by Ron Finch
Nancy had then made a lot of derogatory comments about her parents. She’d said she would get even with them. Her remarks had made no sense to Henny. She’d suspected Nancy was suffering from paranoia because she had consumed so much cocaine.
Nancy’s parents appeared to have been concerned for her, and for that reason had not let her return to DePaul University in Chicago, where they thought she had been introduced to the drug. It had seemed to Henny that they were trying to help her.
At breakfast on the morning of October 3rd, the day of the fire, Mr. and Mrs. Featherstone had told Nancy that they had made arrangements for her to go to a sanatorium in the Muskoka district. Upon hearing this, Nancy had looked wildly at all of them and exclaimed they were “evil”. She’d jumped up from the table and raced from the room, shouting, “You will all be punished!”
“Nancy seemed to have settled down by lunch time,” Henny continued, “but she still had a strange look on her face. The Featherstones often had wine with their lunch. Prior to lunch, Nancy proposed a toast to the future. This was a strange gesture from Nancy, but we decided to humour her. That was our mistake. The wine was poisoned. Mr. and Mrs. Featherstone both died within minutes. I’d only taken a tiny amount of the poisoned wine, but it was enough to incapacitate me and leave me in a semiconscious state.
“I watched as Nancy dragged the bodies of her parents out through the rear door of the home into the nearby workshop. She then returned for me. She bound me securely and gagged me and informed me that I would burn in hell. She then told me she was sorry her parents had died because she wanted to torture them because they were evil. She told me I would have a hot death and her parents would have a cold death. She left me bound and gagged on the dining room floor for a couple of hours. When she returned to the room, she had my suitcase and my car keys. She then told me she was going to set the house on fire and that she hoped it would take a long time to burn and that I would suffer a lot. She was crazy.”
WHEN HENNY FINISHED, I just sat there. I must have sat very still for more than a minute because Georgie came over and shook my shoulder.
“Are you okay, Joel?” she asked.
“I’m fine. I’m just overwhelmed by the story that Henny told me.” I repeated to Georgie as much of Henny’s communication as I could remember. I think Georgie was just about as stunned as I was by what had been revealed.
Henny had given me more information than I had ever anticipated. Unfortunately, this information was in the form of a conversation with someone that no longer existed. I would have to plan carefully how to use it. The one piece of information that I needed to use right away was Henny’s last name. The police couldn’t go on searching for someone with the name Hackelby. It would be a waste of time.
Georgie and I talked about this.
“I think the best approach would be to suggest to Chief Petrovic that it could be worthwhile checking the British Home Children immigration records to verify the name of the child that the Featherstones brought to Canada,” said Georgie. “But I think you should wait until your Monday meeting. No one’s life hangs in the balance. If you were to suddenly call Chief Petrovic on the weekend, he would wonder why you thought it so urgent.”
I agreed with her.
“I’m getting cold and I’m getting hungry,” said Georgie. “If we head back to town now, we’ve got time to go to Mabel’s Diner for a cup of hot chocolate and one of her special pastries.”
“Now you’re reading my mind,” I said.
“That’s a very easy task, Joel,” said Georgie.
Monday, March 13th to Friday, March 17th
THERE WAS NO REGULAR Monday morning meeting this week, so when I dropped in to see the chief just after 9 o’clock Monday morning he looked up at me and said, “Joel, there’s no meeting this morning. We had the meeting Friday afternoon.”
“I know, Chief, but I had a thought on the weekend.”
“I like a dedicated constable,” said the chief. “What was your thought?”
“I know Jenny Kaufman has a reputation for being an authority on everyone’s business, but she is an older woman and nobody’s memory is perfect. We’ve been hunting through records for the names Henrietta Harriet Hackelby and Nancy Featherstone without success. We know Nancy Featherstone’s name is accurate, and her name hasn’t come up in our search; which implies either that she’s dead, or she’s not using that name. But we don’t know for certain that Henrietta Harriet Hackelby is the name of the girl that the Featherstones brought over from England.
“I think we should be checking immigration records, or perhaps even records from the British Salvation Army, from about 1898 to 1903, searching under the name Featherstone. If we locate their name, then we will have the name of the child they took into care. That will verify whether it was Henrietta Harriet Hackelby or not.”
“That’s a long speech, Joel, but it is a very good idea. I want you to check with the Department of Immigration. Let me know what you come up with as soon as possible. We will put a temporary hold on our other searches until we can verify the name of the girl that the Featherstones brought to Canada.”
IT WAS A LITTLE AFTER 3 o’clock Tuesday afternoon when Chief Petrovic called me to his telephone. “I think you should take this call, Joel,” he said.
It was a woman calling from the Department of Immigration records office.
“Is that Cst. Joel Franklin?” she asked.
“This is Cst. Franklin,” I replied.
“I’m looking at a record dated May 15, 1901,” she said. “It says that an 11-year-old girl named Henrietta Harriet Allenby was taken into care on this date by Harold Featherstone and Marion Featherstone of RR 3 Chaseford, in the province of Ontario.”
“That’s great,” I shouted into the telephone. Then, in a quieter tone, “I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to be so loud. I’m just excited.”
That phone call changed the direction of our inquiry.
CST. PETER HERMAN CONTACTED the Chicago police again. This time he told them the name he was looking for was Henrietta Harriet Allenby. He asked the Chicago police if they could check their incident books from 1911 and 1912 for any mention of her name. He suggested that, if there was an incident, it was likely drug-related. Next, Cst. Herman contacted the Illinois Bell telephone company and inquired if they had any listings for anyone with the last name of Allenby in their directories for Chicago and area from 1911 to 1914. Both the police department and Illinois Bell told Cst. Herman they would get back to him within a day or two.
Meanwhile, Cst. Jay Jarvis had contacted the Bureau of Statistics office in Toronto. He inquired if they would do a search for the name Henrietta Harriet Allenby in the Census data from 1911, 1921, and 1931. They replied that they would try to contact him within a week.
CST. HERMAN RECEIVED a call early Friday from the Illinois Bell telephone company. He was informed that there had been a listing for a Harriet Allenby living in Chicago in 1913. There was no listing in 1914. The person from Bell returning Cst. Herman’s call had also checked the directories of 1915 and 1916 without success.
Monday, March 20th
CHIEF PETROVIC HUNG up the telephone and called the meeting to order.
He turned to his group of constables and said, “That was a call from the Canadian census bureau office in Toronto. They’ve completed their search for 1916 and 1921 and have found no trace of anyone called Henrietta Harriet Allenby. I told them how much we appreciated their efforts and said we no longer required them to search through the census information for 1926 and 1931.
“I think everyone present is aware that the Illinois Bell telephone company informed us that they had a telephone listing for a Harriet Allenby in their 1913 directory for Rockford, Illinois, but nothing since that time. If our hypothesis is correct, that means that Nancy Featherstone assumed Miss Allenby’s identity and travelled, most likely to Chicago, in October 1911. After she had murdered her parents and Henrietta Harriet Allenby.
“
Since we have no record of her after that, I think we can further assume that she changed her last name; most likely by marriage. And that she has become a citizen of the United States of America.”
“How easy is it to become an American citizen?” asked Cst. Smith.
“The short answer to your question, Cst. Smith, is that the process described under the United States naturalization laws of 1907 can be completed in about five years,” said Chief Petrovic.
“That means she could’ve been an American citizen as early as 1916,” said Cst. Herbert.
“So, if we charged her with the crime, I guess we would have to go through the extradition process,” I said.
“That’s right, Joel,” said Chief Petrovic.
“What crime would we charge her with?” asked Cst. Jarvis.
That question got all of us talking at once.
“Quiet,” snapped Chief Petrovic. “Let’s hear your thoughts. One at a time, starting with Cst. Smith.”
“Well, Chief, my first thoughts were murder, arson, car theft, and theft of personal items.”
“After that list, Cst. Smith, I don’t think anybody else needs a turn,” said the chief. “Let’s hear your comments.”
“It’s been over twenty years since the car went missing,” said Cst. Herman. “Nobody reported it stolen. We have no idea where it is. It could be a pile of scrap metal. I don’t think it’s a supportable charge.”
“It’s difficult to prove murder charges when you don’t have the bodies,” I said. “We think it was Henny Allenby’s body that was discovered more than twenty years ago in the burned-out remains of the Featherstone home, but we can’t tell for certain. We suspect that the body parts that have been discovered belong to Harold and Marion Featherstone, Nancy Featherstone’s parents, but they’ve been frozen so long in the icehouse that even the forensic laboratory in Toronto can’t accurately confirm their identity. So, we really don’t have the bodies of the murder victims as far as the court is concerned.”
“That’s an excellent analysis, Joel,” said Chief Petrovic. “That’s the problem with our entire case. As strongly as we feel that terrible things have been done and that they need to be redressed, we need proof. Supposition is not good enough. Coincidence is not good enough. Do some more thinking right now. Where do we go from here?”
“The murders happened so long ago that I don’t think we’re going to find any direct evidence,” said Cst. Herman. “There are no living witnesses. So, if we’re lucky, she told somebody. The only people I can think of that she would’ve told are Johnnie Polizzi and Ernie Stanzio.”
“We need to find something that shows they were in contact with one another after October 1911. The most likely source for that would be an arrest or public disturbance report,” said Cst. Jarvis.
“I have an idea,” said Chief Petrovic. “We did consult with the Chicago police force and they found no incident reports involving the three of them in 1911 or 1912. But thinking back to what was said earlier in this morning’s meeting, we need to contact the police in Rockford, Illinois. That’s the directory where Harriet Allenby’s phone number was listed.
“Cst. Jarvis, I want you to make that contact today. Have them check their incident reports for anything involving Henrietta Harriet Allenby.”
Wednesday, March 22nd to Friday, March 24th
CST. JAY JARVIS WALKED into Chief Petrovic’s office at about 11 o’clock on Wednesday morning.
“I just got a telephone call from the Rockford, Illinois, police,” he said. “They went back through their incident reports from 1911 and 1912. Their reports showed that the Rockford Police arrested Johnnie Polizzi, Ernie Stanzio, and Henny Allenby for disturbing the peace and resisting arrest on St. Patrick’s Day, in March of 1912.
“St. Patrick’s Day was on a Sunday that year. The disturbance happened at a private party. When two of the neighbours came over to tell them to tone it down, an altercation ensued and the three of them physically attacked the neighbours. Henny had a knife which she threatened to use. The case never went to court. Charges were dismissed. The neighbours had been drinking too.”
“Thank you very much for your hard work, Jay,” said Chief Petrovic. “I’m headed to Hamilton as soon as I can make arrangements; most likely tomorrow or Friday at the latest. That information will be useful for my upcoming interview with Johnnie Polizzi and Ernie Stanzio. I’ll be taking Cst. Herman with me. He’s met Johnnie and Ernie before.”
Chief Petrovic immediately got on the phone to Chief O’Donnell in Hamilton. When he was connected to O’Donnell, he said, “Chief Petrovic here. I didn’t think we’d be talking again so soon, but something has come up in the investigation I told you about previously and I need to speak to Ernie Stanzio and Johnnie Polizzi again. They might be able to provide vital information to me in this murder investigation. Please don’t let them know how serious the situation is. If you can arrange interviews again through Beno Stanzio that would be very helpful.”
“I’m going to a church meeting tonight,” said Chief O’Donnell. “That’s probably the best place for me to contact Beno without undue concern. I’ll keep it low-key. I know that Johnnie and Ernie are currently involved in the purchase of a hardware store in Hamilton. It appears that they want to become Canadian citizens. Hopefully that information helps you.”
“Thanks a lot O’Donnell,” said Chief Petrovic. “Get back to me as soon as you can with a time for the meeting at the Hamilton police station. I’d really like to have that interview before the end of the week if possible.”
CHIEF O’DONNELL CALLED Chief Petrovic back just after lunch on Thursday. The interviews had been arranged to start at 2 o’clock Friday afternoon, at the Hamilton police station. Chief Petrovic had talked to Cst. Herman earlier in the week and told him to be ready to travel to Hamilton either Thursday or Friday.
After an early, but good, lunch at Mabel’s Diner, Chief Petrovic and Cst. Herman set off for Hamilton just after 12 noon. Spring was in the air. It was little on the cool side, with a temperature of about 40°F. The highway was basically clear of snow and ice and the sky was blue with the odd fluffy white cloud.
It’s a great day for a drive. Especially if you’re a passenger, thought Chief Petrovic.
Cst. Herman seemed to be enjoying his chore as the wheelman, too.
They had no trouble finding the Hamilton police station this time. They were even somewhat familiar with the layout of the building by now. They arrived a few minutes early and Chief O’Donnell escorted them to the interview room. He sat and chatted with them for a few minutes.
“Who would you like to see first?” said Chief O’Donnell.
“We’ll take the toughest guy first,” answered Chief Petrovic. “Send Johnnie Polizzi to us.”
WHEN JOHNNIE CAME IN, he was almost friendly. He remembered the last interview as an inconvenience, but it had caused him no harm. He thought they just wanted to check on a couple of details. He sat down and said, “Hello, how can I help you?”
Chief Petrovic had told Cst. Herman he would handle the entire interview. The constable was to take notes and watch facial expressions. Chief Petrovic said they would trade places for the interview with Ernie Stanzio.
“I’ll get right to the point, Johnnie,” said Chief Petrovic. “You’ll recall the last time we were here I asked you about any connection you may have had with Nancy Featherstone.”
“That’s right,” said Johnnie. “I still don’t know why you’re so interested in Nancy Featherstone.”
“That’s our business,” the chief replied. “You just need to answer our questions and then you’re done.”
“Fine by me,” said Johnnie.
“If you remember,” said Chief Petrovic, “I called you back to the interview room for a couple of follow-up questions. I asked you if you had seen Nancy in Chicago in the fall of 1911. You told us yes but that she was hanging with a different crowd. Is that what you said?”
“I think so. You have the
notes. I guess that’s what I said,” answered Johnnie.
“Do you remember St. Patrick’s Day in 1912? In Rockford, Illinois?” asked the chief.
Johnnie looked a little confused. His face took on some colour and he hesitantly said, “Sort of.”
“I have a police report in front of me, Johnnie. Before I read it to you, I’d like you to tell me what happened. I want to be fair. Give me your side of the story.”
“I think there was a misunderstanding after a St. Patrick’s Day party. I think we were in Rockford that day,” said Johnnie.
“Who was with you that day, Johnnie? I know Ernie was there. I want to know who else was with you and Ernie.”
“Ahh, let me think. It was a long time ago,” said Johnnie.
“Take your time,” said Chief Petrovic. “I have the incident report from the Rockford police in front of me. I know who was there. I’m just testing to see whether you are reliable and responsible in case anybody ever asks me about your character. You know we don’t like people who can’t be trusted in Canada.”
“Okay, 1912, St. Patrick’s Day, Rockford, Illinois. I remember now. It was a nice day, so Ernie and I decided to go to Rockford to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a woman we knew there,” said Johnnie.
“You’re doing really well, Johnnie. Now just tell me the name of the woman who was at the party with you,” snapped Chief Petrovic.
Johnnie Polizzi avoided eye contact with the chief and mumbled, “Nancy Featherstone.”
“You forgot to mention that the last time we talked,” said the chief.
“Sorry,” said Johnnie. “I guess I just didn’t remember the incident in Rockfort. I wasn’t trying to cause trouble.”
“I’ll forgive you if you get the answer to the next few questions correct, Johnnie,” said the chief. “They’re important questions. Especially if you like Canada. If you’d rather return to Chicago and visit with Tony Accardo, that’s your choice. The right answers to my questions will likely help you avoid serious charges if you are forthcoming in answering them.