American Sherlock
Page 31
Palm Beach suit: “Art Collection” section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art website.
Fundamentalism revival: “Religious Fundamentalism, Twentieth Century History,” BBC article; Grant Wacker, “The Rise of Fundamentalism,” National Humanities Center.
bootlegging, Walgreens, and medicinal whiskey: Evan Andrews, “10 Things You Should Know about Prohibition,” History.com, January 16, 2015.
The sign showed a drawing: Bruce, “The Flapjack Murder,” 225, along with a photo of Albers Mill flapjack flour found online.
“If the body is in here”: Ibid., 226.
CHAPTER 4
“Get Ready”: “An Old-Time Scoop in San Francisco.”
More details about case: “Missing Priest Was Murdered,” Chanute Daily Tribune (KS), August 11, 1921.
“You’ve got a funny way of showing your gratitude”: Block, The Wizard of Berkeley, 86.
“Father Heslin has made the supreme sacrifice”: “Father Heslin Poured Forth Own Blood in Adoration of God, Says Archbishop in Tribute,” San Francisco Chronicle, August 14, 1921.
“There is a small patch at the foot of the large blade”: This and reports from Heinrich’s tests come from carton 70, folder 75–77, Edward Oscar Heinrich Papers.
“Now I’m going to work on the other things”: Block, The Wizard of Berkeley, 86–93; and carton 70, folder 75–77, Edward Oscar Heinrich Papers.
petrographic analysis: James Gregory McHone, “Polarizing, Petrographic, Geological Microscopes,” May 11, 2013, http://earth2geologists.net/Microscopes/.
History of forensic geology: Alastair Ruffell and Jennifer McKinley, “Forensic Geoscience: Applications of Geology, Geomorphology and Geophysics to Criminal Investigations,” Earth-Science Reviews 69, no. 3–4 (March 2005): 235–47.
Locard’s Exchange Principle: Claude Roux et al., “The End of the (Forensic Science) World as We Know It?: The Example of Trace Evidence,” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 370, no. 1674 (August 2015).
“Five years on the brink of bankruptcy”: Carton 70, folder 75–77, Edward Oscar Heinrich Papers.
1920s mental health treatment: Phil Hickey, “Legacy of Abuse,” Behaviorism and Mental Health, October 2, 2011; Zeb Larson, “America’s Long-Suffering Mental Health System,” Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective 11, no. 7 (April 2018).
Other mental health milestones: Jess P. Shatkin, “The History of Mental Health Treatment,” New York University School of Medicine, 21, 24, 30, 33.
“I find that I have to make an engagement in court”: Letter from Heinrich to Kaiser, September 15, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“He has hustled around to the newspapers”: Letter from Heinrich to Kaiser, September 6, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“Were it not for the fact that this is a criminal matter”: Ibid.
“Whatever she says is all right”: Bruce, “The Flapjack Murder,” 233–34.
John Larson background: Ezra Carlsen, “Truth in the Machine: Three Berkeley Men Converged to Create the Lie Detector,” California Magazine, Spring 2010.
How Larson’s polygraph worked: “John Larson’s Breadboard Polygraph,” The Polygraph Museum, http://www.lie2me.net/thepolygraphmuseum/id16.html.
Different sections for polygraph testing: “Psychologists Called Upon to Solve Murder,” San Francisco Chronicle, August 18, 1921.
character of Wonder Woman: Sarah Sloat, “The Bunk Science that Inspired ‘Wonder Woman,’” Inverse, June 6, 2017.
Larson’s machine: Carlsen, “Truth in the Machine.”
“He will be spirited out of the city”: “Story of Hightower Is Gradually Being Broken by Police,” Madera Mercury (CA), August 14, 1921.
“My God! It’s him!”: “Housekeeper for Heslin Positive in Her Identification,” San Francisco Chronicle, August 17, 1921.
Eyewitness misidentification is the leading contributing factor: “In Focus: Eyewitness Misidentification,” The Innocence Project, October 21, 2008, https://www.innocenceproject.org/in-focus-eyewitness-misidentification.
Use of polygraphs: “The Truth About Lie Detectors (aka Polygraph Tests),” American Psychological Association, August 5, 2004.
Portable test: Kerry Segrave, Lie Detectors: A Social History (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2003), 17–18.
“My head seems to swell when I think”: “Hightower Preparing for Plea of Insanity,” Freeport Journal-Standard (IL), August 16, 1921.
“I’m through”: “‘I Never Saw Her Before,’ Hightower Declares When Faced by ‘Dolly Mason,’” Oakland Tribune, August 16, 1921.
Hightower is questioned: “Prisoner’s Nerves Shattered by Evidence Connecting Him with Priest’s Murder,” Oakland Tribune, August 17, 1921.
“The suspect was covering up important facts”: “Psychologists Called Upon to Solve Murder,” San Francisco Chronicle, August 18, 1921.
“Mere embarrassment or fear are registered”: “Detect Falsehoods by Blood Pressure,” Bend Bulletin (OR), March 10, 1922.
“‘general acceptance’ in the relevant scientific community”: National Research Council, Strengthening Forensic Science, 88.
“underlying reasoning or methodology is scientifically valid”: D. Daubert, et al. v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., United States Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit (June 28, 1993), 593.
“I have been thinking too much lately”: Bruce, “The Flapjack Murder,” 237–38.
George Lynn’s testimony: “Priest’s Grave Sought at Eerie Midnight Hour,” Morning Register (Eugene, OR), October 6, 1921.
Prosecutor’s witnesses: “Evidence Web Tightens,” Los Angeles Times, October 7, 1921.
“There was good light”: “Hightower Abductor Is Word,” Santa Ana Register (CA), October 10, 1921.
“it would be unwise to ask that”: “Doris Shirley Putnam Shatters Alibi Story of Wm. Hightower; New Testimony Is Produced,” San Francisco Chronicle, October 7, 1921.
“Your memory is woefully short, little girl”: Bruce, “The Flapjack Murder,” 237.
“This evidence was considered the strongest”: “Bad Day for Hightower,” Riverside Daily Press (CA), October 8, 1921.
“Look at that letter D”: Block, The Wizard of Berkeley, 92–93.
“Farewell to criminals and their detection”: Letter from Kaiser to Heinrich, October 22, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“Our copy of Lucas ‘Forensic Chemistry’ came yesterday”: Letter from Kaiser to Heinrich, October 25, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“It occurs to me that you may wish to write the Literary Digest”: Letter from Kaiser to Heinrich, September 30, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“Your idea on articles which you have suggested is not bad”: Letter from Heinrich to Kaiser, October 31, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“Your unflattering comments on the titles I suggested”: Letter from Kaiser to Heinrich, November 10, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
Details about verdict: “Jury Finds Hightower Guilty of Killing Priest,” Des Moines Register, October 14, 1921.
“We find the defendant guilty of first degree murder”: “Hightower Gets Life Tomorrow,” Santa Cruz Evening News (CA), October 14, 1921.
“Well, boys, I guess”: Ibid.
“In my opinion the case got away from Hightower”: Letter from Heinrich to Kaiser, December 3, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“The knife”: Letter from Heinrich to Kaiser, October 31, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“Regardless of what the jury and the public”: “Pastor Convicted of Murder, Says Innocent,” Lansing State Journal, October 14, 1921.
“I have no feelings, no bitterness against anybody”: “Half His Life Left in Prison, 86-Year-Old Man Goes Free,” Amarillo Globe-Times (TX), May 24, 1965; �
��Priest Slayer Receives Parole After 43 Years,” Fresno Bee (CA), March 30, 1965.
CHAPTER 5
“Virginia Rappe was dying”: Greg Merritt, Room 1219: The Life of Fatty Arbuckle, the Mysterious Death of Virginia Rappe, and the Scandal That Changed Hollywood (Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2013), 42.
The twenty-six-year-old: Reports of Rappe’s age varied, but Find a Grave reports she was born in 1895, while Room 1219 says she was born in 1891.
A showgirl named Maude Delmont: “Film Tragedy Uncovers Rum ‘Road’ on Coast,” Washington Times, September 19, 1921.
no telltale evidence of sexual assault: Merritt, Room 1219, 42.
bottles of scotch, gin, wine, and bourbon: Andy Edmonds, Frame-Up!: The Untold Story of Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle (New York: William Morrow & Co., 1991), 154; Merritt, Room 1219, 8.
Rappe background: Jude Sheerin, “‘Fatty’ Arbuckle and Hollywood’s First Scandal,” BBC News, September 4, 2011; Merritt, Room 1219, 42.
Fatty Arbuckle’s reputation: Gilbert King, “The Skinny on the Fatty Arbuckle Trial,” Smithsonian Magazine, November 8, 2011; Sheerin, “‘Fatty’ Arbuckle and Hollywood’s First Scandal.”
History of St. Francis: “History,” Westin St. Francis, https://www.westinstfrancis.com/hotel-features/history; “St. Francis Hotel,” Clio.com, https://www.theclio.com/web/entry?id=37932.
moved that afternoon to a nearby medical facility: Merritt, Room 1219, 43.
new diagnosis: Ibid., 45, 63.
afflicted with chronic cystitis: Sheerin, “‘Fatty’ Arbuckle and Hollywood’s First Scandal.”
“Oh, to think”: “To Think I Led Such a Quiet Life!,” Cincinnati Enquirer, September 13, 1921.
his Tudor-style mansion: Charles F. Adams, Murder by the Bay: Historic Homicide in and about the City of San Francisco (Sanger, CA: Quill Driver Books/Word Dancer Press, 2005), 144.
“Miss Rappe had one or two drinks”: “Probe of Death Party in S.F. Hotel Started,” Oakland Tribune, September 10, 1921.
“I am dying! I am dying!”: “Arbuckle to Be Held for Death Probe,” Oakland Tribune, September 10, 1921.
“We heard Miss Rappe moaning”: Ibid.; “Probe of Death Party in S.F. Hotel Started.”
“Showgirl Zey Prevon surveyed the gentlemen in the room”: “Arbuckle Witnesses in Hightower Case,” Santa Ana Register (CA), September 30, 1921.
“How long did they remain in there?”: This quote and the remainder of Prevon’s statement comes from “Arbuckle Guest Gives Version of Frisco Orgy,” Arizona Republic, September 28, 1921.
“Neither I nor Mr. U’Ren nor Chief of Police”: “Arbuckle Jailed for Murder; Bail Is Denied,” Los Angeles Times, September 11, 1921.
“Police arrested him, charging him with murder”: “Brady to Ask Indictment of Film Comedian,” September 12, 1921.
David Bender/Arbuckle: “Prison Mates Eager to Talk with Arbuckle,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 12, 1921; “Arbuckle Held Without Bail,” Ogden Standard-Examiner (UT), September 12, 1921; “Jail Doors Are Closed on Roscoe Arbuckle; Charge of Murder Follows Death of Actress; ‘Now I’ve Got You!’ Cry Ascribed to Star,” Cincinnati Enquirer, September 12, 1921.
“We ought to be friends”: “‘Fatty’ Arbuckle Plays Grim Real Life Role Behind Bars,” Minneapolis Star Tribune, September 12, 1921.
“I went to work this morning—incog[nito]”: Letter from Heinrich to Kaiser, September 16, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
Forensic investigation in suite: “Microscope May Be Fateful to Fatty Arbuckle,” Salisbury Evening Post (NC), November 14, 1921.
All details from EOH’s investigation in the suite: Carton 69, folder 9–11, Edward Oscar Heinrich Papers.
Collecting hair: “Witnesses in Star’s Murder Case Watched,” Los Angeles Evening Herald, September 19, 1921.
Rappe’s party clothes: Merritt, Room 1219, 10.
“As everyone knows, I had had quite a number”: “Film Tragedy Uncovers Rum ‘Road’ on Coast.”
an underground “booze” railroad: Ibid.
“A regular system was in operation”: Ibid.
“Following orders from Brady”: “Criminologist Has Evidence to Convict ‘Fatty’?,” Sioux County Index (IA), September 23, 1921.
“I perceive a direct connection between”: Letter from Heinrich to Kaiser, February 14, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“I think I lost him about two o’clock”: Letter from Heinrich to Kaiser, September 23, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“Have made a number of important discoveries”: Letter from Heinrich to Kaiser, September 16, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“I should think you might get a good deal of fun”: Letter from Heinrich to Kaiser, September 26, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“You suggest that I chat with some of the maids around here”: Letter from Heinrich to Kaiser, September 23, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“By the way the new drink down here”: Letter from Heinrich to Kaiser, September 15, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“Fatty is guilty as hell of everything charged”: Letter from Heinrich to Kaiser, September 16, 1921, box 1, John Boynton Kaiser Papers.
“Arbuckle took hold of her”: “Witness Reveals Story of ‘Party,’” Tulsa Daily World, September 13, 1921.
“The evidence adduced”: “Arbuckle Films to Be Barred,” Washington Times, September 12, 1921.
The forty-five-year-old was part prosecutor, part politician: Scott P. Johnson, Trials of the Century (Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2010), 243.
Details about coroner’s jury: “Immediate Inquest Over Body of Young Actress Is Ordered by Coroner,” Oakland Tribune, September 12, 1921.
“She said that Arbuckle threw himself on her”: “Nurse Relates to Police Story Told by Dying Actress,” Oregon Daily Journal, September 11, 1921.
“The patient admitted to me that her relations with Arbuckle”: “Witnesses Upset Case Against Arbuckle,” Daily News (NY), September 14, 1921.
“I don’t like fat men”: “Immediate Inquest Over Body of Young Actress is Ordered By Coroner.”
“How do you know what happened if you had so many drinks”: This quote and more of Delmont’s testimony from “Manslaughter Is Voted; Girls Give Evidence,” Chicago Tribune, September 14, 1921.
Grand jury deliberations: “Evidence Held Insufficient for True Bill,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 13, 1921.
“We have sent Miss Zey Pryvon [Prevon] home under surveillance”: “State Charges Tampering with Its Witnesses,” Dayton Herald, September 13, 1921.
“I am convinced that undue influence”: Ibid.
Prevon on the stand: “One Witness Changes Story; Another Flees San Francisco,” Press and Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton, NY), September 13, 1921.
coroner’s inquest: “Brady to Make Decision on Charges Against Arbuckle,” New Castle Herald (PA), September 15, 1921.
“He was fooling with his bathrobe, kind of tying”: San Francisco Police Court, In the Police Court of the City and County of San Francisco, State of California, Department No. 2: Honorable Sylvain J. Lazarus; The People of the State of California vs. Roscoe Arbuckle (San Francisco: The Court, 1921), 293.
“She said ‘I am dying, I am dying’”: State of California vs. Roscoe Arbuckle, 297.
“He came over and said”: Ibid., 299.
“‘That will make her come to’”: Ibid., 300.
a Coca-Cola bottle: Merritt, Room 1219, 330.
“Are you aware that there is no medical evidence to back your claim”: Edmonds, Frame-Up!, 204.
“I don’t know what she was drinking”: State of California vs. Roscoe Arbuckle, 316.
“She was plain drunk at that time, wasn’t she?”: Ibid., 321.
Alice Blake on the stand: Ibid., 331–36.
“I am dying, I am dying, he hurt me”: Ibid. 336.
“I heard a man’s voice say, ‘Shut up’”: Ibid., 340.
Delmont’s rap sheet: Edmonds, Frame-Up!, 196.
Rappe’s “scandalous” background: Ibid., 213–14.
“Well, I will tell you one thing, Mr. District Attorney”: State of California vs. Roscoe Arbuckle, 350.
“We are not trying Roscoe Arbuckle alone: David Yallop, The Day the Laughter Stopped (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1976).
CHAPTER 6
“He put a piece of ice on her body”: “State Fires Big Gun in Hearing Yesterday Against Roscoe Arbuckle,” Morning News (Coffeyville, KS), November 22, 1921.
“Call Heinrich”: Bart Haley, “Women Witnesses Aid Arbuckle Defense in Fatty’s Darkest Hour,” Evening Public Ledger (Philadelphia, PA), November 23, 1921.
“Heinrich was humorless, cold, quiet, statistical”: Ibid.
McGovern sneering at him: Oscar H. Fernbach, “Dusted Door Opens Vistas to Arbuckle,” San Francisco Examiner, November 23, 1921.
Kate Brennan testifies: “Bar Miss Rappe’s Words at Trial of Arbuckle,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 23, 1921.
All details from EOH’s investigation in the suite: Carton 69, folder 9–11, Edward Oscar Heinrich Papers.
“a large amount of dust”: “The Arbuckle Trial, What Heinrich Saw Through His Microscope!,” Belfast News Letter (Northern Ireland), November 30, 1921.
Items collected: M. D. Tracy, “Arbuckle Ready to Go on Stand,” Daily Republican (Rushville, IN), November 25, 1921.
“How do you know that among all the millions”: Haley, “Women Witnesses Aid Arbuckle Defense in Fatty’s Darkest Hour.”
History of fingerprinting: “History,” ch. 1 in U.S. Department of Justice, The Fingerprint Sourcebook (Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Justice, 2013), 1–21; “Edmond Locard,” The Forensics Library, http://aboutforensics.co.uk/edmond-locard.
minutiae points found at the end of friction ridge: “Fingerprint Recognition,” Federal Bureau of Investigation document, https://fbi.gov/file-repository/about-us-cjis-fingerprints_biometrics-biometric-center-of-excellences-fingerprint-recognition.pdf/view.