1 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: You're listening to American Shadows, a production of I Heart 2 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:17,160 Speaker 1: Radio and Grimm and Mild from Aaron Mankey Clement for 3 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 1: Lendingham was born in New Lisbon, Ohio, in eighteen twenty. 4 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:24,759 Speaker 1: He received his education through home schooling until he attended 5 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 1: Jefferson College in Cannonsburg, Pennsylvania. After an argument with the 6 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: school's president, he left the college without finishing his degree. 7 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: At the time, aspiring lawyers didn't need a degree to practice. 8 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: All they had to do was past the bar exam. 9 00:00:39,240 --> 00:00:41,840 Speaker 1: Lendingham passed the bar and set up his law firm 10 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 1: in Dayton, Ohio. His lack of the college degree also 11 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 1: didn't prevent him from being elected to the Ohio Legislature 12 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,280 Speaker 1: in eighteen forty five, or from being elected into the 13 00:00:51,320 --> 00:00:55,280 Speaker 1: House of Representatives shortly before the Civil War. Although Lendingham 14 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 1: lived in a pro Union state, he was staunchly pro slavery. 15 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:02,640 Speaker 1: His beliefs on the subject were so strong that he 16 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:05,959 Speaker 1: looked for any way to oppose President Abraham Lincoln on 17 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:10,560 Speaker 1: every military bill, and frequently accused the President of prolonging 18 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,920 Speaker 1: the war for his own gain. As the leader of 19 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: the copper Heads, a group of like minded politicians. The 20 00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:20,760 Speaker 1: lending Him believed that the president and the abolitionists were 21 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: destroying the nation. In their opinion, the war was completely unjustified. 22 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: Though landing Him lost his bid for reelection in eighteen 23 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:33,800 Speaker 1: sixty two, he remained popular with anti war factions and 24 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:37,960 Speaker 1: was considered a candidate for the presidency. Those aspirations ended 25 00:01:37,959 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: when he entered the public sector and continued his anti 26 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:45,400 Speaker 1: war rhetoric. His rants violated Ohio's General Order thirty eight, 27 00:01:45,720 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: which banned anyone from declaring sympathy for the enemy. Thus, 28 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: he was arrested in eighteen sixty three. During the trial, 29 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: he voiced his opinions in sympathy for the Confederacy. As 30 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: a result, the court ordered lending Him held to the South. However, 31 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 1: despite the court order, his strong opinions and his affiliation 32 00:02:06,280 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: with the copper Heads, but Confederates didn't exactly give him 33 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: a warm welcome. It took some time for them to 34 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 1: trust him, even after he ran for governor of Ohio 35 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:19,760 Speaker 1: and Absentia. Blending Him lost the election, but managed to 36 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 1: return to Ohio quietly. After the war, he continued his 37 00:02:23,919 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 1: crusade against the rights of black Americans. He ran for 38 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 1: the Senate and then the House of Representatives, losing both times. 39 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: He returned to practicing law, taking on a murder case. 40 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 1: His client, one Thomas the Gean, had been accused of 41 00:02:39,480 --> 00:02:43,239 Speaker 1: murdering a man by the name of Thomas Myers. Lending 42 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: Him's defense was simple. His client couldn't possibly be guilty 43 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: since Myers had accidentally shot himself. The witnesses stated the 44 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: two men had been enemies, They had been gambling, and 45 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 1: though the details were murky, Myers wound up dead and 46 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:02,680 Speaker 1: everyone pointed to m age In blending him insisted that 47 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,920 Speaker 1: the evidence was weak. He fired rounds into a piece 48 00:03:05,919 --> 00:03:08,919 Speaker 1: of fabric to demonstrate the placement of gunpowder residue a 49 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: close range, matching the powder formation on Myer's clothing. After 50 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: the demonstration, a companion reminded him that there were still 51 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 1: three live rounds and the gun's chambers. Of Lending Him 52 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: shared him that his knowledge and comfort around firearms would 53 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:26,840 Speaker 1: prevent him from accidentally discharging it. Lending Him found a 54 00:03:26,880 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: package containing Myer's unloaded pistol waiting for him at the 55 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:34,119 Speaker 1: hotel and placed it on his nightstand alongside his own gun. 56 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: Then he summoned the rest of the lawyers to his 57 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: room for one last reenactment. He grabbed a pistol from 58 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: the nightstand and placed it in his pocket. As he 59 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: withdrew it, he demonstrated how Myers had held the gun, 60 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: then pulled the trigger. Unfortunately, he had grabbed the loaded 61 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: gun and cried out that had shot himself. The shot 62 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 1: proved fatal. The court acquitted, and aghe in blending him, 63 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 1: had proved in his client's innocence. It might not have 64 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 1: been the most intelligent of defenses, but it certainly wasn't 65 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:19,920 Speaker 1: the worst. I'm Lauren Vogelbaum. Welcome to American Shadows. It 66 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: was the Roaring twenties. Ruth Snyder was a blonde, pretty, 67 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 1: thirty two year old homemaker and described as having a 68 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: playful personality. It had been married to Albert for twelve years, 69 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 1: and the two had a young daughter, Lorraine, and an 70 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,920 Speaker 1: eight room home in Queens Village, New York. A forty 71 00:04:37,920 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: two year old Albert worked as an art editor for 72 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: a magazine about motor boats and did not share his 73 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: wife's playful personality. Most women dreaded him. His idea of 74 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:52,000 Speaker 1: fun was to slap his wife and nine year old 75 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 1: daughter around. He took every opportunity to let Ruth know 76 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:58,279 Speaker 1: he had never forgiven her for not giving him a son. 77 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 1: When he did out compliments, they were about his late 78 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: ex fiancee, Jesse was shard. He kept a picture of 79 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:08,919 Speaker 1: his beloved on a wall in the home and frequently 80 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: mentioned that Jesse had been the finest woman had ever known. 81 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,440 Speaker 1: To add insult to injury, when Albert purchased a boat, 82 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 1: he named it Jesse. Understandably, Ruth's love and devotion toward 83 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 1: her husband turned sour. On top of being verbally, emotionally 84 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:31,400 Speaker 1: and physically cruel, he drank a lot, so much so 85 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 1: that Albert took to brewing beer in his basement, which 86 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: wasn't exactly legal during the Prohibition era. When he tired 87 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 1: of beer, he visited the local bootlegger for stronger stuff. 88 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:47,600 Speaker 1: In women like Ruth didn't have many options. Women were 89 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:51,880 Speaker 1: considered property of sorts, first belonging to their fathers and 90 00:05:51,920 --> 00:05:54,880 Speaker 1: then to their husbands. They had little to know rights 91 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: to their own finances. In the US, it wouldn't be 92 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:01,160 Speaker 1: until the nineteen sixties before women were allowed to open 93 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:04,159 Speaker 1: a bank account on their own. They weren't allowed to 94 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: have a credit card, without a husband's signature. Until nineteen 95 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: seventy four, single women need not apply. The men earned 96 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:15,919 Speaker 1: more of the same jobs. Companies openly overlooked women in 97 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:18,680 Speaker 1: favor of men when it came to hiring, until President 98 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 1: Kennedy signed a law prohibiting such tactics in nineteen sixty four. 99 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: Until nineteen twenty, women hadn't been allowed to vote for 100 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:29,840 Speaker 1: those who worked. Any paycheck that they brought home immediately 101 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:33,239 Speaker 1: belonged to their husband. The only financial wealth a woman 102 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:37,039 Speaker 1: had was her jewelry. For many women, marriage meant a 103 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:41,920 Speaker 1: lifetime of love and financial security. For others, marriage was 104 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: a prison. In the twenties, society frowned on divorce, which 105 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: usually entailed proof of adultery or abandonment, and in society's view, 106 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:55,719 Speaker 1: if Ruth filed, she was breaking the family apart. The 107 00:06:55,760 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: words till death do us part had real meaning. For Ruth. 108 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 1: She was stint for a lifetime of misery and abuse, 109 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:06,080 Speaker 1: and like other women in her shoes, she did her 110 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: best to occupy her time outside the home when possible, 111 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 1: since having lunch with her friends in Manhattan had become 112 00:07:14,320 --> 00:07:18,240 Speaker 1: her only escape. Once she dropped Lorraine off at school, 113 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: she caught a train to the city to spend the day. 114 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:24,440 Speaker 1: In the afternoon, she boarded another train back home, and 115 00:07:24,520 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 1: during those lunches at the counter in a Fifth Avenue restaurant, 116 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:32,520 Speaker 1: Ruth met Judd Gray, another regular, and my most accounts, 117 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:36,880 Speaker 1: Judd wasn't the most memorable man. He was short, curly haired, 118 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 1: and wore thick horn rimmed glasses that gave him an 119 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:44,000 Speaker 1: owlish appearance. And Judd worked as a traveling salesman for 120 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,120 Speaker 1: a corset and brawl company, although we conducted most of 121 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: his work from the Waldorf Storia Hotel. He spent his 122 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:53,200 Speaker 1: spare time as a member of an Elks lodge in 123 00:07:53,240 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: New Jersey, and he taught Sunday school. The two quickly 124 00:07:57,040 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 1: struck up a friendship. They talked to family and life, 125 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 1: and before long, jud confided that he was also in 126 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: an unhappy marriage. Over several weeks, the growing attraction and 127 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: tension between them increased. They began to flirt. By the 128 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: end of the summer, Ruth and Jed took the flirtations 129 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:21,760 Speaker 1: even further and started a fiery and all consuming affair. 130 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 1: Albert never came home during the day, providing the couple 131 00:08:25,560 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: with a convenient place to meet. Other times, Ruth met 132 00:08:29,080 --> 00:08:33,120 Speaker 1: her new lover at the Waldorf. Meanwhile, little Lorraine entertained 133 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:36,439 Speaker 1: herself by riding along with the elevator operators until her 134 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:40,199 Speaker 1: mother returned for her. Jed was smitten with Ruthe whoop 135 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:44,080 Speaker 1: seemingly couldn't get enough of him either. She called him Loverboy, 136 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:47,360 Speaker 1: among other pet names. Over the next year and a half, 137 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: the affair turned riskier and the lovers grew bolder in 138 00:08:51,160 --> 00:09:06,720 Speaker 1: their liaisons. On Sunday, March, Loreen Snyder made a frantic 139 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 1: phone call to the next door neighbor, Missus Harriet Mulhouser. 140 00:09:10,920 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: Lorrain's cries that her mother was sick urged Harriet hurry 141 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:17,800 Speaker 1: to the Snyder home. When Harriet entered, she had no 142 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:21,439 Speaker 1: idea what to expect. Moans from an upstairs bedroom met 143 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:23,920 Speaker 1: her at the door. She ran up the stairs to 144 00:09:23,960 --> 00:09:26,760 Speaker 1: find Ruth lying on a bed with a loosened gag 145 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:29,760 Speaker 1: around her neck. Her feet had been bound, but her 146 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 1: hands were free. Ruth moaned that she had been hit 147 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 1: on the head. Unsure of what had happened or where 148 00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:38,959 Speaker 1: Albert was, Harriet told Lorraine to go and get Mr. 149 00:09:39,040 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 1: Mulhauser and then to wait outside. Lewis Mulhouser arrived moments later. 150 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:48,240 Speaker 1: He found Albert in another room, lying face first under 151 00:09:48,240 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: a pile of blankets on a twin bed. His hands 152 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:54,320 Speaker 1: and feet had been bound. The blood on the pillows 153 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:57,320 Speaker 1: and the wire around his neck made it clear someone 154 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:00,559 Speaker 1: had strangled him. Lewis also noted a revolt he lay 155 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,120 Speaker 1: next to the body. He covered Albert with a sheet 156 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 1: and called for the police and doctor for Rufe. The 157 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,760 Speaker 1: doctor examined Rufe while she told him what had happened. 158 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:12,440 Speaker 1: Though she insisted she had been hit on the head, 159 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 1: he couldn't find any evidence of an injury. Two officers 160 00:10:16,840 --> 00:10:20,720 Speaker 1: arrived shortly afterward. The house appeared to have been ransacked, 161 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:23,600 Speaker 1: and the officers thought the Snyders had been victims of 162 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:27,560 Speaker 1: a burglary gone wrong. There had been reports of a 163 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:31,640 Speaker 1: strange man prowling around the neighborhood and Snyder House in particular. 164 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:36,400 Speaker 1: Detectives Frank Hainer and Harry Krauss arrived shortly after eight 165 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:40,280 Speaker 1: am to take over the case. The doctor had finished 166 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:43,079 Speaker 1: his exam of Ruth and Albert and gave the detectives 167 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 1: his findings. Ruth's calm demeanor seemed off, and he couldn't 168 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:51,640 Speaker 1: find any signs of injury. Albert had been dead for 169 00:10:51,679 --> 00:10:55,560 Speaker 1: about six hours. He noted heavy bruising on his face, 170 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:59,839 Speaker 1: which indicated blunt force trauma. The doctor wasn't sure whether 171 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,400 Speaker 1: Albert had died due to that trauma or to strangulation. 172 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: While an ambulance took Albert to the more, the detectives 173 00:11:07,600 --> 00:11:11,320 Speaker 1: questioned Ruth. They also noted how calm she seemed given 174 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:14,040 Speaker 1: her account of what had happened. The Ruth claimed she 175 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:17,640 Speaker 1: had been knocked out. The detectives had more questions than answers. 176 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 1: Why had someone bound Ruth's feet but not her hands 177 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:24,880 Speaker 1: and they couldn't find an injury. Why hadn't she gone 178 00:11:24,880 --> 00:11:29,319 Speaker 1: for help herself? And something wasn't right? Detectives Hayin and 179 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:34,560 Speaker 1: Krauss called for assistance while other detectives began a thorough 180 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:38,040 Speaker 1: search of the house and property. Hayner and Krauss took 181 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 1: Ruth to the police station for further questioning. She repeated 182 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:44,280 Speaker 1: the story that she and Albert had attended a bridge 183 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 1: party lad into the night. When they arrived home, they 184 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 1: immediately went to bed. Some time in the middle of 185 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: the night, she heard a noise and went to investigate 186 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:56,840 Speaker 1: the Ruth told them that an enormous Italian thug attacked 187 00:11:56,840 --> 00:11:58,800 Speaker 1: her and hit her on the head before she could 188 00:11:58,800 --> 00:12:01,520 Speaker 1: scream for Albert. Ruth claimed that the man must have 189 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:04,760 Speaker 1: robbed them and killed Albert. She took the time to 190 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 1: describe valuable pieces of jewelry and expensive fur coats she owned. 191 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 1: Given the doctor's findings, the detectives thought that the attackers 192 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:16,800 Speaker 1: description played too heavily on the general racism against Italian 193 00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:20,120 Speaker 1: immigrants of the time, and it didn't take the detectives 194 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:23,960 Speaker 1: long to find more problems with Ruth's story. Albert's gold 195 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:27,079 Speaker 1: pocket watch had been found next to his deathbed. They 196 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:30,160 Speaker 1: also found Ruth's jewelry wrapped in a rag and stuffed 197 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:32,920 Speaker 1: under the mattress, and her fur coat tucked away in 198 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:36,440 Speaker 1: a trunk in the basement. But most damning was the 199 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:40,199 Speaker 1: toolbox that had found A large iron sash weight had 200 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 1: been married beneath an assortment of hammers and screwdrivers, and 201 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:47,440 Speaker 1: the weight had blood on it. To say Ruth was 202 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:51,200 Speaker 1: the number one suspect would be an understatement. They told 203 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:53,640 Speaker 1: her what they had found and prompted her to confess. 204 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:57,640 Speaker 1: After a couple of hours of intense questioning, Ruth slipped 205 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:02,199 Speaker 1: and gave them a name, Jed Ray. Then she refused 206 00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:07,040 Speaker 1: to answer any more questions. Police quickly arrested jud They 207 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:09,720 Speaker 1: were not surprised to hear that he had a different story. 208 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: He was innocent, he claimed. In fact, like Albert, he 209 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:17,200 Speaker 1: also claimed to be one of Ruth's victims. She had 210 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:19,800 Speaker 1: seduced him and made him an unwilling accomplice to the 211 00:13:19,880 --> 00:13:24,000 Speaker 1: murder plot. Within hours, the detectives had their killers, but 212 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:27,200 Speaker 1: the two lovers weren't done with the details just yet. 213 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:38,640 Speaker 1: Judd claimed that Ruth had been the mastermind. She had 214 00:13:38,679 --> 00:13:41,800 Speaker 1: taken out an insurance policy with a double indemnity clause. 215 00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 1: If Albert died from an act of violence, Ruts stood 216 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:48,280 Speaker 1: to get twice the money. While Ruth had bought the 217 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:52,319 Speaker 1: iron weight, he had been seduced into buying chloroform. He 218 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:54,720 Speaker 1: told the detectives that Ruth had told him to smash 219 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:57,440 Speaker 1: Albert's head with the weight, but he was so frightened 220 00:13:57,480 --> 00:13:59,800 Speaker 1: that he couldn't do it, he said. Ruth grabbed the 221 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:03,400 Speaker 1: way and eagerly did the job herself, striking Albert on 222 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: the side of the head of The blow knocked Albert unconscious, 223 00:14:06,440 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 1: and jud admitted dragging him to the bed, and he 224 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 1: also admitted to using the wire to ensure he was dead. 225 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:15,160 Speaker 1: The entire murder seemed to happen in a daze. He 226 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:19,120 Speaker 1: told the detectives he had been entirely under Ruth's spell. 227 00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 1: Prosecutors decided to try the pair together instead of individually. 228 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: Reporters flocked to the courtroom. While wives killing abuse of 229 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 1: husbands for money wasn't exactly new, competing newspapers saw a 230 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:36,520 Speaker 1: sensational story. The tabloids were quick to add creative details, 231 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:40,320 Speaker 1: and they're retelling. As they put it, Ruth the Ruthless 232 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:43,400 Speaker 1: was a fem fatale who had it all a house 233 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:47,160 Speaker 1: car money before taking on a lover and seducing him 234 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:51,480 Speaker 1: into killing her husband. Journalist Damon Runyan thought the two 235 00:14:51,520 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 1: killers were about as dumb as any had ever seen, 236 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:58,920 Speaker 1: and began calling the incident the Dumbbell Murder. The New 237 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:01,440 Speaker 1: York Times kept the story on the front page as 238 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:05,080 Speaker 1: the trial continued. It began on April eighteenth of n 239 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:10,880 Speaker 1: and became nothing less than a circus. Fifteen hundred people 240 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 1: crammed themselves into the courtroom outside vendors sold sash weight 241 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 1: replica pins, and food vendors hiked up prices to the 242 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 1: thousands of people waiting outside the courtroom. The celebrities, from 243 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:27,360 Speaker 1: renowned historians and film producers to the nation's elite, reserved 244 00:15:27,400 --> 00:15:32,760 Speaker 1: seating inside. Among them were songwriter Irving Berlin and mystery 245 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:36,640 Speaker 1: novelist Mary Roberts Reinhardt. Though Jed and Ruth were tried 246 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:39,960 Speaker 1: together and were at the same table, they each retained 247 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:43,480 Speaker 1: their own lawyer. For hours, each lawyer worked to sway 248 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:45,760 Speaker 1: the all male jury that the other defendant in the 249 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 1: case was the more guilty party. Most felt sympathetic toward 250 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:55,640 Speaker 1: Jed's confessions. He told the courtroom that Ruth completely seduced him, 251 00:15:55,680 --> 00:15:59,160 Speaker 1: earning him the nickname the putty Man. He said that 252 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:02,120 Speaker 1: he was helpless whenever she drew his face close to 253 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:06,240 Speaker 1: hers and looked deeply into his eyes. Judd sobbed when 254 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:08,520 Speaker 1: he told the Jerry how she had pressured him into 255 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:11,400 Speaker 1: doing her dirty work. The plot went sideways when he 256 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:14,600 Speaker 1: arrived that night and he had struck Albert in self defense. 257 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 1: In turn, Ruth fainted whenever the prosecution brought out the 258 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:22,600 Speaker 1: most gruesome of the details her attorney told the courtroom 259 00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:26,120 Speaker 1: that such gore made his client faint easily, and jud 260 00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:30,160 Speaker 1: and Ruth exchanged barbs and accusations, dividing the court on 261 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:33,720 Speaker 1: who had been ultimately responsible for Albert's death, until the 262 00:16:33,760 --> 00:16:38,160 Speaker 1: prosecution brought a toxicologist to the stand. Using only the 263 00:16:38,200 --> 00:16:43,600 Speaker 1: facts from pathology and chemistry, Alexander Getler systematically laid out 264 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 1: what had happened to Albert that night. The police had 265 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 1: found a bottle of whiskey on Judd on the night 266 00:16:49,760 --> 00:16:52,920 Speaker 1: of his arrest. He had told detectives that Ruth asked 267 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:56,000 Speaker 1: him to dispose of the bottle. A lab results showed 268 00:16:56,040 --> 00:16:59,440 Speaker 1: that the whiskey contained so much bichloride of mercury that 269 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:03,440 Speaker 1: it was undrinkable, and, knowing Albert's penchant for drinking heavily, 270 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 1: had given Ruth the idea to poison her husband. However, 271 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:11,399 Speaker 1: the acrid, foul taste would have undoubtedly made Albert spit 272 00:17:11,400 --> 00:17:15,199 Speaker 1: the drink out. Albert had already been drinking, and he 273 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:18,040 Speaker 1: had consumed so much bootleg whiskey that it would have 274 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:21,560 Speaker 1: been unlikely that he could stand much less attack Judd. 275 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:25,840 Speaker 1: And if the whiskey wasn't enough, the chloroform they found 276 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:29,400 Speaker 1: in his system was though the iron weight had fractured 277 00:17:29,440 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 1: Albert's skull and the wire had cut off his last breadths. 278 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 1: Albert was already a dying man. That bootleg whiskey combined 279 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:41,680 Speaker 1: with the heavy amount of chloroform had been fatal. Getler 280 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:44,840 Speaker 1: testified that Ruth and Judd might have gotten away with 281 00:17:44,920 --> 00:17:47,840 Speaker 1: murder if they had just let the whiskey and chloroform 282 00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:51,680 Speaker 1: run their course. Ninety minutes later, the jury returned a 283 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:55,960 Speaker 1: guilty verdict for jud and Ruth. Both were sentenced to 284 00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:07,920 Speaker 1: death at Sing Sing. The story continued to dominate headlines 285 00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:11,800 Speaker 1: for weeks. One reporter noted that, in an odd twist, 286 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:16,680 Speaker 1: Albert's beloved ex fiance, Jesse Guischard and Ruth's affair partner 287 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:20,679 Speaker 1: Judd Gray shared the same initials. It turned out that 288 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:24,240 Speaker 1: this twist had helped the detectives with the case. They'd 289 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:27,679 Speaker 1: come across some papers with the initials j G, but 290 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 1: they didn't belong to Judd. Before her death, Jesse had 291 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:35,920 Speaker 1: sent Albert love letters on monogram stationary. Albert had kept 292 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:40,000 Speaker 1: letterhead from his beloved Jesse. Of course, the detectives didn't 293 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: know that when they showed it to Ruth and asked 294 00:18:42,359 --> 00:18:45,720 Speaker 1: who j G was. In a moment of panic, she'd 295 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:48,280 Speaker 1: asked why they were looking at Judd in connection with 296 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:51,880 Speaker 1: her husband's death. On the day of Ruth's execution at 297 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:56,119 Speaker 1: sing Sing Prison, photography was prohibited in the execution chamber. 298 00:18:56,760 --> 00:19:00,440 Speaker 1: One creative reporter rigged a camera under his clothing. At 299 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:04,000 Speaker 1: the moment of Ruth's execution, he snapped a single photo. 300 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:08,320 Speaker 1: The Daily News used the image and the headline dead. 301 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:12,399 Speaker 1: The paper sold out in fifteen minutes. The Dumbell murder 302 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: had been a sensational story, but with the case over 303 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:19,640 Speaker 1: and jud and Ruth executed, the papers returned to other 304 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:24,720 Speaker 1: news Over time, the story faded from most people's memories. 305 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:29,000 Speaker 1: Murder for money was hardly new or unheard of, and 306 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:33,680 Speaker 1: true crime stories have seemingly fascinated us. All while plenty 307 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 1: of reporters covering the trial simply looked for enough headline 308 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:40,920 Speaker 1: worthy material before moving on to their next assignment. One 309 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:44,920 Speaker 1: of those reporters never forgot it. James M. Caine said 310 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:48,199 Speaker 1: the trial had been larger than life and stranger than fiction. 311 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:50,560 Speaker 1: He had always wanted to write a novel like f 312 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 1: Scott Fitzgerald or Ernest Hemingway, and the murder gave him 313 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:57,320 Speaker 1: an idea. Over the years, he had written a few 314 00:19:57,359 --> 00:20:01,480 Speaker 1: plays and novels without much success, but the betrayals and 315 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:04,880 Speaker 1: murder in this case inspired him to try once more. 316 00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:08,520 Speaker 1: In nineteen thirty four, he made the best seller's list 317 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:13,240 Speaker 1: with The Postman Always Rings Twice. Characters Frank and Cora 318 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,400 Speaker 1: begin an affair and soon plot the murder of Cora's 319 00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:20,159 Speaker 1: older husband, Nick. The lover's first attempt, striking Nick with 320 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:25,119 Speaker 1: a blunt object, fails. He recovers but has amnesia. The 321 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:28,879 Speaker 1: second attempt, a fake car accident, works. The two killers 322 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 1: stand trial, each blaming the other. Kine wrote a twist 323 00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:35,280 Speaker 1: to the ending, which I won't divulge here in case 324 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:37,720 Speaker 1: you haven't read it or seen the films based on it. 325 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:41,520 Speaker 1: At the height of the book's popularity, Boston banned it 326 00:20:41,640 --> 00:20:43,960 Speaker 1: due to the amount of sex and violence it contained 327 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,040 Speaker 1: for the time, and as popular as this book was, 328 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:51,639 Speaker 1: another became an even larger success. Using the case and 329 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 1: trial again as inspiration, he wrote Double Indemnity, first publishing 330 00:20:56,840 --> 00:20:59,479 Speaker 1: it as a serialized story in Liberty Magazine in nineteen 331 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,920 Speaker 1: thirty six, and then as a novel in nineteen forty three. 332 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 1: The plot revolves around a woman who seduces an insurance 333 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:10,560 Speaker 1: salesman to help her kill her husband alike jud The 334 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:13,640 Speaker 1: man becomes so entangled in the fog of the affair 335 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:17,840 Speaker 1: he feels compelled to help commit the murder, and just 336 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 1: like the Dumbbell murder, the plan backfires, pitting the couple 337 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:27,199 Speaker 1: against each other. There's more to this story. Stick around 338 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:29,640 Speaker 1: after this brief sponsor break to hear all about it. 339 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:40,800 Speaker 1: Every once in a while, a new story stands out 340 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:44,159 Speaker 1: far from the rest. Such is the case of the 341 00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:48,159 Speaker 1: Denver spider Man. Helen and Philip Peters had lived in 342 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:52,320 Speaker 1: their Denver, Colorado neighborhood for a long time. The neighbors, 343 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:55,520 Speaker 1: young and old alike, loved them. During the fall of 344 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:59,320 Speaker 1: nineteen forty one, sixty four year old Helen spent five 345 00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:02,120 Speaker 1: weeks for ring in the hospital after breaking her hip. 346 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:05,879 Speaker 1: Every morning, after breakfast, Philip went to visit, returning in 347 00:22:05,960 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 1: time for dinner each night. And to keep Philip from 348 00:22:08,840 --> 00:22:11,160 Speaker 1: eating alone and in sure he didn't have to cook, 349 00:22:11,440 --> 00:22:14,640 Speaker 1: neighbors took turns inviting him to dinner, and when Philip 350 00:22:14,680 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: failed to arrive at a neighbor's house on October sevent 351 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:21,920 Speaker 1: they began to worry. The neighbor checked on Philip, knocking 352 00:22:22,119 --> 00:22:26,240 Speaker 1: and trying the door. Soon more neighbors gathered outside the 353 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:30,080 Speaker 1: dark house. All windows and doors were locked, but a 354 00:22:30,119 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 1: young girl found a loose window screen and managed to 355 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 1: pry the window open and climb inside. After a couple 356 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:40,200 Speaker 1: of moments, the neighbors heard her screams. The girl threw 357 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:43,920 Speaker 1: the door open and ran out inside. Among the blood 358 00:22:43,960 --> 00:22:48,720 Speaker 1: spladder lay Philip's body. The police arrived, confident the killer 359 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:53,880 Speaker 1: was still inside, except the house was empty. Whoever killed 360 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:58,119 Speaker 1: Philip Peters bludgeoned him to death using two cast iron shakers. 361 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:00,800 Speaker 1: The killer took the time to wash one of the 362 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:04,280 Speaker 1: shakers and left behind the damp, blood stained dish towel. 363 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:08,640 Speaker 1: The attack had been merciless. It appeared Philip had tried 364 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:12,280 Speaker 1: to flee his attacker. Blood splatter was found throughout the home, 365 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:16,000 Speaker 1: and they estimated he had been struck thirty seven times. 366 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:20,320 Speaker 1: As the weeks went on, the investigation stalled, and when 367 00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:23,840 Speaker 1: Helen returned home, the housekeeper and neighbors stayed with her 368 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:28,280 Speaker 1: as much as possible. They couldn't stay forever, though, Helen 369 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:31,920 Speaker 1: was uncomfortable in the house, not just because of the murder. 370 00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:36,440 Speaker 1: The strange things kept happening even before Helen arrived home 371 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:39,360 Speaker 1: from the hospital, and neighbors noticed the lights would come 372 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:42,879 Speaker 1: on in the house. One saw a ghostly face in 373 00:23:42,920 --> 00:23:46,080 Speaker 1: the window. The residence along the street began to whisper 374 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:49,959 Speaker 1: that the house was haunted. Helen frequently called the police 375 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:52,879 Speaker 1: to check up on the case and to report missing food, 376 00:23:53,480 --> 00:23:57,919 Speaker 1: strange sounds in the walls, objects out of place. Oh 377 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:02,400 Speaker 1: one night, she fell again, fracturing her leg. Being home, 378 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:06,600 Speaker 1: nurse also heard rattling in the walls. Once a specter 379 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:10,280 Speaker 1: appeared on the backstairs. It chattered its teeth at the nurse, 380 00:24:10,359 --> 00:24:14,159 Speaker 1: scaring her off. She promptly quit, leaving Helen in the 381 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:17,560 Speaker 1: care of a neighbor. The neighbor spotted the ghost standing 382 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:20,000 Speaker 1: at the base of the stairs one night. It vanished 383 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:22,879 Speaker 1: when she screamed. Police kept watch on the house but 384 00:24:23,119 --> 00:24:28,600 Speaker 1: never saw anyone or anything strange. Eventually, Helen left, despite 385 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:31,399 Speaker 1: having lived much of her life in the home. On 386 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:36,040 Speaker 1: July two, a couple of police officers saw a pale 387 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:39,480 Speaker 1: face looking out of a window and ran inside to investigate. 388 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:42,440 Speaker 1: When the men reached the top of the stairs, closet 389 00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:46,040 Speaker 1: door swung shut. Unwilling to let the intruder escape, they 390 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:48,840 Speaker 1: opened the door in time to see two feet disappear 391 00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:52,439 Speaker 1: into a tiny trap door in the ceiling. They grabbed 392 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:54,600 Speaker 1: the legs and pulled the man out of his hiding place. 393 00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:57,639 Speaker 1: One of them commented that a human would need to 394 00:24:57,680 --> 00:24:59,919 Speaker 1: be a spider to fit into such a small opening. 395 00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:04,560 Speaker 1: The pale, gray skinned man wore tattered clothing. He was 396 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:08,120 Speaker 1: impossibly thin, which explained how he fit into a hole 397 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:12,520 Speaker 1: too small for most adults. During questioning, the officers learned 398 00:25:12,560 --> 00:25:15,560 Speaker 1: that Theodore Coneys had been living in the Peters house 399 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:19,480 Speaker 1: since nineteen forty one. Coney said that when he was 400 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:22,760 Speaker 1: a teen, he took guitar lessons from Philip Peters and 401 00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:26,920 Speaker 1: they fed him dinner. Twenty years later, houseless and broke, 402 00:25:27,280 --> 00:25:29,640 Speaker 1: he returned to the Peters home to see if they 403 00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,040 Speaker 1: might still offer him food. Coney's broke in when he 404 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:36,800 Speaker 1: found no one home. After stealing some food, he decided 405 00:25:36,840 --> 00:25:40,000 Speaker 1: to sleep there. His search of the home revealed the 406 00:25:40,000 --> 00:25:43,800 Speaker 1: trap door. Coney's managed to squeeze up into the ceiling 407 00:25:44,119 --> 00:25:47,360 Speaker 1: and decided that he might as well stay it all 408 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:50,480 Speaker 1: seemed to work until Philip Peters caught him in the 409 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:55,760 Speaker 1: kitchen one evening. Philip fought back who before retreating, Coney's 410 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:59,040 Speaker 1: admitted to killing him and cleaning up and returning to 411 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:03,160 Speaker 1: his hiding place. After his trial, he told reporters that 412 00:26:03,280 --> 00:26:05,679 Speaker 1: he felt safe in prison and that it was a 413 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:09,240 Speaker 1: better home than he had had in years, and Coney's 414 00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 1: enjoyed the rest of his years in prison until he 415 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:22,959 Speaker 1: died in American Shadows is hosted by Lauren Vogelbaum. This 416 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:26,960 Speaker 1: episode was written by Michelle Muto, researched by Ali Steed, 417 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:30,800 Speaker 1: and produced by Miranda Hawkins and Trevor Young, with executive 418 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: producers Aaron Mankey, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. To learn 419 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:38,480 Speaker 1: more about the show, visit Grim and Mild dot com. 420 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:41,840 Speaker 1: From more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 421 00:26:42,119 --> 00:26:45,280 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.