Read The Mad Sculptor Online

Authors: Harold Schechter

Tags: #History, #United States, #State & Local, #Middle Atlantic (DC; DE; MD; NJ; NY; PA), #Psychology, #Psychopathology, #General, #True Crime, #Murder

The Mad Sculptor (48 page)

27
. Preston, “Unpublished Facts,” p. 78.

Chapter 18. Murder Sells

1
.
New York Daily News
, April 4, 1937, p. 5.

2
.
New York Daily News
, March 31, 1937, p. 31. See
Time
, April 12, 1937, p. 68.

3
.
New York Daily News
, April 2, 1937, p. 37.

4
.
New York Daily Mirror
, April 1, 1937, pp. 3 and 8; April 2, 1937, pp. 20 and 21; and April 4, 1937, p. 20.

5
.
New York Post
, March 30, 1937, p. 3.

6
.
New York Daily News
, March 31, 1937, p. 3;
New York Times
, March 31, 1937, p. 1.

7
.
New York Journal
, March 30, 1937, p. 2; Trent, “Murder of the Model,” June 1, 1937, p. 12; Preston, “Unpublished Facts,” p. 78; Collins,
Homicide Squad
, p. 215.

8
. Gathje,
A Model Crime
, p. 52.

9
. Gathje,
A Model Crime
, pp. 67–70;
New York Evening Journal
, March 31, 1937, pp. 3 and 4;
New York Post
, March 31, 1937, p. 3; Preston, “Unpublished Facts,” p. 79.

10
.
New York Evening Journal
, April 1, 1937, p. 2; Gathje,
A Model Crime
, p. 77.

11
. Preston, “Unpublished Facts,” p. 79.

12
. Gathje,
A Model Crime
, pp. 47–48; Peterson, “Veronica Gedeon, Model for
Inside Detective
,” pp. 9, 52;
New York Daily News
, April 1, 1937, p. 10, and April 2, 1937, p. 6.

13
.
New York Daily News
, April 2, 1937, p. 6; Preston, “Unpublished Facts,” p. 79; Gathje,
A Model Crime
, p. 77.

14
. Reynolds,
Courtroom
, p. 109.

15
. Peterson, “Veronica Gedeon, Model for
Inside Detective
,” p. 52.

16
.
New York Daily News
, April 2, 1937, pp. 3 and 6; Preston, “Unpublished Facts,” p. 80.

17
.
New York Daily News
, April 1, 1937, pp. 1 and 2;
New York Evening Journal
, April 1, 1937, p. 3;
New York Daily Mirror
, April 1, 1937, pp. 1 and 39. See also Ted Collins, ed.,
New York Murders
(New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1944), pp. 237–238.

18
.
New York Daily News
, April 2, 1937, p. 1;
New York Daily Mirror
, April 2, 1937, p. 18.

19
.
New York Evening Journal
, April 1, 1937, pp. 1–2;
New York Daily Mirror
, April 2, 1937, p. 5.

20
. Gathje,
A Model Crime
, pp. 93–94;
New York Post
, April 1, 1937, p. 1.

21
.
New York Post
, April 1, 1937, p. 5.

22
.
New York Daily News
, April 1, 1937, p. 6, and April 2, 1937, p. 36.

23
. Ibid.;
New York Evening Journal
, April 2, 1937, p. 1;
New York Post
, April 1, 1937, p. 5.

24
.
New York Evening Journal
, April 2, 1937, pp. 1 and 3;
New York Post
, April 2, 1927, pp. 1, 2, and 3;
New York Sun
, April 2, 1937, pp. 1 and 21;
New York Mirror
, April 3, 1937, pp. 1 and 3, and April 4, 1937, p. 14.

25
. Preston, “Unpublished Facts,” p. 80.

26
. Gathje,
A Model Crime
, p. 95;
New York Daily Mirror
, April 3, 1937, p. 1;
New York Daily News
, April 3, 1937, p. 1;
New York Journal
, April 3, 1937, p. 1.

27
.
New York Daily Mirror
, April 4, 1937, p. 8;
New York Daily News
, April 4, 1937, pp. 6 and 8.

28
.
New York Post
, April 3, 1937, p. 1;
New York Sun
, April 3, 1937, p. 1;
New York Evening Journal
, April 3, 1937, pp. 1 and 2;
New York Mirror
, April 4, 1937, p. 3;
New York Times
, April 5, 1937, p. 40; Preston, “Unpublished Facts,” p. 80; Gathje,
A Model Crime
, p. 128; Trent, “Murder of the Model,” May 15, 1937, p. 8.

29
.
New York Herald Tribune
, April 5, 1937, p. 1.

30
.
New York Times
, April 5, 1937, p. 40; Preston, “Unpublished Facts,” p. 80; Gathje,
A Model Crime
, p. 128; Trent, “Murder of the Model,” May 15, 1937, p. 8; Reynolds,
Courtroom
, pp. 112–113.

Chapter 19. Prime Suspect

1
.
New York Sun
, April 5, 1937, p. 2.

2
. See
New York Post
, April 5, 1937, pp. 1–2;
New York Herald Tribune
, April 5, 1937, pp. 1–2;
New York Sun
, April 5, 1937, pp. 1–2.

3
.
New York Post
, April 6, 1937, p. 2; Trent, “Murder of the Model,” June 15, 1937, p. 12.

4
.
New York Times
, April 6, 1937, p. 1, and April 9, 1937, p. 9; Jennifer Jane Marshall, “Clean Cuts: Procter & Gamble’s Depression-Era Soap-Carving Contests,”
Winterthur Portfolio
, Vol. 42, No. 1 (Spring 2008), pp. 51–52; Candice Jacobson Fuhrman,
Publicity Stunt!: Great Staged Events that Made the News
(San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1989), p. 131. Fuhrman’s book illustrates how readily truth gets inflated into legend. In her telling, “A New York City soap carver took a turn at practicing his art on a young woman and her mother. Hiding in the home of his
victims while they were out, he gathered a number of cakes of soap from around the house and started carving, and by the time the women returned home he had finished a number of pieces. He then killed them both and fled the scene of the crime, leaving the bodies and the completed soap sculptures. Police brought in Henry Bern, the public relations counsel for the contest, who after many years of judging contests was an expert on carving style. He instantly recognized the work of the previous year’s winner.”

5
.
New York Post
, April 6, 1937, p. 2;
New York Times
, April 6, 1937, p. 6.

6
.
New York Daily Mirror
, April 6, 1937, p. 13;
New York Evening Journal
, April 6, 1937, p. 3;
New York Sun
, April 6, 1937, p. 1.

7
.
New York Daily Mirror
, April 6, 1937, p. 3.

8
.
New York Post
, April 5, 1937, p. 1;
New York Daily Mirror
, April 6, 1937, p. 3;
New York Evening Journal
, April 6, 1937, p. 1;
New York Daily News
, April 6, 1937, p. 3.

Chapter 20. Manhunt

1
.
New York Post
, April 5, 1937, p. 15, and April 6, 1937, p. 1;
New York Daily News
, April 7, 1937, pp. 3 and 10;
New York Evening Journal
, April 6, 1937, pp. 1 and 3; Gathje,
A Model Crime
, p. 120;
New York Sun
, April 6, 1937, pp. 1 and 19. On March 22, 1938, Joseph Gedeon would receive a suspended sentence of his possession of an unlicensed pistol. See
New York Times
, March 23, 1938, p. 46.

2
.
New York Herald Tribune
, April 5, 1937, p. 2;
New York Post
, April 5, 1937, p. 2;
New York Sun
, April 5, 1937, p. 2.

3
.
New York Post
, April 6, 1937, p. 1;
New York Daily News
, April 7, 1937, pp. 6 and 8.

4
.
New York Evening Journal
, April 6, 1937, p. 1;
New York Daily Mirror
, April 9, 1937, p. 3.

5
.
New York Evening Journal
, April 6, 1937, pp. 1 and 2.

6
.
New York Daily News
, April 9, 1937, p. 3.

7
.
New York Daily Mirror
, April 7, 1937, p. 4.

8
.
New York Daily News
, April 7, 1937, p. 6;
New York Daily Mirror
, April 7, 1937, p. 3;
New York Evening Journal
, April 7, 1937, p. 1.

9
.
New York Daily News
, April 9, 1937, pp. 3 and 6;
New York Journal
, April 12, 1937, p. 1.

10
.
New York Evening Journal
, April 7, 1937, p. 1;
New York Daily News
, April 7, 1937, p. 3.

11
.
New York Evening Journal
, April 7, 1937, p. 3.

12
.
New York Daily News
, April 9, 1937, p. 3, and April 10, 1937, p. 1;
New York Times
, April 9, 1937, p. 9.

13
.
New York Daily News
, April 9, 1937, p. 3;
New York Times
, April 11, 1937, p. 33;
New York Daily Mirror
, April 13, 1937, p. 3.

14
. Gathje,
A Model Crime
, p. 121.

15
.
New York Evening Journal
, April 8, 1937, p. 4.

16
.
New York Daily News
, April 10, 1937, p. 1;
New York Daily Mirror
, April 11, 1937, p. 3.

17
. “Robert Irwin’s Own Life Story,”
New York Daily News
, April 12, 1937, pp. 3 and 8; April 13, 1937, pp. 2 and 17; April 14, 1937, pp. 3 and 6; April 15, 1937, pp. 3 and 6; and April 16, 1937, p. 6.

18
.
New York Evening Journal
, April 13, 1937, pp. 1 and 10;
New York Herald Tribune
, April 14, 1937, p. 4;
New York Sun
, April 13, 1937, p. 1;
New York Daily Mirror
, April 14, 1937, p. 3.

19
.
New York Daily Mirror
, April 16, 1937, and April 11, 1937, p. 3;
New York Post
, April 15, 1937, p. 3;
New York Daily News
, April 15, 1937, p. 6;
New York Evening Journal
, April 15, 1937, p. 1.

20
.
New York Evening Journal
, April 15, 1937, p. 1.

21
.
New York Sun
, June 28, 1937, p. 3

Chapter 21. Murder in Times Square

1
.
New York Daily News
, April 19, 1937, pp. 3 and 8; April 20, 1937, pp. 3 and 6; and April 21, 1937, pp. 3 and 6.
New York Times
, April 19, 1937, p. 1; April 20, 1937, p. 1; and April 21, 1937, p. 48.
New York Evening Journal
, April 19, 1937, pp. 1 and 3; April 20, 1937, pp. 1 and 2; and April 21, 1937, p. 4.
New York Post
, April 19, 1937, pp. 1 and 2, and April 20, 1937, p. 3.
New York Sun
, April 19, 1937, pp. 1 and 15.

2
.
New York Daily News
, April 22, 1937, pp. 1 and 6; June 8, 1937, p. 2; and June 22, 1937, p. 4.
New York Times
, April 22, 1937, p. 48; June 8, 1937, p. 21; and June 22, 1937, p. 9.
New York Evening Journal
, June 7, 1937, p. 1, and June 21, 1937, p. 1.

Chapter 22. Henrietta

1
. Ted Schwarz,
Shocking Stories of the Cleveland Mob
(Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2010), pp. 10, 12, 35, 36.

2
. See
Inside Detective
, October 1937, p. 6;
New York Daily News
, June 27, 1937, p. 4.

3
. Peterson, “Veronica Gedeon, Model for
Inside Detective
,” pp. 8–9.

4
.
Inside Detective
, October 1937, p. 9;
New York Sun
, June 26, 1937, p. 24; Gathje,
A Model Crime
, pp. 145–146.

5
.
Inside Detective
, October 1937, p. 40.

6
.
New York Daily News
, June 27, 1937, p. 4.

Chapter 23. The Front Page

1
. All details of Irwin’s flight are taken from his confession as reprinted in Valentine,
Night Stick
, pp. 172–182.

2
. Gathje,
A Model Crime
, p. 148.

3
. Robert Casey,
Such Interesting People
(Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1943), p. 273.

4
.
New York Post
, June 28, 1937, p. 2.

5
. For a lively account of the Wanderer case, see Michael Lesy,
Murder City: The Bloody History of Chicago in the Twenties
(New York: W. W. Norton, 2007), pp. 9–27.

6
. See Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur,
The Front Page: From Theater and Reality
, ed. George W. Hilton (Hanover, NH: Smith and Kraus, 2002).

7
. George Johanssen, “What Manner of Man Is This?,”
Inside Detective
, October 1937, p. 10; Gathje,
A Model Crime
, pp. 149–150; Reynolds,
Courtroom
, pp. 121–122.

Chapter 24. Confession

1
. Report of B. G. Dodge, p. 8.

2
. Valentine,
Night Stick
, pp. 172–182; Robert Irwin, “Why I Killed the Beautiful Artist’s Model,”
Real Detective
, September 1937, pp. 20–25, 67–68.

Chapter 25. Celebrities

1
. Gathje,
A Model Crime
, p. 153; Reynolds,
Courtroom
, p. 122.

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