by Mark Shaw
In a follow-up column, Considine added:
There were two Dorothy Kilgallen’s, three really, if you count the Dorothy Kilgallen of What’s My Line? In the latter role, she was one of the best known women in America, chic, witty, trenchant and an absolute master of ferreting out the occupations of the mystery guests. Then there was Dorothy Kilgallen, the “Voice of Broadway,” saucy, provocative and superbly informed about what was happening in the worlds of the theatre, cafe society, Hollywood, TV, Washington, London, Paris and Timbuktu.
The image of Dorothy as a journalist who drove up to assignments in a Rolls, which she did now and then, cannot evaporate in any reporter’s mind the memory of her hard-digging, scrappy, dogged determination as a reporter.... She had become more famous than most of the people she was covering.
As the hours passed into the evening of November 8, more tributes appeared, each extolling the virtues of Kilgallen, the gifted wordsmith who had no equal. While this happened, Junior NYC medical examiner Dr. James Luke, for reasons never explained, decided to perform an autopsy despite no apparent evidence of foul play.
To date, the autopsy report and those pages included in the official report as addendums under the title “Report of Death,” have not been published. Obtained by this author from the National Archives, the pages, a combination of typed and handwritten, are most revealing as to the facts gathered and conclusions reached by Dr. Luke concerning the purported cause of the famous reporter’s death.
The starting point to examining the documents is the “Report of Death” pages presumably written following Dr. Luke’s presence at Kilgallen’s death scene.
Of interest on this page are the times listed to the left of Dr. Luke’s signature and to the right of the handwritten “11/8/65” above the typed “Date and Time.” Translated, this apparently meant the time of death was 1:40 p.m., the “examiner” [medical examiner] had been notified at 2:45 p.m., and the examiner had arrived on the scene at 3:10 p.m., staying until departing at 4:15 p.m., an hour and five minutes later. Beside “Pronounced Dead by” was the name, “Dr. Heller, 11 E. 68th Street.”33
“Place of Death” is noted as 45 E. 68th Street, 3rd Floor,” which coincides with the notation of her “Last Residence” at the same address. “Name of Deceased” is listed as Dorothy Kollmar (Killgallen)—misspelled. Her occupation is noted as, “Writer,” with identification by “Mr. Kollmar (same address).”
The designation of 1:40 p.m. as the time of death is confusing but may have been intended to disclose when Dr. Heller pronounced Kilgallen dead. How Dr. Luke knew this since he apparently did not arrive until 3:10 p.m. is unknown.
To the right and below the date and times on the report are names of two NYPD detectives who apparently visited Kilgallen’s townhouse: “Det. Green and Det. Doyle/19 Squad.” The latter is an apparent reference to Manhattan’s 19th Precinct.
Under “Witnesses or Informants,” the following information exists:
According to husband, deceased had been well recently. Had not seen physicians since Fr [fractured] shoulder last year. [Undistinguishable] Returned from “What’s My Line?” [Undistinguishable] P.M. 11:30 pm “feeling chipper.” Went to write column. Husband said goodnight and went to bed. According to maid, she went in to awaken deceased at 12 noon and found her unresponsive. Neither maid or butler worked yesterday. [Undistinguishable] alcoholism or other medicinal habits.
Who gathered the information from the witnesses, Dr. Luke or the two detectives, is unknown. Richard contributed the fact that his wife had been “well recently,” that she had returned home from What’s My Line? at 11:30 p.m. in good spirits (“feeling chipper”), that she left him to write her column, and that he went to bed.
According to the report, the maid discovered Kilgallen’s body. She and the butler had not worked the day before. Who told the detectives about the “alcoholism or other medicinal habits” is unclear due to the undistinguishable words but may logically be attributed to Richard.
Most important regarding this report page, one whose entries are all handwritten, is the maid discovering the body. This fact, as will become evident, adds to the intrigue surrounding events on the day Kilgallen died.
The following page once again pertains to the circled 9333 case number.
Under the heading “State the circumstances and particulars of death...” the following pertinent text appears in Dr. Luke’s handwriting:
Scene – orderly elegant apartment. Papers in order. Deceased a middle aged WF lying on back in bed, head on pillow. Robert Ruark’s new book by side, clad in blue bathrobe and nothing else. Covers up to chin.
Hair dyed brown
Long eyelashes
Chest – ō
[Undistinguishable]
[Undistinguishable] obese
Rigidity complete
No trauma
No signs violence
Phone call – Dr. David S. Baldwin (9RE78989)
Habituated to Seconal. Took 3-4/day
(TR86072)
Hunter Pharmacy – He fill prescription for Seconal 100 mg –
50 caps – 10/8/65.
Significant is the location of Kilgallen’s body (“lying on back in bed, head on pillow,” presence of Robert Ruark’s book and what she was wearing—“blue bathrobe,” apparently nothing underneath. Also of interest, “covers up to chin,” and the presence of “long eyelashes.”
The mention of Kilgallen’s being “obese” appears in conflict with her general appearance. Most importantly, Dr. Luke’s conclusion that there was “No trauma” and “No signs violence” excludes physical abuse as the cause of death. The indication that she may have been “habituated to Seconal,” apparently meant Kilgallen was known to be a habitual user of sleeping pills.
Mention of Dr. Baldwin, Kilgallen’s personal physician, and the Hunter Pharmacy, with the notation “He fill prescription for Seconal 100 mg – 50 caps – 10/8/65,” indicates either Dr. Luke or one of the detectives called or visited the pharmacy to check on her use of Seconal. If “Took 3-4/day” were correct, the supply of the barbiturate would have run out well before the day of Kilgallen’s death since even three a day would have only lasted until approximately October 24.
At this point, one may conclude that Dr. Luke, based on the evidence gathered and certain physical evidence present at the death scene, believed Kilgallen had died accidently due to a drug overdose. All of his handwritten notations point in this direction prior to the official autopsy being performed. The culprit, he assumed, had been Seconal and since Kilgallen had a prescription for that drug and was a habitual user, Dr. Luke apparently felt accidental death was a safe bet.
The next page of the official documents is the autopsy report reads.
Since “Hazel Vereene” is listed as “Transcribing Typist,” it appears Dr. Luke dictated this information into a recorder presumably as the autopsy proceeded. The text then reads
AUTOPSY PERFORMED BY DR. JAMES LUKE JUNIOR
MEDICAL EXAMINER
In the presence of Dr. Sturner and Baden.
November 8, 1965
Also of note is the indication that Kilgallen, erroneously aged at 48, is once again described as “obese” while no figure is listed under “Approximate Weight.” Her eyelashes are described as being “false.” She is described as having, “extensive makeup involving the face, neck and upper chest.” A second indication appears that there was “no external evidence of trauma.”
Page two attached to the one marked “autopsy” contains details regarding Kilgallen’s bodily functions but nothing of major significance regarding cause of death. Page three reads:
Above the word, “Toxicology” appears “FIFTY CC. OF PINK FLUID IN STOMACH.” Then the typed words following “CAUSE OF DEATH: PENDING FURTHER STUDY.” There is no date beside the notation but the first page of the autopsy report confirms Dr. L
uke’s dictation happened on the same day the autopsy was performed, November 8, the day Kilgallen died.
Below the typed words, “Identification Waived, per Dr. James Luke,” appears, in Dr. Luke’s handwriting:
Final Cause of Death:
Acute Ethanol and barbiturate intoxication…
Circumstances undetermined.
12/1/65 James R Luke M.D.
Since it appeared from Dr. Luke’s “Report of Death” notations that he had adopted an accidental death theory based on information collected at Kilgallen’s death scene, why had he concluded the autopsy report with the words, “Cause of Death: Pending Further Study”? Did “Further Study” mean awaiting the toxicology results from the ME lab? Or had something else changed his mind so that he could not definitively conclude that Kilgallen had died accidently from the alcohol and drug overdose, presumably from ingesting too many Seconal pills?
Notice that the “Final Cause of Death” on this page beneath the typed information includes the handwritten date “12/1/65.” Simple mathematics suggests nearly three weeks passed between when Dr. Luke dictated the words, “Pending Further Study” on November 8th and when he wrote in longhand, “Final Cause of Death: Acute Ethanol and barbiturate intoxication…Circumstances Undetermined” on the first of December.
Presumably, “Further Study” indicated Dr. Luke awaited toxicology results based on testing of Kilgallen’s bodily fluids. If so, what specifically did he learn on or before December 1 causing him to undermine the “Final Cause of Death” by including the words, “Circumstances Undetermined”?
An important clue to answering this question is a subsequent handwritten page attached to the page marked “autopsy.” Notice that once again, Kilgallen’s case number, 9333, is included proving this page was part of the official documents.
Under the words “Dorothy Kollmar,” Dr. Luke organized the toxicology text results according to “Microscopic” and “Chemical.” Under “Microscopic,” “No pathology” is written next to “Heart, Stomach, Adrenals, cerebellum, cerebrum, brain status, Kidneys,” etc. Below these notations under “Chemical,” is listed:
Alcohol – Blood – 0.15 [Undistinguishable]
Eye Fluid – 0.15 [Undistinguishable]
Brain – 0.1 [Undistinguishable]
Stomach – Tr
Besides these words are:
Barbiturates –
[Undistinguishable]
(liver, brain)
UV – 2.4 [Undistinguishable] eO
(liver)
1.6 [Undistinguishable] eO
(brain)
[Undistinguishable]
[Undistinguishable] same level as
seconal, tuinal
Below were the following words in Dr. Luke’s handwriting:
Final Cause of Death:
Acute Ethanol and barbiturate intoxication
Circumstances Undetermined
11/15/65 Dr. James R. Luke, MD
Stamp: Office of Chief medical examiner
520 First Avenue, NY, NY 10016
Regarding blood alcohol content—the measuring stick for whether someone is legally intoxicated, i.e. drunk—Kilgallen’s is listed as 0.15. If this notation was made at 3:10 p.m. or a bit later when Dr. Luke presumably arrived at her townhouse, this means her actual blood alcohol content would have been much higher dependent on the actual time of death especially if it was several hours earlier. Because of the time lapse, there is no accurate way to know how much alcohol Kilgallen consumed prior to, or after, she returned to her townhouse. However, it should be noted that on the second page of the autopsy report not reprinted here, there was the notation that Kilgallen’s liver was “fatty,” but not “cirrhotic.” This apparently meant the famous columnist did not suffer from liver disease caused by heavy drinking.
How the blood alcohol level affected Kilgallen’s cause of death is important but dependent on the type and quantity of drugs in her body at the time she died. Information as to these factors is located to the far right of the word “Chemical.”
Beside “Barbiturates” is an undistinguishable word and below that “(liver, brain).” Below and to the right of these words are “UV” and then two numbers—2.4 for liver, and 1.6 for brain.
Below this information are two undistinguishable words, one that may be “Layers” and the other “Spot.” Below appear the words “at same levels as” and then, significantly, the words, “seconal” and “tuinal,” handwritten by Dr. Luke.
The appearance of the word “tuinal” may in fact be the smoking gun with regard to confusion surrounding the true cause of Kilgallen’s death. Recall that while Dr. Luke’s writing on one other page indicated she had a prescription for “seconal” from her personal physician, Dr. Baldwin, no such prescription is noted for Tuinal, a toxic combination of two active ingredients, amobarbital sodium, a sedative-hypnotic, and secobarbital sodium (Seconal/sleeping pills). Tuinal can be very dangerous when abused as the window between the dose causing drowsiness and the one causing death can be very small. Its effect is accelerated when alcohol is added to the equation. Physicians prescribing Tuinal strictly forbid its use with any alcoholic beverage.
Why is the mention of Tuinal of critical importance to clarifying Kilgallen’s exact cause of death? Because, just as Dr. Luke knew, Tuinal being present was a clue that something was wrong, something unexplainable presumably causing doubt in Dr. Luke’s mind as to the actual cause of death and the circumstances surrounding it.
When the autopsy revealed Tuinal’s presence, it is safe to imagine that Dr. Luke was spooked, that he must have been perplexed by the startling discovery. “What to do?” he must have wondered since while the presence of Seconal (the sleeping pills Kilgallen used habitually) in her system pointed directly at accidental death, the presence of Tuinal, a much more dangerous drug and one she had no prescription for, dented that theory.
The presence of Tuinal most likely accounts for Dr. Luke hedging his “Final Cause of Death” to include the words “Circumstances Undetermined” since he could not figure out how that drug had been discovered in her system unless—and this is huge—there was more to her death than it being accidental. If no presence of Tuinal had been detected, Dr. Luke would not have written, “Circumstances Undetermined” because there would have been no reason to do so since the presence of Seconal was predictable based on knowledge of her usage and the prescription. However, now he must have realized the Tuinal discovery caused concern and he thus added the words, “Circumstances Undetermined” to the mix.
Notice that on this page, Dr. Luke wrote the date, “11/15/65,” an indication that he decided on that date to fix the “Final Cause of Death” as “Acute Ethanol and barbiturate Intoxication” while including the words, “Circumstances Undetermined.” Since the same words appear on the official “autopsy” page with the date, 12/1/65,” he must have written them in his own hand two weeks later or simply made a mistake regarding the date. Either way, it appears Dr. Luke was either lazy, confused, or hiding something.
Since discovery of the Tuinal in Kilgallen’s system had clouded the issue of official cause of death, what documents did Dr. Luke release to those who had the authority to view them? In New York City in the 1960s, the requirements for receiving the autopsy report, aside from police officials or the District Attorney’s office, if requested, involved request from any next of kin including spouse, siblings, parents, grandparents, and uncles and aunts.34 There is no means of confirming whether any of these family members attempted to secure a copy.
Regarding release of the document to the media, or leaking of the autopsy report, it is also impossible to know if this happened although, as will be revealed, some news outlets appeared to quote from it. If anyone, family members or the media, was able to read the report, one must wonder if they even noticed the presence of Tuinal in Kilgallen’s system, and
if so, whether they realized its importance toward understanding the true cause of her death. To date, this author, despite extensive research of several NYC newspapers published during the time of Kilgallen’s demise, has seen no disclosure of Tuinal being discovered in her system or any reprint of the autopsy report or its accompanying pages in part or in its entirety.
One additional possibility is that Dr. Luke may have not included the toxicology results indicating the presence of Tuinal when releasing the final autopsy report. His motive for doing so will become clear based on startling facts about the ME’s office uncovered by this author.
Regardless, the presence of Tuinal in Kilgallen’s bloodstream during her autopsy calls into question every theory proposed for five decades and counting concerning the circumstances surrounding the death of the famous reporter and media star. Closer inspection of the drug will provide further clarification but first it is important to understand the utter confusion regarding the cause of Kilgallen’s death from the very first media reports published on the day of, and those following, November 8, 1965.
33 No explanation apparently exists as to why Dr. Saul Heller, a physician who apparently only practiced neurology and psychiatry on Park Avenue during his 50+ year career, pronounced Kilgallen dead.
34 In 2015, this author attempted to secure Kilgallen’s autopsy report from the NYC medical examiner’s Office. Even 50 years later, this request was denied since the author was not a “next of kin.”
CHAPTER 20