Speaker 1: Pmkuler Calm, Buffalo, New York, November twenty sixth, nineteen twenty.
Speaker 1: Abraham Yellen, proprietor of a second hand store at number
Speaker 1: one ninety four Seneca Street, said the three men entered
Speaker 1: the store and asked to try on some overcoats. Frank Barnes,
Speaker 1: he asserted, was the first man to try on a coat.
Speaker 1: When told the price of the garment, a disagreement occurred
Speaker 1: over the payment of the coat. Barnes drew an automatic
Speaker 1: revolver from his pocket and told the proprietor of the
Speaker 1: store he would take the overcoat and everything else. The
Speaker 1: latter said Yellen grappled with the gunman and was shot
Speaker 1: three times. One of the bullets struck Yelling on the wrist,
Speaker 1: the other entering his chest near his heart. The two
Speaker 1: companions of the man with the gun stood by and
Speaker 1: watched the struggle. According to Yellen, when the proprietor fell
Speaker 1: to the floor, the three men ran from the store.
Speaker 1: The trio ran through Seneca Street, turned into Butler Alley,
Speaker 1: and disappeared. Patrolman Condon heard the shots while standing in
Speaker 1: Michigan Street and caught them in as they hurried along
Speaker 1: Seneca Street. Less than fifteen minutes after the shooting, three
Speaker 1: men were arrested single handed at the point of a
Speaker 1: gun by patrolman Daniel M. Condon at South Division and
Speaker 1: Pine Streets. Here's the captures, told in Condon's own words.
Speaker 1: I was walking in Michigan Avenue near Seneca Street when
Speaker 1: I heard two shots. I ran towards Seneca Street, but
Speaker 1: before I reached the corner, a fellow yelled to me
Speaker 1: that three men had run out of Yelling's store and
Speaker 1: up Butler Alley toward Myrtle Avenue. I doubled back, and
Speaker 1: when I got to Myrtle Avenue, I saw the three
Speaker 1: men running down the atne. When they saw me, they
Speaker 1: ducked into the yard at number forty four Myrtle Avenue
Speaker 1: and were headed towards Swan Street. They gained on me
Speaker 1: and getting over the fence, and I saw them heading
Speaker 1: up Swan toward Chestnut Street. When I reached the street,
Speaker 1: I ran to the corner, and mister Webber, who owns
Speaker 1: a hat store, told me the three men ran up
Speaker 1: Chestnut to North Division Street and then turned west toward
Speaker 1: Main Street. I saw an auto coming along, and I
Speaker 1: yelled to the driver to take me in. I jumped
Speaker 1: on the running board and had him drive up Chestnut
Speaker 1: to North Division to Michigan and around the block, but
Speaker 1: could find no trace of the trio. I made up
Speaker 1: my mind that they couldn't have gone far and were
Speaker 1: in hiding, and jumped from the auto and ran into
Speaker 1: Lindsay's store at number one sixty nine North Division Street
Speaker 1: and phoned police headquarters to send a squad down. As
Speaker 1: I turned from the phone, I saw the three men
Speaker 1: slinking along the other side of the street, and I
Speaker 1: started across the street. I was within fifteen feet of
Speaker 1: them when they saw. Brown slipped back into an alleyway
Speaker 1: and I saw an automatic in his hand. Drop it
Speaker 1: or I'll drop you. I said, here, you can have it,
Speaker 1: he said, as he handed it over to me. I
Speaker 1: marched them over to Lindsay's store and waited for the
Speaker 1: police to come. That's all there was to it, unquote.
Speaker 1: They were taken to South Division Street police station. The
Speaker 1: men gave the following names, Frank Barnes twenty two years old, Newark,
Speaker 1: Roy Brown twenty eight and John C. Smith twenty three
Speaker 1: years old, and, according to the police, identified by Yellen
Speaker 1: at the hospital last night, as the trio who entered
Speaker 1: his store. No charge will be preferred against them until
Speaker 1: it is established whether Yellen will live. The police state
Speaker 1: that when arrested, Barnes had a thirty two caliber revolver
Speaker 1: in his possession, from which three bullets had been fired,
Speaker 1: and that Brown had a twenty five caliber automatic fully loaded.
Speaker 1: Abraham Yellen is still in critical condition at the Columbus Hospital.
Speaker 1: His chances for recovery are slight. It is said. November
Speaker 1: twenty seventh, nineteen twenty Lily and Gussie, twenty two years old,
Speaker 1: self confessed accomplice of the three men being held on
Speaker 1: a murder charge in connection with the shooting of Abraham Yellen,
Speaker 1: a second hand clothed dealer in his Seneca Street shop,
Speaker 1: was taken before Justice Charles B. Sears in Supreme Court
Speaker 1: today and ordered held as a material witness on twenty
Speaker 1: five hundred dollars bail and default of the bail. The
Speaker 1: woman was taken to the jail. Following the fixing of bail.
Speaker 1: The Gussie woman was taken before Assistant District Attorney hoff Hines,
Speaker 1: who said she he made a lengthy statement concerning the
Speaker 1: alleged burglarous activities of the three men. She was arrested
Speaker 1: by detective Sergeants Murphy and Perry, who were sent to
Speaker 1: the room occupied by Roy Brown, one of the trio,
Speaker 1: whose correct name was given as Raymond Moulford. The correct
Speaker 1: names of the other two men are Harold Weber alias
Speaker 1: Jack Smith, and Floyd Slover, twenty one years old. Slover
Speaker 1: gave his name as Barnes. Thursday morning. When arrested, the
Speaker 1: men said they'd been staying at the North Division Street
Speaker 1: address yesterday. Chief of Detective Zimmerman ordered Murphy and Perry
Speaker 1: to search the room. They found the girl and brought
Speaker 1: her to headquarters. Following her statement, she was booked as
Speaker 1: a material witness and locked up at the South Division
Speaker 1: Street station. The girl is being closely guarded in the
Speaker 1: women's section of the jail. She said she is twenty
Speaker 1: two years years old and married. She said that she
Speaker 1: left her husband to go with Barnes and does not
Speaker 1: know where he is now. Missus Gussie told how several
Speaker 1: months ago, while working in an Exchange Street restaurant, she
Speaker 1: first met Brown, who was a railroad switchman. She said
Speaker 1: that a short time before that she had left her husband,
Speaker 1: who she described as a hard working, steady man. Quote.
Speaker 1: I was discontented with my husband. There were no children
Speaker 1: and I wanted a baby. I guess that's why I
Speaker 1: left him. Unquote. Missus Gussie related her story for newspapermen
Speaker 1: and police officers yesterday at Number two police station, where
Speaker 1: she was held following her arrest. Quote. It was last
Speaker 1: July that Brown and I became acquainted at the restaurant.
Speaker 1: She continued, pausing once in a while as her voice
Speaker 1: trembled with emotion. We made a date to go to
Speaker 1: Crystal Beach, and that same night we had several drinks
Speaker 1: in company with a lady friend. We missed the boat
Speaker 1: and returned to the rooms occupied by the friend and
Speaker 1: had several more drinks. By the time we were ready
Speaker 1: to leave, it was too late for me to go
Speaker 1: to my room, so Brown rented a room and stayed
Speaker 1: there that night. Shortly after that, I went to erie
Speaker 1: with him, and there he did his first job. It
Speaker 1: was a home and he was rewarded with only a
Speaker 1: few cents. He told me about it and asked me
Speaker 1: if I objected, and I asked him what use was
Speaker 1: there to object? In Ashtabulah, we broke into two stores
Speaker 1: after which we went to Cuyahoga Falls and Akron. He
Speaker 1: broke into several places and hit on the idea of
Speaker 1: taking me along to ward off suspicion. From there, we
Speaker 1: came back to Buffalo, and after we robbed a place
Speaker 1: at Gardenville, we jumped to Saint Louis, then to Vandalia, Missouri,
Speaker 1: then to Alton, Illinois. When we ran short of money,
Speaker 1: Brown would pull a job for Malton. We went to
Speaker 1: Dapolis on the train. Brown lost all of his money
Speaker 1: playing cards, but he broke into more stores. He was
Speaker 1: not very successful, getting little besides groceries. At Cleveland. I
Speaker 1: got a job in a restaurant on East ninth Street.
Speaker 1: There we met Slover and Weber. That was about three
Speaker 1: weeks ago. One morning, a little while after, Brown came
Speaker 1: in the restaurant with a black eye, saying that the
Speaker 1: gang had jumped on him. He made me quit my job,
Speaker 1: but I sneaked back and got my money. After Brown
Speaker 1: and four other men held up a drug store and
Speaker 1: broke into another place, we came to Buffalo. He and
Speaker 1: I got here Monday, the other two coming along the
Speaker 1: next day. Unquote. When asked why she did not leave
Speaker 1: Mulford alias Brown. The girl sobbed that her things were
Speaker 1: in pawn most of the time, and that her trunk
Speaker 1: was always checked somewhere where she couldn't get at it. Quote.
Speaker 1: I often asked Brown to get a job and be honest,
Speaker 1: but each time I suggested it, he would hit me.
Speaker 1: When I get out of this, I'm going to Corey,
Speaker 1: Pennsylvania and live there with my sister. I don't suppose
Speaker 1: I'll ever go back to my husband, for he'll probably
Speaker 1: get a divorce unquote. In her confession, she described to
Speaker 1: hold up the men are alleged to have made on
Speaker 1: a William Street jewelry store Tuesday night. She says Molford
Speaker 1: threatened to kill her if she ever left him. In
Speaker 1: spite of this, she intended to leave on the night
Speaker 1: preceding the shooting of Yellen, but said that Moulford had
Speaker 1: prevented this by keeping her keys. She states that she
Speaker 1: was sworn not to divulge Moulford's real name, and describing
Speaker 1: the actions of the three men, the girl said they
Speaker 1: had not been working together very long. She said Weber
Speaker 1: joined the other two last Sunday, and Moulford and Slover
Speaker 1: have teamed together for three weeks. She said that she
Speaker 1: was still in the rooming house when Yellen was shot
Speaker 1: and knew nothing about it until later. Assistant District Attorney
Speaker 1: Hoffhanm said he will ask the local police to check
Speaker 1: the activities of the three men as described in the
Speaker 1: girl's alleged confession. The trail of hold ups, as described
Speaker 1: by the girl, extends from Saint Paul, Minnesota, almost to
Speaker 1: New York City and includes Detroit, Cleveland, Saint Louis, Lancaster,
Speaker 1: Niagara Falls, Gardenville, Akron, Ohio, and Toledo, Ohio. According to
Speaker 1: her story, they choose jewelry stores and business houses as
Speaker 1: their quarries. When the stage was set for a hold up,
Speaker 1: the girl said she would take a position outside of
Speaker 1: the building and act as a lookout while the three
Speaker 1: men went inside and committed the thefts. One time, in Gardenville,
Speaker 1: Lilian said that she fired two shots at a man,
Speaker 1: and she is confident that one struck him. At another time,
Speaker 1: she took a couple of parting shots at one of
Speaker 1: their victims. In Lancaster, the girl said that she and
Speaker 1: her three companions had discussed when and where they would
Speaker 1: pull the next job and had decided that Thanksgiving Day
Speaker 1: would be a good day. She said that the three
Speaker 1: men were looking for a desirable jewelry store when they
Speaker 1: entered mister Yellen's place on Seneca Street. The girl said
Speaker 1: she was in her room Thursday morning when the three
Speaker 1: men started out to get some money. Their intentions were
Speaker 1: to stick up a jewelry store. The girl admitted she
Speaker 1: does not know how they came to enter the second
Speaker 1: hand store and shoot the proprietor. The Gussie girl will
Speaker 1: be questioned further today. In the meantime, photographs of the
Speaker 1: trio have been sent to every city mentioned by the
Speaker 1: girl in an effort to connect the trio with many
Speaker 1: crimes committed recently. Following the death late yesterday afternoon of
Speaker 1: mister Yellen, the three men were turned over to Assistant
Speaker 1: District Attorney Hoff Hinds, who put them through a stiff grilling.
Speaker 1: They told conflicting store and were sent to the jail
Speaker 1: on charges of assault first degree and attempted robbery. They
Speaker 1: were held without bail. Charges of murder were later placed
Speaker 1: against them. Overcome with rage at the man who is
Speaker 1: alleged to shot their father, Abraham Yellen, Jack and Max
Speaker 1: Yellen attempted to beat up Floyd Slover, twenty one years
Speaker 1: old in city court. Today, the Yellen boys are all
Speaker 1: well known here. Jack, who is best known as a
Speaker 1: popular songwriter, is also a former newspaperman. He wrote the
Speaker 1: hit song Are You from Dixie. Max is a lawyer
Speaker 1: and graduate of Cornell University. Hiram is a physician. The
Speaker 1: other sons are Irving Morris and Samuel. A daughter, Martha,
Speaker 1: also survives the deceased. Abraham Yellen was a leader in
Speaker 1: real religious and philanthropic work in the East Side community.
Speaker 1: Although himself a businessman, he was well known as a
Speaker 1: Talmudic and Hebrew scholar. At the time of his death,
Speaker 1: he was the head of the Chevret Michionet, a biblical
Speaker 1: society at Brith Sholom Synagogue. Mister Yellen was forty seven
Speaker 1: years old. His wife, Bessie Yellen, died only four months
Speaker 1: ago at the age of forty six. The couple, with
Speaker 1: their three oldest children, came to this country from Russia
Speaker 1: in eighteen ninety six, having fled to escape the persecutions
Speaker 1: of the Russian government. That year, mister Yellen opened a
Speaker 1: shoe store at Number one ninety four and a half
Speaker 1: Seneca Street. He later opened a clothing store next door,
Speaker 1: and was in business continually in that section for twenty
Speaker 1: four years. He was one of the founders of the
Speaker 1: Buffalo Hebrew School and several times an official of Brith
Speaker 1: Sholom Synagogue. He was a liberal contributor to Jewish charities,
Speaker 1: particularly in more relief work. Max said that his mother
Speaker 1: had died a few months ago, and the death of
Speaker 1: his father was a blow he could hardly stand. He said,
Speaker 1: quote it was nothing but cold blooded murder. Fully, two
Speaker 1: hours before the trial, the two Yellen boys and a
Speaker 1: third brother, doctor Hiram, paced restlessly in front of the courthouse.
Speaker 1: According to the police, word was given to probationary Officer
Speaker 1: Chase that doctor Hiram Yellen, another brother, was standing in
Speaker 1: the corridor outside the courtroom door. D h. Yellen was
Speaker 1: standing outside the courtroom door with a revolver in his pocket.
Speaker 1: The police were notified and doctor Yellen was escorted to
Speaker 1: the District Attorney's office, where he was searched by Assistant
Speaker 1: District Attorney Marvin Marcus. It has led that the revolver
Speaker 1: of the army type was found in one of the
Speaker 1: man's pockets who was taken away from him, and he
Speaker 1: was not held after producing a permit to carry the gun.
Speaker 1: City Hall deputies were hastily called and were stationed at
Speaker 1: vantage points throughout the corridor leading to Part five of
Speaker 1: the building where the arrangement was held. As the men,
Speaker 1: one of them handcuffed the Chief of Detectives, Charles F. Zimmerman,
Speaker 1: and the other two handcuffed together were led into the
Speaker 1: City Court building. The Yellen brothers stepped out from the
Speaker 1: crowd police say and struck Slover in the face. Patrol mccasey,
Speaker 1: who was in charge of the two handcuff prisoners, Raymond
Speaker 1: Mulford and Harold Weber, grabbed the two Yellen brothers and
Speaker 1: quieting them allowed them to enter the courtroom. The trio
Speaker 1: were arranged on murder charges before Judge Hartzell, while the
Speaker 1: Yellen brothers sat in the front rows of seats in
Speaker 1: the courtroom, surrounded by friends uns. The court proceedings were
Speaker 1: very brief as the men stood before the bar. Judge Hartzell,
Speaker 1: in a modulated tone, told the men that they were
Speaker 1: charged with murder first degree. He asked, how do you
Speaker 1: plead guilty or not guilty? Not guilty was the response
Speaker 1: from all. Then the court arranged for an adjournment for
Speaker 1: a week. When one of the prisoners said that a
Speaker 1: week would be satisfactory to him, Max Yellen, losing control
Speaker 1: of himself, asked what right he had to say about
Speaker 1: the trial arrangements. The case was adjourned until next Friday,
Speaker 1: and the officers with their prisoners made preparations to leave
Speaker 1: the room. Just as they were passing through the gate
Speaker 1: in the wooden railing that divides the court room, court
Speaker 1: attendants say the Yellen brothers leaped up and rained blows
Speaker 1: upon Slover's face and head. Before the enraged brother could
Speaker 1: be controlled, Slover received a severe battering, was bleeding. He
Speaker 1: received a cut below one eye, and his eyes were blackened.
Speaker 1: Patrolmen Casey and Condon were ordered to arrest the Yellen
Speaker 1: brothers on charges of contemptive court, and several minutes later
Speaker 1: they were arraigned and discharged by Judge Hartzell. The two
Speaker 1: men pleaded that they had been blinded with rage at
Speaker 1: the man who was alleged to have fired the shot
Speaker 1: that resulted in the death of their aged father, and
Speaker 1: as their mother had died less than a year ago,
Speaker 1: they became filled with anger at the man. The men
Speaker 1: were reprimanded, police say, and then discharged. Extra precautions were
Speaker 1: taken by the city court authorities to guard the prisoners
Speaker 1: from the wrath of the friends of the dead man.
Speaker 1: During both attacks, the handcuffed men were powerless to defend
Speaker 1: themselves from the raining blows, which fell with a vengeance
Speaker 1: upon their bare heads. They attempted to shield themselves behind
Speaker 1: the patrolmen who were guarding them, but the attack was
Speaker 1: said to have been so suddenly that the guards were
Speaker 1: caught unawares. For several minutes, the courtroom was in an
Speaker 1: uproar as the crowds of friends of the elderly yelling
Speaker 1: called for vengeance on the three men accused of the crime.
Speaker 1: Patrolman Daniel Condon, who had brought the trio to the courtroom,
Speaker 1: was about to lead them out of the room, which
Speaker 1: was filled with spectators. Max Yellen, who had been standing
Speaker 1: near the rail with flushed face, cried out the dirty skunks.
Speaker 1: As he uttered these words, they stepped forward and made
Speaker 1: a lunge at Whitey's slover, the man who was alleged
Speaker 1: to have shot his father. He swung at the men
Speaker 1: several times before Patrolman case he could get through the
Speaker 1: crowd and stop him. Meanwhile, Jack Yellen, popular songwriter who
Speaker 1: had been outside, wedged himself through the crowded doorway and
Speaker 1: struck Whitey a blow in the face that discolored his
Speaker 1: eye and started the blood flowing from his nose. Then
Speaker 1: Detective Chief Zimmerman stepped forward and probationary Officer Chase took
Speaker 1: hold of Jack. The court was in an uproar during
Speaker 1: the performance, many cheering the attackers. Judge Hartzell ordered the
Speaker 1: Yellens held in the judge's chamber until they had cooled.
Speaker 1: The prisoners accepted the charge against them as if it
Speaker 1: were a common offense. They were brought into court handcuffed
Speaker 1: to Chief Zimmerman declared, Judge Hartzell, I sympathize with you
Speaker 1: in your grief, but the law has to take its course.
Speaker 1: The contempt charge was dismissed later when both sons of
Speaker 1: the dead man apologized to the court. After the prisoner
Speaker 1: had returned to the county jail, the Yellens were dismissed.
Speaker 1: In the courtroom corridor, Jack Yellen met Patrolman Condon. Congratulations,
Speaker 1: old man. He said, that was a fine catch. The
Speaker 1: officer modestly acknowledged the word with a smile. The demonstration
Speaker 1: in the courtroom this morning was not the first one.
Speaker 1: On Thanksgiving night, the prisoners were beaten up by the
Speaker 1: Yellens and their friends and the lobby of the Columbus Hospital.
Speaker 1: Police were unable to cope with the situation until after
Speaker 1: bodily harm had been done to the prisoners. They previously
Speaker 1: had been identified by mister Yellen as he lay on
Speaker 1: his deathbed in the hospital ward as his assailants, Captain
Speaker 1: Crehan and Detective Parry and Murphy finally quieted the youths
Speaker 1: down after they had beaten the prisoners severely.
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Speaker 1: While civil service rules have their good points, even the
Speaker 1: most ardent supporters of the system are numbered among the
Speaker 1: citizens of Buffalo who feel that prompt promotion of Patrolman
Speaker 1: Daniel Condon of the second Precinct is the most fitting
Speaker 1: reward for his stellar performance of Thursday, when he caught
Speaker 1: three men now held on a charge of murder for
Speaker 1: the alleged shooting of Abraham Yellen. The capture by Patrolman
Speaker 1: Condon is unexcelled in local police annals. Coming at a
Speaker 1: time when the morale of the police department, because of
Speaker 1: recent developments, is indisputably weak, and when public confidence is tottering,
Speaker 1: his lone capture of three men who have confessed to
Speaker 1: bad records has had the effect of reviving trust and
Speaker 1: reliance in the police. It has also stimulated the pride
Speaker 1: in the not alone among outsiders, but among the uniform
Speaker 1: men as well. In the promptness and alertness of mind
Speaker 1: which Patrolman Condon showed in making the notable capture, he
Speaker 1: has shown a nobility for higher position and responsibility that
Speaker 1: the Buffalo Police Department, for its own sake, should take
Speaker 1: advantage of.
Speaker 2: It.
Speaker 1: Combined quick action, alertness of mind, perseverance and gameness essential
Speaker 1: qualities of the real cop. November twenty ninth, nineteen twenty.
Speaker 1: Don't worry, father, we will get the men who killed you.
Speaker 1: They won't live long. These were the words spoken in
Speaker 1: a voice of strong emotion by doctor Hiram S. Yellen
Speaker 1: as he stood by the open grave of his father,
Speaker 1: Abraham Yellen, shot by bans on Thanksgiving Day. As the
Speaker 1: sun made the vow, hundreds of mourners gathered around at
Speaker 1: the burial wept in sympathy with the berough sons, whose
Speaker 1: father had been torn from them by the hand of
Speaker 1: robber assassins. Three thousand persons assembled to pay tribute to
Speaker 1: the memory of Abraham Yellen. The funeral procession was the
Speaker 1: largest in the history of the East Side Jewish community,
Speaker 1: where the victim of a murderer's bullet resided for twenty
Speaker 1: four years, and where he was regarded as one of
Speaker 1: the leading citizens of Orthodox Jewry in the city. Long
Speaker 1: before the hour set for the funeral, an immense throng
Speaker 1: gathered in front of the Yelling residence in Cedar Street.
Speaker 1: Sidewalks and street were jammed, while hundreds of automobiles lined
Speaker 1: the curb for blocks in the immediate vicinity. The crowd
Speaker 1: finally became so great that a squad of police were
Speaker 1: detailed to the scene. Traffic in William Street was temporarily
Speaker 1: suspended as the procession passed from the family residence to
Speaker 1: the Brith shol And Synagogue in Pine Street. Behind the
Speaker 1: hearst trudged hundreds of aged men and women. A crowd
Speaker 1: of fifteen hundred stood outside the synagogue when the doors
Speaker 1: were closed, because every inch of standing room had been
Speaker 1: filled inside. Imprecautions and cries for vengeance on the cold
Speaker 1: blooded murders of the innocent victim mingled with the wailings
Speaker 1: of the mourners. The synagogue, which had been gaily decked
Speaker 1: in honor of the Zionist convention, was stripped of its
Speaker 1: festive regalia for the sad event. The body was carried
Speaker 1: into the house of worship, a privilege which, according to
Speaker 1: Orthodox Jewish custom, is accorded only to men of great
Speaker 1: piety and prominence. In the history of this synagogue, the
Speaker 1: oldest on the East Side, this privilege has been extended
Speaker 1: on only one other occasion. The Reverend H. Singer, for years,
Speaker 1: an intimate friend of the deceased, and Rabbi Nekin, prominent
Speaker 1: Zionist of Columbus, Ohio, delivered the funeral orations in which
Speaker 1: the decease was eulogized for his philanthropy and piety Canter
Speaker 1: Samuel Arluck chanted El Molum Rochman Prayer for the Dead,
Speaker 1: repeating it on behalf of the congregation Chevre Kadesha, Chevre Kadesha,
Speaker 1: Chevrey Nishnaios and Chevre to Helim Synagogue, societies with which
Speaker 1: the decease was closely identified. He was the teacher of
Speaker 1: the Chevre Mishnaios, a society for Talmudic study, and founder
Speaker 1: of the Chevre to Helim. The latter organization will stand
Speaker 1: as a unique monument to mister Yellen's memory. Originally founded
Speaker 1: as a prayer group which had laid emphasis on the
Speaker 1: Song of David under his guidance, it developed into a
Speaker 1: charity organization which used the funds accumulated through dues and
Speaker 1: contributions to assist needy individuals by means of unsecured, interest
Speaker 1: free loans. The nominal dues, amounting to several pennies a week,
Speaker 1: have grown to a fund of several thousands of dollars,
Speaker 1: which has proved a blessing to many a poor man
Speaker 1: in the hour of financial stress. Mister Yellen was laid
Speaker 1: to rest in the breath Stoleham Cemetery at Pine Hill,
Speaker 1: beside the grave of his wife, who died four months ago.
Speaker 1: While the funeral was in progress, the National Convention of
Speaker 1: the Zionists of America temporarily adjoined its afternoon session at
Speaker 1: the Lafayette Hotel as a mark of respect to the deceased.
Speaker 1: January fourth, nineteen twenty one. I'll get you a Thanksgiving
Speaker 1: dinner if I have to kill somebody for it. This
Speaker 1: was the boastful promise of Raymond Moulford, gangster, to his
Speaker 1: sweetheart Lily and Gussie, as he left her on last
Speaker 1: Thanksgiving Day. Was the dramatic accusation of District Attorney Guy B.
Speaker 1: Moore today in his opening address to the jury in
Speaker 1: Moulford's trial for the murder of Abram Yellen. Bringing a
Speaker 1: wealth of dramatic fervor into play, the district attorney declaimed
Speaker 1: to the jury that he would show that Moulford went
Speaker 1: forth on that faithful day with his two companions with
Speaker 1: murder in his heart, just as the caveman of old
Speaker 1: sallied forth, ready to slay all who opposed his wishes.
Speaker 1: This accusation coupled with the positive identification of Floyd Slover,
Speaker 1: another of the gangsters, as the man who actually fired
Speaker 1: a shot at yellin as the Jewish merchant staggered from
Speaker 1: his store mortally wounded. Were the chief developments of the
Speaker 1: second morning of a trial that is expected to prove
Speaker 1: highly sensational. As the district Attorney assured the jury that
Speaker 1: he would bring forth sufficient evidence to send Molford to
Speaker 1: the electric chair, the gangster was perhaps the most unmoved
Speaker 1: spectator in the crowded courtroom. He sat quietly beside Bart J. Shanahan,
Speaker 1: former assistant District Attorney, his council, with a calloused calm
Speaker 1: upon his youthful countenance that appeared to be lie the
Speaker 1: horrid character which the District Attorney unmercifully draped upon him
Speaker 1: against the farther wall of the courtroom as Moulford's two
Speaker 1: alleged accomplices Floyd Slover, the man who was accused of
Speaker 1: the actual commit of Yellen's murder, a brawny youth with
Speaker 1: a shock of very yellow hair, and Harold Weber, a
Speaker 1: thin faced, slender chap with shifty eyes which constantly roam
Speaker 1: about the courtroom. Lily and Gussie, Molford's sweetheart, who admitted
Speaker 1: her connections with the gang and statements to the district attorney,
Speaker 1: and who was facing a charge in connection with one
Speaker 1: of the jobs alleged to have been pulled off by Molford,
Speaker 1: wherein she acted as lookout and fired a revolver at
Speaker 1: a storekeeper who surprised them at work. Was in court
Speaker 1: a pleasant faced young woman of the type sometimes called
Speaker 1: pleasingly plump. She did not look the hardened woman of
Speaker 1: the underworld that her admission to the district attorney proved
Speaker 1: her to be. The Gussie woman seated beside a jail
Speaker 1: matron followed the trial closely and with evident interest. Now
Speaker 1: and then, her gaze straight about the courtroom, and she
Speaker 1: was evidently embarrassed when subjected to close scrutiny. In his
Speaker 1: opening address to the jury, District Attorney Moore said, quote,
Speaker 1: we will prove that Moulford owned the three revolvers that
Speaker 1: were found upon him and his accomplices. We will prove
Speaker 1: that he gave two of them to Slover and Weber
Speaker 1: the night before the murder. We will prove that the
Speaker 1: trio of gangsters on the night before Thanksgiving Day planned
Speaker 1: the robbery of Yellin's store, and that they had looked
Speaker 1: over the place. We will prove that Molford told his
Speaker 1: sweetheart that he'd get her a Thanksgiving dinner if he
Speaker 1: had to murder somebody for it. And we shall ask you,
Speaker 1: gentlemen of the jury, to return against Molford, a conviction
Speaker 1: for murder in the first degree. Doctor Charles E. Long,
Speaker 1: deputy medical examiner, who performed an autopsy upon Yellen's body,
Speaker 1: was the first witness called by the people. He described
Speaker 1: the wounds, one in the left hand, one in the
Speaker 1: left chest, and one in the left of the abdomen.
Speaker 1: He produced the bullets which he had removed from the
Speaker 1: merchant's body, and the district attorney offered these in evidence.
Speaker 1: Attorney Shanahan objected to the acceptance of the bullets as
Speaker 1: evidence upon the ground that they were in competent evidence
Speaker 1: against the defendant. Supreme Court Justice Lewis W. Marcus overruled him.
Speaker 1: Attorney Shanahan also objected to introduction of the merchant's clothes
Speaker 1: and evidence on the same ground, and was again overruled.
Speaker 1: The garments, stained with blood were exhibited to the jury.
Speaker 1: Doctor Hiram S. Yellen, one of the sons of the
Speaker 1: murdered man, was next called by the district attorney and
Speaker 1: identified the clothes as belonging to his father. He described
Speaker 1: his father's store, which was long and narrow, and said
Speaker 1: his father had not employed a clerk. Doctor Herbert M. Hill,
Speaker 1: City Chemist, was examined by the district attorney relative to
Speaker 1: the bullet marks on the clothing. The next two witnesses
Speaker 1: were men who in the neighborhood of Yellin's store at
Speaker 1: the time of the shooting, and who swore that they
Speaker 1: actually saw one of the shots fired at the Jewish
Speaker 1: merchant as he staggered from his store. It is upon
Speaker 1: their evidence that District Attorney Moore hopes to send Floyd
Speaker 1: Slover to the electric chair when he is placed on
Speaker 1: trial next week. One of these witnesses actually identified Slover
Speaker 1: as the man who fired the shot. George Kenner, who
Speaker 1: is a driver for the Queen City Dairy, testified that
Speaker 1: he was going west on Seneca Street when he heard
Speaker 1: a shot in the Yellin store. Quote. I approached the
Speaker 1: store and saw that it was filled with smoke. Just
Speaker 1: as I arrived at the store, I saw a man
Speaker 1: backing out in the doorway, followed by mister Yellen. The
Speaker 1: man had his arm raised in his hand. I saw
Speaker 1: a nickel plated revolt. When the man with the revolver
Speaker 1: reached the middle of the sidewalk, he fired a shot
Speaker 1: at Yellen. The bullet struck Yellin on the left hand
Speaker 1: and the blood spurted. Yellen then collapsed, pointing to Slover
Speaker 1: in the prisoner's dock. District Attorney Moore asked, is that
Speaker 1: the man who fired the shot? Yes, replied the witness.
Speaker 1: As Slover stood up after firing the shot, the witness
Speaker 1: said Slover ran up the street. Benjamin Steinberg, a merchant
Speaker 1: at two o six Seneca Street, told how he had
Speaker 1: gone into Yellen's store following the shooting. He found Yellin
Speaker 1: in a chair, bleeding from his wounds. Yellen said he
Speaker 1: was dying and asked Steinberg to pray for him. He
Speaker 1: extracted a promise from Steinberg that he would care for
Speaker 1: his two younger children. He asked that he be buried
Speaker 1: in the Jewish cemetery near his wife. Following the morning session,
Speaker 1: the men under arrest were led back to the jail.
Speaker 1: A crowd of about one hundred Jews walked back of
Speaker 1: the deputies who were in charge. Doctor Hiram S. Yellen,
Speaker 1: one of the sons of the dead man was in
Speaker 1: the crowd, there was no trouble. However, the courtroom was
Speaker 1: crowded with spectators. Slover and Weber, from their seats in
Speaker 1: the prisoner's dock, took a keen interest in the proceedings.
Speaker 1: It was necessary to rope off the corridors to keep
Speaker 1: a crowd of several hundred curious persons away from the courtroom.
Speaker 1: Opening his remarks to the jury, District Attorney Guy B.
Speaker 1: Moore charged that the three revolvers carried by Slover, Mulford,
Speaker 1: and Weber on the morning of the murder were the
Speaker 1: property of Mulford. Quote. Moulford placed the revolver in the
Speaker 1: hands of Slover to commit the crime. The state will
Speaker 1: prove that the defendant, with Slover and way Ubber, planned
Speaker 1: the robbery of the Yellen store the night previous the murder.
Speaker 1: The state will also prove that Mulford, on Thanksgiving morning,
Speaker 1: said that he was going to get a holiday dinner
Speaker 1: for the woman he was living with if he had
Speaker 1: to commit a murder to do it. While District Attorney
Speaker 1: morsecathingly denounced Molford, doctor Hiram Yellen, Max Yellen, and Jack Yellen,
Speaker 1: sons of the murdered man sat in the courtroom and
Speaker 1: listened attentively. They were visibly moved when the prosecutor exhibited
Speaker 1: to the jury the three bullets which snuffed out their
Speaker 1: father's life. Slover followed the examination and cross examination of
Speaker 1: the witnesses closely, but Weber paid little or no attention
Speaker 1: to the proceedings. Before the opening of court, Molford and
Speaker 1: Slover chatted frequently and busied themselves reading the account of
Speaker 1: the trials in a morning newspaper. Deputies prepared for an
Speaker 1: immerder urgency when a crowd gathered in a threatening manner
Speaker 1: as the yell and murder suspects were taken from the
Speaker 1: court back to the county jail. Authorities feared a concerted
Speaker 1: move was being launched to wrest the suspects from custody
Speaker 1: and inflict bodily harm upon them. Extra deputies were rushed
Speaker 1: to the scene. Several times they were forced to stop,
Speaker 1: turn and drive the threatening crowd back. January fifth, nineteen
Speaker 1: twenty one, The corridors of the City Hall were crowded
Speaker 1: this morning with curious spectators long before the court opened.
Speaker 1: All available deputies were unable to control the situation. Upon
Speaker 1: the request of District Attorney Moore, Lieutenant John E. Kennedy
Speaker 1: of the traffic Squad, and six patrolmen were called to
Speaker 1: clear the corridors. Ge If William F. Waldo assigned five
Speaker 1: instead of two deputies to guard the prisoners while they
Speaker 1: were being transferred from the jail to the courtroom. There
Speaker 1: were jeers from the crowd as the prisoners marched through
Speaker 1: the corridors, but there was no disorder. A cordon of
Speaker 1: police and deputy sheriffs was maintained in the quarridor to
Speaker 1: keep the loiterers on the move. The courtroom was packed
Speaker 1: to its limit throughout the day. Among the witnesses called
Speaker 1: by mister Moore at the opening of court yesterday afternoon
Speaker 1: was Samuel Rogoff of number one fifty Lutheran Alley. Mister
Speaker 1: Rogoff testified that he was within a block of the
Speaker 1: yelling store when he saw the trio enter, and declared
Speaker 1: that Slover entered first. The witness pointed out the three
Speaker 1: men as those who entered the store. Detective Captain Charles F.
Speaker 1: Zimmerman told what took place when the trio was taken
Speaker 1: to the hospital where the aged storekeeper lay dying. Mister
Speaker 1: Yellen pointed to Slover as the man who did the shooting.
Speaker 1: Captain Zimmerman said and added that Slover was the member
Speaker 1: of the trio who indicated that he wanted to buy
Speaker 1: the overcoat. He also related what took place when Moulford
Speaker 1: was asked to sign his statement. Called to the stand
Speaker 1: by mister Moore, Lily and Gussie, sweetheart of the accused man,
Speaker 1: told the court how she had left her husband and
Speaker 1: in a few months later met Moulford in the restaurant
Speaker 1: in which she was working. Soon after, they went to
Speaker 1: a house in South Division Street, where they lived as
Speaker 1: man and wife, she said, being there but a short time,
Speaker 1: the pair went to Erie, from Erie to Akron and
Speaker 1: then back to Buffalo. That was in September, she said,
Speaker 1: and they were here but one week. Leaving the city,
Speaker 1: she continued, they moved to Saint Louis, from Saint Louis
Speaker 1: to Akron, from Akron to Cleveland, and finally back to Buffalo,
Speaker 1: arriving here in November twenty second. It was in Buffalo,
Speaker 1: the woman stated that she first met Slover, who was
Speaker 1: known as Barnes Molford, and Slover passed his brothers. She
Speaker 1: told the court. While in Cleveland, all four met and
Speaker 1: planned coming to this city. She, Molford, and Weber came
Speaker 1: by train, and Slover was to join them later. When
Speaker 1: they met, the trio of men discussed in a room
Speaker 1: in North Division Street the holding up of some store
Speaker 1: in Seneca Street, she declared. The night before the killing,
Speaker 1: they were armed, she added, and Molford declared that she
Speaker 1: would have a Thanksgiving dinner if he had to kill
Speaker 1: somebody for it. Cross Examined by mister Shanahan, Missus Gussie
Speaker 1: told of a quarrel she had with Moulford the night
Speaker 1: before the shooting, and how Molford had slapped her face
Speaker 1: after she threatened to tell her troubles to the police.
Speaker 1: She concluded her testimony by telling how Molford told her
Speaker 1: that Slover had shot a Jewish merchant. Throughout her testimony,
Speaker 1: in the time she spent in the courtroom, Missus Gussie
Speaker 1: gave little evidence of nervousness. Dressed in a black silk dress,
Speaker 1: suede shoes, and a large black picture hat, she sat
Speaker 1: beside a matron from the jail, giving only an occasional
Speaker 1: glance at the crowd in the courtroom, who craned their
Speaker 1: necks to get a glimpse of her on the stand too.
Speaker 1: She preserved the same air of unembarrassment and answered questions
Speaker 1: without faltering. Malford during the trial consulted frequently with his lawyer,
Speaker 1: particularly so when Missus Gussie had the stand. Weber and
Speaker 1: Slover sat at the side of the room, carefully guarded
Speaker 1: by special officers. Neither appeared to be uncomfortably concerned by
Speaker 1: the proceedings, nor showed any embarrassment as they walked handcuffed
Speaker 1: in and out of the courtroom. As the three alleged
Speaker 1: slayers went to and from the jail, special precautions were
Speaker 1: taken to guard them from the crowd which followed. Huddled together,
Speaker 1: the trio was surrounded by deputies who saw to it
Speaker 1: that no one came too near. In the corridors of
Speaker 1: the City Hall, a great crowd of people sought to
Speaker 1: gain entrance to the trial. Special precautions were taken by
Speaker 1: roping off the halls to keep the mob back, but
Speaker 1: a few spectators were allowed in at a time. There
Speaker 1: was no disturbance throughout the day. Aaron Aber, who conducts
Speaker 1: a furniture store at one eighty nine Seneca Street, testified
Speaker 1: that he had seen Slover and Weber across the street
Speaker 1: from the Yelling Store on the night before the murder.
Speaker 1: The witness said that they watched the store for nearly
Speaker 1: an hour. Under questioning by Attorney Shanahan, Molford briefly traced
Speaker 1: his early life, relating how he had been convicted of
Speaker 1: petty larceny at the tender age of twelve years and
Speaker 1: sentenced to an industrial school, where he remained for three years.
Speaker 1: He had another conviction, this one for grand larceny, he said,
Speaker 1: for which he was sent to the Elmira Reformatory. Moulford's
Speaker 1: story from this point on was decidedly damaging to Slover,
Speaker 1: his pal quote. We followed Slover into the store out
Speaker 1: of curiosity. Slover tried on a coat but said he
Speaker 1: didn't like it. Yellin brought another one from outside the store.
Speaker 1: Webber and I were looking at some suits in the
Speaker 1: rear of the store while Slover was near the front
Speaker 1: door with Yellin. I heard him say I'll take this one,
Speaker 1: and I looked up and saw that he had a
Speaker 1: gun in his hand. Yellin shouted something in Yiddish, and
Speaker 1: Weber and I were scared and ran out of the store.
Speaker 1: We ran into Butler Place and we're about halfway to
Speaker 1: Myrtle Avenue when I heard two two shots. I figured
Speaker 1: that a detective for somebody was shooting at Slover ut
Speaker 1: Moulford's story of the events leading up to the shooting
Speaker 1: was that he and his two companions, Slover and Weber,
Speaker 1: had planned to rob a jewelry store on Seneca Street
Speaker 1: on Thanksgiving Day. He said they went to Seneca Street
Speaker 1: and looked the situation over carefully, and that he advised
Speaker 1: against the job, declaring that if they tried it in daylight, quote,
Speaker 1: they might just as well walk into a police station. Uote.
Speaker 1: He said the trio wandered through this section, and that
Speaker 1: when they were in front of Yelton's store. He said
Speaker 1: that the trio wandered through this section, and that when
Speaker 1: they were in front of Yellen's second hand clothing store,
Speaker 1: Slover went into the store without a word to the
Speaker 1: other two. Malford made a sorry spectacle of himself, as
Speaker 1: with an air of bravado, he brazenly attempted to match
Speaker 1: wits with District Attorney Moore. The prosecutor at once sprang
Speaker 1: a surprise when he accused the gangster of poisoning his wife.
Speaker 1: When were you married, asked the district attorney. Answer I
Speaker 1: was married when I was twenty years old. Question how
Speaker 1: long has your wife been dead? Answer? I didn't know
Speaker 1: she was dead. Question didn't your wife die from poison
Speaker 1: that you gave her to prevent the birth of a child.
Speaker 1: Answer I refuse to answer. Question didn't you tell Lily
Speaker 1: and Gussie that you poisoned your wife and that the
Speaker 1: police were looking for you? Answer? I wouldn't answer if
Speaker 1: you struck me dead on the spot. Here Now we'll
Speaker 1: have no heroics, cautioned Judge Marcus. No, we don't want
Speaker 1: any moving picture stuff. Was the district attorney's shot cross
Speaker 1: examined by the district attorney. Moulford admitted giving guns to
Speaker 1: Slover and Weber on the morning of the Yellen murder,
Speaker 1: but refused to tell why the three men went out
Speaker 1: of curiosity to watch slow Over by an overcoat, and
Speaker 1: refused to answer why he did not attempt to stop
Speaker 1: Slover from firing at the storekeeper. Malford said he could
Speaker 1: have shot the officer who arrested him as he had
Speaker 1: a loaded gun, but instead pulled it out of his pocket.
Speaker 1: With the intention of throwing it away. Moore asked the
Speaker 1: prisoner if this intent was not prompted by a yellow streak,
Speaker 1: in answer to which Malford sneered at the cross examiner,
Speaker 1: Malford said it was not necessary for him to steal,
Speaker 1: as there was a man in Buffalo named Olson who
Speaker 1: would give him all the money he wanted. On cross examination,
Speaker 1: Malford was defiant and refused to answer most of District
Speaker 1: Attorney Moore's questions. Malford did state that he had never
Speaker 1: carried a gun until he met Lily and Gussie, self
Speaker 1: confessed lookout for the Whitey Slover Gang, and denied that
Speaker 1: he'd ever robbed a church. He did state that he
Speaker 1: had since in his pocket on Thanksgiving Day mourning, but
Speaker 1: denied that he had told Lily and Gussie that he
Speaker 1: would buy her a Thanksgiving dinner if he had to
Speaker 1: commit murder for it. Walking in a slow, deliberate manner
Speaker 1: toward the witness stand, the district attorney pointed a finger
Speaker 1: at Molford and asked him to tell about the poisoning
Speaker 1: of his wife, whom the witness claimed he had not
Speaker 1: seen for eight years. Where is your wife?
Speaker 2: Was?
Speaker 1: The district attorney's first question on cross examination, I don't know.
Speaker 1: I haven't seen her in eight years, answered Moulford. Is
Speaker 1: she dead, asked mister Moore. I don't know. Moulford replied,
Speaker 1: isn't it a fact, thundered the district attorney, that you
Speaker 1: murdered your wife by administering poison because she was about
Speaker 1: to give birth to a child. I decline to answer
Speaker 1: that question. Question isn't it a fact that you masqueraded
Speaker 1: in Buffalo under the name of Roy Francis Brown because
Speaker 1: the police were looking for you for poisoning your wife? Answer?
Speaker 1: I refused to answer. Question why are you afraid it
Speaker 1: might tend to incriminate you? Answer? I declined the answer
Speaker 1: that question if you struck me dead on the spot?
Speaker 1: Bart J. Shanahan objected to this line of questioning on
Speaker 1: the ground that it was prejudicial to Molford. Justice Marcus
Speaker 1: denied his objection. Question didn't you and Slover go into
Speaker 1: the clothing store at number one twenty nine William Street
Speaker 1: an attempt to rob the proprietor after Slover had hit
Speaker 1: him over the head with a sandbag. Answer, I wouldn't
Speaker 1: tell you if I did, mister Moore, asked questions concerning
Speaker 1: robberies and akrons, Saint Louis, Eerie and other places, but
Speaker 1: Molford declined to answer, and the district attorney let it
Speaker 1: go at that question, Where was it that you broke
Speaker 1: into a church and robbed a poor box? Or how
Speaker 1: many churches did you break into? Anyway? The witness at
Speaker 1: first declined to answer, but changed his mind and said
Speaker 1: he never broke into a church. I never poisoned my wife,
Speaker 1: pleaded Moelford, when asked by his counsel to clear up
Speaker 1: the sensational charge of wife poisoning. Quote. I married a
Speaker 1: girl named Irene George and Oneida eight years ago. She
Speaker 1: came from a well to do family, and they tried
Speaker 1: to take her away from me. She was to have
Speaker 1: given birth to a child. She was only eighteen years old.
Speaker 1: There was poison there, but I destroyed it with my
Speaker 1: own hand. Her people took her away from me and
Speaker 1: brought her to Buffalo, where they said she was to
Speaker 1: live with an aunt. The last time I saw her
Speaker 1: was Christmas Day, eight years ago. I don't know whether
Speaker 1: she's alive to day. Unquote. I am here for murder,
Speaker 1: not for what I done before, half shouted Molford. I
Speaker 1: decline to answer that question, replied Molford. Asked, mister Moore,
Speaker 1: isn't it true that the police were making a search
Speaker 1: for you? I would not answer that question if you
Speaker 1: was to strike me dead on the spot, answered Moulford,
Speaker 1: in an apparent attempt at the dramatic Justice Marcus reprimanded,
Speaker 1: we don't care for anything heroic here. Mister Moore added, no,
Speaker 1: we don't care for that movie stuff. Moulford was then
Speaker 1: asked if it was not true that he went by
Speaker 1: an alias. After a minute's silence, he replied that he
Speaker 1: went by the name of Roy Barnes at one time
Speaker 1: and by Roy Francis Brown at another. He would give
Speaker 1: no reason when asked by the District Attorney as to
Speaker 1: why he used the assumed names. Stimulation of his memory
Speaker 1: by mister Moore led Mulford to recall that he had
Speaker 1: carried a revolver previous to the time he met Missus Gussie,
Speaker 1: but that he could not remember just when he carried
Speaker 1: it or what he carried at four. Why don't you
Speaker 1: remember those things? Quiz the district attorney. A heated verbal
Speaker 1: tilt between the two followed this remark, and Justice Marcus
Speaker 1: was forced to rap for order. Turning to Moulford, he said,
Speaker 1: you may be a good lawyer, Molford, but you don't
Speaker 1: know enough to run this trial. The witness was then
Speaker 1: asked what he knew concerning the robbery of a church.
Speaker 1: I refuse to answer. The question promptly came. The expected
Speaker 1: reply was the church in Buffalo, asked mister Moore. I
Speaker 1: refuse to answer, Moulford stated. Mister Moore then turned to
Speaker 1: the day preceding the killing. Isn't it true that you
Speaker 1: were broke when you came to Buffalo? Answer no, I
Speaker 1: was not question. How much money did you have? Answer
Speaker 1: about two dollars? Questioning the witness about his past history,
Speaker 1: which the district tourney implied with shady, mister Shanahan voiced
Speaker 1: an objection. Mister Moore promptly claimed he was entitled to
Speaker 1: ask about any criminal or vicious characteristics of the defendants,
Speaker 1: and to support his contention he cited a ruling made
Speaker 1: in another case. The result was that Moulford had to
Speaker 1: continue listening to the accusing questions of mister Moore, asked
Speaker 1: about his part in the theft of a wristwatch while
Speaker 1: he was in Erie, Pennsylvania. Molford stolidly refused to answer.
Speaker 1: He was then questioned concerning the stealing of some groceries
Speaker 1: from a store in the same city. For the second time,
Speaker 1: Moulford refused to answer the question. When directed by Justice
Speaker 1: Marcus to answer, Malford held his ground in reserve silence.
Speaker 1: After waiting a few moments, mister Moore asked the witness
Speaker 1: what he knew about stealing a sum of money from
Speaker 1: a druggist in Erie, and again Moulford stated his refusal
Speaker 1: to answer the question. Questions related to breaking in an
Speaker 1: ice cream parlor and several more robberies brought nothing but
Speaker 1: a refusal to answer by Molford. Switching from the stealings,
Speaker 1: mister Moore questioned Molford about his carrying a revolver. The
Speaker 1: answer given by the witness was that he had never
Speaker 1: carried a weapon until after he had met lilyan Gussie.
Speaker 1: How much money did you have the morning of the killing,
Speaker 1: continued the district attorney. I had four cents, replied Molford. Then,
Speaker 1: isn't it true that you told Lily and Gussie that
Speaker 1: you would get a Thanksgiving dinner if you had to
Speaker 1: kill somebody? For it, shouted mister Moore. I did not, answered, Moulford,
Speaker 1: the blood rushing to his face. Question you did not
Speaker 1: intend to buy a suit with your four cents? Did you? Answer?
Speaker 1: Of course not. Question why did you make a statement
Speaker 1: in the District attorneys office that you intended to rob
Speaker 1: a jewelry store? Answer? I was afraid that if I
Speaker 1: didn't make the statement, I would be given the third degree?
Speaker 1: Question what is the third degree? Answer? I've heard of it.
Speaker 1: They blindfold you and put you through the ropes. Question
Speaker 1: did it ever happen to you? Answer?
Speaker 2: No?
Speaker 1: Question Why did you run when Yellen hollered after Slover
Speaker 1: pulled the revolver on him? Answer just because I had
Speaker 1: a revolver in my pocket and I did not want
Speaker 1: to get caught around there. Question did you do anything
Speaker 1: to prevent Slover from killing mister Yellen? Answer? It was
Speaker 1: none of my business. Question did you do anything to
Speaker 1: prevent Slover from killing Yellen with a revolver you put
Speaker 1: into Slover's hand? Answer? I declined to answer that question.
Speaker 1: Question didn't you go into that second hand store? To answer?
Speaker 1: I did not? Question why did you go? In? Answer?
Speaker 1: Because Slover did? I followed out of curiosity question, you
Speaker 1: knew that Slover didn't have any money, that he couldn't
Speaker 1: buy any overcoat, didn't you answer? No, I didn't know
Speaker 1: how much money he had. The prosecutor then drew a
Speaker 1: picture of the scene in the store just prior to
Speaker 1: the shooting and asked Mulford point blank if he and
Speaker 1: Weber weren't watching Slover awaiting the moment when he would
Speaker 1: draw his gun. This, the defendant denied, renewing his previous
Speaker 1: declaration that he and Weber had run out of the
Speaker 1: store as soon as Slover drew his weapon. Did you
Speaker 1: or Weber do anything to prevent Slover from murdering Yellen
Speaker 1: with the gun you put in Slover's hand, shouted the
Speaker 1: district attorney. Moulford declared, pairying the prosecutor's questions, that he
Speaker 1: I just met up with his companions when Detective Daniel M.
Speaker 1: Condron cornered them on North Division Street, asked about the
Speaker 1: gun which was in his hand, in which he handed
Speaker 1: over to the courageous copper. When Condron trained his own
Speaker 1: gun on Mulford's heart, the gangster replied, I was just
Speaker 1: gonna throw the gun away. Mister Moore, demanded sarcastically, Then
Speaker 1: you weren't going to shoot the officer? Answer no, don't
Speaker 1: you think I had a chance to shoot him if
Speaker 1: I wanted to question? No, I think you were too
Speaker 1: yellow when the officer put the gun on you, returned
Speaker 1: the prosecutor with withering sarcasm. I was a replied the
Speaker 1: defendant in a nettled tone. Yes, I think that when
Speaker 1: the officer pulled his gun on you, all the yellow
Speaker 1: in your system came out, pressed the district attorney. Mulford
Speaker 1: went on to say that he had a friend residing
Speaker 1: in Swan Street from whom he could have borrowed money
Speaker 1: if he had wanted. Oh, when you were too proud
Speaker 1: to beg but not to rob, observed the prosecutor. In
Speaker 1: concluding his cross examination. In summing up for the defense,
Speaker 1: attorney Shanahan said, quote, I feel that Molford is not
Speaker 1: guilty of the crime charged, either by the law of
Speaker 1: God or by the law of this state, and I
Speaker 1: believe that the facts adduced by the people's case prove
Speaker 1: him guiltless. There's not an iota of evidence in this
Speaker 1: case that Moulford was guilty of premeditated murder or that
Speaker 1: he counseled or advised Slover to shoot Yellen. I don't
Speaker 1: believe that Slover premeditated this shooting. I feel that it
Speaker 1: was the result of an impulse. Can you believe that
Speaker 1: a man premeditated murder to get a fourteen dollars overcoat? Unquote?
Speaker 1: Mister Moore, a half smile playing on his face, appeared
Speaker 1: satisfied with this development. It was evident that he believed
Speaker 1: the jury would take these denials to be a tacit
Speaker 1: admission of guilt. Taking up redirect examination, mister Shanahan asked
Speaker 1: Moelford the name of his wife. Her name was Irene
Speaker 1: George and she came from a wealthy family, answered Molford.
Speaker 1: Mister Shanahan asked, did you administer poison to her? Moelford
Speaker 1: denied this and said that when his wife was about
Speaker 1: to give birth to a child, her parents took her
Speaker 1: away from him, and that was the last he saw
Speaker 1: of her. He said that he destroyed the poison with
Speaker 1: his own hands. Molford said that when he made inquiries
Speaker 1: about the whereabouts of his wife, he was informed that
Speaker 1: a relative had died in Buffalo and that she was
Speaker 1: brought here to settle the estate. He was dismissed from
Speaker 1: the stand without further questioning. Touching upon Molford's criminal record,
Speaker 1: the attorney for the defense declared that the jury couldn't
Speaker 1: fairly convict him on prejudices. Said, mister Shanahan, He's no angel,
Speaker 1: but we have shown that by his confinement for the
Speaker 1: crime for which he was convicted, he has paid the
Speaker 1: penalty in full. The slate has been wiped clean, and
Speaker 1: you should not hold the record against him. Unquote. Mister
Speaker 1: Shanahan referred to the numerous questions which the district attorney
Speaker 1: asked regarding burglaries which he was alleged to have committed.
Speaker 1: To most of these questions, Mulford had refused to give
Speaker 1: any answer, said mister Shanahan, quote, you can't hold this
Speaker 1: question as evidence. It is not legal evidence. You must
Speaker 1: wipe the district attorney's questions out of your mind. I
Speaker 1: know that it is natural for a jury to say
Speaker 1: that there must be something to all these alleged crimes,
Speaker 1: or the district attorney wouldn't ask these questions, but they're
Speaker 1: not legal evidence and can't be used against this defendant. Unquote.
Speaker 1: In concluding, Shanahan praised district attorney Moore's ability as a
Speaker 1: prosecutor and his gift for oratory, But warn the jurors
Speaker 1: not to be swayed by this. Mister Shanahan was formerly
Speaker 1: associated with the prosecutor as one of his assistant district attorneys. Quote.
Speaker 1: I believe mister Moore to be one of the greatest
Speaker 1: cross examiners in New York State. Enjoy his oratory, but
Speaker 1: don't let it sway you from the evidence in this case.
Speaker 1: Mister Moore probably will tell you that it is your
Speaker 1: duty to the community to convict this man. But remember
Speaker 1: that if you send an innocent man to the electric
Speaker 1: chair in the name of duty, then you yourselves become murderers. Unquote.
Speaker 2: Enjoy ad free listening at this safehouse. Dubbadubbadubba dot Patreon
Speaker 2: dot com, slash True Crime Historian.
Speaker 1: January sixth, nineteen twenty one. Missus Helen Moulford has heard
Speaker 1: from her husband. After four y years of silence. Word
Speaker 1: of him came to her in Hertford, Connecticut to day
Speaker 1: in the form of news that he had been convicted
Speaker 1: of murder in the first degree in Buffalo and would
Speaker 1: be sentenced to the electric chair. He was convicted yesterday
Speaker 1: of the murder of Abram Yellen, the Seneca Street shopkeeper
Speaker 1: on Thanksgiving morning. Missus Mulford has conducted a four year
Speaker 1: search for her husband. She tried far and wide to
Speaker 1: locate the narrative well, but without success, and she had
Speaker 1: about given up hopes of ever hearing from him again
Speaker 1: when the news came to her yesterday. In the course
Speaker 1: of the trial, it was animated by District Attorney Moore
Speaker 1: that Mulford had tried to poison his wife. Moulford refused
Speaker 1: to answer the district attorney's questions on direct examination. Before
Speaker 1: the trial was closed. However, his attorney put him on
Speaker 1: the witness stand and he was questioned about his relations
Speaker 1: with his wife. He denied he had ever made an
Speaker 1: attempt to poison her. He said she was of a
Speaker 1: well to do family, and her relatives had taken her
Speaker 1: from him, and he had not seen her for a
Speaker 1: number of years. During the time Molford has been away
Speaker 1: from his wife, he has traveled far. He went from
Speaker 1: city to city. In the course of his travels, he
Speaker 1: struck Buffalo and became acquainted with Lilyan Gussie, a waitress
Speaker 1: in an Exchange Street restaurant. He induced this girl to
Speaker 1: go with him to various cities. They conducted robberies in
Speaker 1: several cities, according to an alleged statement made by Lilian Gussie,
Speaker 1: and she acted as lookout and in other capacities for
Speaker 1: Molford and his pals. It was stated during the trial
Speaker 1: that Molford declared he was going to get a Thanksgiving
Speaker 1: dinner for the Gussie girl if he had to shoot
Speaker 1: someone to get it. January sixth, nineteen twenty one. Tell
Speaker 1: mother to come at once and to bring my sisters.
Speaker 1: Tell him to come quickly or they'll never see me alive.
Speaker 1: Sobbing like a baby and behind the double lock and
Speaker 1: sell z two. Raymond Malford, convicted murderer of Abram Yellen
Speaker 1: this morning, disclosed the identity of his parents when he
Speaker 1: sent that message to his mother, Missus Everett Mitchell of Herkimer,
Speaker 1: New York. The man who was the brains of the
Speaker 1: gang of gunmen who shot and killed the Seneca Street
Speaker 1: clothing merchant in his store Thanksgiving morning, was a collapsed
Speaker 1: and weeping bit of humanity. This morning, after a sleepless
Speaker 1: night during which he sobbed out his troubled thoughts while
Speaker 1: two guards kept a death watch outside his cell door
Speaker 1: to Al Ryder of Oneida, New York, whom Malford said
Speaker 1: was his uncle. The convicted murderer sent a letter in
Speaker 1: which he begged forgiveness for the troubles he said he
Speaker 1: had heaped upon his family. Quote, I am sorry I
Speaker 1: have disgraced the family. You have always been good to
Speaker 1: me and have come forward several times to help me out.
Speaker 1: I wish you would come to Buffalo to see me
Speaker 1: before I die. Unquote. Malford welcomed a visit from a
Speaker 1: priest last night. Their conversation was a privileged communication, and
Speaker 1: no one heard what passed between the convicted man and
Speaker 1: the father. It was asked the priest volunteer to go
Speaker 1: to herkimer to inform the mother of her boy's plight.
Speaker 1: The name of the priest was not disclosed by jail authorities.
Speaker 1: It was said that the priest volunteered to go to
Speaker 1: herkimer to inform the mother of her boy's plight. The
Speaker 1: name of the priest was not disclosed by jail authorities.
Speaker 1: Moelford can receive only one sentence under the law on
Speaker 1: conviction for murder first degree. The statute provides this sentence electrocution.
Speaker 1: The only agresh invested in a Supreme Court justice is
Speaker 1: his power to fix the date of the death penalty.
Speaker 1: That will not be done, probably until after Slover and
Speaker 1: Weber co defendants have been tried. Floyd E. Slover, alias Barnes,
Speaker 1: who has been positively identified as the man who fired
Speaker 1: the three shots from the thirty two caliber revolver which
Speaker 1: resulted in the murder of Abram Yellen, was placed on
Speaker 1: trial today before Justice Lewis W. Marcus in the Special
Speaker 1: Term of the Supreme Court. Today Slover occupied the same
Speaker 1: chair in the criminal term where yesterday his pal Raymond
Speaker 1: Molford heard a jury report of verdict which will send
Speaker 1: him to the electric chair. January twenty second, nineteen twenty one.
Speaker 1: In an intense arly dramatic setting, Floyd Slover and Raymond
Speaker 1: Moulford recently found guilty of the murder of Abraham Yellen,
Speaker 1: Seneca Street clothing man on last Thanksgiving Day, where yesterday,
Speaker 1: in special criminal term of Supreme Court, sentenced by Judge
Speaker 1: Lewis W. Marcus to die in the electric chair during
Speaker 1: the week of March seventh. At the same time, Harold Weber,
Speaker 1: third member of the trio, who pleaded guilty to murder
Speaker 1: in the second degree, was sentenced to serve from twenty
Speaker 1: years to life imprisonment in Auburn prison. Moelford and Slover
Speaker 1: will die and sing, sing Before the greatest crowd of
Speaker 1: morbid spectators that had filled the court room since Molford
Speaker 1: was first moved to trial, the sentence was pronounced. Beside
Speaker 1: the people who jammed in the room, hundreds of curious
Speaker 1: humanity crowded the quarridors of City Hall building, craning their
Speaker 1: necks to catch a glimpse of the trio. A score
Speaker 1: of special policemen, besides a number of deputy sheriffs had
Speaker 1: been detailed, but no demonstration came from the crowd. Weber
Speaker 1: was the first to receive sentence. His parents were not present.
Speaker 1: Fighting to hold back the emotion that was overcoming him,
Speaker 1: he answered the formal questions asked him in a husky
Speaker 1: voice as he placed his hand on the bible to
Speaker 1: take oath that trembled. Assistant District Attorney Walter F. Hoffheins
Speaker 1: asked the questions, is there any legal cause why sentence
Speaker 1: of this court should not be pronounced upon you? Asked
Speaker 1: the clerk. No, Weber almost whispered in reply. It is
Speaker 1: the sentence of this court in your case, said Justus Marcus,
Speaker 1: that you be confined in Auburn prison for a period,
Speaker 1: the minimum term of which shall be twenty years, and
Speaker 1: the maximum life imprisonment. After Weber was led to the
Speaker 1: side of the court room, Slover, member of the trio
Speaker 1: who fired the shots, was called. Displaying the least emotion
Speaker 1: of the three, he walked to the trial table and
Speaker 1: listened attentively to the death sentence, which his lawyer appealed.
Speaker 1: His mother, missus Phoebe Slover of o Sage, Minnesota, who
Speaker 1: has been in Buffalo since her boy's trial begun, was
Speaker 1: in the court room, having realized that death was the
Speaker 1: only sentence that could be imposed upon her son. She
Speaker 1: had steeled herself against collapse. As Slover was led from
Speaker 1: the court room, she weeping copiously on the shoulder of
Speaker 1: a welfare worker followed him to the jail. Moulford was
Speaker 1: next called. He was extremely nervous, but fought to keep
Speaker 1: back the tears that brimmed his eyes. Somewhat recovering himself,
Speaker 1: he assumed the bravado air that he took during the
Speaker 1: trial He answered the questions in a voice that was
Speaker 1: off to every spectator in the room, but when he
Speaker 1: arrived at the jail he was bordering on collapse. He
Speaker 1: had received a letter from his mother which stated that
Speaker 1: she did not believe him guilty of murder, and that
Speaker 1: she urged him to pray for the cleansing of his soul.
Speaker 1: She continued that she could not see him because of
Speaker 1: her illness. According to one of the jail attendants, Molford
Speaker 1: expressed himself to the effect that he held a grudge
Speaker 1: against no one. He still has hopes, it has said,
Speaker 1: of having an appeal to his trial, which his lawyer
Speaker 1: made after sentence was pronounced yesterday morning. The Reverend J. W. Welch,
Speaker 1: Protestant chaplain of the jail, yesterday received a telegram from
Speaker 1: Moulford's first wife, missus Helen Moulford, in which she stated
Speaker 1: that she would come to see him if she could.
Speaker 1: The chaplain wired back that Moulford would be unable to
Speaker 1: see her as he was soon to leave for singing.
Speaker 1: Sing In case his appeal is granted or that made
Speaker 1: by Slover's lawyer, the pair will not die. The week
Speaker 1: of March seventh, as set by the court. Under the law,
Speaker 1: sixty days is granted for an appeal. Yesterday afternoon, Missus
Speaker 1: Slover visited the jail to bitter boy farewell. Crying bitterly,
Speaker 1: she threw her arms about his neck and sobbed and
Speaker 1: kissed him with the same look in her eyes with
Speaker 1: which she watched him during the trial. She gazed upon
Speaker 1: her son for the last time. Slover was unmoved. He
Speaker 1: stood almost dumbly, his arms hanging at his sides, as
Speaker 1: his mother crushed him to her. Jail attendants expressed their
Speaker 1: opinion that they never before saw a prisoner so unmoved,
Speaker 1: crying more bitterly than ever the mother of the twenty
Speaker 1: year old youth who will soon be strapped into the
Speaker 1: electric chair. The jail Sheriff Waldo said yesterday afternoon that
Speaker 1: the trio would leave the jail before noon today. Four
Speaker 1: deputies will escort Slover and Molford to sing Sing. Weber
Speaker 1: will go to Auburn with four other prisoners who have
Speaker 1: been convicted recently. They too will be strongly guarded. It
Speaker 1: is rumored around city Hall that a local clergyman has
Speaker 1: been circulating a petition which seeks executive clemency for the
Speaker 1: two of the trio on the supposition that they are
Speaker 1: being railroaded to their death to satisfy public clamor justice.
Speaker 1: Marcus declined to comment on the supposed petition, other than saying,
Speaker 1: some sentimentalists at the death house sing sing prison Austening,
Speaker 1: New York, January twenty fourth, nineteen twenty one. Thank God,
Speaker 1: my mother and sisters have faith in me. I never
Speaker 1: knew what that really meant until now, with them believing
Speaker 1: in my innocence, it is of small consequence what the
Speaker 1: outside world thinks. Goodbye, Raymond Mulford. Mister Moore knows that
Speaker 1: I am not the cold blooded murderer he has painted me.
Speaker 1: He says, robbery was the motive. But why should I
Speaker 1: have shot yelling for an overcoat when I had a
Speaker 1: check for ninety one dollars on the New York Central
Speaker 1: Railroad for backpay which could have been used had I
Speaker 1: been pressed for funds. That doesn't seem like grounds for
Speaker 1: premeditated murder with robbery the motive. A lying, false, deceptive
Speaker 1: woman swore our lives away, but she will have no
Speaker 1: peace in this world or the next. I only wish
Speaker 1: my mother had never heard a word of this. It
Speaker 1: is my chief regret, Floyd Slover. Those were the last
Speaker 1: words of Mulford and Slover as they approached the big
Speaker 1: steel door of the Deathhouse to pay the penalty in
Speaker 1: the electric chair for the murder on Thanksgiving Day of
Speaker 1: Abraham yelling Moulford, the swagger, the boaster, and the braggart,
Speaker 1: the man who challenged mister Moore at the trial and
Speaker 1: flaunted his vanity before a crowded courtroom had lost his
Speaker 1: braggadoccio air. He sobbed like a child. Slover walked into
Speaker 1: the death house without a whimper. Once he paused and
Speaker 1: looked back, but that was all. He showed, no emotions.
Speaker 1: The big door closed behind them. Not even his companion's
Speaker 1: complete submission seemed to disconcert him. There's the house my
Speaker 1: mother was born in, he said. As the train went
Speaker 1: through Oneida. He rose in his seat and pressed his
Speaker 1: face to the window of the coach. See that hill
Speaker 1: back there, many's the time my grandmother climbed that hill
Speaker 1: after me at dinner time. The little green house stood
Speaker 1: within one hundred and fifty feet of the train. As
Speaker 1: the coaches rolled on the landscape unfolded all the old
Speaker 1: familiar spots were the two played when boys at Herkimer.
Speaker 1: Molford arose to point out his old home. It was
Speaker 1: a block distant from the railroad, and through the long
Speaker 1: row of low roofed houses he could see the peak.
Speaker 1: The sky was cloudy, A long train of thick smoke
Speaker 1: from the locomotive shut out further view of the landscape.
Speaker 1: A dark day, said Slover, with a sickly smile. Yes,
Speaker 1: said Moelford, wish I had never lived to see it.
Speaker 1: From his pocket, he drew forth three letters. As he
Speaker 1: glanced over them, the tears rolled down his cheeks. He
Speaker 1: read the one from his nine year old sister first.
Speaker 1: He kept his handkerchief in his lap and employed it generously.
Speaker 1: His eyes were red and swollen, in his face pale
Speaker 1: and worried. The letter read, dear Ray, don't give up
Speaker 1: hope yet, for there is still hope, at least I
Speaker 1: hope there is. Mother got a letter today from Missus
Speaker 1: Buell saying how sorry she was for mother and you.
Speaker 1: She also said she was going to write you, Ray.
Speaker 1: There is no way for mother to get to you,
Speaker 1: So if there's anything that you must say to her,
Speaker 1: say it without saying it to her in person. But
Speaker 1: don't let anyone bully you around. I'd like to get
Speaker 1: my hands on that girl. And those men say, are
Speaker 1: they trying to frame you? I do wish I could
Speaker 1: come to see you, but I can't. Mother is going
Speaker 1: to see you about your wife. I don't believe you
Speaker 1: did the killing, and I won't believe it neither will mother.
Speaker 1: Harry Blewett, maybe you remember him, He said that he
Speaker 1: did not believe you did it either. I wish I
Speaker 1: could send you something so you wouldn't feel so bad,
Speaker 1: but I suppose I can't. Well, Ray, I must say
Speaker 1: goodbye from your loving sister Gertrude. P s please, Anne,
Speaker 1: sir unquote That poor kid, said Molford, and he passed
Speaker 1: the letter over to Slover to read. Another letter from
Speaker 1: his sister, Ella told how sorry she was for him,
Speaker 1: and bore four exes at the bottom as mute evidence
Speaker 1: of her loyalty. Finally, he opened and read the last
Speaker 1: letter from his mother, an invalid, unable to come to him,
Speaker 1: but sending her prayer. Quote, my dear boy, I want
Speaker 1: you to know that I believe in what you said
Speaker 1: that you did not do this crime. Don't think I
Speaker 1: am hard hearted for not coming to see you, for
Speaker 1: God knows I would come if I were able. I
Speaker 1: cannot wear my shoes but a little while at a time.
Speaker 1: I am trying to keep up courage, and I know
Speaker 1: that God will help you and me too. God bless
Speaker 1: and help you be a man and be brave. Goodbye unquote.
Speaker 1: Take those letters, said Molford. Put them in the paper
Speaker 1: so the people with Buffalo will know that my mother
Speaker 1: is with me, and that she never said your other
Speaker 1: crimes I could forgive, but not murder. That was one
Speaker 1: of the many lies they told about me. He handed
Speaker 1: the reporter of the missives with the request that they
Speaker 1: be returned to him. I'm going to carry them right here,
Speaker 1: he said, placing his hands on his chest when I
Speaker 1: go to the electric chair. There was but little ceremony
Speaker 1: at the prison. Criminal Deputy Sheriff Andrew Kick, accompanied by
Speaker 1: Deputy Sheriff Lewis Barone and Jake Ludwig, turned the pair
Speaker 1: over to the prison authorities. There was no commotion on
Speaker 1: the trip to the prison. Everything was orderly. Malford and
Speaker 1: Slover were manacled to each other until they reached the
Speaker 1: very door of the death house. The prison authorities sent
Speaker 1: backward to Sheriff William F. Waldo, complimenting him on the
Speaker 1: arrangements that he had made and carried out for the
Speaker 1: delivery of Slover and Moulford at Austining said he expected
Speaker 1: his wife and child to visit him today or tomorrow.
Speaker 1: They are coming in from Hartford, Connecticut. As a heavy
Speaker 1: screen is drawn across the condemned row, it is unlikely
Speaker 1: they will be able to see much of them, though
Speaker 1: they may be permitted to talk with him, said Malford.
Speaker 1: This is how a fast life always ends, I guess.
Speaker 1: February twenty fifth, nineteen twenty one. Lily and Gussie involved
Speaker 1: during the investigation of the Abraham Yellen murder and the
Speaker 1: trials of Malford, Slover, and Weber, all three being convicted.
Speaker 1: Withdrew her formal plea if not guilty to the charge
Speaker 1: of the first degree assault and third degree burglary, and
Speaker 1: pleaded guilty to a reduced charge with the consent of
Speaker 1: District Attorney Guy Moore. Romance appears to be written in
Speaker 1: the case. It is reported that her husband, a local motorman,
Speaker 1: despite suit for divorce, will re establish himself with her
Speaker 1: and they will start life Anew in court today, Missus
Speaker 1: Gussie pleaded guilty to third degree burglary for participating in
Speaker 1: the robbery of the Albert Prentice grocery store and check
Speaker 1: Towaga last September ninth. Lillian Guss was sentenced to two
Speaker 1: and a half to five years in Auburn prison, but
Speaker 1: the sentence was suspended during good behavior. At the death House,
Speaker 1: sing Sing Prison, Friday the thirteenth, twelve oh one am,
Speaker 1: nineteen twenty two, just before midnight, I saw three men
Speaker 1: put to death in the electric chair by command of
Speaker 1: the law. Had none of them carried a gun, this
Speaker 1: story would not have been written. If the boy or
Speaker 1: man who idly handles revolver saw what I saw tonight,
Speaker 1: he would go down on his knees and ask Kevin
Speaker 1: to take from him forever the power to use it
Speaker 1: except in self defense. They walked into the death chamber separately,
Speaker 1: William Marwagg, Raymond Moulford and Edward Persons, all convicted murderers.
Speaker 1: The first two professional gunmen down the corridor. Their footfall
Speaker 1: echoed like one who treads alone some army camp deserted.
Speaker 1: Then it happened, just as the hands of the clock
Speaker 1: moved toward the threshold of a new day. Friday the thirteenth,
Speaker 1: Molford's last words were goodbye, boys, pray for me. Malford,
Speaker 1: the Swaggerer, the boaster, the braggart, Malford whose braggadoccio heir
Speaker 1: shocked even the district attorney. In a crowded courtroom, Malford said, goodbye, boys,
Speaker 1: pray for me. I guess he meant it. The grim
Speaker 1: details of this story are omitted. I once saw cock fight.
Speaker 1: I remember the wounded bird lying on the ground, vainly
Speaker 1: kicking one leg in self defense. Putting a living, breathing
Speaker 1: thing to death by electricity, since it has to be done,
Speaker 1: is merciful, humane, and in view of the present crime
Speaker 1: waves necessary. Mar Wegg was the first to meet his maker.
Speaker 1: Molford came next, but it was not the meek, sobbing
Speaker 1: Woebegone Molford with whom I rode to sing sing a
Speaker 1: year ago. Molford died bravely. In a firm, loud voice.
Speaker 1: He called out to the other doomed men, good bye, boys,
Speaker 1: pray for me. He stepped quickly into the chair and smiled.
Speaker 1: Before him stood Father Cashlin, the prison chaplain, after whom
Speaker 1: he repeated a solemn prayer. He spoke loudly and distinctly
Speaker 1: as he concluded, but braced himself in the chair and
Speaker 1: was pronounced dead at eleven fifteen o'clock. Then Edward, persons
Speaker 1: of Jamestown, convicted of killing Klinger, a taxi cab driver,
Speaker 1: stood and faced his audience. Then, turning abruptly, he took
Speaker 1: his place in the chair. Nine minutes later they carried
Speaker 1: out his lifeless form. That was all I left the prison,
Speaker 1: crossed the wooden bridge, and paused stillness everywhere. Marwick died
Speaker 1: a fatalist. That was the doctrine he preached all along.
Speaker 1: That one man was born to be a doctor, another
Speaker 1: to be a lawyer, still another to die as he did.
Speaker 1: Person's sister, Margaret, took up her abode in Atening so
Speaker 1: she might be near him to aid in his fight
Speaker 1: for a stay. Held out hopes to the last he
Speaker 1: might gain a new trial. She was prostrated with grief.
Speaker 1: Molford obeyed the last instruction from his mother. He tried
Speaker 1: to be brave and succeeded. There was no faltering, no
Speaker 1: holding back. The same silent procession preceded Malford's entrance the
Speaker 1: only difference between the behavior of the two men was
Speaker 1: that Malford chose spiritual advice and consolation as he approached
Speaker 1: his doom. Father Cashian, who has walked at the head
Speaker 1: of the little cortege so many times, walked briskly to
Speaker 1: the appointed place, just stood in front of the chair.
Speaker 1: He has stood in that same spot many many times
Speaker 1: he read prayers for the dying. Molford answered in a clear,
Speaker 1: firm voice. All the while the guards were at their
Speaker 1: given tasks, the same buckling of straps, the same relentless
Speaker 1: rush towards the last second of life. The screen which
Speaker 1: fits over the face was placed. Just as Malford, answering
Speaker 1: the words of the priest, said, may God have mercy
Speaker 1: on my soul. Warden Law stepped back again. The hand
Speaker 1: went up, and the man who aided and snuffing out
Speaker 1: the life of a kindly, gentle merchant, passed into the
Speaker 1: veil from which no man returns. February third, nineteen twenty two,
Speaker 1: Floyd Whitey Slover, twenty one years old, whose home is Osage, Minnesota,
Speaker 1: paid the Supreme Penalty in the electric chair and sing
Speaker 1: sing prison last night for the murder of Abraham Yellen.
Speaker 1: Slover entered the death chamber praying goodbye boys. He called
Speaker 1: out to the other occupants of the death cells as
Speaker 1: he was being led to the chair. His execution the
Speaker 1: second for the murder of Yellin, Raymond F. Molford having
Speaker 1: been put to death in the same manner about three
Speaker 1: weeks ago. On January twentieth, nineteen twenty one, Slover was
Speaker 1: sentenced by Justice Marcus to be put to death in
Speaker 1: the electric chair at sing Singh Prison. Sometime during the
Speaker 1: week beginning March seventh, nineteen twenty one, his attorneys took
Speaker 1: an appeal from his conviction and death sentence, and this
Speaker 1: automatically stayed the execution of sentence. Late in December, the
Speaker 1: Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of the lower court
Speaker 1: and re sentenced him to die during the week beginning
Speaker 1: January thirtieth. Evidence produced at the trial showed that Slover,
Speaker 1: with Raymond Moulford and Harold Weber went into Yellin's store
Speaker 1: on Thanksgiving morning, and while Molford and Weber were standing
Speaker 1: in the rear of the store, Slover was having an
Speaker 1: overcoat fitted in the front part. When he tried to
Speaker 1: get away without paying for the overcoat. Yellin put up
Speaker 1: a fight, during which he was shot three times by Slover.
Speaker 1: The three men then ran from the store, but were
Speaker 1: arrested a short time later. Molford paid the Supreme Penalty
Speaker 1: for his part in the murder about three weeks ago,
Speaker 1: and Webber, who was allowed to plead guilty to a
Speaker 1: charge of murders second degree while his trial was in progress,
Speaker 1: is serving a sentence of from twenty years to life
Speaker 1: at Auburn Prison.