American Monsters: Harvey Church
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Zevon Odelberg is a true crime podcast host and disability advocate. Zevon has cerebral palsy and he wants Kinda Murdery to be welcoming community for people with disabilities and for people living with challenges of any kind. Life can be hard, but being together makes it better.
Speaker 1: Warning. Kind of Murdery contains adult themes, explicit language, and
Speaker 1: descriptions of violence. It is not suitable for anyone, and
Speaker 1: we recommend you stop listening. Now. True crime with a
Speaker 1: dash of the paranormal, the garish, the strange, in the
Speaker 1: darkly comic. I'm Zevan Odleberg, and you've found your way
Speaker 1: to kind of Murdery, a place that means more than
Speaker 1: just murder. It's my very own pocket dimension, home to
Speaker 1: a curated collection of bizarre and compelling stories. The unsolved,
Speaker 1: the unsettling, and the unbelievable. I cover it all just
Speaker 1: so long as it's kind of murdery. Hey, everybody, welcome
Speaker 1: to Kind of Murdery. I'm your host, Zevan Odleberg. Thank
Speaker 1: you so much for deciding to be here. I've got
Speaker 1: a great story here for you today, guys. It's about
Speaker 1: a young man named Harvey Church who had a craving
Speaker 1: for a particular automobile. Little did he know that that
Speaker 1: is desire would unleash a chain reaction of hideous violence, mystery,
Speaker 1: and tragedy. Kind of Murdery starts now. Carl Osmas and
Speaker 1: James Doherty had been missing for ten days. Both were
Speaker 1: sales representatives of a well known firm manufacturing an expensive automobile. Unfortunately,
Speaker 1: the company and the specific car cannot be mentioned here,
Speaker 1: but Carl and James were last seen the morning they
Speaker 1: drove a new machine out of the company's displayroom garage
Speaker 1: on South Michigan Boulevard. They were to give a demonstration
Speaker 1: to a prospect, Harvey Church, a young man living on
Speaker 1: the West Side. Osmas had been after Church for some time,
Speaker 1: endeavoring to sell him a car. On this particular morning,
Speaker 1: a new model had come in. Doherty, an older hand
Speaker 1: at the game, accompanied Osmas in an effort to close
Speaker 1: the deal. Some hours later, about the middle of the afternoon,
Speaker 1: and the manager of the agency, Edward G. Cartwright, received
Speaker 1: a telephone call from Dockerty to the effect that a
Speaker 1: successful demonstration of the machine had been made and the
Speaker 1: sale had been consummated. That was the last herd of
Speaker 1: the two men, Karl Osmus and James Doherty. The fact
Speaker 1: that they did not report back to the office that
Speaker 1: day was not surprising, as the sale of the car
Speaker 1: carried with it a good sized commission. It was thought
Speaker 1: that they'd knocked off for the bounds of the afternoon
Speaker 1: to celebrate, but late evening came and their respective wives
Speaker 1: phoned the office and inquired for their husbands. They had
Speaker 1: not come home for their suppers. There was still no
Speaker 1: sign of them by the following morning, and it began
Speaker 1: to look as though something were a miss. Of course,
Speaker 1: the police were notified at once that the two men
Speaker 1: were missing, and accompanied by Cartwright and other officials of
Speaker 1: the automobile firm, went to the last known place that
Speaker 1: Osmas and Doherty had been, the home of Harvey Church.
Speaker 1: In front of the latter's house stood the automobile that
Speaker 1: Dougherty reported he had sold. Church greeted the party and
Speaker 1: appeared greatly surprised at their visit. He was a youth
Speaker 1: about twenty two yearsyears old, with dark brown eyes and hair.
Speaker 1: He had a frank, easygoing manner, though still very young.
Speaker 1: He was in the bond business and had achieved no
Speaker 1: little success, as the appearance and furnishings of his home
Speaker 1: plainly indicated. His mother was with him when the officers
Speaker 1: and automobile men called, and also a young woman, miss
Speaker 1: Anna Barrett, his fiance. She was visiting the churches from
Speaker 1: out of town. When informed of the reason for their
Speaker 1: unexpected visit. Church disclaimed all knowledge of the missing men's
Speaker 1: whereabouts or their activities after they'd settled their business with him.
Speaker 1: I see that the car the boys drove is outside.
Speaker 1: Cart Wright said, you bought it, didn't you? Well? Yes, why, yes,
Speaker 1: I did, replied Church. I bought it, didn't you know?
Speaker 1: I remember one of the men calling into the office
Speaker 1: after the deal was made. Yeah, yeah, I got the call,
Speaker 1: Kurt Right, admitted. Doherty phoned me that you'd made the purchase.
Speaker 1: I made an inquiry just to check up on him.
Speaker 1: On what terms did you take the car from Doherty
Speaker 1: in Osma's Mister Church, Well, I paid them six thousand
Speaker 1: in cash, and I drew up an agreement on my
Speaker 1: typewriter here that if they would not turn the account
Speaker 1: over to a financing house, I would pay the two
Speaker 1: thousand ballants within three months. Church replied his statement of
Speaker 1: such a large cash payment came as a surprise, and
Speaker 1: he went on to explain that it had been an
Speaker 1: agreement drawn up because of the fact that if the
Speaker 1: account was turned over to a financing house there naturally
Speaker 1: would be an investigation, and for business reasons, he did
Speaker 1: not care to have his firm know that he had
Speaker 1: purchased such an expensive car. Asked if he had a receipt,
Speaker 1: He produced one signed by Doherty. Cartwright knew the signature well,
Speaker 1: and the receipts showed that an initial payment of six
Speaker 1: thousand dollars had been made, just as Church had stated.
Speaker 1: He also showed a carbon copy of the agreement that
Speaker 1: he and the two men had drawn up as reference
Speaker 1: to the balance payments. This was signed by both osmas
Speaker 1: and Doherty, and by Church himself. Cartwright at once identified
Speaker 1: the signatures of his two men as genuine, and Church
Speaker 1: explained that the original copy of the agreement had been
Speaker 1: turned over to Doherty while he had kept the duplicate.
Speaker 1: It was evident that any mishap that might have befallen
Speaker 1: the two men occurred after they left the church home.
Speaker 1: Church had paid them an exceptionally large sum of money
Speaker 1: instead of the usual and n payment, and that had
Speaker 1: been made by cash instead of check. So one of
Speaker 1: two things was certain. Osma's and Doherty were either victims
Speaker 1: of foul play or had absconded with the money. The
Speaker 1: first theory was discredited immediately, even though they had six
Speaker 1: or even sixty thousand dollars in cash on their persons.
Speaker 1: What could have happened to the two men in the
Speaker 1: city of Chicago in broad daylight had been a tough
Speaker 1: neighborhood and at night, and they flashed the money so
Speaker 1: that prying eyes might have seen it. The theory of
Speaker 1: foul play might be well founded, but such was not
Speaker 1: the case. Church's home was in a residential district. No
Speaker 1: one knew that the two automobile men were in possession
Speaker 1: of the money. Even if it had been known, it
Speaker 1: was hardly probable that they could have been waylaid and
Speaker 1: robbed en route to the car line two blocks away
Speaker 1: without the affair being seen. An inquiry of the immediate
Speaker 1: neighborhood revealed that nothing of the sort had taken place.
Speaker 1: Cartwright hesitated to suspect his two salesmen of theft. He
Speaker 1: had known both a considerable length of time, and both
Speaker 1: men bore, as far as he or any of their
Speaker 1: individual associate's new spotless records. However, at the expiration of
Speaker 1: another three days in which they had still not put
Speaker 1: in their appearance, he acceded to the demands of the
Speaker 1: company's head office and swore out warrants charging both Osma's
Speaker 1: and Doherty with grand larceny. The hunt was on in
Speaker 1: earnest At this point. Preston Hickey of the Minneapolis News
Speaker 1: was assigned to the case by his managing editor. He
Speaker 1: received a note that said, should anything of importance in
Speaker 1: the James Doherty Karl Osma's case, break cover it for
Speaker 1: both the Saint Paul and ourselves. Doherty is a native
Speaker 1: of Saint Paul and a graduate of Minnesota and a
Speaker 1: well known athlete here. When he received the note from
Speaker 1: his boss, Preston Hickey was on a leave of absence
Speaker 1: from the Minneapolis News, recuperating from a slight attack of influenza,
Speaker 1: accompanied by his cousin Otis Trevor, an artist. He was
Speaker 1: spending a few weeks at Marlborough, the summer resort owned
Speaker 1: by his father at Crystal Lake, Illinois. Following the note
Speaker 1: from the editor, Preston Hickey kept his eye on the
Speaker 1: morning and evening news papers of the police activities, ready
Speaker 1: at a moment's notice to speed into Chicago and get
Speaker 1: on the job for an interviewer a feature should either
Speaker 1: of the two men be apprehended. Another five days brought
Speaker 1: no clue of them, though the hunt had assumed the
Speaker 1: proportions of a nationwide affair sponsored by the insurance company
Speaker 1: who covered the automobile concern. This time, when Hickey's return
Speaker 1: to Minneapolis was near, he concluded to drive and see
Speaker 1: Cartwright personally. There was a possible chance that some progress
Speaker 1: might have been made which, for one reason or another,
Speaker 1: had not been revealed in the papers. The police suspected
Speaker 1: a theft plot that involved not only James Doherty and
Speaker 1: carl Osmos but also their wives, and as such they'd
Speaker 1: kept close watch on the house and even intercepted phone messages,
Speaker 1: but nothing had been learned. On Saturday, September seventeenth, nineteen
Speaker 1: twenty two, Hickey and his cousin Otis arose early and
Speaker 1: left the manor for a fifty five mile drive into town.
Speaker 1: He followed what is now the Great Crete Northwest Highway,
Speaker 1: then a gravel road frequented by very little motorists. The road,
Speaker 1: for a good portion of the way followed the course
Speaker 1: of the Deplain's River, which, though a comparatively short narrow stream,
Speaker 1: is very beautiful. Hickey reached Maywood, twenty six miles outside
Speaker 1: of Chicago, at about eight fifteen am. Passed through the
Speaker 1: town and continued on to appoint a mile or so beyond.
Speaker 1: He was just in the act of making a turn
Speaker 1: where the road swings away from the river, when a
Speaker 1: cry reached his ears, bringing the machine to a stop
Speaker 1: and looking down the slope in the direction of the river,
Speaker 1: he saw two boys gesticulating wildly with their arms and
Speaker 1: running towards him. They were dressed in the uniforms of
Speaker 1: boy scouts. They reached the roadway well out of breath.
Speaker 1: In voices that quivered with excitement, they told the reporter
Speaker 1: that they'd found the body of a man lying in
Speaker 1: the water near the shore. Here for a moment, we'll
Speaker 1: hear Hickey's first person account of how he encountered the body.
Speaker 1: They were on a hike, they said, and had come
Speaker 1: down to the body quite by accident. Would we please
Speaker 1: come down and take a look? We would, of course,
Speaker 1: and we did. Arriving at the spot and preceded by
Speaker 1: the two scouts, we saw the fully clothed, partially submerged
Speaker 1: body of a man lying about ten feet from the shore.
Speaker 1: To all appearances, the body had floated down the river
Speaker 1: and either grounded in the shallow water or had run
Speaker 1: up against a dead head or some other obstruction. Testing
Speaker 1: the ground for quicksand beds, we waded out to the corpse,
Speaker 1: and with the aid of the scouts, succeeded in dragging
Speaker 1: it up to the bank. Considering that the body weighed
Speaker 1: about two hundred pounds and dead weighed at that it
Speaker 1: was no simple task. It took but a glance to
Speaker 1: see that the man had been murdered. The body had
Speaker 1: been frightfully man handled. A single handcuff bracelet was attached
Speaker 1: to one of the wrists, a small rope was twisted
Speaker 1: about the throat, and the head had almost been severed
Speaker 1: from the trunk. There were bruises about the head and face,
Speaker 1: and the body had been in the river for some time.
Speaker 1: As soon as the body was on the shore, Hickey
Speaker 1: dispatched the two scouts to Maywood to notify the police,
Speaker 1: and during their absence he made a hasty ser which
Speaker 1: of the clothing in an effort to establish its identity.
Speaker 1: The pockets of the trousers invest revealed nothing, nor at
Speaker 1: first did those of the coat. He was at the
Speaker 1: point of giving up and merely standing guard over the
Speaker 1: corpse until the arrival of the police. Then cousin Otis
Speaker 1: made a discovery that had been overlooked previously. The coat
Speaker 1: of the man had two inner pockets, one on either side,
Speaker 1: which is very unusual and as a rule, only occurs
Speaker 1: in the case of some maid to order clothes from
Speaker 1: the pocket on the left side. Otis pulled out some
Speaker 1: water soak papers. There were but two. One was a
Speaker 1: typewritten sheet, and the other was an envelope, the letter
Speaker 1: which it originally contained being missing, though almost obliterated by
Speaker 1: the water. The typewritten sheet revealed itself as a bill
Speaker 1: of sale agreement, but so blurred that a comprehensive reading
Speaker 1: of its text was practically impossible. Then reporter Hickey and
Speaker 1: cousin Otis turned their attention to the envelope, and when
Speaker 1: they finally deciphered the name there also typewritten, they gasped
Speaker 1: in astonishment. It was addressed to James Doherty at a
Speaker 1: South'side address and was postmarked from Minneapolis, some two weeks
Speaker 1: before my god Otis, Hickey cried, I believe this is
Speaker 1: the automobile salesman. I believe I've solved the automobile mystery.
Speaker 1: Cousin Otis agreed. It was evident that Doherty's murderer had
Speaker 1: stripped his victim of everything which he might possibly be
Speaker 1: identified by before throwing the body into the river, but
Speaker 1: had overlooked that extra pocket in the coat, as Hickey
Speaker 1: and his cousin had done. At first. Convinced beyond a
Speaker 1: reasonable doubt that the man was Doherty, they once more
Speaker 1: began a scrutiny of the blurred typewritten sheet, and by
Speaker 1: dint of much guesswork and ciphering, found that it was
Speaker 1: the original copy of the agreement given by Church to
Speaker 1: the salesman pertaining to the balance payment on the car.
Speaker 1: They also speculated about the possibility of Karl Osmus's body
Speaker 1: also being in the river near Bouts, or the vague
Speaker 1: chance that Karl himself was now a fugitive murderer as
Speaker 1: well as a thief. When approaching footsteps and voices attracted
Speaker 1: their attention. Looking up, they saw the boy scouts returning,
Speaker 1: followed by the sheriff of McHenry County, whom Hickey knew slightly,
Speaker 1: and there was a score or so of other men
Speaker 1: attracted by curiosity to the spot, with the oncoming men
Speaker 1: less than fifty feet away and obscured for the moment
Speaker 1: by a clump of trees. Hickey turned to cousin Otis,
Speaker 1: keep mum about finding these papers, he said, placing them
Speaker 1: in his pocket. We haven't searched the body, nor have
Speaker 1: we any idea who it is. See. After a brief
Speaker 1: examination of the spot where the body had been found,
Speaker 1: the sheriff had it carried to the waiting truck to
Speaker 1: be taken to the morgue at Maywood. Then Hickey and
Speaker 1: Otis were on their way again. What was the idea
Speaker 1: duck in those papers, Otis asked his cousin. We might
Speaker 1: get into a jam if they should find out we
Speaker 1: tampered with anything on the body. I know it, Hickey replied,
Speaker 1: but I've got a hunch it's worth a try anyway.
Speaker 1: Raging the city, he drove directly to the home of
Speaker 1: Harvey Church. Upon arriving there, Hickey found it to be
Speaker 1: a duplex building. Church and his mother lived on the
Speaker 1: lower floor. Hickey wasn't sure what his intentions were, nor
Speaker 1: what he would have said if there was an answer
Speaker 1: to the ring, but he pressed the bell simply on
Speaker 1: the impulse of the moment. But there was no answer,
Speaker 1: and after several unsuccessful summons, it became evident that there
Speaker 1: was no one at home. Hickey and Otis were at
Speaker 1: the point of leaving the house when a door opened
Speaker 1: on the floor above. There were heavy footsteps, and presently
Speaker 1: a man appeared at the head of the stairs looking
Speaker 1: for someone. He inquired politely, Yes, I came here to
Speaker 1: see mister Church, but there doesn't appear to be anyone here,
Speaker 1: at least I didn't get any response to my ring.
Speaker 1: They're away, came the reply. Left yesterday morning for Addison, Wisconsin,
Speaker 1: where they have a farm. I don't expect they'll be
Speaker 1: back for a week or so, at least that's what
Speaker 1: they told my wife. Mister Church was going to help
Speaker 1: his father with some work. Oh I see, Hickey said.
Speaker 1: You know them quite well, do you well? Not very
Speaker 1: only use neighbors in the house. They've only been here
Speaker 1: a short time, and I'm away a good bit of
Speaker 1: the time myself travel. You know. Was there anything I
Speaker 1: could do? Any message you'd care to leave? Reporter Hickey
Speaker 1: could see that he and Otis's visit had aroused the
Speaker 1: man's curiosity beyond the casual politeness that he affected. No,
Speaker 1: I guess not, Hickey replied, I'm from the Automobile Insurance Company,
Speaker 1: and I just wanted to see him and learn exactly
Speaker 1: what took place before those two missing salesmen left. No
Speaker 1: doubt you've read about it, well, I should say I have,
Speaker 1: and I say, said the neighbor coming down the stairs.
Speaker 1: That is a funny thing, isn't it. I was home
Speaker 1: the day about the car. I saw those fellows when
Speaker 1: they first drove up. You did, Hickey said, casually, very casually. Well, yeah,
Speaker 1: they got here about ten in the morning. After a bit,
Speaker 1: Church and his mother and some young women left the
Speaker 1: house with them, and they all drove away. I'd just
Speaker 1: finished up lunch and was sitting by the window reading
Speaker 1: when Church came back and the two men came back.
Speaker 1: The women folks weren't with them. My wife was going out,
Speaker 1: and as the three came in, and during a brief
Speaker 1: exchange of words, Church said he'd just driven his mother
Speaker 1: and the other woman over to Indiana Harbor in the
Speaker 1: new machine which he was going to buy. Well, and
Speaker 1: you know, sir, I was mighty interested in this when
Speaker 1: my wife told me about it, because it was a
Speaker 1: beautiful car and it must have cost a lot of money.
Speaker 1: Now I know, Young Church was in the bond business,
Speaker 1: but I didn't think he could afford cars like that.
Speaker 1: I sat there looking at it and wishing it was mine,
Speaker 1: if I'm honest with you. This was maybe three o'clock,
Speaker 1: and by the by I saw Church come out and
Speaker 1: get into the machine and drive away. He was alone
Speaker 1: this time, which struck me as kind of funny, because
Speaker 1: I hadn't parked by the window ever since lunch, and
Speaker 1: I hadn't seen those other two fellows leave. But I
Speaker 1: guess I just missed him. Hickey was very interested now
Speaker 1: in this narrative of his voluntary informant, although he endeavored
Speaker 1: not to appear so interested. Is that all that happened?
Speaker 1: He inquired? Didn't Church come back? Oh? Yes, said the neighbor.
Speaker 1: In an hour or so. He had some bundles with him,
Speaker 1: and he drove the car round to the garage. I
Speaker 1: didn't see any more of him that day, but I
Speaker 1: heard him drive away about seven o'clock that night. He
Speaker 1: was gone, I guess till the following morning, because he
Speaker 1: hadn't returned when I went to bed, and I stayed
Speaker 1: up later than usual puttering over some reports that I
Speaker 1: had to get off. When he came back he had
Speaker 1: his mother and the young woman with him. That was
Speaker 1: the day the police officers came out here, wasn't it.
Speaker 1: The fellow thought for a moment, Well, yes, I believe
Speaker 1: it was, he said at last, well, I know it was,
Speaker 1: actually because I left town that morning and the next
Speaker 1: day I got a letter from my wife telling me
Speaker 1: about the police being here. Following a few moments of
Speaker 1: inconsequential conversation, Hickey and Notice thanked the man, who gave
Speaker 1: his name as Fulton E. Ross, and they took their
Speaker 1: departure from the church home. Hickey and Otis drove directly
Speaker 1: to the Automobile Concerns offices on Michigan Boulevard. Hickey made
Speaker 1: inquiry for mister Cartwright and was shown to his office,
Speaker 1: where he found he was on the point of going
Speaker 1: to lunch. Introducing himself, Hickey showed him a copy of
Speaker 1: Robertson's telegram and explained his mission. My leave of absence
Speaker 1: down here is coming to a close, he said, and
Speaker 1: as my paper requested something on this story, I have
Speaker 1: called on you on the chance that perhaps there is
Speaker 1: some development that, for one reason or another, you're not
Speaker 1: making public. I'm sorry. Cartwright replied, but there's nothing. I
Speaker 1: wish there were, though. This whole affair has been a
Speaker 1: great shock to me, and I hope the mystery surrounding
Speaker 1: it is soon cleared up. Well, said Hickey, since you
Speaker 1: have nothing, perhaps I can help things a little. Well,
Speaker 1: what do you mean, Cartwright asked, looking at me in surprise.
Speaker 1: I mean, Hickey replied, with keen enjoyment of the surprise
Speaker 1: he was about to spring that the body of the
Speaker 1: murdered man was found in the Deplain's River near Maywood
Speaker 1: by two boy scouts this morning. The body is now
Speaker 1: in the custody of the police, and although they probably
Speaker 1: will fail to identify owing to the disfiguration, I have
Speaker 1: every reason to believe and I am positive that it
Speaker 1: is James Doherty. Well what makes you think so, exclaimed Cartwright,
Speaker 1: his eyes wide with wonder. Did you know Doherty? No,
Speaker 1: Hickey replied, I didn't know him, but I found these
Speaker 1: papers in one of the man's pockets, and they seemed
Speaker 1: to make the identification certain. Hickey handed the documents over
Speaker 1: to Cartwright, who scrutinized the envelope and paper carefully. By George,
Speaker 1: he said, I bet you're right. But if these papers
Speaker 1: were on the body. How is it that the identity
Speaker 1: is not already known to the police. When I found
Speaker 1: out who the man was, I replied, or who I
Speaker 1: thought he was, and that it was apparent that he
Speaker 1: had been murdered. I figured that the less known of
Speaker 1: his identity just yet, the better. Should the man who
Speaker 1: killed him read that an unidentified man had been found,
Speaker 1: he will feel safe and probably will not take the
Speaker 1: precautions to cover up his trail that he might under
Speaker 1: different circumstances. Well, that's so too, agreed cart Wright. What's
Speaker 1: on your mind? Now? What are you proposed to do?
Speaker 1: There's only one thing to do, notify the police, I answered.
Speaker 1: I'm not a detective, and the affair is nothing to me.
Speaker 1: But I've been in the game long enough to know
Speaker 1: that criminals, a lot of them, based their activities on
Speaker 1: newspaper reports as to what the movements of the police are.
Speaker 1: So far, this has been kept in the dark. My
Speaker 1: only purpose in coming to you first, or at all,
Speaker 1: before notifying the police, was to learn if you might
Speaker 1: have something to add to the case. Cartwright called the
Speaker 1: police department, and before long, two plain clothed men who'd
Speaker 1: previously been assigned to the case were ushered in. Cartwright
Speaker 1: introduced them to Hickey and cousin Otis as detective John
Speaker 1: Newton and Walter Shoemaker, and proceeded to relate Hickey's story
Speaker 1: to them. Hickey had described, as best he could from
Speaker 1: the appearance of the body, what the dead man looked like,
Speaker 1: and Cartwright declared the description in a general way fitted Doherty.
Speaker 1: The two detectives said that the department had been notified
Speaker 1: of the finding of the man's body, but of course
Speaker 1: had no notion as to who it might be. And
Speaker 1: now that we're all together, Hickey said, when the police
Speaker 1: had finished and he had answered several questions put to
Speaker 1: him by the officers, here's another point. After leaving May
Speaker 1: one this morning, cousin Otis and I drove to the
Speaker 1: church home and had a talk with the tenant upstairs.
Speaker 1: He's just gotten back from a business trip. Now, I
Speaker 1: wasn't trying to butt in on the police, but I'm
Speaker 1: a newspaper writer, and I guess just naturally newsy and
Speaker 1: I knew that regardless of whether I saw church or not,
Speaker 1: I wouldn't be doing any harm. Hickey then told them
Speaker 1: the result of his conversation with Ross, following which there
Speaker 1: was a general discussion all around. He learned that Cartwright
Speaker 1: was aware that Church was out of town. Church had
Speaker 1: been into the office the day before, asking if anything
Speaker 1: had been heard of the two men, and telling Cartwright
Speaker 1: that he was leaving with his mother for a brief
Speaker 1: trip to his father's farm up near Addison. Hickey also
Speaker 1: learned that a thorough check on Church's cash payment for
Speaker 1: the automobile story had been made by the police. They
Speaker 1: had learned that he'd made a large withdrawal from the
Speaker 1: Continental and Commercial Trust and Savings Bank, where he kept
Speaker 1: his account on the day previous to the purchase of
Speaker 1: the machine, in a roundabout way so as not to
Speaker 1: hurt the man standing. They learned that he was held
Speaker 1: in high regard by the firm for which he worked.
Speaker 1: He recently had received a commission check for bond sales, which,
Speaker 1: with the amount he had withdrawn from the bank, made
Speaker 1: a total of considerable more than had been paid to
Speaker 1: the salesman. The officers did not take so much stock
Speaker 1: in the fact that Ross had not seen Osmus and
Speaker 1: Doherty leave the Church home upon returning from the Indiana Harbor,
Speaker 1: and Hickey agreed with them The police were inclined to
Speaker 1: believe that Dougherty had met foul play at the hands
Speaker 1: of Osmas, either in an attempt to retain possession of
Speaker 1: the money paid him for the company, or as the
Speaker 1: result of a falling out among thieves. This conjecture was
Speaker 1: not illogical. One thing, however, which they admitted, puzzled them,
Speaker 1: was the handcuff around Doherty's wrist. Only one bracelet of
Speaker 1: the pair had been locked on the dead man's arm,
Speaker 1: the other was missing. Well, E've investigated this fellow Church
Speaker 1: pretty thoroughly, declared Detective Noon, at length, and I'm satisfied
Speaker 1: he's not in this so far, though we've been working
Speaker 1: on a hunch and we've got nothing. Doherty's body has
Speaker 1: been found. Now that makes several things possible. It may
Speaker 1: be that he and Osmas had some quarrel and then
Speaker 1: Osmas killed him and beat it with the money. Or
Speaker 1: it may be that both of them were murdered and
Speaker 1: thrown in the river, and that Osmas is still there.
Speaker 1: And what this bird Roth did or didn't see might
Speaker 1: not make any difference. And then again it might. But
Speaker 1: I'll tell you what we might do. We might take
Speaker 1: a run out to churcher's house and sort of look
Speaker 1: things over on the quiet. What do you mean search
Speaker 1: the house without permission, asked Shoemaker. All sure, agreed Noonon.
Speaker 1: That sounded pretty high handed to Hickey, breaking into a
Speaker 1: man's home without a warrant, And I guess it must
Speaker 1: have sounded the same way to Shoemaker, for he seemed
Speaker 1: doubtful after we ranstract this guy's house and find nothing. Well,
Speaker 1: then a sweet balling from the chief for disobeying orders
Speaker 1: and maybe suspension. I'm not strong for it, said Shoemaker.
Speaker 1: Noonan put up an argument, probably more from a desire
Speaker 1: to win his point than any wish to search the
Speaker 1: church home, and in the end he prevailed. Hickey left
Speaker 1: his car in the company garage and they all drove
Speaker 1: out in the police machine, stopping and rooted a newsstand
Speaker 1: where they secured a copy of the Chicago American Noon edition,
Speaker 1: which contained the story of the unidentified burder victim found
Speaker 1: in the de Planes River. Arriving at the church house,
Speaker 1: the police went at once to the Ross apartment. After
Speaker 1: a long interview with that man, decided that come what may,
Speaker 1: they were going to search Church's home. Entrance was made
Speaker 1: by means of a pass key through the kitchen door, which,
Speaker 1: though locked, had not been fastened with the night bolt.
Speaker 1: From the inside, the apartment was in spick and span
Speaker 1: order and very tastefully furnished. A very thorough search, in
Speaker 1: which the officers exercise care not to disturb the order
Speaker 1: of the place, failed to reveal anything that would connect
Speaker 1: young Church with the disappearance of the two men in
Speaker 1: a small metal box and what was evidently Church's den.
Speaker 1: Police found a receipt for the car and the carbon
Speaker 1: copy of the original and smeared agreement taken from Doherty's body.
Speaker 1: The place was as barren of clues as a hen
Speaker 1: of its proverbial teeth. I think we better get out
Speaker 1: of this, Jordan, get out pronto, declared Shoemaker, who was
Speaker 1: plainly illities. We'd be a fine looking company if those
Speaker 1: folks should walk in the front door, now, wouldn't we, Then,
Speaker 1: turning to Noonan, who was opening and shutting doors and
Speaker 1: creating a general racket. What are you snooping around for now?
Speaker 1: Maybe we're off on the wrong foot, declared Noonan, but
Speaker 1: while we're here, we might as well make a good
Speaker 1: job of it. There must be a basement door. Somewhere, yes, here,
Speaker 1: we are. Nonan opened a door that led off the
Speaker 1: short hallway connecting the kitchen in the dining room and said,
Speaker 1: come on, everybody. Hickey, cousin Otis and the police tripped
Speaker 1: down a flight of narrow stairs and found themselves in
Speaker 1: a pit of impenetrable blackness. Stumbling and feeling his way
Speaker 1: about with the aid of his pocket torch, Detective Nonan
Speaker 1: finally discovered the electric switch, and a moment later the
Speaker 1: basement was flooded with light. The search there was a
Speaker 1: short duration. Revelations came so thick and fast as to
Speaker 1: leave everyone paralyzed with amazement. The entire rear end of
Speaker 1: the basement, between the coal bin and the stairs leading
Speaker 1: to the yard bore evidences of a terrible struggle. The
Speaker 1: floor and the walls in this area were literally covered
Speaker 1: with bloodstains. Following this discovery, the police began their efforts
Speaker 1: in earnest and presently Shoemaker emerged from the dark interior
Speaker 1: of the coal bin carrying a blood stained quilt wrapped
Speaker 1: about a double bladed timber axe, besmeared with the telltale stains.
Speaker 1: Almost simultaneously, Noonan, who had been lashing his light under
Speaker 1: the cellar, gave a cry and dragged out a bundle
Speaker 1: similar to that found by Shoemaker. Unrolling it on the floor,
Speaker 1: they found it to be a suit of clothes of
Speaker 1: light gray material, with great dark brown splotches down the
Speaker 1: front of the coat and pants. The suit had been
Speaker 1: wrapped around a bloodstained hammer and a baseball bat, to
Speaker 1: the end of which clung wisps of matted hair. So
Speaker 1: shocking were these discoveries, and so utterly surprised was everyone
Speaker 1: at finding them, that they were all speechless. Nor was
Speaker 1: the evidence that now lay piled up on the floor
Speaker 1: all that the basement revealed. Palling through a box of
Speaker 1: junk in the corner, Hickey found a salesman's manual bearing
Speaker 1: Doherty's name, and, not to be outdone by the others,
Speaker 1: Otis and Cartwright, who were on a little expedition of
Speaker 1: their own, produced a dark fedora hat containing the letters
Speaker 1: c AA Auspice's initials, and a brown cap, which Cartwright
Speaker 1: immediately identified as belonging to Doherty. Nothing more was revealed
Speaker 1: by the search, Nothing more was needed. The evidence was complete,
Speaker 1: and yet it was evidence that would make one stop
Speaker 1: and wonder even the most amateurish criminal or murderer, especially
Speaker 1: the latter, through instinct alone, it would seem, would have
Speaker 1: made an effort to dispose of nearly as possible every
Speaker 1: scrap of evidence that possibly might incriminate him. Here the
Speaker 1: men had found initial hats, clubs, clothes, an axe, and
Speaker 1: a quilt, each in itself a document of horror. And
Speaker 1: on top of these the stained floor and walls, on
Speaker 1: which not the slightest effort had been made to efface
Speaker 1: the marks. It appeared that the murderer, in a frenzy
Speaker 1: of fear, had sought to hide his guilt by hurling
Speaker 1: the damning tools of his work helter skelter at any
Speaker 1: spot that offered a hiding place, much as a child
Speaker 1: might throw a dish. It is broken under the sink.
Speaker 1: It sure is one hell of a business. Noonan declared,
Speaker 1: when at last they'd laid their various fines out on
Speaker 1: the floor in a motley heap. I'm digging it fell
Speaker 1: as a rope for mister Church. To my way of reasoning,
Speaker 1: Doherty and Osmus were trapped down here and slain and
Speaker 1: man handcuffed. Racial ain't a puzzle to me anymore. When
Speaker 1: he'd finished with this dastardly business. Church drove the bodies
Speaker 1: of these men to some point along with the Plains river.
Speaker 1: He handcuffed their wrists together, and the probability is that
Speaker 1: he tied a piece of stone to the leg of
Speaker 1: one of them and throw them in the river. I
Speaker 1: believe those handcuffs broke, allowing Doherty's body to float to
Speaker 1: the shallow spot where it was found, and the remains
Speaker 1: of Osman's will be found in deeper water. That was
Speaker 1: the wisest thing you ever did. Arguing with me against
Speaker 1: coming here, Newton continued, a dressing shoemaker. I wasn't particular
Speaker 1: about coming out, and I didn't expect to find anything
Speaker 1: if we did come. But when you talked against it,
Speaker 1: I got stubborn and insisted on having my way. Ha,
Speaker 1: do you agree to it readily? In the first place,
Speaker 1: the chances are we wouldn't have come. My God. If
Speaker 1: there's one thing I can't understand, it's why that damn
Speaker 1: fool didn't dispose of this stuff. He could have left
Speaker 1: this place as bare of evidence as the floor above
Speaker 1: had he had any brains. But we got a lot
Speaker 1: of work to do. Let's get busy. We can talk later.
Speaker 1: The machinery. The law was immediately put into action within
Speaker 1: the hour in response to a telephone called to headquarters.
Speaker 1: By noon in a deputy coroner, accompanied by several detectives
Speaker 1: and a representative of the State Attorney's office had arrived,
Speaker 1: carefully examined the premises and made photographs of the basement
Speaker 1: and the evidence found. The bloody relics were then appropriated
Speaker 1: by the state's attorneys representative for safekeeping and presentations to
Speaker 1: the grand jury. Stepping back from the story here for
Speaker 1: a moment, I got to say, I am really curious
Speaker 1: how the heck they're going to get around the illegal
Speaker 1: search and seizure part of the discovery of this evidence.
Speaker 1: All right back to the story. In the meantime, a
Speaker 1: wire had been dispatched to the Chief of Police at Addison, Wisconsin,
Speaker 1: ordering the immediate apprehension of Harvey Church. He was arrested
Speaker 1: driving in the streets of Addison, accompanied by his mother
Speaker 1: and father, and though extradition papers had already been issued,
Speaker 1: it was learned, somewhat to the surprise of the police,
Speaker 1: that Church would not fight being brought back to Cook County.
Speaker 1: It was first suspected that he had not been made
Speaker 1: aware of the nature of the charges against him, but
Speaker 1: this was later discovered to be wrong. Once started on
Speaker 1: a clue, the police worked with remarkable rapidity. Before nightfall,
Speaker 1: squads from the town Hall station in Chicago were busily
Speaker 1: engaged dragging the de Plains River around the vicinity where
Speaker 1: Doherty's body had been found, in an effort to bring
Speaker 1: the body of Osmos to the surface. With the first
Speaker 1: definite knowledge, the Church was safely under arrest, the information
Speaker 1: was released to the papers that the man found in
Speaker 1: the river was Doherty, and thousands of persons from Chicago
Speaker 1: and the near vicinity crowded the river banks watching the
Speaker 1: officer's work. The following morning, Harvey Church was brought under
Speaker 1: heavy guard from Addison, Wisconsin. He was taken immediately to
Speaker 1: the office of the State Attorney, where, after brief and
Speaker 1: unimportant preliminary questioning, he was accused of the murder of
Speaker 1: both Doherty and Osmos and faced with the evidence of
Speaker 1: his guilt. During the first part of the interrogation, Church
Speaker 1: made brief and for the most part, unsatisfactory answers to
Speaker 1: the questions put to him, but in site of the
Speaker 1: bloody relics. He shut up like a clam and seemed stunned.
Speaker 1: When harder, he became impatient and made a vehement denial
Speaker 1: of having anything whatsoever to do with the killing of
Speaker 1: the two men. If killed, they indeed were in view
Speaker 1: of what lay piled on the table before him, the bat,
Speaker 1: the axe, the hammer, the quilt, and other articles found,
Speaker 1: all bearing the telltale blood stains, and so close that
Speaker 1: had he reached out his hand he could have touched them.
Speaker 1: This line of argument was extremely ridiculous. However, any surprise
Speaker 1: that his stand may have caused those in the room
Speaker 1: was as nothing as compared to that which came when
Speaker 1: pressed harder and harder for a confession, he suddenly made
Speaker 1: an astounding declaration. He admitted that that which had been
Speaker 1: found in the basement of his home placed him in
Speaker 1: a quote very embarrassing position, but said that if he
Speaker 1: really had killed the two men, he had absolutely no
Speaker 1: recollection of the deed to the authorities. This statement carried
Speaker 1: about as much weight as his flat denial of any
Speaker 1: knowledge of the affair had. But arguing and threatened as
Speaker 1: they might, he could not be persuaded or intimidated to
Speaker 1: change the statement a bit, nor did three days of
Speaker 1: merciless grillings suffice to break him down. In the meantime,
Speaker 1: having failed in their efforts to locate Osmace's body by
Speaker 1: probing or with grappling hooks, the police began dynamiting the
Speaker 1: river at many spots where the water was quite deep
Speaker 1: and where they thought it was likely the corpse might be.
Speaker 1: But this too proved equally futile. Having denied any knowledge
Speaker 1: of the murders, and having declared that if he had
Speaker 1: done the deed, he didn't remember it, it was hardly
Speaker 1: natural to suppose that Church would shed any light on
Speaker 1: the whereabouts of Osmas's body. This guest proved correct. Approached
Speaker 1: on the subject, he gave a bored laugh. In view
Speaker 1: of the fact that I know nothing of the affair,
Speaker 1: How could I be supposed to know where the man's
Speaker 1: body is? He inquired. For the time being, the authorities
Speaker 1: decided to leave him alone and pursue their own course.
Speaker 1: With Doherty's mutilated body and the instruments of the terrible
Speaker 1: deed in hand, they had enough evidence to assure a conviction,
Speaker 1: but they wanted, if possible, to make the case absolutely complete.
Speaker 1: In this they suddenly were successful. Detectives Nonan and Shoemaker
Speaker 1: were still chasing down clues in the case. They made
Speaker 1: a second visit to the Church residence and talked to
Speaker 1: begin with Ross, as well as nearby neighbors, but without success.
Speaker 1: Now it happens that while the automobile which Church had
Speaker 1: purchased was in the hands of the police, it was
Speaker 1: stored under lock and key in the garage at the
Speaker 1: rear of Church's home. As it was a remarkably beautiful machine,
Speaker 1: the only one of its kind in the city, the
Speaker 1: detectives went to the garage simply to look it over
Speaker 1: before returning to the station. Noonan was attracted to one
Speaker 1: corner of the large room, where the concrete flooring showed
Speaker 1: signs of having been recently pulled up, probably for a
Speaker 1: plumbing repair to some pipe underneath. Noonan and Shoemaker poked
Speaker 1: about the broken cement and were suddenly rewarded with the
Speaker 1: discovery of blood stains. Grabbing up a shovel and a
Speaker 1: crowbar that were in the garage, they fell to work,
Speaker 1: and before long the disfigured body of carl Osmos had
Speaker 1: been exhumed, with the last link of the case complete.
Speaker 1: The authorities again went at Church with renewed vigor and
Speaker 1: succeeded in drawing from him assigned confession, But their efforts
Speaker 1: were time wasted, as the contents of the confession were
Speaker 1: of such nature that the state declined to use it
Speaker 1: as part of its case, nor did the defense try
Speaker 1: to introduce its substance into court at the time of trial.
Speaker 1: It is, without a doubt, one of the most peculiar
Speaker 1: and strange documents ever entered in the criminal history of
Speaker 1: Cook County. Here is what Harvey Church wrote. All of
Speaker 1: my life, I have been a peculiar sort of fellow.
Speaker 1: I have known it. But whether or not others did,
Speaker 1: I have no means of telling, but a peculiarity that
Speaker 1: one season oneself must certainly be apparent to others. I
Speaker 1: was born and brought up in Addison, Wisconsin. I was
Speaker 1: just like other boys, full of mischief and always ready
Speaker 1: for a frolic. As a young child, I was not vicious,
Speaker 1: but growing older I would have spells when I wanted
Speaker 1: to kill. Not a very commendable quality, to be sure,
Speaker 1: but the truth. Nevertheless, I used to torture insects and
Speaker 1: small animals. Of course, when I agree to be seventeen or eighteen.
Speaker 1: I practically got over this, and even when I was
Speaker 1: overcome with this emotion, I wouldn't think of going out
Speaker 1: and killing a dog or a cat. I never knew
Speaker 1: what hatred against a human bean being meant, and my
Speaker 1: inclinations were never directed toward persons. Then came this dreadful affair,
Speaker 1: a horrible nightmare to me. I had been earning good
Speaker 1: money and I wanted to buy a car. I looked
Speaker 1: at several makes, but decided on the one that I
Speaker 1: was driving when arrested. Both Doherty and Osmas had been
Speaker 1: trying to sell me for weeks, and I got to
Speaker 1: such a state finally that I could think of nothing
Speaker 1: but that machine. It was a very beautiful automobile, equipped
Speaker 1: with all modern appliances. The price was eight thousand dollars.
Speaker 1: It was considerably more than I had planned to pay,
Speaker 1: but I had set my mind on it, and I
Speaker 1: decided that I just must have it. On the day
Speaker 1: that Dougherty and Osmas died, i'd been out riding with
Speaker 1: them giving the car a final tryout. On the spur
Speaker 1: of the moment, I decided to take it and told
Speaker 1: them to drive me home. And I would make out
Speaker 1: a check. We drove up an alley and into a garage,
Speaker 1: and I left them while I went for my check book.
Speaker 1: When I returned, I found that Doherty had already made
Speaker 1: out a receipt. Then of a sudden came the impulse.
Speaker 1: Things went red before my eyes, and great drops of
Speaker 1: perspiration broke out all the way my body. If I could
Speaker 1: only get them to my house and into the basement,
Speaker 1: the car would be mine and I would have the
Speaker 1: receipt to show for it. Then I could cash a
Speaker 1: check for six thousand dollars and Barrier hide the money
Speaker 1: to make my story hang together. I gave Doherty the
Speaker 1: check and then invited the two over to the house
Speaker 1: to have a drink. When we arrived, we went down
Speaker 1: to the basement, where I had several bottles of liquor.
Speaker 1: We each had a number of drinks, and from that
Speaker 1: time on things are very indistinct in my memory. I
Speaker 1: attacked the men with the axe. Doherty fell at once,
Speaker 1: and even though Osmus attempted to defend himself, my assault
Speaker 1: was so sudden and terrific that he was unprepared and
Speaker 1: he had no chance. When it was all over, I
Speaker 1: waited until nightfall to hide the bodies. I intended to
Speaker 1: throw both bodies into the river and handcuff them together
Speaker 1: for that purpose. Then the weight was too great for
Speaker 1: me to carry, so I severed the cuffs and buried
Speaker 1: Osma's in my garage under the floor. There wasn't enough
Speaker 1: room in the hole for Dougherty, so I had to
Speaker 1: take them to the river. Though I realized I was
Speaker 1: in great danger of being caught, I drove out to
Speaker 1: the Dempster Road bridge over the river at a spot
Speaker 1: where I knew the water to be fairly deep. Then
Speaker 1: I tied a rock to one of Doherty's legs and
Speaker 1: threw him in the water. First. However, I removed all
Speaker 1: traces of identification, but I must have missed the additional
Speaker 1: inside pocket in his coat. I drove around all night,
Speaker 1: and in the morning I went to the Indiana Harbor
Speaker 1: for my mother and sweetheart. On the way back, I
Speaker 1: stopped at the bank and withdrew several thousand dollars. That
Speaker 1: same day, the police visited my house looking for Doherty
Speaker 1: in Osmas, and you know the rest from then on. Damning,
Speaker 1: though it was the state's attorney, declined to use Church's
Speaker 1: confession in court. Though he never expressed a reason for this,
Speaker 1: it's generally believed that he feared the confession had too
Speaker 1: much the smack of insanity to present to the jury.
Speaker 1: On the eighteenth of December, Church was placed on trial and,
Speaker 1: true to predictions, used insanity as his defense. But despite
Speaker 1: the testimony given by miss Anna Barrett, his fiance, her
Speaker 1: father Charles Roby, hotel proprietor, and Dan Willard, both of Addison, Wisconsin,
Speaker 1: to the effect that at times Church suffered mental lapses,
Speaker 1: and the testimony of doctor Hugh T. Patrick, specialist in
Speaker 1: mental diseases, that Church was inclined to be a victim
Speaker 1: of amnesia, he was found guilty and on December twenty three,
Speaker 1: in criminal Court before Judge Cavally, famous trial judge of
Speaker 1: the Low Leopold case, he was condemned to be hanged.
Speaker 1: Church's execution was set for February seventeenth, but was subsequently
Speaker 1: extended to March third for a further investigation into his sanity,
Speaker 1: which proved futile even with the execution date extended to
Speaker 1: March third, because there was so much doubt as to
Speaker 1: whether or not carrying out the sentence would be a
Speaker 1: miscarriage of justice. The execution did not take place until
Speaker 1: sunset instead of dawn, as is the custom in Illinois.
Speaker 1: This gave Church plenty of time to secure a further
Speaker 1: stay or a commutation of the sentence to life imprisonment,
Speaker 1: but he failed to get either. It can be said
Speaker 1: that when Church finally did go to the scaffold, he
Speaker 1: cheated the law for forty one days. He had gone
Speaker 1: on a hunger strike. It was necessary to feed him
Speaker 1: him forcibly and often while he slept to keep him alive.
Speaker 1: He sank into a coma three days before he was executed,
Speaker 1: from which it was impossible to arouse him. There was
Speaker 1: a death march, there always is, but Church was not
Speaker 1: among the marchers. Two stalwart deputies carried him in their arms,
Speaker 1: and he went to meet his God strapped to a chair,
Speaker 1: his head drooping forward on his chest. Now that it
Speaker 1: is all over and past history, where the state of
Speaker 1: Illinois and Cook County justified in the hanging of Church?
Speaker 1: Or did they, in the name of justice, commit a
Speaker 1: crime no less grave, if less brutal, than the one
Speaker 1: for which Church paid the supreme penalty. I'm Zevanodelberg, and
Speaker 1: this has been kind of murdery. If you've enjoyed today's
Speaker 1: kind of murdery, please tell your friends and family, tell strangers,
Speaker 1: leave a review. It's the best way to ensure that
Speaker 1: I can keep telling that special brand of bizarre and
Speaker 1: terrible tales that you'll only find here on kind of Murdery.
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