Seized on Plane From Europe in '55 Deaths of 3 Chicago Boys
Bere is the BEFORE and AFTER of a modern trial by news paper in America. Eloquently reported by newspapers in New York, the first story, appearing under a 3-column headline, used the combined ability of two reporters, because the quarry promised to become a substitute for the dull situation in Israel or some other prosaic event. But when the bomb fizzled, a rewrite man was entrusted to clip the lead paragraph from an Associated Press dispatch, and the whole affair was neatly buried on page 19.
By CARL J. PELLECK and CHARLES GRUENBERG
A mild-mannered engineering expert listed as a possible suspect in the unsolved sex slaying of three boys in Chicago was ar rested at Idlewild Airport today as he stepped off an airliner.
His name had been spotted on the passenger list by an alert airline employe, who tipped off po lice.
of
Chicago, protested he did not know he was wanted in Chicago. He indicated he would waive extradition.
was indicted in absentia at Chicago Jan. 11 on three felony counts of committing "crimes against nature" involving young boys. He was then in making
a survey for an oil company. His employer called him home at the request of Chicago police.
was
Sixteen cops and detectives were on hand at 8:15 am. today when a KLM'airliner from Amsterdam landed. grabbed as he walked off the plane with 19 other passengers. 's name had been discovered about 2 a.m. on the pas senger manifest by Richard
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Sweet, 23, of 311 E. 21st St., a traffic agent for the airline. Po lice ha dalerted the airline sev. might eral days ago that
was
be on his way back to the U. S. The crew kept from other pas sengers the fact that to be greeted by police. The alert had said he might be armed but no weapon was found in his bag. gage.
did not resist. He asked detectives what he was being ar rested for, and when he was told he was wanted by Chicago police, he sald mildly:
"I don't know what for."
He later asked newspaper photographers:
"What is this all about?" According to Chicago police,
left the U. S. Dec. 2. Later, according to Chicago's De tective Chief Patrick Deeley, a parole violator suggested that
be investigated about the unsolved murders of John Schues. sler, 13, John's brother Anton, 11, and Robert Peterson, 13, on Oct. 18, 1955.
In checking
police
learned that at the Ume of the triple killing he was employed by a metal products firm near where the bodies were found and had
mattachine REVIEW
:
two apartments, one in the gen. eral area where the boys disap peared.
for
Police said that before leaving stored his pos.
sessions in a warehouse. When these were checked, cops found a newspaper telling of the dis covery of the murdered boys and also a quantity of obscene photographs involving men and boys, Deeley said.
was indicted subse quently by a Cook County grand jury on charges of unnatural sex acts and costributing the delinquency of a minor. Lt. Joseph was "defi. Morrissey said nitely a suspect" in the triple murder.
39, who
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formerly lived with was convicted of earlier this month of committing unnatural sex acts with youths of 18 and 19, and was sentenced to one to five years.
writes detective stories
II and the war in Korea as an officer, rising to the rank of cap tain. He is a major in the re
serves.
Four days later....
Suspect Cleared In Boy Killings
CHICAGO, Feb. 3 (AP).— Lie detector tests have cleared a 39-year-old efficiency expert of any connection in the 1953 sex slaying of an Evanston, Ill., Boy Scout, police say
was absolved In the killing of Peter Gorham, 12, who was found shot to death Aug. 14. 1955. near Muskegon, Mich., and he also has been cleared in the strangling of three boys found Oct. 18, 1955 in Robinson Woods, northwest of Chicago.
as a hobby and has had at least two printed in national maga. zines. He served in World War (The Review blotted out names of persons involved because they were innocent of crime and added nothing to the story. However, it should be understood that the Review supports responsible effort aimed at bringing the murderer in question to justice. But this does not mean that we sanction the infliction of unnecessary guilt by accusation upon the innocent. Rather, we ask: Would justice have been served less if no notice of the investigation had been released to the press until it was determined that the above party was an indictable suspect?)
OMING IN APRIL--Dr. Bergler's book, "Homosexuality: Disease or Way of Life" has now been touched twice in the REVIEW, and here and there in other publications. Comments by Review readers plus extracts of reviews from other sources will make up a "final discussion" of the book in the April issue.
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