Speaker 1: Palpuler dot com, Santa Fe, New Mexico, December fourteenth, nineteen sixteen.
Speaker 2: Clyde d Armour of Sioux City, Iowa is believed to
Speaker 2: have been murdered somewhere between here and Wagon Mound by
Speaker 2: a mysterious unknown motor companion who later posed his armor
Speaker 2: in Santa Fe, secured money under the name, and vanished.
Speaker 2: Armour is five feet eleven inches tall, athletic build, light
Speaker 2: brown hair, blue eyes, clean shaven, weight one hundred and
Speaker 2: sixty to one hundred and sixty five in his thirties.
Speaker 2: When last heard of, he wore a business suit and cap,
Speaker 2: dark flannel shirt, collar fastened with pearl buttons, and a
Speaker 2: dark tie. He was chief clerk in the passenger depot
Speaker 2: of the Northwestern Railroad at Sioux City. Roy and Glen
Speaker 2: Armour of Sioux City, Iowa arrived here today in search
Speaker 2: of trace of their brother, Clyde d Armour, who started
Speaker 2: for Fresno, California, from Denver, Colorado, October twenty second, in
Speaker 2: an automobile with a traveling companion name unknown, who responded
Speaker 2: to an advertisement in a Denver paper. The car was
Speaker 2: an eight cylinder oldsmobile. Armor was heard of at Trinidad
Speaker 2: the same evening and next day at Wagonmound, New Mexico,
Speaker 2: where he was reported to be with the unknown man.
Speaker 2: On the night of October twenty third, a young man
Speaker 2: answering the description of Armour's traveling companion, arrived in Santa Fe,
Speaker 2: registered at a local hotel as Clyde d. Armour, wired
Speaker 2: Armour's relatives and succeeded in getting them to send them
Speaker 2: five hundred dollars. He was about twenty five years old,
Speaker 2: five feet nine inches, light hair, and well groomed. Armour's
Speaker 2: brothers say the hand rise of the telegrams copies of
Speaker 2: which they saw here is not that of their brother.
Speaker 2: They are confident the mysterious stranger murdered their brother. They
Speaker 2: learned today that the impostor was last seen in Albuquerque
Speaker 2: on October thirtieth or thirty first, when he sold the
Speaker 2: Oldsmobile to Harry Hammond and Odie Dyer of that city
Speaker 2: and boarded a train for California.
Speaker 3: True crime Historian presents an Eye for an Eye, a
Speaker 3: special edition of Yesterday's News exploring the criminal justice system
Speaker 3: at its most extreme, inflicting the death penalty. Episode three
Speaker 3: hundred and seventy three tells the story of two young
Speaker 3: men who go on a road trip together, but only
Speaker 3: one of them makes it as far as Santa Fe,
Speaker 3: and he pretends to be the other. In the meanwhile,
Speaker 3: an Iowa family goes on a desperate hunt for their
Speaker 3: missing brother. I'm true crime historian Richard O. Jones, and
Speaker 3: for your horror and indignation, I give you mystery Tour
Speaker 3: in a Buick eight. The Vanishing of Clyde Armor. September
Speaker 3: twenty ninth, nineteen sixteen, Clyde E Arthur, aged thirty two,
Speaker 3: leaves Siue City, Iowa, his home with his mother and
Speaker 3: sister for Fresno, California, traveling in a new eight cylinder
Speaker 3: fourteen hundred dollars Odesmobilectober seventh, Miss Agnes Armour, his sister,
Speaker 3: is taken ill at Clark, Nebraska, where she goes to
Speaker 3: a hospital for a week. Accompanied by her mother, Clyde
Speaker 3: e Armour proceeds to Denver by motor. October nineteenth. Clyde
Speaker 3: e Armour appeals to YMCA and Denver for aid to
Speaker 3: find a suitable traveling companion to motor with them to Fresno, California.
Speaker 3: No one is available.
Speaker 2: October twentieth, Clyde E Armour inserts an ad in the
Speaker 2: Denver Post stating he seeks a young man who will
Speaker 2: motor with him to the coast, paying his own hotel expenses.
Speaker 2: October twenty first, A young man about Armour's age and
Speaker 2: build replies and is accepted. He shows ability to drive
Speaker 2: a car, which suits mister Armour, who desires to spend
Speaker 2: his time in seeing the country. October twenty second, Clyde
Speaker 2: E Armour and his companion leave Denver and arrive the
Speaker 2: same night in Trinidad, Colorado. October twenty third, noon, Armor
Speaker 2: and companion arrive in Wagonmound, New Mexico, where they are
Speaker 2: seen by several people. Armour also mails a postcard showing
Speaker 2: a picture of himself beside a motor to a brother
Speaker 2: in Dakota City, Nebraska. The card is postmarked San Jose,
Speaker 2: New Mexico, a short distance from Las Vegas. October twenty third,
Speaker 2: Monday night, a young man representing himself as ce Armour
Speaker 2: arrives in Santa Fe alone in an oldsmobile registered at
Speaker 2: the Montezuma Hotel, takes room twenty five and sends a
Speaker 2: telegram which he has charged October twenty fourth to twenty seventh,
Speaker 2: a man representing himself to be ce Armour plays high
Speaker 2: jinks in Santa Fe, later taking several people out odoring
Speaker 2: to Albuquerque. In return. While here he spends large sums
Speaker 2: of money on drink et cetera. October twenty seventh. Ce
Speaker 2: Armor wires Myron L. Sawyer, brother in law, in Fresno, California,
Speaker 2: for money for repairs on motor car. October twenty eighth,
Speaker 2: a young man representing himself to be CE Armor cuts
Speaker 2: a wide swath in Albuquerque, spending large sums of money
Speaker 2: in saloons and hotels. October twenty ninth, same young man
Speaker 2: sells Oldsmobile car almost new for five hundred dollars to
Speaker 2: two Albuquerque men. October thirtieth, same young man leaves at
Speaker 2: night on Pullman for Los Angeles, taking no baggage with him,
Speaker 2: but saying he has told hotel clerk to send it
Speaker 2: after him. October thirty first, a man who signs himself
Speaker 2: CE Armor wires Missus Mary E. Armor of Fresno, California, quote,
Speaker 2: have sold car coming on train unquote. November thirteenth, Missus
Speaker 2: Armor worried at son's delay starts investigation her son in law,
Speaker 2: Myron L. Sawyer of Fresno, a Santa Fe Railway official,
Speaker 2: visiting Needles and Albuquerque to get information on ce Armour.
Speaker 2: Never suspecting foul play and imposition, he makes a four
Speaker 2: page written report to C. E. Armour's brother, but finds
Speaker 2: no trace of Clyde E. Armor. November seventeenth or thereabouts,
Speaker 2: Myron L. Sawyer visits Los Angeles and San Diego in
Speaker 2: search of his brother in law, but without success. December fourteenth,
Speaker 2: Glen Armor of Dakota City, Nebraska and Roy Armor of Hubbard,
Speaker 2: Nebraska arrive in Santa Fe and consult with attorney Melvin T.
Speaker 2: Dunlovy about the fate of their brother, declaring that signatures
Speaker 2: on the Montezuma Hotel register of October twenty third is
Speaker 2: a forgery. They say their brother was undoubtedly murdered and
Speaker 2: an impostor has been at work, getting at least four
Speaker 2: hundred dollars in money from their mother and selling a
Speaker 2: car for five hundred dollars, which some he pocketed. December fifteenth,
Speaker 2: police and detectives in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and
Speaker 2: Iowa are put to work on the strange disappearance of
Speaker 2: Clyde E. Armor, and a reward is offered for any
Speaker 2: information leading to the recovery of his body. The identity
Speaker 2: of the alleged murderer of Clyde E. Armoor Railway chief
Speaker 2: clerk at Sioux City, Iowa, is believed to have been
Speaker 2: ascertained this afternoon, when an inspection of the register of
Speaker 2: the Troy Hotel in Las Vegas revealed that E. W.
Speaker 2: Blansett registered with Clyde E. Armour on the night of
Speaker 2: October twenty second. This is the first information obtained concerning
Speaker 2: the identity of the Denver man who replied to the
Speaker 2: advertisement placed in the Denver post by Clyde Armour seeking
Speaker 2: a traveling motor companion to Fresno, California. Both young men
Speaker 2: registered Fresno, California after their names. While the name E. W.
Speaker 2: Blansett may be fictitious, still it is a striking coincidence
Speaker 2: that when the postor representing himself as Armor arrived at
Speaker 2: the Montezuma Hotel the night of October twenty third and
Speaker 2: was handed a pen by the clerk of the hotel,
Speaker 2: he wrote E as the initial of his first name.
Speaker 2: Then hurriedly changed it to a C. The curious double
Speaker 2: letter may be seen at the hotel register, now kept
Speaker 2: in a vault by the management of the Montezuma Hotel.
Speaker 2: The discovery that Clyde Armour and his alleged murderer were
Speaker 2: in Las Vegas the night of October twenty second is
Speaker 2: a confirmation of the theory of Attorney Melvin Dunlevy and
Speaker 2: the brothers of Clyde Armor that the missing man got
Speaker 2: past Las Vegas on his way to Santa Fe. It
Speaker 2: seems certain now that Clyde Armour reached San Jose this
Speaker 2: side of Las Vegas, where he mailed a postcard to
Speaker 2: his sister. The discovery that Clyde Armour passed through Las
Speaker 2: Vegas will materially reduce the miles of country which will
Speaker 2: have to be gone over in order to find the
Speaker 2: body of the young man supposed to have been dead
Speaker 2: over six weeks. Mister Dunlevy and his party, consisting of
Speaker 2: the Armor brothers and an interpreter, which left this morning
Speaker 2: by motor to scour the woods from here to San Jose,
Speaker 2: are expected to return to the city late tonight up
Speaker 2: to four o'clock. This afternoon. No word had been heard
Speaker 2: from them by wire or phone, but no message was
Speaker 2: expected as to their success or failure until their return here.
Speaker 2: A long distance phone call from Las Vegas to the
Speaker 2: Santa Fe, New Mexican this afternoon stated that the people
Speaker 2: in Las Vegas are much interested in the murder, and
Speaker 2: several of them recall the arrival in that city of
Speaker 2: Armour and Blancet. Every effort will be made to find
Speaker 2: any trace of the missing man or around Las Vegas.
Speaker 2: Was Clyde E Armour, aged thirty two, single railway chief
Speaker 2: clerk of Sioux City, Iowa, carefully brought up by his
Speaker 2: mother and reared under the influence of the YMCA, murdered
Speaker 2: in cold blood as he was motoring with the strange
Speaker 2: companion from Wagonmound to Santa Fe on the afternoon of
Speaker 2: October twenty third, and was the young man, also in
Speaker 2: the early thirties, about the height or perhaps two inches
Speaker 2: taller of Clyde E Armour, who registered at the Montezuma
Speaker 2: Hotel in the night of October twenty third as armor
Speaker 2: and was assigned Room twenty five. The murderer, who impersonated
Speaker 2: the sious city man for the purpose of robbing his
Speaker 2: relatives of some four hundred dollars and then selling his
Speaker 2: car for five hundred dollars. Or was Clyde e Armour,
Speaker 2: hard working railway clerk of Sioux's City, carefully brought up
Speaker 2: by his mother an influence for good by the YMCA,
Speaker 2: a victim of what psychologists call an hysterical explosion resulting
Speaker 2: in mental confusion, even to the extent of donning a
Speaker 2: double personality, as described by the author of Doctor Jekyll
Speaker 2: and Mister Hyde. Did this mental confusion suddenly transfer this amiable, moral, temperate,
Speaker 2: honest young man into a dissolute, thieving fellow who took
Speaker 2: midnight joy rides with questionable company, who drank so much
Speaker 2: that when he sought a shave at a local barbershop
Speaker 2: he had to be propped up three times during the operation,
Speaker 2: who spent money like a young Pittsburgh millionaire, and who
Speaker 2: finally departed just eight days after he landed in New
Speaker 2: Mexico with a ticket for Los Angeles in one hand
Speaker 2: and no baggage in the other. These are the questions
Speaker 2: that are puzzling Santa Feans and others who read yesterday
Speaker 2: in the New Mexican of the strange case of Clyde E. Armour,
Speaker 2: perhaps the strangest case that has come to the attention
Speaker 2: of the people of the Capitol in many decades. No,
Speaker 2: my brother was not the dissolute, the intemperate man who
Speaker 2: flew around Santa Fe. Toward the end of October, declared
Speaker 2: Glen Armour, an older brother of Dakota City, Nebraska, as
Speaker 2: he sat in the office of State Senator Melvin T.
Speaker 2: Dunlevy in the Laughlin Building and unfolded a startling tale
Speaker 2: of alleged murder, robbery, intemperance, and deception. Quote. Clyde was
Speaker 2: always a temperate, careful good boy. But the queer actions
Speaker 2: of the young man who came to Santa Fe and
Speaker 2: registered in Clyde's name, who forged Clyde's name to the
Speaker 2: hotel registers and telegrams, had even some of my relatives fooled.
Speaker 2: They almost believed that poor Clyde had gone dippy and
Speaker 2: become drink crazed and fast. That's why this shocking murder
Speaker 2: has not been discovered, and that is why the murderer
Speaker 2: is today roaming around god knows where without handcuffs. Mister
Speaker 2: Armour said that he recognized the possibility of any young man,
Speaker 2: especially one who has worked for months in an office,
Speaker 2: of getting a little boisterous went out on a trip.
Speaker 2: But my brother has traveled so much using railroad passes,
Speaker 2: that he was thoroughly familiar with the West. He had
Speaker 2: been away from Sioux City again and again. He never
Speaker 2: behaved in an improper manner. And only when I received
Speaker 2: a report of the curious conduct of the young man
Speaker 2: who visited Santa Fe and Albuquerque, painting both cities read
Speaker 2: that I declared, as did my brother, Roy Armor of Hubbard, Nebraska,
Speaker 2: that these actions were not those of Clyde Armor, but
Speaker 2: an impostor. Mister Armor admitted that he has greatly puzzled
Speaker 2: that at least five prominent men in Albuquerque declared to
Speaker 2: be his brother in law. Mister Sawyer of Fresno, California,
Speaker 2: that the description of Clyde Armor fitted that of the
Speaker 2: young man who was buying wine and whiskey for scores
Speaker 2: of people in saloons and hotels in Albuquerque, and who
Speaker 2: was taking his newly made friends out joy riding. It's
Speaker 2: a case of mistaken identity, said mister Armour. The young
Speaker 2: men were nearly the same age, nearly the same height,
Speaker 2: both blondes, and no doubt my poor brother was murdered
Speaker 2: by this impostor. He was robbed by some of his
Speaker 2: clothes and his cap to facilitate the deception. Mister Armer
Speaker 2: said he is convinced that his brother's body is now
Speaker 2: lying under the pinion trees somewhere near the road from
Speaker 2: San Jose to Santa Fe, and that it has been
Speaker 2: lying there since the afternoon of October twenty third quote.
Speaker 2: Here's my theory. My brother arrived in Denver with the
Speaker 2: Oldsmobile carr He went to the YMCA asking whether the
Speaker 2: officials there knew of any young man who would like
Speaker 2: to accompany him to Fresno, California, paying his own expenses,
Speaker 2: just for the pleasure of the trip. We have letters
Speaker 2: from Clyde telling us much no young man was recommended.
Speaker 2: Then Clyde had the misfortune to advertise for a companion,
Speaker 2: and a strange young man about whom he knew absolutely nothing,
Speaker 2: showed up and said he would like to make the
Speaker 2: trip on the way from Denver to Wagonmound. This stranger,
Speaker 2: this impostor, this murderer, talked to my brother and found
Speaker 2: that he had a number of papers with him showing
Speaker 2: the place of residence of his mother in California. He
Speaker 2: also found out where he had purchased the Oldsmobile car
Speaker 2: from mister Schoburg of Sioux City. I believe that this
Speaker 2: impostor lured my brother away from the car after they
Speaker 2: had passed San Jose, telling him he had seen some game.
Speaker 2: There were two guns and a revolver in the car
Speaker 2: for Clyde Love to hunt from the road. This impostor
Speaker 2: took a shot of my brother, in my opinion, and
Speaker 2: killed him in cold blood, leaving the body in a canyon,
Speaker 2: probably stripped off the coat and cap, and proceeded on
Speaker 2: his way here to Santa Fe. Arriving in Santa Fe,
Speaker 2: as far as I've been able to ascertain, the impostor
Speaker 2: put up the Oldsmobile car he had stolen at a
Speaker 2: garage on Don Gasper Avenue. There he met a man e. A. Leavenworth,
Speaker 2: representing the Northwestern Life Insurance Company, who had seen them
Speaker 2: in Wagonmound. The impostor was asked where his companion was,
Speaker 2: and he replied, I left that son of a gun
Speaker 2: and Wagonmound. We didn't get on that well. Then it
Speaker 2: was the impostor began to carry out the deception concerning
Speaker 2: his identity. He walked to the Montezuma and took a room.
Speaker 2: When he registered, he began to write the letter E, but,
Speaker 2: remembering that would not do, changed to E into a C,
Speaker 2: which is the way Clyde registered, simply C E E armor,
Speaker 2: he added Sioux City, Iowa. Arriving in Santa Fe, the
Speaker 2: impostor found himself short of money. The Montezuma Hotel register
Speaker 2: shows that ten dollars was advanced CE armor, and knowing
Speaker 2: our mother's address, this murderer wired her in Fresno for
Speaker 2: one hundred and fifty dollars. This telegram was not delivered, however,
Speaker 2: until October thirtieth, as mother was out at the ranch
Speaker 2: some miles from Fresno. The impostor waited three days, and then,
Speaker 2: growing desperate for money, probably having spent all he found
Speaker 2: on my brother's body, wired on October twenty seventh to
Speaker 2: my brother in law, mister Sawyer. This wire was sent
Speaker 2: from Albuquerque and stated that one hundred and fifty dollars
Speaker 2: was needed immediately to pay for repairs of the car,
Speaker 2: and he added that the money should be sent to Magdalena,
Speaker 2: New Mexico. Mister Sawyer wired one hundred and fifty dollars,
Speaker 2: but that sum was not delivered for reasons that were
Speaker 2: later apparent. After flying around Albuquerque, this impostor spent so
Speaker 2: much money that he decided it was necessary to sell
Speaker 2: the car. He disposed of the Oldsmobile for five hundred
Speaker 2: dollars to Odi Dyer, desk clerk at the Combs Hotel, Albuquerque,
Speaker 2: and to Hanlan. I understand these men later sold it
Speaker 2: to an Elpaso man for seven hundred dollars. They undoubtedly
Speaker 2: bought it in good faith, for it appears that they
Speaker 2: or someone wired to the Oldsmobile dealer mister Schoburg and
Speaker 2: Sioux City, Iowa, asking whether a car, if such make
Speaker 2: and number, had been sold originally to C. E. Armor.
Speaker 2: A telegram came back and replied that C. E. Armor
Speaker 2: was the rightful possessor of the car. Then this impostor
Speaker 2: decided to beat it to Los Angeles and bought a
Speaker 2: ticket to that city. We know that there was only
Speaker 2: one ticket sold in Albuquerque the night of October twenty third,
Speaker 2: farther west than flag Staff, and the records show it
Speaker 2: was to Los ane Angelis. Moreover, there were two men,
Speaker 2: a mister Hall and a mister Rich, who saw the
Speaker 2: impostor board the pullman in Albuquerque for the Pacific Coast
Speaker 2: arrived at Needles. The impostor had the nerve to wire
Speaker 2: my mother have sold car coming on train, no doubt,
Speaker 2: to quiet her fears as to her son's whereabouts, so
Speaker 2: as to give him more time to get away. Mister
Speaker 2: Armer explained that the plan of the impostor was carried
Speaker 2: out successfully. Missus Armor did not notify the police and
Speaker 2: put no detectives on the trail of the man who
Speaker 2: had been wiring to her for money in her son's name.
Speaker 2: She waited patiently for the young man who had left
Speaker 2: her at Clark's, Nebraska, and had written interesting letters from
Speaker 2: Denver and had sent her postcards from Trinidad, Colorado, Wagon Mound,
Speaker 2: and San Jose, New Mexico. He had not asked for
Speaker 2: any financial aid until he reached Santa Fe. The telegrams
Speaker 2: from Santa Fe said indicated that the trip from Colorado
Speaker 2: had been so severe that extensive repairs to the automobile
Speaker 2: were necessary, and several weeks delay here were anticipated by
Speaker 2: mister C. E. Armor Finally, after awaiting two weeks, Missus
Speaker 2: Armor became so alarmed about the actions of the man
Speaker 2: she believed to be her son, she communicated with mister Sawyer,
Speaker 2: her son in law, and he started an investigation. Mister
Speaker 2: Sawyer took the first train to Needles, where he looked
Speaker 2: at the telegram sent from that place telling of the
Speaker 2: sale of the automobile. He could not identify the handwriting,
Speaker 2: for Clyde wrote a clear clerical hand, whereas the writing
Speaker 2: of the message was rather rough. But supposing that the
Speaker 2: young man perhaps had been under the weather, mister Sawyer
Speaker 2: proceeded to Albuquerque. It was after he inquired around that
Speaker 2: city as to the conduct of ce Armor that mister
Speaker 2: Sawyer became more or less disgusted. He decided to keep
Speaker 2: the matter as quiet as possible, for he did not
Speaker 2: wish to hurt the feelings of Clyde's mother by telling
Speaker 2: her that the young man had been spending money like
Speaker 2: water and indulging in drinks much stronger. So mister Sawyer
Speaker 2: gathered all the information he could, talked with various people
Speaker 2: who described his brother in law to a tea. Then
Speaker 2: he sat down and wrote a four page letter to
Speaker 2: Glen Armour, Clyde's brother. After Roy Armour read the letter,
Speaker 2: he rushed over to see his brother Glenn and Hubbard, Nebraska,
Speaker 2: and they read and re read the letter, finally exclaiming,
Speaker 2: our brother has been murdered and this man is an impostor,
Speaker 2: and now the search has begun for the body of
Speaker 2: Clyde E Armour, who is believed by his family to
Speaker 2: have been cut down in the prime of young manhood
Speaker 2: to satisfy the money craving instincts of a fast, unscrupulous
Speaker 2: young man, now a fugitive from justice whom the police
Speaker 2: are seeking all over the Southwest on the charge of
Speaker 2: murder in the first degree. Attorney Melvin T. Dunlevy, accompanied
Speaker 2: by Roy Armour and Glen Armour and James Chavez of
Speaker 2: this city as an interpreter, started out by motor at
Speaker 2: sunrise to search for the body of Clyde E. Armor,
Speaker 2: which they firmly believe will be found in the brush
Speaker 2: not far from the Santa Fe Las Vegas Highway. They
Speaker 2: think that the body is now in some arroyo between
Speaker 2: this city and the village of San Jose, San Miguel County.
Speaker 2: As a basis for this assumption. They assumed that the
Speaker 2: postcard mailed from San Jose October twenty third and signed
Speaker 2: Clyde was really written by Clyde e Armor. Mister Dunlevy
Speaker 2: receiving a telegram late last night from mister Sawyer, Fresno, California,
Speaker 2: declaring that the writing on the postcard could not have
Speaker 2: been anyone's but Clyde Armours. It is well known, however,
Speaker 2: that motorists write cards in one town and then mail
Speaker 2: them in the next, or have someone made them, and
Speaker 2: it seems just possible that Clyde Armer wrote such a
Speaker 2: card in Las Vegas and intended to mail it somewhere
Speaker 2: on the road. Perhaps the impostor mailed at forum to
Speaker 2: deepen the mystery.
Speaker 4: To avoid future commercial interruptions, visit us at www dot
Speaker 4: patreon dot com slash true Crime Historian. For as little
Speaker 4: as a dollar a week. You can enjoy full access
Speaker 4: to the true crime historian Dusty Vault, exclusive episodes, and
Speaker 4: whatever personal services you require. That's www dot patreon dot
Speaker 4: com slash true Crime Historian.
Speaker 2: January two, nineteen seventeen, a man named Albert W. Blansett
Speaker 2: is under arrest in Friday Harbor Washington, during a delay
Speaker 2: asked by him before starting for Santa Fe, he shot himself.
Speaker 2: He claims it was an accident, but it was evidently
Speaker 2: attempted suicide. Meanwhile, no trace has been found of Clyde
Speaker 2: d Armour, alive or dead, although scores have combed the
Speaker 2: woods and maces between here and Las Vegas. In the
Speaker 2: search conducted under the direction of Clyde Armour's brothers, Glenn
Speaker 2: and Roy Armour, who offered one thousand dollar reward for
Speaker 2: the body. Photos of Albert W. Blansett are positively identified
Speaker 2: here as those of the man claiming to be Armour.
Speaker 2: The same people declare that they have never seen the
Speaker 2: man shown in the photos of Armor. On the arrival
Speaker 2: of Blancet here in his positive identification. If he is guilt,
Speaker 2: a confession is expected. Albert W. Blansett is the son
Speaker 2: of Missus Charles Baker, and he returned to Friday Harbor, Washington,
Speaker 2: November fourth, presumably from San Francisco, after an absence of
Speaker 2: six months. He was arrested by Sheriff George Meade of
Speaker 2: San Juan County, Washington State, on a fugitive charge on
Speaker 2: information that he was wanted in New Mexico on the
Speaker 2: charge of murder. Blansett took his arrest calmly and was silent,
Speaker 2: except to say that he was not guilty of any crime.
Speaker 2: At the time of his arrest, Blancett was getting on
Speaker 2: the steamer Rosa Lee to go to richardson Low Pez
Speaker 2: Island to spend New Year's Day with his mother and relatives,
Speaker 2: who operate a logging camp in that vicinity. After his arrest,
Speaker 2: he asked permission to have a talk with his mother.
Speaker 2: The sheriff granted the request and took him over Sunday
Speaker 2: to see his mother. Blancet carried a box of candy
Speaker 2: and a few other gifts for the family. On arriving
Speaker 2: at the camp, Blancet asked to unpack the things he
Speaker 2: had brought and stepped into one of the vacant tenthouses nearby. Suddenly,
Speaker 2: a gunshot was heard by the sheriff, who was taken
Speaker 2: by surprise as he had been cautious to see that
Speaker 2: Blanct had no weapons on him. The sheriff rushed into
Speaker 2: the vacant tent to find Blancet lying on his back
Speaker 2: in a pool of blood and a shotgun on the floor.
Speaker 2: Blancet entering the tenthouse, apparently discovered the shotgun and instantly
Speaker 2: placed the end of the barrel to his throat and
Speaker 2: pulled the trigger. The entire charge of shot entered at
Speaker 2: the base of the neck and passed out at the back,
Speaker 2: inflicting an ugly wound about an inch in width, but
Speaker 2: the charge of the shot struck no vital part. When
Speaker 2: the sheriff leaned over the body of the young man,
Speaker 2: the victim was still conscious. The sheriff asked Blancett why
Speaker 2: he had fired the shot, and Blancet murmured, I could
Speaker 2: not tell mother. Doctor Reid was summoned and the physician
Speaker 2: hurried Blants it to the hospital after expressing the opinion
Speaker 2: that the wound was a most remarkable one and would
Speaker 2: not be fatal if no complications ensued. Blancett is but
Speaker 2: twenty three years of age and had made Friday Harbor
Speaker 2: his home for the past twelve years. He was graduated
Speaker 2: from the Friday Harbor High School in nineteen fourteen and
Speaker 2: was looked upon as a boy of excellent ability, but
Speaker 2: he early developed the drink habit and a tendency to
Speaker 2: follow a wild life. The present culmination of his short
Speaker 2: career is not regarded as surprising by his acquaintances. Blancett's
Speaker 2: mother is heartbroken over the tragedy. Following a wire from
Speaker 2: Marshall Mead and Friday Harbor, a town of four hundred
Speaker 2: people on San Juan Island, Washington, constituting San Juan County
Speaker 2: close to the British Columbia line, that Blancet had been arrested,
Speaker 2: Preparations were made to have the alleged slayer of Clyde
Speaker 2: Armour of Sioux City, Iowa, brought at once to Santa Fe.
Speaker 2: As Blanset asked time until Monday to decide whether he
Speaker 2: would demand extradition, requisition papers were made out naming Chief
Speaker 2: of Police J. R. Galusha of Albuquerque as the officer
Speaker 2: who should bring back the prisoner to face the charge
Speaker 2: of making away with his motor companion somewhere between Santa
Speaker 2: Fe and Valley Ranch, impersonating the victim here and at
Speaker 2: Albuquerque selling his car and vanishing. Friday Harbor is thirty
Speaker 2: miles by steamer southeast of Bellingham, Washington, center of a grain,
Speaker 2: fruit and stock country with a big sam and cannery,
Speaker 2: lime works, and fisheries. To reach it at this season,
Speaker 2: it is necessary to travel by sleigh to the island.
Speaker 2: Galusha will take with him the register of the Troy
Speaker 2: Hotel of Las Vegas showing the name of E. W.
Speaker 2: Blansett written there by Armour's companion on October twenty third,
Speaker 2: and also local and Albuquerque hotel registers showing the fake
Speaker 2: signature of C. D. Armour. The arrest of Blansett in
Speaker 2: the far northwestern corner of the United States is believed
Speaker 2: to have been the result of information received from San
Speaker 2: Juan County, New Mexico, where Blancett was born and raised,
Speaker 2: and a peculiar coincidence that his present home is in
Speaker 2: San Juan County, Washington. Sheriff Duffer and others in the
Speaker 2: New Mexico County aided Attorney Dunlevy of this city, who
Speaker 2: has had charge of the search for the brothers of
Speaker 2: Clyde Armour. Attorney Dunlevy and the brothers believe that they
Speaker 2: have the strongest kind of a case against Blansett. It
Speaker 2: is said evidence has been secured showing positively that he
Speaker 2: left Denver as a hired companion for a motor trip
Speaker 2: with a man to Fresno, California, and that his record
Speaker 2: has not been of the best. Attorney Dunlevy has photos
Speaker 2: of Blanket which he showed local people Sunday and yesterday.
Speaker 2: They were positively identified as those of the man who
Speaker 2: represented himself here to be Armour. The fact that Armour's
Speaker 2: companion registered in Las Vegas as Blantcet and started to
Speaker 2: write an e at the Montezuma Hotel here before he
Speaker 2: wrote the name of C. D. Armour on the register
Speaker 2: are regarded as valuable evidence. The photos looked nothing like
Speaker 2: those of Armor. A new complaint was filed against Blanket
Speaker 2: when attorney Melvin Dunlevy, representing the Armor Brothers, filed a
Speaker 2: charge of larceny, charging Blanset was stealing an Oldsmobile eight
Speaker 2: from Clyde Armour and missus Mary Armour, and that the
Speaker 2: old bill was valued at twelve hundred dollars and was
Speaker 2: stolen somewhere near the Arroyo Hondo on October twenty third
Speaker 2: of last year. Selso Lopez, the new county sheriff, stated
Speaker 2: this morning that he would call a public meeting of
Speaker 2: citizens at the courthouse tonight to arouse sentiment for forming
Speaker 2: a searching party of one hundred or more people to
Speaker 2: scour the woods for the body of Clyde Armor. Quote.
Speaker 2: I think that a systematic search should be made and
Speaker 2: that no time should be lost. I think that we
Speaker 2: should hunt for that body from Santa Fe to Gloriata.
Speaker 2: And I am confident that the sensational turn in the
Speaker 2: Armor mystery in the arrest of a man named Blancett,
Speaker 2: will do much to arouse the people of this county
Speaker 2: to action. Unquote. Sheriff Lopez said that he regretted that
Speaker 2: he had not been in office in the time to
Speaker 2: go after blant It in the state of Washington, but
Speaker 2: that if Blancid is extradited to New Mexico, the young
Speaker 2: man will undoubtedly brought to Santa Fe to answer the
Speaker 2: charges filed against him. It is believed by many that
Speaker 2: the arrest of Blansett was due largely to the hint
Speaker 2: he himself gave to his real identity and former place
Speaker 2: of residence when he stated to George A Camp of
Speaker 2: Albuquerque in a local saloon that he was familiar with
Speaker 2: New Mexico and had lived in Aztec San Juan County.
Speaker 2: It appears that Blancett's mother was remarried the same Colossal
Speaker 2: Nerve displayed by the man impersonating Clyde Armor seems to
Speaker 2: have again been shown after that man wired from Needles, California,
Speaker 2: October thirty first to missus Armour in Fresno, California that
Speaker 2: he had sold his car and was coming home on
Speaker 2: the train. It is also thought that the man who
Speaker 2: impersonated Armour dropped the impersonation after leaving Needles and resumed
Speaker 2: his real name. At all events, E. W. Blansett began
Speaker 2: to write releivtlatives that he had come across from Colorado
Speaker 2: with a motorist and had quit the motorist and was
Speaker 2: on his way home. The police and detectives, it has said,
Speaker 2: trace blants it to Friday Harbor and then wired to
Speaker 2: Albuquerque and Santa Fe authorities for a detailed description of
Speaker 2: the man wanted on the charge of murder. Late Saturday afternoon,
Speaker 2: the Marshall and Friday Harbor appeared satisfied that the Blancet
Speaker 2: there was the man wanted in New Mexico, and the
Speaker 2: arrest followed promptly. Great interest was manifested here Sunday and
Speaker 2: yesterday at the news of the arrest of Blancet, But
Speaker 2: greater still was the interest shown in his photo, which
Speaker 2: came into the possession of several Santa Feans and two
Speaker 2: or three people in Albuquerque. This photo is that of
Speaker 2: a young man with waving hair, a plump face, and
Speaker 2: a boyish appearance. It is a striking contrast to the
Speaker 2: picture of Clyde Armour, the man of thirty two, of
Speaker 2: a serious, strong, rather thin face. January fifteenth, nineteen seventeen.
Speaker 2: The Clyde D. Armor murder mystery is solved. Missing since
Speaker 2: the afternoon of October twenty third, when he was seen
Speaker 2: motoring from Las Vegas towards Santa Fe. Clyde Armor is
Speaker 2: now known to have been killed by a heavy charge
Speaker 2: of shot fired into the back of his neck, severing
Speaker 2: the arteries and causing him to bleed to death. Six
Speaker 2: shot were taken from Armour's skull late last night by
Speaker 2: county physician E. L. Ward, who made an examination of
Speaker 2: the bones. Now the undertaking establishment of c a rising
Speaker 2: on Upper Palace Avenue, the skull, vertebrae and other bones
Speaker 2: of the murdered man found Sunday will be held here
Speaker 2: as evident against Albert W. Blansett of Friday Harbor, Washington,
Speaker 2: now being hurried to Santa Fe to answer the charge
Speaker 2: of murdering armor and stealing his automobile. He is expected
Speaker 2: to arrive tomorrow. The discovery of part of the skeleton
Speaker 2: of what was once the powerful athletic chief Clerk of
Speaker 2: the Northwestern Railway at Sioux City, Iowa, came as the
Speaker 2: dramatic closed yesterday to a long search for the missing
Speaker 2: man begun when the Santa Fe New Mexican first announced
Speaker 2: that a cold blooded murder had doubtless been perpetrated in
Speaker 2: Santa Fe County. The first news of the discovery of
Speaker 2: the remains of armor came shortly after noon, when a
Speaker 2: long distance message from Carlos Creamer at Peko's stated that
Speaker 2: Antonio Sandoval Egregio, a native living two and three quarters
Speaker 2: miles above Glorieta, A, discovered a human skull and vertebrae
Speaker 2: in the hills three hundred yards to the left of
Speaker 2: the Las Vegas Santa Fe Road and about two and
Speaker 2: a half miles above the station. A gloriata marvelous indeed
Speaker 2: was the manner in which Antonio Sandoval came into possession
Speaker 2: of a clue which not only clears up the mystery
Speaker 2: surrounding the disappearance of Clyde Armor, but furnishes evidence on
Speaker 2: which the state may work in prosecuting for the murder. Incidentally,
Speaker 2: it also brings to Sandoval the handsome sum of a
Speaker 2: thousand dollar reward offered by the Armor family. Quote. I
Speaker 2: was sitting in my house with my family when I
Speaker 2: saw a little black dog running around with something in
Speaker 2: its mouth. This was about eight o'clock Sunday morning. I
Speaker 2: did not pay much attention to the dog until I
Speaker 2: suddenly noticed he had a human shin bone with a
Speaker 2: black shoe on it. I took my dog out on
Speaker 2: the road, and he kept looking up into my face
Speaker 2: and then running along, as though to lead me somewhere.
Speaker 2: The little dog took me down the road and across
Speaker 2: the hills. And after I had climbed about three hundred
Speaker 2: yards over the hills, which were covered with a light
Speaker 2: fall of snow, I found in an arroyo the skeleton
Speaker 2: of a man. Perhaps twenty feet away. At the entrance
Speaker 2: to the arroyo, I saw a shotgun and near it
Speaker 2: some clothes badly torn. As soon as Sandoval's discovery had
Speaker 2: been phoned to Santa Fe, the authorities lost no time
Speaker 2: in going to the scene of the murder. Attorney Melvin T. Dunlevy,
Speaker 2: representing the Armor family, asked Undertaker Rising to go with him.
Speaker 2: Accompanying mister Dunlevy and mister Rising was doctor Harrison. Other
Speaker 2: cars quickly followed. Arriving at Sandoval's home above Glorieta, the
Speaker 2: party was met by Carlos Kreamer and several people from glory.
Speaker 2: Sandoval stated that he had the foot of the murdered
Speaker 2: man in his house, but that he was instructed to
Speaker 2: hold it for the authorities. He took it with him
Speaker 2: as he led the way to the scene of the murder.
Speaker 2: Arrived at the arroyo three hundred yards from the road.
Speaker 2: The party of Santa fe and stood aghast at the
Speaker 2: gruesome discovery. Lying on the snow covered earth was the
Speaker 2: dismembered skeleton of a man of rather large physique. His
Speaker 2: arms had been torn off by wild animals and his
Speaker 2: legs severed at the knees. There was one means of
Speaker 2: identification not destroyed by the elements or by the animals.
Speaker 2: It was armours, set of fine teeth with a gold
Speaker 2: crown in the lower jawl at the left and two
Speaker 2: at the right. Mister Davies asked Pedro c Ruiz, Justice
Speaker 2: of the Peace of Gloriata, who accompanied the party, to
Speaker 2: hold an inquest. The coroner's jury was made up of
Speaker 2: spectators and worn in. The jury viewed the skeleton before
Speaker 2: it was removed from the arroyo, and brought in a
Speaker 2: verdict that Armor had come to his death by some
Speaker 2: means not known to the jury. It was decided that
Speaker 2: further investigation would be necessary before determining just what had
Speaker 2: killed Armor. Coming out of the arroyo, the party then
Speaker 2: viewed the shotgun, which lay on the ground where Armour's
Speaker 2: body probably fell when a load full of shot severed
Speaker 2: the arteries of the neck. This shotgun was of Hopkins
Speaker 2: and Alan make, with a single barrel and taking a
Speaker 2: size twelve shell. An empty shell was still in the gun.
Speaker 2: All suggestion of a suicide theory vanished when an examination
Speaker 2: of Armour's tattered clothes was made, revealing shotholes through the
Speaker 2: back of the brown flannel shirt and a streak of
Speaker 2: blood down his vest and coat. An examination of the
Speaker 2: vest of arms Armour disclosed an ingersoll watch which had
Speaker 2: stopped at twenty five minutes past three. The crystal of
Speaker 2: the watch was broken, and the piece of glass stopped
Speaker 2: the hands. No doubt, it is thought that when Armour's
Speaker 2: heavy body fell to the ground, the watch crystal was broken,
Speaker 2: and the record thus left of the hour the very
Speaker 2: minute of the commission of the awful crime. The identification
Speaker 2: of the skeleton is that of Clyde d. Armour, was
Speaker 2: made complete by the marks in the clothes and a
Speaker 2: paper found in the watch pocket of the outing shirt.
Speaker 2: The tailor's marks in the gray coat and vests, which
Speaker 2: were of a gray check, showed that the clothes had
Speaker 2: been made by the Royal Tailors of Chicago for C. D.
Speaker 2: Armor on January twelfth, nineteen fifteen. A receipt for work
Speaker 2: done on the oldsmobile found in the shirt pocket was
Speaker 2: regarded even as a better mark of identification. It was
Speaker 2: from Fred Grocock Automobile repairing gasolene in tires at Clark's, Nebraska.
Speaker 2: It was dated September twenty fifth, nineteen sixteen, and was
Speaker 2: made out in his name. These expenses were evidently incurred
Speaker 2: by Armour on his way through Nebraska, while his mother
Speaker 2: and sister were motoring with him. It is said that
Speaker 2: at Clark's Armour's sister became ill and went to a hospital,
Speaker 2: whereupon Armor decided to continue on to Denver alone, leaving
Speaker 2: his relatives to take the train to California. On his
Speaker 2: trip from Denver, Clyde Armor wore a cap, as shown
Speaker 2: by snapshot pictures taken of him, one of which was
Speaker 2: mailed to his parents from San Jose, New Mexico. A
Speaker 2: cap was found in the bundle of clothes which had
Speaker 2: been torn from Armour's body by coyotes and buzzards. This
Speaker 2: was soaked in blood, which evidently gushed from the neck
Speaker 2: wound as his body fell to the ground. One of
Speaker 2: the most interesting discoveries was a pair of eyeglass without
Speaker 2: rims and a gold nosepiece fastened to Armour's vest by
Speaker 2: a silk cord. It appears that Armour wore these glasses
Speaker 2: while hunting or doing any work that required accurate vision,
Speaker 2: that his own relatives mis mentioning. This fact is now
Speaker 2: regarded as extraordinary, for it would have further distinguished Armour
Speaker 2: from the man who came to Santa Fe and posed
Speaker 2: as the Sioux City Railway clerk. These glasses were not
Speaker 2: injured in a pocket of the vest. A leather spectacle
Speaker 2: case was found. It was marked in gold letters Sioux
Speaker 2: City Optical Company, Sioux City, Iowa. The authorities may get
Speaker 2: information from this company as to the strength of the
Speaker 2: lenses furnished and to whom, thus forging another link in
Speaker 2: the chain of evidence. In the coat pocket of the
Speaker 2: murdered man, a clean silk handkerchief was found. It bore
Speaker 2: a large a in one corner. The letter was probably
Speaker 2: made by machine and looked like initials on cheap silk
Speaker 2: handkerchiefs sold in stores. A box of pistol cartridges was
Speaker 2: also found in the coat pocket and a pistol cleaner,
Speaker 2: but no pistol was discovered underwear. Some silk garters and
Speaker 2: pieces of a violet silk tie, as well as a
Speaker 2: gold tie clasp were also found. Armour's signet ring, regarded
Speaker 2: as one of the best means of identifying a body,
Speaker 2: is still missing. It was carried off with his arms
Speaker 2: by wild animals, no doubt. An examination of the one
Speaker 2: shoe found showed that was size seven of black kid leather,
Speaker 2: somewhat scuffed by climbing over rocks and through brush. All
Speaker 2: of the bones and the clothes and other articles were
Speaker 2: brought to the city last night, but undertaker rising and
Speaker 2: are held subject to the orders of the sheriff and
Speaker 2: District attorney. County physician. Ward took back with him some
Speaker 2: of the earth which appeared bloodstain, and which he believed
Speaker 2: was the spot on which Armour's head rested as he
Speaker 2: bled to death. Nearly everyone who viewed the skeleton, the clothes,
Speaker 2: and the gun as they lay on the ground where
Speaker 2: Armour died marveled that any human being could have had
Speaker 2: such song freud as to kill a man within three
Speaker 2: hundred yards of the much traveled Las Vegas Santa Fe road,
Speaker 2: and then leave the body with so many identification marks,
Speaker 2: unburied and uncovered, in fact, unshielded even by a pinion tree.
Speaker 2: And many also marveled that forest rangers and others who
Speaker 2: had passed so often near the spot where the body
Speaker 2: lay had not found it. The head, perfectly mummified, was
Speaker 2: partly chewed, and one eye socket was empty, probably picked
Speaker 2: out by a buzzard. The ribs were all eaten except
Speaker 2: short sections adhering to the spine. The pelvis was found complete.
Speaker 2: The top of the shoe, from which a section of
Speaker 2: bone protruded would eaten off for an inch or two.
Speaker 2: All the bones were picked almost clean, said Attorney Dunlovey. Quote.
Speaker 2: While of course it is a shock to know positively
Speaker 2: that Armor was murdered, it is merely a confirmation of
Speaker 2: the theory the Armor brothers and I, as well as others,
Speaker 2: have held ever since the brothers came to Santa Fe
Speaker 2: and told me their extraordinary story. The Nebraskans Roy and
Speaker 2: Glen Armour advanced a suggestion long ago that Clyde Armour
Speaker 2: was lured from his automobile by a companion under pretense
Speaker 2: of going hunting. This appears to have been the correct theory.
Speaker 2: Armor and his companion passed through San Jose before reaching Gloriota.
Speaker 2: The car stopped in the road and the two alighted
Speaker 2: to hunt a rabbit. Armor was evidently taken by surprise,
Speaker 2: a shotgun having been leveled at the back of his
Speaker 2: neck and the trigger pulled before he could turn around.
Speaker 2: It was a cold blooded crime, but no one could
Speaker 2: realize just how cold blooded until today. Unquote. Mister Dunlevy
Speaker 2: said that Jack Stewart's story that he saw two men
Speaker 2: in a car bearing an isolewa tag passed the gate
Speaker 2: to Hannah's ranch and go as far as the Sandy Arroyo,
Speaker 2: within seven miles of Santa Fe, may still be true,
Speaker 2: he said. Quote Armour's companion could easily have picked up
Speaker 2: somebody on the road, as he was accustomed to do.
Speaker 2: I am now convinced that the old native who told
Speaker 2: us long ago that on October twenty third he had
Speaker 2: seen a man speeding past Canyon Sido as though crazy,
Speaker 2: was correct. That man, in my opinion, was a man
Speaker 2: who had shot Armor to death in the woods near Gloriata,
Speaker 2: and the car he was running was Armour's oldsmobile. If
Speaker 2: Armor was murdered at three twenty five, nearly three miles
Speaker 2: above Gloriata and his car was in Santa Fe by
Speaker 2: four thirty or four forty five pm the same day,
Speaker 2: it is evident that there was little time for a
Speaker 2: careful sir of Armour's pockets to remove damaging identification marks.
Speaker 2: Everything Armour had, except perhaps a gun and some shells,
Speaker 2: were in a car. His valises containing letters and papers
Speaker 2: which led to information concerning his family and business affairs,
Speaker 2: were in the car with about two hundred dollars worth
Speaker 2: of camping equipment. The fact that Blancett was able to
Speaker 2: wire Armour's parents in Fresno at four point fifty three
Speaker 2: PM indicates that he had some information beforehand or was
Speaker 2: very rapid in going through Armour's correspondence. Albert W. Blansett,
Speaker 2: charged with the murder of Clyde D. Armour, is expected
Speaker 2: to arrive here in a day or two. It is
Speaker 2: believed he is traveling with Chief of Police J. R.
Speaker 2: Galusha of Albuquerque and a trained nurse who accompanied him
Speaker 2: when he was moved from the hospital in Friday. Harbor
Speaker 2: blance it is suffering from the effects of a self
Speaker 2: inflicted gunshot wound in the throat, an alleged attempt at
Speaker 2: suicide when informed that he was charged with Armour's murder.
Speaker 2: It is a strange coincidence that Clyde Armour died from
Speaker 2: a gunshot wound in the neck. Now that the eyes
Speaker 2: of the people of New Mexico were turned on this
Speaker 2: extraordinary young man, something of his history and his people
Speaker 2: will be of special interest. First of all, Blants, it
Speaker 2: is no blood relation of the blankets of San Juan County.
Speaker 2: According to no less authority than R. W. Heflin, Deputy
Speaker 2: State Treasurer and formerly County treasurer of San Juan County
Speaker 2: for five years. Quote. It seems but fair to the
Speaker 2: Blankets of San Juan County to state who blants. It
Speaker 2: is some fifty years ago Mona Blantset, now ninety years
Speaker 2: of age and residing in Aztec, San Juan County, was
Speaker 2: living in Nebraska. It was just half a century ago
Speaker 2: when she adopted a little baby six weeks old. This
Speaker 2: boy's last name was Reordon. I believe or Reardon who
Speaker 2: his father was, and under what circumstances he came to
Speaker 2: be adopted. I do not know, but the fact has
Speaker 2: been established that Mona Blancet adopted the infant. It was
Speaker 2: but natural that the baby took the glance at name.
Speaker 2: This baby grew to manhood and married a girl from
Speaker 2: San Juan County, where Mona Blantzet moved some years ago. Rearden,
Speaker 2: or Blanted as he was called, had two children, a
Speaker 2: boy and a girl. The boy is called Albert W. Blansett.
Speaker 2: The girl is living with her mother and Friday Harbor.
Speaker 2: The mother is now missus Charles Baker. Reardon, I have
Speaker 2: been informed, was shot and killed in a tragedy some
Speaker 2: years ago, and it is said that he had a
Speaker 2: stormy career, and that if Albert W. Blantset is guilty
Speaker 2: of the crime with which he is charged, the son
Speaker 2: may have inherited this tendency to figure in tragedies. Mister
Speaker 2: Hefflin said that he knew Albert Blansett quite well in
Speaker 2: San Juan County. He said that Blansett was of a
Speaker 2: boastful nature. Quote. Sheriff Duffer of San Juan County knows
Speaker 2: a great deal about Albert Blansett, and I feel sure
Speaker 2: that he will be of use to the state if
Speaker 2: an effort is made to get Blancet to tell of
Speaker 2: his career in New Mexico. Enjoy ad free listening at
Speaker 2: this safehouse. Dubbadubadubba dot Patreon dot com, slash true crime
Speaker 2: historian April twenty first, nineteen seventeen. Albert W. Blansett the
Speaker 2: only I witness of the death of Clyde d Armour
Speaker 2: in the Gloriada Woods on the afternoon of October twenty third,
Speaker 2: nineteen sixteen, the day Colonel Roosevelt spoke in Albuquerque and
Speaker 2: in Las Vegas today told under oath what he declared
Speaker 2: are the details of the tragedy. It was an accident
Speaker 2: due to his tripping, causing him to pull the trigger.
Speaker 2: He said, then, as he saw Armor apparently dead, he
Speaker 2: decided to go for a doctor or for help, but
Speaker 2: feared that he would be accused of murder stole over him,
Speaker 2: and he changed his plans. Blanset admitted impersonating Armour in
Speaker 2: Santa Fe and in Albuquerque from October twenty third to
Speaker 2: October thirtieth, nineteen sixteen. Admitted cashing Armour's travelers checks, receiving
Speaker 2: money from the Sioux City Gas and Electric Company, and
Speaker 2: of trying to get money from Missus Mary E. Armour,
Speaker 2: mother of the dead man. He admitted drinking, gambling, joy
Speaker 2: riding in a fast life. He said, in extenuation of
Speaker 2: his conduct that he had sought to forget the terrible
Speaker 2: tragedy in the Gloriada Woods, of which he felt innocent
Speaker 2: and yet feared a rest and danger because of the
Speaker 2: peculiar circumstances surrounding it. Blancet admitted more. He admitted an
Speaker 2: attempt to suicide on December thirty first, nineteen sixteen, because
Speaker 2: he said he feared to confront his mother while under
Speaker 2: a charge of murder. Considering the severe trials she had
Speaker 2: endured last summer when her son in law was killed
Speaker 2: and her daughter seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in Detroit.
Speaker 2: There was one point of the prosecution that Blancett did
Speaker 2: not clean up, and that was the authorship of the
Speaker 2: mysterious letter addressed to the Governor of New Mexico and
Speaker 2: postmark Seattle, eleven thirty p m. January thirteenth, nineteen six seventeen.
Speaker 2: This letter warned the governor that Blancett was innocent and
Speaker 2: laid the charge of murder and everything else on the
Speaker 2: signer of the letter, W. E. Edelman. Blancett said he
Speaker 2: was under the influence of morphine a good deal of
Speaker 2: the time after his self inflicted wound, and could not
Speaker 2: remember writing this letter, but admitted that the handwriting was
Speaker 2: similar to his own. He said the signature was not
Speaker 2: in his writing, however, and he had never heard of Edelman.
Speaker 2: Asked to how far Blancet was away from Armour when
Speaker 2: he fired the fatal shot. Later in his testimony, he
Speaker 2: said it might have been ten, twenty or thirty feet
Speaker 2: or more. He did not remember. Blancet said after leaving
Speaker 2: Roe he was not real drunk on the afternoon of
Speaker 2: October twenty third, nineteen sixteen. But he was feeling his drinks.
Speaker 2: He said, Armor and he were friendly to the last moment.
Speaker 2: Arriving at a spot this side of some ruins, he
Speaker 2: could not remember just where. He and Armor drove the
Speaker 2: cart in to thirty feet off the road and prepared
Speaker 2: to hunt quote. I carried the shotgun and he the
Speaker 2: twenty two rifle, and we went to the right of
Speaker 2: the road, probably through some sage brush. We tramped around
Speaker 2: perhaps half an hour or an hour. I was carrying
Speaker 2: the shotgun. It was a hammer gun, and I had
Speaker 2: not been used to using a hammer shotgun. I was
Speaker 2: carrying it cocked across my left arm. My left hand
Speaker 2: was kind of back toward the stock, and the finger
Speaker 2: of my right hand was on the trigger and my
Speaker 2: thumb on the hammer. We were walking around, and I
Speaker 2: tripped or stumbled some way, and catching myself, I pulled
Speaker 2: the trigger and then Armor fell and I ran across
Speaker 2: to him. He was lying on the ground, face down
Speaker 2: and bleeding. I turned him over and shouted Armor, Armor,
Speaker 2: but he did not answer me. I was excited and nervous,
Speaker 2: and I decided to go for a doctor or someone
Speaker 2: to give help. I dropped the shotgun when I went
Speaker 2: to him, and when I got ready to go, I
Speaker 2: did not notice which gun I got. And when I
Speaker 2: went away, I found I had picked up the rifle.
Speaker 2: Asked where as cap was? He said he did not remember. Question.
Speaker 2: And when you reached the car, what did you do? Answer?
Speaker 2: I had a bottle of whiskey there, and I took
Speaker 2: a big drink of it and jumped into the car.
Speaker 2: I backed it out and put it on the main road.
Speaker 2: I knew there was a town near, and I started
Speaker 2: as fast as I could go. I was excited and nervous.
Speaker 2: Question where was the spade or shovel? Answer? It was
Speaker 2: in the car. I did not take it out. The
Speaker 2: witness said he did not know the name of the
Speaker 2: next town, where he had hoped to find a doctor
Speaker 2: or someone to oup quote, no, sir, because when I
Speaker 2: was driven a little ways, I got to thinking about
Speaker 2: what had happened, and I was nervous and excited, and
Speaker 2: I thought if I noticed anyone mister armor being shot
Speaker 2: in back of the head, they would blame blame on
Speaker 2: me and charge me with murder. I was not acquainted
Speaker 2: in that part of the country. And I had never
Speaker 2: been there before. I was thinking, as I said that
Speaker 2: I was in a strange country all alone, and if
Speaker 2: I reported that case, no one would believe me and
Speaker 2: they'd put me up for murder. So I decided to
Speaker 2: say nothing. I came on to Santa Fe and decided
Speaker 2: to get out of the country. I did not get
Speaker 2: out right away, however, one thing, I did not have
Speaker 2: money to do it with, and anotherwise, I started drinking
Speaker 2: when I got to town. Unquote, The witness said Armor
Speaker 2: had told him about the Sioux City Gas and Electric
Speaker 2: Company note, but had not stated how much it was.
Speaker 2: Blancet said he decided to get some money by wiring
Speaker 2: this company. To a question, he replied that he arrived
Speaker 2: here about four pm. The first thing he did was
Speaker 2: put the car in a garage. Then he went to
Speaker 2: the Montezuma Hotel and took two grips up to his room,
Speaker 2: one of his own and one a black one belonging
Speaker 2: to Armor. Arrived in his room, the defendant said, he
Speaker 2: took a couple of drinks out of a bottle, washed himself,
Speaker 2: changed his collar and tie, and then looked through Armour's
Speaker 2: traveling bag. In this bag he found a bunch of
Speaker 2: letters in a check book or a book of travelers
Speaker 2: money orders. He also found, he said, as Sioux City
Speaker 2: Gas an electric company note for three hundred and fifty dollars.
Speaker 2: He then went downtown and visited a saloon near the
Speaker 2: hotel he was stopping at, and then proceeding to the
Speaker 2: telegraph office, sending the message to the gas company at
Speaker 2: four point fifty three pm. He was here shown the
Speaker 2: telegram and identified it as in his handwriting. He went
Speaker 2: to the bank saloon, he said, and then to a
Speaker 2: barbershop where he saw some bird dogs. He thought. It
Speaker 2: was about five PM when he got shaved. Question how
Speaker 2: did you occupy yourself that evening and night? Answer? I
Speaker 2: was drinking and I went out to the sporting district.
Speaker 2: Some fellow accompanied me. I did all this because I
Speaker 2: was trying to forget what had happened. Question did you
Speaker 2: get any money in response to your telegram? Answer? Yes?
Speaker 2: The next day with the money, I tried to have
Speaker 2: a good time. The witness said that the next day
Speaker 2: he visited saloons, talked to Santa Fean's, whose names he
Speaker 2: could not recall, and proceeded to have a good time.
Speaker 2: On October twenty fifth, He said he took a trip
Speaker 2: to Albuquerque and went joy riding. He said again he
Speaker 2: tried to forget the tragedy of the Gloriada Woods. To
Speaker 2: pay incident expenses, he cashed one of the ten dollars
Speaker 2: travelers checks belonging to Armor. Question, you knew all this
Speaker 2: time that Armour's body was lying out there in the
Speaker 2: woods on top of the ground, and yet you remained
Speaker 2: around Santa Fe for two or three days? Did you why? Answer?
Speaker 2: Because I was trying to have a good time, to
Speaker 2: forget what had happened, and to get enough money to
Speaker 2: get out of this country. The witness admitted he had
Speaker 2: gone to the Comb's Hotel in Albuquerque and had met
Speaker 2: a couple of traveling salesmen from Denver. He said he
Speaker 2: kept motoring around and talking to new people in an
Speaker 2: effort to forget about the accident. The witness admitted he
Speaker 2: had sold the camping outfit out of garage in Santa
Speaker 2: Fe and had used the money on his gasoline bill. Question,
Speaker 2: did it ever occur to you that in distributing the
Speaker 2: personal effects of Armor and using his name, you might
Speaker 2: lead people to trace you out and accuse you of murder. Answer.
Speaker 2: I was crazy and excited about what had happened. I
Speaker 2: did not think anything about it. In Albuquerque, he said
Speaker 2: he was drinking constantly and was at no time perfectly sober.
Speaker 2: He said that he can carry some liquor, but eventually
Speaker 2: it goes to his head, making him forget everything except
Speaker 2: the present. Question how about its effects on your legs? Answer?
Speaker 2: It never affects my legs. Blancet said that the last
Speaker 2: day he was in Albuquerque, he sold the Oldsmobile eight
Speaker 2: for at five hundred dollars, and that he had not
Speaker 2: told the truth when a Santa Fean saw him at
Speaker 2: the train. He said he had stated that he had
Speaker 2: but forty dollars and his ticket on leaving Albuquerque for
Speaker 2: San Francisco, but in reality he had one hundred and
Speaker 2: fifty or two hundred dollars. Asked about a due bill
Speaker 2: for three hundred dollars he was alleged to have signed
Speaker 2: and given to Edward Rich for a gambling debt, he
Speaker 2: said he might have signed such a bill. Quote, I
Speaker 2: remember someone stopping me as I was getting on the
Speaker 2: train for San Francisco unquote. Glancet said that the man
Speaker 2: who had pushed the due bill before him had already
Speaker 2: gotten two hundred dollars of his cash, and he did
Speaker 2: not see why he should get any more. The defendant
Speaker 2: remarked that from the time he had shot Armor, he
Speaker 2: took a number of false steps. First, he said, was
Speaker 2: failing to notify the authorities, The second was using Armour's name,
Speaker 2: the third was wiring to the gas company and missus
Speaker 2: Armor for money, and the fourth was gambling it away,
Speaker 2: and the fifth was selling Armour's oldsmobile. Blancet said he
Speaker 2: could not remember the names of Santa Fean's whom he
Speaker 2: met here. After leaving Albuquerque, he said he went direct
Speaker 2: to San Francisco, spent a night there, and then went
Speaker 2: to Seattle. The witness described as rest on board the
Speaker 2: Little Steamer Rosalie December thirtieth, nineteen sixteen, and his attempted
Speaker 2: suicide on December thirty. First. Why he committed suicide he
Speaker 2: explained as an impulse, saying, when I was in the tent,
Speaker 2: I happened to glance up and I saw a shotgun.
Speaker 2: I did not stop to think what I was doing.
Speaker 2: I grabbed the gun and shot myself. I did not
Speaker 2: want to tell mother I was arrested and charged with murder.
Speaker 2: During his subsequent treatment in the hospital and Friday Harbor
Speaker 2: until January thirteenth, the witness said he had received two
Speaker 2: shots of morphine a day. He said he could not
Speaker 2: remember writing a letter from Seattle, and that while in
Speaker 2: Seattle he was desperately ill, so ill he could not
Speaker 2: be propped up in bed because of the pain his
Speaker 2: wound caused him cross examination by District Attorney Christ. Question,
Speaker 2: how extensive was your drunkenness? Denver? Answer? Quite often, I
Speaker 2: was drinking all the time. Mister Christ asked him if
Speaker 2: he was indulging in many such escapades as just mentioned,
Speaker 2: and he said not. Mister Christ questioned him about the
Speaker 2: statements made last night that Armor was to pay him
Speaker 2: four dollars a day in expenses for driving Armor to California.
Speaker 2: He asked Glancet if Armor permitted him to drive the
Speaker 2: car when Armor had seen him take on so much
Speaker 2: whiskey in Trinidad Pueblo in Las Vegas. The witness replied
Speaker 2: Armor had not said anything to him. Question who drove
Speaker 2: the car after you left Las Vegas? Answer? I think
Speaker 2: I did. Mister Christ asked him if he was drunk
Speaker 2: at the wheel, and the witness answered that he had
Speaker 2: been drinking. He did not admit he was quite drunk
Speaker 2: when he left Las Vegas. Mister Christ had a large
Speaker 2: stack of papers before him and question blants It on
Speaker 2: innumerable details. One of these was about the different ways
Speaker 2: Blansett signed his own name. Mister Chris pointing out that checks,
Speaker 2: payrolls and other papers signed by Blanchet showed the following
Speaker 2: signature Albert W. Blansett, Albert Blansett and E. W. Blantsett.
Speaker 2: The witness admitted he had two ways of writing the
Speaker 2: letter E. There is one outstanding feature of Blancett's trial
Speaker 2: which seems to have impressed every one of the hundreds
Speaker 2: and hundreds of people who have crowded into the district
Speaker 2: courtroom for the past ten days, and that is the
Speaker 2: marvelous cool nerve displayed by the man just past twenty
Speaker 2: two years of age, who is under the cloud of
Speaker 2: a first degree murder charge. He seems to be the
Speaker 2: least concerned man at this trial. Is a remark heard
Speaker 2: again and again. It was particularly evident on the witness
Speaker 2: stand undergoing a grilling cross examination by District Attorney J. H. Christ,
Speaker 2: that Blanchet appeared most cool and collected. Blanchet seemed ready
Speaker 2: to admit almost anything and everything, except the point the
Speaker 2: district attorney tried most industriously to bring out that Blancet
Speaker 2: committed murder. When the defendant might well have seemed flustered
Speaker 2: at the avalanche of testimony thrown against him by the state,
Speaker 2: he explained calmly that he had taken a false step,
Speaker 2: and one false step led to another, or he announced calmly,
Speaker 2: he could not remember, with a frankness that was almost bewildering.
Speaker 2: He practically admitted the truth of the maxim the way
Speaker 2: of the transgressor as hard and said that even when
Speaker 2: he reached his home in Friday Harbor, realizing that he
Speaker 2: was innocent and yet might be forced to face a
Speaker 2: murder charge, he had an alibi under consideration. July ninth,
Speaker 2: nineteen twenty, the deputy sheriffs who went to the prison
Speaker 2: for the prisoner found him ready. He had been reading
Speaker 2: since midnight before, he had been writing since his mother's
Speaker 2: farewell visit late in the afternoon. Are you ready, he asked,
Speaker 2: as the guard began unlocking his cell door.
Speaker 3: All right.
Speaker 2: He walked unassisted to the main building and while one
Speaker 2: of the deputies were shackling his wrist to Deputy Sheriff
Speaker 2: Dick Huber's. He talked lightly and without any obvious effort,
Speaker 2: but he was the only one who spoke. The others
Speaker 2: were grimly silent. He commented on the fact that his
Speaker 2: right wrist was handcuffed. He couldn't use the other, he said,
Speaker 2: and supposed that was the reason his left was left free.
Speaker 2: His arm has been practically useless since he attempted to
Speaker 2: kill himself following his arrest more than than three years ago,
Speaker 2: by firing a shotgun charge into his neck. At the jail,
Speaker 2: he passed through the nerve racking ordeal of the reading
Speaker 2: of the death warrant, unshaken. As Sheriff Armijo, standing on
Speaker 2: his crutches, read the warrant, the prisoner stood at attention,
Speaker 2: shoulders thrown back and head held erect, and when he
Speaker 2: raised his hands a few seconds later for the deputies
Speaker 2: to strap them at his sides, they were ready. The priest,
Speaker 2: who had accompanied him from his cell, stood at his
Speaker 2: side during the reading, and once he leaned over and
Speaker 2: whispered and the prisoner took off his hat, the priest
Speaker 2: made a gesture once or twice with one hand behind
Speaker 2: a youth's back, as if to support him, but dropped
Speaker 2: his hand each time. Glancet did not need any support.
Speaker 2: From the time he stepped from his cell at the
Speaker 2: prison until he plunged to death, he gave not the
Speaker 2: faintest indication of weakening. His demeanor was that of a
Speaker 2: man doing something commonplace. His face was free from any
Speaker 2: trace of the haggard expression that often marks men condemned
Speaker 2: to death. His face didn't pale for a fleeting second,
Speaker 2: and when he spoke there was not a quavering in
Speaker 2: his voice. At times he appeared smile. Although the prisoner
Speaker 2: did not sleep last night, having spent the four part
Speaker 2: of the night writing letters and the later part reading
Speaker 2: in his cell, he ate heartily at supper, and the
Speaker 2: night before he slept soundly. The death watch reported that
Speaker 2: he went to his cot early and fell into a
Speaker 2: deep sleep almost at once. He didn't move from where
Speaker 2: he lay until the bell clanged in the cell house
Speaker 2: the next morning. Warden fidel Or Teese and Deputy Warden
Speaker 2: Duke And went to his cell last night shortly after
Speaker 2: midnight and found him reading. He needed no bracing up
Speaker 2: the prisoner gave no indication of losing his nerve, and
Speaker 2: in fact questioned the deputy as to the length of
Speaker 2: the drop that the hangman was going to give him.
Speaker 2: He died as a Catholic who was baptized two years
Speaker 2: ago following his imprisonment, and yesterday morning he made his
Speaker 2: last confession and received communion. The books he was reading
Speaker 2: as he waited for the deputy sheriffs were prayer books.
Speaker 2: Another book also was taken from his cell, a story
Speaker 2: by Zane Gray. Nearly one hundred men, women and boys
Speaker 2: stood in the street in front of the jail when
Speaker 2: the automobile carrying the prisoner, his guards and priests arrived
Speaker 2: from the prison. They had been gathering since as early
Speaker 2: as four thirty o'clock. They surged forward and stared at
Speaker 2: the condemned man, but he looked straight ahead and marched
Speaker 2: to the jail door. And the crowd was one party,
Speaker 2: evidently made up of tourists, which included two or three women.
Speaker 2: The crowd stayed, although only the twenty legal witnesses were
Speaker 2: allowed to pass through the gates, until the word was
Speaker 2: passed outside that Blancet was dead, and not until then
Speaker 2: did they begin breaking up. His trial began in the
Speaker 2: district court on April thirteenth, nineteen seventeen, and on April
Speaker 2: twenty fourth, the jury found glance At guilty of murder
Speaker 2: in the first degree. That was only the beginning of
Speaker 2: the long legal battle, during which the case was carried
Speaker 2: first to the Supreme Court of the state and then
Speaker 2: to the Supreme Court of the United States, and which
Speaker 2: ended only two months ago when the Federal Supreme Court
Speaker 2: denied Blancet's appeal. Before the trial, he gave no explanation
Speaker 2: of the death of Armour, maintaining absolute silence until he
Speaker 2: went to the stand in the legal fight for his life.
Speaker 2: At one time before the trial, Roy Armour brought of
Speaker 2: Clyde saw him in the prison hospital. He was still
Speaker 2: suffering from the self inflicted wound. Leaning over the cot,
Speaker 2: Roy said, I'm Clyde Armer's brother. Blancet is reported to
Speaker 2: have answered, I do not know you, and I never
Speaker 2: saw Clyde armor. The trial was unquestionably the most sensational
Speaker 2: ever held in Santa Fe. There was standing room only
Speaker 2: in the courtroom. In little of that women brought their
Speaker 2: sewing and remained from morning until night. Some spectators brought
Speaker 2: their lunch and stayed in the courtroom during the recess
Speaker 2: so that they would be sure to have seats at
Speaker 2: the following session. Albert W. Blancett answered the state's demand
Speaker 2: of a life for a life in the yard behind
Speaker 2: the jail. This morning, at five twenty two o'clock. He
Speaker 2: went to his death as a man would go to breakfast.
Speaker 2: He gave no sign of mental stress, and ascended the
Speaker 2: steps to the scaffold unaided except that Father Henry le Guillion,
Speaker 2: the prison chaplain, and his confessor, who walked beside him,
Speaker 2: laid his hand lightly on his arm on the scaffold.
Speaker 2: They knelt in prayer, the priest and the prisoner. They
Speaker 2: remained kneeling a few minutes, and the priest then embraced
Speaker 2: the prisoner. As blance hat arose, Sheriff George w. Armijo
Speaker 2: asked him if he had any statement to make. He
Speaker 2: stood with his shoulders thrown back and faced squarely the
Speaker 2: witnesses gathered below. He spoke slowly and clearly. I have
Speaker 2: nothing to say, he said, enunciating each word distinctly, and
Speaker 2: turned toward the deputy sheriffs, as if to say he
Speaker 2: was ready. When they were Deputy Warden P. Dugan of
Speaker 2: the penitentiary, sprang up the steps and grasped his hand.
Speaker 2: He spoke a few low words and descended. The canvas.
Speaker 2: Curtain then dropped, and the scaffold was hidden from the witnesses.
Speaker 2: The trap was sprung at five twenty two o'clock, shortly
Speaker 2: after sunrise, and ten minutes later doctor E. W. Fisk,
Speaker 2: prison physician, and doctor David Knapp, County physician, pronounced him dead.
Speaker 2: The drop apparently failed to break his neck, although no
Speaker 2: examination was made, but the prisoner was unconscious and death
Speaker 2: was painless. The snapping of the heavy knot of the
Speaker 2: noose against his head behind the ear produced unconsciousness at
Speaker 2: the instant of the drop, and he knew nothing after that.
Speaker 2: That was mystery tour in a Buick eight, The Vanishing
Speaker 2: of Clyde Armour, called from the historic pages of the
Speaker 2: Santa Fe New Mexican and other newspapers of the era.
Speaker 2: True Crime Historian is a creation of popular media and
Speaker 2: Himalaya Studios. Opening theme by Nico Vitessi, incidental music by
Speaker 2: Dave Sam's, Closing theme by Dave Sam's and Rachel Shott,
Speaker 2: Engineered by David Hish, Third Street Music, media management and
Speaker 2: original graphics for each show created by Sean R. Miller Jones.
Speaker 2: And as for me, while the truth is out there,
Speaker 2: he admitted drinking, gambling, joy riding in a fast life.
Speaker 2: I'm true crime historian Richard O. Jones signing off for now,
Speaker 2: All Dy