V. C. Leo, a real estate
agent, both of East St. Louis. Dis-

True Detective Mysteries

Mistress of Death

(Continued from page 13)

covery was accidental, the latter having
driven the physician to look over some
real estate he owned in that vicinity.

Kappen’s body reposed on its back.
hands crossed on the breast. The face
and arms were badly sunburned from tne
torrid July rays. All thought of their
mission was forgotten by the two men as
they rushed to the nearest telephone and
called Deputy Sheriff Frank Kerrigan at
East St. Louis. The latter promptly called
his Chief, Sheriff Henry L. Siekmann at
Belleville, seven miles east of the Cat
and Fiddle Roadhouse.

In an incredibly short time the scene
was swarming with officers, newspapermen
and photographers. A search of the slain
man’s pockets revealed not a single sign
of identification. The slain man himself
had emptied his pockets the previous

Circuit Judge D. H. Mudge who pre-
sided at the trial

evening. However, a careful search of
the adjacent brush was made and the two
handkerchiefs, both crimson-stained, dis-
covered beneath the clump of bushes
where they were placed by the slayer.

“This looks to me like another gang
ride,” commented Sheriff Siekmann.

Deputy Kerrigan, a solidly built, pleas-
ant voiced man in his forties, nodded:
“Probably a St. Louis gangster knocked
off somewhere else by his pals and then
dumped here,” he agreed.

Numerous photographs of the scene
were taken. A photographer requested
Deputy. Kerrigan to pose beside the two
bloodstained handkerchiefs. The latter
was about to comply when he paused
suddenly. Pointing at the bushes he ex-
claimed: “Nothing doing! The place is
alive with poison ivy!”

Following the arrival of the Coroner,
Dr. Leo L. Madden, the body of the slain

man was removed to a Belleville mortuary. '

Evening newspapers in Belleville, East
St. Louis and St. Louis printed detailed
accounts of the unidentified body found
near the Cat and Fiddle Roadhouse. Com-
municating with Chief of Detectives John
J. Carroll at St. Louis, Sheriff Siekmann
requested the latter to check carefully the
list of persons missing from the Missouri
city. Late Saturday night Chief Carroll
advised Sheriff Siekmann that the missing
man did not answer the description of
anyone reported missing from St. Louis.

In the privacy of her room early Sun-
day ‘morning Irene Traub, hollow-eyed
and numbed over the shock of the mys-
terious disappearance of her fiancé, sat
listlessly by a window and stared out into
the blackness of a hot July night. Tor-

menting her were the unanswered ques-
tions: Had Willie’s love for her been
feigned? Or had some accident befallen
him? These and other unhappy thoughts
made sleep impossible. It was close to
three a.m. when the woman absently
picked up an evening paper and glanced
over the front page. She read a brief
item telling of the discovery of an un-
identified body near Belleville. As she
read the description of the victim the
terrible’ conviction grew that the body
was that of her fiancé.

An hour and a half later a dramatic
scene occurred in a Funeral Home
at Belleville. There, in the hushed
early morning hours, while St. Louis De-
tective Sergeant John Sinclair and Detec-
tive Harold Bohlen, Sheriff Siekmann and
a mortuary attendant looked on, Irene
Traub silently approached the table upon
which reposed the remains of William
Kappen. The fiancée of the dead man
moved like a person in a hypnotic trance.
For a moment she stared at the face of
the victim. Then, with a low moan, she
turned and faced the group of anxious-
faced men clustered in the _ back-
ground. Her voice was scarcely above a
whisper :

“Tt’s he.”

Bravely bearing up under the shock of
the culminating horror of what was to
have been her wedding night, the grief-
stricken woman did her best to aid
officers.

“Willie did not have an enemy in the
world,” she declared. “He was honest,
law-abiding, friendly. Everybody liked
him. And I’m certain that it could not
have been robbery because he gave me
his billfold before leaving last night. All
he carried was enough for car fare.”

“Was he mixed up in any kind of
labor trouble?” inquired the Sheriff.

“If he was he never told me about it,”
reseponded the woman.

OW about his relatives?” asked Ser-
geant Sinclair.

An angry flush surmounted Irene
Traub’s features. For several seconds she
hesitated, as if weighing her reply. Finally
she said: “Willie did have an enemy—
his own sister. They have been estranged
since January after an argument over
money.” The woman described the abusive
letter she had received, adding: “Willie
and I both believed she wrote it in an
attempt to stop our marriage.”

“Do you still have that letter?” asked
Sinclair.

The woman nodded. “It’s in my room,
at home.”

A crimson dawn was breaking as Irene
Traub directed officers to the flat around
which all her thoughts had revolved dur-
ing recent months. The practiced eyes of
the officers quickly surveyed the scene,
noted the drawn bath, the wedding clothes
laid out on the bed, the street-car transfer
ticket, the cigarette stubs in the sink.
These facts, pieced together with the ac-
count of the slain man’s activities the
previous evening caused officers to arrive
at the following conclusions:

1. William Kappen reached home be-
tween 11:30 and midnight.

2. As indicated by the cigarette stubs
Kappen had received one or more callers
the previous evening, evidently before he
took his bath.

3. The locked rear door indicated Kap-
pen had not intended going out and that
he had not let his visitors in by that en-
trance. Hence, deduced officers, one or

more }
throug}
Kappen
Unde
ous Ch
investig
signed
clair an
James
St. Low
Frank
Clair C
Possil
been th
difficult
tim’s ri
the Co
ported
difficult
their v:
The
Traub
in long-
thwart
couple.
profit i
plated
died?

HE’
Pori
Quest
Marie |}
the des
to her
the con
ing hou
across |
“Tt's
along s:
know n
“Whe
manded
“Aboi
Altho
that M
major j
policies
insuran:

adjoinir
carrying
these i
can tak
over if
Mark
as to :
of her |
oppose
wrote t
months
Marie

vered ques-
» her been
nt befallen
xy thoughts
as close to
n absently
ind glanced
rad a brief
of an un-
e. As she
victim the
the body

a dramatic
oral Home
he hushed’
. Louis De-
and Detec-
*kmann and
{ on, Irene
table upon
of William
dead man
rotic trance.
the face of
* moan, she
of anxious-
the back-
ely above a

he shock of
‘hat was to
t, the grief-
est to aid

vemy in the
was honest,
vbody liked
it could not
he gave me

t night. All
v fare.”
ny kind of
Sheriff.
ie about it,”
’ asked Ser-

inted Irene
seconds she
eply. Finally
an enemy—
‘en estranged
sument over
1 the abusive
ling: “Willie
ote it in an
a ”

tter?” asked
in my room,

xing as Irene
e flat around
‘evolved dur-
‘ticed eyes of
d the scene,
dding clothes
‘t-car transfer
in the sink.
with the ac-
activities the
‘ers to arrive

ed home be-
igarette stubs

* more callers
itly before he

idicated Kap-
out and that
a by that en-
ficers, one or

more persons must have forced entry
through the front door and_ surprised
Kappen in his quarters.

Under the direction of St. Louis’ vigor-
ous Chief of Detectives, John J. Carroll,
investigators attacked the mystery. As-
signed to the case besides Sergeant Sin-
clair and Detective Bohlen were Detective
James Ogden, likewise a member of the
St. Louis Department, and Deputy Sheriffs
Frank Kerrigan and John Hogan of St.
Clair County.

Possibility that Kappen might have
been the victim of a gang ride or of labor
difficulty was soon eliminated. The vic-
tim’s record was absolutely clean, while
the Company for which he worked re-

ported not the slightest evidence of labor .

difficulty. Officers turned elsewhere in
their vain groping for a motive.

The warning letter received by Irene
Traub was carefully studied. Written
in long-hand it obviously was intended to
thwart the marriage of the unfortunate
couple. Detectives wondered: Who would
profit if the electrical worker’s contem-
one marriage was smashed? Or if he
died?

HEY could find but one answer—Marie
Porter.

Questioned at her home early Monday,
Marie Porter blandly assured officers that
the death of her brother was as shocking
to her as it was mysterious. Seated in
the comfortable living-room of her room-
ing house, her pudgy hands placidly folded
across her ample bosom, she said:

“It’s true that Willie and I haven’t got
along so well lately. That's why I don’t
know much about his actions.”

“When did you see him last?” de-
manded Sinclair.

“About six months ago.”

Although he was fully aware of the fact
that Marie Porter was beneficiary of the
major portion of her brother’s insurance
policies, the detective asked: “Who is his
insurance beneficiary?”

The woman’s dark eyes never wavered.
“I get twenty-three hundred dollars and
his father one thousand dollars.”

“Do you have those policies here?”

The woman arose and shuffled into an
adjoining room. Presently she emerged
carrying a sheaf of envelopes. Depositing
these in the officer’s lap she said: “You
can take them with you and look them
over if you like.”

Marie Porter refused to offer any theory
as to a possible motive for the slaying
of her brother. Calmly she denied having
opposed her brother’s marriage or that she
wrote the warning letter received several
months earlier by the intended bride.
Marie Porter’s eagerness to establish her

True Detective Mysteries

alibi surprised questioners.

“I spent the whole evening and night
of July 2nd right here at home,” she de-
clared. “My roomers will bear me out
in that.” ;

Needless to say a checkup of the
woman’s alibi revealed it to be one hun-
dred percent. correct. Roomers in the
home were Earl and William Doney,
brothers, and Marcus L. Crowe. All
corroborated Marie Porter’s alibi and it
was definitely determined that the woman
had not left her home on the night her
brother was murdered. Likewise officers
were satisfied that the woman’s car had
not left its garage on the night in question.

While officers continued their investiga-
tion Marie Porter attended the wedding
of her sixteen-year-old daughter and Mar-
cus Crowe, her young roomer. Stranger
still, Monday night, while her brother’s
body lay on a mortuary slab she
entertained at a wedding _ reception
for the newly married couple. More than
twenty young people ate, drank and
danced to the brassy strains of a cheap,
hired orchestra. When a slightly be-
wildered newspaper reporter asked if such
an affair was not inappropriate under the
circumstances, Mrs. Porter shrugged her
massive shoulders and said: “What could
I do? The orchestra was hired, the food
all ordered and the guests invited.”

However, at least one guest failed to
enjoy the reception celebration. That
guest was Angelo Giancola. While others
ate, drank and danced, Angelo and his
paramour whispered briefly:

“Why do you look so scared, Angelo?”

“l’m not scared,” the youth lied.
“Everything went off okay.”

But Angelo Giancola, despite his denial,
was a thoroughly frightened youth. Gone
was his false bravado, his chesty, swag-
gering manner. For Angelo was miserable
—miserable because he could not escape
the pitiful sound of Willie Kappen’s voice
as he pleaded for his life. Throbbing con-
stantly in his brain while he slept, while
he ate and while he walked was the con-
stant and maddening refrain: “I am a
murderer. I am a murderer. I have made
my brother a murderer.” Fear, too, was
present. Once the youth had awakened
in the middle of the night, screaming,
having emerged from a horrible nightmare
in which he was being dragged, pleading
for his life as Willie had pleaded for his,
to searing death in the electric chair.

Despite Marie Porter’s iron-clad alibi,
Chief Carroll shared the hunch of his
officers that the dead man’s sister, while
not involved in the actual murder of her
brother, might have engineered the exe-
cution.

“She is the only person who could have

: 95

plausibly wished Kappen’s death,” he de-
clared. “Sisterly love was absent, a fact
already demonstrated. Marie Porter is
mercenary, coldly calculating and more
than ordinarily clever. My hunch is that
she hired one or two persons to kidnap
Kappen and take him for a ride. I want
all her male associates carefully investi-
gated. And I want Marie Porter brought
to my office for questioning.”

Detectives brought Marie Porter, her
son-in-law, Marcus Crowe, and intended
son-in-law, Gregory Kuehl, to Chief _Car-
roll’s office Tuesday afternoon. There
Mrs. Porter calmly repeated her previous
story and refused to alter it in the slight-
est degree. Her son-in-law, Crowe, a
slight, dark-complexioned youth, vigor-
ously denied any knowledge of the crime,
as did Kuehl. The latter was engaged to
Mrs. Porter’s twenty-one-year-old daugh-
ter. The two youths experienced no dif-
ficulty in clearing themselves of suspicion.
Again, however, officers failed to pierce
the woman’s armor of imperturbability, as
thick as the layers of fat that enshrouded
her body.

Mrs. Porter denied having falsified en-
tries in her brother’s bank book. Also
she denied withdrawing funds from her
brother’s bank account without the lat-
ter’s permission or that she wrote the
letter received by Irene Traub.

Serenely confident that she had engi-
neered the perfect crime, the woman’s
pudgy features approximated a derisive
smile as she politely bade the officers
good-afternoon and departed with her
son-in-law and daughter’s fiancé.

B"* Marie Porter reckoned without
proper regard for the tenacity of pur-
pose and shrewd intelligence of St. Louis
detectives and St. Clair County deputies.
During the next two days officers ques-
tioned dozens of neighbors, acquaintances
and friends of Mrs. Porter. To their
astonishment they uncovered evidence of
the woman’s affair with twenty-one-year-
old Angelo Giancola. Gradually all the
salacious details of the couple’s after-dark
excursions and extreme intimacy were
brought to light.

Following a conference between Chief
Carroll, detectives and deputies it was
decided to arrest Giancola for questioning.
Detective Sergeant Sinclair and Detective
Bohlen picked up Angelo at the home of
his parents early Friday morning. He
was taken directly to the office of Chief
Carroll and questioned.

FIRST PRIZE
Oscar W. Newman
171144 McClung Street
Charleston, W. Va.

it contains.

will be given:

DETECTIVE).

E. 42nd Street, New York, N. Y.

Which story is best? Which do you like the least?

PRIZES FOR OPINIONS ON FEBRUARY, 1938, TRUE DETECTIVE MYSTERIES
SECOND PRIZE

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Educational Adviser Box 221
CCC Co. 1815, Camp F-38-W

Saratoga, Wyoming

VV BEN you have read this issue of TRUE DETECTIVE MYSTERIES Magazine let us know what you think of the stories

PRIZE AWARDS

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tive criticism, to the letter considered the second best and to the third and fourth best letters submitted, the following prizes

First Prize: 2 years’ subscription to each of the Macfadden detective magazines (TRUE DETECTIVE and MASTER

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Address your opinions to the Judges of Awards,

This contest closes May 5th, 1938.
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THIRD PRIZE

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Have you any helpful suggestions in mind?

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will be returned. We reserve the right to publish in Bravos and
ials and the state from which sent. |

FOURTH PRIZE
Frank S. Trumbull
4 Daniel Street
Lexington, Mass.

herchiefs Mrs. Porter threw them in the PRT ay OTe ®

sides of both wrists were several patches —surces weeds.”

of ugly eruptions. kb The motive behind the slaying, eee a HOW "|
“Polson ivy,” said the deputy, “T know slaved, wax money Mrs, Porter knew }
' Na. é Cecared, ‘ Traub he 4 ;
what it looks like. I used to work in a that if her brother wed Miss Traub he d .
drugatore, and I've seen plenty of it” Ail hinge ANY eure! would change the two $1,000 life ie a
Giancola tried to stammer out a denial Leal suate Money! surance policies to his wile’s name, htalph >
that his skin irritation was from the three- dear te wt y anid, td’
leafed member of the sumach family, but | | Stee ng gins pection | “Last Friday night she said _ rae e if eo ta
inte he could speak, Kerrigan thrust nel 7! ML Late In- | wait any longer to bump be gk ena ” 3 baer
ore him an official photograph of the NEWS of 1 real Children, he was going to get marrie “sh viene Ps s y
} j 8 he ny » 4a ag)
murder rong with Kappen’s body still oun NEW huppitior's exam. | the young man went on. iss ban ce ae }
lying in the dead end dirt road. belleved In PRy and under | to give me $800 out of the life insu 2
“And there’s where you got it,” the pedi hemdbiote, | below and} money.” . : <P
Now you can get sensational re- | officer accused. “You. reached into the "souont waitin ACC: “So she said she couldn’t wait any
Commander Supporter stuff trying to hide these.” Kerrigan ANY WAY weuis, Mo. No | Jonger?” Sheriff Siekmann asked. “Does
Don’t let them talk about your and mall with olicy matlod i d this crime before?”
“Bay Window"—stay slender- | produced the two bloodsoaked handker- | | si, eee tion! that mean, you plotted this cri e? t
ized with this amazing free- ; , P ; ‘ Porter had long in- : |
chiefs. helping so many Giancola said Mrs. Po
action, ever comfortable, elastic certainly and qu St ith her brother.
woven’ garment! Once you try The officers removed a clean handker- You will sur’’’ “* tended to do away wi er ¢ @
Gommandert._* Without the | chief from Giancola’s pocket and com- | | ‘telay! Just lt siate......+. Once she had considered poisoning him iS
“THEINTERLOCKINGHANDS” | pared it with those bearing the stains. FELLOWSHIP, (olor with wood alcohol, Ralph said. Iph’ Boy soy
; Pry efi teldeni tds The size and material of all three were Ce Gakic. Mrs. Porter — herself pone Ra P i, REY OB OR
Glako. gonestantie Over thecabs identical, indicating they had been bought 1 Carried. .... amazing confession. She sat throug
domen, as in the picture—then from the same lot. TT , without losing the stolid calm she em Why waste ’h
Saee eee hee arcane hate The youth no longer was calm, but pale; BREWS displayed ever since the detectives too “none show i
fer you feel! | Sturdy non-streteh and quaking. The officers waited for him | § OW W.............- her into custody. ° . re learned all thi:
way ‘stretch weave of the Com- | to a “I didn’t kill that fellow,” he Relationship “It’s all a lie,” she er eee: "t 0a all this bu Pcs
mander for EXTRA DOUBLE | protest huskily “It wasn’t me, but | Delays are dangere be he did kill Willie, but ldn of the m
hi bd: le oS A ? : “0 TS SPICE ee . ’ a id T
Bethe aad the Commander Tll tell you all I know about it. I lent iukenels arg leant or Parent | any part of it. Just get one sere and Wisdom g
Leg er ron. | the gun to Mrs. Porter the day before } 1745 Albe————— | from those taverns Ralph said we were | of observation:
proves your posture—Your it happened. She killed him.” in. Just get one. You can t! hos te me vg Born kee
clothes ,ft marty You | look “How did your handkerchiefs get to L Detectives were dispatched to visit hen ae tea
ae Se | Se this | the place where the body was left? How wh auto rental agency from which Ralph sai the grandly ©

today! did you get that poison ivy on your
arms?” Kerrigan snapped.
Do this today! Send the coupon “She came around Friday night after

DASS AT Pg I got home and asked me to go with her

i ire in the bars dvising you
Bown, crepes, ete. he got the car, and to inquire villi had likely PA encc
Howr stvies: A: | Giancola said Mrs. Porter and Willie ii a ena's Way
UleyGeporit, bal. | Yi cited to check on these leads. While | ing a state.
Bue refunded, Rush they were gone, John Giancola was World’s Wit «

/ size desired. every mood,
if you do not get all the results ” i dor cLoTHES | A
Pee Se eee oe SS ae Cee and drive her car for her,” Giancola SLOTHES |. | brought in.

MONEY WILL BE REFUNDED | replied. “I saw Kappen lying in the back LIEPE METHODS, aerate Catalog. He was informed merely that his broth- A BRIEF G
promptly. seat when I got in. I was scared, but Devt, 13-8, ME i. v. er had confessed the murder. . (
I took her over to Illinois and we got “Don’t you think you’d better tell us Oscorianna

rid of his body there. He was already your part in it?” Sheriff Siekmann asked. } ato tl a
Ward Green Company. Dept, 8.928 dead when we got there.” John was quite ready to talk, believing | Diane - - 1
Send me ‘The “Commander” for, Free Trial. 1. will pay postman “What time was that?” himself already trapped. His story dif- pavers - e
TO dase I'may setorn te foro peocani velund,” Galsca 46 t0 80, 62.085 | “A little after. midnight.” fered greatly from his brother’s. Racclees - .
TE) Osage hee maven spane ros by a Sbae aon ta | The investigators knew he was lying, i John named Ralph as the actual slayer, me The Ram!
a fe but pretended.to believe him, hoping to uke A and said he, not Mrs. Porter, accompanied reli Mec

pe ! get further information by stringing along, | fr ring suze." ray Al ume, with | hic brother on the fatal auto ride. They

Mad Wisdom

postage. “If you 4ASTING PADS

and fearing he might clam up if they e@X- | (Photos Returned), er sot | powert called on Bill Kappen early on Saturday of Geraldy -

; ‘ 0 Movette Ri ote * j i ke Evil - - The !

EW forvou win posed his untruths. From the clues in | Phetemevetieninaiin no neat.or | morning, John related, finding him awa vv Cock an:

RU Lo if Kappen’s flat they ‘knew he had been at 2%) mi Seam "su and carefully beginning to prepare for his .Humen
¢ : i home until very shortly before his death, b=? 4 ‘how 3 puds) to it was then about 6 o'clock, doxes of Ge

: . wedding: é
which the medical examiner had set at ianapotis Sind: | the younger Giancola said.

around 8 o’clock or a little later on Satur- TRAIT “Ralph pulled a gun and made Kappen
day morning. body meets ak come Mit us. We drove over to =
Ralph took the officers to his home to kev vote l E g Illinois side, and Ralph shot him. I hadn't

get the gun, which he said he’d placed in j Plea known what was going to happen when

Act as Local Dealer for LEAF UNION MADE
WORK GARMENTS AND SPORTSWEAR, Pleas-
a nc =

We suppl everythi req ireds Wolter nt
Pp’ D) u le rite al
once for FREE Utht. LEAF GARMENT CO.
1213-18 Van Buren St.

Dept. 9, Chicago, Hil.

* . ins! in t
a cigar box, but it was not there. “Maybe : “aturely? Wri” | we-started out, but I knew when we go
my’brother John did something with it,” ee tdency to wri: over there by Belleville. We mmpree,
the youth explained. He telephoned John | “He! acare(RTOID Bats | and I got out. Ralph drove on y the
at his work, and the brother directed the pan 'are Oil ane side road, and then I heard the s a
searchers .to a woodbin in the house, where H OW Srer-tate lines The brothers went home and‘ trie i
the .32-caliber automatic was found. : 1and wait. De | clean the blood from Ralph’s clothing an
Ca id. (it COD. | from the car seat with gasoline, John
Sister Accused an; ¥. | | gald. , ait
Puzzles-Jokes | “How did you get into Kappen’s flat?’
. ° A detective went out to pick up John os | igan asked. “Did he. admit
Learn in 5 Minutes! Giancola, who apparently had poe guilty Up To on mt ee i: of the morning? -"
kn 1 Bill K ¢ ~ ‘ iven Ra a
Batting Card Tricks, Screaminely | Ger.” Meanwhile Sheriff Siekrmann and | teri Nive ery tt ont door, We unlocked it
<2 with Apparatus and Instructions! eae See bag — ee? to ital Polley pare and entered.” bed th ‘
police headquarters in St. uis, where ream | The detectives who visite e rent-a-
GIANT OUTF IT onty they again plied him with questions, | up to $50.00 mo id they found a small blood-
ey. : nN . : car agency said they toun f .
Sevetite, your Srtpnds and fellow wostate peed 7 | pointing out his former lies. _ plapecate § ba: spot on the front seat of the sedan “aro D
Be the lite of every party th eaeily-learned The young man told a second story, | all benefits as apec Ralph Giancola had taken out on Friday § E
PRCMS Neue with surpeest? Gaeta eeaneayg, Zour friends | saying Mrs. Porter had given him $10 | Benents already night. The other team, which went to the
ePodiieS er miata mmr fee | $0 rent a car in which he drove her to | mle esunasifS taverns Ralph had named, said the tro | mano;
O-TRIX & PUSZLES contain fol upeers. | her brother’s flat at 2:15 a.m. Saturday. | TION—no cost oting you miser- | had not been seen in any of them. Ap- ; ee. If
@ tus, 25 Different Articles and Gadgets | He said he waited in the auto while she | Write today. THISng ‘bout them, tly John had told the only truthful
for Baffling Card Tricks, daring practical teagan z : kid: need | paren sg : : : 1 Send m
|, iokes—things you can easily learn to do went inside and got Bill to come out with nee story of the crime—if his was true. 1 Golden
\ Take thls chertot Siseat tote, her. , ¥ of taking excess Faced with this evidence, Mrs. Porter Wisdom
i ll de
=| ; }] Fan te jeare—mare fun to do. Guar- They drove around for a bit, Ralph paper sy agen jood. They help | 159 broke down. She said that the pre- 1 postage
© = ] —young and old, men and women. | Giancola said, with Kappen beside him | , 100s Yadinec Pad filters don’t | ceding April, when she was without po may te:
Service men will like it, too. Simple in the front seat, and Mrs. Porter in the | § Gentiemen. Pueys inthe blood. | money, Ralph approached her with an refund
FREE e spe rear. They stopped in several taverns, | ! Inspection younckaches, Theu- | Oro, to kill Willie Kappen for $300 of | I Nene
JOKE BOOK Send fas Bags he declared, ers drove out on Highway | } Re caces oa heat the insurance money ire wend age ; hadron
Pages and pages Lage 13, near Belleville. ' assages with “« rted Willie when he was down | ress
stonatapicriote || Yew cents pontaye when BAG-O-tkIx | “Suddenly Mrs. Porter said, ‘Willie!’ He | # Namess..--.--- miheremsome | 204 Sut Then, when things got better, 1 city
[ng and telling. $1.00 with order and we pay postage. | turned around, and then there was a shot,” | § Address....... gg jw Pills, | he up and left me without a dime. | 1 Hey |
lutely FREE Lt 90 | OCR A pig dake Boon inciucetred, | Ralph related. “He slumped beside me. | # 140 years. They | knew if he got married, me and my kids | 1 Same n
retreat |] return BAG-O-TRIX and PU: LES I drove off on a dirt road and we ditched : ponds. i miles of Kidney would be out in the cold. |
thin © days for full refund. pees | him. I got blood on my clothes, and we | 5 Nameot er “Nothing happened when Ralph first
,

2 TRIXCO.,82 W. Washington St, Dept. E-47, Chicago2,m. | tried to clean it off with a couple of hand- Lavueaeed. - |

knot lhe bcs ins ab asiasn ‘ is x. 4 i : i i a a et |

LED

sheriff
ohn ide
sss the
the in-

>
‘appen’s
> get a
id, urg-
to chec.
stim, his
,efore he
ked that
hout the
oison ivy

ops dis-
bad been
he morn-
slug was
it was a
ymatic.
ties drove
7e victim s
‘lothesman

ir transfer

| eft) and Ralph, | of
different stories —
by olice, but
e officers ar-
on of the case, Ff

TO NOTE A BED oF POISON IVY WHIC

the sleuths reasoned that Kappen had

ago young Kappen
They had an argument, and he moved
out.”
. ‘What was the trouble?” Siekmann.
asked,

low asked him to step over to his car
for a minute, but Bill walked on; be-

rriga ig
“fe Fra co Mari P sth
hi riffs Mrs- ry
ty S und an
Mian St wort en they Pes
+
ult cus

cause he knew Mrs. Porter was in it.”

“It looks like somebody’d better talk
with her,” the sheriff suggested,

“That’s already been done.” The de-
tective chief slipped a typed sheet of
paper from a file and scanned it. “Re-
port from the men who went out to her
place,” he explained. “There was a
party going full blast when they got
there, with beer, eats and music. She
already knew Kappen was dead; a half-
brother told her after he saw a bulletin
in the early editions.”

“She knew her own brother was
murdered, and still she was throwing a
party?” Deputy Kerrigan was in-
credulous.

“Yeah. The boys say she’s a cool one,
all right. She said the affair had
already started, and she couldn’t see
the sense of letting the drinks and
food go to waste. Anyhow, my men
talked with her about Bill’s leaving her’
home. ;

“Well, her story was that she had
supported him all during the depres-
sion, even to keeping up his insurance.
Then, when he got work, she said, ‘he
wouldn’t pay the back rent he owed.
After he moved away, she tried a
couple of times to see him and collect
some of what she had coming.”

“How about that insurance?” Siek-
mann asked.

“Adds up to $2,300, Two $1,000 poli-
cies, in which she is the beneficiary,
and a $300 weekly pay policy she still
was keeping up.” .

“Who all was at the party? Any of
Kappen’s friends?”

“Several people there knew him, but
they all are in the clear. One fellow
had left before the boys got there. In
fact, the others said he stopped by only
for a few minutes to talk with Mrs,
Porter, and then went away. His name
was—” Chief Carroll paused to peer

{13238

OW \y919 22.
2260?

H LEFT. A TELLTALE MARK!

again at the report “—Angelo Ralph
Giancola.’ We planned to make a rou-

tine check on him tomorrow.”

The murder victim’s family attach-
ments. were strange, to say the least,
the Illinois officers agreed. They could
not understand the sister’s going on
party while her brother’s

with the

corpse lay on a morgue slab, despite .

the fact they had quarreled.

“Here’s the ironical thing about that
party,” Chief Carroll told them. “It
was arranged for her daughter, who’s
getting married herself Monday. Mur-
der may have spoiled one wedding, but
interfere with a

it wasn’t going to
second one.”

Carroll’s detectives had picked up .

one clue at the party which they con-
sidered worth investigating immedi-
ately. Mrs. Porter had told them Bill
was normally a quiet, peaceable man,
went on reckless
binges during which he Was quarrel-

but occasionally

some and frequently got into fights,
Well kn

often spent his time.

It was late when the Illinois officers
conference with the
St. Louis detective chief, and they re-
turned directly to Belleville for a few
hours’ rest, planning to continue their
probe into the slaying of Bill Kappen

concluded their

the next morning.

Deputy Kerrigan, en route back to
linois, insisted they should consider

his original theory that the crime mo-
tive was jealousy.

“We'll look up those three fellows

Miss Traub named the first thing to-
morrow,” Sheriff Siekmann promised.
“I can’t believe myself that this killing
was the result of some barroom brawl.
Tt must have been carefully planned by
someone who managed to get Bill Kap-
pen out of his apartment without a
struggle—somebody who knew enough
about him to deliver a message that
seemed urgent, would be my guess.”

They returned to St. Louis the fol-
lowing day, and while the two deputies
set out to look up the three former
boy friends of Irene Traub, the sheriff
went to headquarters to check again
with Chief Carroll.

Hand Bandaged

The detectives’ canvass of several
taverns the night before had blasted
sky high the suspicion that a drinking
quarrel might have led to Kappen’s
death. Only one of the bartenders
knew him, and this man gave the vic-
tim an excellent character, Hig sister
apparently had lied about her brother’s
drinking habits, Why? Out of spite?
Or was she merely repeating malicious
gossip?

Meanwhile Deputies Kerrigan and
Stewart checked off the first two men
on their list when both were able to
supply unimpeachable alibis for their
whereabouts on Friday night and
early Saturday ( Continued on page 50)

owing that many congenial
men were transformed into irritable
characters by liquor, the detectives had
gone out to visit a list of taverns in
which Mrs. Porter said her brother

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morning, atori
witnesses,

landlady said

“He didn’t
she told them

“What made
asked.

young fellow
bath.

it on

suspect.
eadquarters wh
By the way,”

ay morning?”
I don’t know
woman said.

around. His ro

However,

it was blood.
They found tha

Stopped at the corner dru
gstore,
ever, the two officers had been back at

the city detective
few minutes when

in informing them
ing quarters.
Siekmann, they
ing house.
McCoy, a tall,

young man, admitted the officers with a

question in his eyes

nervous nor afraid

The third man was not at home
he had .
half an hour before the officers arrived }
Say anything when he left,”

for the drugstore or maybe a doctor.”

“His right hand seemed
he had a white Sendeae sie

it, and was holding it in his left hand

room was apparently that of any normal

Several letters
from Miss Traub.
the place, nor any

the end of the s h, ” i
A ee bet Pt » Kerrigan shrugged.

She said she’d Phone detective

time he went out Satur-

“B .
A a te on. Saturday morning

A few minutes later
stopped, and someone
Stairs and went out.

McCoy all’ day, but he
for I talked with him
out last night, about

“A 2 . . .
ae a wrong with his right hand

“I don’t know. I didn’t noti i
: ce -
McCoy on Saturday had : adiiga
posed to ivy poisoning,
7: pti a be ge not
at night.” He and i
with them the pone tale ge
bathroom door, ‘lest its
roomer suspicious
: they did tear
Fment bearing one of pnd is
stains for analysis to determine whether

Asked about his

WEDDING |

pes (Continued from page 19)
‘

en corroborated by several

Hin
one out only about

“but I guess he was headed

you think that?” Kerrigan

At least
wrapped around

steps.”
knew from their
landlady’s affir-
Leonard ‘McCoy.
herself that Kerrigan and

Peston enforcement | “*"* jone can eat
em up to McCoy’s room. | ““""* ° red ewe
‘iy. iklutch less-

bathroom door they dis- | “tng, chafing
r druggist

were found, but none
There was no gun in

of the rooming * house
betray their visit to the

en McCoy returned,
Stewart asked her, “do

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time he. came in Friday

about Friday night,” the

heard him walking
is right over mine.
the noise up there
walked down the
I did not see Mr.
came in sometime,
just before he went
o’clock.”

Kerrigan knew,
have shown up by

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shortly after 3 o’clock on Saturday morn-
ing, the suapomt explained that he and
two friends had gone fishing. Kerrigan's
eyes fell to McCoy’s right hand, across
the back of which was a fresh bandage.
“Run into some poison ivy on your
fishing trip?" he asked.

“Why, no,” the roomer 4 “One

of the fellows TE wan with raked me with
the hooks on his plug while making a
cast. I came home dnd painted it with
iodine, but it got pretty sore, so today
I went to a doctor.” ;
Deputy Stewart fished the stained shirt
from behind the bathroom door. ‘What
is this?” he demanded. ;
McCoy laughed. “I’m awkward with
my left hand,” he said. “I dropped the
iodine bottle, and it broke. I mopped it
up with that old shirt.”
He denied knowing Bill Kappen, and
said he had not seen Kappen’s fiancee in
months. “We were only friends,” he de-
clared. “If I’d known she was going to
be married, I’d have wished her the best
luck in the world.”

Two Are Questioned

Sheriff Siekmann checked by telephone
with McCoy’s fishing companions, who
bore out his story. The doctor who treated
the hand said that there was ho trace
of poison ivy, but only a mild infection
from a laceration which appeared to have
been made by a fishhook. So McCoy
was in the clear. As a matter of fact, an
analysis of the stains on his shirt later
showed them to be from iodine.
There now remained only two persons
even remotely connected with the baffling
case who had not been checked out of it
completely. They were Mrs: Porter and
the party guest who had attended the
fete only briefly the night after Kappen’s
body was found.
Within the next two days the investiga-
tors learned that Angelo Ralph Giancola
formerly had worked for Mrs. Porter in
a confectionery she operated. They dis-
covered, too, that he had recently been
in possession of a small-caliber pistol.

Working slowly, and without approach-
ing either Ralph Giancola or the slain
man’s sister, the officers found from fel-
low-workers of Bill Kappen that he really
was an easy-going chap, not given to
carousals or quarrels. It seemed the only
person he ever had trouble with was his
sister. , ;

On Thursday Ralph Giancola and Mrs.
Porter were taken to Detective Chief Car-
roll’s office in headquarters for question-

ing.
Meanwhile Kappen had been buried
with simple rites. The funeral was ar-
ranged by his sister.
She remained very calm, almost de-
fiant, as the detectives talked with her
about the murder, insisting she had not
seen Bill for a long time, and knew noth-
ing which might lead to his slayer. :
Giancola had an alibi for Friday night.
He said he and his. brother John had
had dates, had attended a movie, taken
the girls home and then had gone to their
own home and to bed.
The youth admitted possession of a gun,
but was vague as to where he got it.
“Some fellow in a restaurant where I
worked sold it to me,” he said. “He’s
not there any more. I don’t know his
name.”
Giancola’s answers, except’ for the source
of his gun, were cool and quick. His
demeanor was less so. He sat scratch-
ing his arms almost continually. Deputy
Kerrigan watched him ‘for a time, then
suddenly stepped forward.
~“Roll up your sleeves!” he commandéd.
The youth slowly obeyed, his dark eyes

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clouding with bewilderment. On the in-

THE ST. LOUIS KILLERS PLOTTED LONG A

circumstances of the young man’s dis-

appearance?

Miss Traub told the investigators of

Bill’s flat as she had seen it at about
He’d had’ no

11 o’clock that morning.

| great amount of cash, she said, and she
1 quickly’ denied that there was anyth

| in his life to cause him to fear for it.
\ “He was not a man to make any en-

emies,” she asserted.
| “Not ordinarily,
a Kerrigan assented.

to prevent that.”

tt haven’t you?
f

TTT

perhaps,” Deputy
“Fowever, jealousy
is one of the most frequent motives for
murder, and he was to have marrie

you today. Maybe somebody decided

“T can’t think who,” the girl said.
“You've known other young men,

Ht “There’s been nobody since I met
| Bill. There never was anybody I: was

“But perhaps someone was serious,
deadly serious about you. Suppose you
tell us all the fellows you ever
around with. ‘We'll check closely on
them, but if they’re all in the clear

Kappen's body (arrow) was found in a dead
end road across the river. There was no
gun around, but in a patch of poison ivy
beside the road lay two bloody cloths.

we'll not embarrass them,” the sheriff
romised.

The girl studied for several moments,
then named three men. “Of course I
want to do everything I can to. help
run down the person who took Bill
from me,” she said.

After the girl had gone back to
St. Louis, Sheriff Siekmann quickly
mapped the preliminary investigation
in the case of the man whom murder

- had kept from becoming a bridegroom.

There was one clue observed at the
spot where the corpse was found whic
the officers had not mentioned to Miss
Traub. In combing the area, Deputy
Kerrigan had picked up two blood-
soaked handkerchiefs.

These bore no identifying marks, and
might be of little use in the probe, but
the officers considered it significant that
they had been discovered in a patch
of poison ivy. It seemed highly prob-

up with a poison ivy rash.
It also seemed likely that the crime
originated, if it was not actually carrie

ND WELL,-BUT FAILED

out there, in St. Louis. The sheriff
telephoned Detective Chief: John J.
Carroll in the metropolis across the
river and acquainted him with the in-
formation he had on the slaying.
“We'll be over to examine Kappen’s
living quarters as soon as we get a
coroner’s report,” Siekmann said, urg-
ing the city officer meanwhile to check
as far as he could on the victim, his
background and his activities before he
was killed. The sheriff also asked that
a watch be maintained throughout the
whole metropolitan area for poison ivy

victims.
The medical examiner’s autopsy dis-

closed that William Kappen had been~ © -
_ slain at around 8 o'clock on the morn-

ing of July 3. The lethal slug was
recovered from the body; it was a
bullet from a 32-caliber automatic.
Siekmann and his two deputies drove
across the river and went to the victim’s
apartment, where a plainclothesman
had been stationed on guard by Chief

Carroll.
From the unused streetcar transfer

his brother, ‘tol

through them the o

John Giancola I pe and Ralph,

different stories

when questioned by ines. but
icers ar-

rived at a solution of the case.

oan esahileclinciae
Se ne

“Or maybe he was robbed,” the husky
sheriff pointed out. “How long has he
been dead?”

Dr. Madden glanced at his watch.
“At least ten hours,” he replied. “I’d
say he was shot between 2:30 and 3:30
this morning.”

The deputies and the patrolman came
back to the sheriff’s car. “Find any-
thing?” asked Siekman.

“Only these,” replied Kerrigan. He
exhibited two men’s handkerchiefs. One
was folded lengthwise and the other
was crushed into a lumpy ‘wad. Both
were stiff with dried blood.

“I don’t suppose they can be traced,”
Siekmann remarked as he studied the
items.

“No mark of any kind on them,” the
deputy replied. “You can see they’re
of cheap material. Common as pig
tracks. Looks like they’ve served for
a blindfold and a gag, then used to mop
up blood off of something after that.”

“Where did you find them?”

Kerrigan pointed to a clump of bush-
es and vines within a stone’s throw of
the body. “Over there, in the poison
ivy,” he explained. “Took them out of
the vines with a long stick. Didn’t want
to get poison ivy on my hands.”

The sheriff gave a statement to the
newspaper reporters, asked them to
publish the dead man’s description.
Maybe the articles would bring some-
one in to identify the body. Then he
said to Kerrigan, “I’m putting you and
Hogan in charge of the investigation.
If you need any help, let me know.”

Everyone except Patrolman Smith,
Kerrigan and Hogan, left the scene.
Hogan asked, “Where do we start?”

Kerrigan deliberated a moment. “All
we can do around here is try and find
somebody. who might have heard the
shot, or saw a car turning in at the
right time last night.”

“It’s possible,” Kerrigan admitted.
“Anyhow, let’s get going. We’d better
Start with the Cat and Fiddle Night
Club. There’s no houses or filling sta-
tions any nearer.”

The three men drove down Route 13
to the night club, interviewed a bar-
tender who said he had been on duty
the night before. He stated that there
had been no fights, no trouble of any
kind in the club.

“Then you don’t have any ideas about
the murder?” Kerrigan inquired.

The bartender shook his head. “Not
unless he was one of the love-makers
who have been in the habit of using
that lane. Maybe a jealous boy friend
or husband caught up with him.”

tS eresnesenint agreed that this was a

Possibility, although it seemed re-
mote. As Dr. Madden had remarked,

In this secluded spot, Kappen's body

was unceremoniously dumped.

the corpse wasn’t dressed for going out.

The three officers canvassed the few
homes scattered over the farms border-
ing Route 13, but learned nothing more.
Finally, as the sun was going down,
they drove on to Belleville.

Dr. Madden had performed the. autop-
sy that same afternoon. He had little
more to offer except that the victim’s
nose had been fractured before he was
shot.

“You mean he fought or struggled
with his murderer?” asked Kerrigan.

“Tt could mean that,” the coroner
agreed. “Or he might have-had a fight
earlier that night, long before he was
shot.”

“Got any ideas as to what caliber
gun he was shot with?” Kerrigan asked
hopefully.

“The hole is about the size a .32
makes,” Dr. Madden replied. ‘“That’s
all I can say without guessing.”

It was after eight o'clock the next
morning when a morgue attendant no-
tified Kerrigan that the body had been
identified. He called Hogan and the
two of them hurried to Belleville. They
found Sheriff Siekmann, a middle-aged
man and an attractive, grief-stricken
woman waiting for them.

‘Siekmann introduced the pair as
Henry Groh and Irene Traub, both of
St. Louis, Missouri. “The dead man is
Groh’s half-brother, William Kappen,”
the sheriff explained. “Kappen and Miss
Traub were supposed to have been mar-
tied yesterday. When he didn’t show up,
she started looking for him. Her search
ended here.” °

Kerrigan nodded as he jotted the facts
down on the back of an envelope. Then
he started questioning the pair. Ker-
rigan asked the woman, “When did you
see your fiance?”

“It was about ten minutes after eleven
en Friday night,” Miss Traub replied.
“Willie had visited me during the eve-
ning. I walked to the street car stop
with him and that was the last time I
saw him—alive.”

“And you have no idea about what
happened to him after that?” Kerrigan
persisted.

“He said he was going home—to the
place we'd selected to live in after we
were married,” she replied in a grief-
filled voice.

“Did you find out whether or not ‘he
ever reached the place?”

The woman nodded. “I went over
there—to Union Boulevard in . St.
Louis—and from what I saw I knew he
got home all right. But I knew also
1 tg else had been there with

1m.

“Exactly what do you mean?” the
deputy asked. a

(Continued on page 22)

For having taken part in a fiendish plot, this young man
will spend the rest of his life caged up like a beast.

Mrs. Marie Porter, sister of the slain bridegroom, proved
to the police that her hand did not hold the murder gun.

After spending considerable time and effort, police ob-
tained their first clue—bloodstains on a car's upholstery.

IEKMANN spoke up. “Maybe you

and Hogan had better go with Miss
Traub to St. Louis. I'll call Chief of
Detectives John Carroll and ask him
to assign some men to work with you
over there.”

Less than an hour later, the St. Clair
County deputies had arrived with Miss
Traub at the Union Boulevard address
which she and Kappen had fumished
the week prior to the murder. They
were accompanied by Detective Ser-
geant John Sinclair, Detective James
Ogden and Detective Bohlen of the
St. Louis police force.

Irene Traub moved swiftly through
the neat apartment, pointed out a heap
of clothes on a chair in the bedroom.
“Those are the things he was wearing
when he left me Friday night,” she
told Kerrigan. “They wouldn’t be here
if he hadn't come back.” :

“But what makes you so sure some-
body else was here?” Deputy Hogan
spoke up.

“Look at all the cigarette butts lying
around,” Miss Traub said. “The place
still smells from the smoke.”

Kerrigan and Hogan glanced about
the bedroom. The floor was littered with
a number of half-smoked cigarettes.

“Except for the untidiness, what’s
so unusual about that?” Kerrigan ask-

“Willie didn’t smoke,” Miss Traub
answered.

Miss Traub then pointed out the
freshly pressed suit on the bed. They
were Kappen’s wedding clothes, she said:
And she led them into the bathroom
where Kerrigan observed that the bath-
tub was filled with water.

The mystery of the dressing and un-

dressing was explained in Kerrigan’s ©

mind. Kappen had been just about to
step into the tub when his visitor or
visitors arrived. The other officers agreed

with the deputy and began discussing
various reasons why Kappen might have
left the apartment.

“Maybe he went out to have a little
drink of celebration with the boys,” De-
tective Bohlen spoke up. “You know
how often a little drink or two leads to
tragedy.”

Miss Traub shook her head quickly.
“Willie didn’t drink. And even if he
had, he wouldn’t have taken a drink be-
fore communion. He was a devout
churchman. We were to have been mar-
ried at St. Anthony’s.”

“Do you know of anyone who could
have gained by killing your fiance?”
Kerrigan asked the woman.

She shook her head ‘sadly. “I can’t
think of anyone who hated Willie, or
would want him out of the way for
any other reason. Yet, I’m sure he was
afraid.”

“Afraid?” echoed Kerrigan
gave you that idea?”

“Tt was the way he acted about the
transom last Wednesday night,” she ex-
plained. “Willie had asked a carpenter
to repair it. The carpenter said he would
first have. to remove it, so Willie
changed his mind and asked the man to
nail it down from the inside.”

The deputy wasn’t satisfied with her
explanation of Kappan’s fears, however.
“Know of any arguments he ever had
with anyone?” he urged.

“What

“None, except little tiffs with his ©

family,” she replied. “The last was
with his sister, Mrs. Marie Porter. He
used to live with her but he moved out
last Summer.”

A long silence elapsed as Kerrigan
turned these things over, in his mind.
“Seems odd that he was killed on the
eve of his wedding,” he said to the
woman. “Wonder why the killer waited
until all the wedding plans were made.”
He paused, then asked, “Did anybody

object when you announced your .en-
gagement? Did anybody try to keep
you from marrying him?”

The woman thought about this a
while then said, “Not exactly. That is,
I did get a letter from his sister, Mrs.
Porter. She warned me that Willie was
weak-minded—like his father.”

“What do you mean?” Kerrigan de-
manded.

Irene Traub explained. George Kap-
pen, father of the dead man, had be-
come involved in a shooting in 1935
which resulted in the wounding of his
daughter, Marie, and the fatal shooting
of her husband, William Porter. Kappen
had been indicted and tried but was
acquitted of the murder charge. He had
been judged of unsound mind, however,
and was committed to the city san-
itarium.

“But Willie wasn’t weak-minded,” the
woman declared. “He was jyst quiet
and reserved.”

ERRIGAN and Hogan escorted

Irene Traub to her home, then
wertt to see Mrs. Porter. When in-
formed of the tragedy, the woman said,
“Henry Groh called me early this morn-
ing and asked me if I knew what hap-
pened to Willie. I said, ‘Sure, he got
married yesterday.’ Henry said, ‘No, he
didn’t get married, he got murdered.’
You could have knocked me over with
a feather.”

“When did you last see your broth-
er?” the deputy sheriff asked.

The woman’s big face was grave.
“Not since he and I tangled last Jan-
uary. Willie was a queer one anyway
and kept to himself.”

“What was your argument about?”

“Money,” the woman replied prompt-
ly. “I helped Willie now and then dur-
ing the depression. Finally he found a
job at the Moloney Electric Works and

got to making money. 1 thought he
ought to give me a little back board.
He didn’t think so and moved out. I
haven't seen him since.”

“Did he have any insurance?” asked
Kerrigan. “And who was it made out
to?”

The woman considered a moment,
finally nodded. “Yes, he had some in-
surance when he left here last January.
He had two policies. One was for a
thousand dollars and named Miss Traub
as beneficiary, and the other was for
$2.300 and was made out to me. He
may have dropped the insurance or
changed it. I’m sure I don’t know.”
After a short pause, she added, “ht
you're looking for a financial angle, I
suppose that makes it look bad for
me.”

“Not necessarily,” Kerrigan replied.
“We can’t overlook anything, you know.
But while I think of it, you tried to
keep Miss Traub from marrying your
brother. Did you object to her or what
was your -reason?” «

Marie Porter looked blank. “I don’t
get it,” she said. “What are you driving
te.

“That letter you wrote Miss Traub—
the one in which you told her Willie
was weak-minded—” the deputy prompt-

“Oh yes, I remember now. I didn't
have anything against Miss Traub. In
fact, I'd never met her until this morn-
ing when I went over to ask her what
she knew about the shooting. - But I
thought it was my duty to let her
know how things stood. About Father,
you know. Then, if she went ahead and
married him anyway, and he started
acting queer, I wouldn’t have anything
on my conscience. What's wrong about
that?”

“Nothing, I guess,” Kerrigan replied.
He hesitated a moment, then asked,
“Just for the record, where were you
last Friday night?”

Instead of answering, the woman call-
ed to the back of the house. Presently,
two girls came straggling in and Mrs.
Porter said, “Tell Mr. Kerrigan where
I was last Friday night.”

“She was home—in bed,” one of the
girls said. “She went upstairs about
eleven.”

“And I had to go up and wake her
the next morning,” the other girl vol-
unteered. “She overslept.”

Then Mrs. Porter said anxiously, “You
don’t think I know anything about what
happened to Willie, do you?”

“We have to take your alibi on ac-
count of the argument with your broth-
er,” he said. “But surely you knew
your brother well enough to give us
an idea or two. Didn’t he have any
enemies at all? Wasn’t there anything
in his life that could have brought this
on?”

Mrs. Porter shifted her body into
an easier position as she meditated over
these questions. ‘““Everybody’s been tell-
ing you how good Willie is, haven't
they?” she began. And when Kerrigan
nodded, she went on, “It’s true he didn’t
smoke or drink and he went to church
regularly. But there was something about
him very few people knew.” She paused
and cleared her throat.

Kerrigan leaned forward
“And that was?” he asked.

“Women,” the woman answered short-
ly. “Willie was fond of women. And
unless he changed a lot after he got
engaged, he was still fond of them when
he—died.””’

“You think your brother might have
had some trouble because of another
woman?” he asked.

“Sure, he had trouble. That’s why
I was warning Miss Traub. Willie drew
a knife on a couple of parties over
some woman or another. I told him

eagerly.

more than once that one of these days
he'd get the knife back where he didn’t
want it.” .

“Do you own an automobile?” Ker-
rigan asked.

“Yes,” she said. “It’s down in the
garage. “Help yourself if you want to
look it over.”

Just to make certain they. were skip-
ping nothing, the deputies did inspect
the car. They found nothing incriminat-
ing. In fact, it looked as if it hadn’t
been driven in quite a while.

As the deputies crossed the Mac-
Arthur Bridge and drove to a notorious
section of the city, Kerrigan brought up
the subject of the dead man’s fractured
jose. “Mrs. Porter may not be so far
off the beam with her fight stories after
all,” he concluded.

“Perhaps the men Kappen worked
with could give us something along this
line,” suggested Hogan.

“It’s worth a try,” Kerrigan agreed.
AN hour later, the deputies were ques-

tioning Kappen’s fellow employees
at the St. Louis Electric Company. -Ev-
ery one of them declared that Kappen
was a fine man. When Kerrigan touched
upon the possibility of a fight over a
woman, one of the employees shook his
head. “Mrs. Porter must be mistaken.
Kappen wasn’t that kind of a man.”

Another employee, however, brought
up an entirely new angle. He said Kap-
pen had mentioned getting threatening
letters, and on two occasions had told
about some strange men trying to kid-
nap him. “He said the letters were un-
signed and the men were strangers,” the
man stated. “But still, it worried him

a lot. He continually talked about being

‘persecuted’.”

Kerrigan remembered Miss Traub’s
earlier statement concerning Kappen’s
fears. It all seemed to add up. But who
were these strange men who tried to
abduct the bachelor? And who had
written the threatening letters?

“Maybe Kappen showed these letters
to Irene Traub,” Kerrigan remarked.
“Anyway, we must ask her if she jilted
anyone to marry Kappen.”

When the deputies arrived at the
Traub bome they found the woman
had collapsed under the strain and had
been put to bed. Her father. Henry
Traub, discussed the case with the de-
tectives.

Traub stated that his daughter also
had received a threatening letter, “It
was not only threatening,” he stated,
“but-it was a foul piece of writing which
accused Willie Kappen of everything
in the catalogue.”

“And the statements were untrue?” —

“Certainly. I made it my_ business
to check every detail of Willie’s life and
I found he was just as fine a man as
he seemed to be.”

“Then why did someone try to black-
en his character?” the deputy persisted.
“Could it be that their object was to
prevent the marriage?”

The detectives started an_ intensive
probe into the private life of William
Kappen, going back as far as his grade
school days. But the reports were all
the same. Kappen was conscientious,
trustworthy and quiet. He had gone to
France with the A.E.F. in World War I
and had acquitted himself well.-It was
the $1000 soldier’s bonus which en-
abled him to purchase the furniture for
his new home.

Then Kerrigan thought about, the
threatening letters and the kidnap at-
tempts. “It just doesn’t make sense,”
he said to Deputy ‘Hogan. “There ap-
pears to be no reason for any of these
things to happen, yet they did. The only
thing I can get: out of it is the marriage
angle. Somebody was willing to go to
desperate lengths to keep Kappen from
marrying Miss Traub. Who was_ it?
And what was his motive?”

The two men probed into the pos-
sibility of a rejected suitor. Irene
Traub, however, was certain that none
of her former men acquaintances had
taken her that seriously.

While Detectives Sinclair, Ogden and
Bohlen continued questioning all friends
and relatives of William Kappen for
possible clues, Kerrigan and Hogan cast
about for a new angle:

Kerrigan said, “The killer had to
use a car to take Kappen. over the
river. Since we found no spent shells
on the scene, if could be that Willie
was shot in the car, just before they got
to the dumping place. And that’ blood
we found could have been the finish of
it.”

Hogan's face brightened. “We could
canvass the places where they rent
out cars,” he said. Then his expression
sobered. “But where would that get us?”

“If the killer did rent a car for the
job he might have left some clue, a

‘bloodstain, or a spent shell.”

“If he could be so dumb!” Hogan ex-
claimed.

But because they seemed to have
reached a dead end in their investigation,
the deputies began probing that angle
anyway, They canvassed all auto rental
dealers and examined the machines that
were on the floor at the time. But they
found no car which looked as if it had
done duty in a murder. Of course, not
all rental cars were in their garages on
that same day. The deputies resolved
to check every day until all rental cars
in St. Louis had been examined.

This angle bore fruit earlier than Ker-
rigan had expected. On the very next day.
he and Hogan found a machine which
smelled strongly of gasoline and on
the front seat were grease spots which
could have been caused by an attempt
to remove bloodstains.

Eagerly, Kerrigan and Hogan search-
ed the car, taking out floor mats and
cushions and probing in every conceiv-
able hiding place. Presently, Hogan said,
“I’ve found something,” and handed over
a small, dull object to Frank Kerrigan.

a deputy noted that the object

was a spent bullet, about the same
size as a 32 ought to be after it is fired.
Hogan had found it under the back seat.
“That’s about right,” Kerrigan said.
“The stains are on the front seat and
the bullet went out through the back
of. the head.”

Quickly, the deputies asked to see

@ agency's records on the car. The
manager readily -obliged and handed
Kerrigan a card which stated that the
machine had been rented early Friday
evening, July 2, and had been returned
at 7:30 on Saturday evening. The mile-
age recorded for that period was 182
miles. The signature of the person rent-
ing the machine was one Angelo Ralph
Giancola of St. Genevieve Street in St.
Louis.

“It’s about time we got some real ac-
tion on this case,” Hogan observed.
“Next stop, St. Genevieve Street. I
only hope he didn’t give a phony name
and _ address.”

“Not so fast,” Kerrigan replied. “It
will be better if we slip up on the blind
side.”

The infection on a young man's hand was first attributed to other causes but when additional
evidence cast suspicion in his direction the police knew another murderer had been caught.

Sheriff Henry L. Siekmann had com-
plete charge of the investigation.

“What do you mean?” asked Hogan.

“We'd better find out what his con-
nection with Kappen was. Even though
I’m pretty sure we’ve spotted the death
car, that’s not saying Giancola is the
murderer. He could have loaned the
car to somebody else for the night, or
he could have rented it for somebody
else. There are a lot of angles to con-
sider.”

Kerrigan and Hogan, assisted by the
St. Louis detectives, began a quiet probe
into the life of Angelo Ralph Giancola.
They soon learned that he was a good
looking Italian lad of 21 years and that
he worked as a brick-layer. He had be-
come acquainted with Kappen several
years back when he worked in a con-
fectionery managed by Kappen’s sis-
ter, Mrs. Porter. They learned also that
Giancola owned a gun although no one
was certain of its caliber.

Detectives took Giancola into custody.
Kerrigan and Hogan started questioning
him about the rented automobile and
about his owning a gun.

Seemingly unconcerned, Giancola ad-
mitted both charges.

“Where is the gun now?” asked Ker-
rigan.

“Around the house somewhere,” Gian-
cola _ replied.

While a detail of officers went to the
Giancola home to look for the man’s
gun and any other incriminating clues,
Kerrigan and Hogan went to see Mrs
Porter. asked her what she knew about
Ralph Giancola. She stated that he had
been a good worker when she employed
him, but that she knew nothing about
his private life.

Kerrigan was more than puzzled. The
picture still wasn’t clear. He and Hogan
began going over the same ground again
They questioned the Traubs and other
friends and relatives of the dead man.
Presently, one of ‘the newspaper report-
ers who had been on the spot after
the body was found, told Kerrigan about
a curious incident.

“I went over to Mrs. Porter's to get
a story for my paper,” he related. “And
before I got to the top of the stairs
T heard music, the sound of dancing and
a lot of commotion. Guess what I found
out?”

Kerrigan
“What?”

“Mrs. Porter's daughter got married
Monday at the same time her brother's
body was lying in the funeral parlor!”

“This calls for some explanation,”
Kerrigan told the reporter. Then notic-
ing a rash on the man’s hand, he asked,
“What’s that?”

“Poison ivy.” the man replied. “The
en the body was found is full
orn,

Kerrigan nodded. He then hurried
to Mrs. Porter’s home, asked her about

(Continued on page 32)

leaned forward eagerly.

AVARICE

EPUTY SHERIFF FRANK
KERRIGAN - mopped his
brow with a sodden hand-

kerchief as he sat in the East St.
Louis branch of the St. Clair
County, Illinois, sheriff’s office,
reading sensational headlines in
the East St. Louis Journal. The
date was July 3, 1937, and the
headlines announced that Amelia
Earhart, famous society aviatrix,
was lost in the Pacific Ocean on
her “flight for fun” around the
world.

As Kerrigan flipped over a page,
two men stepped into the room.
The deputy glanced up. The visit-
ors were Dr. H. E. Rose and V. C.
Leo, local real estate broker. Ker-
rigan was well acquainted with
both men.

Something about the grave, set
expressions on their faces stilled
the cheerful greeting he started
to utter. Instead, he asked,
“What’s up? You look like you’ve
had a shock.”

Dr. Rose came to the point at
once. “We found the body of a
man in the old Travis mine lane
near Belleville,” he explained.
“From what we saw of the corpse
it looks like murder.”

“Murder?” echoed Kerrigan.
"Who is it? How was he killed?”

‘His face is so messed up a life-
long friend couldn’t recognize
him,” Dr. Rose said. “He looks
like he’s been shot in the head.”

V. C. Leo spoke up. “Since it’s

PAYS A MID-
NIGHT CALL ON A SOON-
TO-BE BRIDEGROOM AND
EXCHANGES HIS WEDDING
CLOTHES FOR A SHROUD

This young man paid with his own
life for taking that of: another.

Saturday afternoon we figured the
sheriff’s office in Belleville would
be closed. But we knew you'd still
be on duty so we hurried down
here.”

Kerrigan deliberated only a sec-
ond. He reached for his phone,
called Sheriff Henry L. Siekmann
and Dr. Leo Madden, county cor-
oner, and gave them the meager
details,

ESS than fifteen minutes later, he

and Deputy John Hogan were fol-
lowing Dr. Rose and Leo out of town
on Illinois Route 13. At a spot about
the distance of two city blocks from the
Cat and Fiddle Night Club, the doctor’s
car guided them into a cinder lane al-
most hidden from the pavement by a
lush growth of sumac and _ sassafras
bushes and poison ivy vines. .

Less than one hundred yards up the
lonely, isolated road, Dr. Rose motion-
ed them to stop. By the time Kerrigan
and Hogan got a good look at the
bloodied face turned upward to the hot
afternoon sun, State Patrolman George
Smith arrived. He was followed shortly
by Sheriff Siekmann, Coroner Madden
and several newspaper reporters.

Kerrigan and Siekmann stood on the

front edge of the watching crowd as Dr.
Madden started examining the body.
The dead man was short, had brown
hair and appeared to be in his thirties.
He was clothed in shirt, pants and
shoes of the type worn in shops and
factories, but had on no socks or under-
wear.

After a while, Siekmann asked, “What
can you tell us?”

The coroner paused and glanced up.
“He’s been shot once, in the left temple.”

This .32 caliber revolver was for hire and
the callous owner collected full measure.

“What about the bullet—still in the
body?” asked Kerrigan.

Dr. Madden shook his head. “It went
all the way through.”

Kerrigan, Hogan and Smith started
searching for the spent slug and any
other clues the terrain might yield.

Siekmann asked the coroner, “Any
means of identification in his pockets?”

Dr. Madden delved quickly into the
various pockets, then shook -his head.
“No identifications. No money.”

“HULK BI

“=e First to Fight,” is not an empty
Tae as this writer learned from
first-hand observation on the battlefields
of France. And twenty years later it was
again brought forcefully to his attention,
In the March issue in a case titled “The
Clue of the Tilted Mirror,” we used the
expression “ag lowly enlisted
United States Marines,”
meant lowly in the economic sense; how-
ever, the expression should have been
edited out. American Detective offers its
humblest apologies to the United States
Marines. So with our white flag flying,
we hope the barrage will be lifted.

PERSONAL to Sergeant James D. Hous-
ton: I remember Captain Thomas Quig-
ley. His office was in a shack on the
crest of a long low hill that climbs out of
Gondrecourt. saw his battalion of the
Fifth Marines’ hike down that long slope
into—history.

ALso in the March issue under the title,
“A Strange Type of Murder,” we told you
of the Slaying of George S, Buchanan, a
linotype executive, by Claude Hall. On
February 11th Hall committed suicide by
hanging in his cell.

He left a written confession of two
other killings,

On January 28TH, Mrs. Marie Porter
died in the electric chair at Menard Peni-
tentiary. She was the first woman to be
executed in Illinois in ninety-three years
and the second in the

CAN DeErectIvE told you about it in the

October 1937 issue, “The Mystery of the
Missing Bridegroom,”

Unoer the title “Numbers,” in the April
1938 issue, we told you the story of Dixie
Davis. We had just gone to Press with
this story when Dixie was caught in Phila-
delphia. He was in bed with a show girl
when the cops walked in on him. Isabel
Stephen who wrote this story two weeks
before he was captured, called it to a turn,
We quote: “A typical playboy in manner,
he is addicted to the company of orchidaci-
girls and actresses, It is not
is holed up at any distance
from the bright lights of a large city, for
wine, women and music are as necessary
to him as oxygen.”

His bedfellow was Hope Dare, a glam-
Orous red-head who has appeared in many
Broadway shows. :

THE two young women who wantonly
murdered a bus driver, ‘as related in “Neu--

ter Gender”

victed on Fe
sentenced to life
labor in the New Jersey State Reformatory

for Women,

Wenvett F, Bowers, “Philadelphia’s
Sex Mad Slayer,”
murder of Mrs, Wilma V. Carpenter, which
Story appeared in our
year, and received the death sentence. His
only comment was: “T can take it.”

bruary

in Detroit for Stealing a fifteen hundred
dollar accordion, His fingerprints were
responsible for his return to New. York
where he was tried for the murder and

given a life sentence on January 26th of
this year,

in our last issue, were con-
15th of the charge and
imprisonment at hard

those long
bandits Hugh Gant
were rounded
the G-Men in Texas, “Trail’s End” was the

pleaded guilty to the

March issue, this

IN THE “Whatever Happened to the Ca-

pone Gang” series
effective “shake and shoot” method em-
ployed by the mobsters
competitors, It is stil] being used with un-

we told you of the Witttam J. STEPHAN, thirty-one-year-

old Camden furniture Salesman, was the

to rub out their one hundred and twenty-first person to die.

varying success, Three gunmen, apparently Prison. He was electrocuted on February
known to their Prospective victims, entered 8th for the slaying of Curtis W. Dobbins, a
young executive of the Radio Corporation

of America on August 11th 1936. There

"Are -you. going to read Ameri-
can Detective all night?"

a Chicago Heights bakery owned
Di Giovanni and his
asked for Sam Costello, who stepped for-
ward smiling, his hand extended. As the

guilty of this crime,
one official said, “This

Lee Braviey-was convicted of -bank-rob-
' bery, then he was convicted of the sensa-
tional dynamite slaying of Harold Baker
at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as told in
“Blast of Doom” in the April, 1937 issue.
The last week in January of this year he
was indicted by a federal. grand jury under
the Fugitive Felon Act. /
Bradley is sick and tiréd of courtrooms,
fired before the If he lived to be a thousand, he never
would get out of jail,

by Joe
brother Sam. They

behind them Costello, dead, Nick Costello,

a brother, wounded in the groin and thigh,

the boss of th

County,

In “Newsreel Confession” in the Novem-
ber 1935 issue we gave you the
a gang of seven who killed Edwin Espo-
sito, a subway fare coHector in Brooklyn,
New York, in 1935. For this crime two
went to the electric chair at Sing Sing and
four are serving life sentences,

enth, Rosario

until Fi ebruary,

Costello was reputed to be
é slot machine and gambling
syndicate in the southern section of Cook

Malo Bagagli both

5 P.M, on December 7th, 1937,

The firearm used by the unknown man
was a Colt .38 Special revolver or a
Spanish. imitation of a Colt .38 Special
revolver,

The ammunition used was a Western
Copper-coated .38 Smith and Wesson Spe-
cial cartridge,

Story* of

Marchiano, was not caught

1937, when he was arrested See you on The Rock Pile,

ate ee oe ieee ne = ae 3. (ue meen ee

)

WAAC ALO

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DESIRE =,
until the last ;
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Seventeen con
the original p:

THE TIME
TAMED
by the stc

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MAN th:
Widow’? wh«
had inherited

deceit conceal
and pleasure-s
in the final ;
man, Even at

PLAYTHING

A an
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of R
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heart-stirring
his wife and :
who proves |
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SATI

MAN scratched himself—and o one ae
of the most dramatic ‘murders —
“in the: ‘annals: of A:

‘crime was solyed

a wedding was ‘about to” take place. ©

eine

Ralph vom fe

/ St. Louis, Mo.

by
; Marvin Henry

St ‘Anthony’ 5

sie WE The “Bitch”
who murdered —

) 5 | | ay
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qrenpatience wes

But two

had special plans

for the groom!

REAL DETECTIVE, July, 1972

(Same article, POLICE DETECTIVE, Dec.,

1973,p8)

_ failed to show up.

Shroken: She couldn’f believe her Bill ey ie
* The case unfolded at a church where : a

Grace Towles and Bill ‘Kappen- were |
about 'to get married at St, Anthony’s —
; Phureh. in! St. Louis. A the. voiding ay

; St Louis. Bill had been shot to death.

ce. of Bill’s whereabouts. A body was

fae. eWorld,’ ‘Grace and Bill had been going

aeaee steady for a long time and there didn’t
appear to be any “jealousy” angle
pe involved. ie

- blow to her, she’d decided there wasn’t

te realized ‘what it was: the body of the

hired assassins. — : ee . . wedding day

‘never tools lesa. The bridegroom
‘Pretty Grace was, of course, heart:

would leave’ her at the church.
Putfing her pride aside, Grace went

to Bill’s apartment, He wasn’t there. —
~ All too soon, however, Grace was to

‘found i in some brush onthe outskirts of © fe

“Why anybody would: want to shoot
the: prospective bridegroom was a baf-
fling mystery. ‘A clean-cut, soft-spoken
“young man, Bill hadn’t an enemy in the

Police decided to pay a visit to Marie
Doren, Bill’s sister, to see if she could
shed. any light on the case.

» They were surprised to find a wed-

Porter's home. One of her daughters
was getting married. A little self-con-
sciously. Mrs. Porter told police that,
while Bill’s death had been a terrible

any point in letting it interfere with
her daughter’s wedding plans.

‘It was a little odd, but police prob-
ably would have let it go at that—if
Ralph Giancola, a guest at the wedding,
-hadn’t kept scratching himself.

‘Something about this’ action struck
‘a chord with the detectives. Then they

(Continued on page 65)

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RS.OF THE] |

©THE )
WHO MURDERED

THE BRIDEGROOM
‘(Continued from Page 6)

L__ San Pedro, Calif. 90733 J. J

> murdered Dridgegroom-to-be had beén
> found-inea clump of. poison ivy.
Seizing the young man:*they began
{to question him. 4 little while later he
* broke down and confesséd he had been
‘involved sin. the murder plot. that had
taken Bill Kappen‘s life.
Mrs. Porter had hired him: and: his
«brother, John. to kill her brother Bill.
id). She had fite insurance policies on Kap-
KS, THE WORLD CLUB DIRECTORY: pen and figured that if he: got married
New! Revisedly) , | © =he would nit he his, beneficiary and
collect the money. Thus, because a man
scratched. himself at a wedding. party,
*,:a murder was solved ‘and “justice. took
‘its céutee, «Marie Porter’ and Ralph
- Giancola were executed and John Gian:-
+ / cola was given a 60-year prison sentence
Women who are Wealthy & . | for his’ part in. the slaying of the bride-

“EDITOR'S —NOTRs To. protect a person
‘innocently involved in this case, the
name Grace Towles is fictitious as used
Order today if you're over 21. here, : ;

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ae ee ee

air Is Executed
In Insurance Plot

Murder Of Man

Mrs. Porter And Pawn, Ralph
Giancola, Go To Death

In Hlinois Chair

Nye The Veevclated Pree

CHESTER, Il, Jan, 28.—-(Friday)
Mrs, Marle Porter, 37-year-old
mother, and handsome Angelo
Ralph Glancola, 22, both of St.
Louls, died in the electric chair at
Southern Minots penitentlary early
today for the wedding day tnsur-
ance slaying of the woman's brother,

Mrs. Porter was the first woman
ever put to death in the electric
chalr’ In Tinos, and the Second
ever executed by the state,

Young Glancola, who had been
described as the “pawn” in the sluy-
Ing, was the {rst to dle. He ¢n-
tered the death chatr at 12:06 a.m.
(O.8.T.) Physicians pronounced him
/dend at 12:08,
|; Mrs. Porter was sealed Jn the
death-ohalr-ut 19:47 a-m., and’ Wax
pronounced dead two minutes later,
at 12:19 a.m,

Glancola, who had been described
ua Mrs, Porter's “pawn,” testified
In their trial that he shot and killed
WIIMam Kappen near Belleville, Mh,
Just July 3, at Mrs, Porter's insls-
tence and Jn her presence, so she
could collect $3,300 tn Mfe insur:
ance, Kappen was to have been
married that day and had planned
making his bride the beneflclary of
the polictes,

Faced Death With Sille

The 22-yeur-old bricklayer, o¢-
cupyIng a cell next to that of Mrs,
Porter, fuced death with & smile, He
Joked with Warden Joseph Mont.
komery as he asked for strawberries,
frled spring chicken and creamed
peas for hls final meal. He will
precede Mrs. Porter to the chutr,

Wis parents, Mr, and Mrs. B. J,
Guancola, came to the prison hoping
for last-minute Clemency only to
learn of Governor Horner's de-

They Die ti Electric Chair

}
(

cision that the death penally as:

a punlshment for murder “Is Une
|law of the state and a law which
| we are bound to obey.” ‘The gov-
ernor onoe before hud refused to
Krant a reprieve to the woman and
the youth, both St. Loulsans,

Glyen Week's Neprieve

Lust Thursday, however, during
Morner's absence from the stute,
Tleut.-Gov. John Steele granted the
condemned pair a week's reprieve dn
the plea of Clancola's mother that
she hud discovered “new evidence"
she belleved would justify = com-
mutation for her son,

This evidence, presented to the
Stute pardon board Tuesday, was
that the youth had contracted a
soclal disease from Mrs. Porter
which had so affected his will power
and resistance that he could not
(atingtlah right trom wrong,

No new representations were inade
jn behalf of the 250-pound woman,
widowed in July, 1935, when her
futher, George Kappen, shot and
killed her husband, Wiliam Porter,

Mrs, Porter was the setond woman
executed by the state, but the (first
since 1927, when IilMnols began. use
of the electric chalr, In 1845, Mrs,
Elizabeth Reed, convicted of polson-
ing her husband, Leonard, went to
the gallows singing hymns and
riding on her ‘own casket,

be > a fet EE

Sd Be cece “Fe

Mrs. Marte Porter and Angelo Ralph Glancola (both shown), con-
vicled of the murder of the woman's brother to collect his insurance,
were executed in the electric chair at the Illinols prison at Chester
carly today. Mrs. Porter was the first woman to dle In the chair tn
Illinois. Gov. Henry Horner, whose opposition to capital punishment
had saved three other condemned women, réfused to interfere.

KECISTER >

/-28-/9BS

(1-4)

Nellie Reichelderfer (l.) threatened to sue for breach of
promise—was found dead in hog pen (arrow) on her farm

+ lose girl friends with sultry eyes and svelte ‘shapes, and
most girls thus equipped won't put up with the type of
philandering that was about to be exposed. The only
solution was to settle the matter out of court without
the $2000. He had to get those letters back from Nellie
Reichelderfer. ;

“That’s what I’ll do,” Schiller suddenly announced to
the bartender who’d been pouring amber-colored courage
into his glass for several hours. “T’]] go right out to the
farm and get those letters—if I have to take them away
from her!”

If the bartender was surprised, he was not the only
keeper of the glassed joy to be startled by Schiller’s
proclamation on that Monday afternoon of March 16th.

: : The man who'd written himself into the odd corner

‘ 5 lie ' . of a.romantic triangle went from bar to bar, talking:

\ ae Be Ws : loudly about his trouble and how he was going to

ema %. ‘i solve it.

- : wig The first glimmer Schiller had of the real trouble he

& was in was the reflection of the lamplight off the badge

of Sheriff H. S. Harris. Through bleary eyes, Schiller

determined that it was nearly midnight. He was idly
wondering what had happened to the hours ‘since
early afternoon, when the sheriff asked, “You went out
to get some letters from Mrs. Reichelderfer at her

™

eh A
: an en ine ® @ ie heel
SRAVES, Jerry, and MAXKX , Calvin,
A4L1N0L5, ON JULY IV, 1y9VU)5.

BY JOSEPH CRANE

ONEY ISN’T EVERYTHING but almost everything
costs money, and maybe that explained the sudden
rush of young and eligible men to the farm where Nellie
Reichelderfer and Paula Cottrell, her sister, had just
closed a $10,000 deal for 200 acres of their land. For the
past 15 years, Nellie and Paula had operated the farm left
to them by their father, but in all that time neither girl
had: had a date. Paula was .pretty enough to spark a
flicker of interest in most men’s eyes, but she was shy and
had built a wall of aloofness around herself. Nellie, a
divorcee at 20; didn’t want to make the same mistake a
second time. But she had never possessed Paula’s good
looks and now, at 35, she had turned prematurely gray.
Both girls were enjoying their sudden popularity, but
were wise enough to realize the basis for it.

“Now. that we ‘have all that money,” Paula said with
a sad smile, “we could have our choice of the unmarried
men around Williamson County.”

“I wouldn’t want a man interested in me only because

of the money she had recently received. The town of
Colp was too close to the farm for that news not to have
been completely circulated along the gossip grapevine.
But she found that he was quite well fixed financially
and, with the fortune-hunter doubt removed from her
mind, realized that George Schiller was an exceptionally
eligible bachelor.

Before long, Schiller was a regular visitor at the farm-
house; when he wasn’t there in person he sent Nellie
-letters expressing his love for her and his desire to take
her for his wife.

Then a new element, a girl with sultry eyes and a
svelte shape, crossed George Schiller’s life path. He took
one look and forgot Nellie Reichelderfer. He even forgot
the letters he’d written with smoldering pen. They were
recalled to him, however, when Nellie learned of his new
attachment and took her own pen in hand, dropping him
a line that landed with a thud.

She had been led to believe, Nellie announced, that a

| LOST ALIBI

ONE GIRL HAD BEAUTY. THE OTHER HAD

MONEY—AND LOVE NOTES

of money,” her sister said, “and none of these swains is
likely to turn my head. If a real man would come along,
a decent man—well, that would be a different story.”
Within a few weeks a real man did come along, and it
was a different story—a story of violence and murder
bursting out of the powder-keg situation of two lonely
women with a bundle of cash. The man was George

Schiller, of nearby Colp, Illinois. He wrote the opening
chapter of the story himse

put down was a step in the direction of the gallows.

lf, unaware that each word he

George Schiller, goodlooking, suave and unmarried,

made his first appearance at the sisters’ farmhouse. He
was selling insurance, he told them. They had no need
for new policies, but Schiller’s fine manners and hand-
some face impressed Nellie Reichelderfer. She invited
him to stay for dinner, and within a few days accepted an
invitation for a drive through the countryside with the
insurance agent.

There was no doubt in Nellie’s mind that Schiller knew

Na d ley A ha Viton. is

AS BINDING AS A NOOSE

marriage between one Nellie Reichelderfer and one
George Schiller had been impending. Since it was obvious
by his absence from her house and his presence else-
where that this wedding was not to be, she was going to
sue for breach of promise—a $2000 breach, at that. His
letters were still in her possession, she added, and whether
read by a lonely divorcee or a stern judge, they were
quite convincing.

Schiller was knocked off his feet by this blow. When
a smattering of his control returned, he staggered to a
nearby tavern and began to drink, while his keen insur-
ance salesman’s mind tried to calculate the risk involved
in his present predicament.. He knew he didn't have a
ghost of a chance to win that threatened lawsuit, and he
knew even better that he didn’t have $2000 to settle the
matter out of court quietly. He was less concerned about
the lawsuit and the $2000 than he was about the quiet
angle, about his new lady love discovering the fact of his
courtship of Nellie Reichelderfer. Most men don’t like to

et ty coy pine etna arena 25
Se eae ee aa a Ey, os

feulted ont Leta and: gave tt te her,

GLASS’ LAST STATEMENT,

TRE DOOMED MAN DETAILA THE Pacts
THAT LED UP TO THE MURDER OF
. CARTED NEW RAN, — CLOSING ‘With AW

RONBCOT ING ATIORNEY AND TNE PEOPLI'A
WITNESS ES-— WICH WE : EXCLUDE,

{ Charley Glass, the murderer who is to
expiate his crime oa the gallows to-day.
desiring that his statement should go to the
public before he is executed, enlisted the!
services of an sinonuensia, yesterday
morning and about mid-day, sent us the
following which he is pleased to term his

| “true dying statement.” Tho recital har-

“‘monires, in the-main, mith the-testimony;
given to the Jury, except as to the location
of the denth wound, in reference to which
he is, mistaken, He indulges .in no pre-
liminary rhapsodics, but entera at once
‘pT Mie Mie CHa RtatemMeAt, ng fottowe

“Ou Wednesiay, the 19th, day of March,
A.D, 1879, I wason my way from work,
to yet my ‘supper. It wes about 6 o'clock
inthe evealng. Ellen MeKerney, met ine

jet MMe. Ernest Vottits’ grocery store, and

asked me for 10 cts, to get gin with, T told
her f didn't bave it. She sald “pive it to
me, and TT tell you something you want to
hear.” Truniny hond ining pocket and
Khe
and “alip up stnire aa casey aa youcan and
youll fad your wife (Ruthy Broa) and

CRS US Vie TINTS OM LET Uy TO

retherMthey have poen there all day." I
lone as she said, and saw them both come
mutofthe room. f went to the door and
‘the bed was tumbled, which was rande tip,
when I left there nt dinner time. I went
in tother room, set down by the stove, and
hung my head down and Nughed. Ruth
sald, “what's the matter; what you lnugh-
ing at!” LE said, “what you been doing?"
Sho said “nothing.” My reply was “you
can't fool me, I'm too old.” She then wont

door, sud saw her putting on her.drawers,
Then she come out, and IT told her I was
‘Roing to more my thincs. She thowed her
afins found my neck, and said “please
Charlie, :lon"t leave me, and Vil behave my-
celf the rest of my life” This happened
§athe presence of Wash Steel awl his wile.
‘T said “go way, I been fooled too often by
nigger, women, and don't ‘low to be fooled
no more.” She then said, “Brother Wash,
thik to him for me; I don't want him. to
leave me: -he. has treated me better than
any body else ever did." Wash talked to
me, nod as I did love-the woman, Ewent
Grek te the rooms: She GIVE meo'asome Kind
of toa, to make me love, and Ising after her.
I know what kind of tea it was, but f wont,

back dn the lit tle room, and I slipped to the |

down tewn, and he told mie to go "way
from there, of he woald come ont and hurt
ny head, and hurt dt tad too. thon
etarted to get over the door, through the
“transient.” le thowed. the door _open,
which themed. men the room..
LHe then kicked me inthe alle, and took
one of iny bed alate, and beat me with It.
That crippled me, so TL fastened ny door
atl wen’ to bed. Arter I went to alcep he

caina and opened the door, and ent my

die Porry sawtitnr te tits:"The next mor:
ing, which was Satuntay, I told him to give,
me my money back, and he ssid he didn't
have a cent, Out ifl ‘cused him of taking
the money, that he would pay me back fon
wock or two. Then ho went Straight down
town, and bought a pair of shoes and came
back with 'em in fins hand, sud had inoney
‘nough to pay hils and Ruth's wuy over the
river to a bal¥ye-Thin was Raturdsy night,
‘Phen-f axed: 2-“Carter-wharddid-pmr pit:
that money to buy them shoes With, and
pay $3.00 for a skiff totake women ‘croes
the river wih?—thought you told me you
didn't have no money?” Then he sneaked
off; ~ E-dont know wher he went tor Tthen:
‘staid nt home nil night, and next morning
‘hout 7 o'clock, [went down town, and as
Twas coming back, most every body T met
told ue that Carter said hehad done give inc
one darn soo clubbing, and if 1
aid anything more to him, avd didn't
leave there, he would give me anothA one,

Went on home then, and jest as Toot to my
ateps, Ruth she run, niet me, and anid: “ore
nnd telegraph for my Brother Lewis, for
my mama fe lying.” 1, hike any other

and ‘spatched to her brother. Then I come
on back home, Just fore 1 pot home [saw
Ellen MeKernoy turning the comer, goin’

chance in the room, f went on Up statra,
and saw them together. Io went in and
asked her what dey was doen? She jumped
up, and said, nothing; and L kicked her all
the way down the xtgpe, Tomet Ellen at
the bottom of the stone snd. whe and,
“Charile what's the mattey, what gon
Moen 1 maid, “von yo way from, thege,
you valler b—h, yon, you fool with me, Ml
kick the -~-— out of you! Then she run
wp the steps, groablast something, and run
‘hind the gallery and put it on. When I

esa dine a

He Was then on his way up tommy ‘house. [

Tran Tot Specting nothing wrong, went dit

from home, to give Roth and Carter at

xot back to the head off the steps, Mre.
MeFadden soil, “if Twas in your place I'd
make ‘em git) out) oof thar, ‘tis
scandlous =the Way they been
dong.” J then thowed tie door open, with
the axe in my hand. and took ‘bout two
steps fowards the bed, and said: “Carter,
you git yp from that." Ther he startet to
rise up of his hands, with his fee towards :
the bed, and said “you son of a b—h you:

him so hard that it-jumped me clear off of

the floor, Tatarted to hit him) tho second

att eatedeendiinde hr,
a re

1:5 '

- - ee ws My ae no
PE he BE ae teas ag type ig 1 :

ee ee

Lats

102; 1879. ;

* “SY ‘Se wy" gh

et ae

Be ogee lili ~

ea kee
Be) A BON

isu

so eareemne emcee
Inp, 24 commenecd prying, gad ucked id
fo noaey be Wy edt We eet
I givo her a dollar, for I bad nothSag Ica«,
inchango. Eho went out, nnd while I wai
cating my supper, a frloud comeannd told me
that she had ‘gune and ‘bdtght ten’ cents
worth ot whisky, and givo it to Cartcr
Hewman. Thad dong told_her not. to. go.
htorchorch that night, ‘but acer she gtra the,
Fathilaky to Carter, slie conse backs wad come

‘Menced fixing ia 9 big hurry for church.
I. : sposed

Vonnet _.end cloak. away ..from -here
| Bho Jumped et te, and while trying to take
Aer bonnet and cloak, 1 Rot the 00 cents out
of her pocket, was why I nocd sho had
syent 10 centy of the $1.00, as my friend
had told me. In the itussle, she thowed
water on jne,pad I lapped er. _ Castet
then grabbod her, and run off with her up
tho sidewalk. Her ltt» cousin said to nie,
“come on cousin Chartie, I'll show you right
whar they fs,” end bo showed them to me;
under the sidewalk, hid. I then went beck
to my house, locked myself wp, end went
toslesp. This was abort > o'clock, and she
asid she was golpy to hor mother’s. . About

aot sectng the blood, right ia front of tick
Init eur, wharo I had bite kin: So by}
thes> Fated, Bire | —,.or hia truth folg
Witness, one, fas fold a amant ie; for Bes
oaid, TI hile ia the Leck of the bends

wud Lis witncsa swore that. ke was Isytn
on his teft-side,. looking out the window,
Sarah MoPaddon-eworg that-she--was—ect-
vaw tho tro women go down stairs. ‘Then
veuin she said the @uor tras svidu ‘open,
dud saw one woman go down, and saw them
pwalle—ap—the—sidewalk>— Everyhudy- tir}
Cairo knows thet-slie couldu't “set dn the:
inlddle of that floor, and x00 Up that sido.
walk. Datsho sworo to it, and if Mr)
———-—— says It f3 a0, they both jie.”

From this point, the. wretched creature,
resentful to tha last, indulgis- fn denun-
clatiog of tha Prosecy ting RiGney, eee
Le clases emong the witness, He clues
thus: ;

“Desr Mr. Mulkey, Uatnt got nothing
rggtost you OF any ono cle, ad pony thst F
May meet you tod all in Ueaven, haw
a Se, ie ae Gtass.?

Ce ee

nC es

11 o'clock she como back, knocked af thd

tutes he come aud knocked at the

pI've pald tor a bed.” 1 told him be
adn’: paid me... I sald to Ruth, you been
of half the night. with that nigger, and
now come back here to bother me. You
said you was gwino to your mother’s. Shc
went to the door whispered to him, and
then he went off. I tried to get her out,
but she ataid there frettin’ and wouldn't
sleep herself, nor let me sleep.

pen in, and he cursed-me and said “let-me

Soon the next morning he came bagk ‘fore
I was outof bed. I got up aud went off,
to keep from having anything to say ta
him. About 10 or 11 o'clock, I came back,
wus sitting in: my room and didn’t know
that he wason the place. She come and
act down by me, and he come to the door
and told her to get her things out there
and he would paws hia valise fora house to
put the thingsin. She tof him she didn't
want to move herthings. He then walked
in, took her trunk, and set it in the hall
and commenced tripping my bed, when I
anatehed the things ‘way frown him. He
then went out, anl I put her out, anid
locked the room up and went off. When I
came back ‘bout ore hour afterwards, he
had broken the doer open, took my bed
out, putitia anoth-r room, and both of

PU” | TERRA, ASR ve eC ic a ae ae

door, and.I told him to woaway. I bad let |

door, and begged me to let her in. Asfew mins.

from there, or he would come oxt and hurt | —

See

him,” her
I’m going with
ng or two!” the
| resignedly,
the apartment
hor William
his abode
Claxton

Ned bride flew,
ake. Presently

locked apart-
aub called out

Th 1 ’

i 1i00r,
wer and the
tairway, say-
re! Wait for
. _.

A few moments later he returned with her, directing her to unlock the
door.

The woman remained in the hall as the Traubs moved into the living
room, foul with the odor of stale cigarette smoke.

Anger gave way to amazement as Irene Traub sniffed the air and then
regarded the numerous cigarette butts strewn about the floor. Carelessly
they had been tossed, not only upon the rug but upon the highly-polished
wood surrounding it. The girl turned in wonderment to her father.

“But Bill doesn’t smoke !”

He nodded vaguely, his eyes taking in every detail of the room. With
the exception of this surprising untidiness, the place was in perfect order,
the gleaming new furniture arranged as Irene herself had placed it.
Nothing had been disturbed in the kitchenette. Even the food, with which

[Continued on page 62]

Smiling confidently,
John and Ralph Giancola
hoped to “beat the rap”
for an atrocious murder,
but a jury dealt out a
stern penalty. From the
honeymoon apartment,
above, they lured Wil-
liam Kappen to death.

the girl had planned to prepare the first
meal for her husband, was intact in the
refrigerator.

Irene Traub hesitated a moment as
they turned their steps toward the
bedroom. Then she stepped into the
room, pausing as her eye fell upon Bill’s
wedding clothes so carefully laid out
across the undisturbed bed.

What a different “homecoming” she
had visualized,

Her father broke in upon her unhappy
thoughts, calling her to the tiny tiled
bathroom adjoining.

“This looks mighty strange,” he said,
pointing to the half-filled tub. “He was
ready for his bath but for some reason
he didn’t take it.” i

The girl shrugged. What mattered the
reason? He had left her to face this
humiliation alone. Again she seemed to
hear the tramp of feet as the wedding
guests filed from St. Anthony’s church.
Again her tears blinded her as she groped
her way out of the stifling rooms.

ATURDAY afternoon Dr. 'H. E.
Rose, East St. Louis physician, was
driving over Highway 13, a ‘short dis-
tance from Belleville, Ill, accompanied
by V. C. Leo, a real estate agent.
The two men were deeply engrossed in
conversation concerning some property
which Leo planned to sell the doctor. As

they neared the old Travis Mine road

about two blocks east of the Cat and
Fiddle night club the real estate agent
instructed Dr. Rose to turn into the old
road and drive about 100 yards.

As they rounded a turn the physician
swung his car dangerously to one side
and brought it to an abrupt stop,

There, sprawled facapware in the
car’s path lay the figure of a man,

The two men climbed from the machine
and approached the inert form.

“He's dead,” the agent gasped.

Dr. Rose, noting the blood-smeared
face, gaping mouth, staring blue, eyes
and bullet-pierced temple, nodded. ,

“Yes,” he agreed, “He has been dead
for several hours.” ‘

“Suicide, Doc?” Leo asked. ;

“That all depends,” Dr. Rose replied,

beginning a minute search of the road in

which the body lay. ; :
For several minutes they covered the

ground, then Dr. Rose shook his head. ©
», Kappen woul
planation, |.

“There’s no use looking farther,” he said,
“there’s no gun nearby.. The fellow evi-
dently met by foul play, We’d better

return to East St. Louis and notify the

police at once.”

A short: time later Deputy Sheriff
Frank Kerrigan looked up from his desk
to greet Leo and the physician. Their

suppressed excitement arrested his at-
tention even before they made their -

startling announcement,

Quietly Kerrigan made notes as they in 8.
: described the exact location of the body.

“He’s been dead, I should say, about

nine or ten hours,” Dr, Rose con-.

cluded. a ay
Deputy Kerrigan reached for the tele-

phone, called the Gaerdner funeral home.

at Belleville, instructing them to meet
him on the old Travis Mine road, Then
he dialed the office of Sheriff Henry L.

O2G ete USS ae és r 3

Siekman to advise him of the gruesome
discovery.

- Twelve minutes later he turned into
‘the lonely road to find the sheriff and
ambulance already there. He strode over

to where the blond young man lay, one °

arm folded across his chest, the other
rigid at his side, ©

“Nothing must be disturbed until we
obtain photographs,” Kerrigan ordered.
“There is not the slightest sign of iden-
tification. No jewelry, no distinguishing
mark about his features.”

“And he is clothed only in a plain shirt
and ordinary trousers .,. not even
socks,” the sheriff pointed out.

“No. underclothing,” Kerrigan added.
“Shirt, trousers and shoes compromise
his entire outfit.” pt ;
Kerrigan and Sheriff Siekman begat
a thorough search for clues.

At‘last they moved nearer the dense
growth of weeds at the roadside, The
deputy sheriff, catching a glimpse of
something white in the deep green of
the thicket put out his hand and then
‘quickly withdrew it.

“Careful, sheriff,’ he warned, “this
place is full of poison ivy, but there’s
something. here in these weeds. I'll break
a small limb from a tree and we'll soon
see what these rags look like.”

The “rags” proved to be two large,
blood-stained handkerchiefs, one stiff-
ened with saliva. and the other, plainly
showing that it had been folded in
a-triangle, bearing a powder-burned

hole,

“Blindfold. and gag, apparently,” Ker- ~

rigan' remarked, ;

‘Sheriff Siekman agreed. “And the
only*sclues, although they are poor
‘enough, for these cheap handkerchiefs

could be duplicated anywhere for a few

cents.”

He wrapped them carefully and thrust
them in ‘his pocket while he and the
deputy continued the search,

Sycannnee morning both the Illinois
‘and the St. Louis papers played up the
grim murder, describing. the unknown
victim, ‘ s :
At the Traub home on Nebraska avenue
St. Louis sat three miserable people. The
mother, and father, regarding the pale,
haggard face of ‘their daughter, were
at, ees with. her, If only. William

d and Mrs. Traub

Someone rapp
eagerly went to the door to find only a

“cried” tr mulously

”

y, “Tm

send some word of ex-

morgue and attendants, together with
police, had little hope of identifying the
newest body there when, about mid-
morning Sunday, Mr. and Mrs. Traub
and their daughter, entered the estab-
lishment.

They were led to a room in the rear.
The silent trio moved toward a figure
upon a marble slab.

Irene Traub stood, as if carved from
stone, her ashen lips forming the name,
“Bill,” buteno sound came, as she recog-

“nized her lover.

“William Kappen,” the undertaker’s
assistant, wrote upon the identification

blank as, a few minutes later, he watched |

Henry Traub help his daughter into a
car and drive away.

RS. MARIE PORTER, Kappen’s

sister, and Henry Groh, his older
half-brother, were advised of his death,
Groh verifying identification and having
the body removed to a funeral home in
St. Louis.

Early Monday morning Deputy

. Sheriff Kerrigan joined three detectives

in the office of Chief of Detectives John
Carroll in St. Louis, ready to begin the
investigation into the mysterious slaying.
With Sergeant John Sinclair and Detec-
tives Harold Bohlen and James Ogden,
he sought to learn what was known about
38-year-old Kappen and his past.
“From-all we’ve been able to determine
he was a hard-working electrician at the

‘Maloney Electric company, deeply re-

ligious and a fellow of good habits,” Sin-
clair said.’

“He didn’t even drink or smoke and
his family know of no enemies he might
have had,” Bohlen added.

“But somebody murdered him,” Ker- —

rigan commented, “so there has to be an
enemy.” ;

“You're right,” Ogden concurred, “and,
considering the fact that Kappen didn’t
smoke and the way those cigarette butts
were tossed about the apartment, it looks

-as though the enemy knew the victim
well.”

“Kappen was with Irene Traub until
shortly after 11 o'clock Friday night. He
took the street car to within four blocks
of the apartment or to the point of
transfer, walking the rest of the way, for
we found the uncancelled transfer,” Sin-
clair disclosed. “It had been punched at
11:30 p. m,”’ :

“The officers drove over to Belleville to
“attend the coroner’s inquest ‘before con-

tinuing their investigation in St. Louis.

- Coroner Leo L. Madden expressed the e

avy with: fear and eo

Kappan a good word.

belief that Kappen had been murdered
approximately eight or ten hours before
his body was found. He had been shot
through the temple with a .32 caliber
revolver.

‘Following the inquest, Kerrigan and

' the three detectives went to the Maloney

Electric company, seeking out the
manager.

“What can you tell us about Bill Kap-
pen?” they asked. .

“Only the best,” the man answered.

“He was a: quiet, conscientious worker
#? and sayed all he could.” ;

‘It was the same story, |

as Sa aH
Hy ey y

Everybody gave 3

“Mind if we h
his fellow-work«
“Not at all.

wish.”

But like their
expressed only s
thing could hav:
offensive Bill v
workmen ment)
received a queer
that a similar 0
his fiancee.

“When was tt

“A few month
wrote it, but the
somewhere anc
right away.”

‘The next em)
that twice duri
pen had been ac
left work. Tha’
him into their «

“Bill struggl«
away both time
they must have
one else.”

The question
men had told t!
might throw li

« E’D be:
see whe
the letters,”
looks like son
stop this marri:
“And did!” ¢
They found
tioned, but he
ceipt of a for
had been sent
“Tt was horr
ing Bill of ha
other women
burned it an
knew Bill bett:
Irene started
other I made
about him, anc
Tuesday mo
held at St. M
man and he w
tery, dressed i
intended for |
Meanwhile,
cepting no o
character as
covered too
during their c:
to take one f:
“First of al
exhaustive sti
ning with his
rigan directe:
records to s:
trouble and v
‘ciates from cl
job he ever h
The detect

- action, conta

those who bh

_ who had be:

whom he hk
had known

where did th«

‘his commen
He had
saving as 0
earnings anc
‘dier’s bonus
for marriag
Traub.
« “Well, it <
to kidnap K:
body. finally
Sinclair com

“What abs

dicted in: 1935 for murder following the
fatal shooting of William Porter, her
husband, but was later acquitted.

He gave a clear, concise account of
what had preceded the shooting of
Porter, explaining that he had been seri-
ously ill in a hospital and had given his
daughter some money to keep for him.

“One day she came to my room, slipped
a pen into my hand and asked me so sign
a piece of paper. I was too sick to re-
monstrate. Later, when I was discharged
from the hospital I gave them a check,
only to learn that I didn’t have a cent left
in the bank. Marie had forced me to
sign a blank check and with my life’s
savings she had bought herself a car.
And do you know why Willie left her
house?” he asked suddenly.

At his mention of Bill Kappen the
detectives were silent, waiting for his
explanation.

“Well, she wanted his bonus money,
that’s why. And she threw him down-
stairs because he wouldn’t give it to her,
too,” the aged man declared.

The detectives were startled by the
import of his words. Perhaps the mis-
understanding between the sister and
brother had not been so trivial, after all,
they decided as they returned to head-
quarters and reported to Chief Carroll
and Sheriff Siekman.

In the midst of their conference, Sin-
clair was called to the telephone. He
replied to hear the voice of one of the
Maloney electricians.

“T’ve been thinking of the name of the
fellow who carried the gun. The one
Bill Kappen knew, remember?” he an-
nounced,

“Yes?” Sinclair prompted eagerly.

“Well, I’ve just thought of it, it’s
Giancola. Angelo Ralph Giancola. He’s
an Italian.”

Sinclair hastily joined the other detec-
tives. “It may be just a coincidence, but
Kappen’s. gun-toting acquaintance is an
Italian,” he said significantly.

Officers were dispatched at once to
round up Giancola. They brought in the
soft-faced, 20-year-old youth on Friday
morning, July 9.

HE SLID his long, slim, broad-shoul-
dered body into a chair and ran his
fingers through his black, curly hair, his
dark eyes regarding the investigators
quizzically.

“Know Marie Porter?” Sinclair asked
him. eg een
“Yes,” he admittedj“I used to work
for her when she ran a confectionery.”

His voice was rich and deep, his an-
swer soft-spoken. i

“Did you know Bill Kappen, too?”

“Only slightly.”

“What about that gun you carry?”
Sinclair prodded. [

“TI carry one occasionally,” the boy
acknowledged.

“What caliber?”

“I don’t remember.”

Later, when Giancola had been locked
up for further questioning. Kerrigan
turned to Sinclair. “It looks as though

Kappen’s co-workers have ‘led us to _

Marie Porter’s lover, doesn’t it?” }
The detective sergeant nodded assent.
“He’s a cool number. Smooth,” -
“Yes, too smooth. I’m having Mrs.

Porter brought in to answer a few ques-

tions, too,” Sinclair added. :
Meanwhile the officers continued their

grilling of Giancqla.

The Italian youth lowered his eyes.
from Sinclair’s piercing gaze, shifting his

position uneasily. As he did so, Kerrigan,
studying his splendid physique, caught
a glimpse of a red blotch on his right
arm, -

Then the deputy sheriff sprang from
his chair and made a dash across the
room for the youth.

“Where'd you get that stuff on your
arm?” he bellowed.

“From brick dust,” Giancola quietly
replied.

“Brick dust!” the officer scoffed.
“Never mind, I’ll tell you what it is. It’s
poison ivy, and I pulled those handker-
chiefs, the ones that gagged and bound
Bill Kappen, from a clump of poison ivy!”

Giancola cowered back in his chair,
shaking his head in frightened denial.

Suddenly Kerrigan laid before the
quaking youth a picture of Bill Kappen’s
blood-stained face from which gazed
wide, accusing eyes.

“Come clean, Giancola. We’ve got the
goods on you.’ You murdered Kappen.
The weeds in which .you laid his body
are pointing to you,” Kerrigan declared.

“No, no,” the young Italian denied.

“You might as well tell us the truth.
We know you did it,” Sinclair charged.

“T did not. She did it!” the youth cried
in desperation. “She intended to kill him
for months; ever since last April.”

“Who is ‘she’? -Who do you mean?”

“His sister. She wanted him out of the
way so she could get his. insurance and
when she found he was going to get
married Saturday, she wouldn’t wait any
longer,” Giancola asserted.

Pe then the door of Chief Carroll's
office was opened slightly and an officer
signalled that Mrs. Porter had arrived.
A few moments later the ponderous
woman was ushered into the. room.

SHE walked heavily, eyes lowered, with
her face settled in’ grim, sullen lines

~ as she noted the presence of the hand-

some, dark-haired youth. She sank into
a chair which groaned with her weight.
Assistant State’s Attorney Fred
Bier of Belleville, who had: joined the
detectives, turned to Giancola.
“Do you know this woman?” he asked.
“Yes,” the other coolly replied.
He repeated the murder charge, ex-
plaining that Mrs. Porter got him to

- .drive the rented car that carried Kappen

to his death Friday ‘night.
. “She gave me the money to rent the
car and I picked her up on Kings High-
way. She told me to drive over to Union
boulevard and directed me to Kappen’s
home, She.told. me to wait while she
went.in. In about a half-hour she came
out with Willie, telling him: to get in the
front seat with me. She climbed in the
back.

“We drove down along South Broad-
way and got two beers at a tavern.

‘Then we drove to East St, Louis, where

we got some more to drink. Mrs. Porter
told me to drive to Highway 13. We were
driving along when I heard her say
“Willie,” and he turned around just as
she shot and he slumped down:in the
seat with his mouth open,” Giancola
related.

“Then she directed me to drive down a
side road off the highway and stop, We
both got out and dragged Willie over
away from the machine. I cleaned the

car with a couple of handkerchiefs, Then

she threw them away in some weeds.” _

The investigators .\turned to -Mrs.
Porter. Scornfully, she refused to talk,
“It’s a lie. I have nothing to'say.”

wit Liv we

gcniel Caroll toak a pang inthe grill- |

iI aie eS Ro uF

ing but the woman assured him she
Ae go to the gallows with sealed
ips.

Mrs. Porter was held for further in-
vestigation, while Giancola was led back
to a cell. He requested permission to
telephone his brother John.

Kerrigan stepped close to his side as
the connection was made. In a whisper
Giancola instructed John to “put it
away,” and told him that everything
would work out all right.

An officer was sent to the rental
agency and soon returned with the death
car and a .32 caliber bullet found under
the rear seat.

Meanwhile, the Italian youth confessed
that he and Marie Porter had been
sweethearts ever since he had worked
for her at the confectionery. The detec-
tives checked the story of the visits
Giancola said were made Friday night
at drinking placés starting with the one
on South. Broadway, but in each resort
the answer was the same. Neither the
waitresses or the bartenders remembered
the trio.

“Well, let’s go back to headquarters
and try to get it all ironed out,” Sinclair
suggested,

As the four men entered the building .

and strode toward Chief Carroll’s office,
Kerrigan said, “Say, wait a minute. I’ve
just thought of something. What about
that telephone call Giancola made? Re-
member I told you that he ordered his
brother to put something away?”

ft F COURSE,” Sinclair replied, “let’s
round up John and find out more
about that conversation,”

Consequently, a short time later, 20-
year-old John Joseph Giancola was
brought into detective headquarters.

Presently he was locked up for further
questioning, and Ralph again was brought
into Carroll's office.

“Well, we’ve got John now,” they told
him. “Are you ready to tell us the truth?”

_He blanched and eyed them specula-
tively.

“We know you were lying about you
and Marie Porter taking Pannen to those
taverns. You didn’t go to any of them.”

The boy’s lips trembled.

_“T know it,” he admitted weakly. “I
lied to you. She didn’t kill him, I did.
But she paid me to do it; $800 for a
new car.

Giancola sobbed out his story.

.“Marie gave me the money to rent the
car and she gave us the key to Willie’s
apartment, We made him leave with us
at the point of a gun. John drove the

_car and I kept him covered all the way.
We used the handkerchiefs to bind up

his eyes and mouth and when we got
near the Cat and Fiddle night club I shot
him in the temple. When we got to the
old Travis Mine road we laid his body
out there.”

When he was shown his brother’s

signed confession, John turned state’s.

evidence, corroborating Ralph’s state-
ment fully, but it was not until Monday
afternoon, July 12, that Marie Porter
admitted to the detectives that she em-
ployed Ralph Giancola to. kill her
brother, rants

_ “I first spoke to him about it last
March or April. I thought he could
handle a job like that and not. be sus-
pected. -Two weeks ago Ralph told me

e planned to poison William. He said:

if he used a gun it might be found and
police would trace it to him. He also

talked about drowning him in a lake, but

after going t]
not deep eno:
“Then last
told me that
and there ‘wo
she concluded

Ralph and |
were taken at
St. Clair cor
while Mrs. !
rebellion refu
sary for Gc
Illinois to r
Acting Gove
Missouri. Sh
July 13.

All three d
ary hearing:
Justice A. H
rants chargin

expressed su
the Philadelp
a friend of t
serted it was
name to |!
troubles and
a new Start.
Pitezel’s bod
acteristics in
the neck, a
right hand, :
shin-bone, a
surance com
ing the true
in Philadelp!
Still susp
tempt to co
body that w
Mutual invi:
Holmes to
with Mrs. |
tion. At th:
Pitezel plea:
year-old dau
Lawyer |
met in the |}
shook hand
impression t

“ HO
jectir
is he trying
Howe whe
them togetl
“Just a fr
Ben's. wid:
Holmes. “°
here, does.
your home
your”
“Yes,” th
The Fid
the exhum
Perry was
plot, and tl
in the pres
spector Ge:
Frank P. G
force, and
coverer of
it for the i:
listed. Th:
ing them.

sether with
atifying the
about mid-
Mrs. Traub
the estab-

in the rear.
rd a figure

carved from
g the name,
s she recog-

undertaker’s
dentification
_ he watched
rhter into a

Rk, Kappen’s
nh, his older
of his death,
and having
‘ral home in

ng Deputy
-e detectives
ectives John
to begin the
-ious slaying.
r and Detec-
imes Ogden,
known about
ast.
to determine
trician at the
deeply re-
habits,” Sin-

- smoke and
ies he might

1 him,” Ker-
has to be an

curred, “‘and,
‘appen didn’t
garette butts
nent, it looks
w the victim

Traub until
lay night. He
n four blocks
the point of
i the way, for
ransfer,” Sin-
‘n punched at

> Belleville to
it before con-

in St. Louis. .

expressed the
een murdered
hours before
iad been shot
a .32 caliber

Kerrigan and
» the Maloney
12 Cet. CTS
yout Bill Kap-

lan answered.
atious worker

verybody gave

“Mind if we have a talk with some of
his fellow-workers?” Sinclair asked.

“Not at all. Ask them anything you
wish.”

But like their employer the electricians
expressed only surprise that such a tragic
thing could have happened to genial, in-
offensive Bill until finally one of the
workmen mentioned that Kappen had
received a queer letter sometime ago and
that a similar one had been received by
his fiancee.

“When was this?” Kerrigan inquired.

“A few months ago. I don’t know who
wrote it, but they told him to meet them
somewhere and to destroy the letter
right away.”

‘The next employe told the detectives
that twice during the past winter Kap-
pen had been accosted by two men as he
left work. That they had tried to force
him into their automobile.

“Bill struggled with them and broke
away both times. He told me later that
they must have mistaken him for some-
one else.”

The questioning completed, only two
men had told the officers anything which
might throw light on the case.

“W E’D better visit the Traubs and
see what we can find out about
the letters,’ Kerrigan suggested. “It
looks like someone was determined to
stop this marriage.”

“And did!’ Ogden added caustically.

They found Irene too ill to be ques-
tioned, but her father admitted the re-
ceipt of a foul, abusive letter the girl
had been sent during the fall of 1936.

“It was horrible,” he declared, “accus-
ing Bill of having wrong relations with
other women and other things. But we
burned it and ignored it because I
knew Bill better than that. When he and
Irene started getting serious about each
other I made it a point to find out all
about him, and I did.”

Tuesday morning funeral services were
held at St. Mark's church for the slain
man and he was buried in Calvary ceme-
tery, dressed in the new dark suit he had
intended for his wedding.

Meanwhile, the investigators were ac~
cepting no one’s opinion of Kappen’s
character as conclusive. They had un-
covered too many Jekylls and Hydes
during their careers as criminal detectors
to take one fact for granted.

“First of all, we’re going to make an
exhaustive study of Kappen’s life, begin-
ning with his grade school days,” Ker-
rigan directed. “We'll check all court
records to see if he was ever in any
trouble and we'll get a line on his asso-
ciates from childhood on and trace every
job he ever had.”

The detectives put this suggestion to
action, contacting innumerable people;
those who had taught, the boy; those
who had been his friends; ‘those with
whom he had worked; others who
had known him but casually. But no
where did they find one thing to disprove
his commendable character. *

He had lived simply, uneventfully,
saving as much as possible from his
earnings and adding it to the $1,000 sol-
dier’s bonus he had received, preparing
for marriage and a home with Irene
Traub. !

“Well, it appears that somebody tried
to kidnap Kappen last winter and some-
body finally plugged him with a .32,”
Sinclair complained. ;

“What about those handkerchiefs, Ker-

rigan?
Bohlen broke in.

“Ves but they tell us nothing. The
blood was the same as Kappen’s and
neither handkerchief had any distin-
guishing mark, not even a_ laundry
stamp,” Kerrigan replied.

“I suggest another visit to Maloney’s,”
Sinclair offered. “There may be some of
those workers we missed or one of them
might have recalled something else since
we were out there.”

Following the suggestion, the detec-°

tives soon were back at the electric comr
pany talking to each of the employes
again and harvesting .only one small
grain of information, the fact that Wil-
liam Kappen had known a man who
carried. a gun.

“Dye heard him call the fellow’s name —

a lot of times but I can’t think what it
was,” the electrician drawled.

The detectiyes regarded each other
somewhat disgustedly and shrugged with
disappointment.

“Try to recall the name, if you can,”
Sinclair counseled, “and give me a ring
at headquarters, will you?”

The other nodded assent and the de-
tectives left. :

“Let's drop by Traub’s. The girl may
be more composed now and perhaps she
can give us a lead,” Kerrigan recom-
mended. Later they questioned Irene
Traub again. :

“Do you know of anyone who might
have wished harm to come to Bill?” they
asked.

“No one at all,” she replied.

“Know of. any trouble he had with
anyone? Any disagreement?”

“Only a trivial one with his sister. Bill
moved away from her house more than
a year ago.”

“How much insurance was he carrying
at his death?” Kerrigan wanted to know.

“Three thousand, three hundred. dol-
lars,” the girl told him. “One thousand
of it was made out to me and $2,300
to his sister but Bill was planning to
change it over in a short while.”

Sinclair signalled the others and they
took their leave. Once outside he said:
“I think we’d better go back to head-
quarters and check the files to see if we
can find anything about Kappen’s sister.”

The other giicers agreed, but the
records told them nothing.

a used to operate a confectionery.
Let’s do a bit of prowling in that
neighborhood,” Kerrigan proposed.

Their canvass soon revealed the sur-
ptising fact that Marie Porter, Kappen’s
sister, was a favorite with no one. Ac-
quaintances: openly accused her of neg-
lecting her four children and frequenting
taverns with a young man. ‘

“Why she’s 37 and has a family, and
still she meets that boy down at the
tavern and drinks with him,” one neigh-
borhood merchant declared, pointing to
the bar down the street.

“It might be worth looking into Mrs.
Porter’s affair,” Sinclair thought leading
the way to the tavern.

Cautiously they questioned the bar-
tender.. He, too, knew Marie Porter.
Her companion? Yes, he knew him also.
A young Italian with one of those odd
names he couldn’t remember.

The officers continued their investiga-
tion, which finally led. to the woman’s
father, confined as a mental patient at
the city sanitarium. He added a bitter
story to the long list of complaints
against his daughter. He had been in-

Have’ they been analyzed?”

Start $1260 to $2100 a Year
MANY 1938 APPOINTMENTS
EXPECTED

Railway Postal Clerks

Railway Postal Clerks get $1,900 the first
year regular, being paid on the first and
fifteenth of each month. ($79.17 each pay
day.) Their pay igzautomatically increased
yearly to $2,450, Advance may be had to
Chief Clerk at $2,700 a year. ($112.50 each
pay day.)

3 Days On—3 Days Off—Full Pay

Railway Postal Clerks on long runs
usually work 3 days and have 3 days off
duty or in the same proportion. During this
off duty their pay continues just as though
they were working. They travel on a pass
when on business. When they grow old,
they are retired with a pension.

City Mail Carriers, Post Office Clerks

Clerks and Carriers now get $1,700 the
first year on regular and automatically in-
crease $100 a year to $2,100 and $2,300.

Customs Inspector

Salary $2,100 to start.
Men 23 to 45. Work con-
nected with examining
baggage and merchandise
entering the country from
foreign parts | covering
boats, trains, roads, auto-
mobiles, etc.

Many Other Positions

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ey ome s+
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Kerrigan who discovered, in a clump
of poison ivy, two bloodstained hand-
kerchiefs. One of them was folded as
though it had served as a blindfold;
the other, apparently, had been used
for a gag. Through the first handker-
chief a hole had been burned. The
other bore dried saliva.

No further clews could be found in
the poison-ivy lot and nobody at the
roadhouse could tell how the body
came to be there.. on

The body was taken to Gaerdner’s
Undertaking Parlor, where another
puzzling discovery was made: It was
clad only in white shirt and trousers,
no underwear, and there was no iden-
tification of any sort. The shirt and
trousers were unmarked, the pockets
were empty, and, except for a small
scar across the bridge of his nose,
there was nothing on the young man’s
body that might identify it.

This meager information was given
to the press, and there the case rested
temporarily—pretty much of a mystery
all around. Nobody knew who the
young man was, nor who shot him, nor
how his dead body came to be lying
in that desolate spot surrounded by
poison ivy—that is, none knew who
it was until Miss Traub appeared...

Her identification was the end of one
mystery—and the beginning of another.
We knew, now, who the dead man was
and something of his family connec-
tions and private life, but who had
killed him was still a mystery. Miss
Traub and her father promised to give
us any help that was within their
power. She left the Sheriff’s office
heartbroken with grief.

Deputy Kerrigan went to St. Louis
and conferred with Chief of Detectives
John J. Carroll. Chief Carroll as-
signed Detective Sergeants John Sin-
clair, James Ogden, and Harold Bo-

land to work with Kerrigan on the

case,

The officers called, first, at the home
of the dead man’s sister, Mrs. Porter.
She was a thick-set woman with a
square face and heavy jowls. Upon

hearing of her brother’s tragic death,
she seemed overcome with grief. She
told the officers she hadn’t the faintest
idea who might have slain him.

They next went to the Maloney
Electric Company, where Kappen had
been employed, and interviewed the
president of the company.

“There was no better workman in
my employ,” the president told them.
“Kappen was honest and a_ hard
worker; a clean-cut fellow with no bad
habits.”

“Suppose we talk with some of his
fellow workers,” Kerrigan suggested.

“By all means,” said the president,
and called several workmen in from
the shop. .

These men had worked at the same
bench with Kappen and knew him
well. They substantiated what his
fiancee and employer had said: No
bad habits; no enemies; a “good guy”
well liked by everybody.

The officers were getting nowhere on
this lead—until one of the electricians
happened to remark:

“IT remember a couple times last
Winter a car stopped outside at quit-
ting time, and a foreign-looking guy
in the car tried to get Kappen to go for
a ride; but Kappen never went with

ERRIGAN asked: “Do you know

this guy?”

“Yeah; but I can’t seem to remember
his name now. From the looks of him,
he’s some sort of foreigner—dark skin
and black hair.”

That seemed the end of that; so the
officers left and began checking fur-
ther into Kappen’s life. Discounting
what his sweetheart, his employer, and
his co-workers had said about him,
they looked for some secret that might

shed a gleam of light on the dark ;
mystery of his death. But, beyond :

learning that his father was confined
in the City Sanitarium, they unearthed
nothing that they didn’t already know.

Of one thing only they were sure:
Kappen had been lured from his home

Chief Deputy Frank Kerrigan, right, ordered the covered body,

below, removed to the funeral home while he inspected the scene

by some person, or persons, known to
him. Certainly he would not have
left his home, late at night on his
wedding eve, with strangers—not will-
ingly at any rate. And there was no
evidence of a struggle in his apart-
ment. Save for the cigarette stumps
and ashes, his rooms were in immacu-
late order.

A THIS point, then, Kerrigan and”
the St. Louis officers were con-
fronted by a blank wall.

Meanwhile, the city ballistics ex-
pert had determined that Kappen had
been killed by a .32 caliber bullet—
the wound being in the temple. In the

‘crime research laboratory at Police

Headquarters it was ascertained that
the blood and hairs found on the hand-
kerchiefs discovered by Kerrigan
matched those of the murdered man.
After Kappan’s funeral—he was
buried in his wedding suit—the officers
called again on his sorrowing fiancee,
Irene Traub, in hope that she might:
have thought of something vital to the

case since she was last quest
Still grieving, her thoughts now
more collected.

She was saying in a plaintive
“IT can’t understand why an
should have wanted to do this t
thing. It wasn’t robbery; that I
Will had no jewelry and he
much money. All he had were
life-insurance policies.”

Kerrigan was silent for a m
as he turned the girl’s remark o
his mind. Was it possible, he
himself, that the insurance coulc
any bearing on the crime?

“What were the amounts «
policies and who was the benefic
he asked.

“They amounted to about
thousand dollars,” Irene ans
“The beneficiary was Will’s siste:
Porter.”

She told Kerrigan that Will h:
his sister’s home after a violent c
with her.

“She got in a fight with him,”
explained, “and Mrs. Porter thre

downstairs. It was after that t
decided to leave.”

Kerrigan asked a few questior
cerning the quarrel, but Irer
unable to give more details. ‘
dicated, however, it merely ha
a family spat of some sort an
Will had forgotten it.

“Tell me,” Kerrigan asked,
Will became engaged to marr:
did he say anything about ch
the name of the beneficiary to |
surance policies?”

“Why yes,” Irene said. “But 5
Will hadn’t been paying the pre:
Mrs. Porter had kept them up t
and he was going to repay her
he got enough money togethe
promised to make me the ben¢«
as soon aS we were married.”

Kerrigan thanked the girl an
He immediately ordered that a
of Mrs. Porter’s past life and
ties be made.

Checking on her among her
bors and associates, the det
learned from a cigar-store cle:
she had been “running around
with a dark young fellow.”

“Now, I wonder,” Deputy K:«
said to one of the deputies, “‘if |
chance that could be the dark-

(Continued on Page +U

nen = ree

Gypceth ¢ leRTER

So were the bride’s family and her

friends. Likewise the minister
and organist and the bridesmaids. The
wedding march had been played three
times. The bride nervously counted
the minutes as she fingered her bridal
bouquet. All was ready for the cere-
mony —except that there was no
bridegroom. Had she been deserted
at the altar?

That may read 4ike the introduc-
tion to an old-fashioned novel, but the
plain fact is it was really the prelude
to the weirdest and most bizarre crime
that ever came to the attention of my
office.

The bride was Miss Irene Traub of
No. 4137 Nebraska Avenue, St. Louis,
Missouri. She was waiting‘at St. An-
thony’s Church. She was to have been
married that Summer’s morning—July
3, 1937—to William Kappen, who lived
at No. 5732 Union Boulevard.

After waiting for what must have
seemed to her an interminable length
of time, Irene dashed her bridal bou-
quet to the floor and rushed out of the
church in tears. Her father ran after
her. The minister, the organist, the
bridesmaids and the people in the pews
looked at one another and shook their
heads. They no doubt were thinking:
“William decided at the last minute he
didn’t want to marry her.”

Irene ran down the street, a strange
figure in her white wedding gown and
white kid gloves, and her father ran
after her. She raced to William’s
home on Union Boulevard and sped
upstairs to his rooms.

Here she and William were to have
spent their wedding night, and every-
thing was ready for her coming. The
rooms were cleaned carefully and in
order; the icebox was filled with food;
a canary sang blithely in its cage.

NRAGED and humiliated, Irene
raced through the small apartment,
calling William’s name, looking wildly
about for him. But there was no an-
swer; no sign of William.

She paused in the bedroom. On the
wide Colonial bed, where she and Wil-
liam were to have passed their first
night together, lay his wedding clothes.
They had been pressed carefully and
laid out there, ready to be worn. The
bed had not been slept in.

She went to the bathroom. The tub
was filled with water, evidently drawn

Ts bride was waiting at the church.

tor a B

By Louis P. Zerwick

State’s Attorney for St. Clair County, Illinois,
as Told to

Edwin

Baird

The Giancola boys, John, left, and Angelo,
right, told the same story, with variations

for a bath, and on the washbowl stood
William’s shaving things.

Irene looked at these and at the
clothes on the bed. She was puzzled—
disturbed. Clearly, -her fiance had
been on the point of bathing and shav-
ing and attiring himself for their wed-
ding; and then . . . What had hap-
pened then?

Increasingly perplexed, she went
slowly back through the rooms; and
all at once she noticed something that
puzzled her still more. Cigarette ashes
were strewn on the living-room rug
and on the table were several ciga-
rette stumps.

She turned to her father, who was
following her silently. “Look, Dad!
Somebody’s been here. Will never
smoked.”

Her father shook his head, bewild-
ered. “Yes,” he agreed, “somebody has
been here all right, but where is Will?”

Thus reminded of her humiliation at
the church, she burst into tears again.

“I don’t know,” she cried, “and I
don’t care! I never want to see him
Hs sony I’m. going home and forget

im. i

a re

She went home; but she couldn’t for-
get what had happened. She was sit-
ting in her room, weeping, when a
friend called to console her.

This friend carried a St. Louis
newspaper, and an item on the front
page attracted her attention.

“Listen to this, Irene,” she said, and
read the item aloud. An unidentified
young man of blond hair and blue eyes
had been found slain in a vacant lot
near Belleville, Illinois. Save for a
scar on the nose, the body was devoid
of any identifying mark.

t first, so overwhelming was her
grief, the news made no impression on
Irene. Gradually, however, its full
import struck her. She looked through

her tears at her friend, and in her eyes
there was slowly growing ‘a horrible
fear. Could it be possible? But no!
Who would want to murder William?
He hadn’t an enemy on earth.

She asked her friend to read the
item again. And now, as she listened,
her horrible foreboding became a tra-
gic certainty. The description of the

| Aecat Mer (7H

murdered young man was an exact
description of her missing fiance.

“I must go to Belleville immediate-
ly,” she cried in sudden decision.

In frantic haste, she changed from
her wedding finery to a street dress.
With her father, she hurried across
the Mississippi River to Belleville. She
went to the undertaking establishment
where the body of the unknown young
man had been taken.

And when she stood beside the slab
on which the body lay and looked
iown at his face, she uttered a half-
strangled cry of horror and fainted
dead away.

Reviving, she gave Deputy Sheriff
Kerrigan and the other officers infor-
mation they had been seeking for
hours.

The young man, she said, was her
ntended husband, William Kappen.
He was an electrician employed by the
Maloney Electric Company in St.
Louis. He neither drank nor smoked,
nor had any other bad habits, and, so
‘ar as she knew, he had no enemies—
ertainly none who would want to kill
lim. His only relative, so far as she
<new, was a sister, Mrs. Marie Porter,
vho also lived in St. Louis.

Kerrigan asked her: ‘When did you
ast see this young man alive?”

“Only last night,’ she answered,
‘rying to control her emotion.

“Where did you see him?”

“At my home. He spent the early
sart of the evening with me.”

“About what time did he leave?”

“About eleven o’clock. He said he
vas going straight home.”

“And you didn’t see him again,”
<errigan said, “nor hear from him or
ave any idea where he was, until
you found him lying here?”

She shook her head in silent nega-

tion. She seemed overcome with shock
and grief and she was unable to speak.

Up to the time that Irene Traub
appeared in Belleville the Sheriff and
his deputies had been making every
endeavor to identify the body of the
young man. It had been found that
morning at almost the same time the
bride-to-be was waiting at the altar in
St. Anthony’s Church.

At that time an East St. Louis real
estate dealer, V. C. Leo of No. 206A
Collinsville Avenue, was showing a
vacant, weed-grown lot near Belle-
ville, across the Mississippi River
from St. Louis, to a prospective buyer,
Doctor H. E. Rose, an East St. Louis
dentist of No. 401 Murphy Boulevard.

The lot abutted on the property of
the Cat and Fiddle Roadhouse on the
Old St. Louis Road. As the two men
walked across the lot, Leo had said:

“We'd better be a little careful here,
Doctor. There’s a lot of poison ivy
among these weeds.”

BD pepesetoe Rose suddenly stopped and
stared fixedly at a clump of bushes
near the roadside.

“T see something over there .. .”
he began; and then he stepped quickly
to the bushes and leaned down for a
closer look. He straightened up and
motioned to Leo. ‘Come here!” he
called, a note of alarm in his voice.

Leo joined him—and was shocked
almost speechless at what he saw.

“Murder!” he gasped.

Murder it was, indeed. Lying supine
in that clump of bushes was the dead
body of a blue-eyed young man, his
clothing disheveled, his face clotted
with blood. There was a bullet hole in
his temple.

Leo said in a hoarse whisper: “How
long do you suppose he’s been here?”

William Kappen’s body,
at left, was identified and
his sister, Mrs. Porter,
right, was grief-stricken

“I should judge,”
looking closely at the dead man’s face,

said Doctor Rose,

“about eight hours.
the Sheriff at once.”
They hurried back to the real-estate
agent’s car, and drove back to East
St. Louis and to the Sheriff’s office.
There they had reported to Chief
Deputy Frank Kerrigan in charge at
the time. 5
Kerrigan, a veteran officer who had
shot some fourteen outlaws, went into
action. He telephoned the Coroner

We must notify

and Sheriff Sieckman at Belleville,

Detectives

then started for the spot where the
body lay. Doctor Rose and Leo went
with him.

The poison-ivy lot near the Cat and
Fiddle Roadhouse soon swarmed with
people, buzzing with excitement. Po-
lice officers and deputy sheriffs, news-
papermen and Coroner’s deputies and
curious onlookers milled about and
discussed the gruesome event.

Kerrigan’ and the Coroner quietly
inspected the body of the blond young
man, who had met a violent death, and
examined the ground near by. It was

Sought a Ruth-

less Schemer When Murder
Jilted a St. Louis Bride-to-Be

man that we heard about at the elec-
tric plant.”

He decided to investigate the pos-
sibility and went himself to talk to
the cigar-store clerk.

“Do you happen to know this dark
young fellow?” he asked.

“No. But I saw her with him a lot.
One night they got drunk in a tavern
down the street, while Mrs. Porter’s
little girl waited outside.”

He visited the tavern,
questioned the bartender.

“Sure,” the barkeep said, “I remem-
ber them. She met the guy here and
they had some drinks. She’s a pretty
rough customer, that Mrs. Porter.”

The remark only confirmed a thought
that had been growing in Kerrigan’s
mind.

“Do you know this man she met?”

“No, but he looked like a foreigner
of some sort.”

The bartender’s words were almost
the same as the young fellow’s at the
electric plant.

Further questioning in the neighbor-
hood revealed that Mrs. Porter had
four children, all girls. The detectives
also learned that she “took in board-
ers” and that every Saturday night
there was a “brawl” in the house.

Detail by detail an unsavory picture
of the dead man’s sister was being
built in the detectives’ minds. They
were on the point of questioning her
when there came another development
that sent them off on a new trail.

The worker at the Maloney Electric
Company, who had told them about
the “foreign-looking guy,” called at
Police Headquarters and said:

“I remember the guy’s name now.
It’s Giancola. He lives somewhere on
Genevieve Avenue.”

NV HAT else do you remember
about him?”

“Well, I remember Bill Kappen tell-
ing me that Giancola owned a gun.”

The police ordered that the mysteri-
ous Giancola be found and brought to
Headquarters for questioning. Mean-
while, the detectives had found much
of interest in Mrs. Porter’s past his-
tory. In the first place they learned
that she had a police record!

She had been brought to Headquar-
ters two years before for questioning
about the death of her husband, who
had been shot and killed in his home.

After his sudden demise, she col-
lected $3,000 insurance, but was cleared
of all blame for his death. Her father,
it seemed, had done the shooting while
enraged at her.

Earlier, she had gone to a hospital,
where her father lay ill, and persuaded
him to sign a slip of paper by telling
him it was merely a hospital form.
The slip of paper, however, was a
blank check.

She had filled in the amount of her
father’s bank balance and checked it
out and bought herself a car. She also
had spent a considerable amount of
cash that he had given her for safe-
keeping when he went to the hospital.

Learning of these things upon his
return, he grabbed a gun and began
shooting. He missed her but hit her
husband. Or so the jury decided, any-
way. And they sent him away to the
City Sanitarium,

All of this, of course, served only
to increase the unfavorable impression
the detectives had gained of Mrs. Por-
ter, but there was nothing in the entire
record to justify holding her for ques-
tioning in connection with Kappen’s
death. The detectives, however, de-
cided to see her at the earliest con-
venient moment. It could not be done
immediately because on July 8—five
days after the discovery of Kappen’s
body—Giancola was caught at No. 5468
Genevieve Avenue and brought to
Headquarters.

In Chief Carroll’s office he was told
to sit down. The detectives then stood
around his chair and fired questions at
him. He answered them quietly in a
calm voice. He seemed very sure of
himself; no trace of fear or nervous-
ness.

“What is your name?”

“Angelo Ralph Giancola.”

where he

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-one.”

“What is your occupation?”

“Tm a bricklayer.”

“Married?”

“No.”

oe you know Mrs. Marie Porter?”

“er es.”

“Do you know her brother, William
Kappen?”

“T’ve met him. Mrs. Porter intro-
duced me to him. We happened to
meet him one day on the street.”

Kerrigan asked suddenly: ‘You own
a gun, don’t you, Angelo?”

Angelo hesitated. Then he said in a
low voice: “Yes; I own a gun.”

“Where is it now?”

“It’s at home.”

The questioning went on—harmless
questions, most of them, to put him at
his ease again—and then Kerrigan
asked:

“Have you been intimate with Mrs.
Porter?”

Again the young Italian hesitated.»

Finally he nodded his head and mur-
mured, ‘Yes. I used to work for her,”
he added, “when she ran a confection-
ery store. I guess we got pretty inti-
mate then.”

“And you’ve been intimate with her
since?”

He nodded again, without speaking.

The questioning continued: What
did he know about the killing of Kap-

pen? Nothing. Had he any idea who
might have killed him? No. Had
Kappen’s_ sister, Mrs. Porter, ever

spoken to him about getting rid of Will
so that she might collect his life in-
surance? Oh, no.

While this was going on, Deputy
Kerrigan was looking intently at An-
gelo’s right forearm. It was a warm
day in mid-July, and Angelo had re-
moved his coat and rolled up his shirt-
sleeves, thus exposing his bare arms.
On his right arm, just below the elbow,
there was a red rash.

It was this that riveted Kerrigan’s
eyes. With the instinct of the true de-
tective, he instantly recognized the
significance of that crimson spot!

Abruptly he leaned. forward and
pointed a rigid forefinger at the spot
on Angelo’s arm.

“How did you get that mark?” he
demanded,

For the first time Angelo lost his

calm. Visibly disconcerted, he stam- .-

mered something indistinctly and
started to pull down his sleeve.

“Where did you get it?” Kerrigan
repeated, fixing the young man with an
accusing eye. - :

Angelo averted his gaze. He mut-
tered: “I told you I was a bricklayer,
didn’t I? All right; I got it laying
brick. Brick dust; that’s what it is.”

Kerrigan shook his head. “No, it’s
not. I know brick dust when I see it.”
Then, narrowing his eyes on the young
man’s face, he said with peculiar in-
tensity: “And I also know poison
ivy!”

At the words “poison ivy,’? Angelo
started and his nervousness increased.
He was confused and frightened now,
in striking contrast to his former self-
possession. His eyes darted about the
room like those of a trapped animal
seeking escape. The circle of detec-
tives surrounded him. Kerrigan went
on relentlessly:

“Tl tell you how you got that mark.
You got it when you dumped Kap-
pen’s dead body in that bed of poison
ivy! Isn’t that right?”

Angelo looked at Kerrigan and
started to speak. Then he lowered his
eyes again and remained silent. His
fingers were twisting nervously to-
gether.

EPUTY KERRIGAN, positive now
that he had his man, continued
confidently:

“You and Kappen were together that
night in his apartment. .You smoked
cigarettes while you talked with him.
You talked him into leaving his rooms

and going with you for a ride. His
sister was in the car. You drove
across the bridge into Illinois. You

blindfolded him with a handkerchief
and gagged him with another. You

had your gun with you. You pulled
out the gun and shot him in the head,
killing him. You stopped at a vacant
lot on Old St. Louis Road.. You
dragged the body from the car into the
vacant lot and dumped it in a clump of
poison ivy. Then you went back to
the car and drove away with Mrs.
Porter. That’s what happened, isn’t
it?” . ;

ANGELO was staring stonily at the.

floor. He did not look up, nor did
he speak.

Kerrigan barked at him: “How
much money did Mrs. Porter promise
you for killing her brother?”

Angelo glanced up, startled by the
question. He said: “What makes you
think’ she promised me money?”

One of the detectives said sootairg-
ly: “Come on, Angelo, and tell us all
about it. You'll feel better when you
get it off your chest.”

Angelo looked up at the circle of
faces around him. Then he scratched
his irritated wrist and said: ‘All
right; I’ll tell you about it. But I
didn’t shoot Willie Kappen. His sister,
Mrs. Porter, shot him.” by

Then,. with evident relief, he
launched into a rambling story; which
was taken down in shorthand by a po-
lice stenographer.

Giancola said that Mrs. Porter ap-
proached him on April ,6, 1937, and
asked him if he could get’ somebody
to kill her brother so that she could
collect the insurance. She said that
William owed her $1,000.

“A short time later,” he continued,
“she came to me again and suggested
that I get a car and take William for a
ride. When I shook my head; she sug-

“gested that I get some acid used in

bricks so she could put it in William’s
drink. But these suggestions did not
appeal to me and I did nothing about
them.”

Giancola was telling a smooth story.
At times he stopped to scratch his
arm. At other times he took deep in-
halations from a cigarette.

“About two weeks ago she became
very persistent. She told me William
was going to get married and if we
didn’t act soon she would be unable
to collect his insurance. She urged me
to rent a car and take him for a ride
and kill him.”

He said that on July 2, she had given
him ten dollars to hire a car at the
Kissel-Skiles Rent-a-Car Company at
No. 3540 Washington Boulevard, St.
Louis, for that night. He described the
car as a 1937 Ford V-8 coach.

First he said that he took a drive
with his girl. Later he took her home
and then drove to the corner of Union
Boulevard and Florissant Avenue,
where Mrs. Porter had said she would
meet him.

Giancola paused while he lit a cig-
arette. Perspiration was pouring from
his forehead. It was stifling hot in the
room. He asked for a drink of water
and it was given him. Then he con-
tinued.

“She was waiting for me on the cor-
ner, and she got into the car and told
me to drive to Willie’s home at 5732
Union Boulevard. I did as she told me.”

Mrs. Porter, according to his story,
went inside and got William. Then the
party drove to a tavern for some
drinks. Then they started looking for
another tavern.

“Willie said to me: ‘I’ve got to get
home and get ready for my wedding.’
It was almost daylight then. I turned
the machine around and started back
toward St. Louis. Just then Mrs, Porter
said something to Willie, and he turned
his head around to answer her. I
heard a shot. Willie slumped down in
the seat and sagged over against me.
I looked at him and saw blood run-
ning down the side of his face.”

They finally disposed of the body,
he said, near the lane back of the Cat
and Fiddle. He said he got home about
six o’clock in the morning and hid
the gun in his clothes closet. Later,
he related, he took it apart and

cleaned it and hid it in the basement. .

That morning he washed the blood-

Ee ee ee

omen” = —

$3,300 for a Bridegroom! (Continued from Page 36) amncult tence 2

ECTIVE STORIES

stains from the car and returned it

.that night.

“Mrs. Porter,” he said after inhaling
deeply, “promised to give me between
$800 and $1,000 for my help in dis-
posing of Willie. She said the exact
amount would depend on how much it
cost to bury him.”

Such was the “confession” which he
signed when he had. completed his
story. But the detectives put little
faith in it. It was too: glib—too pat,
and, to the detectives, it seemed that
he was trying to shield either himself
or some other person by placing the
total blame on Mrs. Porter and by
claiming that she fired the shot that
killed her brother. Certainly the story
needed checking.

After Angelo had signed it, they
peeaiied him to telephone his home.

hey heard him ask for -his brother,
John Giancola, and say: “Bring me
my shaving things.” Then he said, ap-
parently in answer to a question: “Put
it away.”

The police wondered if there could
be a hidden meaning in the last three
words.

They locked him in a cell and began
checking on his grisly tale. They
found many discrepancies in it. How-
ever, when searching his home, they

‘did find a revolver in the basement

woodbin, where he said he had hid-
den it. They also found a coat and a
pair of trousers, both bloodstained.
The trousers looked. as if they had
recently been: washed.

They made another important find—
some cheap cotton handkerchiefs of
the same texture as those found by
Deputy Kerrigan: in the poison-ivy
patch, and some bloodstained. socks
and shoes. All these things -were
turned over to the police crime-detec-
tion laboratory for examination and
ordered held as evidence.

Meanwhile, of course, Mrs. Marie
Porter had been arrested and taken to
Headquarters. When they. told her
what Angelo had said, her massive
face set in grim lines and she glared
sullenly at her captors.

“It’s all a lie,” she growled at them.
“Everything he told you is a lie...
No, I won’t tell you any more. You
may torture me; you may send me to
the gallows or the electric chair, but I
won’t say another word.”

Nok could they pry another word
out of her. They locked her up and

continued checking on Angelo’s story.

They went to the Broadway tavern
—the Glenmore Club, No. 2428 South
Broadway—where he said they had
stopped for drinks, and questioned the
waitresses, Mary McCormick and Ann
Brown, both of whom had been there
that night, but neither remembered
seeing him or Mrs. Porter and her
brother. At the rent-a-car agency,
however, they made a discovery of
real value: In the rear-seat cushion
of the car he had rented they found a
.32-caliber bullet. The finding of this
bullet seemed to pin the actual shoot-
ing on Angelo.

He hadn’t lied about the car, at
any rate. In his bloodstained clothes
the officers found an auto rental card
issued by the Kissel-Skiles Company,
dated July 2, and showing a deposit
of ten dollars received from Giancola.
The total rental was $10.55 for a trav-
eling distance of 182 miles.

Deputy Kerrigan and Chief Carroll’s
men were convinced by now that
Angelo was shielding some third per-
son connected with the crime. They
felt certain that he had needed help
in carrying the body from the car to
the poison-ivy patch. Deputy Kerrigan
recalled that the weeds had not been
trampled or bent over as would have
been the case had the body been
dragged.

Who could this person be? They had
ascertained that Angelo had very few
intimate friends. Hence, they rea-
soned, it must be some person closely
related to him. His brother, of course!

So they went back to Angelo’s hame
and arrested ‘his brother John. ‘That

IRDA EABLET

BSS Pes aed i

with Saturday night revelers, through down-
town, to the big bridge, and over the black,
quiet Mississippi River to East St. Louis. They
drove south then through East St. Louis, and
a few miles later reached Belleville. They
stopped at the police station; some one went
in to make inquiries—came out, and they drove
to a funeral home.

They helped her out of the car. She paused
on the steps, then moved slowly inside. They
took her to the body. And then her fears
were realized.

“Tt’s Bill,” she said in a heavy whisper, and
broke into tears.

A short time later, somewhat composed but
still sobbing, the bride-to-be-no-more was talk-
ing to Belleville police and St. Clair County
deputy sheriffs. She related her marriage plans
and told how Bill Kappen hadn’t shown up
at the church. ;

“He was to call at my home this morning,
before the wedding,” she said.

“When did you see him last?”

“Last night ... Friday night. He was over
to the house. He left a few minutes after eleven
to go home.”

“Did he seem all right?”

“Of course,” she sobbed. “We were to be
married. We had talked about our plans. . .
the flat he had just rented. I can’t under-
Stand. <5 6:07

“And you know of no reason why anyone
would want to kill him?”

“Of course not.”

“From the looks of the scene, he might
have been shot someplace else and driven to
the spot,” a deputy said. “But right now it’s
our case. Anyway, we should get some co-
operation from St. Louis police.”

Kappen’s half-brother was contacted and he.

drove to Belleville to verify the identification.

He was stunned. He said he had no idea
who might want to kill William. He said
William had never indicated he feared anyone.

“He was just an ordinary citizen . . . worked
as an electrician at an electric company .. .
minded his own business.”

William’s intended was taken back across
the bridge to St. Louis, to the flat on Union
where city detectives joined in the probe.

The young woman burst into fresh tears
when she went up the stairs and looked

into the flat. It was to have been her home.
William had gone to such pains to make it at-
tractive. She was to have been in his arms
that night—their wedding night. The flat
seemed unusually still.

“Now, we're sorry to have to bother you
with this,” a detective said, “but we want you
to look around and see if you notice anything
to help us.”

“TY understand,” she sobbed.

She saw the filled bathtub, the wedding suit
laid out—and the sobbing increased.

The detectives waited, while she slumped in
a chair and cried into a handkerchief. After a
while, they were able to question her.

“Look around, anything you see might help.”

She saw a brown suit hanging in the closet.
“That’s the suit he wore Friday night when
he came to my house.”

“And you say he left a little after eleven?”

“Yes. He left by himself . . . on foot to the
streetcar stop. That’s the Bellefontaine street
car. He took it from my house to Union, then
transferred to a Union car.”

“‘Here’s a Bellefontaine transfer!” a detec-
tive blurted, picking up a transfer from the
bureau. “And it’s dated July 2 and punched
for 11:20 p.m. He got on the streetcar all right.
And he had to get home to put the transfer
here.” ,

“But that means he didn’t use the transfer to
a Union streetcar,” another detective put in.
“Somebody may have picked him up in a
car.”

The girl broke into the conversation. “He
sometimes walked after getting off the Belle-
fontaine car, since he moved here recently. He
didn’t always take the Union car.”

“And he probably felt like walking,” ‘a de-
tective suggested. “Young man about to get
married . . . a summer night... .”

He stopped talking when the intended bride
broke into another sobbing spell. ,

They asked her to look around again. She

-did and came on another interesting item.

“That ashtray,” she said. “Those cigaret
butts.” ;

“What about them?” a detective asked.

“Bill never smoked,” she said. :

“So, it looks like he took the Bellefontaine
car,” a detective theorized. “He got to Union
and walked the rest of the way. Then he went

to sleep. He got up early, laid out his wedding
suit, and started to take a bath. Then he got
visitors; visitors who stayed a while to smoke.
Then he left ‘with them. They must have had
a gun on him, to get him to leave on the morn-
ning of his wedding. But whatever way you
look at it, it seems like someone took him for
a ride.”

“That's right,” another officer agreed. “With
all his good clothes here, he didn’t go out after
leaving his fiancee’s house, so he couldn’t have
gotten into any squabble with anyone in a bar,
or something like that. Those cigaret stubs
and the transfer and the clothes and the bath-
water . . . somebody deliberately came up
here to get him.”

The broken-hearted girl was taken home.

LATER in the day an autopsy disclosed that

William Kappén had been shot through
the left temple. His nose had been broken, as
though he might have been beaten before he
was shot. There were no marks on his hands
to indicate he was able to put up a fight. The
bullet had gone through the victim’s head, and
another search of the scene failed to un-
cover it.

“If we found the bullet it would help two
ways,” a detective said. “It would give us some-
thing for a ballistic test, if we found the gun,
and it would establish where the victim was
shot.”

Detectives talked to Kappen’s intended again,
after they had been unable to come up with a
lead.

“Think,” she was requested. “Anything at all.
Any of your former boyfriends who might
have been jealous.” ,

She shook her head, then looked up. “When
Bill first showed me the flat . . . I noticed the
transome over the back door was broken. He
said he had asked a carpenter to fix it, but the
carpenter said it would have to be taken out.
So he said he was going to have it fastened
with a nail'from the inside. I asked him why
he wanted it fastened and he said he was
kind of afraid. I didn’t question him further
about it.”

She repeated her statement that Kappen had
no enemies she knew of.

“That name, Kappen,” a veteran officer said.
“T’ve heard it before. Is he any relation to that
Kappen who did all that shooting a year or so
ago?”

“That was his father,” the girl said.

The detective turned to his partner. “You
remember it. Kappen shot his son-in-law- to
death and wounded his daughter on a spree.
He’s in a hospital now.”

“Oh, yeah,” the other officer remembered.
“Fellow name of Porter was killed. But that
couldn’t have any connection with this deal.”

They talked to the girl about her former
boy friends again, made some notes, then left.

The officers started on more calls in St.
Louis. They talked to Mrs. Marie Porter, the
victim’s sister and his half-brother, and again
they said they had no ideas on the case.

Then the officers started checking on all the
beaux Kappen’s girl had previously dated.
They brought them all to headquarters for
questioning, and asked them about their Friday
night and Saturday morning whereabouts.

All had substantiated alibis except a tall, red-
haired young man. He lived alone in a small
apartment near Forest Park. Police had been
told that he had been drinking heavily since the
girl’s engagement to Bill Kappen.

He was questioned at great length and his
story was that he was home alone from 11

P.M. Friday until late
“You were seen d

night.”
“Sure,” he admitted
ried . . . and not to

enough eXcuse to drir
home. I didn’t see B

His car was broug
examined. There were
evidence.

OLICE concentrat:

while, but were u
or turn up any clues.
of the same apartme:
he recalled coming ho
day and seeing the rec
the apartment garage
leased, but told not to

“Where do we go :
asked.

“That takes care of
a sergeant said. “Mayt
the wrong angle. Mayb
his side.”

“You mean a wom:

“You know what t!
scorned.”

The investigators
tion about William Ka
the ones he had dat
gaged. They talked t
the electric company,
in the block of Claxto
formerly had boarded

They came up with

The first one was a
half the age of the mt
cate questioning, but
girl was frail, with
almost chalk as the qi
She said there had b
she broke up with Ka
got out of line with h
to a younger man no

The next two girls
when they came to tt
the detectives’ interes:

She was big, but 1
boned, with frizzled
tired eyes. She was |
wrong end and there
hand.

“Bill Kappen? Huh

The girl’s brother, a
reputation, was broug
her for questioning.

The officers got ot
been angry when his
Kappen. This was bac
probers uncovered. Th
grilled at length. The
for at least a week
provided an alibi for «
else was able to back
unable to shake their
They were released v
the city.

“That’s as far as w
angle,” Chief of Dete
“We'll have to try s
way I see it, it has t
approaching wedding.
father . . . find out »
sister and killed her }

The father, the file s
in an institution. Tt
“And she ended up wv
insurance,” Carroll nm

GIANCANNA & MRS. PORTER

—

GET ME TO THE| CH

He was gettin’ married in the morning. Ding, dong, the
bells were supposed to chime. But he came a cropper, as
this greedy whopper, decided not to lose a single dime

by NATHANIEL PENNYPACKER

ST. LOUIS, MO.

@ Fog rolled through the black night and’ over the
high-walled prison. Fog horns moaned on the river,
the deep, dull sounds carrying through the cold,
damp air. Searchlights from the towers knifed
through the darkness, catching on the rolling fog.

Prisoners were. edgy. Guards were tense. A light
burned late in the warden’s office.

One guard asked his partner, “Think she’ll go?”

His fellow officer shook his head. “They’ve never
electrocuted a woman in this state. Haven’t even
executed one since 1845 . . . more than 90 years
ago. Governor Horner’s already commuted the
death sentences of three women. My guess is he
does it with her, too.”

“You think she deserves a break?”

“After what she did?”

The night wore on at the Southern Illinois Peni-
tentiary at’ Menard, near the Mississippi River.
It was a cold, dreary, damp night... .

It had been hot and humid when the case started,
the kind of weather that’s typical of a St. Louis
summer. Early July . . . heat .. . for holiday
weekend trips and swimming . . . for baseball
games . . . for weddings. ,

On. Saturday morning, July 3, 1937, the crowd

started to fill into St. Anthony’s Church in’ St.

Louis.

someone giggled, “by getting married on the third.”

And more and more guests filled the church—
the relatives of bride and groom, the neighbors,
friends from now, and friends from the old'.days

and the old neighborhoods. Friends of the bride’s

and friends of William Kappen, the groom. ”

Soon the pews were filled. The priest was ready
for the services. The organist was ready. But the
bride was worried—the groom was missing.

“Maybe he overslept,” one of the bride’s friends
suggested. “You said he just moved into the flat;
maybe he’s been used to having someone wake him.”

The bride bit her lower lip. “He was supposed
to come by my house before going to the church.
I can’t understand what’s keeping him.”

“Bill’s 38,” one of the guests said to his friends.
“He’s been a bachelor a long time. Maybe he
chickened out at the last minute.”

INSIDE DETECTIVE, February, 1959

“What a way to celebrate the Fourth of July,”

“Naw ...I1 work with Bill . . . he’s been ex-
cited for days about getting married.”

“If he’s excited, where is he?”

“Who are you kidding? He was happy about
getting married. He rented that flat on Union a
few days ago, furnished it, and even bought a

“special wedding suit. And he planned the date so

he’d have time off for a honeymoon.”

“Besides,” someone else added, “he was at her
house last night. If there was, any doubt in his
mind, don’t you think. . . .”

It was almost noon. Friends of William Kappen
went to his new flat on Union Boulevard, a modest
residential section. They knocked on the door.
There was no answer. They knocked on the door of
the downstairs flat. A woman answered the knock.
:

“"HE man upstairs?” she responded. “Saw him

a couple of times since he moved in the other
day. No, haven’t seen him at all today. Yes, I have
a key. .. . You sure it’s all right? .. . All right,
I'll get it.”

They got the key and let themselves in.

“Bill!” one of them called. No answer.

They got to the top of the stairs, into the hall,
then started’looking through the rooms.

“Look here!” came a call from the bathroom.

There was water in the tub.

“Looks like he was ready to take a bath,” one
of his friends remarked. “The water is clean.”

An eerie feeling began to grip them..

In the bedroom was his wedding suit, the blue
one he’d just bought. All laid out on the bed,
“like he was ready to get dressed for the wedding,”
one of the men said.

After looking through all the rooms, they went
downstairs and talked to neighbors up and down
the block. Nobody had seen William Kappen that
day.

The Saturday afternoon wore on, slow and hu-
mid. The bride went home.

Her friends, meanwhile, called Kappen’s family.
His half-brother had no information. The same
was said by his sister, Mrs. Mary Porter.

The day gave way to night and still the bride
had no word from her (Continued on page 83)

She was among those left waiting at the church,
but wasn’t quite as disappointed as: the, others.

iis ier cmeeaiaiiaiiililttia a ents ‘ncabiosdua: ia

e robbery, and
{ answers in the

eek Service Sta-
‘bruary 9, 1951?

bout the Hyatt

ion?

tation in Green-

ned robbery in

Cheek robbery ?

the Hyatt Cheek

ik that he could
ie robbery, and
free an innocent
seven years. We
dence indicating
: he nodded and
itement covering

‘ng so hard

1 I am the

a polygraph ex-
: City of Dallas
2n told that the
that I did not
robbery. It has
t the Statute of
zard to this of-
ict Attorney at
me that I can-
crime. It is my
uis robbery since
erson has been
or this robbery.
1 that I did rob
ion on the 9th
h to state that
he penitentiary,
: convict that I

‘orge White in
it him into my
1 of Cook’s ad-
wsmen, George
Banner and Bill
greeted White.
he investigation
ed to be in on

ibout what has
vem asked.

has happened ?”
ion,”

tell Mother .. .”

; pure emotion.

. he burst into
and me, weep-

who have ever

o you. 543”

n to regain his

yeence was

But, if we
ction to Cook’s
ed us. Handling
ssion. No guilty

man could have reacted with White’s violent
pathos.

As soon as we could assemble our files, Miller
and I started for Austin to present the case to
the Parole Board and the governor. We left
Greenville at 4 a.m. the next day.

At the parole board hearing, October 22, the
station attendant, after talking with Cook, said
he still believed White guilty. He said Cook
failed to remember details of the robbery, in-
cluding the exact time he had ripped the
telephone from the wall.and handed Morrow’s
billfold, containing a dollar, back to him,
muttering, “I’m not that hard up.”

But Cook said he was drunk during the
robbery. It would be difficult for him to re-
member details committed during a drunken
stickup almost eight years ago.

Cook personally admitted his guilt to the
Parole Board. All real evidence points to
White’s innocence. His application for com-
plete and full pardon is now before the Texas
State Board of Pardons and Paroles. Certainly
the State owes White his freedom, with a full
pardon, not merely a parole.

Under a new constitutional amendment, it
is possible for a man wrongly convicted and
imprisoned to be recompensed by the state
for his time in jail. I hope authorities haven't
stalled on releasing him because they fear a
test of this new law.

I believe Governor Price Daniel will sign

papers freeing White as soon.as the Board
okays that freedom.

Still White waits in prison. Some officials,
including Rockwall Sheriff W. J. Price, in his
home county, have said they have no objec-
tions to White’s immediate release. Others
have expressed the attitude: let the poor jail-
bird rot in prison another year, rather than
admit a horrible mistake to the public. (On
October 18, 1959, he will become eligible for
release after having served his complete sen-
tence.)

All of the polygraph tests in this case were
made by operators whom I consider to be
the top men in their profession in the State
of Texas. They have had many years of ex-
perience in the law enforcement field and have
placed their reputations at stake in asserting
the innocence of George White and the guilt
of Jack Cook.

I would also like to point out that the
affidavits of George White, Daniels and Cook
would, if false, subject them to trial for an
additional felony offense. If these affidavits
are false, it means these three men are risking
another term in the Texas Penitentiary. for

* trying to obtain release of a man who will

be released soon in due. course anyway.

We feel that our investigation proves that
George White is innocent. This office intends
to keep fighting until he leaves the penitentiary
—a free man. a

Get Me to the Church on Time

continued from page 53

intended. Friends made several more calls at
the flat on Union, but nobody was home.

It was dark when a neighbor knocked at
the bride’s door.

“J’d like to talk to Irene,” she said.

“J wouldn’t bother her now .. . She’s so
upset . . . Can’t you wait until—”

“J think I’d better talk to her now,” the
neighbor insisted. “Something she should read
in the paper.”

“All right, come in.”

The bride, still single on what was to have
been her wedding night, greeted the neighbor.

“IT thought you’d better read this,” the
neighbor said, showing her the newspaper. “I
hate to bring tragic news, but this might be it.”

Irene read the headline: “xtAN FOUND SLAIN
ON LONELY LANE,” and the sub-headline: “un-
IDENTIFIED VICTIM DISCOVERED NEAR BELLEVILLE.”

She tensed as she read on—the body of a
man, about 35, had been found at 2 P.M.
that day six miles west of Belleville, Ill., in a
lane leading from the Old St. Louis Road to
a coal company’s nearby mine,

The only clues, the paper said, were two
bloodstained handkerchiefs found in a clump
of weeds 50 feet from the body. The body was
discovered at 2 p.m. by a doctor and a real
estate man, both of St. Louis. The real estate
operator had taken the doctor to examine some
ground for sale when they found the body
face up in the center of the road.

Police said there was no evidence of a
struggle, and Sheriff Henry L. Sickman pointed
out that the mine had been closed on Satur-
day, and that the road was lightly traveled
that day.

Then the heart-sick bride came to the last
part of the story—the description of the victim:
clean shaven, fresh haircut, five foot six inches,

150 pounds, light hair and blue eyes. He was
wearing a brown shirt, trousers and socks, and
black shoes; no hat or tie. Upper teeth had
been extracted; face and arms sunburned.
Dead about eight hours. All papers and cards
had. been removed from pockets.

Only clue, a laundry mark on the pants.

A three-hour search of the area had failed
to locate the gun or any other important clues.
Fingerprints of the victim had been taken by
Belleville police and sent to the state crime
lab at Springfield’and the FBI in Washington.

Tears welled in the bride’s eyes as she read
the description again. She looked up and dis-
belief flashed across her face—it couldn’t be
Bill, she thought.

“Tt sure fits him,” the neighbor said. “Same
size, hair and eyes, and the teeth out on top.”

Friends of the bride’s made another call at
the flat on Union. Still no one was home. More
calls were made to several homes. No one re-
ported seeing William Kappen that day,

At midnight she couldn’t put it off any
longer. ce (

“Take me .. . to Belleville,” she requested.

They drove her east, downtown, crowded

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ward her: brother’s murder, her in-
sistence on going through with a party
on the very day of his death.

“She hated him,’ Detective Chic!
Carroll mused. “She made no bones
about that—claimed he had run out on
her, owed her moncy and refused to
pay. But I can’t qi ‘te see that fat wo-
man sticking» a gun in her brother's
ribs, taking him out into the country

and shooting him.

“She could have had an accomplice,

of course, but that doesn’t make sense. .

Why should she go to all that trouble
to murder her brother just because
she disliked him? The motive isn’t
strong enough.”

Detectives were sent out in a new
canvass of Kappen’s friends, instructed
to draw them out on the subject of his
relations with his sister. Several of the
victim’s intimates ‘knew there had
been trouble between Kappen and his
sister, ;

“TY don’t know whether he owed he:
money or not,” one of them said. “‘!
do know he was paying her $12 a week
rent, and the reason he moved away
was because he could get better ac-
commodations elsewhere for the samc
amount.”

Another witness declared that afte:
Kappen moved away from his sister’s
place, Mrs. Porter had tried again and
again to see him, but he always “shied
away.” On one occasion, she had even
tried to hide in the back seat of a car
while a young man at the wheel triec
to entice Kappen into it, but Kappen

had spotted her there and refused to

enter.
It became apparent that Bill Kappen

-had mistrusted Marie Porter just a:

strongly as Marie Porter had disliked
Bill Kappen. Detective Chief Carrol!
and Sheriff Sieckmann tackled th:
problem again.

“She was following him around.
hounding him, claiming he owed he:
money,” Carroll mused. “You remem-
ber what you said the other day—about
the murder happening right before
Kappen was to be married?”

The sheriff nodded. “I was thinking
then of the jealousy -angle. We've
looked into that and eliminated it,”

“Yes,” Carroll said, “but it just oc-
curred to me that there’s another angle
in which that same time element migh!
apply.”

“I see what you’re getting at. In-
surance,”

“Exactly. If Kappen had any insur-
ance, the original beneficiary would
naturally be his only sister, the woman
in whose home he lived for more than
a year—”

“And when he got married,” Sieck
mann cried, ‘“he’d change the benefi-
ciary—make the insurance over to his
wife!”

“He°would. It’s all theory so far, but

it looks like Kappen’s murder, taking
place at thé time it did, might result
in a neat profit for his sister, Let's look
into it,”

= THEY DID, and soon their theory
was on firmer ground. William Kap-
pen, they discovered, had $2,300 in life
insurance, with Mrs. Marie Porter
named as the beneficiary. There were
two straight policies of $1,000 each
and a weekly pay policy of $300.

Irene Traub, consulted on this point,
said that Kappen had told her of the
insurance and intended to transfer the
policies to her as soon as they were
married,

“So Marie Porter stood to gain $2,-
300 through her brother’s murder,”
Carroll said to Sieckmann. “I think
we’re making headway.”

“She must have had help,” the sher-
iff said. “She couldn’t have pulled the
job herself—-not with her brother as
suspicious of her as he was.”

So far, the investigators realized,
there was no really solid evidence of
the courtroom variety. against Mrs.
Porter, and it would be dangerous to
tip their hand too soon by arresting
the woman. They knew that Mrs, Por-
ter owned no car, and that a car had
been used in the killing. Perhaps her
unknown accomplice owned the car,
and then again perhaps he didn’t.

On the chance that the murder ma-
chine had been hired, detectives were
sent to canvass all the rent-a-car
agencies in St. Louis, concentrating on
cars hired Friday night and Saturday

-morning. At one of the downtown

agencies, the sleuths found an attend-
ant who remembered something.

“A young fellow rented a car here
late Friday night,” he said. “He brought
it back Saturday morning sometime. I
didn’t notice until after he left that
there were dark stains on the uphol-
stery in the front seat, and also on the
floormat, Looked like blood to me.”

“We want to know that man’s name,”
one of the detectives said eagerly.

The attendant checked his books.
“He rented the car a little after mid-
night,” he said, “and brought it back
about 9:30 Saturday morning. The
name he gave is Angelo Giancola.”

This report was speedily forwarded
to Chief Carroll and Sheriff Sieck-
mann.

“Giancola,” the sheriff said. ‘“Re-
member the name? He was the young
fellow who was dishing out the beer
at Mrs. Porter’s party.”

“Right you are! But wait a minute—
his first name was Ralph, wasn't it?”

Guarded inquiries were made, and
it was learned ‘that the suspect's full
name was Angelo Ralph Giancola. He
had béen a frequent visitor at Mrs.
Porter’s house since the death of her
husband, and had later worked in her

gi vee Senator soem

5 Raa ae oe
Col LOR ce iba SA bEN SS SR,

ees
of)

confectionery store. Recently, however,
Giancola had taken a job in the kitchen
of a downtown restaurant,

Detectives went to the restaurant
and talked with employes there. Gian-
cola, they were told, was to have come’
on duty at 8 o’clock Saturday morning,
but did not arrive there until after
9:30. He explained that he had been
out_in the country and had-had car
trouble. <A pretty girl waitress dis-
closed that two weeks earlier, Gian-.
cola had shown’her a small revolver
he owned.

/@ WHEN GIANCOLA arrived for
work that day, he was speedily ar- _

rested and taken to headquarters. The
handsome, black-eyed youth was obvi-

ously nervous as he was brought in. :

He admitted having owned a revolver
but declared he had sold it only a week
earlier-—and yet he could not produce
the man to whom he had sold it. When
asked what he had been doing with
the rented car on Friday night and
Saturday morning, he claimed he was
“visiting a girl friend.”

“Funny- time to be visiting a girl
friend,” Detective Chief Carroll -re-
marked, “Give us her name, her ad-
dress.”

Giancola gulped. “Can't remember,”
he said. “I was doing a little drinking,
you see.” ,

“You'll have to do better than that,
young fellow. You might as well come
clean. You were out doing a murder
job—putting a bullet into Bill Kap-
pen’s brain.” :

“No, no!” Giancola gasped weakly.

Deputy Kerrigan, who was among
the questioners, noticed that from time
to time the young suspect scratched
absently at his wrists. He walked up
to Giancola. j

“Let’s see your arms,” he said. He
unbuttoned the youth’s shirt cuffs and
rolled up the sleeves. Giancola’s fore-
arms were covered with scores of tiny,
angry-looking pimples.

“What's that?” Kerrigan inquired
innocently.

“Poison ivy,”’ Giancola replied. “I.

don’t know ‘where I picked it up. It’s
beginning to drive me crazy.”

“I know where you picked it up,”
the deputy said sternly. “There was
plenty of poison ivy yrowing at the
roadside where you left Kappen’s body

and tossed those’ bloody handkerchiefs. “

Giancola, those pimples prove you're
a killer!” ;

Giancola saw that he was hopelessly
trapped. “Okay,” he said wearily, “but
I didn’t have anything to do with the
killing. I just helped Marie get rid of
the body,”

He said that on Friday night, Marie
Porter had telephoned him and said
she needed him urgently—that he must

come with a car, Not owning one him~

lta eee

tek atne ae

a ae done ROT

self, he rented
Porter place.

“Bill Kappe:
went on. “I do:
how he got ki!
him into the c:
beyond Belle,
body there. Th

The questi
Giancola said
there not long
the investigat:
had not left hi:
o’clock in the
the water in t!
changed his st:
Porter had pl:
murder her br:
his insurance.

“She kept as:
whined. “She s.
I would. The:
said we’d have
fore he got m
policies over t

“Early on $
gave me ten do
drove over to |
in and talked \
they came out
We stopped at
we were on |!
Belleville. Bill
side me. Marie
heard* her say
around to see
she shot him.

“We turned «
and stopped. I
and tossed the
the side of the
on me, so I cle:
handkerchiefs
away.”

The question:
with *Giancola
highly doubtfu
ing his sister
accompanied !
they now had :
to arrest her.

m TWO DET
fat woman's +)
custody. She
brought her
sat her down
and. confronte
story.

“It ain’t truc
know nothing
nothing, I tell
that, he’s lyin
from any of |
we stopped at
member me i!

Mrs. Porter
her tremendou
could hardly
roadhouse or &

Sheriff Sieck
art, with Gia:

iowever,
kitchen

taurant
e. Gian-

vse come’

norning,
til after
ad been
had car
ess) dis-
*, Gian-
revolver

ived for
‘dily ar-
‘ers. The
as obvi-
vught in,
revolver
v a week
produce
it. When
ings with,
ight and
i he was

sa girl
rroll re=
her ad-

nember,”
irinking,

han that,
‘ell come

murder
sill Kap-

weakly.

is among
rom time
wratehed
alked up

» said. He
cuffs and
sla's fore-
es of tiny,

inquired

eplied. “TI.
it up. It’s
ed it up,”
(here was
ing: at the
ypen’s body
.dkerchiefs.
ve you're

hopelessly
sarily, “but
io with the
get rid of

ight, Marie
1 and said
iat he must
+ one him-=

“~~

pat ea

ae Ra

self, he rented one and drove to the
Porter place. he

“Bill Kappen’s body was there,” he
went on. “I don’t know anything about
how he got killed. Marie and I loaded
him into the car, drove across the river
beyond Belleville, and dumped the
body there. That's all I know.” —

The questioners knew | otherwise.
Giancola said they had left the, body
there not long after midnight, whereas
the investigators knew that Kappen
had not left his apartment until 6 or 7
o'clock in the morning, as proved by
the water in the tub. Finally Giancola
changed his story, admitting that Mrs.
Porter had planned for some time to
murder her brother in order to obtain
his insurance. .

“She kept asking me to help her,” he
whined. ‘“‘She said she'd give me $800 if
I would. Then on Friday night she
said we'd have to do it right away, be-
fore he got married and changed the
policies over to his wife.

“Barly on Saturday morning,
gave me ten dollars to rent the car. We
drove over to Bill’s place and she went
in and talked with him. After a while
they came out and we started driving.
We stopped at several taverns. Finally
we were on Highway 13 over near
Belleville. Bill was sitting up front be-
side me. Marie was in the rear seat. I
heard: her say, ‘Willie!’ He turned
around to see what she wanted, and
she shot him.

“We turned off on that country road
and stopped. I lifted him out of the car
and tossed the body into the weeds at
the side of the road. I got some blood
on me, so | cleaned it off on a couple of
handkerchiefs and then threw them
away.”

The questioners were still unsatisfied
with ‘Giancola’s story, for they were
highly doubtful that Kappen, suspect-
ing his sister as he did, would have
accompanied her. However, they felt
they now had enough on Marie Porter
to arrest: her.

she

m TWO DETECTIVES went to the
fat woman’s home and took her into
custody. She was raging when they
brought her to headquarters, but they
sat her down in an extra-strong chair
and confronted her with Giancola’s
story.

“Tt ain’t true!” she shrieked. “I don’t
know nothing about Bill’s murder—
nothing, I tell you! If Giancola said
that, he’s lying. Just find one witness
from any of those taverns he claims
we stopped at. They couldn’t help re-
member me if I was there!”

Mrs. Porter had a point there. With
her tremendous girth and weight, she
could hardly fail to be noticed in a
rondhoune or anywhere else.

Sheriff Sieckmann and Deputy Stew-
art, with Giancola, in tow, drove to

the roadside taverns where the youth
claimed they had stopped for drinks.
No one there remembered seeing a fat
woman early Saturday morning.

It was apparent that Giancola was
not telling the whole truth, and equal-
ly apparent that Mrs. Porter’ wasn’t
either, Detective Chief Carroll, Sheriff
Sieckmann and other questioners kept

pointing out the strong evidence of her

yuilt, and at last she byoke down.
“It was Ralph’s fault, not mine,” she

-declared. “Last April, Ralph came to

me and suggested that we kill Willie
for his insurance. | was shocked.” She
attempted to fix a pious expression
on her pudgy face. “Ralph offered to
do the job for $806, and at first I
wouldn’t listen to him,

“He knew Twas angry at my brother
because of the back rent. I'd supported
Bill when he was down and out, and
then when things got better he up and
left me cold. I was afraid that if he got
married, I’d be left out of the insurance
entirely, although it) was rightfully
mine. Ralph kept urging and urging,
and finally I told him to go ahead and
do it.”

Mrs. Porter, however, denied any
actual involvement in the crime. She
claimed she had_ merely given Gian-
cola her approval, a go-ahead signal,
and Giancola had done all the rest.
Giancola had rented the murder car.
Giancola had gone to Kappen’s flat and

‘forced Kappen to come out at the point

of a gun, Giancola had killed him and
dumped the body over in Illinois.

As so often happens, it was plain
that both accused persons were doing
their best to fasten the lion’s share
of blame on the other, but in this
sordid killing there was plenty of
blame to yo around, Detectives
searched the Giancola home and even-
tually found the .32 caliber murder
gun hidden in the coal bin.

Ralph Giancola was furious when he
learned that Marie Portep had accused
him of most of the guilt. ,

“She says I urged her!” he shouted.
“Why, that lying woman hounded me
for weeks to do the job! She told me
it would be a cinch if I was ‘careful.
She knew I needed money, and she
kept waving that offer’ of $800 under
my nose. She had a key to Bill Kap-
pen’s apartment. She, said, ‘You go in
there early in the morning and put
your gun on him. Take him out in the
country and kill him.”

= GIANCOLA now admitted that Mrs.
Porter took no part in the actual slay-
ing. He told how, using the key she had

given him, he stole. into Kappen’s

- apartment at about 6 in the morning.

Kappen, in his pajamas, was about to
bathe, Giancola foreed him to” dress
and accompany him to ths car, He

forced Kappen to drive while he kept

SPR

his gun aimed at the victim, and on the
lonely road near Belleville he had
shot IXCappen.

The officers felt sure that this ver-
sion was correct. Surely, never did a
man start his wedding day with such
a‘soul-shaking ordeal as luckless Bill
Kappen—an ordeal that ended with his
violent death even‘ as his_ intended,
bride waited for his arrival.

Since the actual murder had taken
place in Illinois, Giancola and: Mrs.
Porter were jailed at Belleville and
indicted for first degree murder. A:
wave of indignation swept over the

city at the revelation of the fat woman’s: _

engincering of the slaying of her own
brother, and a heavy guard was posted
at the jail to prevent a possible lynch
attempt, '

In mid-September, 1937, Giancola,
and Mrs. Porter were brought to trial
and were speedily found guilty. Both
were condemned to death in the elec-
tric chair, the execution to take place
on January 20, 1938.

“They can’t burn mc!” Mrs, Porter
shrieked' as she was led away. “I’m
innocent, I tell you—innocent!”

In fact, no woman had ever , been
electrocuted in Illinois. The last woman
to be put to death by the state had
been hanged in 1845. There were many
who felt that steps would be taken to
intervene, and that Mrs. Porter’s sen-—
tence would be commuted to life im-
prisonment.

A week before the scheduled execu-
tion. both Giancola and Mrs. Porter
were given’ short-term reprieves by
Liuctenant. Governor John Stelle, act-
ing in the absence of Governor Henry
Horner. However, when the governor
returned, he could find no mitigating
circumstances in the case of either
convicted person. Both were now con-
demned to die on January 27.»

“1 should never have listened to that
woman,” Ralph Giancola gasped in ter-
ror that night as he was led to the ;
death chamber for his date with the
thunderbolt. After the, switch was
pulled and he was pronounced dead,
Mrs. Porter was led from her cell.

She was hysterical. Her legs refused
to function. With great difficulty,
guards got her into the death chamber.
She was, and still is, the only woman
to die by electrocution in Illinois, and
because of her great girth they had to
wedge her in between the arms of the
chair. eh

As one newspaper next morning put
it: “The woman, who held a gay beer
party on the day she arranged her
brotHer’s murder, last night paid the
ultimate penalty...”

Eprror’s Nore: To prevent embar-
rassment to an innocent person, the
used in this

Albert Bush, as
narrative, is fictitious.

mainte

by PETER MATHEWS

AULINE Ladue was far too
pretty a bride to be jilted at the
altar, yet the joyful expectancy
with which she had entered St. Anthony's
Church in St. Louis, Missouri, half an hour
before her wedding had now turned to
| panic. Bill Kappen, her bridegroom, had
iled to arrive.
‘? soi auline fought back her tears and sup-
ressed an impulse to tear off her bridal
veil and flee from the peering, curious
faces of the wedding guests. She hated
their sympathy, hated the grinning choir
boys giggling in the choir loft, whispering
about her and her missing bridegroom.
The officiating priest pulled his watch
from under his cassock, glanced at it and
frowned. The guests coughed and
: shuffled their feet. Pauline bit her lips.
re was Bill?
we she recalled Bill’s unnatural quiet dur-
ing the past few weeks. She had inter-
preted it as thé serious attitude of any
thoughtful young man about to assume
the responsibility of marriage. Now she
thought maybe she had been wrong.
Maybe Bill had wanted his freedom and
had been afraid to ask her for it. She
would have given it to him gladly, if he
had been brave enough to ask her. How
could he have forsaken her at the last
moment? It was cowardly, cruel, to
humiliate her before her friends! She
dropped her bouquet on the floor, buried
her face in her father’s shoulder and wept.
Her brother, Paul, touched her on the
arm. “Give me the key to Bill's apart-
ment,” he said quietly. “I'll go over there
and find out what's wrong. Maybe he’s
sick and can’t reach a telephone.

The door of the bridegroom's secon

open. Paul and Grace,
ly through the rooms
run in the bathroom, but

one twin bed. The other bed had been

sister, he certainly waite
Grace put her hand on

ne none —terribl
ly,” she said. “Something is wrong ye aes die Geeta

Ladue. My advice would be
ent. Maybe they can help.

to St. Anthony's, 60 minutes
e marriage of Pauline Ladue and
s the Mississippi River

on't believe Bill would jilt Pauline.

oof talk it over with her and Daddy
to call the St. Louis Police Departm

It was 11 a.m. when they retumed

after the appointed hour for th

William Kappen. Nine miles east, acros
| =

It was one of those cases in which solid evidence
seems to lie, and the Midwest probers urgently needed | —

d-floor flat stood _
is wife, called Bill’s name, walked quick-
raat for him. A tub of water had been
obviously not ar : was ee
i i id out carefully o

Bill’s tuxedo, black tie, shirt and studs — a he cnmade
i it. “If Bill Kappen jilted my

i ae bape go moment,” he said angrily.
his. “Let’s not pass judgment too hasti-

mortuary, accompanied by St. Louis
detectives, Harold Bohlen, John Sinclair
and Sergeant Henry Siekhaus. Weeping,

she identified the body of the murdered

man as William Kappen, the bridegroom
who she thought had left her waiting at

the church. Dr. Madden had estimated

that he had died at 2 o'clock in the mor-

ning, eight hours before the scheduled
time of the wedding.

Realizing now that she had not beer

jilted, Pauline regained control of herself

and attempted to answer the questions of

police. She and Bill Kappen, who was 28,

had been going together for the past three
years, she said, and had been engaged
about a year. During all that time they had
never quarreled, Pauline said. And Bill,
who did not smoke or drink, was so mild-

mannered, it was inconceivable that he

should have made any enemies.;.

ete

= County Sheriff's office in Belleville, Ilinois.
To Sheriff Henry L. Siekmann it looked like another St. Louis
@ wg killing, probably by the notorious Egan’s Rats. There was
identification in the victim’s clothes, no blood or signs of
snuggle in the road, indicating that the victim probably was dead
vhen brought there.
As the sheriff examined the road for tire tracks, Deputy Frank
igan came up with two bloody handkerchiefs, held gingerly
comers. “I don’t want to spoil any identification on them
; don’t want to catch poison ivy, either,” Kerrigan said. He
7} *Pliined that he had found the handkerchiefs in a large clump
Poison ivy in a field about 50 yards away. He showed
mann and the news photographers a clump of shiny, heart-
d leaf nearby.
When the technicians had finished taking fingerprints,
mann ordered an extra set sent to St. Louis and the body
moved by Coroner Dr. Leo Madden to Belleville for autopsy.
Knowing that professional thugs often are on intimate terms
th their prospective victims, Siekmann ordered inquiries made
White Goose, an inn one mile west of the death site, and at
Staverns and roadhouses to Belleville, 7 miles to the east, and to
Mt St. Louis, eight miles to the west, on the theory that the

inoi 3 i fexcitel |

East St. Louis, Illinois, and Belleville, a group 0
eee coteed in the middle of the Travis Mine ae an vt”
paved dirt highway forming aright angle with Route 13 n

‘ light, ]
_ SA oo ee dat rer hands cros der party might have stopped for a drink or that a quarrel
haired young man ly ~ i

#2 uddenly occurred, although there were indications that the

: ing. He was dressed in y Ted, g

on his breast as if he had bees pinyang hewore® $4 was premeditated.

work pants, a white shirt and black oxford shoes, but 5 Results of the search were negative. The police were planning

socks or underclothing. «s cheek from the left eyé we #*Center the hunt farther east, in Belleville, when word came
Blood had coursed down his c er arked the path of 2% St. Louis. No classification had been found under the vic-

black powder burns on his right temple m 5 fingerprints, almost eliminating the possibility that he was a

bullet which had ended his + ists suggested that they BFE Ouls gangster, but Lieutenant John J. Carroll, St. Louis chief
Deep, red indentations on his wris hae the body ttectives, reported that his physical description tallied close-

been bound, although his ees oe pete vetate broker si ¥ith that of a missing bridegroom, William Kappen.

discovered by V.C. Leo, an East st. Louls te that Saturday evening, on what was to have been Pauline

ss was Sap
Dr. H. F. mene 4 iy ye conte pdairwaeep St. Cat ve's wedding night the bereft girl journeyed to the Belleville
ing a piece of land. } he e

ly wrong. But I still

MASTER DETECTIVE, October, 1975

On Friday evening they had attended
confession together, after which she had
given him a wastebasket for their apart-
ment, and had kissed him good night.
This was about 11:15, she said. She believ-
ed that he had gone directly home, taking

the Bellefontaine streetcar all the way.

She told police that Bill had seemed unusually quiet in recent
weeks and she wondered now if he had been hiding a secret fear
of an enemy.

His father was in an insane asylum, Pauline said, and his only

- other relative was a sister, Mrs. Marie Porter, at whose boarding
house on Page Boulevard Bill had lived until last January. Then
he had moved to rooms on Claxton Avenue. Four days ago, on
June 29th, he had taken the wedding flat on North Union
Boulevard. -

St. Louis officers went there immediately. Only the back
door was locked and though there were no signs of struggle, the
laid-out wedding clothes and the drawn bath in the tub testified
to Kappen’s unexpected departure.

A Bellefontaine streetcar ticket lying on the bureau dresser
had been stamped at 11:30, indicating that he had come home im-
mediately after leaving Pauline. Later he had had two visitors,
for there were two cigarette butts of different brands in the
kitchen sink. If these had been his killers’, apparently he had
known them well enough to ask them in .

The police launched an investigation into the background of
this young man, whose known habits seemed to disqualify him as
a candidate for murder. :

They talked to Kappen’s sister, Mrs. Marie Porter. Ten years
older than her brother and the widowed mother of four
daughters, she was short, dark-haired, black-eyed and plump,
whereas Bill Kappen had been fair-complexion, blue-eyed and
slim. She had been extremely fond of her brother, she said,
whom she characterized as “the salt of the earth.”

“Bill was almost too good to be true,” she added. “In fact he
didn’t have enough get-up-and-get to make any enemies.” She
had not noticed that he appeared worried recently, she said.

Lieutenant Carroll was skeptical. “Bill Kappen may have
been a saint,” he said, “but the fact remains that two people hated

“8

TD eee)

ZeNUeP UO

him enough to bump him off.” Carroll did not discount the
possibility that Kappen had been slain by hired killers, and this
made finding a motive for the slaying imperative.

But neither Kappen’s friend nor the people with whom he had
worked could offer the slightest clue to a motive. The police
wondered if the murder had been a monstrous error—if Bill
Kappen had been slain by hired killers who had mistaken him for
someone -else. But how had they gained entrance to his
apartment? Neither the doors nor the windows had been forced
and the downstairs tenants had heard nothing unusual that night.
Also, it seemed unlikely that even the most stupid gangsters
would mistake this mild-mannered young man for the victim of a
deserved rub-out.

Another possibility was that Kappen had been playing
around over in East St. Louis or Belleville. But Pauline Ladue
testified that he had spent almost every evening with her and that
he did not own a car.

Because of this absence of motive Carroll and the other of- .

ficials had to place their hope on building a chain of physical
clues which would lead to the killers, whose motive would then

__ be revealed. Search for the car in which police believed Kappen

had been shot, or driven to the Travis Mine Road after the killing,
was centered on garages, service stations and other likely places

where bloodstained auto upholstery might be noticed and -

remembered.

The first response to the police request for information about
such a car came from an auto-rental agency on Washington
Boulevard, which reported that a 1937 Ford coach had been
hired from them on Friday aftemoon, about 10 hours before the
murder, and returned at 7 p.m. Sautrday, with the dashboard,
floor and front seat covered with stains that appeared to be
blood. Although someone had attempted to eradicate them, the
stains were unmistakable.

Records of the rental agency showed that the car had been
hired by Angelo Giancola, who had identified himself as a

_laborer for a construction company, 21 years old, living ‘on
-. Genevieve Avenue.

Sergeant Siekhaus questioned Giancola. He was a tall, wavy-
haired young man with large brown eyes and long eyelashes. He
was courteous, answering the detectives’s questions in an ap-
parent effort to cooperate. He explained that the blood in the car
was the result of a fight between a relative, Tony Mucci, and
another young man. Later, the brothers had stopped at a service
station and attempted to clean the interior of the car with gas-
oline. ,
Tony confirmed Angelo’s story. The fight had been over a
remark passed on the street and there had been no other
witnesses—they did not know the name of the man Tony had

fought.

Neither of the men had a police record, and when Pauline

» Ladue confirmed that she did not know them and did not think

Pais

that Bill Kappen had known them, the police released them.
Now that she was more composed and had more time to

think, Pauline told the police of two incidents which had not

seemed important at the time but which now appeared to have

, been forewarnings of her fiance’s murder.

On June 29th, when Bi!! was moving into their honeymoon

- apartment, she had heard him ask the superintendent of the

building to nail shut the transoms above both the front and back
doors. He explained that it would keep out burglars. She had
accepted this explanation, knowing Bill's cautious nature, but she
wondered now if he had not actually feared for his life.

A month before that, Pauline said, she had received an

anonymous letter, written in what appeared to be a wo

hand, warning her that she would be sorry if she went

with the marriage. The letter had described Kappen as potenti

ly insane, with the mind of a child. She had not taken the letter
_, Seriously, Pauline said, and had destroyed it without even mes.
‘tioning it to Bill. 2

“Do you think it was written by an old girl friend of his”
Sinclair asked. ¢

Pauline shrugged. “I don’t know what to think. Undaubtedh
someone was jealous, yet neither Bill nor I had gone-out
anybody else in the three years we had been keeping com
Bill never had another serious girl friend, I know.” §

The police were not able to find one, either, although they
located several young men with whom Pauline had gone ou.
before she met Kappen. All of them now appeared to be happi
married and, although the police questioned one of them for
hours because he could not account for his time on the nightal
the murder satisfactorily, all were absolved of any conn
with the crime. ve

Marie Porter, the dead man’s sister, his friends and fo
neighbors laughed at the thought expressed by questioni
detectives that Kappen had been two-timing Pauline wit
another girl, who had jealously had him murdered on the eve
his marriage. Bill Kappen, it appeared, had lived a life
reproach. ee

“I only wish,” said one of his former neighbors, who li
across the street from his sister, “that Marie Porter was half as ¢
a person as Bill.” E ae

“What do you mean by that?” Henry Siekhaus asked.

“Marie is a witch,” the neighbor said. “She’s mer
grasping, a nymphomaniac, and completely lacking in resped
for the memory of her dead brother.” ;

He told of a wedding reception that Marie had given thenigt
before, after her 17-year-old daughter's marriage to Leo Naylay,
a boarder in her rooming house. #

“I suppose it was too late to postpone the marriage,” the

neighbor said, “but with poor Bill still lying in the morgue, # Htopkeeper who remembered his full

could at least have canceled the party. It was the row
blowout I ever attended. E
“She hired a band and there were over 200 guests. Fight
broke out all over the place and Marie got noisy and hilariow,
while Ralph, who looked scared to death earlier in the evening
got drunk and passed out. They had to carry him home.”
“Who's Ralph?” ay
“I don't know his last name,” the neighbor said. “He's Maret
friend, although he’s young enough to be her son.” : 4
Siekhaus changed the line of questioning.“Have you evt
heard Marie say that she disliked her brother?” he asked. Tit

. neighbor said that he had not. ES

Later, talking it over with Lieutenant Carroll and Blait,

get talk about their relationship. I think
swas embarrassed because Ralph was

“Asked if Marie’s and Bill's father was

‘Police records confirmed this fact,

iy was prudish in some ways, would
much younger than Marie,” Pauline

m insane asylum, Pauline said that he
Several years before, she explained,

elder Kappen had shot Marie’s hus-
to death.

the father was found to be confined
he city sanitarium. That shooting had
appeared to make any more sense
the killing of William Kappen.
‘The detectives next questioned
idents and shopkeepers in the
ghborhood along Minerva Avenue
Marie had kept a candy store
| years earlier. Pie

The fat woman had been almost un-

mously disliked there, they learned.
was ruthless and _ tight-fisted in
ining with others and her surly at-
toward customers eventually had
her the business. It was then that she
opened the boarding house.
The neighbors along Minerva Avenue
mbered Ralph well. He had worked
store, although he never seemed to
much except run errands for Marie.
kept him liberally supplied with
y, Yhich he never hesitated to
on girls of his own age.

- Nobody seemed to know much about

but Detective Siekhaus finally found

it was Angelo Ralph Giancola!
us started. That was the name of
young man who had retumed the
tained Ford to the rental company

Wday after William Kappen had been murdered!

sergeant pointed out that Marie Porter's callous conduct #

dicated a strained relationship between brother and sister whit
would bear looking into. “It’s the only facet of the victim's
that apparently wasn’t smooth and uncomplicated,” he said”
Pauline Ladue said, when Siekhaus questioned her, “M
was always after him for money. That's why Bill stopped liv.

with her.” She added, “Oh, please don’t think that I believe M a

had anything to do with his murder. She may have her faults,
she’s fat and good-natured and she wouldi’t harm a fly.”
The detective dismissed this as the biased estimate of
who had expected to become the fat woman’s sister-in-law
was determined to get along with her. “Who’s Ralph?” he
“He's Marie’s friend, but I don’t even know his last name. -

Poa
rae

BS hv atime

Wo tacts quickly became obvious. The relationship
een Angelo Ralph Giancola and William Kappen had been
ing more than Giancola’s affair with Marie Porter. There
had been any evidence of unfriendly feeling between the
"men, the police learned, nor had they been friends.
i second factor was Giancola’s complete dependence
the fat woman. She dominated him, mothered him, made
ate love to him and bullied him, till his will was complete-
tiated. He wasas fearful of disobeying her as a small child
e.
One former neighbor, who once had lived across the street
arie, told of frequently seeing Giancola in Marie’s
om in the early hours of the moming. “If Marie had
d Ralph to jump out of the window, he probably would
done it,” the former neighbor said.
The detectives began to believe that if Marie had ordered
to commit murder, he probably would have done that.

~Sut, whoever had killed Bill Kappen, the motive remained a

- Carroll and Siekhaus were convinced that it was a finan-
one and the sergeant and Bohlen went to the Mound City
) “ompany, where the dead man had kept a bank account.
§ppen had closed the account onJ une 29th, using the money
furniture, but the bookkeeper’s cards showed that he
shad maintained a sizable balance.
the bank manager remembered him because of one outstan-
Mcident. Kappen had roared into his office one day—the
fe anyone had ever seen him mad—complaining that his
d been forging checks against his account. She also had

7“ to make deposits he had entrusted to her, he said.

ae
as

and mercenary.” Other remarks led cops to quiz Marie's friend,

Victim's sister Marie (above), was described by a neighbor as “a witch, grasping

Ralph Giancola...

Questioned by the bank manager, Marie Porter had admitted
the thefts. She defended her action, saying that she had sup-
ported her brother when he was unemployed during the depres-
sion years and that he owed her more than $1000.

Kappen denied this. He had more than repaid her, long since,
he said, although there never had been any formal accounting
between them. He refused to bring legal charges against her, but
he moved out of her house on Page Boulevard.

The detectives felt sure now that Kappen had been killed
because of money and that Marie had instigated the murder,
probably executed by her young man. Because she was the
stronger of the two, the officers decided to question Giancola
first.

The young man received them as courteously as before. He
was wearing a short-sleeved sports shirt and scratched a rash on
his right arm.

Siekhaus decided to try a direct attack: “The blood in the
Ford you rented was William Kappen’s blood. You murdered
him. You killed him because Marie Porter ordered you to.”

Giancola smiled nervously. “I don’t know what you're talking
about.” .

“Do you deny being Marie Porter’s lover?” Sinclair asked.

“No, I don’t. But what's that got to do with it? Find the fellow .
who fought with my brother, he'll back up my story,” Giancola
said. ' >

Siekhaus pointed at the rash of tiny blisterson Giancola’s arm.
“Poison ivy?”

Giancola nodded.

“Let me tell you where you got it,” Siekhaus said. “Ina field

_alongside the Travis Mine Road, (Continued on page 52)

2 ’
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MEDIA ACCOUNT OF TRIAL:

pew ACCOUNT OF EXECUTION: Waesy 2 Noy oe. SAE CRASCSTED WS Lonats one
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PRES NROCESTION

PERIOD OF INCARCERATION

STAYS OF EXECUTION

EXECUTIONER

WITNESSES

RITUALS

LAST WORDS

OTHER INFORMATION
Matra os “\ douwseeg

air Is Executed
InInsurance Plot

Murder Of Man

‘Mrs. Porter And Pawn, Ralph
Giancola, Go To Death
In Illinois Chair

Ny The brawctated Prose
CHESTER, OL, Jan, 26.--CFriday) |
Mrs, Marie Porter, 37-year-old
mother, and handsome’ Angelo:
Ralph Giancola, 22, both of St.
Touls, dled in the electric chair at
Southern Tinots penitentiary early
today for the wedding day insur: |
ance slaying of the woman's brother,

Mrs. Porter was the first woman
ever put to death in the electric
chalr in Tilinots, and the second
ever executed by the state,

Young Glancola, who had been
described as the “pawn” In the slay-
ing, was the first to die. He en-
tered the death chair at 12:06 a.m,
(0.9.T,) Physiclans pronounced him
dead at 12:08,

Mrs. Porter was seated In the
death-ohalr-at 12:17 am, and Was,
pronounced dead two minutes ater:
at 12:19 a.m.

Giancola, who had been ascribed
ua Mrs. Porter’s “pawn,” testified |
in their trial that he shot and killed
Willlam Kappen near Belleville, UL,
Jast July 3, at Mrs, Porter's inslis-
tence and in her presence, so she
could collect $3,300 fn life Insur-
ance, Kappen waa to have been
married that day and had planned |
making his bride the beneficiary of
the pollctea,

Faced Death With Smile

The 22-yeur-old” bricklayer, oc-
cupying a cell next to that of Mrs.
Porter, faced denth with a smile, He
joked with Warden Joseph Mont-
gomery as he asked for strawberries,
fried spring chicken and creamed
peas for his final meal. He will
precede Mrs, Porter to the chatr,

Wis parents, Mr, and Mrs. BE. J.
Giancola, came to the prison hoping
for last-minute clemency only to
learn oof Governor Horner's de-
clslon that the death penalty
a punishment for murder “is the
law of the state and a law which
we are bound to obey.” The gov-
ernor onoe before had refused to
grant a reprieve to the woman and
the youth, both 8t, Loulsans,

Glven Week's Reprieve

Last ‘Thursday, however, during
Norner’s absence from the stute,
Iiteut.-Gov. John Steele granted the
condemned pair a week's reprieve én
the plea of CGiancola'’s mother that
she had discovered “new evidence”
she belleved would justify a com-
mutation for her son.

This evidence, presented to the
state pardon board ‘Tuesday, was
that the youth had contracted a
social disease from Mrs. Porter
which had so affected his will power
and resistance that he could not
(etingulsh right from wrong.

No new representations were made
jn behalf of the 250-pound woman,
widowed in July, 1935, when her
father, George Kappen, shot’ and
killed her husband, William Porter.

Mrs, Porter was the second woman
executed by the state, but the first
since 1927, when Illinols began tse
of the electric chair, In 1845, Mrs.
Elizabeth Reed, convicted of polson-
ing her husband, Leonard, went to
the gallows singing hymns and

riding on her own casket.

- Clair) 1-28-1938...

(AGRESTI INEVNTORY.)

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\They Die In Electric Chair

Mra. Marie Porter and Angelo Ealph Giancola (both shown), con-
victed of the murder of the woman's brother to collect his insurance,
were executed in the electric chair at the Ilinois prison at Chester
early today. Mrs. Porter was the first woman to die In the chair in
Illinois. Gov. Henry Horner, whose opposition to capital punishment
had saved three other condemned women, réfused to interfere.

———— And

“

IMPATIENT BRIDE

/ é

- She looked for her prospective groom and

found a corpse in the shrubbery!

MAN scratched . himself—and
one of the most dramatic mur-
ders in the annals of American
crime was solved.

The case unfolded at a church

where a wedding was about to take '

place. Grace Towles and Bill Kap-
pen were about to get married at St.
Anthony’s Church in St. Louis. But
“ the wedding never took place. The
«. bride-groom-to-be failed to show

Pp.

a Pretty Grace was, of course, heart-
* broken. She just "couldn’t believe
“her Bill would leave her at the
SYchurch.

* Putting her pride aside, Grace

-+ went to Bill’s apartment. He wasn’t
there.

: All too soon, however, Grace was

* to learn of Bill’s whereabouts. A
‘body was found in some brush on
the outskirts of St. Louis. ‘Bill had
been shot to death.

Why anybody would wank to shoot
- the prospective bridegroom was a
. baffling mystery. A clean-cut, soft-
spoken young man, Bill hadn’t an

’ enemy in the world. Grace and Bill

‘» had been going steady for a long

*- time and there didn’t appear to be
any “jealousy” angle involved.

POLICE DECIDED TO PAY A VISIT TO
Marie Porter, Bill’s sister, to see if
he could shed any light on the case.
They were surprised’ to find a
wedding party going at full swing at
Mrs. Porter’s home. One ‘of her
** daughters was getting married. A
little self-consciously Mrs. Porter
told police that, while Bill’s .death
-had been: a terrible blow to her,
' she’d decided there wasn’t.any point
“» in letting it interfere with her
daughter’s wedding plans.

It was a little odd, but police .

-’ probably would have let it go at that
» -if Ralph Giancola, a guest at the
‘ wedding, hadn’t kept scratching
‘himself. ; '
Something. about this action
struck a chord with the detectives.
Then they realized what it was:

42°

By Thomas Ranson

the body of the: murdered bride-
groom-to-be had been found in a
clump of poison ivy.

Seizing the young man, they be-
gan to question him. A little while
later he broke down and confessed
he had been involved in the mur-
der plot that had taken Bill :Kap-
pen’s life.

Mrs. Porter had hired him and his
brother, John, to kill her brother
Bill. She had like insurance policies
on Kappen and figured that if he got
married she would not be his bene-
ficiary and collect the money.

i eee
yee ‘ai

Pe
has:

SRT ey

/ Thus, because a man scratched -
himself at a wedding party, a mur-
der was solved and justice took its
course. “Marie Porter and Ralph
Giancola were executed and John
Giancola was given a 60-year prison
sentence for his part in the slaying
of the bridegroom.

vee
eR
EDITOR’S NOTE: To protect a ‘person .

innocently involved in this case, the §
name Grace Towles is fictitious as

used here j
ts THE END ° =

SOT TAR ST SRT NTR Og

pushes in

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This bra’ is aci«
to Mitt her entir
sheilf.’’ Utilizes
ally adds a full «
apread straps an
for low cut dre

Nothing but love!
ittle to the im
lace and more is
@ copy of a Co
Black or Red.

Waist sises 23 to

and PORTER, whites, elec. Ill. (St.

“\WEDDIN

SHROUD”

(In circle) Anthony Giancola.
His startling story solved the
riddle of St. Louis’ murdered
bridegroom when the mystery
was beginning to look hopeless

Mrs. Marie Porter (extreme
right), in whose home her
fifteen-year-old daughter mar-
ried amid scenes of revelry,
while her brother lay stiff in
the morgue, mysteriously slain

URDER and merriment joined in a macabre union at
the home of the Porter family in St. Louis the week
beginning July 3rd.

On that day, William Kappen, thirty-six, was
found shot to death in a field near Belleville, Illinois, across
the Mississippi River from St. Louis. He had been shot
through the head. It was to have been his wedding day.

Two years before, his father shot and killed his son-in-law,
William H. Porter, and wounded his daughter, Mrs. Marie
Porter. Mrs. Porter collected $5,000 on her husband’s death.

While Kappen’s body lay at the undertaker’s, his widowed
sister’s fifteen-year-old daughter got married in the Porter
rooming house amid scenes of revelry.

Relatives and other wedding guests were waiting at the
church for the bridegroom, when his body was found.

This was the rather tangled skein that confronted the
authorities in St. Louis and Belleville when they undertook
to learn how and why William Kappen had been slain.

Before tragedy stepped in, the Kappen and Porter families
had been rather well-knit. William Kappen lived with his
married sister, as did their father. Then the last named
killed his daughter’s husband, William Porter, making the
first rift in the combined families. A second rift came when
he, regarded as of unsound mind, was sent to the city sani-
tarium. A third rift followed when William moved from his
sister’s house to prepare for his wedding. Now he lay dead

When questioned, Mrs. Porter said her brother might have
been killed as a result of an altercation. “He was a quiet,
unobtrusive man when he was sober,” she said, “but he used
to go on terrible benders on the East Side and often got into
fights .... 1 was shocked when my half-brother, Henry
Groh, came to my house and broke the news. He said to me,
‘Do you know what’s happened to Willie?’ ‘Yes,’ I said,
‘he got married this morning to some girl on the South Side.’
‘No,’ Henry replied, ‘he didn’t get married, he got murdered.’ ”

Tracing Kappen’s movements, police established that:

He had visited Miss Irene Traub, his fiancée, on the Friday
evening preceding his wedding day, and used a Bellefontaine
street-car to return home.

His body, when found, was clothed in a suit differing from
that which he had worn when he had called on his fiancée.

At his home detectives found a freshly pressed suit laid
out in preparation for his marriage. Also water had been
drawn for a bath, which had not been taken.

Cigarette stubs lay near the suit—Kappen didn’t smoke.

The question before the police was, what had developed to
lead Kappen to leave his home about midnight, Friday, and
to change his clothes for the errand?

The break came when detectives searched for the lethal
weapon. They learned that a pistol had disappeared from
the Porter home the previous Sunday. Concentrating on
this angle, they discovered that it had been taken by a young
man, Anthony Giancola, said to be interested in Mrs. Porter.

Clair) 1/28/1938,

Poison ivy is universally regarded as a nuisance; it was to
prove otherwise this time. When the detectives questioned
Anthony they noticed the marks of poison ivy on his wrists.
Singularly enough, poison ivy had grown luxuriantly in the
field where Kappen’s body was found.

What with the poison ivy clue and the strong probability
that ballistics would prove the gun in Anthony's possession
to be the one that killed Wilham Kappen, it wasn’t long
before twenty-one-year-old Anthony Giancola was pouring
out one of the most startling confessions on record.

According to his story, Mrs. Porter had not wanted her
brother to marry, and when the latter had announced his
matrimonial plans, she plotted his death. Kappen had carried
$3,300 insurance, of which Mrs. Porter was the beneficiary.
With her brother married she had little hope of remaining
the beneficiary and so had offered Anthony Giancola $800
to rub him out.

O N the fatal Friday night, he agreed to help Mrs. Porter do
away with her brother. He rented an automobile and
drove to Kappen’s home. They found him absent, so awaited
his return. ‘They saw him approaching the house shortly
before midnight. Mrs. Porter joined her brother and the two
entered his apartment. Later they came out and got into the
automobile, Kappen sitting in front with Giancola, and Mrs.
Porter taking a back seat. They drove around St. Louis
partaking of drinks, until their prospective victim was groggy.

“We were driving along State Highway No. 13,” explained
Anthony, “and nobody was saying anything. Willie seemed
half asleep. Then I heard Mrs. Porter call ‘Willie.’ He
turned his head and I heard a shot.

“Mrs. Porter said, ‘Well, that’s over with.’ She told me to
drive on and pointed out a dirt road. She told me to drive
down this and turn the car around, I did. I got out and
pulled Willie’s body into a ditch. I got blood on my clothes
and on my arm. Mrs. Porter gave me two handkerchiefs
and I wiped away the blood, and then gave them back to her.”

Confronted with Anthony Giancola’s confession, Mrs. Marie
Porter denied his story. Later she admitted offering him $$
to kill her brother, but_insisted that she had taken no active
part in his murder. She said she had suggested that her
brother be put out of the way with poisoned liquor.

The authorities are inclined to believe that Anthony did
the actual shooting; but so far as they are concerned this is
a secondary point. Both Anthony Giancola and Mrs. Marie
Porter are held on first degree murder charges.

What cracked the case? The gun, the poison ivy; and
the careful investigation of Detective Sergeant John Sinclair
and Detectives James Ogden and Harold Mohlen of the St.
Louis police, into the insurance angle in the case, while seek-
ing a motive for the crime.

For later developments watch Truk DEvectTive

tno

PORTER & GIANCOLA, electrocuted Illinois (St. Clak r County) on January 28, 1938. ee

is bride was waiting for him at the

altar, but murder, cold-blooded a |
. - and inexplicable, .
a prevented their —

union

AMERICAN DETECTIVE, _
October, 1937.

The doctor
Noted the thick
clotted blood’ that had
flowed down from the nos-
trils over the dead man's face and
neck; the mouth slightly opened, already
a rich bait. for swarming flies.

orge Edgerly, on trial for'the murder

wife Elizabeth in Middlesex Co

, Superior Court, has been Sener rd
ty of ten men and two
t ae to come to
State’s case i

Yy had been tentative and ‘highly
stantial from the outset. Edgerly had
harged with murder after a torso
the state claimed was that of Mrs.
y, was fished out of Beaver Brook.
racut, some months after she disap-
in December of 1959 (J Don’t Know
Her Head Is, September rront PAGE
The torso lacked a head and one arm.
> hand from which the police at...

GEORGE EDGERLY
A free man.

) take fingerprints was bad] -

The defense successfully fen
‘ssertions of three police officers

ly had altered details of his story

| questioned him. For a day anda
ly took the stand in his own de-

under direct examination, retold.
‘sic story he had told at the time
:, which was that he had last seen
the front seat of his car on De-
when he got out to help a
otorist. The defense also pre-
‘ witnesses who swore they saw
dgerly alive in Lowell and in
various times after the alleged

‘arryl Flatter, 21, has been sen-
| ae less than 35 years and no
| ars” for the strangulation
| seth Moughler, 47-year-old
| n., housewife. Recorder’s Judge

7enport imposed sentence after
*r & menace and a danger to

FRONT PAGE DETECTIVE, July, 1961

other people.’”’ The woman had been throt-
tled in a vicious rape attempt as she re-
turned from a movie. She was only three
doors from her home when she was killed
(Run, Lady, Run, May FRONT PAGE, 1960).
Flatter’s defense line was that police forced
a confession from him, and that he was too
drunk to have followed his helpless victim
from the movie house and to have killed
her. He told this story three times at three
different trials for the murder. The first
trial and verdict of guilty was voided be-
cause two jurors had carried out an inde-
pendent investigation in the slaying. His sec-
ond trial ended in a hung:jury. After the
third jury’s verdict was read, Flatter mut-
tered, “It’s not right, that’s all I can say.”

Mrs. Jo Ann Stevens has pleaded guilty

to eight counts of making false entry while
working at her job as bookkeeper of the

Ne My 4 9 ie, “ey

Jo ANN. STEVENS
Money, money everywhere, but not a
cent was hers.

Bank of Shinnston, W. Va. She is accused
of taking $224,244.70 (More Ways To Rob
A Bank, Case Book, May FRONT PAGE,
1961). At the same time, Miss Lucy Fort-
ney, the 62-year-old former assistant cash-
ier of the bank, who had been with that
institution since it opened in 1932, pleaded
guilty to three counts covering a $22,548
shortage. Interestingly enough, an FBI
agent said there was no indication of col-
lusion between the two women.

L. Ewing Scott, serving a life term for
killing his wife, has been denied any part
of her $600,000 estate. Superior Judge
Clyde C. Triplett turned down Scott’s re-
quest for half of Mrs. Evelyn Scott’s es-
tate (Hoax-Schmoax—Where Is She?
September FRONT PAGE, 1956). Judge Trip-
lett ruled Mrs. Scott is legally dead, over-
ruling the objections of Scott’s attorney
that “there is no proof that Mrs. Scott is
dead; no proof that she died in Los An-
geles County; and no proof Scott is not
entitled to her estate.” The attorney fur-
ther protested that the customary seven-
year waiting period from the time of a
person’s disappearance had not elapsed be-
fore declaring Mrs. Scott dead. The Los
Angeles, Cal., socialite was last seen on
May 16, 1955. Scott was convicted of her
murder in‘ December, 1957.

The

Perfect.
Murder

No. 27

THE STAND-IN WORE A BRAND

m When the police found the body of
William Kappen, a St. Louis electiician,
in a clump of bushes four miles across
the Mississippi River in Illinois in July,
1937, they decided to keep an important
fact secret. It could, they knew, lead
them directly to the murderer.

On the day Kappen’s body. was found,
he had been due in church to be mar-
ried. He hadn’t shown up. Friends
found his wedding clothes laid out on
his bed when they went to find out
where he was. When he turned up dead,
it was obvious he had been kidnaped
and slain.

The police investigation followed_two
lines. Either Kappen had been killed
because of his involvement with some
other woman who resented his upcom-
ing marriage, or else he had been killed
by someone who stood to gain finan-
cially from his death. The first prem-
ise did not seem to hold water. Kappen
and his france had gone steady for three
years straight, and it had been the first
romantic involvement for each.

But Kappen did have a sister; Marie
Porter, who stood to profit by a $3300
life insurance policy if her brother
died. Furthermore, it was known Kap-
pen had been planning to transfer the

policy to his wife’s benefit after the -

marriage.

The only trouble was that Marie Por-
ter had an alibi and an airtight one:
during the time Kappen had_ been
killed, she had been entertaining .a
number of friends.

Besides, the lady didn’t have the tell-

tale signs the police were looking for.

After questioning her, as officers were
leaving Marie Porter's house, they
heard her call out to a young daughter
that she was going to the drug store for
some skin salve and some sleeping pills
. . . because the ordeal of the tragedy
had been too much for her.

Perhaps, after all, she did have the
telltale signs. A tail was ordered.

An hour later police followed the
woman to another house. They went
in after she left, and questioned one
Angelo Giancola. Yes, he admitted, the
Porter woman had brought him the
salve; he had a poison ivy rash on both
arms.

Giancola, Marie Porter’s lover, had a
ready alibi for the rash, explaining he
must have picked it up the previous day
playing ball at a picnic. A friend of his
had picked up the same rash. Although
this had happened to the friend, the
police weren’t satisfied that was how
Giancola had gotten his poison ivy.

They were right. A search of the
house eventually produced the murder
gun and a confession from Giancola.
He had killed Kappen at Marie Porter's
instigation.

The murderous lovers both went to
the chair.

Angelo Giancola would never have
come under suspicion had not his be-
loved bought him the skin salve. The
police were on the lookout for that.
For William Kappen’s body had been
found in the middle of a huge patch
of tell-tale poison ivy.

He looked

yut of the,

n. He had

ing his life 9)

d if I ever

ands were

cigaret; he
ked like a
‘attlesnake.
e bar and
‘red it was
He held it

isky slosh- -

-e raised it

ed.
‘er see,” he
He stood

1, Harry ?”

1, he knew
been in it
nd waved.
-nt out.

hat night.

en ¢ >
ling, t
em I

me, think-

at there he
back seat.
lock heard

‘ee or four
i he did, it
lown, then
the house.
ig mimosa
it. She fell
in the car

‘hole town
the Mount
self up to
: time he’d
o thé cops,

with me.
is toast to
ctric chair.
try to see

“The doc’s

t of black
n up so he
30 sick we
lled in the
m had an
anc —-72

Il tk 3
uldn’t help
Charlie al-
long road,
had said.
simple as

: rll Cry at Your
_. Wedding
continued from page 41 _

trickle of blood that had run down the vic-

tim’s cheek and dripped onto his shirt. Then‘

he looked up at State Highway Patrolman
George Smith. ig ate

“This man wasn’t killed here,” the. sheriff
said, shaking his head. “If he was, he wouldn’t
have been on his feet more than a few seconds
and the blood would have run back into’ his
hair. Instead, it ran down his cheek. He prob-

ably got shot while sitting in a car and then -

_ was dumped here. Might be a gang killing.”

Smith agreed. He squatted down opposite

the sheriff and they began going through the

dead man’s clothes. The pockets were empty

and the shirt bore no laundry marks. Identi- -

fication would not be easy. -
Siekman glanced up at the approach of a
detail of five more officers. The coroner’s am-
bulance was :just behind them. “Get a state-
ment from the real estate man,” he told Smith.
“T'll get the boys busy searching the field.”
Within a few minutes the deputies had
fanned out in the field, looking for the murder
weapon and other clues. The sheriff gave di-
rections to the police photographer, then turned
to check on the progress of the search. He
tucked the cuffs of his trousers into the top of
his socks and waded into a patch of poison ivy.
He had gone only a few feet when he spotted
a white object in the center of the patch. He
pushed the poison ivy aside with his feet and
picked up two white handkerchiefs. -Both were
smeared with blood. Carefully, he searched the
rest of the patch but he found nothing else.

“I’m afraid this scotches our gang killing

theory,” he called out to Smith. The patrolman
walked over and examined the handkerchiefs.
“Whoever killed this man wiped his hands on
these and then hid them,” Siekman said. “He
didn’t throw them here. He had to place them
down. under the weeds. No gangster in his
right mind would have done that.” °

Smith nodded, still examining-the handker-
chiefs. “Look; sheriff,” he said. “Laundry
marks. We’re in luck,”

Siekman took the handkerchiefs and looked
at the little black numerals on the borders.
“Let’s hope these belong to the guy who did it,”
he said. “I’m: going back to the office and get
some men working on them.” He spoke briefly
to one of his deputies, then headed for his car,

WITHIN the hour more than a dozen St.
‘Clair County deputies and state highway
patrolmen were checking laundries throughout

‘the county. The dead man’s fingerprints were

taken and sent to the State Department of
Criminal Identification at Springfield and to
the FBI.

Early that afternoon, the coroner’s. report

came through. The bullet had completely ~

pierced the head and could not be found. But
the. coroner guessed the caliber to be either
32 or 38. He described the man as being 25
to 30 years old, five feet six inches tall and
weighing about 150 pounds. He had dark hair
and his upper front teeth were missing.

Sheriff Siekman sent the description to police
agencies throughout the state and to newspa-
pers in the area. He ordered deputies to start
checking missing persons files and then sat
back to await developments.

At nine o’clock that night, Irene Traub,

changed from her bridal dress into a dark blue
suit, walked into the sheriff’s office. Her father
was with -her. Mr. Traub explained how Wil-
liam Kappen,.who had failed to show up for
his wedding that morning, had not contacted
his fiancée all that day. Then a friend of
Trene’s had called and read her the description
of the murder victim. Irene felt sure the dead
man was her sweetheart. She insisted on view-
ing the body. :

A few minutes later the sheriff led the
Traubs into a funeral home a few blocks from
headquarters. He lifted the sheet from the

. dead man’s face and stood aside:

“Bill,” Irene whispered. She brought a hand
up to her mouth and gasped.

The sheriff cleared his throat and spoke soft-
ly. “I’m sorry. Just give me your address and
his and then you can go.” He wrote the ad-
dresses on the back of an envelope and watched

as Mr. Traub helped his daughter across the~

room. Then he went back to his office and
called the St. Louis police.

GHORTLY before ten o’clock, Detective Ser-

geants Henry Siekhaus and John Sinclair |

and Detectives ‘James Ogden and Harold Boh-
Jen of the St. Louis homicide squad met with
Sheriff Siekman in his Belleville office. The
sheriff gave them the details of the investi-
gation so far. He furnished them with the
addresses of the Traubs and of Bill Kappen,
the. victim. a Beate

“The detectives left Belleville and went
straight ‘te :Kappen’s apartment on crowded
Union- Boulevard. The superinterdent let them

in. They found nothing out of plac: in-the:

_living room. In the bedroom, the covers were
thrown back on the bed as if Kappen had just
arisen. A half-smoked cigaret was ground
out on the floor beside the bed. Kappen’s
wedding suit was neatly folded over a chair.
On his dresser was a list of things-to-be-done
for the wedding, some of them scratched out
with a pencil. In the bathroom, the tub was

_half-filled with clear water. .

“It’s obvious that Kappen was getting ready

for the wedding when someone made him leave
here,” Sinclair said after he had looked around.
“And there’s no evidence of a forced entry.
Whoever it was must have been ‘a friend or
_Kappen would never have let him in.”

Ogden and Bohlen questioned. the superin-
tendent and neighbors. No one had heard any
disturbance that morning. And they knew
nothing of Kappen, since he had only recently
moved into his apartment. The detectives left
the apartment and decided to end their in-
vestigation for the nighi..

On Sunday morning they met Sheriff Siek-
man in Belleville. He took them to the spot
where Kappen’s body was found. Once again,
the field was searched. Sinclair, unfamiliar
with woodlore, pawed barehanded through the
poison ivy patch: It was several minutes before
the sheriff noticed him and laughingly pre-
dicted his future misery. Their search turned
up nothing new.

Shortly after noon they returned to St.
Louis and began questioning Irene Traub. The
only signs of her grief were the dark shadows
and puffiness under her eyes. She toyed nerv-
ously with a doily on the arm of the couch.
She had-no idea who would want to kill Kap-
pen. “He was good and kind, a wonderful per-

_ son. He had only friends, no enemies.” She bit

her lip and shook her head. “But there are
some things that seem important now that
didn’t before.”

“What’s that?” Siekhaus asked.

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indicated he was brought to field after death. a favor. His brother John went along for the ride.

BY ROBERT FARRELL

@ THE HEAT THAT had slept the night in St. Louis, Mr. Traub avoided looking at his daughter as he
Mo., that Saturday morning, July 3, 1937, stirred now got out of the big hired limousine. The tails of his
in a sticky tide. Irene Traub brushed at the soft morning coat jiggled behind him as he walked up
blonde curls that were beginning to wilt in the humidi- . the steps of St. Anthony’s Church.
ty. Her pretty face was wet with perspiration. Irene watched him walk into the church. She had
“Mother,” she said, trying hard to keep her voice been dry-eyed up until now. Finally, she broke down.
under control. “I know something bad has happened “Oh Bill!” she said, sobbing.’ “Where are you!”
to Bill. He wouldn't jilt me. He’ wouldn't.” Irene At that same moment across the Mississippi, Sheriff
leaned forward to glance into the church. The back Henry Siekman of Belleville, Ill, was bending over
of her tulle. gown pulled away from the leather seat. the body of a good-looking, dark-haired man in his
like adhesive tape peeling away from skin. She could late twenties. The body lay partially on its left side
see the white blobs that were faces in the dim interior _in a field about six miles west of Belleville, where it
—faces turned away from the altar, looking out the had been found 15 minutes earlier by a real estate
door. Everyone was at the wedding but the groom. man. The dead man wore only a checked shirt, sum-
Irene’s mother was angry but her eyes softened as _ mer slacks and shoes. He wore no socks or underwear.
she watched her daughter sitting there, heart-broken, Sheriff Siekman turned the body full on its back
brave. She turned to her husband. “He’s a half hour and saw the black hole in the man’s left temple. He
late already. You'd better go in and call it off, Henry.” bent closely to examine the (Continued on page 61)

She admitted. sherig
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“A few days ago, after Bill came from work,
we were looking over ‘his apartment,” the girl
said. “We were going to live there after we
got married. He asked. the superintendent to
have a carpenter nail the transoms shut on
both doors. When I asked him why, he seemed
uneasy and said he was afraid of burglars.”

“You think he knew something was going to
happen to him?”

“] don’t know. He never said anything to
me. But maybe he got a letter like I did.”

“What Jetter was that?”

“About a month ago, I got a letter warning
me not to marry Bill. It was unsigned. I
thought it was someone’s idea of a joke and
threw the letter out.” .

“Do you remember how it read?”

“J don’t remember exactly. It just said I'd
be sorry if I went ahead with my plans to
marry Bill.”

“How long had you known him?” Siekhaus
asked.

“About three years. We were engaged a
little over a year.” :

_“Did you go out with other fellows before
you got engaged?”

“Yes. Lots of them.”

“Were any of them friends of Bill?”

Irene thought for a moment. “Three or
four.” :

“Do you think any of them could have
killed’ Bill? Jealousy, maybe?”

“No. I haven’t gone out with any of them
in more than a year.”

“Well, it’s a possibility that we can’t over-
look, Miss Traub. I'd like a list of these fel-
lows’ names and addresses.”

Irene glanced at her father. Then she gave
the names of four men she had dated prior to
her engagement and the names of others of
Bill’s friends she knew.

Asked about Kappen’s family, the girl said
he had only a widowed sister, Marie Porter,
living on Page Boulevard. Kappen’s father
had been committed to an asylum about a
year ago after he had become unbalanced and
killed his son-in-law. s

As the detectives got up to leave} Sinclair
remembered the half-smoked cigaret in Kap-
pen’s apartment. “Did Bill smoke?” he asked.

“As far as I know, he never smoked in his
life.”

names Irene had given. “The killer’s name is
probably right here,” he said to Detective Siek-
haus. “That seems almost a sure bet after
what we found in the apartment.”

“Sinclair and I will go see Kappen’s sister,”
Siekhaus said to the other two. “You guys go
to work on that list.”

ARIE Porter, 37, the murdered man’s sis-

ter, answered the bell. She was a short,
fat woman. Her eyes were like two pieces of
coal in a snowman’s face, fixed and black. Her
coarse hair was chopped off above her ears and
hung straight from an untidy part on the right
side of her head. She brushed it back from her
face as she looked at Sinclair’s badge.

“J'ye been expecting you since I read about
it,” she murmured. “Poor Willie. He never got
much of a break from life.”

“We'd like you to tell us all you know about
your brother,” Sinclajr said.

“Well, I can’t tell you much. Willie was his
own master. He came and went as he pleased.
He lived with me and my four daughters while
he was out of work. Then when he got a job
last January, I wanted him to pay board. He

| wouldn't and he left. I haven't seeh him since.”

Later that day Sinclair tapped the list of.

“Were you acquainted with his friends?”

“Like I say, Willie was his own master. He
never talked to me about his private life and
never brought his friends here. If he wasn’t
my own brother, I'd say he was just like any |
of the other men I got boarding here.” .

“What about his habits? Did he smoke or
drink?” :

“J couldn’t say for sure, I never seen him do
either.” The woman started to add something,
then hesitated. tite

“What is it?” Siekhaus said.’ :

She rubbed her flat, broad nose ‘before she
spoke. “Well, I heard talk that Willie often got
mean drunk and got into fights in bars. I.
don’t know how true it is, though. 4 just don’t
know much about him.”

HERE seemed little reason to prolong the

questioning, so the détectives «thanked the
woman and left. As a matter of routine, they
checked with Mrs. Porter’s neighbors. They
Jearned that Bill Kappen had been well thought
of and looked upon as a quiet man who lived
peacefully with his sister until her. increasing
demands for money had driven him out. Sus-
picion of Mrs. Porter seeped into the detec-
tives’? minds; but it died when they: learned
she had not left her apartment since: Friday
night. They returned to headquarters, knowing
little more about the case than before they
talked to the woman.

By Sunday night Ogden and Bohlen had suc-
ceeded in tracking down only one of Irene
Traub’s former boyfriends. He was questioned
for two hours and released. $

On Monday morning Chief ‘of Detectives
John J. Carroll assigned 25 additional men to
the case. Half were ordered to trace the laun-
dry marks on the handkerchiefs while:the rest
were told to question Bill Kappen’s friends.

One after another people who had known
*the dead man characterized him as good-na-
tured and generous. No one had any idea why
such a fine guy should be murdered.

There were no new developments ):¥ Wed-
nesday morning. The list of Kappen’s iriends
had been exhausted and the investigation was
practically stalemated. 28

At .headquarters, Sinclair sat thoughtfully
rubbing his itching hands on his trouser legs.
He stared at the red poison ivy splotches, then
looked up at Siekhaus. “You know, I think
that Porter woman could stand a mor. thor-
ough check.” ie ie

“How come?” Siekhaus asked.

“This morning a reporter friend of .mine
called. He said he went over to interview her

last night and found a rip-roaring party going

on in her apartment.”
“A party! You sure?”
“There’s no reason for the guy to lie.”

“That sure doesn’t jibe. with the way she~-

acted with us. Let’s find out more about her.”

On¢e again Sinclair and Siekhaus questioned
Mrs. Porter’s neighbors, this time looking for
information on her background. They learned
that Mrs. Porter was generally disliked. No
one-had a good word for her. She was said to
be greedy for money and had been especially
bitter since a confectionery store she owned
failed a few years back.

One bit of gossip that interested the detec-
tives concerned a romance “Mis. Porter was
carrying on with an Italian-American boy 16
years younger than she. The boy had worked
for the widow when she operated the confec-
tionery store on Minerva Avenue, and had

been kept on even when there was no trade.
{They were still seen going around together.

meat aes Sed

i
E

lived on Genevieve Avenue. :

Giancola was as polite as he was good-look-
ing. He shook hands with the detectives and

, insisted they call him Ralph. But he said he
didn’t think he could help them much. “Willie
never came around very often when I was
working for Mrs. Porter. I didn’t see them
much together so I don’t know how they

acted.”

“What’s your relationship with Mrs. Porter

now?” Sinclair asked.

GPANCOLA flushed and lowered his eyes.
He began to rub his right arm against his
side. “She’s a good sport,” he said. “We go out
now and then and she foots the bills. There’s
no harm in that.”.He said he had known Kap-
pen vaguely but that he didn’t know any of
his friends. Outside of that, there was nothing

he could tell them.

Disappointed, the detectives got up to leave.
Giancola, smiling and apologetic, raised his
right hand to smooth his wavy, dark hair. Sin-
clair’s eyes followed the movement. He blinked
when the young man’s shirt sleeve slipped back

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to his elbow, disclosing a red rash on his wrist
and lower forearm.

Sinclair walked to the door, then asked
casually, “By the way, Ralph, have you been
out of town recently?” :

“No,” Giancola said. His forehead wrinkled.
“J haven’t been out of town for a month.”

“Then where'd you get poison ivy?”

Giancola’s smile wilted. He said nothing.
Finally, he stammered, “I got it playing soft-
ball. In a field over on Academy Avenue.”

“Take us there and show us,” Sinclair said.
_ Giancola directed the detectives to the field.
They covered every inch of the field but found
no poison ivy. By this time Giancola had re-
gained his composure. “I guess I was wrong,”
he said. “I don’t know where I got it.”

“Tl tell you,”. Sinclair snapped. “You got
it in a field six miles west of Belleville. In the
field where you dumped Kappen’s body and
hid the two handkerchiefs.”

Giancola laughed. “You're crazy!” he said.

“Let's go down to headquarters,” Sinclair
said, grabbiaz him. } es

Sinclair and Siekhaus brought Giancola to

the homicide squad room. They were joined by .

Ogden and Bohlen and Chief Carroll, who led
the questioning. Giancola calmly insisted he
had nothing to do with the killing. He had no
alibi, He said, simply, that he had been at

The detectives kept working on this angle
until they found a woman whe remembered
him. His name was Ralph Giancola and he

home, asleep, Friday night and early Saturday
morning.

Giancola stuck to his story hours later. But
now he demanded that he be allowed to get
a lawyer.

Sinclair motioned to Chief Carroll and they
left the squad room. “I’m certain he’s the
killer,” Sinclair said in the corridor. “But if
we don’t crack him soon, we'll lose him. Is
there any report yet on those handkerchiefs?”

“No. We've had no -luck tracing, them so
far,” Carroll said.

“Suppose we run a bluff on him. Maybe
it'll work.”

“Pm willing to try anything.”

“All right. I'll go to Belleville and pick up
the handkerchiefs. I'll make it as fast as I
can.” ,

Half an hour later, Sinclair stood in the
doorway of the squad room. He motioned
everybody to silence. Giancola, sitting in the
center of the room, looked around from face
to face, Eventually, the pressure of the silence ,
brought his gaze to the door. Sinclair stood
there, holding the bloody handkerchiefs in
front of his chest. Giancola half started out of
his chair, then sank back. ;

“This is it, Ralph,” Sinclair said. “We traced
these to you.” He walked across the room and
dropped the handkerchiefs in Giancola’s lap.
Giancola went pale. He pushed back against

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his chair. He was half standing, staring down
at the handkerchiefs im his lap. His lips worked
but no sound came.

_ He choked, then pleaded, “Please take them
off me. Please take them away and I’ll tell you
about it.” .

Sinclair lifted the handkerchiefs from Gian-
cola’s lap. a

Giancola covered his face with his hands.
His whole body shook. “I wasn’t going to
help her,” he said. “But she said we’d be
through if I didn’t. And I just couldn’t take
the thought of being without her. I used to
love her. But now ... now I hate her.”

“Now tell us what happened,” Siekhaus said.

“J helped kill him,” Giancola twitched in his
chair. “Marie shot him but I helped her. She
wanted the insurance.”

“What insurance?”

“She had a lot of insurance on Willie she
wanted to collect. She said she wouldn’t put
the claim in until the killing was forgotten.
She’s wanted him dead for a long time. She
almost went wild when she found out he was
getting married. That’s when she made me
—_. her.. She promised me $800 if I'd help
er.

He said that Marie Porter had borrowed $10
on her furniture last Friday and had given it
to him to rent a car. He picked her up in the
rented car and drove to Kappen’s apartment.
Mrs. Porter lured her brother to the car and
they crossed the Mississippi to Illinois. They
drove around for a while. Finally, they reached
Old St. Louis Road outside of Belleville.

THEY had been arguing most of the trip
but now no one was saying anything,”
Giancola said. “Then I heard Marie call from
the back seat. Willie turned his head and I
heard a shot. He slumped down in the seat
across my legs. His mouth was open. Then
Marie said, ‘Well, that’s over with.’”

Giancola said he stopped the car and dumped
Kappen’s body in the field. Mrs. Porter gave
him the gun to: hide. He drove her back to
St. Louis and returned home.

He said he had hidden the gun in a cigar
box in his cellar. Detectives were sent to pick

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up the ' weapon.
rental company to search the car used by
Giancola.

The detectives sent to Giancola’s home re-

turned empty-handed. Giancola offered to call

his home to see if the cigar box had been
moved to another hiding place. With Siekhaus
listening on an extension, the call was okayed.

John Giancola,’ Ralph’s younger brother,
answered. “Did you ditch the gun?” Ralph

asked.

“Sure, it’s all taken care of,” John sald.

“Well, give it to the police when they come
for it.” '

“What? Ralph, are you crazy?”

“Never mind. Do like I tell you!”

When the detectives returned to the Gian-
cola home, John led them to a woodbin in the
back yard where he had hidden the gun. John
was arrested and jailed on suspicion of having
knowledge of the murder.

Mrs. Porter, meanwhile, had been brought
in and confronted with Giancola’s confession.
Her mean mouth set stubbornly. “Ralph’s
lying,” she said. “I have nothing to say.” She
clamped her lips shut and twisted them con-
temptuously.

She kept her mouth shut for four days. In

that time, detectives had found a .32-caliber-

slug embedded in the front seat of the Ford
Giancola had rented. The bullet matched the
gun found in the woodbin. Other detectives
turned up witnesses who had seen John Gian-
cola riding with his brother on the :norning of
the. murder.

On Sunday night, after a ay: of question-
ing, Ralph Giancola changed his story. “I did

it,’ he said. He was pale and eenanton. “No

one else.”

He told the id cttves that he and Mrs.
Porter had planned the killing. She gave him
a key to Kappen’s apartment. When he was
leaving home late Friday night, his brother
insisted on coming along.

“John didn’t know anything,” Gikacuia said.
“He wanted to come and I didn’t know what
to tell him. Finally, I told him what I was
going to do. He came along anyway.”

Giancola said he entered Kappen’s apart-
ment and held a gun on him while he got
dressed. He and his brother gagged Kappen
and forced him to lie on the floor of the car
until they were in Dlinois. Then Kappen was
moved to the front seat and John switched to
the’ back.

“When I came to that spot outside of Belle-
ville, I shot him,” he went on. “His body fell

Other officers went to the
‘blood off my hands and the car with the

. er. And she added that it was she who had sent

‘she waddled duck-like down the corridor.

out when Is opened the door. I wiped the

handkerchiefs and then hid them in the weeds.”

The next day, he and his brother bought a
gallon of gasoline and cleaned the blood off the
upholstery before returning the car.

A few hours after both brothers had signed
full confessions, Marie Porter decided to talk.
She confessed she had plotted her brother’s
murder with Giancola. “We planned it on July
1,” she said. “I was afraid of the gun but.

Ralph insisted it was the only way. The next ~
“I heard they had found the body and I knew

Ralph had done it.”

Mrs. Porter. told police that John Ciatanis :
had ‘nothing to do with the murder until he
decided to go along for the ride with his broth-

the warning note to Irene Traub, her brother's
fiancée. 7

Mrs. Porter and Ralph and John Giancola
‘were extradited to Illinois, arraigned on first :3
degree murder charges and jailed to await trial. es
Two months later, they were tried and con- .
victed. Marie Porter and Ralph Giancola were
sentenced to die in the electric chair on January rs
20, 1938. John Giancola was sent to the state A
penitentiary for 99 years. . 35

Illinois newspapers speculated whether or
not Marie Porter would be executed. No
woman had ever been electrocuted in Illinois
and it. had been more than 90 years since a
woman had been executed by the state.
A WEEK before the gcheduled executions,

both Giancola and Mrs. Porter were given __

reprieves by Lieutenant Governor John, Stelle,
who acted in the absence of Governor Henry
Horner. But the governor himself refused to
intervene and the killers were scheduled to die
on January 27. 3

Shortly after 8 p.m. on - that ay Glancola’
was led from his cell. He fainted halfway down
the corridor and had to be carried to the exe-.
cution chamber. Still unconscious, he was
strapped in the chair. The fatal switch was
pulled at 8:05. .

Marie Porter was next. There was no ex-
pression on her sullen face as she was taken
from the cell. Her slippers .slap-slapped. as -

_ Her face remained expressionless as she was ~. =
strapped in the electric chair. She ‘scowled, ©
however, when she saw the police and wit
nesses staring at her. But the scowl had van- ~~
ished when the doctor; pronounced her rae
a few minutes later.

Beware the Stranger

continued from page 33

Beezley too seriously. He’d listen to the words
of caution, and smile.

“Max, you cops “don’t trust anybody,” he
said. “I’ve lived a long time. I’ve always

| trusted people and got along fine.”

_ Max Beezley shrugged. “You don’t under-
stand, Dad,” he said. “Most people are good.
But there are the other kind. Of course, you
~can’t go around trying to size up everyone on
the street. But I wish you’d.be more careful.

You're always carrying too much money, and

everytime you pay for something you reach
into your fat wallet so everyone in the place
can see you.” He threw up his hands. “And
that diamond stickpin you’re wearing, It sticks

- electric’ train,” the boy. said. “I’ve been real

, grancpe on

out like a headlight. There’s ana loot show. Ry
ing right on you to make some punk Lore
you’re worth robbing.”
The old man rocked with Wecghter? “He.
picked up John Beezley, his five-year-old
grandson, and put him on his lap. “See this ©

here stickpin, Johnny?” he said. “Your grand-

pa has-been wearing it 40 years and nobody’

ever tried to take it away from him. °>>*
“What’s Santa Claus going to bring you fo

Christmas?” Campbell asked the boy.

His big black eyes lit up. “I -hope it’s

good. You think he'll bring § me an electric ahom

ee,

eae

—he was look-
sh on his arms.

an intended:

ore he was to
ssarily indicate
a young man
| about getting
was true that
‘rooms became
» over a com-
‘s possible that

a victim of ,

‘das being 32
ut 150 pounds,
; tall and had
ar. He worked
Louis garage,

‘ent reputation °

‘ty. Local offi-
on the lookout

‘esecription was *

-e jurisdictions.
sss the Missis-
macabre drama
»out 11 o’clock

oy was stroll-.

road six miles
when he spied
g in the weeds
ff the road. The
heriff Henry L.
le, seat-of St.
.c sheriff sent
can and Vivian

seemed around
+ wound In his
nda sport shirt,

‘ae >
Cain eh iia “ABs usta

Bo 6 SN Re RR CRY et

opera BEN OY ESE

ees

and there was no identification of any
kind on him. Suicide? The officers
searched the area vainly for any sign
of a gun. ;

“It’s a bump-off,” Deputy Stewart
said. “It’s a cinch he was brought here
by car and dumped,” .

They could find no clearly-defined
tiremarks. But in the weeds only a
dozen feet from the body they picked
up two bloody handkerchiefs of the
cheap cotton type available at any
store.

“The killer got his hands bloody —

when he hauled the body out of the
car,” Kerrigan nodded. “So he wiped
them on these handkerchiefs.”

Stewart was scrutinizing the under-
growth between the road and the ‘spot
where the handkerchiefs had been
hidden.

- “Notice what kind of weeds these
are?” he inquired. .

“Poison ivy!” Kerrigan exclaimed.
“Maybe the killer, unless he’s one of
the few people who are immune, is
going to have some blisters.”

® INQUIRIES WERE MADE along the
road, and at a nearby roadhouse called
the Cat and Fiddle, but no one recog-
nized the victim nor had anyone no-
ticed any, unusual noise or activity
along the road during the night hours.
At length the unidentified body was
loaded into an ambulance and taken
to Belleville, where Stewart and Ker-

rigan made their report to Sheriff

Sieckmann,

‘I want to look at that fellow,”
Sieckmann said. “I just got a bulletin
from the St. Louis missing persons
bureau. A man disappeared over there
right before he was to be married.”

The sheriff’s scrutiny of the corpse
convinced him it must be that of the
missing William Kappen. He immedi-
ately telephoned Chief of Detectives
John J. Carroll in St. Louis and gave
him the facts. ms ‘

“It’s murder,” Sieckmann said. “It
looks looks very much as though Kap-
pen was taken for a ride, gangland
style.” M.

The identification was made ‘positive
an hour later when the distraught
Irene Traub was:driven by police to
the Gaerdner funeral home in Belle-
ville where the body lay. It was Kap-
pen, she said. a

For a time, she was unable to talk,
and meanwhile the medical examiner
was ready with his preliminary report.
Kappen, he said, had been struck by a
single .32 caliber bullet which entered
the forehead and coursed through the
brain, killing him instantly. Powder
burns around the wound made it clear

EE ERE 9s Be aaa ie .

that the weapon had been held no
more than a few feet away from him.
Death, according to the medical exam-
iner’s estimate, had taken place about
8 o'clock that morning.

Fight o’clock! That was exactly the
hour when Kappen was to have joined
his intended bride at her home! Never
in their experience had the investiga-
tors encountered a case in which death
—violent death—had so cruelly blasted
a wedding ceremony. The sheriff hated
to question Miss Traub, whose happi-
est day had been transformed to a
nightmare of grief, but it had to be
done.

“It has all the appearance of a gang
murder,” Sieckman told her. “Forgive
me, but did Kappen have any connec-

‘tion with shady characters?”

“No, no!” she cried. “There was
nothing like that. Bill was as honest
and decent as a man could be.”

The sheriff realized that Kappen
might somehow have become linked
with criminals without Miss Traub’s
knowledge—a matter that would re-
quire further checking. “How about
enemies?” the sheriff went on. “Did
he have trouble with anyone, or seem

to have worries on his mind?”

“Not at all,” she said. “I’m sure he
would have told me if he was in
trouble of any sort., Bill just wasn’t
the kind to get into trouble.”

She told the sheriff of her romance
with Kappen and how for a long time
he had been saving his money so they
could: have a small nest-egg to start
out on when they were married. The
financial depression of the Thirties had
hit Kappen as it had millions of others,
and there had been times when he
was unable to find employment. Dur-
ing part of that time he had lived at
the home in St. Louis of his only rela-
tive, a sister, Mrs. Marie Porter.

Miss Traub told how Kappen had
visited her the night before, discuss-
ing the marriage plans. He had left
at about 11:35, and since he owned
no automobile he would have taken
the streetcar home—a trip that should
only have taken a half-hour or so. She
was positive he had reached his apart-
ment because of the fact that his bed
had been slept in and the suit he had
worn was there...

Since there was no telling whether
Kappen had (Continued 'on page 76)

Fat Marie Porter (shown with Deputy Stewart) didn't: let a little thing

like her brother's murder interfere wit

h.a gay party at her ‘house.

iy
MY. Sd

Ralph Giancola—he discovered how
very poisonous poison ivy could be.

RUA RY eae

Bill Kappen drew bath water, but
disappeared before he could bathe.

WHERE'S THE BRIDEGROOM? continued

bride or a groom had failed to show
up, having suffered a change of heart
at the last moment. It seemed almost
incredible that Bill Kappen could have

done so, for he wasn’t the fickle kind

at all, and yet--where was he? One of
the friends took Irene aside and cau-
tiously suggested this possibility to
her. ;

“I don’t believe it,” Irene said. “He
isn’t that kind. Why, he was here last
night almost until midnight, talking

‘over last-minute plans. No, some-
thing’s happened to him.” .

“Have you called him?”

“He has no telephone. We’ll have

to go over to his place and see.”

m@ THE GROUP DROVE across town
to the small, ground-floor ‘apartment
in which Kappen had lived for several
weeks and to which the couple had
intended to return after their honey-
moon trip.

The shades, they. noticed, were
drawn. There was no answer to their

knocks, and both front and rear doors”

were locked.

“Perhaps he’s been taken ill,” Miss
Traub faltered.

With some difficulty, a man in the
group managed to force the lock and

. they walked inside. The living room

was in neat, apple-pie order. They
walked on to the bedroom. Here too
there was no sign of anything amiss.
On a chair was carefully draped the

freshly-pressed - suit which Kappen
had intended to wear to the wedding.
The tub in the bathroom was filled
with clean water; and beside the tub
were new, undampened towels.

“IT wonder,” one of the friends mur-
mured. “Maybe. Bill never came back
here after leaving your place last
night.” © y

“But he must have,” Irene replied.
“You can tell his bed has been slept
in. Besides, the suit he wore last night
—the blue pin-striped one—is in the
closet.”

For a’ moment they gazed at each
other in consternation. There ' was
something eerie about this whole busi-
ness. Bill Kappen had gotten home,
all right, and since he had left Irene
shortly after 11:30, he must have
reached his apartment a little after
midnight. He had gone to bed, at least
for a while. He had laid out his wed-
ding suit. Then he had gotten up and
drawn water for his bath—a bath he

“never took.

Somehow, something must have hap-
pened to prevent Kappen from taking
that bath.

““T don’t like it,” Miss Traub said. “I
think we should notify the police.”

So the strange disappearance of
William Kappen was called to the at-
tention of the St. Louis detective divi-
sion shortly after noon that day, July
3, 1937. To the sleuths, accustomed to
the vagaries of human nature, the

4 2

Deputy Frank Kerrigan—he was look-
ing for a,man with a rash on his arms.

sudden vanishment of an
bridegroom shortly before he was to
be married did not necessarily indicate
foul play. After all, a young man
might change his mind about getting
married. ‘Then too, it was true that
some would-be bridegrooms became
emotionally wrought up over a com-
ing wedding, and it was possible that

Kappen had become a_ victim of.

amnesia, 2. ;

Kappen,'was described as being 32
years old, weighed about 150 pounds,
was five feet six inches tall and had
blue eyes and brown hair. He worked
as a mechanic in a St. Louis garage,
where heshad an excellent reputation
for steadiness-and sobriety. Local offi-
cers were ordered to be on the lookout
for Kappen, and his description was
sent to neighboring police jurisdictions.

Meanwhile, just across the Missis-
sippi River in Illinois, a macabre drama
was being enacted. About 11 o’clock
that morning, a farm boy was stroll-
ing along a country road six miles
east of Belleville, Ill., when he spied
the body of a man lying in the weeds

- and brush at the edge of the road. The

find was reported to Sheriff Henry L.
Sieckmann at Belleville, seat-of St.
Clair County, and the sheriff sent
Deputies Frank Kerrigan and Vivian
Stewart to investigate.

The dead man, who seemed around
30, had .a‘ single bullet wound in his
head.’ He wore slacks and a sport shirt,

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been murdered in St. Louis or across
the river in Illinois, Sheriff Sieckmann
and his men collaborated with St.
Louis’ Detective Chief John J. Carroll
and his staff in the investigation.
Sieckmann and Deputies Kerrigan and
Stewart drove to St. Louis, where they
were joined by Carroll and several de-
tectives in an examination of Kap-
pen’s: apartment.

@ THEY FOUND the place tidy and
undisturbed, just as Miss Traub had
described it. There were no indications
of a struggle or any other signs that
Kappen’ had been forcibly kidnaped.
Other occupants of the building had
heard no sounds from the apartment
either during the night or in the
morning. On Kappen’s dresser one of
the detectives found further proof that
the man had arrived here safely after
leaving his fiancée—a streetcar trans-
fer punched to be used between 11:30
and midnight on Friday.

“No doubt about it--he got here, all
right,” Carroll said. “He undressed,
went to bed, then got up early and
drew water for a bath. Somebody came
and got him before he took his bath.”

“The only way to explain it,” Sheriff
Sieckmann observed, “is that the killer
came here with his gun. Kappen was
forced, under threat of death, to Jeave
without a struggle.”

The gangland angle was thorouvhly

investigated, but Kappen’s character

was found to be without blemish. He
had an excellent record and had never
been in trouble of any kind.

While the other investigators sought
out Kappen’s friends, Carroll and
Sieckmann drove to the home of the
slain man’s widowed sister, Mrs. Marie
Porter. Several cars were parked in
front of the place, and as they strode
up the walk ‘they heard dance music
from a radio, people laughing inside,
and the unmistakable sounds of a par-
ty going full blast. The two officers
stopped, puzzled..

“Can it be,” Carroll wondered, “that
Mrs. Porter hasn't yet heard the news
of her brother’s murder?”

“Maybe we'd better go around the
back way so we ean talk with her
alone,’ Sieckmann suggested.

They circled the house and knocked
at the back door. They could see a
young man standing at the kitchen
table filling glasses with beer. He came
to the door.

“We're looking for Mrs,
Chief Carroll said. :

“Oh, sure.” The young man let them
in and shouted into the house. “Marie
—you’re wanted!” Then he carried a

Porter,”

(Continued from page 33)

tray of glasses into the living room.

An obese woman of perhaps 40, with
straight black hair, waddled into the
kitchen and gazed at the investigators
‘inquiringly. In her hand she carried a
half-filled glass of beer, which she set
down on the table.

“!'m Mrs. Porter,’ she said. “What
is it?? i

Carroll identified himself and intro-
duced the sheriff. “I’m sorry, Mrs.
Porter,” he said, “but I’m afraid we
have bad news for you.”

She nodded. “You mean about Bill
being killed? I already heard about
that.” ~

Carroll was taken aback. “You knew
about it?” he repeated. “We thought
from the fact that you’re having a
party here that you had not been in-
formed.”

“Maybe it does look a little funny,”
Mrs. Porter agreed, “but you see, my
little girl is going to be married’ on
Monday. We had this party all ar-
ranged, and it seemed a shame to waste
the beer and all. I figured it couldn’t
hurt Bill any, so we went right ahead.”

The officers still appeared staggered
at the celebration in Mrs. Porter’s
house on the very day of her brother’s
murder, so she explained further.

“T might as well tell you,” she said,

“Bill and I ain’t had much to do with ©

each other for some time.”

“You didn’t get along well?” the de-

tective chief inquired.

“T wouldn’t put it that way, exactly.
He went his way and | went mine.
After the way he treated me, I just
didn’t bother with him any more.”

“The way he treated you? What do
you mean?”

@ FAT MRS. PORTER closed the
kitchen door, shutting out the sounds
of revelry from the living room. She sat
down heavily at the table and gestured
the officers to chairs.

“Tl tell you,” she said. “For a long
time during the depression, Bill didn’t
have a job so I let him live here in my
house. I didn’t have it easy either, with
my husband dead—just made ends
meet with a little confectionery store
I own.

“Well, finally Bill got back to work,
and then he paid me rent for a little
while. But all of a sudden he moved
out and I heard he was planning to
marry some girl—and him still owing
me rent and board for a year and a
half! I didn’t like that, naturally. I
tried to see him two or three times,
but he wouldn’t even talk to me. So
that was that, and you can see why I
didn’t call off the party.”

Ema ef: bbe

. WHERE’S THE BRIDEGROOM? 5

The investigators understood, all
right. In their experience, both of them’
had come across’ families divided by
arguments and quarrels—a sad but
fairly common occurrence.

“Your brother was murdered,” Car-
roll said, “and we thought you might
be able to help us. Do you know of
any trouble he had—any enemies he
might have made?”

Mrs. Porter shook her head. “I was
sure surprised when I heard about it,”
she replied. “Can’t see why anybody

-would go to the trouble of murdering

Bill. Of course, now and then he drank
too much. Could be he got into a fight
with some tough guy in a tavern. I
remember he came home all beat up a
couple of times.”

The officers were sure, from evidence
already obtained in the case, that Kap-
pen’s murder was something other than
the result of a tavern brawl. After a
few more questions, they arose to de-
part. At that moment the young man:
who had let them in came into the
kitchen with empty glasses—a hand-
some, smiling youth with dark hair and
dark eyes.

“This is Ralph Giancola,”’ Marie Por-
ter said to the officers. “As long as
you’re here, why not have a beer?
Ralph, pour the gentlemen a couple
of glasses.” :

The investigators refused with thanks

_ and took their leave.

“Weird situation,” Sieckmann re-
marked as they drove away, “a family
divided like that. Well, there’s an angle
we've got to look into. Kappen was
murdered only a couple of hours before
he was to have been married to Miss
Traub. Maybe someone didn’t want
him to marry her. Maybe some other
man was interested in Miss Traub.”

They called on Irene Traub and
questioned her as to the possibility of
a jealous suitor being responsible. To
her, this theory seemed without foun-
dation. on

“Bill and I had been going steady
for a long time,” she said sadly. “That
can't be it.”

“We've got to be sure,” Chief Car-
roll pointed out. “It can do no harm
to investigate the matter. Please give
us the names of the young men you
went with before you became engaged
to Bill.”

Reluctantly, Miss Traub supplied the
names of four young men with whom
she had formerly kept company, assur-
ing the officers that she felt certain
they had nothing to do with the crime.

On Sunday, St. Louis detectives,
along with Deputies Kerrigan and
Stewart, investigated the activities of

thesé¢ tour men. |
covered, had

3 married. Anothe
— city. and was ni
* third had a cle:

ments at the tim

But the four:
a
- worker named

became the fir

* murder.

m@ BUSH REN’

south side of th
home when the

|. his landlady let

“Albert’s out
“He didn’t say

The sleuths s
and inside a wic
a lightweight ta:
with dark brow
them about the

“Looks like
cried.

The landlady
about Bush’s m:
Bush’s room \
bedroom, and t!
ened by the svi

_ room at about

morning. A {:
heard someone
cend the stairs
“He came |
o’clock in. the
“He said he’s |
river but had |
caught a fishho:
a bandage on it
Bush, therefo
the house at t!
returning abou!
died. Had his }:
by a fishhook-
a struggle with
tives reported
sped to the ro:
Carroll and t
other minute «
room, They cou
cartridges, not!
with Kappen. A
stained shirt in
Tm taking |
he said. “You »
and when he «
Albert Bush
Sunday, and
when the dete
He accompanic:
without protes!
was being qu
Chief Carroll.
Carroll notic:
hand. “What h:
he inquired.
Bush _ looked
don’t know \
about,” he said
friend of min«
caught a hook
and it bled pre:

‘rstood, all
oth of them’
divided by
a sad but

lored,” Car-
! you might
ou know of
enemies he

oead. “I was
rd about it,”’
hy anybody
{ murdering
en he drank
‘ into a fight
a tavern. I
ill beat up a

om evidence
ec, that Kap-
1s other than
awl, After a
rose to de-
young mane
me into the
es--a hand-
ark hair and

Marie Por-
“As long as
ive a beer?
‘na couple

i with thanks

‘-kmann = re-
wy, “a family
e's an angle
Sappen was
hours before
ried to Miss
didn’t want:
' some other
ss Traub.”
Traub and
oossibility of
sponsible. To
vithout foun-

zoing steady
sadly. “That

’ Chief Car-
do no harm
. Please give
ing men you
‘ame engaged

) supplied the
n with whom

upany, assur-
- felt certain
ith the crime. .
is detectives,
Serrigan and.
- activities of

{
*
i

¥
:
a
4

eer 3

* these tour men. One of them} they dis-

covered, had since become happily
married, Another had moved from the
city and was now living in Texas. A
third had a clear alibi for his move-
ments at the time.of the slaying.

But the fourth, 28-year-old office
worker Ramed Albert Bush, quickly
became the first hot suspect in the
murder.

™ BUSH RENTED a room on the
south side of the city, and was not at
home when the detectives called, but
his landlady let them in. ;
“Albert’s out right now,” she said.
“He didn’t say when he’d be back.”
The sleuths searched Bush’s room,
and inside a wicker hamper they found
a lightweight tan sports shirt spattered
with dark brown stains, the biggest of
them about the size of a silver dollar.
“Looks . like blood!” one of them
cried. 2
The landlady was questioned closely
about Bush’s movements. She said that

. Bush’s room was directly above her

bedroom, and that she had been awak-
ened by the sound of footsteps in his
room at about 5 o’clock on Saturday
morning. A few minutes.later, she
heard someone—doubtless Bush—des-
cend the stairs and leave the house.

“He came home again:about 9
o’clock in. the morning,” she related.
“He said he’s been fishing.down the
river but had had a little accident—
caught a fishhook in his hand. He had
a bandage on it.”

Bush, therefore, had been away from
the house at the time of the murder,
returning about an hour after Kappen
died. Had his hand really been caught
by a fishhook—-or had he been hurt in
a struggle with his victim? The detec-
tives reported to Chief Carroll, who
sped to the rooming house in person.

Carroll and the detectives made an-
other minute examination of Bush’s
room. They could find no revolver, no
cartridges, nothing to connect Bush
with Kappen. At length Carroll put the
stained shirt in his car.

“I’m taking this to the laboratory,”
he said. “You men wait here for Bush,
and when he comes, bring him in.”

Albert Bush: returned at. 7 p.m. on
Sunday, and seemed very surprised
when the detectives took him in tow.
He accompanied them to headquarters
without protest, however, and soon he
was being questioned by Detective
Chief Carroll. ‘

Carroll noticed a bandage on Bush’s
hand. “What happened to your hand?”
he inquired. ‘

Bush looked a little annoyed. “I
don't know what all the hubbub’s
about,” he said. “I went fishing with a
friend of mine Saturday morning. I
caught a hook in my hand, quite deep,
and it bled pretty badly—-got blood all

be cage} oc tae |, is ASRS DAR
ay hy ' .

over my shirt.” ok

The report from the laboratory that
the spots on Bush’s shirt were made
by blood, thus appeared to have no
value, but Carroll took nothing for
granted. A detective went out and
brought in Bush’s fishing companion,
who corroborated Bush’s story in every
detail. The young man was released
with apologies. ‘

“So that’s that,’ Sheriff Sieckmann
sighed. “The jealousyemotive seems to
be out.”

“It does,” Carroll agreed. “We're
back where we started. We’ve got to hit

on some new lead.”

Together, Carroll and Sieckmann be-
gan going over the reports of the de-
tectives and deputies assigned to the
case—men who had interviewed friends
and co-workers of the victim, They
were looking for some hint, some clue
that might open up a different angle
of attack, At length Carroll looked up.

“What’s your impression of ‘William
Kappen after reading these reports?”
he inquired of the sheriff.

“Seems lilke a decent man,”. Sieck-
mann replied. “Had his troubles dur-
ing the depression like everybody else,
but when he got a job he made good
at it. Everybody who knows him de-
scribes him as of good character, sober
and_ industrious.”

“Everybody except one person,” Car-

‘roll pointed out meaningly.

“One person? Who’s that?”

“His sister. Remember?”

Sieckmann nodded. “Say, that’s
right! She made him out to be quite a
rounder—the sort of fellow who fre-
quents taverns, drinks heavily and gets
into fights.”

= ACCORDING TO the reports of a
score of the friends of William Kap-
pen, he was not a teetotaller but came
close to it. Now and then he might
accept a drink at the home of a friend,
but he never drank to excess and never
frequented taverns. As one acquaint-
ance put it, “You couldn’t drag Bill into
a bar.” The reports were also unani-
mous in stating that Kappen was
amiable and friendly by nature; no one
could recall when he had had a quar-
rel or a fight.

“Somebody’s

wrong,” Sieckmann

gaid, “and it’s my guess that it’s Kap- |

pen’s sister, Mrs. Porter.”

“Mine too,’ Carroll agreed. “She
must have lied about him—tried to
give us a false picture of him. Why
should she do that?”

The sheriff frownéd. “The only rea-
son I can see is that she wanted to
divert any possible suspicion from her-
self. Which would indicate she thought
she might be suspected.”

The two officers pondered the prob-
lem. Both of them had been shocked

at Marie Porter's callous attitude to-

Boe. as #
Ba 6 a

t ; at
@ REMEMBER Sandra Pcterson? ’ She's

the um-chewing, marijuana-smoking,
gun-toting 18-year-old girl who was con-
victed in Texas last January of murder.

With a 15-year-old companion, ' Loretta
Fae Mozingo, Sandra was thumbing a ride
cn a highway near Brady, Tex., in 1949,
They were picked up by Lewis Patterson,
a Brady real estate man, and a few min-
utes later Patterson was fatally shot and
thrown in a roadside ditch while the girls
made off in his car. ‘

“He had it coming,” Sandra said’ when
she was arrested after a store-to-store
chase in downtown San Angelo, Tex, “He
tried to force his attentions on me.”

The authorities did not believe this.
Sandra, they were sure, was the same girl

who had picked her up the previous day,
and taken his money. They figured her as
| 4 girl highwayman who had embarked on
a crime spree and shot Patterson when he
refuscd to hand her his money. ..

Texas officials were so outraged at her
callous attitude toward the shooting that
they wanted to put her in a safe place for
a long time. But.Sandra was then only 17,
which in Texas made her technically a
juvenile. According to state law, a juve-
| nile could not be charged with a capital
crime or forced to serve a long prison term.

Sandra was tried on a delinquency charge
| and given a short jail sentence. She turned
| 18 when she was in jail, thus. becoming
legally of age so that she could be charged
with homicide. She was then tried for mur-
der, convicted and given a life sentence.

In November of 1950, Sandra’s attorneys
appealed the conviction, claiming that, the
prosecution’s strategy was illegal and that
| the girl should have been tried immediate-

ly as a juvenile. .

The court overruled the argument, and
unless a new appeal is successful, San-
dra’s life term stands.

“The whole thing’s a frameup,” Sandra
snapped later as she puffed at a cigarette
which contained no marijuana,

Prison for Santa

who had held up another Texas driver ~

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Lively promptly dropped when his former
employer went to Indianapolis and faced

him.

Captain Reilly still doubted that Lively
was telling the whole truth. “The guy’s a
pathological liar,” he said.

There were several possible explanations
of Dorothy's visit to Room 665, Captain
Reilly believed. One was that Lively
might have met the girl in a lunch-room
and told her to come to see him about a

job.

Another theory was that Lively was a
contact man for a white slave ring. He
had enticed Dorothy to his room with a
phony job offer, then slew her when she
threatened to report him to the police.
Still another possible angle was that
there actually was a woman contact named
Ruth. She might have persuaded Dorothy
to go to Lively’s hotel room with her, on
the pretext that he had employment to
offer.

Lively was arraigned before Judge Pat-
rick A. Barton in a municipal court. A
court-appointed attorney waived examina-
tion and Lively was held without bond for
grand jury action.

On August 12th an Indianapolis grand

jury handed down a first-degree murder
indictment and ordered Lively held for
trial during the fall court term.

John ‘H. Daily, Chief Marion County
Prosecuting Attorney, said, “No deal will
be made. If ever there was a case that
deserved the chair, this is it?

But final decision rests with the jury
that hears and weighs the evidence.

And Captain Reilly vowed that he would
ferret out the whole truth about the mur-
der before the suspect was brought to trial.
Of one thing, Reilly insisted, he was cer-
tain: Dorothy Poore was “a nice girl,” as
Lively himself had said. Somehow, on a
pretext she believed legitimate, she had
been lured to that fatal date in Room 665.

And there, at 2:30 on Friday morning,
July 16th, 1954, the fortune teller’s grim
prophecy was fulfilled. A man was wait-
ing to seize her by the throat. oo¢

Epitor’s Note:

The name, Neal Rutledge, as used in
the foregoing story, is not the real name
of the person concerned. This person
has been given a fictitious name to pro-
tect his identity.

The Vanished
Bridegroom

(Continued from page 28)

that it would keep out burglars. She had
accepted this explanation, knowing Bill’s
cautious nature, but she wondered now if
he had not actually feared for his life.

A month before that, Pauline sald, she
had received an anonymous letter, written
in what appeared to be a woman's hand,
warning her that she would be sorry if she
went through with the marriage. The let-
ter had described Kappen as potentially
insane, with the mind of a child. She had
not taken the letter seriously, Pauline said,
and had destroyed it without even men-
tioning it to Bill.

“Do you, think it was written by an old
girl friend of his?” Sinclair asked.

Pauline shrugged. “I don't know what
to think. Undoubtedly someone was jeal-
ous, yet neither Bill nor I had gone out
with anybody else in the three years we
had been keeping company. Bill never
had another serious girl friend, I know.”

The police were not able to find one,
either, although they located several
young men with whom Pauline had gone
out before she met Kappen. All of them
now appeared to be happily married and,
although the police questioned one of
them for two hours because he could not
account for his time on the night of tho
murder satisfactorily, all were absolved of
any connection with the crime.

Marie Porter, the dead man’s sister, his
friends and former neighbors laughed at
the thought expressed by questioning de-
tectives that Kappen had been two-timing
Pauline with another girl, who had jeal-
ously had him murdered on the eve of his
marriage. Bill Kappen, it appeared, had
lived a life beyond reproach.

“I only wish,” said one of his former
neighbors, who lived across the ‘street
from his sister, “that Marie Porter was
half as fine a person as Bill.”

“What do you mean by that?” Henry
Siekhaus asked.

“Marie is a witch,” the neighbor said.
“She’s mercenary, grasping, a nympho-

is MIA

maniac, and completely lacking in respect

for the memory of her dead brother.”

He told of a wedding reception that
Marie had given the night before, after
her 17-year-old daughter’s marriage to
Leo Naylor, a boarder in her rooming
house,

“I suppose It was too late to postpone
the marriage,” the neighbor said, “but
with poor Bill still lying in the morgue,
she could at least have canceled the party.
It was the rowdiest blowout I ever at-
tended.

“She hired a band and there were over
200 guests. Fights broke out all over the
place and Marie got noisy and hilarious,
while Ralph, who looked scared to death
earlier in the evening, got drunk and
passed out. They had to carry him home.”

“Who's Ralph?”

“J don’t know his last name,” the neigh-
bor said. “He's Marie’s friend, although
he’s young enough to be her son.”

Siekhaus changed the line of question-
ing. “Have you ever heard Marie say
that she disliked her brother?” he asked.
The neighbor said that he had not.

Later, talking it over with Lieutenant
Carroll and Blalr, the sergeant pointed out
that Marie Porter's callous conduct indi-
cated a_ strained relationship between
brother and sister which would bear look-
ing Into, “It's the only facet of the vic-
tim’s life that apparently wasn't smooth
and uncomplicated,” he said.

Pauline Ladue said, when Siekhaus ques-
tloned her, “Marie was always after him
for money. That's why Bill stopped liv-
ing with her.” She added, “Oh, please
don’t think that I believe Marie had any-
thing to do with his murder. She may
have her faults, but sho'n fat and good.
natured and she wouldn't harm a fly.”

The detective dismissed this as the biased
estimate of one who had expected to be-
come the fat woman's sixter-in-law and

was determined to get along with her.
“Who's Ralph?” he asked.

“He's Marie’s friend, but I don’t even
know his last name. Bill, who was prud-
ish in some ways, would never talk about
their relationship. I think he was em-
barrassed because Ralph was so much
younger than Marie,” Pauline said.

Asked if Marie's and Bill's father was
in an insane asylum, Pauline said that he
was. Several years before, she explained,
the elder Kappen had shot Marie’s husband
to death.

Police records confirmed this fact, and

the father wa:
city sanitariu
appeared to :
the killing of
The detactic
and shop
Minerva
a candy _-_--
The fat wo:
mously dislik«
was ruthless
ing with othe:
ward custome
the business.
opened the b
The neighb
remembered !
in the store,
to do much e:
She kept him
ey, which he
girls of his c
Nobody sec
him, but Dete
a shopkeeper
name—it wa
Siekhaus star
the young n
bloodstained
the day afte:
Two facts c
relationship |
cola and Wil
ing more thar
Porter. Ther
dence of unt
two men, the
been friends.
The second
plete depend
She dominat«
passionate lo
till his will
He was as fe
small child \
One forme
lived across
of frequently
bedroom in t
ing. “If Mar
out of the -
have done it
The detect
Marie ho"
der, he
But,
the mtu.
and Siekhaus
a financial or
len went to
pany, where
bank accoun
Kappen ha
29th, using th
the bookkee
always had
The bank:
cause of one
pen had roa
the only tim
mad—compla
forging chec
also had fai)
entrusted to
Questioned
Porter had :
fended her
supported he
employed du
that he owec
Kappen de
repaid her,
there never |
ing between
legal charge:
out of her h
The detect
pen had beer
that Marie
probably exe
cause she wa

‘by STEPHEN HOYT

‘His bed had been slept in,
his wedding clothes laid out,
his bath drawn,

but at the church

the guests and the girl

waited in vain

jilted at the altar, yet the joyful expectancy with

which she had entered St. Anthony’s Church half an
hour before her wedding had now turned to panic. Bill
Kappen, her bridegroom, had failed to. arrive.

Pauline fought back her tears and suppressed an impulse
to tear off her bridal veil and flee from the peering, curious
faces of the wedding guests. She hated their sympathy,
hated the grinning choir boys giggling in the choir’ loft,
whispering about her and her missing bridegroom.

The officiating priest pulled his watch from under his
cassock, glanced at it and frowned. The guests coughed and
shufMied their feet. Pauline bit her lips. Where was Bill?

She recalled Bill’s unnatural quiet during the past few
weeks. She had interpreted it as the serious attitude of any
thoughtful young man about to assume the responsibility of
marriage. Now she thought maybe she had been wrong.
Maybe Bill had wanted his freedom and had been afraid to
ask her for it. She would have given it to him gladly, if he
had been brave enough to ask her. How could he have for-
saken ‘her at the last moment? It was cowardly, cruel, to

Pisiccst LADUE was far too pretty a bride to be

humiliate her before her friends! She dropped her bouquet _

on the floor, buried her face in her father’s shoulder and
wept.

Her brother, Paul, touched her on the arm. “Give me the
key to Bill’s apartment,” he said quietly. “I’ll go over there
and find out what’s wrong. Maybe he’s. sick and can’t reach
a telephone.”

The door of the bridegroom’s second-floor flat stood half
open. Paul and Grace, his wife, called Bill’s name, walked
quickly through ‘the rooms looking for him. A tub of water

{).
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#11 in series

had been run in the bathroom, but obviously not used. It
was now cold. Bill’s tuxedo, black tie, shirt and studs were
laid out carefully on one twin bed. The other bed had been
slept in and was unmade.

Paul looked at the wedding suit. “If Bill Kappen jilted my
sister, he certainly waited till the last moment,” he said
angrily. : . ;

Grace put her hand on his. “Let’s not pass judgment too
hastily,” she said. “Something is wrong—terribly wrong.
But I still don't believe Bill would jilt Pauline. Let's go back
to the church and talk it over with her and Daddy Ladue.
My advice would be to call the St. Louis Police Department.
Maybe they can help.” é

It was 11 aM. when they returned to St. Anthony’s, 60
minutes after the appointed hour for the marriage of Paul-
ine Ladue and William Kappen. Nine miles east, across the
Mississippi River between East St. Louis, Illinois, and Belle-
ville, a group of excited men were gathered in the middle of
the Travis Mine Road, an unpaved dirt highway forming a
right angle with Route 13, the main road, 100 yards distant.

Their attention was centered on the body of a slight,
sandy-haired young man lying on his back in the dirt, his
hands crossed on his breast as if he had been praying. He

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#11 in series

isly not used. It
t and studs were
1er bed had been

<appen jilted my
oment,” he said

ass judgment too
—_terribly wrong.
ine. Let’s go back
id Daddy Ladue.
slice Department.

3t. Anthony’s, 60
aarriage of Paul-
s east, across the
dinois, and Belle-
iin the middle of
ghway forming a
100 yards distant.
rvody of a slight,
k in the dirt, his
been praying. He

eT cial de

was dresged in tan work pants, a white shirt and black ox-
ford shoes, but he wore no socks or underclothing.

Blood had coursed down his cheek from the left eye and
black powder burns on his right temple marked the path
of the bullet which had ended his life.

Deep, red indentations on his wrists suggested that they
had been bound, although his hands were free when the
body was discovered by V. C, Leo, an East St, Louls real
estate broker, and Dr. H. E. Rose, a prospective customer
to whom Leo was showing a piece of land. The two men
had telephoned the St. Clair County sheriff’s office in Belle-
ville.

To Sheriff Henry L. Siekmann it looked like another St.
Louis gang killing, probably by the notorious Egan’s Rats.
There was no identification in the victim’s clothes, no blood
or signs of struggle in the road, indicating that the: victim
probably was dead when brought there.

As the sheriff examined the road for tire tracks, Deputy
Frank Kerrigan came up with two bloody handkerchiefs,
held gingerly by the corners. “I don’t want to spoil any
identification on them and I don’t want to catch poison ivy,
either,” Kerrigan said. He explained that he had found the
handkerchiefs in a large clump of poison ivy in a fleld about
50 yards away. He showed Siekmann and news photograph-
ers the clump of shiny, heart-shaped leaf nearby.

When the technicians had finished taking fingerprints,
Siekmann ordered an extra set sent to St. Louis and the
body removed by Coroner Dr. Leo Madden to Belleville for
autopsy.

Knowing that professional thugs often are on intimate
terms with their prospective victims, Siekmann ordered in-
quiries made at the White Goose, an inn one mile west of
the death site, and at all taverns and roadhouses to Belle-
ville, 7 miles to the east, and to East St. Louis, 8 miles
to the west, on the theory that the murder party might
have stopped for a drink or that a quarrel had suddenly oc-

curred, although there were indications that the killing was
premeditated. '

Results of the search were negative. The police were plan-
ning to center the hunt farther east, in Belleville, when
word came from St. Louis. No classification had been found
under the victim’s fingerprints, almost eliminating the pos-
sibility that he was a St. Louis gangster, but Lieutenant
John J. Carroll, St. Louis chief of detectives, reported that
his‘physical description tallied closely with that of a missing
bridegroom, William Kappen.

Late that Saturday evening, on what was to have been
Pauline Ladue’s wedding night, the bereft girl journeyed, to
the Belleville mortuary, accompanied by St. Louis detec-
tives, Harold Bohlen, John Sinclair and Sergeant Henry
Siekhaus. Weeping, she identified the body of the murdered
man as William Kappen, the bridegroom who she thought
had left her waiting at the church. Dr. Madden had esti-
mated that he had died at 2 o’clock in the morning, eight
hours before the scheduled time of the wedding.

Realizing now that she had not been jilted, Pauline re-
gained control of herself and attempted to answer the ques-
tions of the police. She and Bill Kappen, who was 28, had
been going together for the past three years, she said, and
had been engaged about a year. During all that time they
had never quarreled, Pauline said. And Bill, who did ‘not
smoke or drink, was so mild-mannered, it was inconceiv-
able that he should have made any enemies.

On Friday evening they had attended confession together,
after which she had given him a waste basket for their
apartment, and had kissed him good night. This was about
11:15, she said, She believed that he had gone directly home,
taking the Bellefontaine streetcar. .

She told police that Bill had seemed unusually quiet in
recent weeks and she wondered now if he had been hiding a
secret fear of an enemy. :

His father was in an insane asylum, Pauline said, and his

BRIDEGROOM

A dominating woman, young man (r.) her helpless tool, his younger brother,

revolve in evil plot that wrecked lives

a nae
Ps rs Ate ts : ya td t
Murder broke his date with bride who walted at church

only other relative was a sister, Mrs. Marie Porter, at whose
boarding house on Page Boulevard Bill had lived until last
January. Then he had moved to rooms on Claxton Avenue.

' Four days ago, on June 29th, he had taken the wedding flat

on North Union Boulevard.

St. Louis officers went there immediately. Only the back
door was locked and though there were no signs of struggle,
the laid-out wedding clothes and the drawn ‘bath in the tub
testified to Kappen’s unexpected departure.

A Bellefontaine streetcar ticket lying on the bureau
dresser had been stamped at 11:30, indicating that he had
come home immediately after leaving Pauline. Later he had
had two visitors, for there were two cigarette butts of differ-
ent brands in the kitchen sink. If these had been his killers’,
apparently he had known them well enough to ask them in.

The police launched an investigation into the background
of this young man, whose known habits seemed to disqualify
him as a candidate for murder,

They talked to Kappen’s sister, Mrs. Marie Porter. Ten

¢ 3
‘ ‘ ts A
Ma

Det. Siekhaus asked, ‘‘Who is Ralph?” Reply shocked him.

years older than her brother and the widowed mother of
four daughters, she was short, dark-haired, black-eyed and
plump, whereas Bill Kappen had been fair-complexioned,
blue-eyed and slim. She had been extremely fond of her
brother, she said, whom she characterized as “the salt of the
earth.”

“Bill was almost too good to be true,” she added. “In fact
he didn’t have enough get-up-and-get to make any en-
emies.” She had not noticed that he appeared worried re-
cently, she said.

Lieutenant Carroll was skeptical. “Bill Kappen may have
been a saint,” he said, “put the fact remains that’ two
people hated him enough to bump him off.” Carroll did not
discount the possibility that Kappen had been slain by hired
killers, and this made finding a motive for the slaying im-
perative.

But neither Kappen’s friends nor the people with whom °

he had worked could offer the slightest clue to a motive.
The police wondered if the murder had been a monstrous
error—if Bill Kappen had been slain by hired killers who
had mistaken him for someone else. But how had they
gained entrance to his apartment? Neither the doors nor the
windows had been forced and the downstairs tenants had
heard nothing unusual that night. Also, it seemed unlikely
that even the most stupid gangsters would mistake this
mild-mannered young man for the victim of a deserved
rub-out.

Another possibility was that Kappen had been playing
around over in East St. Louls or Belleville. But Pauline
Ladue testified that he had spent almost every evening with
her and that he did not own a Car. :

-Because of this absence of motive Carroll and the other

officials had to place their hope on building a chain of physi-
cal clues which would lead to the killers, whose motive
would then be revealed. Search for the car in which police
believed Kappen had been shot, or driven to the Travis Mine
Road after the.killing, was centered on garages, service sta-
tions and other likely places where bloodstained auto up-
holstery might be noticed and remembered.
_ The first response to the police request for information
about such a car came from an auto-rental agency on Wash-
ington Boulevard, which reported that a 1937 Ford coach
had been hired from them on Friday afternoon, about 10
hours before the murder, and returned at 7 P.M. Saturday,
with the dashboard, floor and front seat covered with stains
that appeared to be blood. Although someone had attempted
to eradicate them, the stains were unmistakable.

Records of the rental agency showed that the car had
been hired by Angelo Giancola, who had identified himself
as a laborer for a construction company, 21 years old, living
on Genevieve Avenue.

Sergeant Siekhaus questioned Giancola. He was a tall,
wavy-haired young man with large brown eyes and long
eyelashes, He was courteous,’ answering the detective’s
questions in an apparent effort to cooperate, He explained
that the blood in the car was the result of a fight between
his brother, John, and another young man. Later, the
brothers had stopped at a service station and attempted to

, clean the interior of the car with gasoline.

John Giancola confirmed Angelo’s story. The fight had
been over a remark passed on the street, John said, and
there had been no other witnesses—they did not know
the name of the man John had fought.

Neither of the Giancolas had a police record, and when
Pauline Ladue confirmed that she did not know them and
did not think that Bill Kappen had known them, the police
released the brothers. ,

Now that she was more composed and had more time to
think, Pauline told the police of two incidents which had
not seemed important at the time but which now appeared
to have been forewarnings of her fiancé’s murder.

On June 29th, when Bill was moving into their honey-
moon apartment, she had heard him ask the superintendent
of the building to nail shut the transoms above both the
front and back doors. He explained ( Continued on page 90)

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LOST ALIBI

(Continued from page 53)

wrote to George in anger, Nellie repented
and decided that she wouldn’t sue him at
all, that she’d simply have to chalk up her
brush-off to experience, like she had to do
twenty years ago when her marriage broke
up. So she took the letters and burned
them.”

Deputy Throgmorton whistled slowly,
exchanged a glance with Harris. If Nellie
Reichelderfer had destroyed the love let-
ters, had nothing to give a man intent
upon having them——

“It adds up,” Harris said. “Schiller gets
out here, drunk and maybe sore about the
threatened lawsuit. He wants those letters
but meanwhile she’s burned them. He turns
the house inside out trying to find the let-
ters, not believing what she tells him. When
he doesn’t find them, he kills her. That
would account for the place being ran-
sacked, but nothing being stolen.”

When they had thanked Paula and
stepped outside the house, Throgmorton
said, “Kind of ironic. Schiller kills her be-
cause he doesn’t want a lawsuit and she
can’t stop him because she’d decided not to
enter that lawsuit.”

“Maybe,” Harris said. “I’m not jumping
to conclusions, though. There was more
than one man after Nellie’s money, and it
might bear looking ‘into a few of those fel-
lows’ activities yesterday. While I do that,
you better go over the ground here for
clues. If Schiller shot her, he had to throw
the empty shell somewhere. He also had to
come out the county road in a rig. Maybe
someone saw him. Check both those ends,
Frank. I’ll see you later in town.”

After getting a list of names from Paula
Cottrell, Harris left to check on young male
acquaintances of Nellie Reichelderfer who
lived in the nearby towns of Colp and Her-
rin. Frank Throgmorton, meanwhile, moved
slowly outward from the point in the hog
pen where the body of Nellie had been
found. Traveling in a widening circle, the
deputy had covered the ground in the pen
and was searching the barn lot when he
noticed that he was getting near the edge
of the surrounding woods. Pausing to light
a cigarette, Frank noticed that an old log
lay at the fringe of the woods, more than
100 yards from the spot where Mrs. Reich-
elderfer had fallen.

In his mind, Throgmorton had recon-
structed the killing and felt that the victim
had been standing near the pen, or walking
toward it, when struck by the bullet. The
log would have been an excellent vantage
point from which to fire at an unsuspecting
target. Abandoning his search of the yard,
the deputy hurried toward the log and be-
gan kicking at the fallen leaves behind it.
In the maze of red and brown he suddenly
otted a golden gleam—grabbed up the
iny case of an empty cartridge.

It was a .25-20 rifle shell, a small bullet
with plenty of power. This explained why
the slug that had hit Nellie Reichelderfer
had passed through her body, and had not
been found by the investigators. It was of
little consequence now, since the shell it-
self was sufficient to identify the rifle from

, which it had been fired. Deputy Throgmor-

ton decided to bring his find to Sheriff
Harris at once, and in order to locate his
chief he secured the names on the list Paula
Cottrell had given Harris. ;
Hurrying in to Herrin, the deputy
checked at several addresses before he
finally overtook Sheriff Harris. The sheriff
uinted at the shell casing, then frowned.
“I’m making no headway on this end of the
investigation,” he said. “All of the men I’ve
interviewed so far have had solid alibis for

the time in question. It looks like you’ve
come up with the first tangible lead in the
case, Frank. But it seems to me that it
means we’ve got to start all over again.”
Deputy Throgmorton glanced question-
ably at the sheriff. “How so?”
“This is a rifle bullet,” Harris said. “Not

much chance that Schiller moved .around .

Colp with a rifle in his rig—none at all that
he carried it into the taverns with him.
More than that, the marksman who killed
Mrs. Reichelderfer with one shot from that
log—over 100 yards distant—had to have a
pretty steady hand. We’ve several witnesses
who will testify to the fact that Schiller was
staggering drunk only a half hour before
the murder was committed. Since our case
against Schiller is purely circumstantial,
any good defense lawyer would be able to
introduce doubt in the jurors’ minds by
citing the implausibility of a drunken man
being a sharpshooter.”

Throgmorton fingered the shell, put it
back in his jacket pocket. “Just the same,
if we could find that rifle we’d be hot on
the killer’s heels.”

“Right. We’ve got to check along the
county road to see if anyone saw Schiller
driving to or from town yesterday after-
noon or evening. We might as well keep
our eyes peeled for a rifle along the way.
If he got rid of it; he had to do it on the

. way back from the shooting.”

The two officers started back along the
county road toward the Reichelderfer farm,
stopping at bordering farmhouses to ask
about travelers on the road late the pre-
vious day. Several farmers had seen Paula
Cottrell’s rig as she went into town at about
2 that day, and one man, who’d been work-
ing at the roadside, insisted that the only
person who had passed him between the
hours of 2 and 5:30 was the same Paula
Cottrell.

“There’s another road back to town,”
Throgmorton said as they neared the
Reichelderfer farm. “It’s that little-used
trail back of the farm, but it would add an-
other ten miles to the trip. Want to try our
luck there?”

Harris shook his head negatively. “We'll
go back to that old log. Maybe we can pick
up a bootprint, some sort of tracks to show
which way the killer fled.”

The two men were soon scanning the
terrain near the farm for sign of the am-
bush killer. It was Throgmorton, covering
a strip of marshy ground, who found the
first clear imprint of a boot. He shouted for
Sheriff Harris to join him...

Peering closely at the ground, the sheriff
said nothing for several minutes. Then he
stood up straight and grinned. “There’s two
sets of prints here, Frank. One fellow was
wearing street shoes, the other tracks are
those of hob-nailed boots. I think this un-
locks the door that lets George Schiller
out.

“Meaning?”

“Schiller had a one-man motive. And if
he killed, it was spur of the moment stuff,
not premeditated. Sure, the street shoes
could be his and the boots those of some-
one he got to fire the fatal shot for him.
But he left the last tavern we place him in
at about 3:30 and Nellie was killed around
4. That gives George only 30 minutes to
ride out here—which he could do. But it
doesn’t allow enough time for him to have
got an accomplice in on the killing. We’ve
as much evidence in his favor, now, as we
had against him at the beginning.”

Throgmorton nodded. “You figuring on
releasing Schiller from jail?”

“No. We'll talk to Schiller about that to-
night. First, let’s see if we can determine
which direction this pair took, which road
they headed for.”

Further tracking was difficult. Following
a vague trail of a scuffed bit of ground or a
crushed bush, the two country lawmen

s like you’ve
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o me that it
over again.”
ed question~

ris said. “Not
coved around
ne at all that
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n who killed
hot from that
iid to have a
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t Schiller was
hour before
ince our case
rcumstantial,
id be able to
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shell, put it
ust the same,
“d be hot on

ck along the
saw Schiller
sterday after-
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ong the way.
) do it on the
ick along the
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late the pre-
ad seen Paula
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between the
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ck to town,”

neared the
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vould add an-
ant to try our

itively. “We'll
e we can pick
racks to show

scanning the
m of the am-
rton, covering
‘ho found the
fe shouted for

nd, the sheriff
utes. Then he
. “There’s two
ne fellow was
er tracks are
hink this un-
-orge Schiller

1otive. And if
moment stuff,
street shoes
hose of some-
shot for him.
» place him in
killed around
30 minutes -to
ild do. But it
r him to have
killing. We’ve
‘r, NOW, as we
ing.”
i figuring on

ibout that to-
an determine
<, which road

ult. Following
{ ground or a
ntry lawmen

made their way to a fence. Deputy Throg-
morton pointed to the top rail. “Mud. Looks
like they climbed here.”

On the opposite side of the fence they
found several indistinct footprints. These
headed off in the direction of the county
road. Sheriff Harris leaned against the
fence, lighted a cigar. “Tomorrow we go
along that road again. This time we're look-
ing for information about two men on foot,
one of-them maybe carrying a rifle. Now
we head for Colp and a little chat with
George Schiller.”

The insurance salesman was in a confer-
ence with his attorney when the sheriff and
the deputy arrived at the jail in Colp.
Harris. quickly outlined the discoveries

made by Throgmorton, and as he did the

tension began to ease out of George Schil-
ler’s fage.

“You mean I didn’t do it?” Schiller asked.

“No, but if it hadn’t been for Throgmor-
ton, here, you’d have had no chance at all
before a jury,” Harris said. “A man with
the habit of blacking out after several
drinks ought to stay away from the stuff,
Schiller.”

The insurance salesman nodded. “I’m
— water-cooled from now on, Sher-

“Good. Now I’ve got a favor to ask, Schil-
ler. It may help us keep a pair of killers in
the dark about what we know if you'd
continue to stay on here at the jail, say for
anather two days or so, as though you were
still our top choice for the guilty party in
this‘casé.”

Schiller shot a glance at his lawyer.
“That’s a deal. I’ve been thinking about that
rope around my throat, and now that
you’ve untied it, I want to be sure it stays
off. Any way I can help, Sheriff, I'll be will-

- ing.”

Once'more the barred door slammed shut
on George Schiller. This time, however, he
was able to stretch out on the cell cot and
fall off into a peaceful sleep.

Sheriff Harris and Deputy Throgmorton
renewed their canvass of the county road
early the next morning, stopping farmers
in the area around the Reichelderfer place
as they"hitched up teams and headed out
toward-their fields. One weatherbeaten
man worked on a chaw of tobacco and
listened*to the sheriff's question.

“Twwomen with a rifle, eh?” he repeated.
“Can’t help on the two men part, but I did
see a couple of kids, about 2 o’clock Mon-
day afternoon, trying to scare up some
ducks in.the slough over yonder. One of
them, Jerry Graves, had a rifle with him.”

“Who was the other one?”

“The Price boy—young Cal. They headed
off in the direction of the Reichelderfer
farm, too. Last I saw of them they were
going down the road,” the farmer said.

Taking their leave of the farmer, the two
lawmen discussed the best avenue of in-
vestigation to follow. Graves and Price
lived within three miles of the Reichelder-

fer farm, Harris knew. They were both

about 20 or 21 years old, and worked on

neighboring farms or did odd jobs. It was
possible that one of them might own a
‘25-20 rifle. It was possible, too, that one

might own a pair of hob-nailed boots.

“You nose around the area, Frank,”
Harris said. “See if you can find out what
sort of guns these boys have, but try not
to arouse their suspicions. I’m going to

bring them in, one at a time, for question-

ing. They may or may not be our killers,
but if they were walking the county road
Monday. afternoon it’s possible that they
saw something that might throw some light

on this case.”

Sheriff Harris sought out Cal Price and
brought the youth to the Colp jail, taking
care to parade past the cell that held
George Schiller before going into an ad-
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x“

farmhouse sometime early this afternoon, didn’t you?”
Schiller blinked, a bit of light creeping into those
blacked-out hours. “Yeah,” he said, straightening up in
his bed. “That’s right. How’d you guess?”
“It’s no guess. Three or four bartenders in town heard
you spouting off about taking a ride out there, to get
some letters, and they came to me ri

the news about the murder.”

sound. He stared blankly at the sheriff, his eyes widen-
ing. Sheriff Harris went on quietly, “About 6 o’clock this
evening Paula Cottrell found Nellie Reichelderfer dead in
the hog pen at the farm. She’d been shot in the chest—

murdered. Coroner Rice estimates
that she was dead about two hours.
That means she was shot at about 4
this afternoon. The important hours
for you to fill in are from just before
4 o'clock until after 6. You think
you can prove your whereabouts
during that period?”

The man tried to shake the hang-
over out of his head, winced, and
gave it up as a bad job. A frightened
look entered his eyes. “I don’t
know,” he said in a low monotone.
“I remember deciding to go out and
see Nellie. about those letters. That
part’s clear. After that I stopped at
a saloon, for a bracer, you know.
Maybe it was two saloons, or three,
I don’t remember.” Schiller paused;
when he continued his voice trem-
bled. “I just can’t remember what
I did!”

Sheriff Harris studied the man for
amoment. Then he said, “You've got
about an hour to remember, Schiller.
I’m going out with Deputy Throg-
morton to check the taverns in town
in an attempt to find out when you
were last seen, and when you re-

ght after they heard

of your brains.”

man. With the hel
ton, he toured th

turned to town. Meanwhile, stay put and get the fog out

Harris left behind him a bewildered and frightened
p of Deputy Sheriff Frank Throgmor-
e few saloons in the small town and
located several where Schiller had been seen drinking
that afternoon. The two lawmen hit pay-dirt when they

; legged it up to the last bar, on the outskirts of town.
Schiller opened his mouth and closed it without a “You know George Schiller, the insurance agent?”

Sheriff H. S. Harris searched the farm-
house where girl was slain, found it
ransacked, but nothing was missing

Throgmorton asked the bartender.

The man nodded. “Sure. He was in here today, carried
a real] load in here and left with the same.”

Sheriff Harris put the key question, “When? What

time did he leave?”

“Around 3:30. Maybe a _ little
earlier. He sure can drink.”

That was the end of the line.
George Schiller had vanished from
Colp a half hour before 4 o’clock
that afternoon. Harris and Throg-
morton, continuing a thorough can-
vass, learned from a stable hand
that Schiller had returned his rig
and team, a pair of handsome blacks,
at 10:30 that evening. Throgmorton
summed the case up as he and
Harris headed back toward Schiller’s
home.

“Schiller’s got those letters as a
motive, and he fades out of sight
shortly before Mrs. Reichelderfer
is murdered. It doesn’t look good
for him.”

Sheriff Harzis wasn’t convinced.
“He could he a very clever killer—
and he could be innocent. I want
to hear what he has to say now
that he’s had time to think things.
out.”

Back in Schiller’s home the offi-
cers found that the suspect was still
unable to offer an alibi for the vital

, Murder gun linked suspect

(L.) to triggerman (r.),

period of time between 4 and 6. Harris, realizing that
the supposed alcoholic black-out gave the man a good
reason to keep his mouth shut, knew that the law was

thus faced with the problem of produ

cing evidence of

concrete nature to link him to the murder. By not offer-
ing an alibi, Schiller was giving the police no opportunity
to break down said alibi by investigation and prove hi

guilty. On the other hand, he was gambling his life

against strong circumstantial evi-
dence. The sheriff tried a gamble
himself.

“If I were to tell you that we had
a rifle with which we believe you
shot Mrs. Reichelderfer,” Sheriff
Harris said, “would it help fill in the
blanks for you?”

Schiller shook his head. “If you
could show me such a gun, Sheriff,

I'd have to believe you were right.’

All I can say now is that I’ve ex-
perienced these black-outs before,
when drinking to excess. Liquored
up like that, I could have. killed
Nellie. I don’t think I would, but
I don’t know that I didn’t.”

Harris sighed. “We'll have to hold
you, Schiller. And we'll have to file
a murder charge against you.”

Handcuffs clicked around Schil-
ler’s wrists; minutes later the door
to a cell closed after him. A man
was behind bars. A coldblooded
murder had been committed, and a
suspect was in custody. There was a
strong motive and equally strong
circumstantial evidence against the
accused. Nevertheless, Sheriff Har~-
ris spent a restless night. In the
morning, he aroused Deputy Throg-

whose boots left distinctive marks at farmhouse

morton an hour earlier than usual, with an apology.
“lye been down to the livery stable and through
Schiller’s buggy with a fine-tooth comb,” he said. “There’s

no gun hidden in i
thing like that. W

t, no signs of an empty shell or any-
e better go out to the Reichelderfer

farm and look around for whatever clues we can find

by daylight.”

The farmhouse where the two ‘sisters had lived was not

Long court fight by State Attorney

L. D. Hartwell
death penalty for

finally resulted in
killers of farm girl

the same place that the two lawmen
had viewed late on the previous
evening. Then it had had the ap-
pearance of a pocket turned inside
out. Drawers had been pulled forth
and their contents spilled upon the
floors; cabinets had been -crudely
emptied. The place had been ran-
sacked hurriedly. Now, it was as

neat as a pin. Sheriff Harris stared

about, past the woman who had
opened the door. His gaze came back
to Paula Cottrell.

“So you put the house in order,
Miss Cottrell,” he said pleasantly.
“J hope you remembered to follow
my directions?”

Paula Cottrell nodded. “I've
checked everything. I know this
house like a book, Sheriff Harris,
and I can tell you conclusively that
nothing has been taken. Nothing is
missing, not even from the things
thrown on the floor.”

“How about the letters—the ones
from Schiller?”

The shy woman blushed. “I’m
afraid I wasn’t myself last night,

after finding poor Nellie that way. IT

forgot to tell you about the letters.
After she (Continued on page 72)

atehall Feld & Conipany presents here each
ee ot tin tr and opinions intanded to be
of interest and value to thave tt

; _.. By CALEB ¢=

XY STORY is told here that many
years ago our then senera] mana-
> ger was walking. through a section
-< <when ne heard a young man tell a
customer, * We. do not: have so-
> and-so--I guess maybe we should,
hut we don't.” And the customer
departed in. disappointment.

to his attice and sent” for the young
- = man... He ete him a news-
= paper. and said, “ Here, vou read
Sess i this while I pe down: the “street
ts: ob and yet for-your customer, w hom
Ae happen to know, a- so-and-so.”
-*And He put on his. overcoat and
eae - hat and did just that, having the
young mau call the customer. up
<7 on his returm. x locke
. This interesting fesson’ pas ike
sfoung . mam was an- extremity ta-

expect executives generally to xo.
. Nevertheless, when seryice> fails
here, itvis usually (1) on the part
“of young people who have=not}-.
Me dS a "been here long enough to: become
Sen, Pe Vt RE = 2 < fervid for. the: Field tradition or
SA Se aa * (2) on the part of’a very’ few:

momentarily forget themselves. .

aie. < Some. months, ago a veteran. ide:
pbs paftment head, hurrying through
the store on an important mission,
" |saw a man staring disconsolately at
“la _slip of, paper. She volunteered
~~ Ito help him and solved his problem:
erfectly, -A° greener persof, more
‘jndifferentto the Field -tradition. and
ore ignerant . of the fundamental
satisfactions of: ; Serving. might not
ave paused. Sass BSL Pula Ae
Not: Tong ago the manager of a
A ptm of inrportant sé€ctions was seen.
0° search diligently: for the belt of
% @ sale dress which had escaped a cus-|.
“tomer. “The merchandise was lows
2 oS were and - inexpensive, The - sale
crowd: was large: .-“ What- kind-- of
_servite does sucha customer expect 2?”
“might have’ Teasonéd a “less” ‘Seasoned ‘
- employe. it Se eae as 3 +

our basement one of our basbieas and:
cablest. executives. « The customer want-
ot to find a telephone where she would
Ba t have to. dial. Our Miss D
a 2 Said such a phone was a fong way oft—
in our third floor waiting room—and
inquired, “ May I make the call for you
t= ,.2 on this. dial phone?” She called up
m—“<“the-customer’ s daughter-and-told ‘her-to-
put the roast in the oven g half hour
“earlier and. to, Lei Tse postead ; of
‘cabbage. -; a

*. This 4 “mpertant: ‘woman was not too

important’ to take ¥everal- minutes

: Nee ‘Forward!

SUCCESS OF SERVICE

‘The general manager returned f. ©

which feasonable people would not |

‘woman was hanged at Lawrenceville
among our niany old employes who *S

E. J. Giancola, father of the. young
‘hired killer, Angelo Ralph ‘Glancola,

-this afternoon after making a erie
plea for his son's life. :

*| dence that altered the case.:

faced woman, ‘which lowéred his
moral stamina.”

half .of the woman.
.victed of engineering the slaying of
her brother, Wiljam Kappen, to pre
vent his insurance from going to his
bride instead .of her. -
slain on what was to have. ~been his
wedding day, last July 4, 2 6

slaying and said he killed Kappen ath
Mrs. Porter’s bidding and tm her pres-
ence. Angeio’s brother, John, 20 years
old,- was convicted of helping in: the
* Ferime and was sentenced to serve 99
years in prison. ‘

CHAIR: PREPARED:
FOR MOTHER AND

tentiary at Menard again were t
ing preparations tonight to electro
cute Mrs, Marie Porter, mother of
four daughters, and the young man
she hired to commit murder. ~~ -
-- They were scheduled to go to the
cinatrie’ chair. early Friday morning,
Similar plans > week ago were halted
by a reprieve. granted by Lieut. Gav.
John: Stelle in the absence from the
state of Gov. Henry Horner. ~
The condemned couple's. last hope |
of escaping. the - extreme penalty
waned today: as nq, word came from
Gov... Horner: that he woufd. grant
them another reprieve. <°.>:-,

Never. before. has. a..woman. bien
electrocuttd in. Ilinois, although a

in 1845 for killing her husband.
“; >. Father Pleads for Son.

Discouraged and’: apparently re
‘| signed to the fate awaiting his son,

22 years old. walked slowly out of
Gov... Horner's office at Springfield

~,“ Well, I-guess the law is the law,”
he said, in a scarcely audible voice.
‘The young man’s parents and his
siste?,, Ernestine, presented a petition
to the pardon’ board yesterday, con-
tending they had fast. minute evi-

“24 No Evidence for Woman. -:

‘Instead of clearing Mrs. Porter. it
tended to heap additional blame on
her. The petition said Angelo con-
tracted syphilis fromthe fat, pudgy

Se reg or acces ad
tae 9

No evidence was presented in be-
She was con-

Kappen was

« Angelo confessed his part in the

‘HIRED’ ASSASSIN

Two wilt Go. to Death

‘Chaster: His Jan. 26.—{Spectal.}—
Officials-of the southern illinois bem

-;|vadio, and cable comm

stance war, |

= "IDEAL" SIGNALS —™”

_ The heavy black line represents

telegraphic communica signals
under normal conditions. light
spots,.-:

{line shows the effect at

Solar Disturbarices \

~—
920

cs]

intensity every. 20 p yenies

Every eleven years, a
solar activity reaches @
and the sun, usually conte

the réle of mankind's gentle benefac-
tor, begins heckling-

ships’ compasses, The h g takes
the form of an enormous crease in

atmosphere. of ionized ch
This is the explanation offered: by
Miss Maude Bennot, di r of the
Adler planetarium, for the gumber of.

the number of sun spots an a conse- |!
quent dumping into the e "Ss upper }

magnetic storms in varioug parts of

displays of aurora boreal
ern lights, which have bee
ther south than ever bef
as is known. - 4

Michael Ference, instru r in the
physics department of the niversity.
| 0f Chicago, explains magnetic storms

and their interference wijh various
forms of communication follows:
“Normally,” he says, “every point

intensity alters the value ‘of these
magnetic strengths at varibus points,
including huge currents in the earth
which give rise to static effects. The
only thing actually kno as to the
cause of these disturbances is that
they coincide ee. we sun —_
activity.* na

Ci ity Vabicla Lice

Reach Total of 27,791

“City Clerk Peter J. Brady reported
Yesterday that 2.959 ci vehicle

licenses were issued during the day, |!
making a poet so far:

Be as

: 427, 791.

the world lately, and the! beautiful‘ d

year-of|

- = from her busy day and her involved
= S< responsibilities.ta do a. little “kitchen

= work” for the custonter

7) w0rg suegT. Iv ae

mundi ‘9820

TF aes ati~s

Be
|

The doctor nodded and leaned down
close to the dead man’s hands, carefully
folded over his breast. Then, because he
was a man used to death, he examined the
vicinity around the corpse, stirring the
hundreds of flies into an angry drone. The
long minute was silent except for the
aroused buzz of carrion insects, the oc-
casional sound of a passing motor on the
highway only a few feet away, the phy-

sician’s searching feet cutting through the ©

lush undergrowth of weeds. Then,

“This is murder, Leo. There’s no gun
around here.”

“When?”

“About eight or ten hours ago, I should
judge. Let’s get to the nearest sheriff's
office.” cate aa

Two agitated men walked into the office
of Deputy Sheriff Frank Kerrigan a few
minutes later.

The doctor, speaking first, introduced
himself,

“This is Mr. Leo, the man who owns
the property.”

Kerrigan, blue-eyed, smooth-faced, a
veteran of’ kidnappings, encounters with
Gus Winkler and his million and a half
dollar bank robbery, who has been known
to drag gangsters out of hiding places by
the seats of their pants, asked,

“Touch anything?” :

“No. But I walked around and there’s
no gun there.”

“Sit down.”

The deputy put in a call to a Belleville
undertaking parlor next on the “dead” list,
left word for his sheriff to be notified of
the find.

Ten minutes after that he was half-way
out of his car before it came to a com-
plete stop behind the white ambulance and
a black cruiser from Sheriff Sieckmann’s
office.

An excited but quiet group huddled
around the body when Kerrigan, briefly
greeting his fellow officers and with a nod
to the undertaker’s assistant, thrust one
hand into his shirt pocket and pulled out
a cigarette and a match. He struck the
latter without taking his eyes from the still
figure stretched at his feet.

The man was about... Kerrigan peered
closer .. . thirty. Blond, nice features if
all that blood wasn’t smeared around; no
jewelry, white pants and shirt . .. say!
He brushed someone aside and poked at
the dead man’s shirt front with a cautious
gesture.

“He hasn’t got any underclothes on,”
Kerrigan announced, “and his shoes aren’t
even tied.”

The undertaker’s assistant looked wor-
ried.

“Can I get him out of this sun now,
Sheriff 2”

“No.”

“But he’s going now and if I’m going
to save his face at all...”

“We'll have to get pictures,” the sheriff
swung around at the sound of a car enter-
ing the narrow lane. “There they come.
Soon as the newspapermen get some shots
for us you can have him.”

ERRIGAN waved hastily at Maxwell
and Hesse, press photographers, and
walked slowly along the roadside. This, he
reflected, was a funny place to leave a body.
Laid out that way meant that the murderer
wanted it found ... and quick. But why

AIVIEN x MEIENWIIVE

not leave it closer to the highway? He
brushed the weeds aside with one hand
and then leaped back as though he had
touched a snake.

“What’s the matter, Kerrigan?” some-
one called.

“Poison ivy ... anda clue!”

The deputy seized one of the long twigs
at his feet and thrust in into the weedy
roadside. A second later he was dangling
two bloody rags from the stick’s end. He
hurried back, forgetting the possible ivy
infection as he fingered the bloodstained
cloths. .

“Handkerchiefs!” the sheriff exclaimed
as his deputy held out his finds. “Wait a
minute, don’t unfold them.”

There was no doubt of the handkerchiefs’
purposes. One was folded triangularly to
make a blindfold. Through one end of the
uneven cloth was a burned hole. Small,
brown hairs, matted in blackened blood,
clung to the soiled article. The other, stiff
with dried saliva, had been used as a gag.
It, too, was bloodstained.

Sheriff Sieckmann made no comment on
the evidence until, having thoroughly
searched the ground for further clues, at-
tended to the pictures and the undertaker’s
pleas to remove the body from the blazing
sun, he and Kerrigan walked to the latter’s
car.

“These,” Sieckmann wrapped the stained
cloths in a section of newspaper and placed
them in his pocket, “are the only things
we've got. Not a bit of identification on
the fellow.”

“Anything to be done right now?”

“Not until we find out who he is. Tell
Maxwell to be sure to get those prints to
us quick and we'll send out fliers to the
newspapers.”

One hour before the first editions of the
St. Louis papers carried the front page
story of the unidentified man found on
the lonely road, the morticians in Gaerd-
ner’s morgue in Belleville came to the
conclusion that, unless the small scar across
the bridge of the nose was counted, there
were no identifying marks on the body.
One hour after the story appeared, Irene
Traub, dry-eyed and crushed, sat huddled
over the table in her parents’ home. ,

“A little coffee, Irene,” her mother
pleaded. “You're going to be sick if you
don’t eat.”

“I don’t want anything, Mother. Honest.”
She straightened up suddenly. “Is that
someone at the door?”

Her mother arose to admit a neighbor
woman who flourished a copy of the first
morning editions. The girl started up
from her chair at the woman’s words.

“There’s been a body found, Irene. I
don’t know, but maybe .. .”

“Let me see that paper!”
Irene Traub clutched wildly at it, read
the story in frantic haste.

“Mother .. .” her voice was thick with
fear. “That might ... be Bill!” |

NE hour later the attendant in the

Belleville morgue opened the door
to another visitor who thought she might
be able to identify the dead man.

Irene Traub, supported by her parents,
walked into the chill, impersonal room and
went straight to the long marble table in
its center. The instant that she had seen
the still form from the doorway she had
known.

In that instant of tragic recognition and
‘The moments following when she could say
no word, could only mouth his name over
and over as her eyes stung with unwept
tears and her dry lips cracked with the
effort, the attendant whispered to Henry
Traub and scribbled a name and address
on the desk pad.

He waited until they had left for the
front office before he filled out the notifica-
tion card for the body and for the victim’s
sister, Mrs. Marie Porter. He called the
sheriff’s office.

* * * pas

Four officers, three of them members of
the expert Secret Service department of
the St. Louis detective division, and one a
deputy sheriff of St. Clair County, Illinois,

watched St. Louis Chief of Detectives John

Carroll close the door of his office behind
him; Detective-Sergeant John Sinclair
who looks like a school teacher, Detective
James Ogden who looks like a detective,
Detective Harold Boland who looks like
a librarian and Deputy Sheriff Frank Ker-

’ -rigan who looks like what he once was,

a chemist.

“So it’s Monday and we've got a pip to
start the week off with,” Sinclair finally
said.

Kerrigan scraped his chair.

“Just us four in on it?” he asked.

“Right.”

“Well,” the deputy traced long jagged
lines on a blotter with his stubby pencil.
“What do we know about Bill Kappen?”

“One,” Sinclair checked it off on his
fingers, “his dad’s in the Central Sana-
torium, he worked for the Maloney Elec-
tric Company here. He was going to be
married. He didn’t drink, smoke or
carouse. No known enemies.”

“From what I saw of that apartment,”
Ogden began, “I’d say it was somebody
that knew him.”

“Yes,” Sinclair said slowly. “At first
glance I agree. We know that he left
Irene Traub’s home about eleven. That
was Friday night. He wanted to get
home and not eat or drink anything after
midnight because he was a Catholic and.
he couldn’t break his fast before church
the next morning. According to the street
car transfer we found, he walked four
blocks from the car line when he might
have ridden. He got home about eleven-
thirty. From there ...?”

“PRAN a bath,” Boland supplemented.
“Not a print in the place. Got un-
dressed and went out with somebody with-
out his underclothes on.” 4
“Somebody that smoked cigarettes.”
“Any saliva tests on those butts?” Ogden
asked. Ba
“Yes, but they don’t show anything. Tf
it was a woman in there .; .” Ge
“Do you think from what the Traubs
told us it would be a woman at that
hour?” Kerrigan objected.
There was no answer. ign
“So that’s all we know,” Sinclair con-
cluded. “Except,” as an afterthought that
was unanimous, “that he’d been dead about
eight hours and was shot with a Bs. ¥ ig
“Where to, Sinclair?” someone asked.
“The inquest. That'll be cut and dried.
And then to the Maloney Electric Com-
pany.”
The president of the Maloney Electric

a a RIO UE eT Qoocarwge = gS

le ——rereeenyer terme onrerrrrery

-was sober.

“T never knew a better workman than
Bill Kappen. He carried $2,300 worth of
insurance, that’s usually a good sign. He
‘ Well, he was just a model
young man. And that’s all I know. He
wasn’t much of a talker. He didn’t have
any close friends around the plant, but if
you want to talk to the men the office is
yours.”

It was a quiet procession of Bill Kap-
pen’s fellow workers who entered the
president’s office in the next half hour. One
by one told the same story until the four
detectives felt they could anticipate their
every remark.

“A good fellow.” “I can’t see why -..’
“But who'd want to kill Bill?” Until
Sinclair sat up with a snap as one man
said cautiously,

“Bill got a letter a few months back.
Said his girl had got a bad letter about
him, too.”

“What’s that?”

“Well, you don’t need to holler. I’m
just telling you. He got this letter and it

said to meet the person that wrote it some .

place and to burn the letter.”

“Did you see it?”

“Ves.”

“How was it written.”

“In longhand, but he never did tell me
who wrote it. Just said it was funny and
stuck it in his pocket.”

The four investigators looked at each
other significantly and each was thinking
that, although the bridal apartment had
been gone over by experts, no such letter
had been found there.

“Go on.”

“That’s all. But this guy coming in,”
the speaker peered carefully around the
half-open door, “he knows something.”

. ELL,” the next man stood before

them, “I don’t know much about
Bill, but a couple of times last winter, I
don’t remember just when, some guys tried
to make him get into their car as he was
leaving work.”

“Would you know them if you saw them
again?”

“No. I go home when it’s dark and
this couple of times I just saw Bill
struggling with them and them running
away.”

“What explanation did Bill have for
that?”

“He thought they must’ve been crazy or
mistook him for somebody else.” :

The interviews closed on that note. When
the four detectives clambered into the police
cruiser and headed for the home of Irene
Traub, Kerrigan summarized it,

“They tried to kidnap him or maybe kill
him all last winter and somebody was
anxious to stop him from getting married.”

It was Henry Traub who explained .to
the four men that his daughter had col-
lapsed. And it was he who also explained
the scurrilous letter she had received the
previous September in 1936.

“We tore it up. Whoever it was didn’t
sign herself .. .”

“How do you know it was a woman?”
Kerrigan interrupted.

“By the handwriting.”

“Recognize it again?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Go on.”

“It said that Bill’s mind was bad and,
if I remember correctly, that he was ill.

It said that he had wrong relations with
others ... it was an awful letter. Irene
doesn’t know much about such things, and
we didn’t explain them to her. Mother
and I just burned the letter. I don’t know
whether or not she ever talked it over with
Bill. I don’t think so.”

“Confidentially, Mr. Traub,” Kerrigan
leaned forward, “we’ll never discuss this
with your daughter, but have you thought
about there being another woman who may
have had good reason to stop this mar-

“riage?”
“Never. I’ve known Bill Kappen like
a father. His own father is in the City

Sanatorium, you know. When he and
Irene first started getting serious about
each other I looked him up. There never
was a cleaner living man than Bill.”

William Kappen was buried the next
day in the pathetically neat suit, dark blue
with a thin pin stripe, in which he should
have been married.

URING the next few days the four

determined officers were not content
to take Henry Traub’s word for the dead
man’s character. They started with the
questioning of employees. and habitues of
the Cat and Fiddle night club near the
spot where his body had been found and
ended with a perfect blank.

Then, in one of the most thorough in-
vestigations on record in the history of the
state of Missouri, William Kappen’s life
was checked and counter-checked.

To realize what that means, must mean
spending those days with the men who
never separated during their search. It
means going with them into old school
records, into juvenile court records, talking
to Bill Kappen’s teachers, even hunting
down his favorite arithmetic teacher in the
fifth grade, questioning boyhood sweet-
hearts, members of the gang now scattered
and faint of memory with whom he played
during his adolescence, talking to apart-
ment house owners, rooming house keepers,
many a bank clerk in those places where
methodical, slow Bill Kappen had managed
to pile up, in addition to his $1000 soldier’s
bonus money, savings from his salary,
talking to the men who, as high school
students, had worked paper and magazine
routes -with him, digging into every fine
detail of character until, by the night of
Tuesday, July 6th, four discouraged and
perspiring men who separated to snatch a
few hours of sleep before taking up the
search on Wednesday, knew more about
Bill Kappen dead than any psychiatrist in
a year of careful probing could have
known about Bill Kappen alive.

By that next morning, also, the crime
research bureau reported on the two hand-
kerchiefs found by Deputy Kerrigan near
the body. The blood was of a type identical
with the murder’ victim’s. The hairs were
from his head. No laundry marks were
found. The handkerchiefs could have been
duplicated at any cheap men’s store.

The four detectives sat in a private
room in St. Louis police headquarters and
looked, not at each other, but at the
smooth-topped table between them.

Sinclair burst out. “Somebody's got to
know something about that guy. Whoever
tried to get him into that car and whoever
was behind that attempt to stop his mar-
riage must’ve been someone close to him.
Somebody who knew him well!”

“Somebody,” Boland put in, “who knew
him well enough to get him out of his
home on the night before his marriage
without a struggle and, don’t forget that
Bill was a religious man, to get him out
before he went through with a pretty
solemn religious ceremony.” ’

“Remember this,” Kerrigan said sud-

denly. “We haven’t got a clue but those -

handkerchiefs. Nobody in or near the Cat
and the Fiddle noticed that car on the
roadway. The men who tried to force
Bill Kappen into a car can’t be identified.
We can't find the letter he was told to
destroy. Old Man Traub disposed of the
letter Irene got. Not a fingerprint in
Bill’s apartment. I figure that when you
haven't got a clue that'll work, dig into
the characters of the people nearest the
victim.”

“He’s right,” Sinclair nodded confirma-
tion. “It must’ve been someone close to
him.”

“He didn’t get along with his sister,”
Ogden offered half-hopefully.

“That will take some looking into,” Ker-
rigan agreed. “But she couldn’t have lifted
that man out of a car and laid him out
that way. Bill Kappen was husky and you
remember we saw her when she came to

‘claim the body after the inquest.”

“I’m not saying who did it, I’m just
saying. ...”

Sinclair slapped on his straw hat. “I
think we’d better talk to those men at the
plant again. We did a pretty hasty job
the other day. And then we'll get a line
on Irene Traub. You see,” the others
stood waiting as he finished his oral think-
ing, “there’s not a discrepancy so far.
What we’ve found is superficial, get what
I mean? We've got to go deeper. We've
got to drag things out of those men’s
memories and when we do a He
snapped his fingers conclusively.

The human memory, for all its aston-
ishing potentialities the four detectives dis-
covered, is sometimes a useless sewer, too
wide for the significant bits of time to
stick, but narrow enough to retain the
trash.

_ OW think,” Sinclair said to his fourth

man, “what do you remember about
Bill Kappen, especially. about his asso-
ciates? Anything will do. Just start any
place and think out loud.”

“He had a tough beard,” the man began.
Then, more confidently, “He didn’t like
tough things. I mean gangster movies
and the like. He liked Janet Gaynor’s
pictures .. .”:

“Go on.”

“Gums...
a gun.”

The man’s face was no more contorted
with the conscious effort of memory than
those of the four detectives with the un-
conscious effort to help him.

“I know ... he knew a guy that carried
a gun.”

there was something about

“That was odd for a fellow like Bill,

wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, come to -think of it. It was
funny. Now, what was that guy’s name?”

After a silent minute or two Kerrigan
sighed,

“I’m sure I don’t know.”

Sinclair, rising, said,

“Think it over and if you can recall it,
telephone me at headquarters, will you?”

ital

Perea e

i Be ante Oe
Bin SK Oe aS
weer ge a "

“Sure thing!”

Irene Traub stiffened herself in the
plainly upholstered chair in her father’s
living room.

“We won't keep you long,” the observant
sergeant said. “We'd like to know if you
have any suspicion at all about who could
have harmed Bill.”

“But I told you, that is I told my father
to tell you, I don’t know. Bill didn’t get
along with his sister. But he’d been moved
out of her house for over a year. They
never saw one another.”

“But you can’t think of anybody? Did
he ever mention . . . well, another girl he

may have had?”

“Not Bill. I was the only one.” Her
white hands flew to her face: to hide the
tears she had been fighting.

“I’m sorry, Miss Traub,” Sinclair went
on, “but I’ve got to ask questions.”

“T tell you there wasn’t anybody but
didn’t like Bill.
or money...”

Kerrigan straightened up in his chair.

“How much insurance did he carry?”
he shot at her.

“About $3,300.”

“But the Maloney Company’s books,”
Ogden began and was silenced by Sin-
clair’s swift gesture.

“Sure?”

“Of course. We had no secrets. He
had $1,000 on me already. Then the other
$2,300 was made out to his sister, Mrs.
Porter, and he was going to make that
over to me when he got around to it.”

She stared at them in amazement as they
excused themselves and almost ran to the
squad car.

“Headquarters first!” Sinclair ordered.

A few blocks from that great, gray stone
building Kerrigan whistled softly.

“Tt fits! Holy H. Moses, it fits!”

“Not another word, my friend,” Sinclair
had recovered his poise. “And up to the
records room in a hurry.”

OTHING!” the record room at-

tendant slammed the file shut. “The
only time Marie Porter was ever named
was in the shooting of her husband by her
father and then as a witness. She got
... he consulted a file card in his hand,
“$3,000 on her husband. Do you want a
copy of her statement at that time?”

“No.” Sinclair tapped a nervous finger
against his front teeth. “It’s just the
usual stuff. What’s the address of that con-
fectionery she opened t

* *

The four men wii had been stabbing at
barren ground since the afternoon Bill
Kappen’s body was found suddenly felt
feet first into a platinum mine.

“Sure, I knew Marie Porter,” the old

man at the cigar counter said emphatically..

“And I don’t know anything good about
her.”

“There’s some funny
around,” another ventured.

“For instance?”

“Well, about her and a young fellow,
that’s what,” the second man said de-
fantly. “And I wouldn’t doubt but that
It’s true. Why,” he leaned forward eager
to pass on the choice morsel, “one night
She went into the tavern down there a
block and met that young fellow and drank
i there and left her little girl alone in
the car out in front!”

stories going

sich

If he’d had any jewelry

_hatreds.

“That,” Boland remarked dryly as the
four stepped from the tiny shop, “is
neglect and abuse, not murder.”

“Okay, flannel mouth,” Kerrigan jibed,
“but we're on the right track.”

“Too bad the only guy didn’t know the
boy’s name.”

“Never mind. Let’s bust in on that
bartender down the street.”

The bartender made a great show of
trying to place the young man.

. “An eyetalian,” he asserted with tri-
“I’d know her any place, but the
young fellow was one of them eyetalians
and for my life I can’t remember his
name.”

“Now,” Sinclair explained as they left
the saloon, “we don’t pinch her, not yet.
But when we do we'll know more about
her than anyone else in her life ever
knew.” .

HE completed, typewritten file on

Marie Porter was an inch thick. It was
also comprehensive and interesting. It took
Sinclair, Boland, Ogden and Kerrigan two
days at fourteen and sixteen hours a day
to compile it and it stands, alone with
Bill Kappen’s life file as a classic in the
results of hard, unspectacular digging by
dogged police methods.

At thirty-seven, Marie Porter, mother

of four daughters, widowed by the hand of -

her own father, was a woman wise in the
shadowy, under-channels of fear and in-
trigue. Many an acquaintance was found to
be afraid of her: The more intelligent had
explained that she was sullen, lowering,
quick to resentment and implacable in her
She was also, they found, utterly
ruthless. :

Prying behind the official reports and .

the unofficial rumors of the tragedy of her
husband’s death, they uncovered a prime

example of her hardness.

Her father, aged and defeated, but
coherent in his explanation, was eager to
tell them about his daughter as he sat
with an attendant in the visitor’s room of
the City Sanatorium for mental cases.

“I was sick,” his words stumbled out
hastily in slipshod syllables. “I was in
the hospital. I thought I was going to
die. I’d given Marie some money to keep
for me. Then she came up to my room
and put a slip of paper in my face and a
pen and said to sign it. I did. When I
got out of the hospital I went to the bank
to pay my bill and you know what the
slip of paper my own daughter had made
me sign was? It was a blank check and
that girl had cashed it. When I asked
her for my money she laughed and you
know what she’d bought with it? A car!
A car with the money I’d saved and me
sick and near death! Then there was a
fight and I shot Mr. Porter. They say
he’s dead, but she caused it.

“And something else,” the thin old man
clawed at the attendant’s arm as he was
being led away, “she wanted Willy’s bonus
money. That’s why he moved away from
her house. She threw him down the steps
when he wouldn’t give it to her. They
think,” the dead man’s father chuckled,
“that I don’t hear things in here, but I
do. I do!”

ACK at headquarters after a hastily

eaten dinner, three of the four men
reported to Chief Carroll. Kerrigan called
his sheriff and told him the new lead.
There were no instructions from either
head office. Both the sheriff and the
chief had the good sense to let the in-
vestigation progress as it had begun, under
the men who knew most about it.

“Bill Kappen never knew,” Kerrigan

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was saying a few minutes later, “that his
sister was after that insurance. Neither
did the girl suspect it.”

“Did you get that crack about throwing ~

Bill down the stairs?” Boland asked.
“Yeah. She looked husky, but .. .”
“Here’s the point,” Sinclair summarized.

“The man in Maloney’s said Bill knew

somebody who carried a gun. I’ve got a

ten spot here that says that the guy with

the gun is in it. Either he loaned her his

gun and she did it, or he put her wise to.

somebody that did.”
“What about the
mimicked. )
“I doubt if she’d tell him her plans. So
far we’ve found out that she’s pretty close-
mouthed.”

“It might be a stick over her head if we
could name him to her.”

“That’s right,” Sinclair agreed and then
broke off to answer the telephone’s burr.

The loud receiver, peculiar to police tele-
phones, carried the voice audibly into the
room.

“Remember me?” the voice asked. “I’m
the guy at the Maloney Electric Company
where Bill Kappen worked that couldn’t
remember the guy with the gun’s name.”

‘eyetalian’ ?” Ogden

INCLAIR almost remarked that he’d

remember the originator of that
rhetorical gem fifty years from now, but
instead he answered,

“Yes.” :

“Well, I remember it now. It’s Giancola,
his first name’s Ralph. He’s an Italian and
he carries a gun. I hope this is of some
use to you.”

“Sweetheart,” the sergeant murmured as
he hung up the receiver and turned to his

gaping companions, “it’s dollars from
heav en!”
“Remember,” he cautions the desk man

downstairs fifteen minutes afterward, “don’t °

tell him what he’s picked up for. Just
investigation. And do it quietly. If there’s
somebody else in it, we don’t want to tip
our mitt.”

If the four detectives saw in Anthony
Ralph Giancola’s' face, a boyish, even
pretty face, anything effeminate, they were
disappointed with their conclusions.

His answers during his questioning Fri-
day morning and afternoon were firm and
concise. He knew Mrs. Porter, yes. It was
also true that he carried a gun, but it was
at home. He couldn’t remember the caliber
and he’d only spoken to Bill Kappen twice
in his life. Once when he was introduced
by Mrs. Porter and the other time when
he'd passed him on the street.

Kerrigan, as he later admitted, felt a
heavy drop in the pit of his stomach watch-
ing the boy under Sinclair’s skillful ques-
tioning. An Italian and as close-mouthed
and clannish as many another of that race
he had questioned. Kerrigan knew, as surely
as he knew his own name, that Giancola’s
answers were too smooth. The boy ad-
mitted just enough to sound plausible, but
not enough to be incriminating. He yawned,
more through nervousness than exhaustion,
when Sinclair sent the young man back to
his cell for lunch. :

On their way back to the office where
Giancola and a guard were waiting that
afternoon, Kerrigan waited while Sinclair
put in the order for the arrest of Mrs.
Marie Porter on suspicion of murder.

The deputy felt in his pocket for the

Faia

AMERICAN DETECTIVE

'
pictures taken by Maxwell, the news-
paper photographer, of Kappen’s dead and

_ blood-caked face. If Giancola began to

weaken they might serve to break him. . . .
With the two St. Louis detectives he
asked an occasional question during the

next hour. Sinclair baited the boy without

mercy.
“You were her lover, Ralph,” he declared

-for the tenth time. “And she had the in-

surance on him. A nice young fellow like
you with an old woman like that. Did your
parents or your brother know about that?”

The soft, dark eyes glanced swiftly at
the sergeant and then lowered.

“No. I wasn’t her lover and my folks
know I’m all right.”

“Who’s your best friend, Raight

“My brother.”

“You say you worked ae Mrs. Porter
in her confectionery. What was your salary
there?”

“Weil,” he laughed, his fide white teeth
gleaming against his dark skin, “it wasn’t
regular. She didn’t do so well there and
she gave me what she could.” |

“You mean she gave you plenty!” the
sergeant retorted.

Kerrigan had the impulse that all honest
investigators have when. faced with a
smooth liar. He wanted to shake that
cocky kid until his teeth rattled. Instead
he sat quietly enough and looked him over.

Thick neck, that meant that he was
powerful. Good chest on him but his heart,
under that thin shirt, was beating faster
than normal. Kerrigan, who knows some-
thing about chemistry for having been an
executive in chemical manufacturing plants,
was struck with a faint red spot on the
boy’s arm. The blemish was partially con-
cealed by his shirt sleeves, rolled just be-
low the elbow.

Kerrigan brushed a fly away from his hot
face and returned to that small red spot
on Giancola’s right arm. Might be scabies
or just a. mosquito bite, he speculated.
Might be... .

“Say!” he roared as he leaped to his
feet. Sinclair dropped his cigarette as
Kerrigan rushed past him and yanked at
the suspect’s right shirt sleeve. “Where'd
you get that rash?”

Giancola’s mouth opened in terror as he
followed the deputy’s glance downward at
the small red pustules on his arm.

“Where'd you get it I say?”

“Why,” he said recovering himself al-
most instantly, “I’m a bricklayer like I
told you and it’s something we get from
brick dust.”

° U’RE a liar. You’re the most star-
spangled liar I ever saw. Know what
that is?”

The boy’s brown eyes popped open in
fear. He tried to answer.

“That’s poison ivy!” Kerrigan shouted.
“Get it? Poison ivy and those handker-
chiefs that were used to blindfold and gag
Bill Kappen were found in a clump of
poison ivy!”

“No. Mother of God, no!” the boy
started back. away from those boring,
brilliant blue eyes that were only a few
inches away from his own. “It’s a brick
rash,”

Kerrigan whipped the picture of Kappen’s
face from his pocket and slammed it down
on the table before Giancola. ©

“No.” ‘he commanded, “Don’t dodge.

Look at it. There’s the man you murdered,
That’s Bill Kappen. See the blood running *
out of his nose? And the brains clotted

in his mouth? Thought you were pretty
safe, didn’t you? But you made one mis-

take. You threw your handkerchiefs into ~
poison ivy and the very weeds are coming 5

into court to testify against you!”

Sinclair silently pushed the button that —
signalled the police stenographer and ad- ;

mitted the reporters.

“We've got you, Giancola!” Kerrigan’s

voice continued. “If you talk you'll be a
lot better off. She hired you to do it, didn’t
she?”

“No. She did it. I just deca the car.
She’d been after me for months, I tell you.
Months !””

Ralph Giancola put his head down on |

his arms and openly wept.
Sinclair told the guard to bring in Mrs.
Porter.

After she had arrived there was a sont :

silence. Not by one gesture did she intimate
that she knew or had even seen the sobbing

' boy at the table. She was the object of
every man’s attention as she seated herself.

calmly in the chair indicated and she was
worth it. No beauty is Marie Porter, but
the heavy, slow, dangerous, wide-jawed
woman who knows what she wants and
achieves it with as little obstruction as is
possible. Lombroso might have mentioned
her large, oily face with its short, retrousse
nose, her small, still eyes, the lines of her
mouth, once dainty and firm, now flabby
and continually pursed in a pout, her amaz-
ing underjaw. The reporters made especial
note of her straggling short hair, streaked
with cheap henna and natural gray. She
was a character out of every detective
romance ever written. She was Charles
Dicken’s Cheapside, Edgar Wallace’s
Whitechapel, Poe’s Rue Morgue.

When she did open her mouth at a
questioning glance from Sinclair or, more
rarely, from the boy, it was to reply
stolidly, “It’s a lie.” Giancola’s story, ex-
cept for these interruptions, was consistent.

Giancola’s statement, in substance, was:

WO years ago I met Mrs. Porter, who

was running “a rooming house in West - ~

St. Louis, through a girl friend who worked
at her place as a maid. Later I went to
work for Mrs. Porter when she opened a
confectionery. I didn’t get any set salary

because the business was new and did not

make money at the start. But she did give
me some spending money and we became
sweethearts.
“She ran the shop for about seven months
and then gave it up. I got a job as a

laborer for a bricklaying contractor, but 2

we carried on our affair and I would see
her at intervals. Kappen used to stay at

her home, but last December or January 3

they had a quarrel and he left.

“Last April, Kappen was preparing to =
get married and Mrs. Porter proposed that —

I kill him before he could get married and
make his wife the beneficiary of the in-

surance. I stalled her off although she re- q

3
:
Pd
i
;

minded me that I had a gun and that she a &

knew a lot of ways we could kill him.

“But I managed to stall her off some 4
more until she learned that Bill was to get q

married on July 3, She said that the murder

had to be pulled. Three days before the | 4
killing she gave me $10 which she obtained.
through a loan on her furniture, and told 4

in Illinois,” Irene was told. “I think
you ought to know. It was a dead man.
His description is in tonight’s paper.”

“Bill’s description?” The girl’s trem- 4
bling hand reached for the newspaper,
and she held it-under the light, scan-
ning the paragraphs under the big black
scarehead.

The body was that of a young man,
apparently in his early 30s, a chap five
feet six inches tall and weighing 150°
pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair.
That fitted Bill, and Irene knew that
the hair and eye color combination was
not common. The man had been shot
in the head, and the corpse was found
near the Cat and Fiddle, a roadhouse
nightspot outside Belleville, a-:town
across the Mississippi from St. Louis.

Suicide Ruled Out

Could it be he? What on earth, if it
were, had taken him from the altar to
Illinois, and his doom? Courageously
Irene made ready at once to go to:
Belleville. An hour later in the Gaerd-
ner Funeral Home there she identified
the body as that of her fiance.

The stricken girl heard the details of ©
the case, as far as the police knew
them, from Sheriff Henry L. Siekmann
of St. Clair County, and Deputies Frank
Kerrigan and Vivian Stewart, who had
been called on the case.

There was no doubt that it was mur-
der, the sheriff explained, and thus it
would be’ necessary for Miss Traub to
give any information she could.

The body. was. found beside a dead
end dirt road six miles east of Belle-
ville on that Saturday afternoon of
July 3. Powder burns around a bullet
hole in his forehead indicated he had
been shot at very close range, but the
absence of a gun in the vicinity ruled
out the possibility of suicide, Sheriff
Siekmann declared.

There were no signs of a struggle
nearby, and from that and the fact Bill

, , had been ca ate? i, his — with
Her veil trailing in a white froth, the girl his hands carefully folded on his breast,
hammered at the front door. "Bill," she ir the officers deduced he had been slain r

"what's wrong?" No one answered her knocking, elsewhere and carried to the spot.where

; he was found.
(Photo specially posed by a professional model.) Had bpeito any reason to fear for

his life? Did he have enemies? Was
he carrying a large amount of money
for a honeymoon trip? What were the 17

oer =

ee er .
SF NOS ae SOC reso

was at 3:30 p.m. on July 11, eight days
after the crime.

John Joseph Giancola, 20 years old,
declared at Headquarters that he had
taken no part in the murder—but of
course they expected him to say that.

“Where were you on Friday eve-
ning, July 2?” he was asked.

“Angelo had a rented car that eve-
ning. He and I went for a ride.”

“Who else went with you?”

“Our sister and Angelo’s girl friend.”

Answering further questions he said
that Angelo had called for him and his
sister in the car at about seven o’clock
that evening. The officers, however,
had learned at the rent-a-car agency
that Angelo did not get the car until
eight o’clock. There were other mis-
statements in his story that convinced
the officers he knew more about the
murder than he admitted, but they
could get nothing more out of him at
Headquarters. They locked him up and
went into a huddle.

“Thing to do,” said Deputy Kerrigan,
“is to take all three of them—John,
Angelo and Mrs. Porter—to the scene
of the crime and question them there.
Maybe, then, they’ll kick in with the
truth,”

This plan was agreed upon, and early
the next day, July 12, three police cars
were ready to transport the three pris-
oners from Missouri to Illinois. All
three were being held at Central Dis-
trict Station in St. Louis, charged with
murder. Meanwhile, Deputy Kerrigan
and Detective James Ogden had taken
Angelo, the only member of the trio
wh@ had signed a confession, to the
City Hospital, where Doctor Robert
Farrell examined him and signed a
statement that there were no marks of
violence on Angelo’s body.

The two brothers, Angelo and John,
signed the waiver book for the trip
to Illinois, but Mrs. Porter steadfastly
refused to waive extradition. She sat
sullenly in her cell, glaring through the
bars, and refused to budge or utter a
word.

The officers went ahead without her.
Angelo rode in one of the cars between
two detective sergeants; John was in
the other with Kerrigan.

Kerrigan’s prisoner was sullen, but
now and again on the trip out he eyed
a mysterious flat parcel that Kerrigan
had been particularly careful not to
crush. Before leaving, one of the police
officers at Headquarters had asked
about it, and Kerrigan winked.

ee my ace in the hole,” was his
laconic reply.

Kerrigan drove out Old St. Louis
Road and stopped the car at the Cat
and Fiddle lot. He was watching John
closely, and he saw the young man’s
eyes dart toward the poison-ivy patch
where the body of Will Kappen had
been found.

Now Kerrigan turned to his neat,
flat parcel. He removed the covering,
disclosing an enlarged photograph of
the murdered man taken by Russell
Maxwell, cameraman for the East St.
Louis Daily News.

The blown-up picture clearly re-
vealed the bullet hole in Kappen’s
temple and his blood-streaked face.
Kerrigan held the picture up so that
John could see it. He said quietly:

“Take a good look at this, John. This
is how Will Kappen looked when you
and your brother Angelo had finished
with him.”

John was staring wide-eyed at the
grisly picture. He swallowed con-
vulsively. Then he covered his eyes
with his hand and burst out:

“Take it away! I don’t want to
see it.”

Kerrigan said: “Are you ready now,
John, to tell us what you know about
this murder?”

John, pressing both hands to his
eyes, nodded his head up and down.
“Yes! Ill tell you, Deputy! I’ll tell
you all I know about it. Only let’s get
away from here!”

Kerrigan drove swiftly to Belleville

Police Headquarters. There, in the
presence of officers, John Giancola
broke down completely.

And John’s story differed from his
brother’s in many respects. He said
Angelo had told him about a proposi-
tion made by Mrs. Porter that would
mean $800.

“About two weeks ago my brother
again mentioned the proposition and
said something had to be done quick,
because Will Kappen was going to get
married.”

John, whose forehead was knotted
in a deep frown, said that Angelo had
decided to go through with the thing
on Friday, July 2. In the rented car
they drove to Kappen’s place and went
upstairs after parking the automobile.

“Kappen was asleep,” John related.
“We woke him up and my brother
said: ‘Get out of bed. You're going
for a ride.’ Kappen refused to get up.
My brother then pulled out a gun and

He said that Angelo had taken the
car to a filling-station to wash off the
bloodstains.

The confession was completed. John
appeared greatly relieved to get it over.
The statement was typed and signed.
Then Angelo was brought in and the
confession was read to him. Angelo
sighed, nodded his head, and indicated
that he would now tell the truth. He
corroborated everything John had said,
adding that Mrs. Porter had not been
with them at any time on the night of
the murder.

“She told me,” he explained, ‘that
she’d better not go along because she
might be suspected of her brother’s
murder, since she was beneficiary of
his insurance, and she wanted to estab-
lish a perfect alibi for that night.”

There was one discrepancy in John’s
confession, which he later cleared up.
William Kappen had not been asleep.
He had been laying out his wedding

John and Angelo Giancola were taken to the County Jail for
questioning in connection with William Kappen’s brutal death

aimed it at him. ‘Get up,’ he said,
‘before I shoot.’ Kappen slid from the
bed and got down on his knees and
began begging for his life.”

Angelo, according to John, then
threw a pair of pants and a shirt at
Kappen and together they forced him
to come down to the car.

“We made Kappen lie on the floor
so nobody could see him. He kept on
begging for his life. He said he would
give us anything he had if we wouldn’t
kill him. For a little while I felt we
oughtn’t kill him, but should take him
back home. Then I held my hand over
his mouth so he couldn’t talk.”

They drove across the free bridge,
stopped the car and gagged and blind-
folded Kappen with two handkerchiefs.
Then they put him in the front seat
and drove out Route No. 13 toward
Belleville.

“My brother stopped the car again
and took the gun from the side pocket
of the door. I saw him put the gun
against Kappen’s head, on the blind-
fold’—John paused and took a deep
breath—“and then I heard a gun
go off.” a

John now was talking almost in a
whisper. Wild-eyed he looked about
the room.

“Kappen,” he said in a low voice,
“toppled over in the seat.”

After disposing of the body “in some
bushes” they took the handkerchiefs
from the dead youth’s face and threw
them away. ;

“Then,” said John, “we got back in
the car and drove around for a long
while trying to forget what we had
done.”

clothes and drawing water for a bath .

when the Giancolas kidnaped him.

The officers now had the case pretty
well cleaned up—except for Mrs. Por-
ter. She still refused to talk. Finally,
however, after she read John’s signed
statement and after much persuasion
from the police, she did say this:

“T’ve known Angelo Giancola for
about two years. I met his brother
John last Spring. Angelo came to my
house with my son-in-law, Marius
Crowe. While talking with Angelo,
Willie’s name came up and I happened
to mention that I had several insurance
policies on Willie’s life amounting to
$3,300. I told Angelo I was going to
let the policies lapse because I couldn’t
afford to pay the premiums. He ad-
vised me not to let them lapse until he
‘could do something about it.’

“He came back again in about three
months and suggested that we dope
some drinks for Willie with some
chemicals he had been experimenting
with. But I didn’t like the idea and
told him to forget about it.

wt ASS: May I met him again and
decided to go through with it. I
saw him several times in June, and
about a week before this thing hap-
pened he told me he had everything
planned. I warned him against using
a gun because the police would surely
discover the evidence, and I also told
him if he was going to do anything he’d
better act quick, for Willie was going
to be married on July 3.

“On Thursday, July 1, I gave him
ten dollars to rent a car. I didn’t see
him again until Monday, July 5. He

came to my house during the wedding
reception I was giving for my daugh-
ter and son-in-law and told me he
had pulled a clean job. I promised
to give him $800, no more.

“The only reason I haven’t told this
to you police before was because An-
gelo lied to you when he said I was
with him that night. I wanted to find
out who was with him before I said
anything.”

She refused to sign this statement,
just as she still refused to waive ex-
tradition; but on last September 22 the
Grand Jury of the Circuit Court of
St. Clair County, Illinois, returned an
indictment against her and her two ac-
complices, Angelo and John Giancola,
charging them with the crime of
murder.

Shred were arraigned in the Circuit
Court on September 27 and the case
was set for trial. None had funds for
legal counsel, so I appointed Attorney
Edward Bareis of East St. Louis as
counsel for Mrs. Porter, and Attorney
Robert Broderick to defend the Gian-
cola brothers.

Attorney Bareis presented a motion
for a separate trial for Mrs. Porter,
but this motion was denied. The case
was called for trial on last Novem-
ber 1, and on November 5 the jury
returned this verdict:

“We, the jury, find the defendant,
John Giancola, guilty of murder in the
manner and form as charged in the
indictment and fix his punishment at
ninety-nine years’ imprisonment in the
penitentiary. We find the defendant,
Angelo Giancola, guilty of murder and
fix his punishment at death by elec-
trocution. We find the defendant,
Marie Porter, guilty of murder and fix
her punishment at death by electro-
cution.”

A motion for a new trial was over-
ruled and the prisoners were ordered
to the Menard branch of the Illinois
State Penitentiary, John to serve 99
years, Angelo and Mrs. Porter to die
in the electric chair. Menard prison
has no facilities for women prisoners,
and the State was put to considerable
expense to confine her there. We had
to. provide special quarters for her and
employ three matrons at $90 a month
éach. It was necessary, however, to
send her to this prison since it is the
only one in this section that has an
electric chair.

She and Angelo were sentenced to
die in the chair on last December 17,
but Governor Horner reprieved them
until January 8, this year. Later he
extended the reprieve.

A special hearing of the Pardon and
Parole Board was held at Springfield,
Illinois, on January 26 at the request
of Angelo’s parents. They sought a
commutation of the death sentence.
The Board heard the Giancola family’s
argument that Angelo had contracted
syphilis from Mrs. Porter and that his
moral stamina was thereby lowered.

Through all these months Mrs. Por-
ter remained scornfully indifferent, and
no word was presented in her behalf
at the meeting of the Board on Jan-
uary 26,

Both she and Angelo “walked the
last mile” early in the morning of Fri-
day, January 28. Mrs. Porter was the
first woman in the State of Illinois to
meet death in the electric chair and
the second woman in the State’s his-
tory to be executed. The other wo-
man, old records revealed, was put to
death for murder in Lawrenceville in
1845.

Throughout the months and weeks
that Angelo and Mrs. Porter sat in the
death-house, I protested to the Parole
Board against any commutation of Mrs.
Porter’s sentence and argued against
any executive clemency being shown
her.

Certainly if her accomplice, Angelo
Giancola, met death in the chair, she,
too, I felt, should die likewise.

Of the two, I felt, she was the
guiltier,

The Next Issue of OFFICIAL DETECTIVE STORIES Will Be on Sale Wednesday, March 16

SR ee alll RS EL ME IS

had moved only a short time before pen’s apartment.

he was to have carried his bride across They found nothing out of order
its threshold. Instead, an inspection of they reached the bedroom. There,
the rooms cast only an ominously out upon a bed which had been slept
| darkening shadow over Bill’s failure to in, was the suit Miss Traub sai

show up for his wedding. had planned to wear at the

\ Hy
t | At ten minutes after the hour the the bed.

He temperamental organist was staring Irene flung open the closet door.
} mY steadily at the entrance, his fingers “There’s the suit he had on last night,”
i | nervously fussing with the stops above she said. “He was at my place unti
' his keyboard. At a quarter past 10 nearly 11 o'clock. We were making our

the. guests were whispering among last plans, and he drew up 4
themselves and sneaking furtive glances things he was to do.”

had not shown up. ers figured.

HEY HAD HOPED to find the Two of the young men in the search-

T answer to William Kappen’s bewil- ing party gently led her to one side,
dering behavior in the modest and then shouldered the’ door open.

ground-floor apartment into which he Trene and her friends filed into Kap-

dat
laid

d Bill
oy ' wedding.
\ H At 10 o’clock in the morning of On the dresser lay a streetcar transfer
( \ July 3, 1937, young Kappen was to punched to expire at 11:30 the night
have made pretty Irene Traub his bride before. A pair of freshly polish
| in St. Anthony’s church in St. Louis. shoes poked their toes from

ed black
beneath

in the

the floor. Bill was to have arrived at © group strode into the bathroom an
her house at 8 o'clock, she said, to g0 found the tub half filled with water.
over final preparations for the big It was at room temperature. Doubtless
event of their lives. They had planned drawn for a bath, the water mus
to go to the church together. But he stood long enough to cool, the search-

t+ have

toward the door, hoping to see the She searched the breast pocket of

\ bridal party arrive. ‘At 10:30 a few of the coat hanging on a hanger ‘and
Irene’s closest friends conferred wor- withdrew a slip of paper. It was the
riedly, then slipped out to g0 to the: list. None of Bill’s clothes seemed to.
bride’s home. be missing, the girl told her friends.

They found her gowned in her white, Adding to the mystery of the miss-
wedding dress, but in tears and pacing ing bridegroom, one of the men

“Probably overslept,” said one of the Where was Bill Kappen? What inter-
ushers with forced lightness, . obviously vened, possibly as he prepared to’ dress
trying to break the poor girl’s nervous for the affair, to keep him from his
tension. with an attempt at humor... wedding? Had he impulsively changed

i _ “He does occasionally,” Irene ad-_ his mind at the last minute an
: mitted. “But surely not on his wedding walked out of the picture?. Could

day. Well, anyway, let’s go and see be a victim of amnesia?

i what's wrong. If—if he just stood me girl in the rumpled bridal gown cou. d

up, I guess the sooner I find out the only shake her head dumbly as h

Young Kappen’s front door was “Perhaps we'd better notify

locked, and the screen at the rear was lice,” one suggested.

4
} latched on the inside. “So that’s it, after “No,” Irene protested. “Not yet. Let’s
Ht all!” Irene exclaimed angrily. “Be must wait a while before we do that. Will
still be in there as eep.” one of you go back to the church? Just
\ Her veil trailing ‘in a white froth say our plans had to be changed at the
i behind her, the girl ran back to the last minute. Maybe Bill will turn up.”
\ i front door and hammered it furiously. However, even then she knew he
ag There was no response. She leaned wouldn’t. Nor did he, alive. As she sat
i against the doorsill, a sob in her throat. dismally in her room that night one
4. “Bill,” she moaned, still battering the of her closest companions came to her.
‘| 16 panel with her fist, “what's wrong?” “They found something today, over

77} ag, / GY

working in the window of the
First Federal Savings and Loan
Association, across the street from the
Hilltop Branch of the Ohio Nationa
Bank, glanced up. /
A shiver ran through her. SKe
pushed her chair back and stood p.
“Helen!” She criech
Helen Mannehill, another empldye,
came rufning. She took ore look and
screamef@i:
“Mr. Deems!”
Herbert Deems, secretary of /|the
company, looked out, dashed for a tle-
phone,

M's: MARGARET FLETCHER,

. . . Just ran out of the Ohio Ne
tional,” he shouted. “They’re pulling
away now—hurry up!”

The time—9:26 am. The day—
day, February 4, 1938.

Wednesday noon, three days pre
ous, three bandits had swooped do
on the loan campany, departing swift-
ly a few minutes later with cash loot
totaling $2,250. Before that there hadn’t
been a bank robhery in Columbus,
Ohio, since 1934.

Six minutes back, a

Curt Wilcox, youthf
manager of the busy bra of the
Ohio National Bank on Broad treet,
leaned his elbows on the sg eoth
marble counter that fenced his office
and gazed proudly around him.

His bank.

He did not own the bank, but it was
he who ran it.

“Good morning, Mr. Wilcox.”

“Good-morning, Mr. Dellinger.”

He saw Dellinger step up to one of
the deposit wickets. At the wicket
alongside stood Mrs. Ida Thompson,
another patron. Approaching him from
another wicket was Patron W. H.
Gibbon, .

“Can you spare mea minute, Curt?”

9:20 am. ...
clean-cut

asked Patron Gibbon, who wanted a short-wave police radio, t
some advice on a business deal. the Columbus police departrg
“Sure can,” said Manager Wilcox. regular police numbers had
At that moment the big clock on the off and replaced with stolen

wall Over the front deer_clicked: plates.
9:30 arm 9:30% am.
And at that nfoment a black V-8 “Get this,” said Jacob Miller.
sedan pulled ‘quiftly up alongside the giving the orders on this heist. Is
curb opposite We front door of <the clear?”
bank and stood i “Yeah—clear as mud,” said Grin
Inside the car ga ; kowicz,
Behind the whe lounged thick- ‘From the pallid, snarling lips of Carl
. ‘\

Boettcher, later, I heard Nhe amazing
story of two pairs of deadly enemies
joining forces and hoping \0 work in
harmony through a diabolid series of
daylight bank robberies throu yhout the
United States.

Miller and Grinkowicz were bne pair
—Boettcher and Figuli the\ othor.
Figuli, I learned, had joined the gang
for the sole purpose of killing \Grin-
kowicz. He wanted revenge on \Grin-
owicz for shooting him four tines in

jowled Carl Boef bank robber

and one-time confe e of the no- Ne

torious fugitive Carles Bird, jail- aN

breaking bandit d Me, recently « \ : 7

branded Public Enemy \Nd, 1 by J. »< |

Edgar Hoover. \ N\ /
Next to Boettcher sd ilahty-eyed, pt

dough-faced Steve Figu
gangster and_ rat-about4tb
cocky over the victorious dt
his $5,200 robbery of the

fad THE rear seat lolled the two most
dangerous bank robbers At that mo-
ment in the United State:

They were granite-chinned Jacob
Miller and. steely-eyed Vincent Grin-
kowicz—both fresh fro a series of ‘
brazen, big-time robberies in northern
Ohio.
In the pockets of“these four desper-~
adves_were two-<45 caliber automatics
and four .38 revolvers. On one of the
automatics were two notches.

The car they were sitting in was a
stolen high-powered police cruiser
from Newburgh Heights, a suburb of
Cleveland, Ohio. It was equipped with

Death stalked every room of this
house when four coppers fought to
the end with four bank looters

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The girl seemed to choke on her own
words. Tears flooded her large blue eyes.
Finally, she continued; “Then they—
they took Jimmy out of the car and
ran over him—slow—so the tire marks
would show and it would look like an
accident. They told me they'd ‘kill me
if I said anything about it to anybody.
Then they took me back to my hotel.”

Tatum and. Hyde were silent for a
few minutes, digesting the details of
Mrs. Lehrer’s story. Then Tatum asked:

“Did you know Hefner and Shaw
were looking for you in Memphis?”

The girl nodded her head. “When I
found out, I went home to my people.
But please. Captain, won't you put me
in jail so they can’t get me?”

“T'll place you in protective custody,”
the captain agreed. “And I guarantee
you have nothing more to fear.”

Hefner and Shaw were immediately
charged with first degree murder. In
January, 1944, Hefner was placed on
trial. District Attorney D. A. Chatham
had charge of the prosecution and he
presented a brilliant case. On January
22, the jury found Hefner guilty and
he was subsequently sentenced to life
in prison. His attorney immediately ap-
pealed the case but on May 9, 1944,
the Mississippi State Supreme Court
affirmed the sentence. Hefner was taken
to the penitentiary at Parchman where
he is now serving out his: time.

Although Mrs. Lehrer was an unwill-
ing witness to the brutal crime she was
absolutely innocent of any complicity or
part therein.

Shaw’s attorneys obtained a change
of venue for him. His trial was held at
Sardis, Mississippi and he was convicted
of murder. The jury could not agree on
the amount of punishment to impose so
under Mississippi law, the life sentence
is mandatory.

Editor’s Note: The names, Elmo Ster-
ling, Arthur Rudd and Josephine Lehrer,
as used in this story, are fictitious in
order to protect innocent persons from
possible embarrassment.

STATEMENT OF THE OWNERSHIP, MANAGE-

MENT, CIRCULATION, UIR

THE ACTS OF G
24, 1912, AND MARCH 3,
of Tru-Life Detective Cases, published bi-monthly at
New York, N. Y. for Ovtober 1, 1944,
State of New York
County of New York

Before me, a notary public in and for the State and
County aforesaid, personally appeared Armand J. Lopez,
who, having been duly sworn according to law, deposes
and says that he is the Business Manager of the
Tru-Life Detective Cases and that the following is,
to the best of his knowledge and belief. a true state-
ment of the ownership, management (and if a daily
paper, the circulation), ete., of the aforesaid publication
for the date shown in the above caption, reauired by the
Act of August 24, 1912, as amended by the Act of
March .3, 1933, embodied in section 537, Postal Laws
and Regulations, printed on the reverse of this form,
to wit:

1. That the names and addresses of the publisher,
editor, managing editor, and business managers are:
Publisher, Adrian 3. Lopes, 103 Vark Avenue, N. Y.
C,; Editor, James FE, Smith, 103 Park Avenue, N.Y. €.;
Managing Editor, Armand J. Lopez, 103 Dark Avenue,
N. ¥, €.; Business Manager, Armand J, Lopez, 103
Park Avenue, N. Y, €.

- That the owner is: (If owned by a corporation, its
name ani address must be stated and alse inunediately
thereunder the names and addresses of stockholders
owning or holding one per cent or more of total amount
of stock. If not owned by « corporation, the names und
addresses of the individual owners must be given. If
owned by a firm, company, or other unincorporated con-
cern, its name and acdress, as well as those of each
individual member, must be given.) Volitant Publish
ing Co., 105 Park Avenue, N.Y. ©.; Adrian B.
Lopes. 103 Park Avenue, N.Y. Co; Armand J. Lopez,
103) Park Avenue, N. WY. €.; Anna Goldstein, 103
Park Avenue, N.Y. ©,

3. That the known honiholders, mortgagees, and other

} as,

security hoklers owning or hokting 1 per cent or more
of total amount of bonds, mortgages, or uther securities
are: (If there ure none, so stute.) None.

4. That the two paragraphs next above, giving the
names of the owners, stockholders, and security holders,
if any, contain not only the list of stockholders and
security hoklers as they appear upon the books of the
company but also, in cases where the stockholder or
security hokier appears upon the books of the company
as trustee or in any other filuciary relation, the name
of the person or corporation for whom such trustee is
acting, is given; ulso that the said two paragraphs
contain statements embracing afMfiant’s full knowledge
and belief as to the circumstances and conditions under
which stockholders and security holders who do not
appear upon the books of the company as trustees, hold
stock and securities in a capacity other than that of a
bona fide owner; and this afflunt has. no reason to
believe that any other person, association, or corporation
has any interest direct or indirect in the said stock,

, or other securities than as so stated by him,
ARMAND J. LOPEZ,
Business Manager.

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 25th day of

September, 1944
JACK L. MILLER, Notary Publie
(My Commission expires March 30, 1916)

the wedding. The woman readily ac-
knowledged the truth of what the re-
porter had said.

“We had all the plans made, the
music hired and the refreshments. pre-
pared,” she explained. “It cost me a
lot of money and it would have been
wasted if we hadn’t gone through with
the ceremony.”

The deputy had to admit that the
explanation was logical enough. But
he couldnt get the incident out of his
mind. A wedding on the very grave of
a loved one. It seemed cold and cal-
lous.

There was no longer any doubt in
Kerrigan's mind. Mrs. Marie Porter was
mixed up in her brother’s murder. He
went back to question Giancola along
these lines. As he talked to the young
fellow he noticed a red spot on his
arm. Presently, he saw Giancola uncon-
sciously scratch the rash. Suddenly, he
said, “That’s poison ivy on your arm,
Ralph. Would you like to know where
you got it?”

Giancola smiled and shook his head.
“Not poison ivy. Brick dust. It always
irritates my skin.”

Kerrigan remembered the reporter's
arm. It had looked exactly like this.
He remembered also where he had
found the stained handkerchiefs. “It’s
poison ivy, son, and you killed Willie
Kappen.”

“T had no reason to kill him,” the
young man replied quietly.

“Marie Porter says you and Willie
had a fight over a girl,” Kerrigan coun-
tered. “She said a lot of things and not
one of them will do you any good.”

The young man looked surprised. Then
he grew angry. “It isn’t true,” he burst
out. “She—” he hesitated.

Kerrigan said, “You were going to
say Mrs. Porter is equally to blame,
weren’t you? Maybe so, but not the way
she tells it. She seems all broker up
over the murder.”

The young man wilted. All the as-
surance and spirit left him. “I might
as well tell you about it,” he murmured.
“It was Marie who killed him. She had
me rent the car so it wouldn’t be
traced to her. That night she went up-
stairs to bed and after everybody was
asleep she tiptoed outside and met me
on Kingshighway Boulevard. We got
Willie at his place and started making
the rounds of the drinking places. We
wound up on the East Side and as we
were driving along Route 13, Marie shot
him in the head. We drove further on
and rolled the body out of the car. We
came back to St. Louis and I tried to
ry the car out with gasoline. That’s
all.

Mrs. Porter was immediately taken
in custody. She refused to admit any-
thing; denied everything. Then Giancola
asked to make a phone call to his
brother, John. Kerrigan edged up to
the telephone in time to hear Giancola
instruct bis brother to “put it away”.

Was John Giancola mixed up in the
crime? Was it the death gun that Ralph
was asking John to put away? If 50,
he was too late. For detectives had al-
ready found the .32 caliber weapon in
Giancola’s home and ballistics experts
had proved it was the death gun. Also,
detectives had a gabardine suit they'd

. found in Giancola’s room. It had recent-

ly been washed and still bore streaks
which were subsequently analyzed as
blood stains.

John Giancola was brought to head-
quarters at once. He refused to make

_any kind of a statement.

Kerrigan was still doubtful about some
details of Ralph Giancola’s statement.
especially as to the part about Kappen’s

/ANTED: MURDERER. (Continued from page 23 )

accompanying Mrs. Porter and him into
taverns on their way to the murder
scene. According to all witnesses, Kap-
pen didn’t drink. And evidence pointed
to the probability that he had been
blind-folded and gagged on the fatal
trip. Kerrigan still doubted that Marie
Porter had gone on the death ride. She
was too clever a schemer to risk being
seen. He was certain, though, that hers
was the guiding hand.

Kerrigan and Hogan made a canvass
of the drinking places Ralph Giancola
claimed the murder party had visited.
But no one recalled seeing the oddly
assorted trio.

Back at police headquarters, Kerrigan
and his: aides again questioned Ralph
Giancola, told him where details in his
statement failed to hold up. This finally
wore the young man down. He made
another statement. He said that Marie
Porter had not accompanied him on
the murder trip but had promised him
$800 if he would kill her brother. He
related that the woman gave him $10
to rent the car and that he and John
had kidnapped, Kappen at gun-point.
blind-folded and gagged him and taken
him out to be killed.

From there on, his confession jibed
with details the officers had learned for
themselves. They told John Giancola
that his brother’s statement implicated
him and John promptly turned state's
evidence.

| ERRIGAN then faced Mrs. Porter

with both boys’ statements. “I'm
not asking for a confession,” he said.
“We have a strong enough case’ against
you without one. But telling us. talking
it over, may bring you some peace of
mind. Suit yourself.”

Mrs. Porter realized the wisdom in
his words.

“It was Willie’s own fault,” she said
stubbornly. “If he had given me some
money all this wouldn’t have happened.
What’s the good of having brothers and
sisters if, they don’t help each other? I'm
sure I can't help it if I’m always the
one who needs money. But nobody ever
helped me. Even my own father. I had
to take it from him.

“I tried to get some from Willie
but he had everything tied up in in-
surance. That was smart. But I was
smart, too. I figured if I couldn't get
if from Willie alive, I'd get if from Wil-
lie dead. After all, one policy was made
out in my name.

“Given time enough, I could have got
away with it but his hurry to get mar-
ried spoiled things for me. It rushed
matters. I knew once he was married
he would change the policy to his wife's
name. I didn’t want to kill him myself
and I didn’t know who to ask. I al-
most felt like advertising. Finally I got
Ralph to do it. Maybe I should have
done it myself. Men are so stupid.”

The Giancola brothers promptly waiv-
ed extradition and were taken to Belle-
ville and lodged in the St. Clair County
jail. Mrs. Porter claimed her constitu-
tional rights and made it necessary for
Governor Henry Horner of Illinois to
request her extradition. On July 13, the
papers came through and she joined her
co-conspirators in Belleville.

On the following November 1, the
trio were tried in the circuit court in
the Belleville courthouse. Mrs. Porter
and Ralph Giancola received the death
penalty. John Giancola was sentenced
to 99 years in prison.

The death sentences were subsequent-
ly carried out in the Southern Illinois
Penitentiary. at Menard. When Mrs.
Porter’s body was carried out of the
death chamber, she became the first
woman in Illinois to have been executed
in the electric chair.

By D.L. CHAMPION Se a

A: dawn that Saturday, July 3, Irene Traub sprang from her bed and
decided that this was the happiest day of her life. By mid-morning she wasn’t

‘ conta At noon, she realized she was living through the blackest day of
er life. ! Pog igs

Her wedding was scheduled for 10 o’clock at St. Anthony’s Catholic
Church in St. Louis, Mo. Irene Traub, an attractive 28-year-old brunette,
arrived at the church in the company of her brother, John, and his wife, Elsa.
Irene Traub was ecstatically lovely in her bridal veil and gown.

The organist sat ready, his fingers on ing house. It was here that he intended to door of the building unlocked. They
the keys. The priest stood by the altar. settle down with his wife. Kappen’s _ pushed it open and raced up the stairway.

The acolytes were scrubbed and apartment was on the second floor. The Kappen’s: door wasn’t locked, either.
polished. The bridesmaids giggled ner- ground floor flat was vacant. ‘ : 3

vously. But at 10:30, the bridegroom, John and Irene Traub found the front
William Kappen, had not arrived and the
happiness of Irene Traub was tempered 5 Ce
by irritation. Half an hour later, she was y
frankly worried, and at 11:30 she was in

(continued on next page)

see The Giancola brothers: Angelo was sentenced to the electricchair; °

“John,” she told her brother, ‘what John got 99 years for his part in the murder.
can have happened? William was so Par aT

happy when we parted last night. It’s im- Gir

possible that he has run out on the wed- ee ee ee
ding.” .

“*I’m sure he hasn’t. He may have been
taken suddenly ill. I’ll drive over to his
apartment.”’ 3

““Wait,’’ said Irene Traub. ‘‘I’ll go with
you.”’ ,

They left the embarrassed wedding
party and drove to Kappen’s apartment
on Union Boulevard. It was a two-story,
white frame house into which the bride-

groom had recently moved from a board-

Marie Porter, the victim’s sis-
ter, was the first woman ever
electrocuted in Illinois.

—

Happy at the thought that this was the last night
he would have to spend as a bachelor, Willie Kappen
was busily laying out his wedding clothes when he was
surprised by two unexpected intruders. One of them
thrust a gun into his stomach and told him to get
dressed... Willie never did make it to church the

Kappen’s cutaway coat, his striped
trousers and starched shirt lay on a bed
which apparently had not been slept in.

In the kitchen, a bright new garbage
pail reposed beneath the sink. Two
cigarettes had been allowed to burn
themselves out on the draining board. In
the bathroom, the tub was filled with
clear, unsoapy water. Obviously, the
bath had been drawn and never used.

St. Clair County Sheriff Henry L. Siekman
was first to arrive at the murder scene.

next morning.

Lying on the bureau was a Bellefontaine
street car transfer which had been
stamped at 11:30 the previous night.
Irene Traub glanced wildly about the
room, then turned helplessly to her
brother.
‘‘Where is he? What are we going to
do?”’

“I’m going to call the police,’’ said
John Traub. ‘‘First, there are those
burned-out cigarette butts on the sink and
Willie doesn’t smoke. That means some-
one was here either last night or this
morning. It looks as if Willie left the
house just as he was about to take a bath.
It just doesn’t make any sense.”’

Within half an hour, Detective Sgt.
John Sinclair and Detective Harold

Kappen was led from his brand-new :
apartment in this building to his death.

tp.cTP.c

Ohi.

GIANCOLA and PORTER, Whites, elec. Ill, (St. Clair) 1/28/1938

tye orers,

TRUE POLICE CASES, June, 1975

_ Willie had fo settle for a funeral
ss instead of a wedding...

—einamanameanen

Sy Be

A sheet covers William Kappen’s corpse. The victim was shot to death only a few hours before he was
scheduled to be married. :

| LIVE A BACHELOR,
DIE A BACHELOR

Fiends who went to the chair

T.P.C.

ee er ee

in his home. They learned that he was
acquainted with Pamela, had known her
casually for the past few months. They
managed to get samples of his footprints.
Finally, they were ready to talk with
him.

On Monday afternoon, March 28th,
deputies and juvenile authorities picked
him up at school and brought him to the
sheriff's office for questioning. There
he was interrogated by Sheriff McKay
and County Prosecutor R. DeWitt Jones
in the presence of County Chief Proba-
tron Officer Robert Axlund.

It was announced that he made a state-
ment which was recorded on tape. What
was in the statement has not been re-
vealed; but immediately after it was taped
the sheriff and deputies went to the
plowed field behind the Purdy home and
dug up Pamela’s missing house slippers

and the missing flashlight.

After making the statement, the brown-
haired, 5°7” youngster was booked into
the juvenile wing of the county jail.

On Wednesday, the young suspect
was brought before Judge Eugene Cush-
ing in Juvenile Hall and he was remanded
to Superior Court. This means that he
will be treated as an adult. On Thursday,
March 31st, a formal charge of first de-
gree murder was filed against him. Pend-
ing further proceedings, young Alfter
was remanded to the maximum security
section of Clark County Jail.

Very little information _ concerning
the young suspect’s ‘statement and the
evidence against him has been released
by the authorities. According to Prose-
cutor Jones, the boy had gone to the
Purdy home and asked to borrow an en-
cyclopedia which the girl did not have.

Then the girl was led to believe that one
of her tires was flat on her car which
was parked in the driveway. She went out
to check the tires, the boy with her. When
she found no flat tires, there was an ex-
change of angry words. Pamela at the
time was kneeling with a flashlight near
one wheel of the car. She was allegedly
struck on the head with a rock. She
screamed and fell over, moaning and un-
conscious. Then it is alleged she was
dragged fifty feet away behind the stor-
age house and struck a second and fatal
blow with a wooden fence post.

The prosecutor declared that a sex
motivation seemed to be ‘vaguely
present” at the outset of the sequence
of fateful events. *

Editor's Note: The name Donald Lafton
is fictitious.

NO WEDDING FOR THE GROOM
(Continued from page 37)

morning of July 3, 1937. The wound ap-
peared to have been made by a bullet of
32 or .38 caliber. Siekman and Smith
searched through the weeds for some
time looking for the slug, but were unsuc-
cessful.

They did make a discovery, however,
which promised to be of some value. Fifty
or sixty feet away from the body, in some
tangled underbrush near a grove of trees,
Siekman came upon two white handker-
chiefs which were blood-smeared. They
appeared to have been used by the killer
to wipe his hands after he had dragged
the bady from the car.

More important, they bore a laundry
mark differing from that on the victim’s
shirt, indicating that they were the prop-
erty of the killer. As soon as the body had
been removed and he had returned to his
office, Sheriff Siekman assigned officers
to check all laundries in the county.

Coroner Madden discovered a further
possible aid to identification when he
found that several of the victim's upper
front teeth were missing. Apparently
some dental work had been knocked out.

That evening Emma Kessler, searching
the St. Louis papers for news of her miss-
ing fyance, came upon a small item under
a Belleville, Illinois, dateline describing
the murder victim. When she saw the ref-
erence to the man’s teeth, she felt sure
that it was Kappen.

An hour later she was standing in a fun-
eral home in Belleville, clinging nervously
to the arm of a friend, as the shroud was
lifted from the victim’s face.

“It’s Bill,” she sobbed.

N OW that the victim had been posi-
tively identified as the missing St.
Louis bridegroom, the police department
of that city swung into immediate action.
Chief of Detectives John J. Carroll rushed
several men to Belleville to help Sheriff
Siekman and Illinois S tate Police, while

others were sent to search Kappen’s apart-
ment on Union Boulevard.

It was too dark to make an intensive
search for further clues at the scene near
Belleville that evening. And the grief-
stricken Kessler girl was in no condition
to be interrogated.

Early next morning, however, a dozen
officers systematically went over the
ground where Kappen’s body had been
discovered, hoping to find the fatal slug.
Not succeeding, they went along the
path the killer had taken through a
clump of poison oak bushes when he tried
to hide the two blood-stained handker-
chiefs. But the earth had been baked hard
by the sun, and they found neither foot-
prints nor automobile tire tracks.

Detectives looking through Kappen’s
apartment, however, quickly came
upon something which aroused their in-
terest. The transom over the door had
been firmly nailed down.

“That shows he must have been afraid
someone would sneak in,” Detective
James Ogden observed.

He and the other officers carefully ex-
amined the outside of the door, but could
find no evidence that it had been forced.
The bedroom window was open, but it
was three stories above the ground and
there was no way the killer could have
entered it.

The St. Louis officers agreed that Kap-
pen’s murderer must have somehow gain-
ed entrance to his apartment in the night,
forced the victim to dress hurriedly, and
spirited him away about 3:30 a.m. They
figured that the murderous abductor
must have arrived about 1:30.

“He got home from his girl friend’s
home about an hour before that,” Ogden
said, “so he’d probably just fallen asleep
when the killer came.”

“What I don’t see,” Detective Sergeant
John Sinclair remarked, “is why he’d ad-
mit anyone at that hour unless he trusted
him. The murderer must have been some-
one he thought was his pal, or else
he had a key to the apartment.”

When Miss Kessler was questioned
by the detectives later in the morning

at her home, she said only two keys
to the apartment existed. She had one,
since she had gone there in the daytime
rather frequently of late to help decorate
it, and Kappen carried the other.

“And as for admitting anybody,”
she added, “he would have been ex-
tra cautious. You saw that transom.
He wasn’t taking any chances.”

Detective Ogden leaned forward in
his chair. “Now we're getting to the
point, Miss Kessler. “Who were his
enemies?”

Emma Kessler spread her hands in
a hopeless gesture. “Six weeks ago I
received an anonymous note from some
mysterious person who seemed opposed
to our marriage. I was told that unless

‘I gave Bill up, I’d be sorry. I thought

—well, I thought the threat was meant
for me, not Bill. But we believed it
best to take no chances; that’s why the
transom was fastened.”

“You received just the one note?”

“That’s all. Naturally we worried
a little at first, but we had no idea of
giving One another up. There weren’t
any more threats, so finally we con-
cluded that it was someone’s crude joke.
Whose it was, we didn’t know.”

“It turned out to be a pretty grim
one,” Detective Sergeant Sinclair ob-
served. “We'd like to see the note. Do
you still have it?”

Emma shook her head. “I tore it
up. I know it was stupid of me, but
I didn’t want anyone else to find it.”

Ogden looked glum. “That’s a tough
break for us, miss. You see, that note
might have been written by one of your
men friends who was jealous of Kappen,

or by a girl friend of his who was jeal-_

ous of you. Without it, we’ll have to
start from scratch and investigate every-
one.”

“But,” objected Miss Kessler, “surely
you don’t think a girl could have done
that killing?”

“Not by herself, maybe. She might
have: persuaded a brother or someone
to help her. She might even have got a
professional killer to do it. As I said,

DETECTIVE CASES

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DETECTIVE CASES

ghtened. “Sounds
ly knew the money
‘t find it and came

the next night.”
fen soon learned
nily lived. Before
t to the Identifica-
rtain if the youth
There was no ref-

n his father, moth-
other. Preliminary
hborhood revealed
not too well off
not been working
The Giancolas had

und Ralph talking
yuths at a nearby
iim over to the car
into the front seat.

you have the key
day?” Sinclair ask-
to know how you

Kappen, who was

v about it?”
ead. “I haven’t
bout a year. I
nent.”
‘rsistent questioning
s story, so Ogden
drove to the apart-
ng, the officers led
iitor’s quarters.
z fellow you saw?”
an.
ted his glasses and
n intently. After a
swered, “Looks like
I guess I couldn’t
ht isn’t too good in

the officers were,
dy to give up on

ney are you carry-
gruffly.

.’ Giancola answer-
search me.”

irned he was telling

few more questions,
yack to his home.
t to a nearby drug
lephone, Ogden en-
t urchins in conver-

e sergeant returned
hat abashed. “The
t. I just spoke to the
ys Kappen changed
to traveler’s checks
‘er to her. So I guess
revenge killing after

“That’s probably
xe the most logical
Rut why give up so

He might yet

ugure that?”

ing to these kids,
re’s in love with a
irs older than he is.
iough influence over

DETECTIVE CASES

him to make him kill a man if he ditch-
ed her. But that isn’t all. I also hear
that he was driving someone’s car on
Friday night.”

Sinclair’s eyebrows went up. He
reached in his pocket and pulled out
the sea-beach snapshot. “I wonder,”
he mused, “if the young lady called
Teresa would know anything about
this?”

There was a chance, the officers
thought, that they might find this girl
im the same neighborhood. Entering the
corner drug store, they showed the
photo to the owner, who looked at it
and nodded.

“It’s Teresa Maiello. Lives at No.
40, just up the street.”

Sinclair and Ogden drove ahead and
stopped at a sooty frame bungalow. An
attractive dark-eyed girl of about twenty-
eight was sitting on the porch.

After introducing himself, Sinclair
asked, “How much did you ‘like Bill
Kappen?”

The large, liquid eyes measured him
slowly, then she dropped her gaze. “I
guess all my friends know I liked him
very much. I was sorry to hear of his
death.”

“You were angry when he chose
another girl, weren’t you?” he asked.

“No,” she answered. “I expected it.
I thought for a while that he might
be serious about me, but his sister dis-
couraged that. He was living with her
then, because he hadn’t a job, and seem-
ed devoted to her. She had a great deal
of influence with him.”

“How about Giancola? Is he in love
with you?”

“Oh, no,” she protested. “I seldom
see him any more.”

Rising, Sinclair bade her goodby
and walked back out to the car. “No
sale,” he told Ogden, “Giancola’s in-
terested in some other dame.”

For the next two days they hunted
new leads and helped the other officers
interrogate friends of the dead man.
Continually searching through Kappen’s
effects, they sifted a mass of old papers,
letters, photographs, and documents.
They found three small insurance poli-
cies, totaling $2,300 made out to his
sister, presumably in return for kind-
nesses she had extended him when he
was down on his luck. By Wednesday
evening, however, they had finished
their search and no new leads had de-
veloped.

Chief Carroll called the pair into his
office. “It begins to look,” he said, “as
if the sister might know more about
Kappen’s past than we imagine. We
haven’t interrogated her very thoroughly
because it’s been quite a while since he
lived with her. Maybe she can recall
something important.”

The detectives went out to the room-
ing house where Mrs. Porter lived with
her four daughters. To their amazement,
they heard hilarous sounds issuing from
the place. One of the daughters, un-
aware of their identity, answered the
door and gaily invited them to “come in
and join the party.”

When Mrs. Porter learned who they
were, she quieted the gathering some-

DETECTIVE CASES

what and pulled the officers into an ad-
joining room.

“This must seem like strange be-
havior at such a time,” she apologized,
“but it’s for one of my daughters, who’s
just been married. It had been all plan-
ned before Willie’s death, and we had to
go through with it. Come in and meet
the guests.”

The officers demurred, saying they
would return tomorrow. But as they
passed through the front door and glanc-
ed back, they discovered that they al-
ready had met one guest. It was Ralph
Giancola, around whose neck Mrs.
Porter was encircling a chubby, af-
fectionate arm.

Sinclair and Ogden did not return
to Mrs. Porter’s rooming house the
next day, but they made inquiries in
the neighborhood which unearthed some
highly interesting information. Giancola,
they learned, had been employed for
several months by .Mrs. Porter as a
clerk in a confectionery shop which
was a faliure from the start. The shop
had few customers, so it was not alto-
gether clear why the owner needed the
handsome young man’s services. Gos-
sips, however, were not at a loss for a
reason. The two were occasionally seen
together until late hours in local taverns,
with Mrs. Porter footing the bill for
drinks.

This, plus the fact that Mrs. Porter
seemed to be bearing up admirably un-
der her recent bereavement, started the
officers thinking. Detective Sergeant
Henry Siekhaus and Detective Harold
Bohlen were assigned to help Sinclair
and Ogden in this phase of the investi-
gation.

Recalling that Giancola had been
seen driving a car on the night of the
murder, Siekhaus and Bohlen began
checking the drive-it-yourself agencies.
This paid dividends immediately. They
found that he had rented a sedan at
8:00 p.m. on Friday and had not
brought it back until 7:18 the next
night.

“I'd like to see that car,” Siekhaus
told the manager.

HE Ford was driven to headquar-

ters, where laboratory technicians
went over every inch of it. Within
five minutes they had discovered faint
pinkish stains on the front seat cushion
which proved to be blood. A prodigious
effort had been made to remove them
with gasoline.

“That would account for keeping
the car out so long,” Bohlen remarked,
‘if we could prove those stains were
made on Friday night.”

Not only Giancola but also Mrs.
Porter was now under heavy suspicion.
The stout, 37-year-old widow had been
the only beneficiary of her brother’s in-
surance—insurance which the officers
guessed, would have been transferred to
Kappen’s bride right after the marriage.
They also recalled the fact that Mrs.
Porter had lately hung some drapes in
her brother’s apartment in his absence.
In other words, she had possessed a
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we'll have to look into all the possi-
bilities. Ready to give us some names?”

Somewhat reluctantly the girl gave
him the names of two or three admirers.
She felt positive, however, that they
could not be involved in any way. As
for women who might have figured in
Kappen’s past, she knew none. She sug-
gested they inquire among his friends
and relatives.

WIDOWED sister, Mrs. Marie Por-

ter, who kept a rooming house,
was Kappen’s only relative then living
in the city. When the detectives called
on her she gave them the names of as
many of his former friends as she could
remember. Asked if she could think of
anyone who might have wanted to kill
her brother, she shook her head.

“He hadn’t a single enemy that J
ever heard him mention. There was
a girl, though, who felt pretty bad
when he quit her and started to go with
Emma.”

Sinclair and Ogden perked up. “Who
was that?”

“TI don’t know her name. I just hap-
pened to come across part of a letter
she’d sent him. The last half of it was
missing, so I don’t really know who
wrote it.”

“Where'd you find the letter? Do you
have it?”

“No, it was lying on his breakfast
table when I went over to his apart-
ment one morning a few weeks ago
to hang some drapes.”

There was little else of any interest
that Mrs. Porter could tell them, so
Sinclair and Ogden took the list of
names they had gathered to Detective
Chief Carroll. Other detectives were as-
signed to hunt down and interview the
people. Sinclair and Ogden returned
to the murdered man’s apartment.

On. arriving they sought out the
janitor. But neither he nor the tenants
across the hall from Kappen could give
them any worthwhile information.

“I’ve never seen anybody visiting
Mr. Kappen except his fiancee,” the jan-
itor said. “But there was a young fel-
low who went in there on Friday while
he was at work. I saw him come out
the door and asked what he was there
for. He was a messenger from the office
Mr. Kappen had sent back to get some
papers he’d forgotten.”

No leads of any importance could
be developed from this meager in-
formation on Sunday. On Monday
morning Sinclair and Ogden journeyed
downtown to the Mahoney Electric
Company, where the victim had been
employed. None of his business as-
sociates, when questioned, could recall
hearing him mention any enemies. It
was always the same answer. Bill Kap-
pen was an amiable fellow whom every-
one liked.

It was not until they talked to the
office cashier that the detectives stum-
bled on their first promising lead. He
revealed that on Thursday the victim
had cashed two sizable checks to pro-
vide funds for his honeymoon.

“Robbery!” Ogden exclaimed. “It
might be as simple as that. Why didn’t

someone think of that before?”

Sinclair recalled the office messenger
who had been in the apartment on
Friday.

“Who did Kappen send for those
papers?” he asked the cashier.

“He couldn’t have sent anyone on
Friday,” was the reply. “He took the
day off to get ready for his wedding.
Besides, we haven’t any messengers.”

Leaving the office, they returned to
Kappen’s apartment house and asked
the janitor to describe the youth he had
seen.

“He was a tall young fellow with
dark wavy hair,” the man said. “And
now that you mention him, I don’t
remember seeing any papers in his
hand as he left.”

“Maybe he was casing the joint,”
Ogden suggested.

Sinclair looked down and saw a
photograph album on the bottom of
the bookcase. He had noticed it before.
He laid it on the table and began going
through the collection of snapshots.
Presently he turned to his colleague
and said, “Ask that janitor to come up
here.”

HEN the man appeared a moment

later, the detective sergeant ‘point-
ed to one of the photographs. It was a
beach shot, showing Kappen, a dark-
haired girl, and a wavy-haired youth
with deeply sun-tanned skin.

“Could that be the boy you saw on
Friday?” he asked.

The janitor squinted at the snap-
shot and nodded slowly. “Could be.
Sure looks like him, all right.”

Beneath the picture was written the
caption, “Bill, Teresa and Ralph.”

Sinclair picked up the telephone and
called Emma Kessler.

“Your fiance knew a fellow named
Ralph,” he said. “What’s his last
name?”

“I don’t know,” was the reply. “He
was one of a crowd Bill used to run
with. His sister might know.”

Sinclair phoned her.

“You must be referring to Ralph
Giancola,” she said. “He used to go
on swimming parties with Bill.”

The detective sergeant stripped the

photograph out of the album and took

it to Detective Chief Carroll at Police
Headquarters. They found Carroll im-
mersed in reports from other detectives
who had been questioning acquaintances
of Kappen and Emma Kessler.

“We're not making a great deal of
progress,” the chief said, “so I’ve told
the men to concentrate on those who
own cars. I’m certain that Kappen
was shot in an automobile just before
his body was tossed out. That means
there’ll be blood spots on the cushions
or floor or somewhere. What about this
kid Giancola?”

“We're hunting him now. The ques-
tion is, how did he get hold of a key to
the place? Incidentally, we’ve also
learned that Kappen took nearly five
hundred dollars cash home with him
on the night before this kid entered
the apartment, posing as an office mes-
senger.”

Fi NE 0 Leap ate SRG

Chief Carroll brightened. “Sounds
promising. He probably knew the money
was there, but couldn’t find it and came
back to rob Kappen the next night.”

Sinclair and Ogden soon learned
where Giancola’s family lived. Before
driving there, he went to the Identifica-
tion Bureau to ascertain if the youth
had a police record. There was no ref-
erence to him.

Giancola lived with his father, moth-
er and younger brother. Preliminary
inquiries in the neighborhood revealed
that the family was not too well off
and: that Ralph had not been working
for several months. The Giancolas had
no automobile.

The detectives found Ralph talking
with some other youths at a nearby
corner. They called him over to the car
and told him to get into the front seat.
The youth obeyed.

“Did Kappen let you have the key
to his apartment Friday?” Sinclair ask-
ed. “If not, we want to know how you
got in.”

“You mean Bill Kappen, who was
killed?”

“That’s right, How about it?”

The youth shook his head. “I haven’t
seen Bill Kappen for about a year. I
never went to his apartment.”

Ten minutes of persistent questioning
failed to change his story, so Ogden
started the car and drove to the apart-
ment house. Alighting, the officers led
Giancola into the janitor’s quarters.

“Is this the young fellow you saw?”
Sinclair asked the man.

The janitor adjusted his glasses and
peered at the youth intently. After a
long moment, he answered, “Looks like
him, officers, but I guess I couldn’t
swear to it. The light isn’t too good in
that hall.”

Disappointed as the officers were,
they were not ready to give up on
Ralph.

“How much money are you carry-
ing?” Ogden asked gruffly.

“One lousy dime,” Giancola answer-
ed. “Go ahead and search me.”

They did, and learned he was telling
the truth.

At length, after a few more questions,
they drove him back to his home.
While Sinclair went to a nearby drug
store to use the telephone, Ogden en-
gaged several street urchins in conver-
sation.

RESENTLY the sergeant returned

looking somewhat abashed. “The
robbery angle is out. I just spoke to the
Kessler girl. She says Kappen changed
all that money into traveler’s checks
and turned them over to her. So I guess
this is a jealousy or revenge killing after
all.”

Ogden nodded. “That’s probably -

right. It seems like the most logical
motive we have. But why give up so
quickly on Giancola? He might yet
be tied in’ with it.”

“How do you figure that?”

“I’ve been talking to these kids,
and they claim he’s in love with a
woman several years older than he is.
She might have enough influence over

DETECTIVE CASES

him to make him ki
ed her. But that is
that he was driving
Friday night.”

Sinclair's eyebro
reached in his po
the sea-beach sni
he mused, “if the
Teresa would knc
this?”

There was a c
thought, that they
im the same neighbo
corner drug store.
photo to the owner:
and nodded.

“It’s Teresa Mal
40, just up the strc

Sinclair and Ogd
stopped at a sooty !
attractive dark-eyed
eight was sitting on

After introducin
asked, “How much
Kappen?”

The large, liquid
slowly, then she dr
guess all my friend
very much. I was s
death.”

“You were ang
another girl, werer

“No,” she answe
I thought for a w
be serious about m
couraged that. He
then, because he hac
ed devoted to her. $
of influence with h

“How about Gia
with you?”

“Oh, no,” she p
see him any more.”

Rising, Sinclair
and walked back «
sale,” he told Ogd
terested in some ot!

For the next t™
new leads and hel
interrogate friend
Continually searchi
effects, they sifted a
letters, photograph
They found three s
cies, totaling $2,3(
sister, presumably
nesses she had ext
was down on his |
evening, however,
their search and nc
veloped.

Chief Carroll cal
office. “It begins tc
if the sister might
Kappen’s past tha
haven’t interrogated
because it’s been qi
lived with her. M:
something importa

The detectives w:
ing house where M
her four daughters.
they heard hilarous
the place. One of
aware of their ide
door and gaily invit
and join the party.”

When Mrs. Port
were, she quieted

DETECTIVE CASES

“That must have been where Gian-
cola got his,” Ogden surmised. “That
janitor was right after all. The kid
cased that joint the day before the
murder.”

Sinclair decided to drive out to the
Giancola household and see how Ralph
would now react to questioning. For
half an hour the calm, unruffled youth
shrugged off every accusation. He stood
nonchalantly with hands in his pockets,
steadfastly denying any knowledge of
the crime.

Finally Sinclair smiled and extended
his hand in what seemed to be a part-
ing gesture of friendship. Giancola
shook—and found his hand clasped in a
viselike grip as the detective studied it.

“Come on, Ralph,” Sinclair com-
manded sternly, “you're going to head-
quarters.”

In the brief space of that handshake,
Giancola realized he had given his
Secret away. He became increasingly
nervous all the way to headquarters. By
the time he was seated in Chief Carroll’s
office, and surrounded by suspicious
eyes, the detectives knew he was crack-
ing.

Presently a sedate, bespectacled man
walked into the room. Sinclair pointed
to the youth and said, “There he is,

_ doc. Take a look at his hands and arms.”

The doctor examined them. “As
plain a case of poison oak as I ever
saw,” he announced.

“Let’s have your handkerchief, Gian-
cola,” Sinclair ordered. The detective
took a look at it. “The laundry mark
checks, too, with those we found near
Kappen’s body. Ready to talk now,
sonny?”

The wavy-haired youth’s bravado was
gone. “Yes, I guess so,” he mumbled.
“For a long time Mrs. Porter talked to me
about killing her brother for his insur-
ance. Last week she said it had to be
done before he was married and signed
it over to his wife. She promised me
$800 of the insurance money if I’d
help her do the job. I drove the car and
when we got out there on that road,
she shot him. I hid the gun for her the
next day in a cigar box in the base-
ment.” :

Detectives rushed out to pick up the
weapon. Once they had it in hand they
examined it and it proved to be the one
from which the fatal bullet was fired.

Presently the chief’s door opened and
a detective led in Mrs. Porter. Her large
jaw was thrust out formidably as the
officers confronted her with Giancola’s
story.

“Ralph’s lying,” she said quietly.

Finally, with himself already danger-

MURDER IN LIVING COLOR
(Continued from page 27)

car had been left in an undeveloped
area 30 yards from the nearest residence,
the troopers also searched through the
adjoining fields and woods, seeking clues
to her disappearance.

When these efforts failed, her descrip-
tion was given to Chicago police and to
law enforcement agencies through Cook
and nearby counties. It was also broad-
cast over the radio and published in Tues-
day’s newspapers, and the public was
asked to aid the police in locating the
missing girl.

Meanwhile, the examination of the
Chevrolet convertible revealed no blood-
stains or other evidence that Susan Proe-
ber had met foul play. Officially, there-
fore, it was a missing persons case. And
in view of the fact that the girl had been
emotionally disturbed over an unfortun-
ate love affair, the state police believed
she might have committed some impul-
sive, irrational act. She might, for in-
stance, have parked her car in a place
where she thought it would go unnoticed,
walked to the highway and obtained a
ride to Chicago with a passing motorist.
This seemed in keeping with her decision
to “vanish into the background.”

However, Sergeant Singer thought
that if Sue Proeber had planned to leave
home, she would have taken along more
than a nightgown, a bathrobe and a
blouse. These. articles suggested nothing
more than a week-end away from home.

ously implicated, Ralph made a second
confession. He said Mrs. Porter hired
him to kill Kappen.

“I did it all,” he admitted. When I
got to Bill Kappen’s apartment he was
asleep. Mrs. Porter gave me a key. |
held a gun to his back while he dressed,
then marched him outside.”

Half a day after this confession,
Mrs. Porter agreed to talk. Calmly she
confessed she had plotted the crime
with Ralph and promised him $800.

“I had supported Willie when he was
out of work,” she said, almost petulant-
ly. “When things got better, he moved
out on me. I decided I couldn’t afford
to let him get away so I sent that note
to Emma Kessler. It didn’t do any good
whatever. When I saw that they were
going to get married anyway, I knew
we would have to act fast.”

Justice, too, acted swiftly. The crime
had happened on July 3, 1937, and on
November 4, just four months later,
the participants in the shocking mur-
der of trusting William Kappen stood
at the bar and heard their doom pro-
nounced. Sentenced to death were Mrs.
Porter and Ralph Giancola, who were
electrocuted on January 28, 1938.

Editor’s Note: The names Emma Kes-
sler and Teresa Maiello are fictitious.

And if she had not arranged to stay with
her girl friend, he believed she might
have had a week-end date with a man.

N TUESDAY, he drove around to
see Patricia Barnes, Susan Proe-
ber’s close friend. Patricia, an attrac-
tive blonde of about Sue’s age, seemed
greatly upset over her friend’s disappear-
ance and pg eager to help the pol-
ice. She said that, though Sue was some-
what secretive about her personal affairs,
they had often had confidential talks.
“Do you think- she could have had a
date to meet William Murphy, perhaps
for a week-end in a motel?” Sergeant
Singer asked.
“Well, I really don’t know,” Patricia
Barnes said thoughtfully. “Bill hadn't
called her up for more than a week and

she was terribly depressed. But she still
had hopes of making up with him. May-
be she called him and he agreed to meet
her. Still I doubt it, because Sue always
had a strong sense of pride.”

The sergeant then inquired whether
Sue, resenting Murphy’s neglect of her,
might have made a week-end date with
another man. “Has she been seeing any-
one else lately?” he asked.

“There’s one man who has been after
Sue for a long time,” the girl said. “He’s a
bachelor in his middle 20s named Carl
Bruckner, and she had a few dates with
him once. He has a reputation for being
a wolf and she knew his interest in her
was peng sex. Well, he didn’t bother
her while Bill was around, but then he
must have learned that they were break-
ing up. She told me that Carl had start-

ad ee A a

ed phoning her again, asking for a date.”

“What did she tell him?” Singer asked.

“Well, Sue was so resentful of Bill's
treatment of her that she said she was
irs ge to go out with Carl. Still I don’t
think she would have, because she was
really still in love with Bill.”

Sergeant Singer was not so sure,
though. It was his experience that the
first popise of a woman spurned is re-
venge. He thought it quite possible that
in a moment of rage at the man she loved,
Sue had agreed to a week-end date with
another man.

He learned Carl Bruckner’s address
from Patricia and drove over to see him.
Bruckner, who had just returned from
his factory job, proved to be a handsome
blond man with an athletic physique and
a self-assured manner.

“Yes, I heard that Sue Proeber has
been Ss yet missing,” he said, “but I’m
afraid 1 can’t be much help to you. I
used to know her, but I haven’t seen her
in a long time.”

“But you've talked with her on the
phone,” Singer told him.

Bruckner looked surprised. “So Sue
told someone I telephoned her. Well,

it’s true. There's something about Sue |

that always appealed to me. When I
heard she and her boy friend weren't
getting along, I asked her to go out with
me. But she turned me down cold.”

“Where were you Friday evening after
8 o’clock?”

“I was with another girl,” Bruckner
said promptly. “I took her to a lovers’
lane near Rolling Meadows. I'd just met
her and so we had a lot of ground to

DETECTIVE CASES

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4554 Brox
ETH

DETECTIVE CASES

’

een ee

“se

164 SOUVENIR OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

amined it for money, but they were
disappointed, as Mrs. Reichelderfer
had not sold the farm as reported,
and had no money. At their trial
they seemed utterly indifferent and
stoical, and even joked, sang comic
songs and danced, and were jolly
while the gallows was being erected
within sound of their cells. They
paid the penalty for their crime on
Friday, June 12th, 1908.

Judge O. A. Harker tried the case,
L. D. Hartwell, States Attorney,
Joseph W. Hartwell, Assistant; H.
8. Harris, Sheriff; Frank Throg-
morton, Deputy; E. N. Rice, coro-
ner; W. 8. Miller, jailor; D. T. Hart-
well, City Attorney, who assisted in
securing evidence and the confes-
sions of the murderers.

Except to experts in phrenology
and physiognomy, the half-tone por-
traits herein shown do not indicate
unusual depravity in these two boys,
and they were probably not such,
There are hundreds like them in
every community, untrained, undis-
ciplined, natural sons of evil, who
escape the gallows only by @ miracle.

JOHN M. LINES

Groceryman’s Clerk, N. Market 8t.,
near Goodall Avenue.

This promising young merchant
was born near Marion March 13th,
1885. He still attends High School,
from which he will graduate next
term. He is a good student and an
industrious and faithful worker, and
for the last four years has had
charge of his father’s store during
vacation. He is a member of the
Marion Base Ball Track Team and is
besides a great sprinter. He is par-
ticularly strong on the 100 yards
and the 220 yards race, running the

-latter in 22 2-5 seconds. It is need-

less to add that he is of good moral
character, good habits and has a
promising future before him.

SKETCH OF MRS. JOHN A. LOGAN

1 was born in Petersburg, Boone
County, Missouri, on the 15th day
of August, 1838. The town in which
I was born is no more, but in its

toh me eA Maton tatiana nae NNR Fie anni Rete Fars aes sents emaetil e e Pi ein eins init Me Ma BI AB 22 Aa Aw seta»

nois, under Pierce’s administration,
we removed to that place. I attend-
ed school at the Convent of Saint
Vincent, near Uniontown, Kentucky,
which is a branch of the far-famed
Nazareth School, graduating from
that school in 1865. I came home
and soon after met my husband,
General John A. Logan, who served
during the War with Mexico with
my father, and to whom I am said
to have been given by my father
when I was a child. We were mar-
ried on the 27th day of November,
1865.

I was very young when we were
married and little suited for the
duties and responsibilities of the
wife of a promising young attorney.
We removed to Franklin, Benton
County, Illinois, as my husband was
then Prosecuting Attorney for the
third Judicial District of the State
of Illinois, which embraced sixteen
counties. In those days we were not
furnished with the blanks for every-
thing as we are today, and I began
to assist my husband in writing in-
dictments for minor offenses, and in
that way gradually drifted into tak-
ing part in everything which he did.

We had the same struggle that all
young people without money had in
those early days, but the fact that in
1858 my husband was elected to
Congress shows that we were not al-
together unsuccessful. At the break-
ing out of the Rebellion, General
Logan was still a member of Con-
gress from the old District. His
history is well known. I can only
claim to have made the best fight
possible at home surrounded by
very bitter political opponents, who
sympathized very strongly with the
Rebellion, and who, from regarding
General Logan as little less than an
idol, became his bitter enemies and
persecuted him and his adherents
in the vilest manner,they could. I
am glad, however, that in the end
they repented of their rash acts and
became his devoted friends.

During these five years I went
through everything that a human
being could endure, but had the
satisfaction of aiding him in his own
magnificent efforts to succeed and in
the conversion of his oli friends to

the welfare of his country
friends, and if I had any st?
I have been well repaid by
erous recognition of all I
do. Since his death I have
myself absolutely to the
tion of his memory and in
prove that I was worthy of
confidence which he had }:
his partial estimation of n

There were three childre
us. The first born died wh:
one year old; the second,
Mary Logan Tucker, wife o
Ww. F. Tucker, U. S. Army
sons, one twenty-five and
teen years of age.

Our beloved son, Major
Logan, Jr., servei during !
War as an Adjutant Gene!
staff of General John C.
turning at the close of
paign more dead than
malarial fever. I met hin
tauk Point and brought !
and nursed him back to he
tilities being renewed in
ippines, he insisted upon
tering the army, and was
Major of the 33rd U. 8.
reaching Manilla Octot
1899. He succeeded in ge
regiment assigned to the
of General Lloyd Wheaton
immediately to norther
making the first reconnol
command he secured the
the attack upon the entie
ipinos at San Jacinto and
by a Filipino who was &
the top of a tree whict
above his battalion as h¢
ing them in a charge, fal
would have fallen on the
of his advancing battallo
subsequently routed the «
his death I lost my all
never again have the sal
in life, as he was, in the
he bore his father’s
lineage, my idol. He let
and three lovely children
and a boy, John A. Logan
for the tenderness and sy
corded me by the nation
have survived this sec
whelming blow.

I have written for ais
periodicals, edited The H

ne for six years, and a

Jerry & PRICE a oe
ty Xt RICE, Ca win, whs, hange a

afi

By TOM O’DWYER

His alibi-if he had —
one—had been lost
during the hours
when his memory

went blank

RS. Nellie Reichelderfer and

Ella Stafford were sisters and

lived alone on a farm in Wil-
liamson County, Illinois. Mrs. Reich-
elderfer had married at eighteen, and
was divorced at twenty. Since that
time, for the past fifteen years, she and
Ella had occupied the farm property
that had been left them by their father.
They had managed their own affairs
quite well and lived in moderate cir-.
cumstances, hiring men to do the heavy
work during the planting and harvest

seasons. They attended church regu- -

larly each Sunday and occasionally
went to a farm picnic. But life was
rather dull at best, and each felt that
she was going to seed. In the fifteen
years they had lived there on the farm,
neither had had a date.

Then fortune smiled upon them. They
were offered $10,000 for 200 acres of
their land.

“We'd better take it,” Ella said.

A OM peer:
\ oman mime
~ DETECT

LER ECTIVE, November, 19/11

ra =

Marion, IL on July 10, 1903

orn. ye
tk

Concealed on this farm was the body of
one of the two lonely sisters. Near by a
clue—a hobnailed shoe print—was found

“We've always been poor. With that
much money we will be somebody.”
So the deal was made, the sisters re-
taining a few acres for their own use.
“Now some man will come around
wanting to marry one of us,” Ella com-
mented, “or perhaps both of us will
have a husband before long. You just
wait and see. Now that we’ve got
money we’ll have to keep a shotgun
handy to keep our suitors away.”

She was right. It wasn’t long before
bachelors they had known for years,
who until now had paid them but scant
attention, began tipping their hats and
coming around to call.

“What did I tell you?” Ella said
laughingly to her sister after they had
had visitors one Sunday afternoon.
“For fifteen years we’ve been looking
for husbands, and we couldn’t get them
because we had nothing to offer that
any other woman in moderate circum-
stances couldn’t give. But now that we

have money—well, you yourself have
seen the result.”

’ Mrs. Reichelderfer shook her head.
“And I wouldn’t give a hoot for any
of them,” she said.

“Nor I,” Ella replied. “But some day
perhaps the right ones will come along.
Who knows?”

At thirty-two Ella was still a fine-
looking woman. But she had been too
retiring, her friends had told her. A
woman had to be up and coming to get
a husband.

Her sister, on the other hand, who
lacked some of Ella’s attractiveness,
had done about all any Christian
woman could do to get herself another
husband. There had been no bidders,
however, and as the years had slipped
by and her hair turned gray, her
chances of winning a man had seemed
remote, until now.

Then came a stranger who said he
was George Schiller, of Colp, Illinois.

MASTER DETECTIVE

Nellie
though

suitors

He was sellin
made it quite
insurance, but
impressed. S
forties, unma
sort. There w:
him that mar!
world. He
sported a nea
“Won't you
Reichelderfer
lighted to ha\
“That's mig
me,” the insur
lieve I will.”
During the
about himself
Nellie’s cheek
she had very
would make s
Mrs. Reiche
showéd it. It}
any man had
After he ha

NOVEMBER, 1941

DIVORCEE’S LETTERS

lear by a
vas found

ou yourself have

shook her head.
e a hoot for any

ji. “But some day
3 will come along.

was still a fine-
she had been too
had told her. A
and coming to get

other hand, who
a’s_ attractiveness,
ll any Christian
et herself another
been no bidders,
years had slipped
turned gray, her
: man had seemed

nger who said he
. of Colp, Mlinois.

MASTER DETECTIVE

Nellie Reichelderfer (right) and her sister
thought their new wealth would bring
suitors. It did—but it also brought death

He was selling insurance. The sisters
made it quite clear that they needed no
insurance, but Mrs. Reichelderfer was
impressed. Schiller was jin his late
forties, unmarried and an agreeable
sort. There was a certain suavity about
him that marked him as a man of the
world. He was good-looking and
sported a neatly clipped mustache.

“Won’t you stay for supper?” Mrs.
Reichelderfer invited. ‘“‘We’d be de-
lighted to have your company.”

“That’s mighty nice of you to ask
me,” the insurance man replied. “I be-
lieve I will.”

During the meal he chatted freely
about himself. He brought bhashes to
Nellie’s cheeks when he told her that
she had very pretty eyes, and that she
would make some man a fine wife. :

Mrs. Reichelderfer was flattered, and
showéd it. It had been a long time since
any man had told her that.

After he had gone, Ella said, “There

NOVEMBER, 1941

you are—you’ve got a beau already.”

“Don’t worry,” her sister replied. ‘“He
won’t come back. I didn’t give him any
encouragement.”

“Don’t fool yourself,’ said Ella.
“He’ll be back before the week’s out.”

She was right in this prediction, too.
Schiller was back on Saturday, driv-
ing a span of blacks and a brand-new
buggy. He asked Nellie to go for a
ride.

That was the beginning of what had
all the earmarks of a genuine romance,
for Schiller made it clear that he him-
self was well fixed financially and that
Mrs. Reichelderfer’s money was no
object.

“You must write me,” she told him.
“Even though the distance that sepa-
rates us is not great, you can’t come
every day, and I shall miss you very
much,”

He did write—at first only twice a
week, but finally the letters came daily.

They were ardent, sincere letters, and
gave Mrs. Reichelderfer every reason
to believe that the time was not far off
when she would become Mrs. Schiller.

But something happened. For two
weeks she heard no word from her
fiancé, then she learned that he had
transferred his affections to a younger
woman.

It made her very angry to think that
another woman had taken her place.
She wrote Schiller a letter threatening
to sue him for breach of promise. She
declared she would use his letters as
evidence of his suit, and demanded that
he pay her $2,000 as a settlement out of
court.

Schiller was much disturbed, for he
did not have the $2,000 and knew that
Nellie could present a good case.

“T’m going right out there and get
those letters,” he told a business asso-
ciate. “I’ll get them if I have to take
them away from her.”

~~?

He set out at once for the farm, but
stopped at several saloons, en route, to
fortify himself. At each stop he boldly
boasted that he would have the letters
in his possession before nightfall, come
what might.

This was on Monday afternoon,
March 16th, 1903.

™@ THAT VERY afternoon Mrs. Reich-

elderfer had a change of heart. She
got out the letters and tore them up
one by one in the presence of her sister,
after which she threw the litter into
the stove. “There,” she said. “I
wouldn’t take a cent from him if he
offered it, now that I’ve thought it over;
but if he remembers those letters and
comes here after them, I’ll let him
worry. Do him good.”

“Do you mean to say you’re not going
to sue him, after all?” Ella asked.

“That’s right,” her sister replied. “I
was a fool to believe all his blarney in
the first place. I’ll charge it off to ex-
perience. Oh, well, one has to live and
learn.” She sighed as she watched the
flames consume the last of the de-
stroyed love letters.

An hour later Ella discovered that
she had to go to Herrin on a matter of
business that had all but slipped her
mind. She left hurriedly and was away
about four hours.

When she returned home around five
o’clock, her sister was nowhere about,
The house was unlocked, so she sur-
mised that Nellie had gone to call on
one of the neighbors.

However, a little later she noticed
that Nellie’s big trunk was open and its
contents scattered over the floor. Even
her own trunk had been ransacked and
the few things it contained thrown
about. Drawers had been opened and
searched, but so far as she could tell
at the moment nothing had been taken.

Alarmed, now, she went outside and
called for her sister. Noticing a com-
motion in the hog pen, near the barn,
she ran toward it. She stopped short,
for there inside the pen lay Mrs. Reich-
elderfer, dead.

Screaming, she rushed inside the pen
and dragged the body out. Then she
climbed on the fence and called for
help. Neighbors, hearing her cries,
came to her assistance. Someone went
to notify the Sheriff.

Sheriff. H. S. Harris rushed to the
farm, accompanied by Coroner E. N.
Rice and Deputy Sheriff Frank Throg-
morton. They found that Mrs. Reich-
elderfer had been shot in the breast.
She had been dead about two hours,
Rice estimated.

After a search of the house, the
Sheriff concluded that the motive had
been robbery, although nothing was
missing so far as could be determined
at the time. “The killer seems to have
been searching for money, which he
didn’t find,” Harris told the Coroner.

She and her sister kept no money in
the house, Miss Stafford said, and it
was, therefore, assumed that the slayer
had been disappointed.

No blood could be found in or near
the house. This fact caused the Sheriff
to believe that Mrs. Reichelderfer had
been shot while walking toward the
barn, after which she had been dragged
into the hog pen.

Darkness came on all too quickly and
the officers returned to town with the
body, planning to complete the investi-
gation by daylight. On the way in,
Harris met an old acquaintance who,
when he learned that Mrs. Reichelder-
fer had been found in the hog pen, shot
to death, exclaimed rather excitedly,
“Why, I’ll bet that’s some of George
Schiller’s work! I saw him this after-
noon on his way out there. Told me he
was going to get some letters of his
that she had.”

@ THE SHERIFF located Schiller at
home shortly before midnight.

“So you went out to get some letters
of yours Mrs. Reichelderfer had, did
you?”

The insurance salesman blinked at
Harris through heavy lids. “How did
you know?” he asked.

“We found Mrs. Reichelderfer dead

Cal Price (left) and Jerry Graves (right) told of seeing a suspect
driving toward the sisters’ home on the afternoon of the murder

in the hog pen about six o'clock. Did
you kill her because she wouldn’t give
back those love letters?”

“T haven’t seen Mrs. Reichelderfer
for two weeks,” Schiller said. “I started
out there to get the letters—yes, sure I
did. But I stopped too many times on
the way. I got drunk and didn’t get
there.”

“Where did you spend the evening?”

Schiller shrugged helplessly. “I don’t
remember where I was. I was at a
lot of places.”

“What time did you get home?”

™@ THE INSURANCE salesman couldn’t

be certain of that, either, he said.
He couldn’t remember. He had been
sleeping for some time when the Sheriff
called, he explained, and was still
groggy.

On checking at the livery stable
where Schiller kept his team, Harris
learned that he had returned there
about ten-thirty that night.

The man who reported having over-
heard Schiller say he was going out to
get the letters, said this had been about
three-thirty in the afternoon, at a
Herrin saloon. From there Harris
traced him to another saloon, where he
had some drinks about four o’clock.
After that his trail faded.

“T just can’t remember where I went
from here,” Schiller admitted. “Maybe
I came back to Colp, for all Iknow. My
mind is a blank. How I had sense
enough to go home, I don’t know. But
I’m sure I didn’t go out to Nellie’s place.
I forgot all about those letters after I
had a few drinks.” F

The salesman was lodged in jail on
suspicion of murder.

The next morning Sheriff Harris
questioned the dead woman’s sister and
learned that Mrs. Reichelderfer had
torn up the letters the very day she
was killed.

“It looks as if Schiller drove out here
and demanded them, and when Mrs.
Reichelderfer couldn’t produce them,
he went through her trunks. Not find-
ing the letters, he killed her in a fit of
temper.”

In an effort to prove Schiller’s con-
tention that he had not driven to the
farm after all, the Sheriff went over
the area carefully, checking at every
saloon where the salesman might have
stopped after he was last accounted for
at four o’clock, but could find no one
who-had seen him or his team.

“What a terrible thing to happen,”
Schiller lamented dismally. “I guess I
was a fool to get drunk. Maybe if I had
gone out there after those letters as I
planned she wouldn’t have been killed.”

“If you can’t remember where you
were up to five o’clock,” the Sheriff said,
“we'll have to file a murder charge
against you. You started out there with
the announced intention of obtaining
those letters, even if you had to take
them away from the woman.

“We now know positively that she
destroyed the letters that very day. The
way it looks, you demanded them and
she told you she didn’t have them; you
didn’t believe her and killed her. Then
you searched the trunks. Or maybe you
looked in the trunks first and figured

MASTER DETECTIVE

ssa scessseriaccrccecncccsssiitiiil ss,

she was hold
then you killec
she wouldn’t
got a pretty ¢
you, just as m
so you’d better
can prove you
tween the tir
seen at four
then you’re in
“But how c
thing if I can’t
I was?” Schille
fortunately li:
that way. W
many drinks, °
anything, alth
know what I’n
managed to ge
took my team
must have we
there. But Ic
that. I can’t
going to bed a
The Sheriff
man in a cell
alone to see if
the man’s trai!
driven to the
Mrs. Reichelde
sible that he h:
deed without r:
thing about
seemed incredi
have done suc}
recalling som«
least. It was
Harris went
searched the b
he would find
was no gun in
He questione
leading out to
but no one hac
that of Miss
town, and ret
One farmer \
near the count
was positive 1
that of Miss St:
five-thirty, wt
do the chores.
road over wh
reached the IT
to have come
have been req
miles out of h

™@ WHEN TH

town that
Schiller had nc
fer, unless he
foot, which dic
was consideri
Schiller had h:
farm and get t
one he had me
saloons he cla
any event, he f
It had been th
after.

The house h
sacked. Expen:
jewelry had rn
was pretty goc
had not been t)
looked like
thought possi
jewelry had
Harris was con
not been the c

NOVEMBER, 1941

i ra ee gue purpose only; and that {2 101

Pte net delieve they can be

Ble lawyers.’ 4
~~ = Burke Seeks LE Rs

“The judidiary committee is i
> = gating - Cetermine whether:

rake -

4 Pel future action.
?-Senater Burke argued: “Yhat

+5 _the investigation because the national

ae : (os labor relations board exercises judicial }

¢~-functions involving the rights and lid
2 ertics of citizens... .

“It conducts -triais: tn which wits
. passes - are sworn, examined, end

‘ervoss-examined,”-he said. * An order,

te he

ment of a court. is entered... it may
e “jn effett be a

ae eee the patment of wares: rut
wing into large figures. This: order
ooBte ih a@ variety of ways” o.
eae ~ Finds Threat to Liberty.

i 22 ‘Ren general complaint is ‘made.
= abet @ group exercising judicial power ~
= by-act. of congress is not functioning :
ate 8 Sudicial manner, that its actions |:
: Are aq _constant-threat te the rights;

igs tend ‘Nherties of the citizen, that its |

‘ egnduct is such as-to bring Aisxrespect:
: Hpon the ‘judicial process,. thet: it {si

: ri either misinterpreting or misapplying
-the law, what body can more proper |

a Guy be charged with the. duty of con-!

“s = #ucting an idvestigation than the:
& fidiclary: com ittee?
"Ie certainly

iitece-ot union. [t was not within the

+ intent of conatess te force upon the

<s land off union, directly. by law. or-tn- |
_ directly by the. manner of- the ap:
psn of the: law.

“Meant te Find Peace.

a tin
bets i

as #. work should he. absolutely” free: t
; name “representatives of their -own:
ehoosing to negotiate for them with;

£3 their’ employers. it was the fond be:

24> lief of congresgthat these provisions

fo Woald-natie ous, the pe(h to industriat j

fe peace: ae aed 5
& 2* What has been: the
ee “enfarcement of this-act has been sucn
= ‘Wi- to" lead. to’ war.” It has. produced
aot Ee Taint strife. more unrest; more uncer-
es ty, and more misunderstanding :n

- £

e relationship between employé abd
Hick yo than-we- ever have nad..bé-

* Te has shackied men and -pre-.
3 them - from expressing - thee
thas puft-up a barrier de
* tween well-intentioned workmen and
“sxight thinking employers, a. parrier.

=” de ‘

surmount - it.<
: Reviews Oniv. Hearlagas:
e, ~ Sin Steudenville. O. during nad
Pas net six. months there « has. been .m
> process a proceeding which euphemis-
~ tically maybe called triak. “Ef the

senate authorizes an investigatiom in.
accords with this- resolution, com
2% * petent witnesses in: large numbers
A 4 yi be /called to déemonstrate® under

oN ies

%
es

a “has been a bald faced attempt to dis-|:
eee _member.a Jocal or unaffiliated union,
: “Land set up 49 Vex placa branch ‘of }
Cae the: C; L£.O..1 A careful examination
oe of the record in. this case appears to PPAR

true—_
rt = yet they have been made by many re}
<< sponsible. men. including some repirta: |

ea i s

there t= ¥

: =< should tiene investigation, and wheth/ ~.
ow -Senater Burke ‘vill be: permitted |
--te cal witnesses witl depend be ag el

the | :
“judiciary commitice should conduct; .

Ba has every attribute of a judg~;-5

money- judgment, re; =

oymnay affect” personal and property; >

- was not. the purpose /to act as the board's agent 1
“Tet: congress’ .to- encourage thember- jing its case. When ifs production was) est ata regular jail farc.
«stip in any. one unfon or in any one demanded by the attornevs: for ‘the ‘
penn for the> purpose’ cf.. cross. {

= werking.:-man -et this country any. jeminer: that the company would have

+ /-a+}throughout this proceeding the trial

le
Congress intended that those wn the local organizer for the C. 1.

Fesuit?: “the § k

+ to. high. that it seems ge ta soa

“oath that this proceeding thioughout!.

~_ + #

x. “Amora res View. Proia
“angele Ralpb Giancola. who was istecied herself azainzt tears... Yet she,

‘hired by Mrs. Marie Porter to kil;
her brother, was put.to death in ‘the |

; electric / chair at--.Menard | state

) prison: ‘Chester, TU... eee this:

norning.- < ae SEs BER te
enn clot See pe eos = ieee
“Pen eee a

‘neys forthe esr ee ey fim heartily of a cnicken dinner, but. Mrs. :

prepar: {

examination it was ruled by the ex-

'to apply tothe Iabor ooard in. Mica
‘ington .by- the usual petition, ~

“Proof can *be _ presente¢ that
jexamjner, the labor board attarnéy,

‘Have beer “acting: in complete ‘Nar-
reat ape .They-confer together in- pris!

, decide on what proof is necesé!
acm ‘and fhen set out? ta” get it tn
ae form or another.

“Organizers Give Al. 3
@ major part:in preparing’ the cuase:}
going out-to zet affidavits and sum-
moning:. witnesses and _eonferring
with: them. He sits-at the table with
the board’s tounsel” He jotpis the «: sc
cret. conferences . between - the trial
examiner: and. the: board attorneys,
end apparently receives insiructions
from the examiner a3 16 the best
method of gathering evidence in the
effort to make out a case.-
~ “Even: worse’ from-.the point ‘ot
view -of partisanship has ‘been. the!
action. of the labor board in several j
cases where the A. F. of L. unions}
had working contracts with the em-!
| ployers. --In- these cases the labor}
board has ignored those contracts/
wher charges were filed by C. I. O.
‘unions and has ordered clections to
‘determine representation in the tace
‘of the A. F. of L. contracts.
_-. Cites Other Cases. a
= Such: wwas: the ease of the. Consett
“dated "Edison company of New York,

sons. ‘This alsg was true with Fried-

+ najoate that, tiedshor board exantiner.

*get’ the Weirton Steeb

GET INO NAD CHAIR Rretlflow ta etn aw.

ton company of. Chattanooga.”

y, | & The. National Electric Products | a:
rae bagel ‘edrporation - of Pittsburgh entered

into a signed agreement with a union |

‘affiliated. with the American ‘Federa- | ®

tlon-of Labor: The validity of this!

| Sion. Her Brother. Over

t2 ee eras rie ey

vheen nullified by Lieut.

“+ The ‘Ce 1. Qu. organizer has acon P

+ ahead. - She had emanate them $800: slayers

‘which. employs .forty thousand per- |: one

anan-Blau-Farber company of Cleve- |
Hand-and the Southern Chemical Cot-.;

Crime Commis
Activities d nto

; ewan: J. Catin newly elected

HIRED ASSASSIN; i peesident. of the Chicago Crime com
mission, - ‘outlined: ‘the commission’:
| pkogrant for the hext year at @ Junch-
eon meeting of its directora in the
- |Mid-Day club yesterday. The dircc

ftors unanimously approved & proposa:
tiq.cntarge the scope. of the commis
! glon’s. activities -in fighting crime.

The commission heretofore has beer
concern
i cases -6f eriminals- ‘in court and «1°
penal institutions... Now it will take
a more active interest in juvenil
delinquency. -codperating - with ae
- Chicago. Area Project... = «-
. State Welfare sasuinieneda.%.
last. night in ‘aeumaie cutis. ‘At 8:00 This project was started hy inc
p. m. Mrs. Porter was visited by her! ‘state department of ‘public welflacr

~ EXECUTED WITH!

eee

otis life Insurance.

eee ~——*

cos 4
~ fContinued.¢ trom frst waged.

lama ee

~~ F
ss

ES mph aye Sees = oe

a“ jeldest dauzhter, Mrs. Reherta Kuehh, las an experiment-in curbing juventts
nf eves the latter's; mother-in-law. Mra! ; crime.

It nas been. in operation
+ Margaret Kuch ‘ot St. ‘Louis: Mo. AL ‘Chicaro for nearly two years und?:

i though. Roberta wept.” Mrs Porter ; the supervision. of - Dr.-* Paut L
Schroeder, stale c riminolngist. weary

j Keller 4 is ‘chairma n.

CHILDREN FIND 7
OF MISSING WOMAN’
peg en SS BENEATH A BUILDING

7 4 * Enzlish, Ind. Jan. qr. _tSpecial. —

The exccution of Mrs. Porter and‘ The “body of Mrs. Effie M. Rust,
Giancola followed last minute refusals > jars old, who had ocen missing since
yesterday i Pee tire cteueesee tact, ‘Tuesday, was found undec @ buildins

ad denicd executiv envy las ‘8 F
week, hut’ his action temporarily aid | i here this afternoon by two school. chil
Gov. John: ‘dren. It was belicved she lost her way

Stelic, who; acting as governor during /48 * blizzard Tuesday night. crawled
Mr.-Horner’s absence from the state,; Under the. building for shelter, and
had cranied a weck's reprieve. The; froze to death. tier father, Dr. Fred
crime for which the two were put-ta/ R. Goabel, witty whom she lived, said
death was regarded by Gov. Hotner aso search had. been made for. Mrs,
perticularly vicious, and for that ree-: Rust hecause she frequently made un-
son he refused to intercede. although ° announced trips ont of town.
he personally ix opposed te cegital) - Bl x
‘punishment, and espectally: its anpli-: -
cation {9 a woman... © = >

The vietim: of Mrs. Parier and; BA
Giancola was her- brother, William : Necessary.’ ase ee
Keppen, an electricfan. He*had made; Angelo. shot. Kapten, threuch the
ber the. hencticiary.of his $3500 In-! head as Mrs: Porter coidly looked on,
surance’ policy, but early: last sum-: then dragged his body into a ‘wayside
mer had -told—her- “he -inteaded--to; Reld.— This- was fatal error... The
marty ‘and to -make his- wife the! ficid was covered with “peison ivy.
beneficiary: “Tiis wedding was set for! The ivy poisoned :Anzeio’s arms.--As
July 3. -Early that morning Mrs. Por- im result -he as suspected and at-
ter, Giancdly, and Giancola’s younger! rested. In court latcr fe and “Mrs.
brother, John, 20 years old, dragged: Porter were condemned to death; his

, did show manifestations. nf agitation. : eee
At the end she kissed Roberta soot ied {
sand turard abruptly away. sd
"Kats Chicken Dtoner. e
- Roth kitlers received spiritual con- '
t solstion from the Rev. A. F. Geisen. ;
Catholic prison chaplain. Giancola ate:

Perter simply..n

ae ‘kin hee “prother, it ‘that geil

oF oo. a ee Se

‘him from her - rooming house andi brother, John, who confessed. ; ; Orat,

forced hin. into.@ car.
Poison Clew ‘te Slayers,

: pe given 99 years.in prison. -

: Mrs. ‘Porter was not-only the first
ed in Illinois in nearly

ey drove him: around the coxins | worn. execut

alae] iu ® car, Mrs. Porter:demand- |& century but the first to die.in the

ing that her brother refrain from state's electric chair. ‘The first woman

removing: her* as the insurance; legally executed in Illinois died on the

beneficiary. He- insisted» he would ; xallows in 1845. She was Mra Elize-

make his wife the. beneficiary. After | beth. Reed, husband poisoner. -” Gov.

-. 2 =,
> ee.

some {further quarreling, Mrs, - ‘Porter | Horuer previousty. had commuted. the
death. sentences bk
~

signaied the Giancola brothers to £0 | three 3 women

“« <

ar £ “VERY, V VERY ‘s

eeeae

“£ Fae ai ‘ibs =

ae Ce iii; ue the:

primarily in watching thc

si’

GREATEST

fal

NEWSPAPER ae *

ECTIONS=SEC

JAY: JANUARY 28. on PAGES yds raves, coms

F a j N A i
CHICAGO £ w
amp SUBURBS rHkre Cent

GOT THE FOUNTAIN CONNECTED TO THE PUMP

e : : te nye OHO
fle te fe eo xn

TFEART SH
HAVE. To.

LT Ly pveemess

~ % > Feil
P tact Cisse 5
. ‘ \ -
TAS at way ’ ite
Lge Ce aa, 4g
@ ¥ ’ a : ea cis -
4 H sj Ths Sek
pk a 5 a.
; hh
' “ty
Le

" Dies i in Chair},

‘| Pudgy faced Marie Porter, mother of |

‘| prison a few minutes after last mid-

| {the extreme penalty in Illinois in 33
years, and the second mitre be xen :

he Glancola, her. hired triggerman, who
-+| a few hgurs earlier had said he didn’ t

‘cola, who was 22 years old and who

PRICE TWO CENTS

Hired iy Pe

ot Brother Also

24 Picture on beck Md ..
hens, UL, Jan. 2 {¥Friday}].—

four daughters; was electrocuted in-
the electric chair in Menard state

hight for the insurance murder of her
brother. She went to her death calm-
ly... She was the first woman to pay

State’s entire history. --.-::. =
Preceding her to the chair br ten
minutes was handsome Angelo: Ratph

mind dying as long as.his mentor in
crime, Mrs. Porter, also died. He also |
went to the _— with: seeming ua-
concern: = ~--. < “a
~ 100 Omictais See - Execution == :
More than’ 100 officials and wit-
nesses, including two woman matrons,
Warden Joseph E. Ragen, state super-
intendent of prisoners, and Warden
Joseph Montgomery of Menard, at-
tended the double execution... Gian-

had been described as Mrs. Porter's
lover, was put into the electric chatr |.
first. As he was led from death row,
just below the execution chamber, he+4
paused at Mrs. Porter’s cell and both

said good-by.. He sat in the chair at ae
12:06 a.m., uttered a few words of

thanks to the prison guards for kind
treatment, and said he was ready. The
current was turned on ane at. 12: 06 he |
‘was pronounced dead.-

“Almost . eight minutés- pA So : oe

{ween thé removal of Giancola’s- body

and the arrival of Mrs. Porter. Her/ ar =>

head was shaved almost bald, as her
accomplice’s had- been.’ She. wore 2
specially tailored dlue denim overal
suit designed to allow easier attach-

BURKE CHARS

LABOR BOAF
WITH. TRAN

abe,

igaiete 1 Fave
ao = 0. 0. Groups,

FILIBUSTER—The senate, by a
-ef SIto 37, defeats, motion to |
_ yoke cloture rule to limit debat«
-“‘gnii-lynching ‘bill, cause of an
“day” filibuster; - action wirtua
“doom measures 5S Paz

TAXES— Resentment of lead:
Democrats in congress over: d
im dealing with depression ent:
ages Republicans to draft prop
for bettering business.-., Pag

JACKSON—-Robert H. Jackson, ‘
monopoly crusader, nominated
President Rooseveh to sue:
Stanley F. Reed as solicitar:;
cera. Reed has been. appointe:
“ Supreme court; ee eee Soy

~~ BY CHESLY MANLY.

ef “"{Chteage Tritane tress Service.”
~ Washington, D. C, Jan. 21.1
cial.]—Senator Ebwere R. Burke
: 0 Neb.] accused
I national: labo
@ tations - boarc
a unexampied ©
‘anny and .p:
dice in favo
the CL a.
“Qiea be. appeared

i fore a sengt:

ment of straps and electrodes thar «

te FW

diciary sub

Teltemn ? tana,

et 230: pounds. =~) - |: wae wine

avtcv cat witets

ets
Rr bei ee,

See on ice cba ree eat
‘Chester, iL, Jan. 2 {Friday].—

fous daughters, was electrocuted in
; the electric chair in Menard ‘state
prison a few minutes after last mid-
night for the insurance murder of her
brother. She went to her death calm-
ly. She was the first woman to pay

years, and the second to do so in the
State's entire history. -

Preceding her to the chair by ten
minutes was handsome Angelo Ralph
Giancola, her-hired triggerman, who
-|a few hgurs earlier had said he didn't
mind dying as long as his mentor in
crime, Mrs. Porter, also died. He also
went to the, chair with “eee un-
concern: - --- “ ee

100 Officisis San -euaniliens <

More than 100 officials and wit-

Warden Joseph E. Ragen, state super-
intendent of prisoners,. and Warden
Joseph Montgomery of Menard; at-
| tended the double execution. Gian-
cola, who was 22 years old and who
had been described as Mrs. Porter's

first. As he was led from death row;
just below the execution chamber, he
paused at Mrs. Porter's cell and both
said good-by. He sat in the chair at
12:06 a. m., uttered a few words of
thanks to the prison guards for kind
treatment, and said he was ready, The
current was turned on and at.12:08 he
was .pronounced dead... -
Almost eight minutes ctancod: be-
tween the removal of Giancola’s- body
and the arrival of Mrs. Porter. Her-
head: was shaved almost bald, as her
accomplice’s had been. She wore a
specially tailored blue denim overal
-] suit designed to- allow easier attach
ment of straps and electrodes than a
dress would permit., This was neces-
sary because of her size. She beh

. Climbs Seventeen eee

death chamber with some- difficulty.
She was assisted by Matron Goldie
Woods and Assistant Matron. Myrtle
"| Beisser. Wardens Ragen and Mont-
_-} gomery helped her at the: top of the
Steps. All. eyes. turned on the con-
demned woman. ° Sue wore a-heavy
cowl over her eyes, but it was evident
she was not nervous. os

+ Mrs.- Porter~-seemed anxious, hanes
ever, to end her ordeal. At a ‘whispered |.

she sat solidly in the chair. That was
at.12:16 a. m. Because of-her size ‘the

ie | guards were unable to adjust the

‘straps and electrodes with the usuat
speed. But the task was finished and
Mrs. Porter was asked for a Jast state-
ment. She thanked prison officials. ©

eT have no malice toward any one,”:
she finished. --. ea ea HaSRS
Pe Says Good-by Quietly: net
“d ‘e “Is that all, Mrs. Porter? ”- “asked
pes: Montgomery. - She. whispered “Yes.”
=") The warden said quietly, “ Good-by,

> }Mrs. Porter," and signaled. Twenty-
three hundred volts were- then sent
-} through her body. In two minutes, at
_- -] 12:19, she wa’ pronounced dead._.=3~:
~}. Mrs. Porter, who-was 37 years’ ald.

‘and Giargola Spent their last hours

~~ (Continued batt 2, column 3.}

Pudgy faced Marie Porter, mother of |

| {the extreme penalty in Illinois in 93}

nesses, including two woman matrons, |-

- Because of her weight Mrs. Porter at
ascended the seventeen” steps to the :

command from Warden ‘Montgomery | :

> jor L.. coniracts to” install < I. On.
=} dnions..2°8 ;

Insists Tt Favors -

Beat Cloture a 3 a

FILIBUSTER—The senate, by a vote
of SI to 37, defeats motion to ine
‘yoke cloture rule to limit debate oa
anti-lynching bill, cause of an 18
day filibuster; action virtually
*.dooms measure. Page 7.
TAXES—Resentment of leading _
Democrats in congress over. delay
in dealing with depression encour.
ages Republicans to draft proposal. . |:
for bettering. business. — Page 6.
JACKSON—Robert H. Jackson, -nti-
" monopoly crusader, nominated by ®

Stanley F. Reed as solicitor gen--
‘eral. Reed has been. acti ins to

a - BY. CHESLY MANLY.’
‘+ {Chicago Tribume Uress Service.}”

Washington, D. C., Jan. 27.—{Spe- =
gd ecgenea” Edward R. Burke [D.,
Neb.] accused the
national: labor .re- =».
‘lations board -of--~-
unexampled tyr-:

he appeared’ be- *
fore a. senate. “jus

mittee today. in 4

‘support of his ‘<
faa resolution to in-

ha vestigate the

Ae!

pared statement, .

i ; re Senator Burke»
Sefator KR. Burke. cited a long se
(fa: T. Wirephoto. | : .

pay ries- of -cases
which. he characterized as “ bald-faced_
attempts” bythe national labor-rela-
tions board to dismember both: local, -
unaffiliated unions and‘those affiliated
withthe American. Federation. of.
Labor forthe purpose of setting in =
mci stead branches of the C.L 0. SiH

- What. Nebraskan Charges. % Ci
The Nebraskt. Democrat charged: 338
t That the board had armed C: I. 0.

mitted .them to act. as its -agents.* z, 3
®.‘That- the board. had appointed
trial’ examiners «known... for tnéte:
| prejudice in favor of the C. L. 0.”
3 That it had defied orders: of - pi:
federal courts and destroyed. A. F.”

4. That jit had. “intimidated local’

freedom of the press:

& That the ‘board unlawfully: con-
ducts trials in which witnesses are.
sworn, examined and cross-examined.’ =
and judgments. entered... 2 PEE aS

6 That contrary to the purpose of
the congress the board has encouraged’ 43
membership in one union at the cme es

ee 4

shyoark of the other. seth te gi
"Senator Draws Hostility.” Pe a
* : Senator ‘Burke was. subjected tox".

~ntinwm Wher PRAT. +

¢ I 0. Groups. aot

Lp ey i
®

Ae A oe

Soeuteter eee a Mr

lover, was put into the electric chair . velt to sugeeed.:2

anny: and preju- ~~ 5
dice in favor- 08. tz
the C. L O. when = +

organizers with subpenas and per“ 72. as

public officers and. infringed sate the’ SS ‘

ae
whiten. 2

oie?

ni #0

cay

rhe

, Supreme court... _ +, Page 7. = i

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BY

AT. OF FICB. COPY HIGHT i928

‘THB CHICAGO TRIBUNE.1

SOLUME XCVIL—NO. 24 .C

LOHAT|

| sted Soldier” as
“Taw Breaker.»

[tS Procite reine

JASHINGTON, D. United States
eo continued looting by apa- }
| Please of American property
. jg China.. Questions good . faith. of}
on in. settlement ; of) Pa nay

¢ ‘Page tae
WOW New ¢ Chinese: capital. in
wartime. becomes. city of intrigue,
_aeporter finds. ee Page £..
- Leeland of Belsium in, “repert on

‘world affairs, proposes American,
~ British, and French loans to dictz-
lee states. Urges. world ‘aie

+ SANGHA, Jans 23 [Friday] we
a I a Japanese statement toeey gala

to ranking *
tated ‘States:
éqpaut at Nan:

SS paint 1m septa be teste eke i secur: ego at

+ ' defense: witnesses testify.

: “Prejudice favoring C.L OO. 3
fk Ss. protests Japanese looting oft
cae property in China and ques 5.
tions © - good: faith oe : Panay” case |: *

i juvenile delinquency.

yf. dorses. harmony: siate:-
_ County Clerk Flynn aséails ‘3-day f
¥ marriage Jaw Rind unnecessary hard-

- of The Tribune _
[. bAad Giettorivar ~
Box.)

Friday.

: eae go tanuary 23, 19385 ~

'. DOMESTIC. ~ ae

Mahe ot four and hired assassin
dieta ciectric chair. = “Page L.
- Ice battered Niagara > Falls bridge}
topples into gorge. .f ~~ 7 Page L
Paul Wright devoted to slain wife;

> ’

a ee

fp Reece ee

i) WASHINGTON. ae
., Senator- -Burke «. accuses national |
-lgbar: ‘Felations: board of: ty ranny and
Page L

pledges. 3 “> Page 4.
Republican aetees minorite consid.
ers tax reduction programy: as’ Dem-
ograts. refuse to act,’ Page 6.

_Miss’ Perkins etree to comply with
“senate ‘committee request for records
on Harry Bridges, C.1.0. leader.Page 6.

~ Antilynching - bill. dogmed - when}
motion to invoke clofure‘n rule - to end
r atiqueter is beaten

bert -H.” Jackson nominated by

Le
: New {ederat ‘coat law:
to Chicago. homeowners,
eg é :
: Sf Washington ‘Porter IE. ‘and Mrs.
Olive*: Gail were ever, engaged, they.
aren't any more, = ae: , Page 1.
*,Chicago Crime commission’ “ta ex}
i tend scope of war on crime.to Eosiade fe
: 2 ‘Page2
“Wife who slew rival retells a age old
| story of triangle and tragedy. Page S.
= Judge’ ‘holds unborn child is nota
persons. ‘dismisses $160,000 suit. Page.
-Rep#Glican county committee

Ps
oa

in:

aE ae

ship: we 7‘ Page 12.
Charies: dee stat artist at Field

tmuveany “who: painted murals and
| group ‘backgrounds, dies at 81. Page It:

: Gov.Horner Protests) :
_ Discrimination. aie

Roogey elt to succeed Reed as solicitor |
rgen ese
4

LONDON—For Pp; emier ‘Yani ., tested that. the- commission’s rules
‘ormer- r

“#land price schedules’ are’ working a! |.
Iie}

iL RULES |
HIGAGO |
HEATING 60

of reguiations. recently issued by the
national. bituminous. coal commission:
The. rules cover prices and prepara-

Guffey-Vinson act

made yesterday. by retail coal dealers
it - was- learned that “Gov.
while in. Washington last week. pro- t.

ruinous. discrimination. against
nois coal: are increasing prices to Hie
nois coal users, large and small, and

ducing - ‘employment in> the—-coak- is

parts: of the: state. z

’ Befuses ta Discuss: Plans.
“* at night: in- Springfield the:
ernor refused to discuss his plans but’ es

ors

a new protest to Washington author: '

as coal en oe ides Sar prices :
are concerned. ss oe }

Gov. Horner: let it ‘be: known. tha :
he was, particularly: incensed. by the
failure of Miinois’ elected represent-

tion’ and the sale: of poet under the 2

“As. these- assertions were- _being ane

Horner ab

[tricts of the central. -and southern’ 4

if. was. learned. thathe- is ‘preparing /:|:

ilics and that’ the complainis- Before! |
him include the charge that. Stine: * -
is being sold down the river.” as: far PES Be

from, 8 to 30 per ‘eent as the- result} ~

are boosting the relief rolls and re! ae

ee .” ha

ome!

atives in Washington to get a better}. Boe

Gr ba IN is ING ana fund . white aeleo TT 4 ‘Tod pn’ mR
¥ di LDV Lut gy Wid UO Wd » ok Ce oe (st. Y Le ir) 1/28/1

BY TED NEAL

An officer lifted the shroud from
the head of the figure on a slab.
Irene took one shuddering look and
gasped. “Oh, yes, it’s my Bill!"
(Photograph posed by professional models)

Ber a a el a ae

ote

ao are bse

St. Louls officers, bearing tragic news, found a party In full blast and their grim tidings
had been the second murder in Bill Kappen’s family. But what motive could his sister have had

as to the most likely motive for the man’s death—jealousy.
They waited until Miss Traub regained her self-control.
Then Carroll asked in a kindly tone, “You must tell us,
my dear; were there any young men who were disappointed
when you'and Kappen became engaged?”
She igi with an uncomprehending look and a hesi-
tant ‘No.”.

“Now surely,” the detective chief pressed, “you “went

around with some other boys before Bill came along.”
- “Why, yes. But none of them could have had anything
to do with this horrible affair. ‘I’m positive about that.”

-“Hadn’t you better let us determine that?” Carroll coun-
tered. “Suppose you give me their names.”

Reluctantly Irene listed four former admirers. “I can’t
believe wrong of any of these boys,” she said. “But I'll
do anything—anything, you can be sure—to punish the
person responsible for Bill’s death. He was so gentle, so
faithful... .”

Miss Traub was taken back to St. Louis. The sheriff
summoned Deputies Vivian Stewart and Frank Kerrigan,
who had made the investigation at the road near the Cat
& Fiddle. ahs

“There were no clearly defined tire tracks,” Kerrigan re-
ported. “In fact,'we found only one clue at the scene—
two bloody handkerchiefs, And they are of a common
make. They’re sold in every dime
store and corner pharmacy in the
Midwest. : We’ve already made a
check on that angle.”

“The only thing hopeful about
them,” Deputy Stewart added, “is
where they were found—right in
the center of a patch of poison ivy.
Whoever was wading around there,
trying to hide these handkerchiefs
under the weeds, probably will

his elbows.”
The county medical examiner
was ready with his report. Bill
‘~ Kappen had been dead since about

ei = 8:«o’clock that morning—the hour,
; y Sheriff Siekmann reflected, when

the journey to St. Anthony’s.
Death had resulted from a single
slug from a .32-caliber automatic
pistol, a bullet which had pierced
the brain, killing the victim in-
stantly. f

The officers left Belleville and
a % went. directly. to William Kappen’s
apartment in St. Louis. There they noted the excellent
order of the place, the bath water drawn, and found on the
dresser a streetcar transfer punched to be used between
11:30 and midnight Friday.

The locked doors and the neatness of Kappen’s rooms
indicated to the sleuths that the victim had left his home
with someone he knew, and without coercion. At any rate,
he’d put up no resistance against going, and so he must not
have feared leaving the flat. ,

Sister Makes Merry

* Carroll turned over the: names of Irene Traub’s former
suitors to detectives from his office and himself accompanied
Sheriff Siekmann and Deputies Stewart and Kerrigan to
‘the home of Mrs. Marie Porter. .

Here they hoped to procure more detailed. background
information about William Kappen, for because of one cir-
cumstance the investigators were beginning to doubt that
jealousy actually was the motive behind the slaying.

What had set them guessing about the motive was the
manner of Kappen’s leaving his apartment. It seemed
scarcely likely that he would have admitted and gone away

about the hour he
was to have called at
his bride's home, Bill
Kappen was murdered.

18 willingly with one of his ex-rivals, and he could not have

have ivy poisoning nearly up to

he was to have met his bride for’

bee summoned from the flat by a call since-he had no
phone. : se

The four officers were surprised as they approached Mrs.
Porter’s house to hear the blare of dance music from the
radio and the unmistakable sounds of a party going full
blast within.

“Is it possible,” Chief Carroll wondered, “that his sister
hasn’t yet heard the bad news? Maybe we'd better go in
the back way and talk with her alone first.”

They knocked at the kitchen door and were admitted by
a young man who had been presiding at a table littered with
a dozen glasses and a number of bottles of beer. Carroll
asked for Mrs. Porter. The youth strode to the dining
room entrance, bellowed “Marie!” and then disappeared
beyond the portal. 3

A moment later a huge, black-haired, glowering woman
waddled into the kitchen.

“I’m Mrs. Porter,” she announced inhospitably. “What
do you want here? We ain’t done nothing.”

“You’re William Kappen’s sister?” Carroll asked. | “I’m
afraid we have some bad news.”

“I heard it already. He’s dead.”

“You knew?” the detective chief echoed with incredulity.
“You knew Bill had been murdered and you still... ?” His
nod at the noisy gathering within conveyed his meaning. .

“Why not? We had everything bought. My little girl’s
going to get married Monday. This can’t hurt Bill none.
We figured we hadn’t ought to waste the food and the beer.”

At Carroll’s request Marie closed the dining room door
and began to answer questions. She had no idea, she said,
who could have slain Bill, nor why.

There whs, she admitted, little love lost between them,
and she explained the reason.

“All through the depression,” she revealed in a dull,
sullen voice, “I let Bill live here in my house. He didn’t
have a job or a blessed red cent. :

“Then when ‘he got back to work he paid me rent a little
while, but only till he’d saved up enough to get a place by
himself and talk that girl Irene into marrying him. He up
and left here, owing me rent and board for a year and a
half. I tried to see him a couple of times, but he wouldn’t
speak to me. So why should I call off a party for my
daughter just because he’s dead?”

_ Marie described William as an easy-going fellow, handily
led by his companions. “Except when he was drunk,” she
said. ‘Then he was something of a terror. Used to come
in all beat up. I expect maybe he got tangled up with
some tough guy in one of the gin mills he hung out in.”

Find Stained Shirt

Mrs. Porter’s answers seemed straightforward enough. As
the officers rose to leave she suddenly grinned, for the first
time since their arrival. “Now you're, here,” she invited,
“why don’t you stay for a beer and meet the folks?”

Carroll almost refused, but, surprising his. comrades,
nodded and they all sat down. Marie opened the door to
the inner rooms and two youths trooped out and filled the
empty glasses. Several young men and women came into
the kitchen for drinks and sandwiches. After half an hour
the four officers departed.

“What was the idea, accepting her invitation to join in
the fun?” Sheriff Siekmann wanted to know.

“Just for a look at the guests,” Chief Carroll explained.
“You’ve got to remember we have a murder on our hand
and Marie by her own admission was scarcely a devo
sister.”

“You find out anything?” Deputy Kerrigan inquired.

Carroll shrugged. “Nothing more than that one of the
guests left rather early in the evening, just after a half-

brother brought in the news about Bill Kappen, it seems. '

He’s a kid named Ralph Giancola. I tossed a few questions
around, but couldn’t connect him or anyone else present
there with Kappen.” _ -

Two of the youths whom Irene Traub had named as ex-
boy friends were located promptly and both had indisputable

3 falled to st
e to kill him?

| alibis for Frid:

= were still two «
~ On Sunday :
» again interviey

® Bill Kappen h

claimed. He:

® when he did ir

From anothe

E the investigat«
* picture of Kar
» different pers;

. Marie, this
week rent, an:
dations away
On two or :
officers were t:
shied away. (
young man at
the machine, !
-back and refu:
On Sunday .
ported what p
One of Miss T
his rooming h:
of his room ,;

»- heavily staine.

blood.

Chief Carro
lodging house
said he had .
returned.

“We'll wait,
like you to te]
night and ther

The woman

_ on Friday nigh

at about 3 a.m
walking in his

After a timc
to the outer d
sound upstairs
day,” she said
last night. Th

. going out to sx

“Why do yo:
“Because hi:
“Was he we:

Fat Marie Por:

Vivian Stewart

yee

a woman. Yet Irene Traub was frightened, rather than
affronted, which was quite a tribute to her faith in
William Kappen, the man she had hoped to marry in St.

hale AT the church! No greater ignominy can befall

* Anthony’s church at 10 o’clock that Saturday morning of

July 3.

At 10:30 a handful of close friends of the couple detached
themselves from the wondering guests in the big church in
the heart of St. Louis and sped to Irene’s home. They found
her in her wedding finery, but instead of the radiant face
of a bride they were met by the swollen-eyed, tear-stained
features of a desperate girl.

It was time, the friends urged Irene, to face matters. Bill
had walked out at the last minute, and that was all there
was to it. : !

“No, no!” Irene protested. “Why, we were together last
night, making last-minute plans. Bill was going to come

by at 8 this morning, so we could check up on all the

arrangements. Something’s happened... .”|

“No phone at his apartment?” one of the guests inquired.

Irene shook her head. “But we've got to go there. If
—if Bill’s—well, if he’s all right, if he just changed his
mind, we’ll surely find out... .”

Headed by the resolute young woman, the little party
drove to the flat in which Kappen had lived for several
weeks and to which he had intended to bring his bride after
a brief honeymoon trip.

The front door of the ground floor apartment was locked
and the screen at the rear entry was hooked on the inside.
Two of the men in the group broke the lock at the front
and then stepped aside to follow Irene into the place.

There was no sign of disorder. A suit lay outspread on
the bed, and the disappointed bride identified it as the one
Bill had intended to wear at the marriage rites. The tub
in the bathroom was filled with clean water. The rest of
Kappen’s clothing hung in his closet. ;

“Maybe,” suggested one of her companions, “Bill just did
not come back here after leaving your place last night.”

“But he did,” Irene answered. “Look, here’s the suit he
had on then.”

“Then what happened to the guy? Everything here seems
undisturbed. Nobody broke in and caused any trouble
in the apartment.” :

“I can’t guess what happened,” Miss Traub admitted. “I
don’t even know where to turn to find out. The police,
perhaps? Will you take me to them, please?”

So it was that late in the afternoon of July 3, 1937, Irene
Traub learned from Chief of Detectives John J. Carroll in

‘St. Louis that the body of her fiance had been found in a

dead end road six miles east of Belleville, Ill, the séat of
St. Clair County just across the river from the metropolis
of the Upper Mississippi.

The description of the corpse, as reported to Carroll by
Sheriff Henry L. Siekmann of Belleville, matched that which
Irene had given the police. Kappen was 32, five feet six
inches tall, weighed about 150 pounds and had blue eyes
and brown hair.

At Carroll’s request the distraught girl journeyed to
Illinois and police took her to the Gaerdner Funeral Home
in Belleville. There an officer lifted the shroud from the
head of a figure on a slab. Irene took one shuddering look.
“Yes,” she choked, “that’s Bill.”

- William Kappen had been murdered. The bullet wound
in his forehead, with its dark circle of gunpowder burned
into the flesh, might have been accepted as self-inflicted,
except that there had been no weapon in the vicinity where
he was found. And further, there was evidence that he

John Giancola (above) did
not know murder was afoot
and so fared better than
his brother Ralph (right).

had arrived at the spot, near a roadhouse called the Cat
& Fiddle, by car, and no auto was in the neighborhood when
passersby came upon the corpse, outstretched upon its back.

“There was no sign of a struggle,” Sheriff Siekmann told

Miss Traub. “We figure he was killed some place else and.
taken out there and dumped. You can probably give us

more information about him than anybody else.”
A Previous Slaying . . . ;

Quite simply Irene told the story of Kappen’s courtship,
of their wedding plans, his visit to her home the night
before. :

“It was 11:30 when he left. He would ‘take the streetcars
home. He should have reached there before midnight. He
was going to return to my house this morning at 8... .”

“What about his relatives?” she sheriff queried. “Did he
have any enemies? Was there anything that seemed to
worry him?”

“Not a thing,” the girl declared. “I’m sure I’d have been
the first to know if there was trouble of any sort. ‘His only
relative, so far as I know, was his sister, Marie Porter. She
lives in St. Louis, Their father .. .”

Miss Traub hesitated, a frown darkening her face. Siek-:

mann urged her to continue. »

“Their father is in an institution. A couple of years ago
he killed a man—Marie’s husband. There was some kind
of quarrel over money, and he pleaded insanity at the trial.”

.. The sheriff remembered the case vaguely. It was strange
indeed that murder had struck twice in the same family,

but he could see no possible connection between the two
crimes. : “ ‘

“For a time,” Irene went on, “Bill lived with Mrs. Porter.
Then, after we made definite plans for our wedding, he
moved into a place of his own. It was to have been ours.
Now...” -

She broke off in sobs. Upon learning that the slaying had
occurred only a few hours. before William Kappen was to
have been married to the pretty brunette, both the sheriff
and Detective Chief Carroll leaped to the same conclusion

we to rent an automobile for Friday night.

“t rented the car at 8 P.M. and took my
regular girl for a ride. After I left her, I
met Mrs. Porter at 2:15 a. mM. at Union and
Forest Park Boulevards and we drove to
Kappen’s apartment at 5372 Union Boule-
yard. I had the gun, a .32 calibre pistol,
and turned it over to Mrs. Porter after I
stopped the car. She got out and went to
Bill’s apartment.

“I guess she was gone about a half hour
when she and Bill came out and got into
the machine. Bill rode in the front seat
with me and she in the rear seat.

“We drove to a tavern on South Broad-
way and drank some beer. When we got
outside, Bill got sick to his stomach and
threw up. Then we drove to East St. Louis,
looking for some more drinks but found
the saloons closed. We came to Belleville,
over the old St. Louis road, found the
saloons closed there and then started back
for St. Louis on the same road.

“About five or six miles out, and around
3:30 a. M.,. Mrs. Porter suddenly shouted
to Kappen, who was sleeping in the front
seat: ‘Bill, wake up.’

“Kappen turned his head and when he
did so, Mrs. Porter took aim at his head

‘and fired one shot. She ordered me to turn

to the right at the next road and about a
block off the hard road I stopped the
machine.

iy EANWHILE Bill had slumped on

my lap and blood flowed onto my
trousers. She got out of the machine and
opened the door on Kappen’s side and his
body fell into the road. She arranged the
body and then I gave her a handkerchief
so she could wipe the blood off her hands.

“I used another handkerchief and wiped
my hands and then walked over to the
clump of poison ivy weeds and deposited
the handkerchief. It was almost daylight
when we pulled out of the lane and headed
for St. Louis.

“After we had gotten back on the paved
highway, Mrs. Porter remarked: ‘Well,
that’s done.’ ;

“We stopped at a filling station in East
St. Louis on the way and I washed my
hands. The attendant remarked about the
blood and I told him that my girl friend
had taken ill and that I had gotten the
blood on my hands when I attended her.

“I drove to St. Louis, left Mrs. Porter
off on Kingshighway near her home be-
cause she wanted to be home before her
daughters awoke so they could not suspicion
her. She warned me that if I said anything
about the case ‘it would be too bad.’

“Then I went home, washed the blood
out of my trousers, cleaned up the car the
best I could and went to bed. On Saturday

“night, I returned the car about 7:18

o'clock.”

Exhausted and stumbling, Ralph Gian-
cola was led away to his cell an hour
later. As he stepped from the elevator he
asked to be permitted to call -home. The
guard went with him to the telephone
booth. Kerrigan, standing near and as ex-
hausted as his prisoner, heard him ask for
his brother, John, and then say,

“No. Put it away. Everything’s going to
be all right and say, bring down my
shaving stuff, will you?”

Throughout the rest of the afternoon,
routine checking on Giancola’s confession
continued. The children in the Porter

household knew nothing. The rental agency
mentioned by the confesssed driver of the
death car was visited.

Back to the police station came a police
officer with a .32 caliber bullet found under
the rear seat and with the rental car in
tow. It was immediately tested for blood-
stains and additional evidence.

Boland, Ogden, Sinclair and Kerrigan,
who all looked like what they were, four

.tired but vindicated detectives, permitted

themselves the luxury of a between-meals
snack. ; ;
“What’s most important now is to make
the rounds of the taverns he mentioned,”
Kerrigan pointed out. “She’s never going

‘to talk. Did you hear what she said to

Carroll ?”

“About going to the chair with her
mouth shut?”

“Yeah, Give her a night to think it over.
I’m going back to East St. Louis and
make my report. Do we meet at the same
time tomorrow morning?”

John Giancola, left, Mrs. Marie
Porter and Ralph Giancola.

“Right,” Sinclair confirmed.

The next afternoon as the detectives
walked from the tavern on South Broad-
way into which Giancola had said he and

-Mrs. Porter had taken her brother on the

fatal night, they were silent.

“If she’d been in there,” Boland finally
said, “the bartender would’ve recognized
her for sure.”

“Suppose the boy was lying?”

“But he said...” -

. EVER mind what he said. The point
is that the bartender swears that
nobody even resembling Mrs. Porter was
in there that night and he looks like an
old-timer who'd spot everybody.”

“Let’s try the next place.”

Two waitresses on the night shifts
aroused from their sleep by the detectives,
could remember no woman of Mrs. Porter’s
description on the night in question.

Satisfied that their memories were ac-
curate, Sinclair led his men back to the
station to report on the strange discrepan-
cies in Giancola’s story and to consult with
the chief of detectives.

It wasn’t until Kerrigan, walking into
police headquarters with the others, saw
the guard who had removed Giancola to his
cell the day before, that he remembered
the boy’s terse telephone conversation.

“Listen,” he called out to Sinclair who
waited for him, “that kid talked to his
brother yesterday and he said something

about ‘put it away.’ Put what away?”

“A gun?” ;

“T’ll match you that dough you wanted
to put up a couple of days ago.”

“Brother at the same address?”

“Yes.” ”

“Good.”

John Giancola, brought from the arms
of his weeping stunned mother to police
headquarters, proved a somewhat more.
difficult customer than his brother.

“You guys got me wrong,” he com-
plained. “I didn’t even know the Kappen
fellow. And I’ve only seen Mrs. Porter
once or twice, honest!”

After two hours of it Sinclair gave up
and, dismissing John who was held for
investigation, sent for his brother.

It is a curious fact. that when a crim-
inal’s primary defense of silence or out-
right lying breaks, when the interrogator
pushes him that one inch further, he fairly
babbles the truth. It spills out like a great,
rushing lake over a ruined dam.

* EASE don’t send me to the chair!”

he pleaded. “I lied to you. I’lf talk. I
did it. John and me went to Kappen’s
house. She’d promised us $800. We got the
key from her. She said to get him. He
kept saying his prayers and telling us that
we could have anything he had. Just to tell
him what we wanted and he said,” even
the professionally bland faces of the de-
tectives winced as he continued, “that he
was going to be married. But Marie wanted
that insurance...”

Then, even as the other amateur in crime
had given way, the first crack in the wall
of her stout denials came when she ad-
mitted that they “had talked about killing
Willy” but that she had “forgotten all
about it.”

Pushed by the questioners, badgered by
four men determined to settle the guilt of
the murder once and for all, shouted at,
pleaded with, accused, she finally broke
and admitted the truth of Giancola’s second
statement.

For some curious reason she fought
extradition.

In spite of his external toughness, John
Giancola was an easy subject for the four
men who waved his brother’s signed state-
ment before him. In his haste to turn
State’s evidence the ‘stenographer could
barely keep up with the jumbled flow of
his confession and admission as the death
car driver.

The filling station attendant in East St.
Louis identified the Giancola brothers as
they were being taken to the county jail
in Belleville, seat of St. Clair County in
which the murder was committed.

John Giancola sits in his cell silent while
the solid steel cage of evidence, compiled
by a detective team without peer in recent
criminal annals, is locked and bolted with
the state’s attorney’s announcement that he
will ask for three death penalties at an
early trial.

Ralph poses readily for newspaper pic-
tures, but he always asks the reporters,
“Do you think I'll burn?” —

Kerrigan, Boland, Ogden and Sinclair,
who started a murder investigation without
even the victim’s name and who concluded
it with the sort of evidence a state’s at-
torney sees in his pipe dreams, are inclined
to answer in the affirmative.

Tue Enp

ny them.
e hours the young
in aimless fashion
like a group of
students. At mid-
hn took the girls
the grim business
ar in front of the
ung Italians, hat-
mber, black suits,
from the machine
up the front porch
he disturb their
the key into the
id the door swung

the empty lower
ied the rear stair-
way. At the top
rhythmic tap-tap
acks. A moment
the source of their
et. John clutched
ted to a thin shaft
loor next to the
two moved across
ame from inside
he doorknob An-
The door opened
They peered into
‘ross-wise on the
of Willie Kappen.
‘dding outfit, suit,
ocks. He was fast

25-caliber auto-
vrittle command:

at up. His eyes
s he surveyed the
men. “What do
Then, recognizing
{ and he gripped
Angelo, why are
at me?” he de-

nough,” snapped
g¢ for a ride. Get

electrician cried
e I ever done to
1arried tomorrow.

face hardened.
snapped harshly,
n in the bed.
wn completely.
e pleaded. “T’ll
I have. I'll do
won’t breathe a

ves glittered with
killer-lust. Seiz-
pants, a
ck ox-
the trembling
nto those and

wor

ig fingers with
1 slowly. The
irettes and at-
hurrying.
‘lie stumbled
d of his captors.
thers flung their
the kitchen
was in dark-
victim from his
the car waiting
ve for the faint,
ping city.

"of the way of prowling radio. car
_ Selo drove carefully. Kappen and. John’ lig!

e- victims A
‘i choking?

the necessity for k
of prowling’ radio.

Realizi

| latter:held the automatic in readiness in

ppi River,
separating Missouri from Mllinois, Angelo
issued a curt order to his brother: “Push

him down on the floor and hold your
hand over his mouth.” baa
_ John obeyed. : ;

' Once they reachedthe comparatively ~

desolate Illinois side of the river, An-
gelo’s foot grew heavy on the accelerator,
With tires screeching, the light: car
swung onto Route 13, the Old St. Louis
Road, and rocketed along at a dangerous
clip. The ‘shrill moan of the wind as it
tore through the lowered windows, .the
labored roar of the engine and the
vicious lurches of the machine over the

uneven surfaces effectively drowned out.

the pitiful entreaties and incoherent sobs
of the captive. :

A few miles outside of East St. Louis,

Angelo suddenly slackened his speed. | ; dha
He flung’ two cotton handkerchiefs over’ * ©’
- into the rear seat.’ “Tie his hands and

stuff one of those in his big mouth,” he
ordered. ~ - Sie.
Again his sinewy young. brother

. obeyed.

‘Several minutes later Angelo brought’
the car to a stop and transferred Kappen
to the front -seat. John passed the auto-
matic to his brother and remained seated
in the rear. | ‘

It was close to 2 a.m. as the'car flashed
past the now darkened Cat and Fiddle
Roadhouse. Angelo applied the brakes
and the auto careened far to the right as
he swung.from the main road onto the
Travis Mine Road. With lights out the
youth guided the car for a distance of
approximately a hundred yards. There

Bullet-riddled body of Willie Kappen
_which was found in a desolate spot on
the fringe of East St. ‘Louis, Illinois

‘accompanied

roblematiea
sete:

nding | eet potinded the
floor-boards desperately. FRE Hee th

almost ‘instantly by the
acrid smell of burned powder. With a
thud Kappeén’s head ‘landed ‘against the
instrument’ panel)’ A ‘crimson’ stream

trickled from the panel to the floor-mat.

The bullet entered the man’s left tem-
ple and emerged ‘below his right. eye.

A moment later the car roared away
into the darkness. Before going home
the youths dropped the key used to gain.
entrance to Kappen’s home into. a catch-

‘basin,

Although the two went to bed im-

_\mediately, neither was able to sleep. At

6:30 Angelo arose and concealed his
automatic beneath a-pile of rubbish in

the basement: Next he drove the mur-:

der car to a neighborhood gas station
and cleansed the interior as best

_he could. That evening at 7 o'clock

he returned the car to the rental agency.

Meanwhile, at 10 o’clock Saturday
morning, Irene Traub and her relatives
awaited the arrival of William Kappen
at St, Anthony’s Catholic Church. Priest,
altar boys and members of the wedding
party became more impatient as time
wore on and ‘the happy bridegroom
failed to make his appearance. Finally,
at 10:30, unable to stand the suspense
any longer, the girl burst into tears,

Flinging herself into the arms of her.

brother, she sobbed: ‘Oh, John, isn’t this
terrible! What do you suppose could
have happened to him?”

Traub’s feelings were a mixture of
anger, apprehension. and_ bewilderment._
He did his best to comfort his sister.
“Neyer mind, Sis, he probably overslept.
We'll go out to the flat.”

Thus heartened Irene Traub dried her
tears and accompanied her brother and
the latter’s wife, Elsie. They were
amazed and alarmed to find the rear
door securely locked—from the inside.
Their alarm mounted as they found the
front door, for which Kappen had no
key, unlocked. Rushing upstairs they
surveyed the interior, were stunned up-
on noting that Kappen had not slept in
his bed the previous night., They ex-
amined the missing man’s wedding out-
fit on his bed and bath tub full of water.
The latter had not been used for bathing
purposes. Glancing in the sink Traub
saw the two cigarette stubs dropped
there by the Giancola brothers.

“Say, Sis,” he exclaimed, “I thought
you said Willie doesn’t smoke?”

“He doesn’t!”

“Tn that case,” he said uneasily, “‘some-
body else was up here last night.
Maybe it was somebody who talked him
out of going through with the wedding!”

“T won’t believe that,” the girl said
loyally. ‘Willie was as happy over get-
ting married as I. Something must.
have happened to him on his way
home last night. Maybe he had an acci-
dent. Perhaps he’s in a hospital right
now!”

Silently her brother walked to a
dresser and picked up a tiny slip of

was a Bellefontaine street car transfer,
stamped at 11:30 p.m. At the same in-

‘stant the woman spied the refuse con-

tainer she had given Willie the previous
evening. It rested under the sink. Her
last traces of self-control vanished as
she again burst into tears and begged to
be taken home.

The body of William Kappen was dis-
covered at 1:15 p.m. Saturday by Dr.
H. E. Rose, and V. C. Leo, a real estate
agent, both of East St. Louis. Discovery
was accidental, the latter having driven
the physician to look over some real
estate he owned in that vicinity.

The. body reposed.on_its. back,..hands
crossed. on the: breast. The face and
arms were badly sunburned from the
torrid July rays. All thought of their
mission was forgotten by the two men
as they rushed. to the nearest telephone
and called Deputy Sheriff Frank Kerri-
gan ‘at East St. Louis. The latter
promptly called his Chief, Sheriff Henry
L. Siekmann, at Belleville, about seven
miles east of the 'Cat and Fiddle Road-
house.

In an incredibly short. time the scene
was swarming with officers, newspaper-
men and photographers. .A search of
the slain man’s pockets revealed not a
single sign of identification. However, a
careful search of the adjacent brush was

made and the two handkerchiefs, both’

crimson-stained, discovered, beneath the
clump of bushes where they were placed
by the slayer.

“This looks to me like another gang’

ride,” commented Sheriff Siekmann.
Deputy Kerrigan, a_ solidly built,
pleasant voiced man in his forties,
nodded: ‘‘Probably a St. Louis gangster
knocked off somewhere else by his pals
and then dumped here,” he agreed.
Numerous photographs of ‘the scene
were taken. A photographer requested
Deputy Kerrigan to pose-beside the two
bloodstained handkerchiefs. ‘The latter

was about to comply when he paused’

suddenly. Pointing at the bushes he ex-
claimed: “Nothing doing! The.place is
alive with poison ivy!”

In the privacy of her room early Sun-

day morning Irene Traub, hollow-eyed
and numbed over the shock of the mys-
terious disappearance of her fiance, sat
listlessly by a window and stared out
into the blackness of a hot July night.
Tormenting her were the unanswered
questions: Had Willie’s love for her been
feigned? Or had some accident befallen
him?

These and other unhappy thoughts
made sleep impossible. It was close to
3 a.m. when she absently picked up an
evening paper and glanced over the front
page. She read a brief item telling of
the discovery of an unidentified body
near Belleville.

An hour and a half later a dramatic
scene occurred in a Funeral Home at
Belleville. There, in the hushed early
morning hours, while St. Louis Detective
Sergeant John Sinclair and Detective
Harold Bohlen, Sheriff Siekmann and a
mortuary attendant looked on, Irene
Traub silently approached the table up-
on which reposed the remains of Wil-
liam Kappen. The fiancee of the dead
man moved like a person in a hypnotic
trance. For a moment she'stared at the
face of the victim. Then, with a low
moan, she turned and faced the group
of anxious-faced men clustered in the
background. Her: voice was_ scarcely
above a whisper:

“Tt’s he. ”

Bravely bearing up under the shock
of the culminating horror of what was
to have been her wedding night, she
did her best to aid officers.

“Willie did not have an enemy in the
world,” she declared. “He was honest,
law-abiding, friendly. Everybody liked
him. And.I’m certain that it could not
have been robbery: because he gave me
his billfold before leaving last night. All
he carried was enough for carfare.”

“How about his relatives?” asked Ser-

‘geant Sinclair.

An angry flush Rehataintod Irene
Traub’s features. For: several seconds
she. hesitatéd, as if weighing her reply.
Finally she said: ‘‘Willie did have an
enemy—his own sister. They have been
estranged since January after an argu-

On eve of his wedding, Willie Kappen
was driven in this rented car across the
Mississippi River to his tragic death

7
ment over m
.abusive lette:

- “Willie and |

in an attempt

‘Do you sti
Sinclair.

The woman
at home.”

A crimson
Irene Traub «
around which
volved during
ticed eyes of
veyed the sce
the wedding «
the streetcar
rette stubs
pieced togeth
slain man’s
ning, caused
lowing conclu

1. William
tween 11:30

2. As indic:
he had rece
more callers
evening, evid
he took his b

3. The lock«
indicated he
tended going
he had not le
in by. that
Hence, dedu
one or more |
have forced e
the front d
prised him.

Possibility
might have b
tim of a gan
labor difficul:
eliminated.
record was
clean, while t
for which he
ported not t
evidence of

* culty. Offic

elsewhere in
motive.

The warnir
Traub was <
in longhand
to thwart th:
nate couple.
would profit
contemplated
if he died?

They cou!

Marie Porter

Questioned

‘day, she bla

the death of
ing to her as
in the comfc
rooming hous
folded across
“Tt’s true ti
along so well
know much a
“When dic
manded Sinc)
“About six
Although !

\ fact that sh

major portio:

policies, the
his insurance

The woma

ib, hollow-eyed

ock of the mys- —

her fiance, sat
and stared out
hot July night.
he unanswered

ove for her been *

ccident befallen

happy thoughts. ‘

It was close to
ly picked up an
2d over the front
item telling of
\identified body

ater a dramatic.
ineral Home, at
1e hushed early
Louis Detective

and Detective
Siekmann and a
oked on, Irene
ed the table up-
-emains of Wil-
cee of the dead
yn in a hypnotic
she stared at the
1en, with a low
faced the group
clustered in the
e was_ scarcely

ander the shock
‘or of what was
iding night, she
rs.

an enemy in the
“He was honest,
Everybody liked
that it could not
ause he gave me
ng last night. All
for carfare.”
ves?” asked Ser-

rmounted Irene
several seconds
ighing her reply.
lie did have an
They have been
y after an argu-

, Willie Kappen
od car across the
iis tragic death

_ abusive let
-“Willie and I both believed she wrote it

tended going out and that

betes ais “
in an attempt to stop our marriage.”

- volved during recent months. The prac-

_ the wedding clothes laid out on the bed,

‘the streetcar transfer ticket, the ciga-
rette stubs. in the sink. These facts,
' pieced together with the account of. the
slain man’s activities the. Previous ‘eve- Ae
ning, caused Officers to arrive at the folt 2%

lowing conclusions:

1, William Kappen reached home be- Mf

tween 11:30’ and midnight.

2. As indicated by the cigarette stubs «
he had received. one or
more callers the previous
evening, evidently before
he took his bath. .

3. The locked rear door
indicated he had not in-

he had not let his visitors
in by that entrance.
Hence, deduced officers,
one or more persons must
have forced entry through
the front door and sur- -
prised him.

Possibility that Kappen
might have been the vic-
tim of a gang ride or of
labor difficulty was soon
eliminated. The victim’s
record .was_ _ absolutely
clean, while the company
for which he worked re-
ported not the slightest
evidence of labor diffi-

* culty. Officers. turned

elsewhere in their vain groping for a
motive.

The warning letter received by Irene

Traub was carefully studied. Written.

in longhand it obviously was intended
to thwart the marriage of the unfortu-
nate couple. “Detectives wondered: Who
would profit if the electrical worker’s
contemplated marriage was smashed? Or
if he died? -

They could find but one answer—
Marie Porter.

Questioned at her home early Mon-

‘day, she blandly assured officers that

the death of her brother was as shock-
ing to her as it was mysterious. Seated
in the comfortable living-room of her
rooming house, her pudgy hands placidly
folded across her ample bosom, she said:

‘Tt’s true that Willie and I haven’t got

along so well lately. That’s why I don’t
know much about his actions.”

“When did you see him last?” de-
manded Sinclair.”

“About six months ago.”

Although he was fully aware of the
fact that she was beneficiary of the
major portion of her brother’s insurance
policies, the detective asked: “Who is
his insurance beneficiary?”

The woman’s dark eyes never wa-
vered. “I get twenty-three hundred dol-

“'Do you still have that letter?” aired e
_ Sinclair. ey
The. ‘woman nodded, pis in my tom, ise
at home.) ¢
A. crimson ’ faawne “was breaking ’ ‘as.
_ Irene Traub directed officers to the flat’
é around ‘which ‘all her thoughts had re-

Louis Zecweck, + prominent Hong
ney who heade

revealed | it ‘to’ be
correct,”

he prosseutiones

the woman had not left her home piena

night her brother was murdered. Like-

wise officers were satisfied that her car
had not. left its garage on the night in °
- question.”

While. officers continued their investi-_
“gation Marie Porter attended the wed-

ding of her sixteen-year-old daughter
and Marcus’ Crowe, her ‘young roomer.
Stranger still, Monday night,.while. her

brother’s body lay on a mortuary slab

she entertained at a wedding reception
for the newly married couple.
than twenty young people ate, drank and
danced to the brassy strains of a cheap,
hired’ orchestra: When a slightly -be-

wildered newspaper .reporter askéd if.

such an affair was not inappropriate
under the. circumstances, Mrs. Porter
shrugged . her massive shoulders. and
said: ‘What could I do? The orchestra

guests invited.”

However,. at least one guest failed to
enjoy the reception celebration. That
guest was Angelo Giancola. While others
ate, drank and danced, he and his nexas
mour ‘whispered briefly: ~

““Why do you look so'scared, Angelo?”

“I’m not scared,” he lied. “fverything
went off okay.”

But. Sante his denial, he was a thor-

Sheriff Fons L Sekmahin led
investigation’: of brutal crime

‘alse. Bravado. his” hee: swaggering
manner... For he was miserable—miser-.

able because he could not escape the
: pipstitul sound: of Willie Kappen’s voice ~
-as he pleaded for life. .Throbbing con- ©

. Stantly in his brain while he slept, while ,

+ *he ate, and while he walked, was the:
Ye constant and. maddening refrain: “I am
a’ murderer, I am a murderer. -

“made my brother -a murderer.”
* too, was. present.
~ awakened in the middle of the night,

Fear,
Once the youth had.

screaming, having emerged from a hor-_

* rible nightmare in which he was being —
hie dragged, pleading for his life as Willie’
~ had pleaded for his, to searing death in ay

the: electric chair.

her brother, might have engineered the
execution.

have plausibly wished ~

Kappen’s death,’’ the
Chief ‘of Detectives de-
. clared; “Sisterly love was
absent, a fact already
- demonstrated. Marie Por-
ter: is mercenary, coldly

ordinarily clever. My
hunch is that she hired
one or. two persons ' to
kidnap Kappen and take
him for a ride. I want all
her male associates care-
fully investigated. And I
want Marie Porter brought
to my office for ques-.
tioning.”

Detectives brought
Marie Porter, her son-in-
law; Marcus Crowe, and
intended _ son-in-law,
Gregory Kuehl, to head-
quarters. Tuesday. after-
noon. There Mrs. Porter
calmly SS her previous story and
refused to alter it in the slightest degree.
Her son-in-law, Crowe, a slight, dark-
complexioned youth, vigorously denied
any knowledge of the crime, as did Kuehl.
The latter was engaged to Mrs. Porter’s
twenty-one-year-old daughter. The two
youths experienced no difficulty in clear-
ing themselves of suspicion. Again,
however, officers failed to pierce the
woman’s armor of imperturbability, as
thick as the layers of fat that enshrouded
her body.

Mrs. Porter denied having falsified en-
tries in her brother’s bankbook. Also
she denied withdrawing funds from his
bank, account without his permission or
that? she wrote the . letter received ‘by
Irene Traub.

Serenely confident that she had en-
gineered the perfect crime, the woman’s
pudgy features approximated a derisive
smile as she politely bade the officers
good-afternoon and departed with her
son-in-law and daughter’s fiance.

But Marie Porter reckoned without
proper regard for the tenacity of purpose
and shrewd intelligence of St. Louis de-
tectives and St. Clair County deputies.
During the next two days officers ques-
tioned dozens of neighbors, acquaint-

ances and (Continued on page 81)

I have

. Despite her iron-clad alibi, officers be-

’ lieved that the dead man’s sister, while —
i ‘not’ involved in ‘the actual murder of >
~ Roomers in the’ home’ were™'
““Earl’and. William Doney,’ brothers, and -
“Marcus: ia Crowe! oat Vata the that’

calculating and more than . —

hess

PES PLATT aeg EY ELIAS AR AORN ARE §

(Continued from page 19) friends of Mrs.
Porter. To their astonishment they un-
covered evidence of the woman’s affair
with twenty-one-year-old Angelo Giancola.
Gradually all the salacious details of their
after-dark excursions and extreme inti-
macy were brought to light.

Following a conference between detec-
tives and deputies it was decided to arrest
Giancola for questioning. Detective Ser-
geant Sinclair and Detective Bohlen picked
up Angelo at the home of his parents early
Friday morning.

From the very outset officers succeeded
in extracting from the frightened youth
the sordid details of his romance with
Marie Porter. In accounting for his ac-
tivities the night of the murder he at-
tempted to prove he was at home with his
parents. This was speedily proven to be a
lie. Angelo then admitted he had gone rid-
ing with a girl friend, his brother and sister.
He admitted having rented a
car. Asked where he had ob-
tained the ten-dollar deposit,
ne fumbled, told several lies,
‘hanged his story, became
hopelessly mired. Finally he
blurted out his first admission:

“Marie loaned me the ten
dollars.”

“What for?” snapped Carroll.
“To go riding with your other
sweetheart?”

Nervously the youth un-
buttoned his left shirt cuff and
commenced scratching his arm.

Deputy Kerrigan's eyes suddenly nar-
rowed. Crossing the room in several quick
strides he halted beside the startled youth,
Without further ado Kerrigan raised the
shirt sleeve elbow high. An ugly rash was
bared.

“Where'd you get that?” he demanded,

“I—I—guess it’s a heat rash,’ muttered
the youth.

‘That's not heat rash and you know it,”
Kerrigan snapped. “That’s a poison ivy
rash. And you picked it up when you hid
the two bloodstained handkerchiefs near
the Cat and Fiddle Roadhouse. Angelo,”
he said slowly, “you killed Willie Kappen!”

Scant additional prodding was necessary.
Convinced he was hopelessly trapped the
youth cried: “Oh, what's the use! I did it
and I'll confess.”

Bitterly realizing when it was too late
tnat Marie Porter was responsible for
nis present predicament, he sought to im-
plicate her in the actual slaying. Glibly
ne described how she accompanied him to
Kappen’s flat, how she went upstairs and
ently emerged with her brother. “Then,”
1e continued, “we made the rounds. We
stopped at a couple of different beer gar-
‘ens and drank beer and pretty soon Willie
Marie told me to drive out into
‘he country and I did. She was sitting in
‘he back seat. She had my automatic. Willie
front with me. All at once I heard
shot and Willie slumped toward the door.”
The perfect crime at last appeared in its
true light—a coldly premeditated and un-
believably brutal crime. Officers punched
numerous holes in Giancola’s first confes-
sion. Their investigation had already con-
vinced them that Marie Porter had been
jome the night of the murder. Moreover,
the youth was unable to lead them to the

t gardens where he claimed he indulged
with their luckiess victim. Furthermore.
officers well knew that Kappen was a tee-
totaler as well as a non-smoker.

“You're shielding somebody, Angelo,”

used detectives, “Who helped you?”

The youth remained adamant, refusing
to alter his story.

pres

ZOt SICK.

vas up in

civ directed officers to the hiding

John Giancola

place in the basement of his home where he
had concealed the murder weapon. In ad-
dition to the automatic, officers took pos-
session of the dark suit worn by the youth
the night of the murder. Subsequent
chemical analysis revealed a number of
bloodstains in the fabric,

Officers proceeded with a systematic in-
vestigation of his friends and acquaint-
ances. Oddly enough, he was found to
have no intimates as close as his younger
brother, John. On July llth, Detectives
Ogden, Bohlen and Sinclair, acting solely |
on a hunch, arrested the younger brother |
and brought him to Headquarters for ques-
tioning.

The quiet, studious-appearing boy was
an easy subject. A poor actor, his repeated
denials that he knew anything were soon
broken down under a steady barrage of
questions. Finally he sobbed out a full con-
fession, admitting his share in the actual
kidnaping and execution.

“We did it for eight hundred
dollars,” he cried. “Mrs. Porter
promised Angelo that much |
money if he would do the job.”

Upon being told of his
brother’s confession, Angelo
admitted that his first story
was meant to cover up his
brother; that Marie Porter did
not participate in the actual
slaying but that it was con-
ceived and engineered by her.
The brothers then dictated con-
fessions to the police stenog-
rapher and then affixed their signatures.

Upon being arrested, Marie Porter be-
trayed no more concern than when first
questioned. Her endurance amazed even
the hardiest of her questioners. Hour after
hour she calmly replied with maddening
monotony: ‘What they say is not the truth.
I had nothing to do with it. I never planned
to kill my brother,”

Only once—shortly after she was con-
fronted by the brothers, now arrayed
against her—did the woman weaken. After
hearing the youths repeat their confes-
sions in her presence, she said: “Part of
what they say is the truth. I did talk to
Angelo about a plan to get rid of Willie a
long time ago. But I said no more about it
and thought he had forgotten, too.”

“How much did you offer him at that
time to do the job?” she was asked.

“Eight hundred dollars.”

“Would you have paid up?” ;

The woman’s small pig-like eyes opened
slightly. Her lips curled in a faint sneer.
“Of course. When I makea bargain I stick
to it.”

On Monday, November Ist, 1937, trial of
the three defendants was begun at Belle-
ville, before Circuit Judge Richard H.
Mudge. The grief-stricken parents of the
two Giancolas employed separate counsel
for their sons, while a court-appointed at-
torney undertook the defense of Mrs. Porter,

On Friday, November 5th, all three were
found guilty of first degree murder. The
jury fixed John’s sentence at ninety-nine
years. Under the verdict, pronouncement
of death sentences upon Angelo and Marie
Porter became mandatory.

After routine stays, the date of execution
finally was set for January 28th, 1938. Early
that morning, Marie Porter, following in the
footsteps of her youthful paramour, walked
to the death chamber. She became the
first woman to be electrocuted in the State
of Illinois.

To those readers who would like a moral
to this tale the cryptic comment of Judge
Mudge at the trial is worthy of serious
thought:

“T never saw a smart criminal!”

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Live A Bachelor, Die A Bachelor

(continued from page 69)

had hired a car. They had picked up a girl
and gone riding until well after midnight.
They had dropped the girl at her home
and called at Willie Kappen’s apartment.

Kappen had been in the process of lay-
ing out his wedding garments. He had
filled the bathtub and was about to bathe
in order,to save time in the morning. He
had been surprised to see his late visitors.
He had been more surprised when Angelo
thrust a gun muzzle in his stomach and
told him to get dressed.

Kappen sat fearfully between his cap-
tors as the hired car crossed the Missis-
sippi bridge into Illinois. Angelo ordered
his brother to push Kappen down to the
floor of the car, to keep a tight hand over
the captive’s mouth so that he could not
cry out.

They had traveled along Route 13, the
Old St. Louis Road, sped past the Cat and
Fiddlé roadhouse and on to the Travers
Mine Road. There, Angelo turned out the
car’s lights and parked at the edge of the
highway.

Angelo took a handkerchief from his
pocket and stuffed it into Kappen’s

mouth. Using a length of clothesline
which he took from the glove compart-
ment, Angelo tied Kappen’s hands be-
hind his back. Kappen struggled futilely.

Now, Angelo lifted his gun and aimed it
deliberately at William Kappen’s head.
He pressed the trigger. The bullet plowed
into Kappen’s temple. Kappen’s head
jerked wildly and crashed against the
dashboard. Blood gushed from the
wound, dripping down on to the floor

‘boards.
+ Angelo opened the car door and drag-

ged the dying man into the field at the side
of the road. He untied Kappen’s hands
and, for some horrible reason of his own,
crossed them over the victim’s chest.

He pulled the bloody handkerchief

from Kappen’s mouth, carried it off for
some distance and dumped it in the
poison ivy shrubs. Finding his own hands
red with Kappen’s blood Angelo bor-
rowed John’s handkerchief to wipe his
hands clean. He finally dropped it amid
the ivy, too.

The brothers then returned home.
Angelo hid his revolver in the basement.
The pair spent the next two hours wash-

ing Kappen’s blood from the hired car. At
6:30 in the morning, some three hours
before the scheduled wedding of Irene
Traub and Willie Kappen, Angelo Gian-
cola returned the car to the agency from
which he had rented it.

When John Giancola’s confession had
been transcribed and signed, his brother
was brought from his cell. Sergeant Sine
clair handed a copy to Angelo and in-
structed him to read it. Angelo did so,
shaking his head.

‘“*You’re a fool,”’ he said to his brother,
“I was trying to keep you out of it. Now
we'll all go to the chair.”

Even Angelo Giancola could see, at
this point, that any further lying was
futile. He agreed to make a full statement,
one which coincided with that of his
younger brother. Their stories of the
murder of Willie Kappen made it quite
clear that the crime had been committed
not in St. Louis but on the Illinois side of
the river. Sheriff Siekmann now took
over the case. Hs first move was to trans-
port the Giancola brothers to the St. Clair
County Jail at Belleville. His second was
to arrest Marie Porter. |

The woman was as hard as arock. The
Giancolas, she said, were liars. In reply to
all questions, she said, ‘‘What they say is

(continued on page 73)
71

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Live A Bachelor, Die A Bachelor

(continued from page 71)

not the truth. I had nothing to do with it. |
never planned to kill my brother.”’

Angelo and John were brought into the
portly woman's presence. She heard their
accusations against her in stony silence.

**Come now,” said the sheriff, ‘‘you’re
not trying to convince me that both these
boys are lying. Why should they try to
frame you?”

Marie Porter considered this. Then she
made as much of a confession as she ever
would make.

‘*Part of what the boys say is true,”” she
said. ‘‘I did talk to Angelo about getting
rid of Willie. But, | wasn’t really serious
and it was a long time ago. I never men-
tioned it again and I thought Angelo had
forgotten about it.”’

‘*Tell me,’’ said the sheriff, ‘‘at the
time you spoke to Angelo about getting
rid of Kappen, did you offer him any
money for the job.”

‘| think I jokingly mentioned $800.”

“Did you intend to pay it?”

Marie Porter hesitated for a long mo-
ment, then she said coolly, ‘‘When |
make a bargain | stick to it.”

That was the last statement Marie Por-
ter ever made regarding the brutal killing
of her brother.

On November: 1, 1937, the Giancola

brothers and Mrs. Porter were brought to.

trial at Belleville before Circuit Court
Judge Richard H. Mudge. The Giancolas’
parents retained counsel for their sons.
Mrs. Porter was defended by a court ap-
pointed attorney.

Four days later, a solemn jury filed into
the box and announced that it found all
three defendants guilty of murder in the
first degree. The jury fixed the sentence
for John Giancola at 99 years. By failing
to set a penalty for Angelo and Marie
Porter the jury made the death sentence
mandatory for both of them.

On January 28, 1938, Angelo Giancola
entered the death chamber. He wept hys-
terically as he was supported by a guard
and the Catholic chaplain. He professed
deep remorse of the wanton slaying. His
lips moved in silent prayer as he was
strapped into the chair.

Twenty minutes later, Marie Porter fol-
lowed in the footsteps of her lover. She
entered the death chamber, concealing
any fear she may have felt. She indicated
no repentance. She swept no tears. And
she now neither denied nor affirmed that
she had plotted the death of her brother.

In life, Marie Porter attained neither

fame nor renown. In death, she achieved
some dubious distinction. She was the
first woman ever to be electrocuted in the
state of Illinois.

Blonde Bait For The Strangler

(continued from page 15)

federal agency rejected the kidnap theory
out of hand.

‘In the absence of any indication of an
abduction,’’ this statement said, “‘the
FBI is not conducting an investigation
under the kidnaping statute.”

As the FBI bowed out, the family
prayed that the local and county inves-
tigatory bodies would somehow come up
with a quick solution. There was more
than ordinary urgency, they disclosed. ff
Joan were not found soon, she would die.
anyhow.

The missing girl suffered from a rare
and incurable blood disease, and had to
take daily injections of a drug. If she went
without the medicine for any length of
time, she would first suffer great pain and
then die, the family said.

‘Unless she had a supply of cortisone
which nobody knew about,’’ her brother,
Orin, added, ‘twe feel the chances are
quite strong that she is not alive. She

can’t get the drug without a prescrip-
tion.”’

And, Orin said, she had left her pre-
scription at home...

A full week passed without any word
from or about Joan, except for the now-
aborted ransom negotiations, and hopes

for her return became slimmer by the

hour.

Nonetheless, despite the first ransom
misfiré, Orin said, the family would be
willing to make another payment on proof
that his sister was still alive. However,
voicing the fears that had all but crushed
the once-happy family, he added grimly:

‘1 would consider it extraordinary if
she were to be held alive for any pur-
pose:

While the family prayed and tried to
console one another by pretending to
keep up a flicker of hope, the authorities

(continued on next page)

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Fiat Retinal .

Covered by a sheet, the
body awaits removal to |

the morgue. |

Nearby was a lush growth
of poison ivy.

alse Re a

SEK ST eT es
P ,

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62 2) 0

If a man skips his own wedding, he
ought to havea very good reason, and

Bill Kappen did. He was murdered...

@ SATURDAY was the day, the big day. Satur-
day was the day when Irene Traub and William
Kappen would be joined in holy matrimony,
and as pretty Irene put the finishing touches
on her wedding finery that morning, she was so
thrilled and excited that she literally trembled.

Everything had been well planned. . . . How
could there possibly be any hitch? Of course
there couldn’t! Bill would be there at 8, so
they could give all the arrangements a final
checkup. He wouldn’t forget the ring—Bill was
steady, not the excitable type at all. They would
go together to the big Church of St. Anthony
in the heart of St. Louis. They would be mar-
ried at 10 a.m. and then would be off on a brief
honeymoon, picking the rice out of their hair,
the good wishes of friends ringing in their ears.

It was all very simple, and all they had to do
was do it. And yet Irene, in common with every
other bride on the morning of the most mo-
mentous day in her life, was in a fever of
anxiety. : ‘

It wasn’t to be one of those grand, formal
affairs attended. by hundreds and demanding
careful rehearsals and close timing. Irene and
Bill had planned:a comparatively small, intimate
wedding, and the guests would not be many
but they would all be good friends.

Irene glanced’at her watch. Five minutes to
8. She was all ready, and she wished Bill would
come. It would be comforting, reassuring to
have him there, even though there was plenty
of time. == “igus eoue

Eight o’clock .4. 8:15 ... She was growing

\ worried. She’d:heard of cases where either one

or the other party to a wedding had been taken
suddenly ill, or involved in an accident. If only
Bill had a telephone so she could call him!

Eight-thirty. Still no Bill. She became frantic.

At St. Anthony}s Church, the guests began to
arrive at 9:45, and by 10 a.m. all but a few
stragglers were there. The organist took his seat,
adjusted his music, and began playing the well-
known airs that traditionally lead up to the
ceremony. By 10:20 he had played them all and
had to start all over again on another round..

Guests began looking at each other in puzzle-
ment. Where were the bride and the groom?

A few of the couple’s closest friends at last
slipped quietly out of the church and drove to
Irene’s house. _They found her in tears.

“What could have happened?” she cried. “Bill
hasn’t shown up! I can’t understand it.”

The friends knew of instances in which a

sala act. ee
mn re ‘naa — ni i tis il)

The

girl couldn't believe a jealous lover was_ guilty.

-degree murder
Lively held for
> term.

Marion County
i, “No deal will
was a case that
it.”

with the jury
evidence,
‘d that he would
about the mur-
brought to trial.
ted, he was cer-
“a oniee girl,” an
Somehow, on a
timate, she had
ate in Room 665.
Friday morning,
ine teller’s grim
\ man was wait-
nroat. eo¢
TE: ‘
dge, as used in
t the real name
i. This person
1s name to pro-

rc dead brother.”
g reception that
“h¢ before, after
marriage to
ier rooming

late to postpone
thbor said, “but
t in the morgue,
inceled the party.
»wout I ever at-

there were over
out all over the
sy and hilarious,
i scared to death
got drunk and
carry him home.”

name,” the nelgh-
friend, although
‘ her son.”

line of question-
heard Marie say
other?” he asked.
1e had not.

with Lieutenant
-geant pointed out
sus conduct indi-
tionship between
would bear look-
facet of the vic-
ly wasn't smooth
said.
.en Siekhaus ques-
always after him
Bill stopped liv-
ided, “Oh, please
e Marie had any-
nurder. She may
e’s fat and good-
vt harm a fly.”
i this as the biased
d expected to be-
sister-in-law and

along with her.

but I don’t even
ill, who was prud-
i never talk about
nink he was em-
oh was so much

ie said.

\s father was

e said that he
ore, she explained,
.ot Marie’s husband

ned this fact, and

the father was found to be confined in the
city sanitarium. That shooting had not
appeared to make any more sense than
the killing of William Kappen.

The detectives next questioned residents
and shopkeepers In the neighborhood along
Minerva Avenue where Marie had kept
a candy store several years earlier.

The fat woman had been almost unani-
mously disliked there, they learned. She
was ruthless and tight-fisted in bargain-
ing with others and her surly attitude to-
ward customers eventually had cost her
the business, It was then that she had
opened the boarding houne,

The neighbors along Minerva Avenue
remembered Ralph well. He had worked
in the store, although he never seemed
to do much except run errands for Marie.
She kept him liberally supplied with mon-
ey, which he never hesitated to spend on
girls of his own age.

Nobody seemed to know much about
him, but Detective Siekhaus finally found
a shopkeeper who remembered his full
name—it was Angelo Ralph Giancola!
Sickhaus started. That was the name of
the young man who had returned the
bloodstained Ford to the rental company
the day after William Kappen’s murder!

Two facts quickly became obvious. The
relationship between Angelo Ralph Gian-
cola and William Kappen had been noth-
ing more than Giancola’s affair with Marie
Porter, There never had been any evi-
dence of unfriendly feeling between the
two men, the police learned, nor had they
been friends.

The second factor was Giancola’s com-
plete dependence upon the fat woman.
She dominated him, mothered him, made
passionate love to him and bullied him,
till his will was completely sublimated.

He was as fearful of disobeying her as a-°

small child would be.

One former neighbor, who once had
lived across the street from Marie, told
of frequently seeing Giancola in Marie’s
bedroom in the early hours of the morn-
ing. “If Marie had ordered Ralph to jump
out of the window, he probably would
have done it,” the former neighbor said,

The detectives began to belleve that If
Marie had ordered Ralph to commit mur-
der, he probably would have done that.

But, whoever had killed Bill Kappen,
the motive remained a puzzle. Carroll
and Siekhaus were convinced that it was
a financial one and the sergeant and Boh-
len went to the Mound City Trust Com-
pany, where the dead man had kept a
bank account.

Kappen had closed the account on June
29th, using the money to buy furniture, but
the bookkeeper’s cards showed that he
always had maintained a sizable balance.

The bank manager remembered him be-
cause of one outstanding incident. Kap-
pen had roared into his office one day—
the only time anyone had ever seen him
mad—complaining that his sister had been
forging checks against his account. She
also had failed to make deposits he had
entrusted to her, he said.

Questioned by the bank manager, Marie
Porter had admitted the thefts. She de-
fended her action, saying that she had
supported her brother when he was un-
employed during the depression years and
that he owed her more than $1000.

Kappen denied this. He had more than
repaid her, long since, he said, although
there never had been any formal account-
ing between them. He refused to bring
legal charges against her, but he moved
out of her house on Page Boulevard.

The detectives felt sure now that Kap-
pen had been killed because of money and
that Marie had instigated the murder,
probably executed by her young man. Be-
cause she was the stronger of the two, the

oMcers decided to question Giancola first.

The young man received them as cour-
teously as before. He was wearing a
short-sleeved sports shirt and scratched a
rash on his right arm.

Sickhaus decided to try a direct attack.
“The blood in the Ford you rented was
not your brother’s,” he said, “but William
Kappen’s blood. You murdered him, You
killed him because Marie Porter ordered
you to.”

Giancola smiled nervously. “I don’t
know what you're talking about.”

“Do you deny being Marie Porter's
lover?" Sinclalr asked,

“No, I don’t. But what’s that got to do
with it? Find the fellow who fought with
my brother, he’ll back up my story,” Gian-
cola sald,

Siekhaus pointed at the rash of tiny
blisters on Giancola’s arm. “Poison ivy?”

Giancola nodded.

“Let me tell you where you got it,”
Siekhaus said. “In a field alongside the
Travis Mine Road, where you dumped Bill
Kappen’s body.”

“That’s a lie,” Giancola shouted. “I got
it playing softball in a field near home.”

But Giancola was unable to point out any
poison ivy in the field he mentioned.
“Maybe I got it someplace else,” he ad-
mitted, “but I haven’t been outside St.
Louis in three weeks, long before Bill
Kappen was murdered.”

Siekhaus decided to bluff. He pulled
the two bloodstained handkerchiefs found
in the poison ivy from an envelope. The
police never had been able to identify
them.

“These are your handkerchiefs,” Siek-
haus said. “We found them in the ivy
and we traced them to you through in-
visible laundry marks.”

Giancola turned white. At last he said
hoarsely, “All right, Marie and I mur-
dered him. What else do you want to
know?”

“We want to know why you killed him,”
Sinclair said.

“Insurance,” the young man said. “Marie
had a policy on her brother’s life for
thirty-three hundred dollars and she was
afraid he'd change it In favor of his wife
asx soon as he got married. She said
Pauline was just after his money and she
herself was more entitled to it.

“She'd been talking about killing him,
ever since April. First I thought I could
argue her out of it, but when I saw how
determined she was I suggested we do it
nice and clean—like drowning or some-
thing—because Bill couldn’t swim.

“She told me, ‘I want his body found so
I can collect the money without any trou-
ble.’”

Giancola said they discussed running
over him with a car, giving him poisoned
whiskey or acid, or stabbing him, but
finally decided to shoot him. Then they
drove around Missouri and Illinois to pick
a spot for the job, deciding on the Travis
Mine Road.

He said that the night of the murder
Marie had induced her brother to go on a
little spree “sort of a bachelor party.”
They visited three or four taverns, getting
William drunk. Then Marie shot him from
the rear seat and they dumped the body in
the road. They had intended to carry it
into the bushes, but Marie told him to
leave it where it was, Giancola said.

Siekhaus stared at the young man coldly.
“Tell me the names of the taverns you
visited,”’ he said. Giancola couldn’t name
one.

“That's because your story is more lies,”
he said. “Bill Kappen never took a drink
in his life and it would have been impos-
sible for you to get him drunk voluntarily.”

But Ralph Giancola stuck to his story.
In jail, he apparently felt safe from

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Marie’s wrath and he continued to accuse
her of the actual shooting.

The fat woman flatly denied the killing
and the detectives were inclined to be-
lieve that she had not actually partici-
pated. They believed that Ralph Giancola
was protecting someone else.

On a hunch they talked to his 19-year-
old brother, John., The brothers were very
close and when the detectives told John
that Ralph had confessed and that he also
was suspected of the murder, John con-
fessed. Marie Porter had not been pres-
ent, he said, although he believed that she
had engineered the plot.

When the detectives reported his con-
fession to Ralph, he changed his story,
telling the police what they believed was
substantially the truth.

“One night early in June, Marie and I
parked a car. in front of Bill’s boarding
house on Claxton Avenue, and waited for
him,” Ralph said. “I crouched in the rear
seat with a gun, holding a hammer to
knock him out with first.

“Bill came down the street and Marie
tried to get him to sit in the car with her.
But he was suspicious and walked directly
into the house.”

Marie was more determined than ever
to kill her brother, Ralph said, but she
realized that someone else would have to
do it. She gave him $800 to hire a gunman,
$10 to rent a car, and a skeleton key to
Ralph’s new apartment on North Union
Boulevard. She didn’t explain how she
had acquired the key.

Ralph decided to do the job himself and
keep the $800. On the afternoon of July
2nd he rented the Ford and took his teen-
age sister, a young girl friend of his, and
his brother John for a ride. About 12:30
the next morning he was leaving for Kap-
pen’s apartment, he said, when John asked
him where he was going. When he told
him, John insisted on going along, although
this was the first that he had known of
the murder plan, Ralph said.

They let themselves into Kappen’s apart-
ment, found the bridegroom preparing to
take a bath. Ralph poked the gun in his
chest.

Kappen pleaded for his life, but they
made him dress while each smoked a cig-
arette, throwing the butts into the kitchen
sink. “We forced him downstairs and into
the rear seat of the car, where I tied his
hands with one of the handkerchiefs you
found and stuffed the other into his
mouth,” Ralph said. “We made him lie
on the floor while we crossed over the
free bridge into Illinois. John held the
gun on him while I drove.

“We passed the White Goose Inn at
about 2 A.M., then we put him In the front
seat and I took the gun. We swung off
Route 13 into the Travis Mine Road and
stopped at the spot Marie had picked out.

“I shot him and his head hit the instru-
ment panel. He got blood all over the
dashboard and the seat and the floor. I
untied his hands and took the gag out of
his mouth, Then I pushed the body out
into the road.

“We tried to clean up the car with the
handkerchiefs, which we left in the field,
and later we dropped the skeleton key to
the apartment door in a sewer and hid the
gun in a cigar box in our cellar. The next
day we cleaned out the car with gasoline
at a service station and I took it back to
the agency.”

Officers found the gun, a .32 caliber re-
volver, in a wood-bin in the Giancola
brothers’ cellar, The fatal slug had passed
out of Kappen’s eye and had never been
recovered, but the weapon was covered
with the fingerprints of both brothers.

Convinced that Marie was no less guilty,
the officers read to her the brothers’ writ-
ten confessions. At first the fat woman re-

fused to discuss the murder. Finally, she
made a statement. Some months previ-
ously she had talked with Ralph about the
possibility of disposing of her brother.
But they had discussed the matter in only
the most general terms and she had quick-
ly forgotten about it, she said. She had
known nothing of the actual plans for the
murder,

Beyond that she would not commit her-
self, refusing to sign a written admission to
the murder or even to admit that she had
cheated her brother or coveted his insur-
ance. She did admit writing the letter
warning Pauline Ladue not to marry Kap-
pen. She did it to protect Pauline, she
said, because Bill had the mind of a 7-
year-old boy.

She said that she had been at home at
the boarding house all during the night
of the murder. Her boarders—one of
them had recently become her son-in-law
and a second was the fiancé of another
daughter—backed her alibi.

The officials felt that they had evidence
enough to convict Marie of the killing and
she and the Giancola brothers were ex-
tradited to Illinois and indicted for first-
degree murder.

Appearing for trial with the Giancolas
before Circuit Court Judge Richard Mudge
in Belleville, Marie was dressed in a plain
print frock and wore a corsage of violets.
If she was attempting to look innocent,
the effort was wasted.

The jury returned a verdict of guilty of
first-degree murder against all three, with
a recommendation of leniency for John
Giancola. His older brother had pleaded
on the witness stand that John's involve-
ment in the murder was little more than
accidental, but this, too, the jury viewed
with skepticism.

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It was obvious, however, that the death
plot had been hatched between Ralph and
Marie. John was sentenced to 99 years in
prison, where he still is incarcerated, with
no hope of parole before November, 1957.
Whether he was the luckier of the three is
debatable.

On January 27th, 1938, Ralph Glancola
and Marie Porter died in the electric
chair, Marie becoming the first woman
electrocuted in Illinois and the first female
executed in that state in 99 years. She
went to her death displaying the same
callous attitude she had maintained to-
ward the murder of her brother, She
scuwled at the spectators as she was
strapped into the chair, but the scowl had
disappeared when the doctor pronounced
her dead a few minutes later.

Ralph Gilancola reacted quite different-
ly. Halfway through the march from his
death cell he fainted and had to be carried
the rest of the way. He was still uncon-
acloux when the executioner pulled the
switch.

Whether he was less courageous than
Marie, he was less prepared mentally and
emotionally to commit murder. Left to
his own devices he Probably would have
stayed out of serious trouble, but he was
little more than a flesh-and-blood robot in
the hands of the fat woman who RKuided
his life. ¢¢¢

EpiTor’s Note:

The names, Pauline Ladue and Leo
Naylor, as used in the foregoing story,
are not the real names of the persons
concerned, These persons have been
given fictitious names to protect their
identities,

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rently was away at
Demand’s own two
former marriage w:.
mother in Illinois.

The group of neig)
the fatal bridge abu:
discussing in hushec
and the sudden tra
them in the midst of
ness. Just as the
and the Rural Fire P
up to aid in the rescu.
ing young boys work
Rlow of headlights
spotted the body of
against one of the
headgates 50 feet fr:
evidently had been t
vertible flipped over
of the baby or anyo:

Some of the nei
ready to drive over u
Bill Demand, when
on the crowd as an c
sped up from the so
stop with tires scree.

A good-looking you
athletic in white tro
sports shirt, got out o
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Bill,” he called to (
“Is it a bad one?”

No one said anytt
looked puzzled as he \
spotlights played on 1
This was Bill Dema
ironic quirk had bro:
crowd now realized t
take pictures of the ;
custom in the line of
know that the victim

The young photogra
the abutment and _ lox
floodlighted canal. “M:
choked. “Fayel My wu
Where—"

His friends quietec
operations went on tc
Shortly it ‘was freed
canal bank, where the
firemen immediately v
resuscitator in the slir
of life might still be t!

The beautiful blond
clad in a sleeveless ;
and dark blue swimmi:
en-tanned legs bare—
costume among the des:
There were scratches
bruises on her throa:
watch had stopped at c
now about 10 minutes

Bill Demand knelt t
rubbed her limp arms
crew worked. “Don't ¢
up yet!" he beseeched :
lay without a sign of lif

Demand appeared tc
shock. Later there was
the witnesses agreed hx
be drunk, but rather stu
ably, by the shock of rm
dent and finding his o

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learned of Price and Jerry Graves being
near the Reichelderfer farm on the pre-
vious Monday.

“You. didn’t see anyone on your walk
along the road, did you Cal?” Harris asked.
“We've got a man jailed on that Reichel-
derfer murder and we need some witnesses
to place him near the farm last Monday.
You and Jerry might have seen something
to link Schiller to the killing.”

Price shifted uneasily on his feet. “Well,
first off, Sheriff, Jerry and me left the road
about a quarter mile after we’d searched
a slough for some ducks. We seen Miss
Cottrell from the woods as she went by in
her rig.”

“That’s all?”

“No. There was a second rig come by.
There was a man driving it—I couldn’t tell
if it was this Schiller or not. But the team
was a good pair of black horses. Couldn’t
be mistaken about them.”

Harris glanced at the youth’s shoes, saw
that they were ordinary work shoes with-
out hob nails in their soles. “All right, Cal,”
he said. “You’ve been a big help, at that.
I'll let you know if I need you again.”

After the young man had departed, the
sheriff pondered what he had bward. If the
farmhand was correct in saying that a rig
had passed by shortly after Paula Cottrell
did, then why had not the victim’s sister re-
ported seeing this rig? Certainly, Paula
would have passed the mystery rig at some
point along the county road.

Harris had Jerry Graves brought in and
put the same questions to him that had
been asked of Cal Price. Their stories were
the same. A team and rig had passed them
shortly after Paula Cottrell had gone by.
Graves could not identify the driver of the
second rig, either. Asked for a description
of it, he gave an accurate word picture of
the rig owned by George Schiller.

The horses owned by Schiller were coal
black, as Cal Price had described the team
earlier. Harris put this question to Graves:
“What kind of a team?”

“Dark horses,” Graves said unhesitating-
ly. “One of them was real black. The other
looked more like a gray to me.”

Sheriff Harris had already observed that
Jerry Graves was not wearing hob-nailed

boots. But the gray horse description did
not jibe with what Cal Price had said. He
told Graves this.

The youth shrugged. “I only gave it a
quick look,” he said. “There was shadows
on the road and maybe I didn’t see those
horses right. Maybe they both were black.”

This almost casual discrepancy in the
youths’ description of the two horses start-
ed Harris thinking in new terms. By the
time Deputy Throgmorton returned from
his questioning of neighbors and friends of
the two young men, the sheriff had decided
to call in the pair for requestioning. What
Throgmorton told him made this unnec-
cessary.

“I spoke to relatives of the Price kid,”
the deputy said, “and he did own a rifle—
but it was a .30-30 and he traded it to a
fellow over in Johnston City about a month
ago.”

“Traded it for what?”

“I don’t know. But I’ve got the name of
= in Johnston City,” the deputy
said.

“Unless I’m mistaken,” Harris said,
“they’d only trade a rifle for a rifle. Better
hie over to Johnston City and see what
Price got in return for his .30-30.”

At Johnston City, Deputy Throgmorton
ran down the youth who had bartered for
the .30-30 with Cal Price. Asked what he’d
swapped to Price, he broke the case wide
open.

“Another rifle—a .25-20,” he said.

Obtaining search warrants, the lawmen
went through the homes of both Price and
Graves. In the farmhouse where Graves
lived, they found a pair of boots with mud
on them—and hob-nails on the bottoms. At
the Price farm the search turned up the
.25-20 rifle.

Both young men were picked up and
placed in jail. Confronted with his .25-20
rifle, Cal Price sobbed out a confession. He
later made a detailed statement, admitting
his part in the slaying of the 35-year-old
divorcee and implicating Jerry Graves.

“We had talked about the money the
sisters had,” he dictated, “and thought we
would like to have some of it.”

On the day of the murder, he went on,
he had taken a .38 revolver and Graves the

.25-20 to go duck hunting. They had drifted
in the direction of the Reichelderfer farm,
talking constantly about how they could
easily rob the money, working out details
of how they could do it. At the farm they
had asked Nellie Reichelderfer for a drink
of water and had chatted with her for about
20 minutes before leaving. They stopped
about 100 yards from the hog pen and sat
on a fence, discussing how they would
knock her down and ransack the house for
the cash. As Nellie came out and walked
toward the barn lot, Graves had said, “I
can’t do it. I’d rather she would be shot.”

Cal Price replied, “If she is shot, you will
do the shooting.”

He had given Graves the gun and turned
his head. Graves laid the rifle over an old
log and fired. They then walked past Nellie
and went into the house, where they looked
for the money but couldn’t find any. After
searching Nellie’s body, they dragged it into
the hog pen, where she wouldn’t be spotted
from the house. :

“Graves said he wasn’t afraid,” Price
concluded, “because no one would ever find
out who killed her. Later, he told me that
they had arrested a man for it and he
couldn’t prove where he was. That was Mr.
Schiller.”

Graves, confronted with the signed state-
ment by Price, confessed to his part in the
slaying and dictated a similar statement,
which he signed. Later, both changed their
pleas to not guilty, and a long trial was
necessary before State’s Attorney L. D.
Hartwell secured a conviction. The penalty,
pronounced by Judge O. A. Harker, was
death.

On Friday morning, July 10th, 1903, the
two killers were marched up the gallows
steps in the courtyard at Marion, Illinois.
At a given signal, Sheriff Harris tripped the
trap and both men plunged tarough.

George Schiller, witnessing the double
execution, muttered, “There, but for the
grace of God, go I.”

Epitor’s Note:
The names, Paula Cottrell and George
Schiller, are fictitious. ;

TERROR TORCH

(Continued from page 12)

someone who lived with you,” Chief Mor-
ris mused. “We'll use that register as a
means of checking. But first, we’ve got to
find who got out alive.”

While the blaze still raged, Police Chief
Morris’ men worked among the crowd,
checking names against those in the regis-
ter. Forty-nine were believed to be in the
building when the fire broke out. Ana-
conda police located 40 of these either at
the scene or in hospitals.

“Nine missing,” Chief Morris said,
checking the results. “Some of them must
have burned to death. Others may have
wandered away, sick with shock and
fright.”

“One could be our torch,” Prosecutor
Pearson said.

“There are three principal reasons for
arson,” Fire Chief McBride told the others.
“That’s what the Fire Underwriters Asso-
ciation says. One motive is for profit, the
second is for revenge, and the third is to
cover up some other crime, such as mur-

»
m der.

“We can rule out the profit motive at the

». start,” Chief Morris said. “I’ve learned the

insurance won’t begin to touch the loss.

4 This is at least a $500,000 fire. The hotel is

gone, and practically the entire stock of
the hardware store is ruined. It was heav-
ily stocked for the Christmas trade.”

“That leaves us revenge, or a cover up,
as possible motives,” remarked Prosecutor
Pearson.

“In the next few days, my men will
check on everyone who was in the build-
ing, the live, the dead, the missing,” Chief
Morris promised. “I think anyone who did
such a horrible thing must have a record
of some sort.”

A fireman approached the official group.
“We've located one body,” he said.

While portions of the building were still
blazing, firemen had been able to enter the
front, where the flames had been drenched.
Firemen perilously climbed a ladder to
remnants of charred boards, clinging to
the wall. There they found and dragged
out the body of Leland Bowman, 50, a
smelter worker.

“Water kept him from burning,” said
Coroner Longfellow, after studying the
corpse. “He died of suffocation.”

“Eight still missing.” The prosecutor
looked questioningly at the fire chief. “Can
they all be in there?”

“It may be days before we know,” Mc-
Bride answered. “We'll have to keep
pumping water for 24 hours before the last
spark is out. Everything that is left will
have fallen into the basement, which will
be a lake. Then we'll have to syphon that
out.”

Police Chief Morris suddenly tensed.
“Mac, isn’t it just exactly a year since we
had that other big fire that wiped out
nearly a block?”

“A year, less one day,” the fire chief re-
plied. “But there’s no connection between
that one and this. It was caused by a gas
explosion.” ,

The following morning, Chief Morris’
men and Montana state police began the
task of looking into the backgrounds of
residents of the Flood Hotel. Meanwhile,
Red Cross workers from Anaconda and
Butte moved rapidly to help the dazed vic-
tims, seeing that their needs were tended,
that they had food, sending wires to rela-
tives for them.

“The fire spread so fast that a lot of
them lost everything they owned,” Chief
Morris told Prosecutor Pearson.

While a fire hose still played on the sod-
den, smoking ruins, firemen pulled out the
charred remains of two more victims on
Sunday.

Coroner Longfellow charted the teeth of
one, and checked with Anaconda dentists.
The victim proved to be Joseph Franko-
vich, 42, a smelter worker. The other,
identified by a belt buckle and a half-
melted ring, was Leo Paul Doughterty, a
welder at the smelter.

Name after name was checked from the
hotel list by Chief Morris and his men.
Apparently, most of the hotel guests had
been honest, hard-working citizens. One

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GRAVES

» Jerry & PRICE, Calvin, whites, hanged Marion, IL, July 10, 1903

HISTORICAL SOUVENIR

—— OF

WILLIAMSON COUNTY
‘ *~TLLINOITS } |

na anenaeialameEbammmemeraemmenad
eran ee

Being a Brief Review of the County from Date
of Founding to the Present

es ee
NE

COMPILED AND EDITED

J. F. WILCOX

S akuieauantanaamenmaaeeamentaaeteel
er en EE

ILLUSTRATED ya

BFFINGHAM, ILL,

ae ee ee oe

SOUVENIR OF WILLIAMSON COUNTY, ILLINOIS. 163

This was only his third day in the
mine. ;

December 21, 1898, James Van-
sage, miner, aged 33 years, mar-
ried, was killed while at work in a
pillar in the mine of the St. L. and

M. Coal Co., at Carterville, leaving
a wife and three children. He was
working off some coal that had been
shattered by a shot the night before,
when a piece of top coal, weighing
about 200 pounds, fell, crushing his
head against a pit-car close by.

August 5th, 1899, A. McNeal,
miner, aged 28 years, was instantly
killed in room 9, first south entry,
by a fall of slate in the Big Muddy
Coal and Iron Company’s No. 7
mine at Herrin. Deceased had fired
his shot, and instead of waiting a
reasonable time for the powder
smoke to clear away so that he couli
examine the roof, he returned to the
room with the intention of lighting
another shot, but when he got with-
in a few feet of the face of the
room a piece of slate fell, killing
him instantly. He leaves a widow
and five children.

January 9, 1901, Noah Morgan,
driver, aged 20 years, single, was
killed instantly by being caught be-
tween a pit-car and the side of the
entry, in the Big Muddy Coal and
Iron Company’s mine No. 7, at Her-
rin. The deceased was making his
last trip before dinner and was rid-
ing on the front end of the empty
ear, driving at full speed, when the

JERRY GRAVES AND CAL PRICE,
Who Murdered Mrs. Nellie Reichelderfer, March 16, 1903.

at Dewmaine. He had gone into his
room to light a shot and in making
his retreat was struck by flying coal.
It is not known whether he was
struck by coal from his own blast or
from the adjoining room, as it was
found upon examination that a blast
in an adjoining room had blown

abo ek en AMAR we nt than timoa af tho

at Marion January 17, 1887, and is

therefore but 18 years old. He >

owns and runs the laundry on Bundy
Place, and is probably the youngest
man doing business in his own name
in the County. He is a most dili-
gent student, and will graguate from
the High School in 1906. He is an

awn ne 4 ee --a -~ 3 ~~. 3 a4

NGI 2 ee

by
3
+
s
§
3
Pies
3

JERRY GRAVES AND GAIL PRICE,
Who Murdered Mrs. Nellie Reichelderfer, March 16, 1903.

t Dewmaine. He had gone into his
92cm to light a shot and in making
is retreat was Struck by flying coal.
is not known whether he was
ruck by coal from his own blast or
‘om the adjoining room, as it was
‘und upon examination that a blast
un adjoining room had blown
Tough the pillar at the time of the
cident. He died from his injuries
‘e hours later,
February 24, 1902, Aleck Calca-
rra, & miner, aged 41 years, mar-
:d, Was severely injured about the
dy by a fall of slate in the B. M,
& I. Co’s. shaft No. 7, Herrin. He
‘8 Cautioned by the mine ex-
liner to be careful of some loose
te at the face of his working
ice, In reply he said that he
ild take care of himself. He was
ning off some coal that had been
‘sened by a blast the previous day
en ~ late fell, which caused his
ith hours later.
June «co, 1902, Charles Wheel, a
ler, aged 54 years, was instant-
killed by flying coal in the Car-
‘ille Coal Co’c. mine. He had
pared a blast in his room, which
about 40 feet in from the en-
When firing time came he went
) the room and lit the squib. It
resumed he became bewildered,
mstead of coming out into the
y he went down the face of the
n. When the ghot exploded he
féruck by the flying coal. The
‘ased had a family somewhere in
West,

‘OE A. MEAD, Laundryman.

is =promising young business
, student and athlete, was born

at Marion January 17, 1887, and is
therefore but 18 years old. He
Owns and runs the laundry on Bundy
Place, and ig Probably the youngest
man doing business in his own name
in the County. He 48 a most dili-
sent student, and will graduate from
the High School in 1906. He is an
expert sprinter and all-round ath-
lete, doing a 50 yard dash in 5 2-5
seconds, He is right half-back in
the High School Champion Footbal}
Team of 1904, which he joined when
he entered High School. He has
also belonged to the base ball and
track teams the same Period. He
has never used alcohol in any form
or tobacco, and his muscles are ag
hard as iron.

THE MURDER OF MRS. NELLIB
REICHELDERFER, March
16, 1903,

This foul crime was committed by
two boys, only about 21 years of
age, for the sole Purpose of robbery,
They lived in the vicinity of Herrin
in Franklin County, and were
idlers but apparently not vicious
nor drunken. Their parents were
respectable people but Poor and il]-
literate, and the boys seem not to
have had any moral or religious
training. They broke into a neigh-
bor’s house and stole the gun with
which the deed was committed. They
went to the house of the victim, who
was a widow living with her daugh-
ter, in broad daylight, and Price
fired the: fatal shot. They then ran-
sacked the house and took a few
rings and other trifies and then re-
turned to the hog-lot, where the
body of their victim lay, and ex-

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ssured him she
ws with sealed

for further in-
ola was led back
d permission to
ohn,

e to his side as
e. In a whisper
hn to “put it
that everything

to the rental
d with the death
\let found under

youth confessed
orter had been
he had worked
ery. The detec-
y of the visits
le Friday night
ag with the one
t in each resort
ne. Neither the
ers remembered

to headquarters
-d out,” Sinclair

‘ed the building .

Carroll's office,

ta minute. I’ve
‘g. What about
‘ola made? Re-
he ordered his
away?”

uir replied, “let’s
d find out more

time later, 20-
Giancola was
eadquarters.
d up for further
ain was brought

now,” they told
‘lus the truth?”
| them specula-

lying about you
Kappen to those
— of them.”
ted weakly. “I
kill him, I did.
. it; $800 for a

1s story.

yney to rent the
key to Willie’s
m leave with us
John drove the
red all the way.
iefs to bind up
d when we got
aight club I shot
n we got to the
‘e laid his body

n his brother’s
turned state’s
Ralph’s state-
ot until Monday

t Marie Porter
es that she em-
a to kill her

1 about it last
ought he could
ind not be sus-
Ralph told me
‘illiam. He said
it be found and
>» him. He also
im in a lake, but

Saas <> ae

after going there decided the water was,
not deep enough.

“Then last Monday he came to me and
told me that he did ‘a good clean job’
and there ‘would be no trouble about it,’”
she concluded.

Ralph and John waived extradition and
were taken at once from St. Louis to the
St. Clair county jail at ‘Belleville, IIL,
while Mrs. Porter, with characteristic
rebellion refused to go, making it neces-
sary for Governor Henry Horner of
Illinois to request her extradition of
Acting Governor Frank G. Harris of
Missouri, She was removed to Belleville
July 13.

All three defendants waived prelimin-
ary hearings when arraigned before
Justice A. H. Schoenenberger on war-
rants charging them with murder. They

were bound over to the September
grand jury.

Indictments were returned against the
trio and they went back to their cells to
await, in gloomy silence, the beginning
of their trial on November 1.

It proved to be a brief affair. On
Friday, November 5, the jury returned
a verdict of “Guilty” for all three.

Mrs. Porter, as instigator of the
murder plot, and Angelo Ralph Giancola,
the murderer, were given the death
penalty. John, as an- accessory, received
a prison sentence of °9 years,

In her unpretentious home Mrs. Gian-
cola mourns the loss of her two boys;
Irene Traub’s dreams for the future are
gone and when Marie Porter walks that
last mile to the electric chair, she will
leave four children to face the world
alone.

expressed surprise and grief at word of
the Philadelphia tragedy, said he had been
a‘ friend of the family for years and as-
serted it was true Pitezel had changed his
name to Perry because of financial
troubles and because he wanted to make
a new start. He wrote down a list of
Pitezel’s body marks and personal char-
acteristics including a mole at the base of
the neck, a smashed little finger on the
right hand, and a scythe scar on the left
shin-bone, all intended to assist the in-
surance company in definitely establish-
ing the true identity of the corpse buried
in Philadelphia’s Potter’s Field.

Still suspicious, especially of an at-
tempt to collect $10,000 insurance on a
body that was not Pitezel’s, the Fidelity
Mutual invited both Lawyer Howe and
Holmes to come to Philadelphia along
with Mrs. Pitezel, to view the exhuma-
tion. At the last minute, however, Mrs.
Pitezel pleaded illness, and sent her 15-
year-old daughter Alice along with Howe.

Lawyer Howe and Druggist Holmes
met in the Fidelity Mutual offices, They
shook hands with wariness, giving the
impression they had never met before.

$ HO is this man? Why is he in-

jecting himself into my case. What
is he trying to get out of it?” stormed
Howe when Inspector Geary brought
them together.

“Just a friend here to see justice done
Ben’s widow and _ children,” replied
Holmes. ‘“You don’t know me but Alice,
here, does. You remember me visiting
your home with your father, Alice, don’t
you?”

“Yes,” the bewildered child replied.

The Fidelity Mutual proceeded with
the exhumation. The body of B. F.
Perry was reclaimed from the pauper’s
plot, and the coroner and his physicians,
in the presence of Howe, Holmes, In-
spector Geary, Pinkerton men, Detective
Frank P. Geyer of the Philadelphia police
force, and Eugene Smith, original dis-
coverer of the corpse, started to go over
it for the identifying marks Holmes had
listed. They professed difficulty in find-
ing them.

“Let me have a scalpel,” said Holmes.
And while the astonished assemblage
looked on, he donned rubber gloves,
took up the knife and calmly dissected
the mole, the crooked finger and the shin
scar from his friend’s body. They had
been hard to locate because of the de-
composition of the body.

“Now put these in alcohol,’ Holmes
said. “Then wait.”

And when a sheet had been drawn up
over all but the face he brought the 15-
year-old Alice Pitezel from an adjacent
waiting room and told her to look.

“Daddy! Oh, my daddy!” screamed
the child. The identification of Perry as
Pitezel was complete.

The Fidelity Mutual handed over the
$10,000 insurance money to Howe but it
did so against the advice of both Inspector
Geary and Detective Geyer. These in-
vestigators, steeped by the years in the
practical side of criminal psychology, did
not question 15-year-old Alice Pitezel’s
identification of her “daddy.” But they
felt the whole set-up, the Callowhill street
explosion that hadn’t exploded, Holmes’
fantastic public carving of his supposed
friend’s body, the sending of a child by
her mother into an ordeal many an adult
woman could not be expected to endure,
screamed FRAUD!

T WAS all too bizarre, too inhuman to

be a part of normal, everyday-life
tragedy.

Howe justified their arguments.
Within a few short weeks of the Howe-
Holmes-Alice Pitezel contingent’s de-
parture, the Fidelity Mutual received a
special message from Major Lawrence
Harrigan, chief of police of St. Louis, the
city Howe hailed from. It said that as a
result of a charge of “double-cross” made
by a prisoner named Marion C. Hedge-
path, then awaiting trial for train robbery,
Howe had been taken into custody and
had confessed that the Pitezel. identifica-
tion was a deliberate swindle.

Howe and Holmes, who had greeted
each other so frigidly in the Fidelity
Mutual offices, had known each other for

et a Se

Arrest Him,
Officer!

I'LL HAVE COMPLETE FACTS ON
THE OTHER FELLOW TONIGHT!

Follow
This Man!

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WHEN ANSWERING ADVERTISEMENTS, PLEASE MENTION MarcH STARTLING DETECTIVE ADVENTURES 65

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forged false entries in his bank book. Also, she neglected
to explain that Willie had contributed more than generously
to the Porter household expenses following the fatal shoot-
ing of his sister’s husband, William, thirty-seven, by their
father, George Kappen, sixty-five, on July 26th, 1935. Kap-
pen was found insane and committed to the City Sanitarium
in St. Louis. Mrs. Porter’s four daughters ranged from four
to twenty-one years of age.

“Where’s Willie living now?” Angelo asked.

“At Mrs. Bertha Hughes’ boarding house over on Claxton
Avenue.”

“Who’s the dame?”

“Her name’s Irene Traub. She’s Willie’s age and lives
with her parents at 4137 Nebraska Avenue.”

“When do you expect they’ll take the plunge?”

“Sometime this summer. That’s why we have to hurry.”
Mrs. Porter rushed on: “You're the type to handle this,
Angelo. You must know some one we could hire to get rid
of Willie. I’ll pay you well.”

Marie Porter had played her hand deftly. By flattery and
appealing to Angelo’s greed she had scored a bullseye.

“How much is there in it?”

“Bight hundred dollars. Your share will depend on how
cheap you can get Willie bumped o: -

In this casual fashion one of the most diabolical murder
plots ever concocted was born.

Through the days that followed Angelo received telephone
calls from Mrs. Porter with increasing frequency. Although
the youth’s pudgy mistress called herself “Mrs. Brown” she
did not fool the boy’s kindly, gentle mother. The latter
remonstrated, counseled him not to see the widow. But the
youth had scant time for his parents and his ‘two pretty

sisters. However, to his twenty-year-old brother John he
said mysteriously: “I’m working on a big deal.”

During long evening rides Marie Porter and Angelo

“eased” various spots in Illinois and Missouri judged suitable
for the impending execution. To his mistress the youth
said: “I’ve decided to bump Willie off myself. There’s no use
splitting with anyone else.”
” As casually as if they were discussing the weather Marie
Porter and her lover discussed various ways of dispatching
their unsuspecting victim. Giancola’s suggestion that they
drown him in the Mississippi River—a task fairly easy inas-
much as Willie was unable to swim—was vetoed by Mrs.
Porter.

“J want his body discovered,” she explained. “Otherwise
I won’t be able to collect the insurance.”

Other plans included running over the hapless Willie as
he walked to the street car from his swéetheart’s home;
poisoning his whisky with acid and beating him to death
with a hammer. The first was discarded as too dangerous,
the second and third likewise were abandoned following an
actual attempt to entice Willie into Mrs. Porter’s car one
night in early June. While Mrs. Porter crouched in the rear
of her sedan, a hammer in her hands, Giancola approached
Kappen and said: “Willie, Marie is in the car and wants to
talk to you.”

But the quarry refused the proffered bait. “Well, I don’t
want to talk to her,” he replied.

Nervous because of a scout car parked near by, Giancola
and his mistress departed. Following this incident Marie
Porter became more cautious. “I’ve got to keep out of this
altogether,” she told her accomplice. “It looks like Willie
is afraid of me. Anyway, the police will naturally suspect

12 True Detective Mysteries

(Left) Louis P.
Zerweck, State’s At-
torney for St. Clair
County, Illinois, who
headed prosecution

me because I’m collecting the insurance. I want this to be
a perfect crime.”

Late in June, Angelo confided to his brother John the
precise nature of his “big deal.” The latter, a slender, be-
spectacled youth, a recent graduate of the Hadley Vocational
School, readily consented to assist in performing the cold-
blooded slaying.

Preparations for the crime were perfected. After scores
of locations for the execution were examined the couple
selected a lonely path just off the Old St. Louis Road, linking
East St. Louis and Belleville, Illinois, near the Cat and
Fiddle Roadhouse, seven miles east of East St. Louis.

Meanwhile, blissfully unaware that his life was in jeopardy,
Willie Kappen, a slim man with sandy brown hair, pléasant.
blue eyes and a pallid complexion, made final preparations
for his wedding. Each evening now he dressed carefully in
his new suit and called upon his fiancée. The latter, a tall,
graceful woman with warm, wholesome features, shared
Willie’s happiness at prospect of this, her first marriage. _

An anonymous letter received by Miss Traub earlier in
the spring caused the couple to remain severed from all re-
lations with Kappen’s sister. The letter warned Miss Traub
not to marry Kappen, stating that the electrical worker’s
mind was that of a child, that he might go insane and that
he would always be sick. Both Kappen and his fiancée were
certain in their own minds that Marie Porter had written
the scurrilous and utterly false charges.

On June 25th, about the time Angelo Giancola enlisted the
suppert of his brother in the murder plot, William Kappen
moved from his rooming house to an upper flat at 5372A
North Union Boulevard.

On June: 29th Kappen closed his savings account at the
Mound City Trust Company bank, declaring that he wished
to buy furniture for his new home.

T HE marriage date was set for ten a. Mm. Saturday, July 3rd,
at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in St. Louis. Only the
future bride’s parents and a few of her relatives were invited.
Early Friday evening William Kappen and his fiancée
went to church together and there made their confessions.
Supremely happy they walked to Miss Traub’s home and
there discussed their marriage and honeymoon plans. ;
Contrasting sharply with the above scene was the grim
drama being enacted in another section of the city at the
home of Marie Porter. There the latter, her round, ex-
pressionless, face as inscrutable as ever, issued final orders
to her young lover and co-conspirator. “Remember,” she
cautioned, “no slip-up. This is going to be a perfect crime.
But we’ve got to act fast. They are to be married in the
morning.” ; cn
“Don’t worry,” bragged Giancola, his dark eyes glittering
excitedly, “it’ll be a slick job. I'll see to that.”
Mrs, Porter pressed a key and a ten dollar bill into the
young man’s hand. “Here’s a skeleton key for the front
door of the flat beneath Willie’s,” she explained. “It’s empty,

Quiet John Joseph Giancola (Jett) took
a mysterious auto ride in the night

(Below) Rented car in which Kappen
was driven to a rendezvous with death

piesa

so you won’t have no trouble. Take the money and go to
the Kissell-Skiles Rent-A-Car Company at 3540 Washington
Boulevard ..... ” Several minutes later Angelo Giancola
took his departure.

It was eleven o’clock when William Kappen arose to leave
the home of his fiancée. “I’ll meet you at the church before
ten o’clock in the morning,” he promised.

Following a long good-night kiss Kappen turned and
hurried down the steps. Under his arm he carried a shiny
new refuse container for the home to which he planned to
take his bride.

Meanwhile, Giancola was killing time as pleasantly as
possible. Shortly after eight p.m. he drove his rented auto-
mobile, a 1937 Ford coach, to the home of a girl friend and
invited her to go for a ride. The girl accepted. To avoid
possible damage to the reputation of an innocent girl we shall
not mention her name jin this story. Angelo then drove to
his own home and there invited his brother John and pretty
fifteen-year-old sister Rita to accompany them.

For more than three hours the young quartet drove about
in aimless fashion talking and laughing like a group of care-
free young high school students. At midnight Angelo and
John took the girls home, then headed for the residence of
Willie Kappen, prepared for the grim business ahead. Park-
ing their car in front of the darkened house the two young
Italians, hatless and attired in somber, black suits, detached
themselves from the machine and moved noiselessly up the
front porch steps. Quietly, lest he disturb their quarry,
Angelo fitted the key into the lock. A slight click and the
door swung open. Tip-toeing through the empty lower flat
the brothers reached the rear stairway. Angelo led the
way. At the top of the long flight a rhythmic tap-tap froze
both youths -in their tracks. A moment later they discovered
the source of their alarm ....a leaky faucet. John
clutched his brother’s arm, pointed to a thin shaft of light
beneath a door next to the kitchen. Silently the two youths
moved across the floor. No sound came from inside the
room. Grasping the door-knob Angelo twisted it gently.
The door opened with a dismal creak. They peered into the
room. Stretched cross-wise on the bed lay the nude form
of Willie Kappen. Beside him lay his wedding outfit, suit,
shirt, underwear and socks. Kappen was fast asleep.

Angelo gripped his .25 caliber automatic and uttered a
brittle command: “Willie, wake up!” '

‘Sleepily the man sat-up. His eyes widened with alarm as
he surveyed the two grim-eyed young Italians. “What do
you want?” he gasped. Then, recognizing Angelo, his jaw
sagged and he gripped the post of his bed. “Angelo, why
are you pointing that gun at me?” he demanded.

“You'll find out soon enough,” snapped the youth. “You're
going for a ride. Get ready!”

“Angelo,” the little electrician cried desperately, “what
have I ever done to you? I’m going to be married tomor-
row. You can’t do this to me!”

The young Italian’s face hardened. “I said to get going,”

he snapped |

Kappen br
pleaded. “TI’
thing you say

Angelo Gia
of killer lust.
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GIANCANA & PORTER

HE electric chair seemed a long way off to Angelo

Ralph Giancola on the night of April 6th, 1937. Lolling

in the arms of his mistress, parked on a lonely road on

the outskirts of St. Louis, Missouri, the 21-year-old
youth was drugged by a deadly combination—passion grati-
fied, the intoxicating fragrance of a perfect spring night and
too much to drink.

A strange pair, this, snared in the treacherous web of an
illicit alliance. A casual observer might have called the lithe,
wavy-haired youth handsome. A keen observer would have
recognized the weakness in his dull, unimaginative features.
Following graduation from grammar school and. despite the
protests of his honest, hard-working father, a master tailor,
Angelo quit school. Eventually he entered the employ of
Mrs. Porter during the latter’s short-lived venture in the
confectionary business. It was then that the romance be-
tween the 38-year-old widow and the young Italian flowered.
At the present time Mrs. Porter was proprietress of a board-
ing house at 5028 Page Boulevard and her lover a laborer for
a St. Louis contractor.

In appearance Marie Porter certainly was not a
creature of beauty. Short, very fat, with small pig-
like eyes and straight brown hair, it would be hard for a
casual observer to understand the attraction this woman held
for her young lover. Yet the answer was obvious. For Marie
Porter’s ungainly, lustful body was governed by a brain that

was utterly ruthless, shrewd and crafty. Full well she realized_

that not the least of her “attractions” was her large sedan.
Too, she fully understood the effect of alcoholic stimulants.
Angelo, she saw to it, was always well supplied with the latter
preceding each nocturnal excursion. Marie Porter’s complete
domination of the youth, without the latter realizing it, was

clinched by her wily pandering to his greatest weakness—his
monumental conceit.

The woman spoke: “Angelo!”

“Yeah!”

“T’ve been thinking about my brother Willie.”

A bachelor, William Kappen was an electrical worker for
the Moloney Electric Company of St. Louis.

“What about him?”

“He’s going to get married.”

“Well, he’s old enough, ain’t he?”

The woman’s voice became razor-sharp. “Not to get mar-
ried. Not him anyway. That woman is after his money.”

The youth sat up. “Money!” he repeated.

“Sure, he’s got thirty-three hundred in insurance.”

“But he’d have to die for her to collect.”

“That’s just it.” The woman’s voice was vibrant with
suppressed anger. “If Willie died before he got married I’d
get the money.”

Comprehension slowly dawned on the youth’s sluggish
faculties as Marie Porter cunningly sought to justify her
callous attitude. “Willie don’t deserve to'live,” she said veno-
mously. “Getting married at his age! After all I done for
him. Why, he owes me more than a thousand dollars. Didn’t
I support him all through the depression when he wasn’t
earning his salt? Hasn’t he always had a good home with
me until he got mad and left after he met that woman?”

Mrs. Porter neglected to explain that Willie left her home
after a bitter quarrel over his refusal to turn his one thousand
dollar soldier’s bonus over to her. Also, discovery that his
sister had not deposited in his bank account at the Mound
City Trust Company small sums of money entrusted to her
for that purpose. Instead she had pocketed the money and

MISTRESS

A MISSOURI

TRUE DETECTIVE, May, 1938

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falled to stop It. They remembered that this
to kill him? And who lured him away from home?

alibis for Friday night and early Saturday morning. There
were still two others to be found.

Qn Sunday morning Sheriff Siekmann and Chief Carroll
again interviewed Miss Traub, who was quick to deny that
Bill Kappen had been a barroom brawler, as his sister had
claimed. He rarely drank, hig fiancee declared, and even
when he did imbibe it was never to excess.

From another friend of the slain man that same morning
the investigators obtained information which painted the
picture of Kappen’s relations with his sister in somewhat a
different perspective than she herself had drawn.

. Marie, this informant revealed, had -charged Bill $12 a
week rent, and he had been able to get better accommo-
dations away from her home for no more money.

On two or three occasions after he had moved out, the
officers were told, she had attempted to see him but he had
shied away. Once she even tried to hide in a car while a
young man at the wheel endeavored to entice Kappen into

the machine, but Bill had spotted his rotund sister in the:

back and refused to enter.

On Sunday afternoon Deputies Kerrigan and Stewart re-
ported what .promised to be the’ first real lead in the case.
One of Miss Traub’s former admirers had been away from
his rooming house early Saturday morning, and in a search
of his room probers had come upon a torn white shirt
ay stained with a dark brown fluid which might be

Chief Carroll and Sheriff Siekmann went at once to the
lodging house in which Les Morgan resided. His landlady
said he had gone out early that morning and had not
returned.

“We'll wait,” said the detective: chief. “Meanwhile I’d
like you to tell us what you can about his activities Friday
night and thereafter.” ;

The woman could not say when Morgan had come home
on Friday night but, being a light sleeper, she had awakened
at about 3 a.m. on Saturday morning and. heard her roomer
walking in his chamber just above own sleeping quarters.

After a time, she related, she heard footsteps descending
to the outer door and from then on there was no further
sound upstairs. “I didn’t see Mr. Morgan all day yester-
day,” she said, “but he came back again around 8 o’clock
last night. Then this morning he left, and I suppose he was
going out to see a doctor.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because his right hand was bandaged.”

“Was he wearing a bandage last night?”

Fat Marie Porter told Deputies Frank Kerrigan (left) and
Vivian Stewart of her brother's ingratitude for her help.

6 We ae

bj : ene ; ge” wires Mt nit f

Kappen's body (arrow) was found across the Mississippi in
IIlinois. A vital clue lay in a nearby. poison ivy patch.

{

‘ The landlady did not remember one. This was significant.
Had Morgan been the killer who planted the bloody hand-
kerchiefs in the poison ivy, the infection probably would
not have developed before Sunday morning.

Siekmann and Carroll searched his room again. The
stained shirt had been sent to the St. Louis police labor-
atory for an analysis of the fluid which had discolored it.
The detective chief and sheriff hoped to find either a gun,
cartridges or some other clue to indicate that Morgan knew
Bill Kappen.: —

The roomer had no car. If he was guilty, the officers
reasoned, he would not have transported the body of his
victim to Illinois in a taxi, and there seemed no way in which
he could have used a cab to take Kappen alive to the
roadhouse outside of Belleville and there shoot him. |

“But he could have used a rented auto,” Carroll observed.
“Let’s get out of here and start checking with the car renting
firms. The landlady will call us if Morgan returns.”

Within an hour the officials of every auto rental concern
in St. Louis were examining their records for rentals of
machines on Friday night and early Saturday, and were
inspecting the cars which had been out at these hours for
bloodstains or other suspicious signs.

And two hours later Les Morgan returned to his room
and in a short time was explaining his injured hand to Chief
Carroll and Sheriff Siekmann.

“I got up and left around 3 o’clock Saturday morning,”
the tall, blond young man declared, “to go fishing down the
river. I caught a hook in my hand, came home and doused
it with iodine. I spilled the bottle in the bathroom, and
mopped up the stain with an old torn shirt. I thought I left
it behind my closet door, but it was gone when I looked a
few minutes ago.” sg a

“The shirt’s in the lab,” Carroll said.: “Let’s see that
hand. If there’s blood on your shirt and poison ivy pustules
on that hand, you’re going to stand trial for murder, young
man.

Morgan gently peeled back the bandage. A long streak
of a cut marred the skin. The lab report a couple of hours
later supported Morgan’s story; the discolorations were from
iodine, not blood. A fishing companion substantiated his

story, and he was released.

$2,300 Insurance

The fourth of Irene’s former suitors meanwhile also had
been cleared of any possible guilt in the murder of Bill
Kappen, and investigation based on a jealousy motive in
the killing was dropped.

What then could be the reason behind the murder? Kap-
pen, so far as the detectives had been able to learn, had
had no enemies; they could not consider the bad blood
between him and his sister as a sufficient motive for a
vengeance slaying. ‘

“What motives are there,” Sheriff Siekmann asked, “out-
side of jealousy, revenge, money . , ?”

“Money?” Carroll caught him (Continued on page 47)

. tof the First National Bank, where

tre-eegary =

found “a knife that Mrs. Frazier says be-
longed to her husband.”

For a moment Garrison seemed non-
plussed. Then he smiled. “Oh, that knife.
Sure, I borrowed it from Cleve some time
eae. = to give it back, but he said to

eeePesitt Smith arose, his pale blue eyes
boring into those of the farmer.

“Oliver Garrison, your little game is
up. I’m arresting you for the murder of
Cleve Frazier. That empty box was a
neat trick. But you made a slip. You told
us only you had a key to the house and
the box. This padlock wasn’t forced:
There’s not a mark on the box to show
any leverage. That means you yourself
opened the box because you had the key!”

Garrison’s face was beet red with anger.
“That’s all a lie!” he snapped. “Some
dirty thief took my money.

The sheriff grinned faintly. a wouldn’t
call myself names. According to the cashier
aA oy
an account, you deposited exa
on the morning of December 12—the sy fed
after the fire. I found that out just before
you came in. Now just why did you kill
Cleve Frazier?”

Missed Some Money

Garrison paled. He wes silent for a mo-
ment, then shrugged and spoke bitterly.

“He had it coming to him. I’ve hated
Cleve Frazier ever since he married Molly.
She was my favorite, and Cleve Frazier
was no account. He’d come around the
house, acting soft as silk. He began asking
where I kept my money, why was I such
a miser. At first he sounded like he was
joking. Then one day I missed some money,
about $80 I had put in a tobacco box. That
was right after Cleve had visited me. I
asked him about it. He just-laughed at
me. I had heard rumors that he was run-
ning around, seeing other women. I asked
him about that. He told me to keep out of
his affairs? I would have—except he was
my daughter’s husband.

“Then other people began telling me
Cleve was running. around. Molly didn’t
know it, but sooner or later I knew he was
going to break her heart. At first murder-

g him was just a foolish notion. Then
it began to look easy to step across the
line. The more I eens about it, the
more it like I could commit a per-
fect crime.

“It meant burning down my house, but
I didn’t care. I waited, Moshe out every-
thing, even to knowing exa ma what time

the bus hit the forks up on the highway,
going to Staunton. That i ss morning
I came home from church. ew that

was the day uie ‘was ore vm Waynes-
boro to start working ber camp.
I waited for him near the gate, invited him
into the house for a drink. I gave him
several drinks. Then I shot him like the
dog he was. I poured gas all over him,
then after getting all my money and valu-
ables, threw a match on‘him. No use
telling the rest. I guess it was God’s will
that made me forget to break the box
open. I’m ready for the chair. I don’t care.”
On March 2, 1940, a large crowd poured

into Albemarle County. courthouse at.

Charlottesville to catch a glimpse of the
killer who had fashioned the most bizarre
murder plot in the county’s history. Garri-
son, attired neatly in blue’ serge and
wearing a wing collar, listened stoically as
his attorney pleaded for his life, pointing
out his previously spotless ‘record.

The trial took two days. Late in the eve-
ning of the second day the jury brought
in the verdict—guilty of murder in the
second degree. Garrison ,was promptly

iven a term of 20 years’ imprisonment

the Virginia atate penitentiary.

No Wedding
for the Corpse!

(Continued from page 19)

up. “Irene tells us Kappen had little.
Just a job and enough put by to start their
married life. You know, Henry, it strikes
me that maybe in this one we've got to
piece several things together in order to
obtain the real motive.”

“Go ahead. Explain. You’re way ahead
of me.”

“Part enmity, part money, tied together
by the time element,” Chief Carroll said,
but still the sheriff did not understand.
“Of course,” the detective chief continued,

“I’m assuming, in my theory of the mur- °
. der, that his sister Marie had a finger in

the pie.”

Carroll expounded his theory at length.
They had seen, from her callous entertain-
ing the night after her brother was slain,
that Marie Porter was fond of money. She
couldn’t bear to waste the few dollars she
had invested in beer and food.

“Greed has made its appearance in the
family before,” the chief said. “You'll re-
member that money was the cause of that
fatal quarrel between her father and her

husband. Now as to enmity. Both by her

own admission and by her action in throw-
ing that big Marie showed she bore her
brother little love.

“I’ve wondered just why she followed
him around after-he moved out on her.
Why did she try to entice him into a car?
Obviously it had something to do with
money—the back rent she told us he owed
her. But how did she expect to collect it
from a man who had very little cash and
only an average job?”

Sheriff Siekmann was beginning to see
the light. “Could be insurance,” he said.

“Exactly. That brings us to the time
element in: this crime. It happened just
before Bill’s marriage, remember. . After
the wedding he most certainly would have
transferred any policies he carried to his
wife. Now if there are some policies, and
Mrs. Porter is the , beneficiary in one or
more of them...

Bill Kappen had $2,300 in life insurance.

were two straight policies of $1,000
each and a weekly pay policy of $300. The
latter was still maintained by Mrs, Porter
and she was named as beneficiary in the
other two.

Irene Traub told the detectives that Bill
had discussed his insurance with her, say-
ing he intended to transfer the larger pol-
icies to her as soon as they were married.

Now that a satisfactory motive had been
established for fat Marie to have com-
mitted the murder of her own brother, it
remained for the investigators to prove
that she had perpetrated it.

“She wasn’t alone,” Siekmann declared.
“For one thing, she couldn’t very -well
have handled it by herself. And then
we've got to remembér that since she
failed a couple. of times before to get Bill
to talk with her, she’d hardly succeed in
coaxing him out of his apartment early in
the morning.”

Carroll conceded that his colleague was
right in this. And the clue to Marie’s
accomplice in the crime came on Monday
from one of the rent-a-car agencies in St.
Louis. -

A Sictiteoe which had been taken out |

late Friday night had been returned with
a few dark stains on the front floormat
and the ‘upholstery. It had been rented
by a young man giving the name of An-
gelo acne Soy

“Giancola?” Carroll repeated the name.

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A week before the executions, both
Ralph and Marie were given reprieves by
Lieutenant Governor Jo Stelle, acting in
the absence from the state of Governor
Henry Horner. However, the governor
himself refused to intervene and the two
killers were scheduled to die the night of
January 27, .

Ralph went first. Then the death watch
returned to Mrs. Porter’s cell. Clad in
denim pajamas, the big woman waddled
clumsily into the execution room and was
seated in the chair. Ten minutes later it
was all over, and William Kappen’s mur-
der had been avenged.

Eprror’s Nore: To spare possible em-
barrassment to an innocent person, the
name Les Morgan, used in this story, is
fictitious. ;

Quiz Answers

(Questions on page 23)

1. (b) Rigor mortis is usually complete
in ten to 12 hours. .
2. (a) In prison lingo an insane con is
said to have blown his top. %s
3. (c) The jury has been unable to agree,
* (b) A dipsomaniac is a chronic alco-
ic.

5. Sergeant Robinson is inaccurate. Police
ee ep are agréed there’s no way of
telling ‘whether a man is crooked from the

way his ears are put on. The s9-called

science of physiognomy is today considered |

a relic of the past.
6. (a) These are five

shades of finger-
print dusting powder.

7. Officer Blanchard is correct in his’

recollection that none of the fingerprints
on the kidnap ladder belonged to Haupt-
mann,

8. (a) Among pickpockets a wallet is a
poke; a short is a bus.

9. The rookies who stated that a door
could be locked from the outside by
manipulating a key on the inside of the

were correct. Either a special pair of
long-necked pliers to grip the key through
the keyhole or a string around the key
pulled from the outside can be used to do
the trick.

10. Raymond Hamilton.

Candidate for the
Gas Chamber —

(Continued from page 34)

‘when he saw me ne ran back downstairs.”

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“Anything else?” Yeomans asked. “Was

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“Well—something in a paper sack in the
crook of his arm.’ ;

“You drew that out of her like a poul-
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pay check the bottle was in that sack.”

“Maybe,” said Yeomans. “And perhaps
it was just some poor mug who found
himself on the wrong floor and turned
back to find the right one. Let's talk to
some more tenants and let the thing un-
ravel itself.”

Five minutes later the detectives learned

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‘

Then he remembered. There had been a
youth by that name at Marle’s party on
Saturday night.
who had left soon after news of Kappen’s
death had reached: the gathering. But his
first name was Ralph.

Tells Two Stories

This point was soon cleared up. Angelo.

Ralph Giancola was a chap who formerly
had worked for Marie Porter in a confec-
tionery she had operated after her hus-
band’s death, and for a year and a half he
had been seemingly under some strange
sort of spell cast by the obese, selfish Mrs.

-+- Porter.
More recently young Giancola had been:

working in a restaurant and other em-
ployes there told detectives that he had
owned a small caliber revolver. >

Giancola was picked up. He tried to
tell his interrogators that he had sold the
weapon to a fellow worker in the cafe, but
he could not name the man.

In the youth’s breast pocket the officers
found a plain white handkerchief of the
same texture as those picked up in the
poison ivy patch beside Kappen’s body.

Then Deputy Kerrigan, who had had
some pharmaceutical experience in his
youth, asked Giancola to bare his arms.
On the inner right forearm were the an-

‘gry pustules of a poison ivy infection.

“We've got you dead to rights, Ralph,”
the deputy said. “Hadn’t you better ‘tell
us about it? You see, in addition to all
this, we know about the car you rented.”

“Okay,” Giancola nodded. “I didn’t kill
him, but I helped get rid of the body. Mrs.
Porter came by Friday: night. She said I
had to get a car somehow and do a favor
for her. I rented the auto. We went to
her place, and there we picked up Kap-
pen. He was dead. We drove across the
ves out beyond Belleville, and dumped

im.”

“It won't do,” Chief: Carroll said, shak-
ing his head. “Bill Kappen wouldn’t have
gone to his sister’s house.”

“What time was this?” Kerrigan asked
the youth. :

“Around midnight,” Giancola replied.

“That proves you’re lying, kid. From
the fact that Kappen had run the water
for his bath and laid his wedding suit out
on the bed he’d slept in, we know he did
not leave the house until around six or
seven o’clock. Now let’s have the truth.”

So Giancola toid a second story. He' said
Mrs. Porter had planned for some time to
kill her brother in order’ to cash in his
insurance. .

“She told me she’d give me $800 to help

on the job. Then Friday night she said .

we'd have to do it right away, before he
got married and changed the policies over
to his wife. ;

“Around 2:15 Saturday morning she
gave me $10 to rent the car. We drove
by Bill’s place, and she went in and talked
with him. After awhile they came out and
we started driving. We stopped at several
taverns. Finally we were on Highway 13
over around Belleville. Bill was sitting
up front beside me. Marie was in the
back. I heard her say, ‘Willie!’ He turned
around to see what she wanted, and she
shot him.

“We drove on to that dead end road.
I lifted him out of the car and got some
blood on myself. I tried to clean it off
with my handkerchiets, and then hid them
Weeds! Poison ivy!”

Arrested, Marie Porter angrily denied
any participation in the crime, and chal-
lenged ‘Giancola’s story, saying, “Just find
one witness from any of those taverns we
were supposed to be in. ) They’d remem-
ber me if I was there.”

That, Chief Carroll was inclined to agree,
was true. He and Sheriff Siekmann took

He was the young man.

-“] didn’t know the plan when Ralph and

-Ralph, but I didn’t.

Giancola on’a tour of the gin mills, but’* (>
nowhere was there anyone who rememe sie bt
bered the appearance of Marie and the two * ‘W%5
men early Saturday morning. Vey
“Where’s'‘the gun?” the sheriff finally s
asked. , Re
Giancola took the officers to his home,
but could not locate the weapon where he my
had hidden it. “I guess you'll have to ask-~ ~~
John,” he said at last. “He was in on it »
too.” :

~ Gun In Coalbin Se)

John Giancola, younger brother of the
suspect already in custody, broke quickly
once he learned his brother. had confessed~~ —-
to having a part in the slaying. ;

“Mrs. Porter was not with us,” he said.

I started out, but I caught on as soon as
we got over there near Belleville. I should *
have done something then to try to stop

“My brother and I rented the car with
money he said was. supplied by Marie
Porter. We drove to Kappen’s apartment
about 6 o’clock Saturday morning. Ralph 7
let himself in the front door, using a key d

Mrs. Porter had given him. A few min-

utes later he and Bill Kappen came out. ¥
I know now Ralph was holding a gun on
Kappen. ?

“{ drove. When we stopped out in that’ ‘e and enterta!
dead end road Ralph shot Bill, We : oe thten ne
dumped the body out, then got some gas- ©.0.D, Pris
oline and tried to clean the blood off the T
cushions.” i Ta=6th Ay

John’s account of the murder seemed to
be the true one. ‘He led the officers to a
coalbin in his home where he had hidden
the death pistol, a .32-caliber automatic, _

Faced with the younger Giancola’s state-
ment, Mrs. Porter broke down and made

admissions which established at least a 29% 7”

part for her in the plot to do away with é pment A
William Kappen, and her role in the ' an expert penm
scheme was a major one, although she at- OZMENT,

tempted to shift the brunt of the blame - " —
from her own hulking shoulders to those r*
of her handsome young protege, Ralph. $
“Last April,” she said, “Ralph came to
me with the proposal that we kill Willie. rr
I was shocked. Ralph offcred to do the.
job’ for $800 of.the insurance money I
would get.
“He knew I was angry with Willie be-
cause of the back rent. I’d supported him
when he was down and out, and then
when things got better he up and left me
cold. I was afraid that if he got married :
the kids and me would be left completely a
out of his insurance, even though I was
paying on his policies to keep them up. - ; wb
“So finally I listened to Ralph. Once he ne, fer ofan

was going to push Willie off a bluff into stad of BoB an
the river and make it look like suicide. : tiéaite me
Then he was talking about poison. He pe amen cea

said he’d do a good clean job of it, so
finally I said to go ahead.”

Mrs. Porter denied furnishing the rented
car or the key to Bill’s flat. She said she
did not know John Giancola, and was un-
aware he had any part in the crime.

Because the actual killing had occurred
in Illinois, Marie Porter and Ralph and
John Giancola were jailed in Belleville to
await grand jury action. All three were

charge with first degree murder and were ag ot
brought to trial several months later. All Without 1

were convicted, but John was given a 99-
year term while death sentences were im-
posed on both Ralph Giancola and pudgy

Marie Porter for their sordid murder for y eorohng N. Y.
money. : and different

The execution date was January 20, 1938, . Free. Withou
No woman had ever been electrocuted jn a. Sas honwehes,

ie
by releasing tt
and straps, th
securely hold

Illinois; in fact, the last woman to be put
to death by the state had been hanged in
1845. There were many who felt that Mrs.

it belongs
Porter never would grace the squat oak and ‘fenaine m
chair in the Illinois death chamber. write today!

Peemrteye rns}

rt cen

. just because

: and came back
ies probing the in-
esting information.
one said. “That’s
t the electric com-
nd Marie Porter is

if he got married,
ie beneficiary.” He
‘What did she do

at Academy and
-e she did too well
have it now.”

officer. “What did

rer out after mid-
the neighborhood.”
rdered.

d her bulk into a
an hour later.
he insurance?” she

policies,” she said.

bout your brother,
led him.”

” she said softly.
urance. But I don’t
fe had no enemies

uts of Friday night.
seping. They ques-
:, but there was no
-o hit at her story.
five hours of ques-

°s to his detectives:
verybody she knew
; anyone she might
volved, she had to
nything more with
ag to toss at her.
s involved. I know
t it’s the only thing

{ on the case, Car-
conferred with au-
d taverns in Belle-
o one reported see-
riday night.

at the place where
isked.

didn’t, but a pho-
here did. He went
nd got poison ivy.
ind where the body

is detectives began
iaintances of Mrs.
questioned at length
he previous Friday
ith Mrs. Porter and

1 one at a time and
heck their stories.

man named Angelo
ight in. He was a
soft-faced and mild

ir Mrs. Porter at her
urted.

ier in weeks. He said
too, but hadn’t seen
vefore his death. He
Friday night.

_ Carroll looked the man over and spotted a
redness on his right arm.

“What you got here?” he asked, leaning over
for a closer look. “Looks like a rash of some
sort.” .

The youth hunched his shoulders, “J dunno.
Must have bruised my arm while working. I’m
on a construction job now.”

Carroll swung his chair around to Sergeant
Sinclair: “Get the police doctor here.”

The doctor arrived in Carroll’s office. “Take
a look at the boy’s arm, Doc,” Carroll said,
“What’s it look like?”

The doctor examined the redness and chuck-
led. “It’s just poison ivy,” he said. “Nothing to
worry about.” .

“Plenty for him to worry about,” Carroll
said. “Where did you get it?” he added, turn-
ing to Giancola.

The man didn’t remember.

Carroll and Sinclair finally had an angle to
hang onto and they hung on to it. Giancola
was obdurate, at first, but after repeated ques-
tioning broke down. After hearing his story,
the officers took him to his home. In a shed
in the rear they found.a .32-caliber automatic
pistol. ;

A short time later there was a dramatic
meeting in Carroll’s office. Mrs. Marie Porter
was brought face to face with Giancola.

“ANl right, tell it,” the youth was instructed.
The audience listened intently as he began. In-
cluded was Assistant State’s Attorney Bier of
St. Clair County, Il.

He started by saying he first met Mrs.
Porter when he went to work for her.

“Mrs. Porter had been after me to help kill
her brother for several months,” he said. “She
wanted the insurance. She said she would pay
me $800 if I helped her get rid of him but I
always put her off. For about a week before
Willie’s death she was unusually insistent. I
didn’t know, though, that she was going to kill
him when we went out in the car that night.

“She kept on saying if he married, his wife
would be the beneficiary of his $3300 insur-
ance, and she couldn’t let this happen.”

Mrs. Porter glared at the youth.

“Go on,” Carroll instructed him.

He said she gave him ten dollars to rent a
car the previous Friday and told him to pick
her up on Kingshighway, near her house.

“She told me we would have a perfect alibi
that way,” Giancola said. “She said she would

- go to her bedroom as if to retire and then,

after the others in the house had gone to bed,
she would sneak down the steps. When we re-
turned at 5 A.M. she went up again to her
room and stayed there in bed until someone
awakened her. No one saw me around at all by
doing it that way.”

He paused. Mrs. Porter looked around the
room, as if to see the reaction of the authori-
ties to the youth’s statement. She showed no
emotion. }

“She directed me to Kappen’s flat on Union,”
Giancola went on. “When we got there she
told me to wait. She seemed to know all the ins
and outs of the house and went up the back-
steps. I waited for what seemed about a half
hour.

“Then she came out with Willie. She told
him to get in the front seat. We drove down
along South Broadway and stopped at a place
there and got two beers each. Then Willie
drank a highball. Mrs. Porter then told me to
drive to East St. Louis.

“Willie said, ‘No, let’s don’t go over there. I
have to be back by 7 A.M. to get ready for my
wedding.’ But she assured him we would be

back in ample time. I drove over the bridge to
East St. Louis, we had a couple of drinks,
then Mrs. Porter told me to drive to High-
way 13.

“We were driving along without anybody
saying anything and Willie seemed to be half
asleep. I heard Mrs. Porter call ‘Willie’ and he
turned around. As he did, I heard her shoot
and Willie slumped down in the seat. Then she
said she was glad it was over.

“She told me to drive down a dirt road, I
stopped and we got out. I opened the door and
Willie rolled out. When I tried to catch him
I got blood on my knees. I washed the blood
off my trousers when I got home.

“We dragged Willie over away from the ma-
chine and I cleaned the car out as best I could
with a couple of handkerchiefs. Mrs. Porter
threw them in some weeds. We drove back to
St. Louis. I dropped her off at Kingshighway
and Page, then I turned the car in to the rental
agency and went home.”

They all looked at Marie Porter. She said,
“what he is saying is alk lies. I have nothing
more to say.”

UT Carroll brought out some evidence to
back up-the story. It included a greenish

gray gabardine suit, the trousers of which ap-
peared to have been scrubbed with soap and
water. Small splotches still showed on a
sleeve. He also had a car rental receipt signed
by Giancola.

Mrs. Porter still had nothing to say despite
this additional ‘evidence.

The next day, murder warrants were issued
in Belleville for Giancola and Mrs. Porter. He
waived extradition to Dlinois. She refused.

Police on both sides of the river continued |.

the investigation, checking taverns to see ‘if
anyone remembered seing the trio on Friday
night, and digging further into the background
of the accused.

They located the car Giancola had rented. A
further search turned up a .32 caliber shell,
which tests indicated had been fired recently.

They learned that Giancola, although having
no previous criminal. record, was reported to
have owned the pistol for some time. Members
of his family, however, said they could not be-
lieve he had anything to do with the killing.

“Be is such a kind, thoughtful boy,” a sister
said. “He seldom went out at night. Usually
we would pass the evening playing cards, He
never drank anything but milk, not even
coffee, and he didn’t smoke. We think he was
just influenced by Mrs. Porter to go along
with her.”

Giancola’s younger brother, a thin baby-faced
youth of 20, nodded in agreement to what his
sister was saying.

Mrs. Porter, requestioned, clung to her de-
nial. ‘

“71) tell you this much, though,” she said.
“While you are listening to the lies Giancola is
telling, just remember that there was a grudge
between my brother and him. They were both
going with the same girl, and Willie got mad
at Giancola because he was taking the girl
out more often and gradually freezing Willie
out of the picture. I know that Willie twice
drew a knife on Giancola and that Giancola
has had nothing to do with him ever since.”

“Asked about this, Giancola grinned. ‘‘That’s
just like her,” he said. “Always agitating some-
body. Willie never did draw a knife on me.
Why, he was the most harmless fellow you ever
saw. No matter what happened or what any-
body said, his answer always was, "You can’t
insult me.’ ”

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Asked if, in view of his statement about
loaning Mrs. Porter the gun and her requests
to kill Kappen, he didn’t expect something to
happen when he went out with them Friday
night, Giancola said:

“Why, I didn’t have the slightest idea she
was going to kill him. She told me she wanted
to go out with him just once more before he
married. I thought it was all a pre-wedding
celebration.”

Authorities on both sides of the river were
not satisfied with Giancola’s statements. A
check of taverns he said he visited with Kap-
pen and Mrs. Porter failed to turn up anyone
who reported seeing the trio.

“And she isn’t one they'd likely forget,” an
officer said. “The evidence pins him down,
but he’s holding something back. He had to
know what was going on. We found the gun
at his place. My guess is he pulled the trigger.”

Giancola was questioned again, then Chief
Carroll ordered the suspect’s younger brother
brought in. The two youths were questioned
separately and tripped up a number of times in
their stories. Finally, the older one was the first
to crack.

He said he shot Kappen, and that his brother
was in on it. Mrs. Porter was to pay them
$800 for the killing and they wanted the money
to buy a used Packard.

The Porter woman gave them money to
rent the car for the murder, a key to Kappen’s
apartment and instructions where to leave the
body, the suspect confessed. °

He said they entered the apartment with
the key, awakened Kappen at 2:30 a.M., and
asked him to go to a party.

“He said he didn’t want to go, as he was
getting married in the morning,” Ralph Gian-
cola said.

The suspect said he drew his gun and or-
dered Kappen to dress, took him down to the
car and drove him across the river while his
brother held the gun on him. Outside of East
St. Louis they stopped and blindfolded and
gagged Kappen. Then they drove to the lonely
spot and, “I shot him.

“We left the body and drove around for a
while trying to forget what we had done.”

GIANCOLA'S brother was brought into the
room, The confession was read to him and
he admitted it was true. Both brothers signed
it.

“Why did you name Mrs. Porter as the
one who did the shooting?” a detective asked.

“That was the only way I thought she could
be involved in the case, as she was more in it
than I. Also, I thought I could protect my
brother.

“I’m glad it’s all over with. You can put it
down that I’m going to serve the rest of my
life in prison.” |

The officers locked up the brothers and
brought Mrs. Porter in for more questioning.
As the boys’ statement was read to her, she
broke into tears.

She admitted agreeing to pay the brothers
$800 if they would kill her brother, for his in-
surance. She said she was without money and
had been pressed for rent and groceries.

“I had supported Willie during the depres-
sion when he was out of work, When things
picked up for him he-moved out on me, with-
out offering to pay his back rent or assist me
in any way.”

She contended, however, that Ralph Gian-
cola knew about Willie’s insurance and had
suggested he would do away with her brother
for $800. She admitted the news of Kappen’s

aati eR

coming marriage had hurried the plotting. She
said she told Ralph not to use a gun, since
the “police are so scientific,” but he said the
“gun was the only way.”

Angelo Ralph Giancola was told about Mrs.
Porter’s statement and said, “Well, that doesn’t
get us out of here. I knew she’d talk some
time. Do you think I'll fry for this?”

The question was not answered—at that
time. :

ie came up for answering in November, when
the three defendants went to‘trial in Belle-
ville. Attorneys for Mrs. Porter and the
Giancola brothers tried in vain for separate
trials. The state announced it would demand
the death penalty for all three defendants.

The brothers contended they had been
abused by police into giving the confes-
sions.’ Defense witnesses contended Giancola’s
younger brother was not present when the
slaying plans were discussed or the plot exe-
cuted, The brothers’ attorneys tried to place
the entire blame on Mrs. Porter.

The jury was out seven hours.

When it returned, guilty verdicts were re-
turned on all three, fixing punishment for
Angelo Giancola and Mrs. Porter at electrocu-
tion, and that of Giancola’s younger brother at
99 years in the penitentiary.

Motions for appeal were denied and, on No-
vember 26, 1937, Circuit Judge D. H. Mudge
set the execution date at December 17.

Mrs. Porter was poker-faced and phlegmatic
as the judge denounced her.

In sentencing the defendants, Judge Mudge
commented that if Governor Horner of Lllinois
commuted clemency to Mrs. Porter he also
should extend it to Angelo Giancola.

“The governor on several occasions ex-
pressed himself as opposing capital punishment
for women, and has remarked that no woman
will ever legally die in Illinois while he is
governor,” Judge Mudge said. “If the gover-
nor has an inclination here to spare the wom-
an, he should also spare the man, as she was
the most guilty of the three.

“Tt was she who conceived and plotted this
dastardly crime. Had it not been for her,
neither of these boys would be here today.

“Jf ever there was a more deliberate, pre-
meditated, cold-blooded murder, I have never
heard of it.” F

Mrs. Porter, the 38-year-old widow, listened
with a stony-faced lack of emotion to the
judge’s address. ‘ .

‘Angelo squirmed and gulped hard.

The trio was taken to the Southern Illinois
Penitentiary at Menard as their attorneys be-
gan working on petitions and reprieves.

And reprieves were: granted as lawyers
fought to have the death sentences commuted.
Mrs. Porter’s lawyers struck hard at the gov-
ernor’s known feelings about executing women.
And Horner gave one delay after another on
the execution date. —

St. Clair County officials, however, appeared
before the Illinois Board of Pardons and Pa-
roles to oppose petitions for commutation. The
board serves in an advisory capacity for the
governor on such matters.

The parents, sisters and neighbors of Angelo
Giancola appeared before’ the board and
pleaded for his life. That was on January 11,
1938. The execution date ‘had been reset for
January 21.

The youth’s attorney admitted his client
was guilty, but contended he had only a sec-
ondary role, that he was completely dominated
by Mrs. Porter.

The night of January 19, the fog rolled in
from the river and over the prison walls. Word
had just been received from Springfield that
Governor Horner had not acted on the Janu-
ary 21 execution date.

Warden Montgomery waited in his office
late. He. told newsmen that he did not tell
Mrs. Porter that the governor had not acted,
because he feared a wild, hysterical outbreak.
He said the squat, stolid woman had been in
low spirits, in strange contrast to the bold
stoical manner in which she heard, without
the flicker of an eyelid, the jury’s verdict.

Giancola, when informed of the inaction by
the governor said, “I’m guilty. I had it coming
to me. I don’t mind, if she goes, too.”

The next day, Mrs. Porter apparently had
steeled herself for death. Then came word from
Springfield that a week’s stay of execution had
been granted. The governor was out of the
state and the reprieve had been granted by
Acting Governor John Stelle.

Stelle told newsmen Giancola’s mother had
pleaded that she had additional evidence to
justify a commutation, and he granted the re-
prieve so that the evidence might be presented.
Stelle said he also delayed the execution of
Mrs. Porter, because it would not “be fair to
reprieve one and not the other.”

Governor Horner, reached in Washington,
said Lieutenant Governor Stelle acted within
his rights. Beyond that, he made no comment.

On January 25, Giancola’s parents appeared
at a special meeting of the pardon board to
again plead for a commutation. The new evi-
dence was merely a contention that their son
suffered from “lowered will power and resist-
ance” as the result of his association with Mrs.
Porter.

The father of the boys conferred with Gov-
ernor Horner. He reported he received little
encouragement, that the governor had said
“The law is the law....” .

The night of January 27, 1938, was cold and
damp in Southern Illinois. The fog rolled in
again. Inmates were edgy. Guards were tense.
A light burned late in the warden’s office.

There was an air of speculation throughout
the prison. :

“The governor has never let a woman be
executed yet.”

“Tf he acts again this time, he’s cutting it
thin. They are scheduled to go right after mid-
night.”

Time ticked by. It got colder. There was
more fog. The warden’s phone did not ring.

A FEW minutes after midnight, Mrs. Marie
Porter and Angelo Ralph Giancola walked
the 17 steps to the electric chair.

Reporters’ were told that the. 22-year-old
bricklayer had joked with the warden and
asked for strawberries, fried chicken and
creamed peas for his final meal. Mrs.’ Porter
refused an invitation to select her last meal—
and ate only a few bites.

They came in dry-eyed and calm. He wore
a regulation prison uniform. She was dressed in
a blue pajama suit, silk hose, high-heeled shoes
and wearing her wedding ring.

Witnesses had heard the governor’s final
words on the matter. He grimly asserted he
could find no justification for granting clem-
ency to the couple.

Giancola went first, placed in the death
chair at 12:06 a.m., and pronounced dead at
12:08 AM.

Mrs. Porter was seated at 12:17 am. and
pronounced dead two minutes later—the first
woman to be electrocuted in Illinois. Z

The Hun
of Lak

continued

He had made it cle:
were leading separ
hadn’t liked the situz
had passed now. Sh«
it.

It was a delicate si
from his wife, livin
who had taken his na)
found burned beyon
gen’s account had b
seemed convinced tha
against him for his »
Klumpp and there w:
to warrant holding ‘
volunteered to help
could.

“How about Mrs.
able for questioning

“Tm sure. Why n
as I am to clear this

Apparently Bergen
a neatly dressed blon
obvious vitality belie:
ingly in for question
peated much of wh:
was employed now
teacher at New Wor
as her two-hour cla
ture course, she dev:
children for working
herself off as Mrs. Be
expected momentaril:
officially. She had hac
Bergen and had eve
things were going <
there would be no tr

Both Bergen and
leased after agreeing
time for additional

“It’s a setup that c
Detective Chief Hen
the man and woma
wouldn’t have to. ”
people who were t:
problems in an adu
miss them as possil
to know a lot more
fore I press them a)

While Detectives I
and Wilbert Earle
place of the body-f
pin down the actua
occurred, Detectives
Eugene Moore were
could about Louise
any men she might

That same day,
miles from where t)
police found a pair
believed to have bi
was theorized that
crushed at this spc
in the car and driv
was set afire.

“IT don’t believe
a thing like this,”
“He struck me as :
guy who was genui:
his wife died.”

“Well, you don’t
did it, do you?” anc

“Not likely,” the

laid out his wedding
. bath. Then he got
-d a while to smoke.
“hey must have had
) leave on the morn-
whatever way you
meone took him for

officer agreed. “With
e didn’t go out after
so he couldn’t have
‘ith anyone in a bar,
Those cigaret stubs
‘othes and the bath-
‘liberately came up

was taken home.

itopsy disclosed that
been shot through
aad been broken, as
on beaten before he
marks on his hands
put up a fight. The
.e victim’s head, and
cene failed to un-

- it would help two
would give us some-
{ we found the gun,
rere the victim was

pen’s intended again,
2 to come up with a

ced. “Anything at all.
‘friends who might

n looked up. “When
at... I noticed the
oor was broken, He
iter to fix it, but the
ive to be taken out.
to have it fastened
e. I asked him why
ad he said he was
juestion him further

ont that Kappen had

1 veteran officer said.
any relation to that
hooting a year or so

the girl said.

> his partner. “You
't his son-in-law- to
laughter on a spree.

officer remembered.
was killed. But that
tion with this deal.”
| about her former
ome notes, then left.
1 more calls in St.
s. Marie Porter, the
f-brother, and again
.s on the case.

| checking on all the
1 previously dated.
to headquarters for
m about their Friday
ng whereabouts.

bis except a tall, red-
ved alone in a small
itk. Police had been
sing heavily since the
<appen.

great length and his
iome alone from 11

p.M. Friday until late on Saturday afternoon.

“You were seen drinking heavily Friday
night.”

“Sure,” he admitted. “She was getting mar-
ried’. . . and not to me... that’s a good
enough eXcuse to drink. But I went straight
home. I didn’t see Bill Kappen.”

His car was brought to headquarters and
examined. There were no bloodstains or other
evidence.

OLICE concentrated on the redhead for a

while, but were unable to shake his story
or turn up any clues. Then another occupant
of the same apartment building told officers
he recalled coming home about 2 a.m. Satur-
day and seeing the redhead’s car in its stall in
the apartment garage. The redhead was re-
leased, but told not to leave town.

“Where do we go from here?” a detective
asked.

“That takes care of her known boyfriends,”
a sergeant said. “Maybe we’re going at it from
the wrong angle. Maybe there’s something from
his side.”

“You mean a woman?”

“You know what they say about a woman
scorned.” :

The investigators then gathered informa-
tion about William Kappen’s former girlfriends,
the ones he had dated before becoming en-
gaged. They talked to his fellow workers at
the electric company, relatives, and neighbors
in the block of Claxton Avenue where Kappen
formerly had boarded.

They came up with the names of four girls.

The first one was a surprise, a teenager, 19,
half the age of the murder victim. It was deli-
cate questioning, but it had to be done. The
girl was frail, with pale skin, that became
almost chalk as the questions were put to her.
She said there had been no arguments when
she broke up with Kappen; that he had never
got out of line with her, and she was engaged
to a younger man now.

The next two girls also were ruled out, but
when they came to the fourth girl on the list
the detectives’ interest picked up.

She was big, but not fat. Tall and thick-
boned, with frizzled hair, a drying skin and
tired eyes. She was pushing thirty from the
wrong end and there was no ring on her left
hand.

“Bill Kappen? Huh!’ was her initial retort.

The girl’s brother, a burly youth with a wild
reputation, was brought to headquarters with
her for questioning.

The officers got. out of him that he had
been angry when his sister was rejected by
Kappen. This was backed up by other talk the
probers uncovered. The brother and sister were
grilled at length. They denied seeing Kappen
for at least a week before his death. They
provided an alibi for each other, which no one
else was able to back up. The detectives were
unable to shake their stories or verify them.
They were released with orders not to. leave
the city. .

“That’s as far as we can go now with that
angle,” Chief of Detectives John Carroll said.
“We'll have to try something else. And the
way I see it, it has to be connected with his
approaching wedding. Get out that file on his
father . . . find out when his father shot his
sister and killed her husband.”

The father, the file showed, still was confined
in an institution. The sister had recovered.
“And she ended up with her husband’s $5000
insurance,” Carroll noted. He turned to De-

tective Sergeant John Sinclair:-

“Go out and see that sister, Mrs. Marie Por-
ter, again. Ask her about William Kappen’s in-
surance. Size her up closely.”

Sinclair went to the Porter home in the
West End. It was evening. The lights of the
upstairs flat all were burning, and loud sounds
came from within. He knocked, and went in
when the door pushed open. A voice called
from upstairs: “Come on up, whoever you
are.”

Sinclair climbed the steps and was greeted
by a pretty young girl in a bridal gown. There
were shouts and laughter in the background
and an accordion wheezed out dance tunes.

“Do I know you?” the girl asked.

“No,” Sinclair said. “I’d like to see Mrs.
Porter.”

The girl turned and called, “Mother! Some-
one here to see you.” ‘

A woman pushed her way through the dan-
cers to the head of the stairs. She was flabbily

fat with bulbous cheeks and chins and neck, |

a wide rounded torso and chunky arms and
legs..As she walked, her body quivered with
each step. She has small dark eyes and a
turned-up nose.

“I’m Detective Sergeant John Sinclair,” the
officer said. i

“Oh, yes!” Mrs. Porter said. ‘You're here
about Willie. Did you find out who killed
him?”

“I’m sorry, we haven't,” he replied, having
to shout above the merriment in the next room.

Mrs. Porter led him to a room down the
hall and they closed the door blotting out the
music and laughter. She saw the questioning
look on Sinclair’s face and said:

“This is terrible, I know, all this going on
while poor Willie is laid out over there. But we
had to go through with it. The musicians had
been hired and everything bought and paid for
and we couldn’t cancel our plans.”

She said her 15-year-old daughter, one of
her four daughters, had just been married.

“Did your brother have any insurance?”

“Why, yes,” she said. ‘He had a policy
worth $1000.”

“Who is the beneficiary ?”

“Why, I am,” she said. “I paid the pre-
miums.”

More questions were asked, Sinclair mrade
some notes, then said goodnight. He paused. on
the steps to listen to the music and laughter,
shook his head in wonderment, and went back
downtown.

THE next morning, Chief Carroll heard Sin-
clair’s report, with several detectives.

“Fantastic,” one of them suggested. “To even
suspect a woman of murdering her .own
brother for a thousand bucks.”

“You have any other leads to follow?” he
was asked. “You said the same thing about
boyfriends and girlfriends. But somebody
killed him. He wasn’t a hoodlum, just an
honest working citizen who minded his own
business, from all indications.

“This Marie Porter recently collected $5000
worth of insurance on one killing. Could have
given her an idea. So you boys just go out
there and check into all of that, I want to
know all about Kappen’s insurance .. . plans
he might have had . . . plans Marie Porter
might have ... . what she did with the $5000
from her husband’s insurance.”

. “One thing,” an officer suggested, “she doesn’t
look like she’s grieving too much about her
brother . . . going through with a wedding

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400 SQUARE INCHES OF SKIN—
Linda Cleckley was five years old when her
dress caught fire .. . and the skin on 70%
of her body burned away. To save her life,
doctors needed 400 square inches of skin.
Within 30 minutes after the men at Atlanta
Federal Penitentiary heard about it—250
volunteers were knocking at the doors of
the medical office; the ten selected to give
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That’s the story the Atlanta papers and
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But maybe the big part of the story is the
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ting her mother from: their impoverished
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after the successful skin grafts, five-year-old
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So Byrd got some Inmate Welfare Club
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NO STRIKES ALLOWED, BUT—So
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That’s been the gripe of the prisoners at
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It’s been a practice for quite a while now
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where, a couple of months .

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Result: gripe! .

_ Decision: gripe justified.

And arrangements have been made to al-
locate funds so that as of July there’d be a
fair and equal pay plan for all. ...

Penologists have found that an incentive
pay plan works a lot better in maintaining
discipline and achieving rehabilitation than
the old “task” system of punishment when

_€@ quota isn’t reached, according to Iowa
State’s Warden Percy A. Lainson.

RIDE ’EM, COWBOY!-—Statistical de-
partment:
Year; 1931.
Event: The first Texas Prison rodeo.
Purpose: To knock the men out enough so
they’d stop knocking each other out.
Place; A no-seat, makeshift-fenced horse lot.
Talent: Strictly home-grown, son.
$-Profit: You kiddin’?

Year: Today.

Event: The 27th Texas Prison Annual
Rodeo.

Place: 30,000-seat arena .. . on the same old
horse lot.

Talent: Among those scheduled—Tommy
Sands, Richard Boone (Have Gun, Will
Travel), Dale Robertson, Ward Bond,
Robert Culp (Trackdown), World War
II ftying-preacher Colonel Dean Hess,
the 12th Air Force Band, the Longview
Mounted Quadrille and the Lone Star
Mounted Quadrille, world-famous rodeo
stars Red and Betty Lamb, rodeo clowns
Hoyt Hefner and Billy Keen .. . all
these, and strictly home-grown rodeo
stars from Texas Pen too.

$-Profit: A gross of hundreds of thou-
sands of dollars! °
The profits, incidentally, not only built the

30,000-seat arena, but provide the sole sup-

port for the entire Educational and Recrea-

tional Fund of the Department of Correc-
tions!

LIFE OUTSIDE THESE UNITED
STATES—A prison that looks more‘like a
college campus, that’s what Mexican penol-
ogists are betting will revolutionize their
country’s penal system. The inmates will
live in open dorms without -bars or locked
doors; there will be a special’ hotel-like
building for prisoners’ over-night visits with
their wives; the “yard” will be just that
. ... with large. grass-covered lawns con-
nected by shaded walks.

Explaining how-come, the architect said
that “Mexicans, unlike some others, may be
forced to steal to eat. What Mexican prison-
ers need is not a maximum security institu-
tion, but a place where their chances of re-
spectable employment can become -a real
hope. a

“That is why I call my new buildings, not
a prison, but a Fabrics de Hombres Nuevos
—Factory of New Men... .” io

before he’s even buried .. .
everything was paid for.”

The detectives went out and came back
with their reporters. The ones probing the in-
surance angle had some interesting information.

“It’s more than $1000,” one said. “That’s
the amount of his policy at the electric com-
pany. He’s got $2300 more and Marie Porter is
the beneficiary.”

“Yes,” Carroll said. “And if he got married,
his wife would have been the beneficiary.” He
turned to another officer. “What did she do
with the $5000?” ,

“Bought a confectionery at Academy and
Minerva. It doesn’t look like she did too well
with the store. She doesn’t have it now.”

Carroll turned to another officer. “What did
you find out?”

“No one reports seeing her out after mid-
night Friday. Went all over the neighborhood.”

“Bring her in,” Carroll ordered.

just because

MBS. Marie Porter eased her bulk into a
chair in Carroll’s office an hour later.

“Why did you lie about the insurance?” she
was asked.

“I forgot about the other policies,” she said.
“Why ?”?

“We want to know all about your brother,
so we can find out who killed him.”

“I told you everything,” she said softly.
“So he had a little more insurance. But I don’t
know any more to tell. He had no enemies
that I know of.”

They asked her whereabouts of Friday night.
She said she was home sleeping. They ques-
tioned and requestioned her, but there was no
angle they could grab on to hit at her story.
They took her home after five hours of ques-
tioning.

Carroll issued more orders to his detectives:
“Marie Porter—find out everybody she knew
or had anything to do with; anyone she might
ask help from. If she’s involved, she had to
have help. We can’t do anything more with
her until we get something to toss at her.
But my guess is that she’s involved. I know

~it’s way out in left field, but it’s the only thing

we have.”

While his officers worked on the case, Car-
roll went to Belleville and conferred with au-
thorities. They had checked taverns in Belle-
ville and East St. Louis. No one reported see-
ing William Kappen on Friday night.

“Did you get anything at the place where
the body was found?” he asked.

A deputy laughed. “‘We didn’t, but a pho-
tographer from the paper here did. He went
back for some pictures and got poison ivy.
There’s poison ivy all around where the body
was found.”

The next day, St. Louis detectives began
bringing in known acquaintances of Mrs.
Marie Porter. They were questioned at length
about their movements the previous Friday
night; their connections with Mrs. Porter and
William Kappen.

Carroll interviewed them one at a time and
sent more officers out to check their stories.

As the day wore on a man named Angelo
Ralph Giancola was brought in. He was a
handsome boy of 21; slim, soft-faced and mild
appearing. ;

“So you used to work for Mrs. Porter at her
confectionery ?” Carroll started.

“That’s right,” he said.

He said he hadn’t seen her in weeks. He said
he knew William Kappen, too, but hadn’t seen
him for at least a week before his death. He
said he’d been home last Friday night.

_ Carroll looked the 1
redness on his right <

“What you got here
for a closer look. “Lo
sort.”

The youth hunched
Must have bruised my
on a construction job

Carroll swung his c!
Sinclair: “Get the po)

The doctor arrived i
a look at the boy’s a
“What’s it look like?”

The doctor examinec
led. “It’s just poison iv
worry about.”

“Plenty for him to
said. “Where did you ;
ing to Giancola.

The man didn’t rem

Carroll and Sinclair
hang onto and they h
was obdurate, at first,
tioning broke down. /
the officers took him
in the rear they found
pistol.

A short time later
meeting in Carroll’s o}
was brought face to fa

“All right, tell it,” th
The audience listened i
cluded was Assistant ‘
St. Clair County, Il.

He started by say
Porter when he went tc

“Mrs. Porter had be
her brother for several
wanted the insurance.
me $800 if I helped h:
always put her off. F<
Willie’s death she wa
didn’t know, though, t!
him when we went out

“She kept on saying
would be the benefici<
ance, and she couldn’t

Mrs. Porter glared <

“Go on,” Carroll ins:

He said she gave hi:
car the previous Frida:
her up on Kingshigh

“She told me we wo
that way,” Giancola sai
go to her bedroom as
after the others in the
she would sneak down
turned at 5 a.M. she
room and stayed there
awakened her. No one s
doing it that way.”

He paused. Mrs. Po
room, as if to see the :
ties to the youth’s stat
emotion.

“She directed me to k
Giancola went on. “W
told me to wait. She see
and outs of the house
steps. I waited for wh
hour.

“Then she came out
him to get in the fron
along South Broadway
there and got two b
drank a highball. Mrs.
drive to East St. Louis

“Willie said, ‘No, let’
have to be back by 7 A
wedding.’ But she asst

the apartment door in a sewer and hid the
gun in a cigar box in our cellar. The next
day we cleaned out the car with gasoline
at a service station and I took it back to
the agency.”

Officers found the gun, a .32 caliber
revolver, in a wood-bin in the Giancola
brothers’ cellar. The fatal slug had passed
out of Kappen’s eye and had never been
recovered, but the weapon was covered
with the fingerprints of Giancola and
Mucci.

Convinced that Marie was no less guil-
ty, the officers read to her the written
confessions. At first the fat woman refus-
ed to discuss the murder. Finally, she
made a statement. Some months
previously she had talked with Ralph
about the possibility of disposing of her
brother. But they had discussed the
matter in only the most general terms and
she had quickly forgotten about it, she
said. She had known nothing of the actual
plans for the murder.

Beyond that she would not commit
herself, refusing to sign a written admis-
sion to the murder or even to admit that
she had cheated her brother or coveted
his insurance. She did admit writing the
letter warning Pauline Ladue not to
marry Kappen. She did it to protect

Pauline, she said, because Bill had the _

mind of a 7-year-old boy.

She said that she had been at home at
the boarding house all during the night of
the murder. Her boarders—one of them
had recently become her son-in-law and 4
second was the fiance of another
daughter—backed her alibi.

The officials felt that they had
evidence enough to convict Marie of the
killing and she, Giancola and Mucci were
extradited to Illinois and indicted for
first-degree murder.

Appearing for trial with the Giancolas
before Circuit Court Judge Richard
Mudge in Belleville, Marie was dressed in
a plain print frock and wore a corsage of
violets. If she was attempting to look in-
nocent, the effort was wasted.

' The jury returned a verdict of guilty
of first-degree murder against all three,
with a recommendation of leniency for
Tony Mucci. His kinsman had pleaded on
the witness stand that Tony’s involve-

ment in the murder was little more than -

accidental, but this, too, the jury viewed
with skepticism.

It was obvious, however that the
death plot had been hatched between
Ralph and Marie. Tony was sentenced to
99 years in prison. It would be January,
1963 before he was released on parole.

On January 27, 1938, Ralph Giancola
and Marie Porter died in the electric

his life.

f
1

city ___ STATE mw.
WORTH AMERICAN SCHOOL OF DRAFTING, Dept NBO9S

w
>
v

chair, Marie becoming the first woman
electrocuted in Illinois and the first
female executed in that state in 99 years.
She went to her death displaying the same
callous attitude she had maintained
toward the murder of her brother. She
scowled at the spectators as she was
strapped into the chair, but the scowl had
disappeared when the doctor pronounc-
ed her dead a few minutes later. ’

Ralph Giancola reacted quite
differently. Halfway through the march
from his death cell he fainted and had to
be carried the rest of the way. He was still
unconscious when the executioner pulled
the switch.

Whether he was less courageous than

- Marie, he was less prepared mentally and

emotionally to commit murder. Left to

‘his own devices he probably would have

stayed out of serious trouble, but he was
little more than a flesh-and-blood robot in
the hands of the fat woman who guided

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Pauline Ladue, Tony Mucci and
Leo Naylor are not the real names of
the persons so named in the foregoing
story. Fictitious names have been used
because there is no reason for public
interest in the identifies of these per-
sons.

Case of the Rapid Rapist
(Continued from page 30)

the K-9 Unit. The four-footed cops have
proven to be fantastic trackers when the
patrol unit has isolated a suspect ina large
area. While the patrolmen waited for
“Moses” and his handler, Ron McAffee,
they were approached by a diffident—
actually frightened—young bystander.
She hinted that she knew who they were

_ looking for, but she was afraid of reprisal

if she pointed him out. After the officers
assured her that they would not involve
her, she said that she had seen a man run-
ning through the bushes and that he'd

gone into a house at mid-block on 3lst :

Avenue.

“| think his name is Anthony...”

It was 8:56 a.m. A check with the com-
puter through radio indicated that the
name of the last known resident at the in-

- indicated home was Spears. The officers

went to the address given and the door
was opened by a calm, pleasant middle-
aged woman. Officer Mike Lorenzo ask-
ed if Anthony was home and a tall husky
man was called up from his basement
bedroom. The man, who said he was
Anthony Wayne Spears, had a mustache
and a slight beard. He looked close to
30—but in fact was only 19.

Spears had been tucking a shirt into a
pair of yellow trousers as he walked up
the stairs. He said he had just come in

~ contact with the police. His rap sheet bad
many entries, ranging from carrying #
loaded concealed weapon to assault, ¥ gy”

from an_ all-night after-hours place,”
“How did you get home?” Offices
Lorenzo asked. * Sig
“I took a Farwest Cab about half aa
hour ago,” Spears ariswered easily. While
the officers talked with Spears in his
home, Officers Ron McAffee and Moses
his K-9 dog arrived at the Lake home,”
“Search!” McAffee commanded.
Moses immediately tracked —
southbound on 32nd to the middle of the

block, crossed the street, and tracked

westbound between two houses. He ~
crossed an alley and ran through a gate —

the fence to the rear porch of a home~ a

the Spears home. Pa
The rape suspect was unaware thathe —

had left a trail as clear as if it had bees 7
painted with bright red arrows, an invie 4

changed into those clothes. With his —
mother’s permission, the officers search —
ed the bedrooms in the basement of bis ”
home. They found a pair of brown and &
white checked slacks stuffed under abed
in one of the rooms. Spears’ wallet was ”
still in the hip pocket, along with —
cigarette lighter. Officers Patrick Power ~
found a tan imitation-leather jacket ins
box under a dresser in another room. He

also found a two-tgned light-and-dark 9

blue shirt—which one of the witnesses
had described thé rapist’s’ wearing—lt 7
another basement bedroom where ithad 7
been flung hastily. :

To the officers, it was beginning
look as though they were dealing wih ©
some kind of sexual superman, a mat ®
who had raped one victim at 8:15, na
nine blocks, raped a second woman #

8:25, run several blocks home, changed §

his clothes, and run up the stairs to gre

the policemen without even being outol

breath! . ; i
_ Officers Lorenzo put in a call to the”
dispatcher at the Northwest Cab Com >
pany to see if any cabs had taken a fare

from the afterhours club to the S ery good business—have been most grateful for your advice

address. The answer, not surprisingly,
was “No.”

Anthony Wayne Spears, although
only 19, had already had a good deal of

larceny, to taking and riding in av
without the owner’s permission. But
had served no time—he had receive
only fines and deferred sentences“ 4
Spears was arrested and booke ia
suspicion of rape and robbery. |."
The follow-up on the case was
ed to Morals Detective Donna Braz
arranged a lineup on the 3lst of M
Seven men in jail coveralls, all sim
appearance, marched across the. stag®
They were asked to say, ae ~
everything is cool,” “Don't say any
“Don't scream or I'll choke you ®
‘ death”— phrases that still sent chills do

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was watching the television and her hus-

band was lying with one foot in her lap
and the other behind her head on the back
of the couch. He was reading a book.

A Marine McLean knew only as J im—
but: whom he now understood to be
James F,. Point—had come into the
trailer. He sat down and started talking to
the Schoens. After a few minutes of con-
versation, Point asked to use the
bathroom. McLean was engrossed in the
television program and was startled a few
moments later to hear Mrs. Schoen ex-
claim: “Oh, my God!”

“I looked up,” MrLean said. “I didn’t
hear any shots. But she wasn’t moving.
She just had her hand up to her face. Then
I looked at Schoen. He just turned his
head and started spitting up blood.

“I just turned my head around and I
believe I was shot in the neck at that time,
while I was turning my head. And again
he fired and it grazed my face. I put up
my hand and was shot in the hand.

“He then jumped over and ran to the
door. He opened the door and just before
he went out, he fired one last shot.”

McLean said the final shot struck him
in the back. After Point left, McLean said,
he crawled to the telephone and tried to
get an operator, but all he could get wasa

‘time, would be going to his family’shome

busy signal. He then crawled outside the
trailer and called for help. ee cL
McLean told the two officers he

would be willing to testify in court eves

though it was his understanding that he
was permanently disabled and, in a short

in the Midwest. ee)
Arrangements had been made to
transport McLean to South Carolina for

the trial of James F. Point on March 3],

1975, when Point surprisingly entered a —

plea of guilty to three charges against
him. The pleas were accepted and he was

sentenced to two life terms for the
murders of Robert and Margaret Schoen.
He was sentenced additionally to serve
years consecutively for the assault with —
intent to kill in the shooting of Lance
McLean. He

the South Carolina prison system. - 3
ooo

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Lance McLean, Mike Durango,
John Pate and James Marshall are not
the real names of the persons so named
in the foregoing story. Fictitious
names have been used because there is
no reason for public interest in the

identities of these persons.

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Murder For Love
(Continued from page 37)

where you dumped Bill Kappen’s body.”

“That's a lie,” Giancola shouted. “I got
it playing softball in a field near home.”

But Giancola was unable to point out
any poison ivy in the field he mentioned.
“Maybe I got it someplace else,” he ad-
mitted, “but I haven’t been outside St.
Louis in three weeks, long before Bill
Kappen was murdered.”

Siekhaus decided to bluff. He pulled
the two bloodstained handkerchiefs
found in the poison ivy from an envelope.
The police never had been able to iden-
tify them.

“These are your handkerchiefs,”
Siekhaus said. “We found them in the ivy
and we traced them to you through invisi-
ble laundry marks.”

Giancola turned white. At last he said
hoarsely, “All right, Marie and I
murdered him. What else do you want to
know?”

“We want to know why you killed
him,” Sinclair said.

“Insurance,” the young man said.
“Marie had a policy on her brother's life
for thirty-three hundred dollars and she
was afraid he’d change. it in favor of his
wife as soon as he got married. She said
Pauline was just after his money and she
herself was more entitled to it.

“She'd been talking about killing him,
ever since April. First I thought I could
argue her out of it, but when I saw how

determined she was I suggested we doit

nice and clean—like drowning of —
something— because Bill couldn’t swim. ~

“She told me, ‘I want his body found
so I can collect the money without any
trouble.’”

Giancola said they discussed running —
over him with a car, giving him poisoned ~
whiskey or acid, or stabbing him, but ~
finally decided to shoot him. Then t
drove around Missouri and IIlinois to pi
a spot for the job, deciding on the Travis
Mine Road. oe

He said that the night of the murder

Marie had induced her brother to go ona 4

little spree. “sort of bachelor party.” They —

-visited three or four taverns, getting

William drunk. Then Marie shot hit
from the rear seat and they dumped the ”
body in the road. They had intended t0
carry it into the bushes, but Marie told
him to leave it where it was, Giancola ‘
said. ’
Siekhaus stared at the young man

coldly. “Tell me the names of the taverts J

you visited,” he said. Giancola couldnt }
name one. :
“That's because your story is more
lies,” he said. “Bill Kappen never took #
drink in his life and it would have beet -
impossible for you to get him drunk =
voluntarily.” Sea
But Ralph Giancola stuck to his story:
In jail, he apparently felt safe from”
Marie's wrath and he continued to accust
her of the actual shooting. td
The fat woman flatly denied the kilk
ing and the detectives were inclined

eae ey i ed

4 ie parked a car in front of Bill's boarding

~~ realized that someone else would have to

> $10 to rent a car, and a skeleton key to

} had acquired the key.

cz
i

+ Xappen’s apartment, he said, when Tony

F told him, Tony insisted on going along,

; - Apartment,
@ Preparing to takea bath. Ralph poked the

believe that she had not actually par-

~ ticipated. They believed that Ralph Gian-

cola was protecting someone else.

* Ona hunch they talked to his 19-year-

old kinsman, Tony Mucci. The men were

_ very close, and when the detectives told

Tony that Ralph had confessed, Tony

decided to confess, too. Marie Porter had
not been present, he said. «

| When the detectives reported his con-
fession to Ralph, he changed his story,
telling the police what they believed was
"substantially the truth.

“One night early in June, Marie and I

~ house on Claxton Avenue, and waited for
~ him,” Ralph said. “I crouched in the rear
~ seat with a gun, holding a hammer to

~ tried to get him to sit in the car with her.

_ But he was suspicious and walked direct-
_ ly into the house.”

~\ Marie was more determined than ever

»to kill her brother, Ralph said, but she

> do it. She gave him $800 to hire a gunman,

~ Rakph’s new apartment on North Union
_ Boulevard. She didn’t explain how she

i la decided to do the job himself
' and keep the $800. On the afternoon of
» July 2nd he rented the Ford and took his
» teenage sister, a young girl friend of his,
_ and his kinsman, Tony for a ride. About
12:30 the next morning he was leaving for

asked him where he was going. When he

» although this was the first that he had
~ known of the murder plan, Ralph said.

They let themselves into Kappen’s
found the bridegroom

- Sun in his chest.
- Kappen pleaded for his life, but they
_ Made him dress while each smoked a
“‘arette, throwing the butts into the
. kitchen sink. “We forced him downstairs
- and into the rear seat of the car, where I
vtied his hands with one of the
~ handkerchiefs you found and stuffed the
ovther into hig, mouth,” Ralph said. “We
_ fade him lie on the floor while we cross-
a over the free bridge into Illinois. Tony
fel the gun on him while I drove.
'... We passed the White Goose Inn at
= thout 2 a.m., then we put him in the front
Saat and I took the gun. We swung off
Oute 13 into the Travis Mine Road and
Ph topped at the spot Marie had picked out.
+ Ishot him and his head hit the instru-
ment panel. He got blood all over the
shboard and the seat and the floor. I
“tied his hands and took the gag out of
mouth. Then I pushed the body jout
) the road.
We tried to clean up the car with the
Rndkerchiefs which we left in the field,

oS ee ee oe ee ee eee SEND ME ICY-HOT QUICK!

later we dropped the skeleton key to

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NAME

ADDRESS

CITY STATE zip

GIANCONA & PORTER, Whites, elec. IL@ (At. Clair) on January

No. 14 in series: WOMEN WHO WALKED THE LAST MILE

NO WEDDING FOR »~----~

There was a good reason why Bill kept his bride-to-be waiting at the altar

Mother of four
contrived insurance

slaying of man
about to be married.

* THE YOUNG COUPLE stood in the shadows of a
verdanda locked in a tight embrace. From a distant clock
tower came the twelve strokes that marked the end of
that July day and the start of a new, important one.

“It’s here at last!” the golden haired girl exclaimed.
“Our day ... the greatest day of our lives-”

The man nodded happily as he released her and they
moved arm in arm toward the front door.

“Now I'd better go,” he said. “We both have lots to do
before the ceremony.”

His hand went into his side coat pocket, and he chuckled
as he drew out a piece of paper. It was characteristic of
his girl to give him a memo reminding him of the various
wedding and honeymoon details that still needed attention.

As she stood framed in the doorway, telling him goodby,
the light fell on her face. For a moment he was startled.
He thought he saw a shadow of alarm cross her delicate
features.

“You're not—still afraid?” he asked.

She looked at him gravely. “You mean that silly warn-
ing note?” Shaking her head, she beamed reassuringly. “No,
it doesn’t bother me any more. I’ve forgotten it—almost.”

He squeezed her hand in a goodnight farewell and de-
scended the front steps. A worried frown wrinkled his
forehead as he walked down the quiet old St. Louis residen-

DETSCTIVE CASES,

Trigger-man took the
helpless victim

from his room. Murder
occurred later.

tial street. It were as if he was strolling on the moon.

But he was smiling again as he let himself in the cozy
new apartment that he had just leased and furnished for
his bride.

Bright morning sunlight streamed through the stained-
glass windows of St. Anthony’s church. The guests who had
come to see beautiful young Emma Kessler married to
William Kappen had been seated for some time now. They
were beginning to feel a trifle restive.

Behind the doors of an anteroom at the side, Emma
Kessler, lovely in white satin and flowing tulle, stood tapping
one foot nervously as color mounted in her cheeks. Her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Kessler, watched her with
anxious eyes.

Presently she could bear it no longer. Two large tears
rolled down her cheeks and her mother hastened to: put
a comforting arm around her.

“Now, now, dear,” ‘she purred. “He'll be along in just
a minute, I’m sure.”

But Emma was past comforting. She leaned her golden
head on her mother’s shoulder and gave way to uncontrolled
sobbing.

A _harrassed-looking usher stepped into the room and
advanced toward the father. “I’ve just called his apartment
again,” he whispered. “There’s still no answer.”

Mr.- Kessler waited five minutes longer, then stepped into
the auditorium and told the guests that the wedding would
have to be postponed because of the groom’s unexplained

DETECTIVE CASES

July, ARKE 1966

28, 1938

absence. His ann
Half an hour |
change clothes, t!
on Union Boule
whereabouts.
There was no
asked the janitor
What they saw
There was no sigr
slept in, howeve:
out. His bags. pac
front door.
They looked fi
not the least sign
Mr. Kessler tu
happened to him
“That isn’t it.”
he slept here. And
up a scrap of p
evening.”
Finally they ca
with no success.
Suddenly Emm
shoulder. “Daddy
happened to Bill!
She had never
come to her in t!
secret she had s
them could guess
It had frightened
the only thing wt
they had decided
practical joke.
Now she knew
deadly earnest. S
printed on the sli

GIV!}

T WAS noon w

their home, fill

St. Louis still s
wave. The sun be
from the broad M
across the river fr¢

Shortly after m
followed a windin
presently came to
and Belleville, [1]

The driver of th
of East St. Louis
physciain seeking
Mopping their bro
walking through t
acreage that Leo w

“Over there.” |
narrow lane, “is 1

Dr. Rose lookec
talking, and his ev
curiosity. He wal!
“Good Lord! I th

It took a mome
dead, but that he

A bullet had pi
was anywhere in s
probably in his lat
summer clothing a
hours.

Hurrying back
to the nearest hou
office of the St. (
mediately relayed 1
time later Sheriff
by State Trooper ¢

Immediately the
victim of a gangste

“Must have been
said. “Some of the

DETECTIVE CASES

bson

JOM

t the altar

-man took the
s victim

s room. Murder
:d later.

on the moon.
imself in the cozy
and furnished for

‘ough the stained-
he guests who had
<essler married to
ie time now. They

t the side, Emma
tulle, stood tapping
) her cheeks. Her
watched her with

r. Two large tears
‘+r hastened to. put

| be along in just

leaned her golden
way to uncontrolled

jto the room and
alled his apartment
nswer.”

r, then stepped into
the wedding would
room’s unexplained

DETECTIVE CASES

absence. His announcement was sharp and brief.

Half an hour later, after the Kesslers had gone home to
change clothes, they decided to drive to Kappen’s apartment
on Union Boulevard and seek some explanation of his
whereabouts.

There was no response when they rang the bell. Emma
asked the janitor to let them into the apartment.

What they saw inside only deepened their bewilderment.
There was no sign of the missing groom. His bed had been

slept in, however. His wedding clothes were neatly laid ~

out. His bags, packed for the honeymoon, stood beside the
front door.

They looked for a note, but could find none. There was
not the least sign of disorder.

Mr. Kessler turned to his daughter. “Maybe something
happened to him on the way home last night.”

“That isn’t it,” she answered weakly. “You can see that
he slept here. And look!” she advanced to a table and picked
up a scrap of paper. ‘“Here’s the memo I gave him last
evening.”

Finally they called the hospitals and police department,
with no success. ‘

Suddenly Emma clung to her father and sobbed on his
shoulder. “Daddy, Daddy! I’m afraid something terrible’s
happened to Bill!”

She had never told him of the mysterious note that had
come to her in the mails several weeks earlier. That dark
secret she had shared only with her fiance. Neither of
them could guess where the anonymous missive came from.
It had frightened and worried them for awhile—and was
the only thing which had clouded their courtship. Finally
they had decided that it was someone’s poor idea of a
practical joke.

Now she knew that it wasn’t. It had been written in
deadly earnest. She could never forget the crude letters
printed on the slip of paper:

GIVE UP BILL KAPPEN OR
YOU'LL BE SORRY

T WAS noon when the Kessler family motored back to

their home, filled with a sense of dread.

St. Louis still sweltered in the midst of the July heat
wave. The sun beat down fiercely, drawing steamy vapors
from the broad Mississippi and the flat Illinois bottomlands
across the river from St. Louis.

Shortly after midday an automobile containing two men
followed a winding road over this weed-grown terrain and
presently came to a stop halfway between East St. Louis
and Belleville, Ill.

The driver of the car was V. G. Leo, a real estate dealer
of East St. Louis. His passenger was Dr. H. E. Rose, a
physciain seeking a piece of property as an investment.
Mopping their brows, they climbed from the car and started
walking through the weeds to get a better view of some
acreage that Leo was offering for sale.

“Over there,” Leo pointed in the general direction of a
narrow lane, “is the boundary line.”

Dr. Rose looked toward the lane as his companion kept
talking, and his eye caught a white object that aroused his
curiosity. He walked toward it. Presently he exclaimed,
“Good Lord! I think it’s a dead man!”

It took a moment to confirm not only that the man was
dead, but that he had been murdered.

A bullet had pierced his skull completely. No weapon
was anywhere in sight. The body was that of a young man,
probably in his late twenties. He was dressed in lightweight
summer clothing and apparently had been dead for several
hours.

Hurrying back to their car, Leo and Dr. Rose drove
to the nearest house, where Leo called the East St. Louis
office of the St. Clair County sheriff. The call was im-
mediately relayed to Belleville, the county seat, and a short
time later Sheriff Henry L. Siekman arrived accompanied
by State Trooper George Smith.

Immediately they surmised that the man had been the
victim of a gangster ride.

‘““Must have been killed in the car and hauled here,” Smith
said. “Some of the blood from the wound has trickled along

DETECTIVE CASES

Willie Kappen planned to live here with his wife.

the ground, but you'll also notice that it’s run down his shirt.
That means he was sitting when the shot was fired.”

Sheriff Siekman began looking through the victim's
pockets for identification. But these were completely empty.
While searching, the sheriff noticed that the victim had no
underwear on, and that his shoes were untied.

Long experience with gang war murders in southern
Illinois told Siekman immediately what this meant. The man
had probably been yanked out of bed by enemies at the
point of a gun, compelled to dress hastily, and driven away
in a waiting car.

“Laundry marks are the only thing we have to go on,” he
informed Trooper Smith as he completed his examination.

A few minutes later Dr. L. L. Madden, the county coroner,
joined the others. He estimated that the victim had been
dead approximately ten hours—or since about 2:30 that

(Continued on page 58)
37

_—————— «= seems

A Nogre Othello Hanged.

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Metadata

Containers:: Box 14 (2-Documentation of Executions), Folder 7
Resource Type:: Document
Description:: Angelo Giancola executed on 1938-01-28 in Illinois (IL) Marie Porter executed on 1938-01-28 in Illinois (IL)
Rights:: In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
Date Uploaded:: June 30, 2019

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