Attacked In The Courtroom

The Buffalo Thanksgiving Murder

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Episode 365
“I’ll get you a Thanksgiving dinner if I have to kill someone to get it!” the young thug promised his girlfriend. Dinner, however, was not forthcoming.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Pmkuler Calm, Buffalo, New York, November twenty sixth, nineteen twenty.
Abraham Yellen, proprietor of a second hand store at number
one ninety four Seneca Street, said the three men entered
the store and asked to try on some overcoats. Frank Barnes,

(00:24):
he asserted, was the first man to try on a coat.
When told the price of the garment, a disagreement occurred
over the payment of the coat. Barnes drew an automatic
revolver from his pocket and told the proprietor of the
store he would take the overcoat and everything else. The
latter said Yellen grappled with the gunman and was shot

(00:46):
three times. One of the bullets struck Yelling on the wrist,
the other entering his chest near his heart. The two
companions of the man with the gun stood by and
watched the struggle. According to Yellen, when the proprietor fell
to the floor, the three men ran from the store.
The trio ran through Seneca Street, turned into Butler Alley,

(01:10):
and disappeared. Patrolman Condon heard the shots while standing in
Michigan Street and caught them in as they hurried along
Seneca Street. Less than fifteen minutes after the shooting, three
men were arrested single handed at the point of a
gun by patrolman Daniel M. Condon at South Division and

(01:33):
Pine Streets. Here's the captures, told in Condon's own words.
I was walking in Michigan Avenue near Seneca Street when
I heard two shots. I ran towards Seneca Street, but
before I reached the corner, a fellow yelled to me
that three men had run out of Yelling's store and
up Butler Alley toward Myrtle Avenue. I doubled back, and

(01:56):
when I got to Myrtle Avenue, I saw the three
men running down the atne. When they saw me, they
ducked into the yard at number forty four Myrtle Avenue
and were headed towards Swan Street. They gained on me
and getting over the fence, and I saw them heading
up Swan toward Chestnut Street. When I reached the street,
I ran to the corner, and mister Webber, who owns

(02:17):
a hat store, told me the three men ran up
Chestnut to North Division Street and then turned west toward
Main Street. I saw an auto coming along, and I
yelled to the driver to take me in. I jumped
on the running board and had him drive up Chestnut
to North Division to Michigan and around the block, but
could find no trace of the trio. I made up

(02:38):
my mind that they couldn't have gone far and were
in hiding, and jumped from the auto and ran into
Lindsay's store at number one sixty nine North Division Street
and phoned police headquarters to send a squad down. As
I turned from the phone, I saw the three men
slinking along the other side of the street, and I
started across the street. I was within fifteen feet of

(02:59):
them when they saw. Brown slipped back into an alleyway
and I saw an automatic in his hand. Drop it
or I'll drop you. I said, here, you can have it,
he said, as he handed it over to me. I
marched them over to Lindsay's store and waited for the
police to come. That's all there was to it, unquote.

(03:20):
They were taken to South Division Street police station. The
men gave the following names, Frank Barnes twenty two years old, Newark,
Roy Brown twenty eight and John C. Smith twenty three
years old, and, according to the police, identified by Yellen
at the hospital last night, as the trio who entered

(03:41):
his store. No charge will be preferred against them until
it is established whether Yellen will live. The police state
that when arrested, Barnes had a thirty two caliber revolver
in his possession, from which three bullets had been fired,
and that Brown had a twenty five caliber automatic fully loaded.

(04:02):
Abraham Yellen is still in critical condition at the Columbus Hospital.
His chances for recovery are slight. It is said. November
twenty seventh, nineteen twenty Lily and Gussie, twenty two years old,

(04:28):
self confessed accomplice of the three men being held on
a murder charge in connection with the shooting of Abraham Yellen,
a second hand clothed dealer in his Seneca Street shop,
was taken before Justice Charles B. Sears in Supreme Court
today and ordered held as a material witness on twenty
five hundred dollars bail and default of the bail. The

(04:50):
woman was taken to the jail. Following the fixing of bail.
The Gussie woman was taken before Assistant District Attorney hoff Hines,
who said she he made a lengthy statement concerning the
alleged burglarous activities of the three men. She was arrested
by detective Sergeants Murphy and Perry, who were sent to

(05:10):
the room occupied by Roy Brown, one of the trio,
whose correct name was given as Raymond Moulford. The correct
names of the other two men are Harold Weber alias
Jack Smith, and Floyd Slover, twenty one years old. Slover
gave his name as Barnes. Thursday morning. When arrested, the

(05:33):
men said they'd been staying at the North Division Street
address yesterday. Chief of Detective Zimmerman ordered Murphy and Perry
to search the room. They found the girl and brought
her to headquarters. Following her statement, she was booked as
a material witness and locked up at the South Division
Street station. The girl is being closely guarded in the

(05:56):
women's section of the jail. She said she is twenty
two years years old and married. She said that she
left her husband to go with Barnes and does not
know where he is now. Missus Gussie told how several
months ago, while working in an Exchange Street restaurant, she
first met Brown, who was a railroad switchman. She said

(06:18):
that a short time before that she had left her husband,
who she described as a hard working, steady man. Quote.
I was discontented with my husband. There were no children
and I wanted a baby. I guess that's why I
left him. Unquote. Missus Gussie related her story for newspapermen
and police officers yesterday at Number two police station, where

(06:43):
she was held following her arrest. Quote. It was last
July that Brown and I became acquainted at the restaurant.
She continued, pausing once in a while as her voice
trembled with emotion. We made a date to go to
Crystal Beach, and that same night we had several drinks
in company with a lady friend. We missed the boat

(07:03):
and returned to the rooms occupied by the friend and
had several more drinks. By the time we were ready
to leave, it was too late for me to go
to my room, so Brown rented a room and stayed
there that night. Shortly after that, I went to erie
with him, and there he did his first job. It
was a home and he was rewarded with only a

(07:24):
few cents. He told me about it and asked me
if I objected, and I asked him what use was
there to object? In Ashtabulah, we broke into two stores
after which we went to Cuyahoga Falls and Akron. He
broke into several places and hit on the idea of
taking me along to ward off suspicion. From there, we

(07:45):
came back to Buffalo, and after we robbed a place
at Gardenville, we jumped to Saint Louis, then to Vandalia, Missouri,
then to Alton, Illinois. When we ran short of money,
Brown would pull a job for Malton. We went to
Dapolis on the train. Brown lost all of his money
playing cards, but he broke into more stores. He was

(08:07):
not very successful, getting little besides groceries. At Cleveland. I
got a job in a restaurant on East ninth Street.
There we met Slover and Weber. That was about three
weeks ago. One morning, a little while after, Brown came
in the restaurant with a black eye, saying that the
gang had jumped on him. He made me quit my job,

(08:29):
but I sneaked back and got my money. After Brown
and four other men held up a drug store and
broke into another place, we came to Buffalo. He and
I got here Monday, the other two coming along the
next day. Unquote. When asked why she did not leave
Mulford alias Brown. The girl sobbed that her things were
in pawn most of the time, and that her trunk

(08:51):
was always checked somewhere where she couldn't get at it. Quote.
I often asked Brown to get a job and be honest,
but each time I suggested it, he would hit me.
When I get out of this, I'm going to Corey,
Pennsylvania and live there with my sister. I don't suppose
I'll ever go back to my husband, for he'll probably
get a divorce unquote. In her confession, she described to

(09:14):
hold up the men are alleged to have made on
a William Street jewelry store Tuesday night. She says Molford
threatened to kill her if she ever left him. In
spite of this, she intended to leave on the night
preceding the shooting of Yellen, but said that Moulford had
prevented this by keeping her keys. She states that she
was sworn not to divulge Moulford's real name, and describing

(09:38):
the actions of the three men, the girl said they
had not been working together very long. She said Weber
joined the other two last Sunday, and Moulford and Slover
have teamed together for three weeks. She said that she
was still in the rooming house when Yellen was shot
and knew nothing about it until later. Assistant District Attorney

(09:59):
Hoffhanm said he will ask the local police to check
the activities of the three men as described in the
girl's alleged confession. The trail of hold ups, as described
by the girl, extends from Saint Paul, Minnesota, almost to
New York City and includes Detroit, Cleveland, Saint Louis, Lancaster,

(10:22):
Niagara Falls, Gardenville, Akron, Ohio, and Toledo, Ohio. According to
her story, they choose jewelry stores and business houses as
their quarries. When the stage was set for a hold up,
the girl said she would take a position outside of
the building and act as a lookout while the three
men went inside and committed the thefts. One time, in Gardenville,

(10:47):
Lilian said that she fired two shots at a man,
and she is confident that one struck him. At another time,
she took a couple of parting shots at one of
their victims. In Lancaster, the girl said that she and
her three companions had discussed when and where they would
pull the next job and had decided that Thanksgiving Day

(11:08):
would be a good day. She said that the three
men were looking for a desirable jewelry store when they
entered mister Yellen's place on Seneca Street. The girl said
she was in her room Thursday morning when the three
men started out to get some money. Their intentions were
to stick up a jewelry store. The girl admitted she

(11:29):
does not know how they came to enter the second
hand store and shoot the proprietor. The Gussie girl will
be questioned further today. In the meantime, photographs of the
trio have been sent to every city mentioned by the
girl in an effort to connect the trio with many
crimes committed recently. Following the death late yesterday afternoon of

(11:50):
mister Yellen, the three men were turned over to Assistant
District Attorney Hoff Hinds, who put them through a stiff grilling.
They told conflicting store and were sent to the jail
on charges of assault first degree and attempted robbery. They
were held without bail. Charges of murder were later placed

(12:11):
against them. Overcome with rage at the man who is
alleged to shot their father, Abraham Yellen, Jack and Max
Yellen attempted to beat up Floyd Slover, twenty one years
old in city court. Today, the Yellen boys are all

(12:32):
well known here. Jack, who is best known as a
popular songwriter, is also a former newspaperman. He wrote the
hit song Are You from Dixie. Max is a lawyer
and graduate of Cornell University. Hiram is a physician. The
other sons are Irving Morris and Samuel. A daughter, Martha,

(12:54):
also survives the deceased. Abraham Yellen was a leader in
real religious and philanthropic work in the East Side community.
Although himself a businessman, he was well known as a
Talmudic and Hebrew scholar. At the time of his death,
he was the head of the Chevret Michionet, a biblical
society at Brith Sholom Synagogue. Mister Yellen was forty seven

(13:20):
years old. His wife, Bessie Yellen, died only four months
ago at the age of forty six. The couple, with
their three oldest children, came to this country from Russia
in eighteen ninety six, having fled to escape the persecutions
of the Russian government. That year, mister Yellen opened a

(13:40):
shoe store at Number one ninety four and a half
Seneca Street. He later opened a clothing store next door,
and was in business continually in that section for twenty
four years. He was one of the founders of the
Buffalo Hebrew School and several times an official of Brith
Sholom Synagogue. He was a liberal contributor to Jewish charities,

(14:02):
particularly in more relief work. Max said that his mother
had died a few months ago, and the death of
his father was a blow he could hardly stand. He said,
quote it was nothing but cold blooded murder. Fully, two

(14:22):
hours before the trial, the two Yellen boys and a
third brother, doctor Hiram, paced restlessly in front of the courthouse.
According to the police, word was given to probationary Officer
Chase that doctor Hiram Yellen, another brother, was standing in
the corridor outside the courtroom door. D h. Yellen was

(14:44):
standing outside the courtroom door with a revolver in his pocket.
The police were notified and doctor Yellen was escorted to
the District Attorney's office, where he was searched by Assistant
District Attorney Marvin Marcus. It has led that the revolver
of the army type was found in one of the
man's pockets who was taken away from him, and he

(15:07):
was not held after producing a permit to carry the gun.
City Hall deputies were hastily called and were stationed at
vantage points throughout the corridor leading to Part five of
the building where the arrangement was held. As the men,
one of them handcuffed the Chief of Detectives, Charles F. Zimmerman,

(15:28):
and the other two handcuffed together were led into the
City Court building. The Yellen brothers stepped out from the
crowd police say and struck Slover in the face. Patrol mccasey,
who was in charge of the two handcuff prisoners, Raymond
Mulford and Harold Weber, grabbed the two Yellen brothers and
quieting them allowed them to enter the courtroom. The trio

(15:51):
were arranged on murder charges before Judge Hartzell, while the
Yellen brothers sat in the front rows of seats in
the courtroom, surrounded by friends uns. The court proceedings were
very brief as the men stood before the bar. Judge Hartzell,
in a modulated tone, told the men that they were
charged with murder first degree. He asked, how do you

(16:12):
plead guilty or not guilty? Not guilty was the response
from all. Then the court arranged for an adjournment for
a week. When one of the prisoners said that a
week would be satisfactory to him, Max Yellen, losing control
of himself, asked what right he had to say about
the trial arrangements. The case was adjourned until next Friday,

(16:36):
and the officers with their prisoners made preparations to leave
the room. Just as they were passing through the gate
in the wooden railing that divides the court room, court
attendants say the Yellen brothers leaped up and rained blows
upon Slover's face and head. Before the enraged brother could
be controlled, Slover received a severe battering, was bleeding. He

(17:01):
received a cut below one eye, and his eyes were blackened.
Patrolmen Casey and Condon were ordered to arrest the Yellen
brothers on charges of contemptive court, and several minutes later
they were arraigned and discharged by Judge Hartzell. The two
men pleaded that they had been blinded with rage at
the man who was alleged to have fired the shot

(17:22):
that resulted in the death of their aged father, and
as their mother had died less than a year ago,
they became filled with anger at the man. The men
were reprimanded, police say, and then discharged. Extra precautions were
taken by the city court authorities to guard the prisoners
from the wrath of the friends of the dead man.

(17:44):
During both attacks, the handcuffed men were powerless to defend
themselves from the raining blows, which fell with a vengeance
upon their bare heads. They attempted to shield themselves behind
the patrolmen who were guarding them, but the attack was
said to have been so suddenly that the guards were
caught unawares. For several minutes, the courtroom was in an

(18:04):
uproar as the crowds of friends of the elderly yelling
called for vengeance on the three men accused of the crime.
Patrolman Daniel Condon, who had brought the trio to the courtroom,
was about to lead them out of the room, which
was filled with spectators. Max Yellen, who had been standing
near the rail with flushed face, cried out the dirty skunks.

(18:28):
As he uttered these words, they stepped forward and made
a lunge at Whitey's slover, the man who was alleged
to have shot his father. He swung at the men
several times before Patrolman case he could get through the
crowd and stop him. Meanwhile, Jack Yellen, popular songwriter who
had been outside, wedged himself through the crowded doorway and

(18:50):
struck Whitey a blow in the face that discolored his
eye and started the blood flowing from his nose. Then
Detective Chief Zimmerman stepped forward and probationary Officer Chase took
hold of Jack. The court was in an uproar during
the performance, many cheering the attackers. Judge Hartzell ordered the

(19:12):
Yellens held in the judge's chamber until they had cooled.
The prisoners accepted the charge against them as if it
were a common offense. They were brought into court handcuffed
to Chief Zimmerman declared, Judge Hartzell, I sympathize with you
in your grief, but the law has to take its course.

(19:34):
The contempt charge was dismissed later when both sons of
the dead man apologized to the court. After the prisoner
had returned to the county jail, the Yellens were dismissed.
In the courtroom corridor, Jack Yellen met Patrolman Condon. Congratulations,
old man. He said, that was a fine catch. The

(19:55):
officer modestly acknowledged the word with a smile. The demonstration
in the courtroom this morning was not the first one.
On Thanksgiving night, the prisoners were beaten up by the
Yellens and their friends and the lobby of the Columbus Hospital.
Police were unable to cope with the situation until after
bodily harm had been done to the prisoners. They previously

(20:19):
had been identified by mister Yellen as he lay on
his deathbed in the hospital ward as his assailants, Captain
Crehan and Detective Parry and Murphy finally quieted the youths
down after they had beaten the prisoners severely.

Speaker 2 (20:35):
To avoid future commercial interruptions, visit us at www dot
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(21:01):
true Crime Historian.

Speaker 1 (21:09):
While civil service rules have their good points, even the
most ardent supporters of the system are numbered among the
citizens of Buffalo who feel that prompt promotion of Patrolman
Daniel Condon of the second Precinct is the most fitting
reward for his stellar performance of Thursday, when he caught
three men now held on a charge of murder for

(21:30):
the alleged shooting of Abraham Yellen. The capture by Patrolman
Condon is unexcelled in local police annals. Coming at a
time when the morale of the police department, because of
recent developments, is indisputably weak, and when public confidence is tottering,
his lone capture of three men who have confessed to

(21:51):
bad records has had the effect of reviving trust and
reliance in the police. It has also stimulated the pride
in the not alone among outsiders, but among the uniform
men as well. In the promptness and alertness of mind
which Patrolman Condon showed in making the notable capture, he

(22:12):
has shown a nobility for higher position and responsibility that
the Buffalo Police Department, for its own sake, should take
advantage of.

Speaker 2 (22:21):
It.

Speaker 1 (22:21):
Combined quick action, alertness of mind, perseverance and gameness essential
qualities of the real cop. November twenty ninth, nineteen twenty.

(22:42):
Don't worry, father, we will get the men who killed you.
They won't live long. These were the words spoken in
a voice of strong emotion by doctor Hiram S. Yellen
as he stood by the open grave of his father,
Abraham Yellen, shot by bans on Thanksgiving Day. As the

(23:03):
sun made the vow, hundreds of mourners gathered around at
the burial wept in sympathy with the berough sons, whose
father had been torn from them by the hand of
robber assassins. Three thousand persons assembled to pay tribute to
the memory of Abraham Yellen. The funeral procession was the

(23:26):
largest in the history of the East Side Jewish community,
where the victim of a murderer's bullet resided for twenty
four years, and where he was regarded as one of
the leading citizens of Orthodox Jewry in the city. Long
before the hour set for the funeral, an immense throng
gathered in front of the Yelling residence in Cedar Street.

(23:48):
Sidewalks and street were jammed, while hundreds of automobiles lined
the curb for blocks in the immediate vicinity. The crowd
finally became so great that a squad of police were
detailed to the scene. Traffic in William Street was temporarily
suspended as the procession passed from the family residence to

(24:10):
the Brith shol And Synagogue in Pine Street. Behind the
hearst trudged hundreds of aged men and women. A crowd
of fifteen hundred stood outside the synagogue when the doors
were closed, because every inch of standing room had been
filled inside. Imprecautions and cries for vengeance on the cold
blooded murders of the innocent victim mingled with the wailings

(24:34):
of the mourners. The synagogue, which had been gaily decked
in honor of the Zionist convention, was stripped of its
festive regalia for the sad event. The body was carried
into the house of worship, a privilege which, according to
Orthodox Jewish custom, is accorded only to men of great

(24:55):
piety and prominence. In the history of this synagogue, the
oldest on the East Side, this privilege has been extended
on only one other occasion. The Reverend H. Singer, for years,
an intimate friend of the deceased, and Rabbi Nekin, prominent
Zionist of Columbus, Ohio, delivered the funeral orations in which

(25:17):
the decease was eulogized for his philanthropy and piety Canter
Samuel Arluck chanted El Molum Rochman Prayer for the Dead,
repeating it on behalf of the congregation Chevre Kadesha, Chevre Kadesha,
Chevrey Nishnaios and Chevre to Helim Synagogue, societies with which

(25:40):
the decease was closely identified. He was the teacher of
the Chevre Mishnaios, a society for Talmudic study, and founder
of the Chevre to Helim. The latter organization will stand
as a unique monument to mister Yellen's memory. Originally founded
as a prayer group which had laid emphasis on the
Song of David under his guidance, it developed into a

(26:02):
charity organization which used the funds accumulated through dues and
contributions to assist needy individuals by means of unsecured, interest
free loans. The nominal dues, amounting to several pennies a week,
have grown to a fund of several thousands of dollars,
which has proved a blessing to many a poor man

(26:24):
in the hour of financial stress. Mister Yellen was laid
to rest in the breath Stoleham Cemetery at Pine Hill,
beside the grave of his wife, who died four months ago.
While the funeral was in progress, the National Convention of
the Zionists of America temporarily adjoined its afternoon session at

(26:45):
the Lafayette Hotel as a mark of respect to the deceased.
January fourth, nineteen twenty one. I'll get you a Thanksgiving

(27:08):
dinner if I have to kill somebody for it. This
was the boastful promise of Raymond Moulford, gangster, to his
sweetheart Lily and Gussie, as he left her on last
Thanksgiving Day. Was the dramatic accusation of District Attorney Guy B.
Moore today in his opening address to the jury in

(27:30):
Moulford's trial for the murder of Abram Yellen. Bringing a
wealth of dramatic fervor into play, the district attorney declaimed
to the jury that he would show that Moulford went
forth on that faithful day with his two companions with
murder in his heart, just as the caveman of old

(27:50):
sallied forth, ready to slay all who opposed his wishes.
This accusation coupled with the positive identification of Floyd Slover,
another of the gangsters, as the man who actually fired
a shot at yellin as the Jewish merchant staggered from
his store mortally wounded. Were the chief developments of the

(28:13):
second morning of a trial that is expected to prove
highly sensational. As the district Attorney assured the jury that
he would bring forth sufficient evidence to send Molford to
the electric chair, the gangster was perhaps the most unmoved
spectator in the crowded courtroom. He sat quietly beside Bart J. Shanahan,

(28:36):
former assistant District Attorney, his council, with a calloused calm
upon his youthful countenance that appeared to be lie the
horrid character which the District Attorney unmercifully draped upon him
against the farther wall of the courtroom as Moulford's two
alleged accomplices Floyd Slover, the man who was accused of

(28:59):
the actual commit of Yellen's murder, a brawny youth with
a shock of very yellow hair, and Harold Weber, a
thin faced, slender chap with shifty eyes which constantly roam
about the courtroom. Lily and Gussie, Molford's sweetheart, who admitted
her connections with the gang and statements to the district attorney,

(29:22):
and who was facing a charge in connection with one
of the jobs alleged to have been pulled off by Molford,
wherein she acted as lookout and fired a revolver at
a storekeeper who surprised them at work. Was in court
a pleasant faced young woman of the type sometimes called
pleasingly plump. She did not look the hardened woman of

(29:43):
the underworld that her admission to the district attorney proved
her to be. The Gussie woman seated beside a jail
matron followed the trial closely and with evident interest. Now
and then, her gaze straight about the courtroom, and she
was evidently embarrassed when subjected to close scrutiny. In his

(30:05):
opening address to the jury, District Attorney Moore said, quote,
we will prove that Moulford owned the three revolvers that
were found upon him and his accomplices. We will prove
that he gave two of them to Slover and Weber
the night before the murder. We will prove that the
trio of gangsters on the night before Thanksgiving Day planned

(30:25):
the robbery of Yellin's store, and that they had looked
over the place. We will prove that Molford told his
sweetheart that he'd get her a Thanksgiving dinner if he
had to murder somebody for it. And we shall ask you,
gentlemen of the jury, to return against Molford, a conviction
for murder in the first degree. Doctor Charles E. Long,

(30:48):
deputy medical examiner, who performed an autopsy upon Yellen's body,
was the first witness called by the people. He described
the wounds, one in the left hand, one in the
left chest, and one in the left of the abdomen.
He produced the bullets which he had removed from the
merchant's body, and the district attorney offered these in evidence.

(31:11):
Attorney Shanahan objected to the acceptance of the bullets as
evidence upon the ground that they were in competent evidence
against the defendant. Supreme Court Justice Lewis W. Marcus overruled him.
Attorney Shanahan also objected to introduction of the merchant's clothes
and evidence on the same ground, and was again overruled.

(31:34):
The garments, stained with blood were exhibited to the jury.
Doctor Hiram S. Yellen, one of the sons of the
murdered man, was next called by the district attorney and
identified the clothes as belonging to his father. He described
his father's store, which was long and narrow, and said
his father had not employed a clerk. Doctor Herbert M. Hill,

(31:58):
City Chemist, was examined by the district attorney relative to
the bullet marks on the clothing. The next two witnesses
were men who in the neighborhood of Yellin's store at
the time of the shooting, and who swore that they
actually saw one of the shots fired at the Jewish
merchant as he staggered from his store. It is upon
their evidence that District Attorney Moore hopes to send Floyd

(32:21):
Slover to the electric chair when he is placed on
trial next week. One of these witnesses actually identified Slover
as the man who fired the shot. George Kenner, who
is a driver for the Queen City Dairy, testified that
he was going west on Seneca Street when he heard

(32:41):
a shot in the Yellin store. Quote. I approached the
store and saw that it was filled with smoke. Just
as I arrived at the store, I saw a man
backing out in the doorway, followed by mister Yellen. The
man had his arm raised in his hand. I saw
a nickel plated revolt. When the man with the revolver

(33:02):
reached the middle of the sidewalk, he fired a shot
at Yellen. The bullet struck Yellin on the left hand
and the blood spurted. Yellen then collapsed, pointing to Slover
in the prisoner's dock. District Attorney Moore asked, is that
the man who fired the shot? Yes, replied the witness.

(33:23):
As Slover stood up after firing the shot, the witness
said Slover ran up the street. Benjamin Steinberg, a merchant
at two o six Seneca Street, told how he had
gone into Yellen's store following the shooting. He found Yellin
in a chair, bleeding from his wounds. Yellen said he

(33:45):
was dying and asked Steinberg to pray for him. He
extracted a promise from Steinberg that he would care for
his two younger children. He asked that he be buried
in the Jewish cemetery near his wife. Following the morning session,
the men under arrest were led back to the jail.
A crowd of about one hundred Jews walked back of

(34:06):
the deputies who were in charge. Doctor Hiram S. Yellen,
one of the sons of the dead man was in
the crowd, there was no trouble. However, the courtroom was
crowded with spectators. Slover and Weber, from their seats in
the prisoner's dock, took a keen interest in the proceedings.

(34:28):
It was necessary to rope off the corridors to keep
a crowd of several hundred curious persons away from the courtroom.
Opening his remarks to the jury, District Attorney Guy B.
Moore charged that the three revolvers carried by Slover, Mulford,
and Weber on the morning of the murder were the

(34:48):
property of Mulford. Quote. Moulford placed the revolver in the
hands of Slover to commit the crime. The state will
prove that the defendant, with Slover and way Ubber, planned
the robbery of the Yellen store the night previous the murder.
The state will also prove that Mulford, on Thanksgiving morning,

(35:09):
said that he was going to get a holiday dinner
for the woman he was living with if he had
to commit a murder to do it. While District Attorney
morsecathingly denounced Molford, doctor Hiram Yellen, Max Yellen, and Jack Yellen,
sons of the murdered man sat in the courtroom and
listened attentively. They were visibly moved when the prosecutor exhibited

(35:32):
to the jury the three bullets which snuffed out their
father's life. Slover followed the examination and cross examination of
the witnesses closely, but Weber paid little or no attention
to the proceedings. Before the opening of court, Molford and
Slover chatted frequently and busied themselves reading the account of

(35:54):
the trials in a morning newspaper. Deputies prepared for an
immerder urgency when a crowd gathered in a threatening manner
as the yell and murder suspects were taken from the
court back to the county jail. Authorities feared a concerted
move was being launched to wrest the suspects from custody

(36:15):
and inflict bodily harm upon them. Extra deputies were rushed
to the scene. Several times they were forced to stop,
turn and drive the threatening crowd back. January fifth, nineteen
twenty one, The corridors of the City Hall were crowded

(36:39):
this morning with curious spectators long before the court opened.
All available deputies were unable to control the situation. Upon
the request of District Attorney Moore, Lieutenant John E. Kennedy
of the traffic Squad, and six patrolmen were called to
clear the corridors. Ge If William F. Waldo assigned five

(37:02):
instead of two deputies to guard the prisoners while they
were being transferred from the jail to the courtroom. There
were jeers from the crowd as the prisoners marched through
the corridors, but there was no disorder. A cordon of
police and deputy sheriffs was maintained in the quarridor to
keep the loiterers on the move. The courtroom was packed

(37:25):
to its limit throughout the day. Among the witnesses called
by mister Moore at the opening of court yesterday afternoon
was Samuel Rogoff of number one fifty Lutheran Alley. Mister
Rogoff testified that he was within a block of the
yelling store when he saw the trio enter, and declared
that Slover entered first. The witness pointed out the three

(37:49):
men as those who entered the store. Detective Captain Charles F.
Zimmerman told what took place when the trio was taken
to the hospital where the aged storekeeper lay dying. Mister
Yellen pointed to Slover as the man who did the shooting.
Captain Zimmerman said and added that Slover was the member

(38:09):
of the trio who indicated that he wanted to buy
the overcoat. He also related what took place when Moulford
was asked to sign his statement. Called to the stand
by mister Moore, Lily and Gussie, sweetheart of the accused man,
told the court how she had left her husband and
in a few months later met Moulford in the restaurant

(38:32):
in which she was working. Soon after, they went to
a house in South Division Street, where they lived as
man and wife, she said, being there but a short time,
the pair went to Erie, from Erie to Akron and
then back to Buffalo. That was in September, she said,
and they were here but one week. Leaving the city,

(38:53):
she continued, they moved to Saint Louis, from Saint Louis
to Akron, from Akron to Cleveland, and finally back to Buffalo,
arriving here in November twenty second. It was in Buffalo,
the woman stated that she first met Slover, who was
known as Barnes Molford, and Slover passed his brothers. She
told the court. While in Cleveland, all four met and

(39:17):
planned coming to this city. She, Molford, and Weber came
by train, and Slover was to join them later. When
they met, the trio of men discussed in a room
in North Division Street the holding up of some store
in Seneca Street, she declared. The night before the killing,
they were armed, she added, and Molford declared that she

(39:39):
would have a Thanksgiving dinner if he had to kill
somebody for it. Cross Examined by mister Shanahan, Missus Gussie
told of a quarrel she had with Moulford the night
before the shooting, and how Molford had slapped her face
after she threatened to tell her troubles to the police.
She concluded her testimony by telling how Molford told her

(40:01):
that Slover had shot a Jewish merchant. Throughout her testimony,
in the time she spent in the courtroom, Missus Gussie
gave little evidence of nervousness. Dressed in a black silk dress,
suede shoes, and a large black picture hat, she sat
beside a matron from the jail, giving only an occasional

(40:22):
glance at the crowd in the courtroom, who craned their
necks to get a glimpse of her on the stand too.
She preserved the same air of unembarrassment and answered questions
without faltering. Malford during the trial consulted frequently with his lawyer,
particularly so when Missus Gussie had the stand. Weber and

(40:45):
Slover sat at the side of the room, carefully guarded
by special officers. Neither appeared to be uncomfortably concerned by
the proceedings, nor showed any embarrassment as they walked handcuffed
in and out of the courtroom. As the three alleged
slayers went to and from the jail, special precautions were

(41:06):
taken to guard them from the crowd which followed. Huddled together,
the trio was surrounded by deputies who saw to it
that no one came too near. In the corridors of
the City Hall, a great crowd of people sought to
gain entrance to the trial. Special precautions were taken by
roping off the halls to keep the mob back, but

(41:27):
a few spectators were allowed in at a time. There
was no disturbance throughout the day. Aaron Aber, who conducts
a furniture store at one eighty nine Seneca Street, testified
that he had seen Slover and Weber across the street
from the Yelling Store on the night before the murder.

(41:48):
The witness said that they watched the store for nearly
an hour. Under questioning by Attorney Shanahan, Molford briefly traced
his early life, relating how he had been convicted of
petty larceny at the tender age of twelve years and
sentenced to an industrial school, where he remained for three years.

(42:10):
He had another conviction, this one for grand larceny, he said,
for which he was sent to the Elmira Reformatory. Moulford's
story from this point on was decidedly damaging to Slover,
his pal quote. We followed Slover into the store out
of curiosity. Slover tried on a coat but said he

(42:31):
didn't like it. Yellin brought another one from outside the store.
Webber and I were looking at some suits in the
rear of the store while Slover was near the front
door with Yellin. I heard him say I'll take this one,
and I looked up and saw that he had a
gun in his hand. Yellin shouted something in Yiddish, and

(42:51):
Weber and I were scared and ran out of the store.
We ran into Butler Place and we're about halfway to
Myrtle Avenue when I heard two two shots. I figured
that a detective for somebody was shooting at Slover ut
Moulford's story of the events leading up to the shooting
was that he and his two companions, Slover and Weber,

(43:13):
had planned to rob a jewelry store on Seneca Street
on Thanksgiving Day. He said they went to Seneca Street
and looked the situation over carefully, and that he advised
against the job, declaring that if they tried it in daylight, quote,
they might just as well walk into a police station. Uote.
He said the trio wandered through this section, and that

(43:34):
when they were in front of Yelton's store. He said
that the trio wandered through this section, and that when
they were in front of Yellen's second hand clothing store,
Slover went into the store without a word to the
other two. Malford made a sorry spectacle of himself, as
with an air of bravado, he brazenly attempted to match
wits with District Attorney Moore. The prosecutor at once sprang

(43:58):
a surprise when he accused the gangster of poisoning his wife.
When were you married, asked the district attorney. Answer I
was married when I was twenty years old. Question how
long has your wife been dead? Answer? I didn't know
she was dead. Question didn't your wife die from poison

(44:20):
that you gave her to prevent the birth of a child.
Answer I refuse to answer. Question didn't you tell Lily
and Gussie that you poisoned your wife and that the
police were looking for you? Answer? I wouldn't answer if
you struck me dead on the spot. Here Now we'll
have no heroics, cautioned Judge Marcus. No, we don't want

(44:43):
any moving picture stuff. Was the district attorney's shot cross
examined by the district attorney. Moulford admitted giving guns to
Slover and Weber on the morning of the Yellen murder,
but refused to tell why the three men went out
of curiosity to watch slow Over by an overcoat, and
refused to answer why he did not attempt to stop

(45:04):
Slover from firing at the storekeeper. Malford said he could
have shot the officer who arrested him as he had
a loaded gun, but instead pulled it out of his pocket.
With the intention of throwing it away. Moore asked the
prisoner if this intent was not prompted by a yellow streak,

(45:24):
in answer to which Malford sneered at the cross examiner,
Malford said it was not necessary for him to steal,
as there was a man in Buffalo named Olson who
would give him all the money he wanted. On cross examination,
Malford was defiant and refused to answer most of District
Attorney Moore's questions. Malford did state that he had never

(45:49):
carried a gun until he met Lily and Gussie, self
confessed lookout for the Whitey Slover Gang, and denied that
he'd ever robbed a church. He did state that he
had since in his pocket on Thanksgiving Day mourning, but
denied that he had told Lily and Gussie that he
would buy her a Thanksgiving dinner if he had to

(46:09):
commit murder for it. Walking in a slow, deliberate manner
toward the witness stand, the district attorney pointed a finger
at Molford and asked him to tell about the poisoning
of his wife, whom the witness claimed he had not
seen for eight years. Where is your wife?

Speaker 2 (46:27):
Was?

Speaker 1 (46:27):
The district attorney's first question on cross examination, I don't know.
I haven't seen her in eight years, answered Moulford. Is
she dead, asked mister Moore. I don't know. Moulford replied,
isn't it a fact, thundered the district attorney, that you
murdered your wife by administering poison because she was about

(46:49):
to give birth to a child. I decline to answer
that question. Question isn't it a fact that you masqueraded
in Buffalo under the name of Roy Francis Brown because
the police were looking for you for poisoning your wife? Answer?
I refused to answer. Question why are you afraid it

(47:10):
might tend to incriminate you? Answer? I declined the answer
that question if you struck me dead on the spot?
Bart J. Shanahan objected to this line of questioning on
the ground that it was prejudicial to Molford. Justice Marcus
denied his objection. Question didn't you and Slover go into
the clothing store at number one twenty nine William Street

(47:32):
an attempt to rob the proprietor after Slover had hit
him over the head with a sandbag. Answer, I wouldn't
tell you if I did, mister Moore, asked questions concerning
robberies and akrons, Saint Louis, Eerie and other places, but
Molford declined to answer, and the district attorney let it
go at that question, Where was it that you broke

(47:54):
into a church and robbed a poor box? Or how
many churches did you break into? Anyway? The witness at
first declined to answer, but changed his mind and said
he never broke into a church. I never poisoned my wife,
pleaded Moelford, when asked by his counsel to clear up
the sensational charge of wife poisoning. Quote. I married a

(48:17):
girl named Irene George and Oneida eight years ago. She
came from a well to do family, and they tried
to take her away from me. She was to have
given birth to a child. She was only eighteen years old.
There was poison there, but I destroyed it with my
own hand. Her people took her away from me and

(48:37):
brought her to Buffalo, where they said she was to
live with an aunt. The last time I saw her
was Christmas Day, eight years ago. I don't know whether
she's alive to day. Unquote. I am here for murder,
not for what I done before, half shouted Molford. I
decline to answer that question, replied Molford. Asked, mister Moore,

(49:01):
isn't it true that the police were making a search
for you? I would not answer that question if you
was to strike me dead on the spot, answered Moulford,
in an apparent attempt at the dramatic Justice Marcus reprimanded,
we don't care for anything heroic here. Mister Moore added, no,

(49:22):
we don't care for that movie stuff. Moulford was then
asked if it was not true that he went by
an alias. After a minute's silence, he replied that he
went by the name of Roy Barnes at one time
and by Roy Francis Brown at another. He would give
no reason when asked by the District Attorney as to

(49:43):
why he used the assumed names. Stimulation of his memory
by mister Moore led Mulford to recall that he had
carried a revolver previous to the time he met Missus Gussie,
but that he could not remember just when he carried
it or what he carried at four. Why don't you
remember those things? Quiz the district attorney. A heated verbal

(50:07):
tilt between the two followed this remark, and Justice Marcus
was forced to rap for order. Turning to Moulford, he said,
you may be a good lawyer, Molford, but you don't
know enough to run this trial. The witness was then
asked what he knew concerning the robbery of a church.

(50:27):
I refuse to answer. The question promptly came. The expected
reply was the church in Buffalo, asked mister Moore. I
refuse to answer, Moulford stated. Mister Moore then turned to
the day preceding the killing. Isn't it true that you
were broke when you came to Buffalo? Answer no, I

(50:48):
was not question. How much money did you have? Answer
about two dollars? Questioning the witness about his past history,
which the district tourney implied with shady, mister Shanahan voiced
an objection. Mister Moore promptly claimed he was entitled to
ask about any criminal or vicious characteristics of the defendants,

(51:12):
and to support his contention he cited a ruling made
in another case. The result was that Moulford had to
continue listening to the accusing questions of mister Moore, asked
about his part in the theft of a wristwatch while
he was in Erie, Pennsylvania. Molford stolidly refused to answer.

(51:33):
He was then questioned concerning the stealing of some groceries
from a store in the same city. For the second time,
Moulford refused to answer the question. When directed by Justice
Marcus to answer, Malford held his ground in reserve silence.
After waiting a few moments, mister Moore asked the witness

(51:54):
what he knew about stealing a sum of money from
a druggist in Erie, and again Moulford stated his refusal
to answer the question. Questions related to breaking in an
ice cream parlor and several more robberies brought nothing but
a refusal to answer by Molford. Switching from the stealings,

(52:15):
mister Moore questioned Molford about his carrying a revolver. The
answer given by the witness was that he had never
carried a weapon until after he had met lilyan Gussie.
How much money did you have the morning of the killing,
continued the district attorney. I had four cents, replied Molford. Then,

(52:35):
isn't it true that you told Lily and Gussie that
you would get a Thanksgiving dinner if you had to
kill somebody? For it, shouted mister Moore. I did not, answered, Moulford,
the blood rushing to his face. Question you did not
intend to buy a suit with your four cents? Did you? Answer?
Of course not. Question why did you make a statement

(52:58):
in the District attorneys office that you intended to rob
a jewelry store? Answer? I was afraid that if I
didn't make the statement, I would be given the third degree?
Question what is the third degree? Answer? I've heard of it.
They blindfold you and put you through the ropes. Question

(53:19):
did it ever happen to you? Answer?

Speaker 2 (53:22):
No?

Speaker 1 (53:23):
Question Why did you run when Yellen hollered after Slover
pulled the revolver on him? Answer just because I had
a revolver in my pocket and I did not want
to get caught around there. Question did you do anything
to prevent Slover from killing mister Yellen? Answer? It was
none of my business. Question did you do anything to

(53:47):
prevent Slover from killing Yellen with a revolver you put
into Slover's hand? Answer? I declined to answer that question.
Question didn't you go into that second hand store? To answer?
I did not? Question why did you go? In? Answer?
Because Slover did? I followed out of curiosity question, you

(54:13):
knew that Slover didn't have any money, that he couldn't
buy any overcoat, didn't you answer? No, I didn't know
how much money he had. The prosecutor then drew a
picture of the scene in the store just prior to
the shooting and asked Mulford point blank if he and
Weber weren't watching Slover awaiting the moment when he would

(54:34):
draw his gun. This, the defendant denied, renewing his previous
declaration that he and Weber had run out of the
store as soon as Slover drew his weapon. Did you
or Weber do anything to prevent Slover from murdering Yellen
with the gun you put in Slover's hand, shouted the
district attorney. Moulford declared, pairying the prosecutor's questions, that he

(55:00):
I just met up with his companions when Detective Daniel M.
Condron cornered them on North Division Street, asked about the
gun which was in his hand, in which he handed
over to the courageous copper. When Condron trained his own
gun on Mulford's heart, the gangster replied, I was just
gonna throw the gun away. Mister Moore, demanded sarcastically, Then

(55:22):
you weren't going to shoot the officer? Answer no, don't
you think I had a chance to shoot him if
I wanted to question? No, I think you were too
yellow when the officer put the gun on you, returned
the prosecutor with withering sarcasm. I was a replied the
defendant in a nettled tone. Yes, I think that when

(55:43):
the officer pulled his gun on you, all the yellow
in your system came out, pressed the district attorney. Mulford
went on to say that he had a friend residing
in Swan Street from whom he could have borrowed money
if he had wanted. Oh, when you were too proud
to beg but not to rob, observed the prosecutor. In

(56:05):
concluding his cross examination. In summing up for the defense,
attorney Shanahan said, quote, I feel that Molford is not
guilty of the crime charged, either by the law of
God or by the law of this state, and I
believe that the facts adduced by the people's case prove
him guiltless. There's not an iota of evidence in this

(56:28):
case that Moulford was guilty of premeditated murder or that
he counseled or advised Slover to shoot Yellen. I don't
believe that Slover premeditated this shooting. I feel that it
was the result of an impulse. Can you believe that
a man premeditated murder to get a fourteen dollars overcoat? Unquote?

(56:50):
Mister Moore, a half smile playing on his face, appeared
satisfied with this development. It was evident that he believed
the jury would take these denials to be a tacit
admission of guilt. Taking up redirect examination, mister Shanahan asked
Moelford the name of his wife. Her name was Irene

(57:10):
George and she came from a wealthy family, answered Molford.
Mister Shanahan asked, did you administer poison to her? Moelford
denied this and said that when his wife was about
to give birth to a child, her parents took her
away from him, and that was the last he saw
of her. He said that he destroyed the poison with

(57:31):
his own hands. Molford said that when he made inquiries
about the whereabouts of his wife, he was informed that
a relative had died in Buffalo and that she was
brought here to settle the estate. He was dismissed from
the stand without further questioning. Touching upon Molford's criminal record,
the attorney for the defense declared that the jury couldn't

(57:53):
fairly convict him on prejudices. Said, mister Shanahan, He's no angel,
but we have shown that by his confinement for the
crime for which he was convicted, he has paid the
penalty in full. The slate has been wiped clean, and
you should not hold the record against him. Unquote. Mister
Shanahan referred to the numerous questions which the district attorney

(58:17):
asked regarding burglaries which he was alleged to have committed.
To most of these questions, Mulford had refused to give
any answer, said mister Shanahan, quote, you can't hold this
question as evidence. It is not legal evidence. You must
wipe the district attorney's questions out of your mind. I

(58:37):
know that it is natural for a jury to say
that there must be something to all these alleged crimes,
or the district attorney wouldn't ask these questions, but they're
not legal evidence and can't be used against this defendant. Unquote.
In concluding, Shanahan praised district attorney Moore's ability as a
prosecutor and his gift for oratory, But warn the jurors

(59:01):
not to be swayed by this. Mister Shanahan was formerly
associated with the prosecutor as one of his assistant district attorneys. Quote.
I believe mister Moore to be one of the greatest
cross examiners in New York State. Enjoy his oratory, but
don't let it sway you from the evidence in this case.

(59:22):
Mister Moore probably will tell you that it is your
duty to the community to convict this man. But remember
that if you send an innocent man to the electric
chair in the name of duty, then you yourselves become murderers. Unquote.

Speaker 2 (59:37):
Enjoy ad free listening at this safehouse. Dubbadubbadubba dot Patreon
dot com, slash True Crime Historian.

Speaker 1 (59:51):
January sixth, nineteen twenty one. Missus Helen Moulford has heard
from her husband. After four y years of silence. Word
of him came to her in Hertford, Connecticut to day
in the form of news that he had been convicted
of murder in the first degree in Buffalo and would
be sentenced to the electric chair. He was convicted yesterday

(01:00:15):
of the murder of Abram Yellen, the Seneca Street shopkeeper
on Thanksgiving morning. Missus Mulford has conducted a four year
search for her husband. She tried far and wide to
locate the narrative well, but without success, and she had
about given up hopes of ever hearing from him again
when the news came to her yesterday. In the course

(01:00:38):
of the trial, it was animated by District Attorney Moore
that Mulford had tried to poison his wife. Moulford refused
to answer the district attorney's questions on direct examination. Before
the trial was closed. However, his attorney put him on
the witness stand and he was questioned about his relations
with his wife. He denied he had ever made an

(01:01:02):
attempt to poison her. He said she was of a
well to do family, and her relatives had taken her
from him, and he had not seen her for a
number of years. During the time Molford has been away
from his wife, he has traveled far. He went from
city to city. In the course of his travels, he
struck Buffalo and became acquainted with Lilyan Gussie, a waitress

(01:01:25):
in an Exchange Street restaurant. He induced this girl to
go with him to various cities. They conducted robberies in
several cities, according to an alleged statement made by Lilian Gussie,
and she acted as lookout and in other capacities for
Molford and his pals. It was stated during the trial
that Molford declared he was going to get a Thanksgiving

(01:01:47):
dinner for the Gussie girl if he had to shoot
someone to get it. January sixth, nineteen twenty one. Tell
mother to come at once and to bring my sisters.
Tell him to come quickly or they'll never see me alive.

(01:02:07):
Sobbing like a baby and behind the double lock and
sell z two. Raymond Malford, convicted murderer of Abram Yellen
this morning, disclosed the identity of his parents when he
sent that message to his mother, Missus Everett Mitchell of Herkimer,
New York. The man who was the brains of the

(01:02:29):
gang of gunmen who shot and killed the Seneca Street
clothing merchant in his store Thanksgiving morning, was a collapsed
and weeping bit of humanity. This morning, after a sleepless
night during which he sobbed out his troubled thoughts while
two guards kept a death watch outside his cell door

(01:02:49):
to Al Ryder of Oneida, New York, whom Malford said
was his uncle. The convicted murderer sent a letter in
which he begged forgiveness for the troubles he said he
had heaped upon his family. Quote, I am sorry I
have disgraced the family. You have always been good to
me and have come forward several times to help me out.

(01:03:10):
I wish you would come to Buffalo to see me
before I die. Unquote. Malford welcomed a visit from a
priest last night. Their conversation was a privileged communication, and
no one heard what passed between the convicted man and
the father. It was asked the priest volunteer to go
to herkimer to inform the mother of her boy's plight.

(01:03:34):
The name of the priest was not disclosed by jail authorities.
It was said that the priest volunteered to go to
herkimer to inform the mother of her boy's plight. The
name of the priest was not disclosed by jail authorities.
Moelford can receive only one sentence under the law on
conviction for murder first degree. The statute provides this sentence electrocution.

(01:03:59):
The only agresh invested in a Supreme Court justice is
his power to fix the date of the death penalty.
That will not be done, probably until after Slover and
Weber co defendants have been tried. Floyd E. Slover, alias Barnes,
who has been positively identified as the man who fired

(01:04:21):
the three shots from the thirty two caliber revolver which
resulted in the murder of Abram Yellen, was placed on
trial today before Justice Lewis W. Marcus in the Special
Term of the Supreme Court. Today Slover occupied the same
chair in the criminal term where yesterday his pal Raymond

(01:04:44):
Molford heard a jury report of verdict which will send
him to the electric chair. January twenty second, nineteen twenty one.
In an intense arly dramatic setting, Floyd Slover and Raymond
Moulford recently found guilty of the murder of Abraham Yellen,

(01:05:08):
Seneca Street clothing man on last Thanksgiving Day, where yesterday,
in special criminal term of Supreme Court, sentenced by Judge
Lewis W. Marcus to die in the electric chair during
the week of March seventh. At the same time, Harold Weber,
third member of the trio, who pleaded guilty to murder

(01:05:30):
in the second degree, was sentenced to serve from twenty
years to life imprisonment in Auburn prison. Moelford and Slover
will die and sing, sing Before the greatest crowd of
morbid spectators that had filled the court room since Molford
was first moved to trial, the sentence was pronounced. Beside

(01:05:53):
the people who jammed in the room, hundreds of curious
humanity crowded the quarridors of City Hall building, craning their
necks to catch a glimpse of the trio. A score
of special policemen, besides a number of deputy sheriffs had
been detailed, but no demonstration came from the crowd. Weber

(01:06:14):
was the first to receive sentence. His parents were not present.
Fighting to hold back the emotion that was overcoming him,
he answered the formal questions asked him in a husky
voice as he placed his hand on the bible to
take oath that trembled. Assistant District Attorney Walter F. Hoffheins
asked the questions, is there any legal cause why sentence

(01:06:38):
of this court should not be pronounced upon you? Asked
the clerk. No, Weber almost whispered in reply. It is
the sentence of this court in your case, said Justus Marcus,
that you be confined in Auburn prison for a period,
the minimum term of which shall be twenty years, and
the maximum life imprisonment. After Weber was led to the

(01:07:02):
side of the court room, Slover, member of the trio
who fired the shots, was called. Displaying the least emotion
of the three, he walked to the trial table and
listened attentively to the death sentence, which his lawyer appealed.
His mother, missus Phoebe Slover of o Sage, Minnesota, who
has been in Buffalo since her boy's trial begun, was

(01:07:24):
in the court room, having realized that death was the
only sentence that could be imposed upon her son. She
had steeled herself against collapse. As Slover was led from
the court room, she weeping copiously on the shoulder of
a welfare worker followed him to the jail. Moulford was

(01:07:44):
next called. He was extremely nervous, but fought to keep
back the tears that brimmed his eyes. Somewhat recovering himself,
he assumed the bravado air that he took during the
trial He answered the questions in a voice that was
off to every spectator in the room, but when he
arrived at the jail he was bordering on collapse. He

(01:08:08):
had received a letter from his mother which stated that
she did not believe him guilty of murder, and that
she urged him to pray for the cleansing of his soul.
She continued that she could not see him because of
her illness. According to one of the jail attendants, Molford
expressed himself to the effect that he held a grudge

(01:08:29):
against no one. He still has hopes, it has said,
of having an appeal to his trial, which his lawyer
made after sentence was pronounced yesterday morning. The Reverend J. W. Welch,
Protestant chaplain of the jail, yesterday received a telegram from
Moulford's first wife, missus Helen Moulford, in which she stated

(01:08:52):
that she would come to see him if she could.
The chaplain wired back that Moulford would be unable to
see her as he was soon to leave for singing.
Sing In case his appeal is granted or that made
by Slover's lawyer, the pair will not die. The week
of March seventh, as set by the court. Under the law,

(01:09:14):
sixty days is granted for an appeal. Yesterday afternoon, Missus
Slover visited the jail to bitter boy farewell. Crying bitterly,
she threw her arms about his neck and sobbed and
kissed him with the same look in her eyes with
which she watched him during the trial. She gazed upon
her son for the last time. Slover was unmoved. He

(01:09:39):
stood almost dumbly, his arms hanging at his sides, as
his mother crushed him to her. Jail attendants expressed their
opinion that they never before saw a prisoner so unmoved,
crying more bitterly than ever the mother of the twenty
year old youth who will soon be strapped into the
electric chair. The jail Sheriff Waldo said yesterday afternoon that

(01:10:04):
the trio would leave the jail before noon today. Four
deputies will escort Slover and Molford to sing Sing. Weber
will go to Auburn with four other prisoners who have
been convicted recently. They too will be strongly guarded. It
is rumored around city Hall that a local clergyman has
been circulating a petition which seeks executive clemency for the

(01:10:28):
two of the trio on the supposition that they are
being railroaded to their death to satisfy public clamor justice.
Marcus declined to comment on the supposed petition, other than saying,
some sentimentalists at the death house sing sing prison Austening,

(01:10:51):
New York, January twenty fourth, nineteen twenty one. Thank God,
my mother and sisters have faith in me. I never
knew what that really meant until now, with them believing
in my innocence, it is of small consequence what the
outside world thinks. Goodbye, Raymond Mulford. Mister Moore knows that

(01:11:16):
I am not the cold blooded murderer he has painted me.
He says, robbery was the motive. But why should I
have shot yelling for an overcoat when I had a
check for ninety one dollars on the New York Central
Railroad for backpay which could have been used had I
been pressed for funds. That doesn't seem like grounds for
premeditated murder with robbery the motive. A lying, false, deceptive

(01:11:39):
woman swore our lives away, but she will have no
peace in this world or the next. I only wish
my mother had never heard a word of this. It
is my chief regret, Floyd Slover. Those were the last
words of Mulford and Slover as they approached the big
steel door of the Deathhouse to pay the penalty in

(01:12:00):
the electric chair for the murder on Thanksgiving Day of
Abraham yelling Moulford, the swagger, the boaster, and the braggart,
the man who challenged mister Moore at the trial and
flaunted his vanity before a crowded courtroom had lost his
braggadoccio air. He sobbed like a child. Slover walked into

(01:12:23):
the death house without a whimper. Once he paused and
looked back, but that was all. He showed, no emotions.
The big door closed behind them. Not even his companion's
complete submission seemed to disconcert him. There's the house my
mother was born in, he said. As the train went

(01:12:44):
through Oneida. He rose in his seat and pressed his
face to the window of the coach. See that hill
back there, many's the time my grandmother climbed that hill
after me at dinner time. The little green house stood
within one hundred and fifty feet of the train. As
the coaches rolled on the landscape unfolded all the old

(01:13:07):
familiar spots were the two played when boys at Herkimer.
Molford arose to point out his old home. It was
a block distant from the railroad, and through the long
row of low roofed houses he could see the peak.
The sky was cloudy, A long train of thick smoke
from the locomotive shut out further view of the landscape.

(01:13:30):
A dark day, said Slover, with a sickly smile. Yes,
said Moelford, wish I had never lived to see it.
From his pocket, he drew forth three letters. As he
glanced over them, the tears rolled down his cheeks. He
read the one from his nine year old sister first.
He kept his handkerchief in his lap and employed it generously.

(01:13:53):
His eyes were red and swollen, in his face pale
and worried. The letter read, dear Ray, don't give up
hope yet, for there is still hope, at least I
hope there is. Mother got a letter today from Missus
Buell saying how sorry she was for mother and you.
She also said she was going to write you, Ray.

(01:14:15):
There is no way for mother to get to you,
So if there's anything that you must say to her,
say it without saying it to her in person. But
don't let anyone bully you around. I'd like to get
my hands on that girl. And those men say, are
they trying to frame you? I do wish I could
come to see you, but I can't. Mother is going

(01:14:36):
to see you about your wife. I don't believe you
did the killing, and I won't believe it neither will mother.
Harry Blewett, maybe you remember him, He said that he
did not believe you did it either. I wish I
could send you something so you wouldn't feel so bad,
but I suppose I can't. Well, Ray, I must say
goodbye from your loving sister Gertrude. P s please, Anne,

(01:15:00):
sir unquote That poor kid, said Molford, and he passed
the letter over to Slover to read. Another letter from
his sister, Ella told how sorry she was for him,
and bore four exes at the bottom as mute evidence
of her loyalty. Finally, he opened and read the last

(01:15:20):
letter from his mother, an invalid, unable to come to him,
but sending her prayer. Quote, my dear boy, I want
you to know that I believe in what you said
that you did not do this crime. Don't think I
am hard hearted for not coming to see you, for
God knows I would come if I were able. I
cannot wear my shoes but a little while at a time.

(01:15:44):
I am trying to keep up courage, and I know
that God will help you and me too. God bless
and help you be a man and be brave. Goodbye unquote.
Take those letters, said Molford. Put them in the paper
so the people with Buffalo will know that my mother
is with me, and that she never said your other

(01:16:05):
crimes I could forgive, but not murder. That was one
of the many lies they told about me. He handed
the reporter of the missives with the request that they
be returned to him. I'm going to carry them right here,
he said, placing his hands on his chest when I
go to the electric chair. There was but little ceremony

(01:16:25):
at the prison. Criminal Deputy Sheriff Andrew Kick, accompanied by
Deputy Sheriff Lewis Barone and Jake Ludwig, turned the pair
over to the prison authorities. There was no commotion on
the trip to the prison. Everything was orderly. Malford and
Slover were manacled to each other until they reached the
very door of the death house. The prison authorities sent

(01:16:48):
backward to Sheriff William F. Waldo, complimenting him on the
arrangements that he had made and carried out for the
delivery of Slover and Moulford at Austining said he expected
his wife and child to visit him today or tomorrow.
They are coming in from Hartford, Connecticut. As a heavy
screen is drawn across the condemned row, it is unlikely

(01:17:12):
they will be able to see much of them, though
they may be permitted to talk with him, said Malford.
This is how a fast life always ends, I guess.
February twenty fifth, nineteen twenty one. Lily and Gussie involved

(01:17:32):
during the investigation of the Abraham Yellen murder and the
trials of Malford, Slover, and Weber, all three being convicted.
Withdrew her formal plea if not guilty to the charge
of the first degree assault and third degree burglary, and
pleaded guilty to a reduced charge with the consent of
District Attorney Guy Moore. Romance appears to be written in

(01:17:55):
the case. It is reported that her husband, a local motorman,
despite suit for divorce, will re establish himself with her
and they will start life Anew in court today, Missus
Gussie pleaded guilty to third degree burglary for participating in
the robbery of the Albert Prentice grocery store and check

(01:18:15):
Towaga last September ninth. Lillian Guss was sentenced to two
and a half to five years in Auburn prison, but
the sentence was suspended during good behavior. At the death House,
sing Sing Prison, Friday the thirteenth, twelve oh one am,

(01:18:40):
nineteen twenty two, just before midnight, I saw three men
put to death in the electric chair by command of
the law. Had none of them carried a gun, this
story would not have been written. If the boy or
man who idly handles revolver saw what I saw tonight,

(01:19:01):
he would go down on his knees and ask Kevin
to take from him forever the power to use it
except in self defense. They walked into the death chamber separately,
William Marwagg, Raymond Moulford and Edward Persons, all convicted murderers.
The first two professional gunmen down the corridor. Their footfall

(01:19:26):
echoed like one who treads alone some army camp deserted.
Then it happened, just as the hands of the clock
moved toward the threshold of a new day. Friday the thirteenth,
Molford's last words were goodbye, boys, pray for me. Malford,
the Swaggerer, the boaster, the braggart, Malford whose braggadoccio heir

(01:19:51):
shocked even the district attorney. In a crowded courtroom, Malford said, goodbye, boys,
pray for me. I guess he meant it. The grim
details of this story are omitted. I once saw cock fight.
I remember the wounded bird lying on the ground, vainly

(01:20:12):
kicking one leg in self defense. Putting a living, breathing
thing to death by electricity, since it has to be done,
is merciful, humane, and in view of the present crime
waves necessary. Mar Wegg was the first to meet his maker.
Molford came next, but it was not the meek, sobbing

(01:20:35):
Woebegone Molford with whom I rode to sing sing a
year ago. Molford died bravely. In a firm, loud voice.
He called out to the other doomed men, good bye, boys,
pray for me. He stepped quickly into the chair and smiled.
Before him stood Father Cashlin, the prison chaplain, after whom

(01:20:57):
he repeated a solemn prayer. He spoke loudly and distinctly
as he concluded, but braced himself in the chair and
was pronounced dead at eleven fifteen o'clock. Then Edward, persons
of Jamestown, convicted of killing Klinger, a taxi cab driver,
stood and faced his audience. Then, turning abruptly, he took

(01:21:20):
his place in the chair. Nine minutes later they carried
out his lifeless form. That was all I left the prison,
crossed the wooden bridge, and paused stillness everywhere. Marwick died
a fatalist. That was the doctrine he preached all along.

(01:21:41):
That one man was born to be a doctor, another
to be a lawyer, still another to die as he did.
Person's sister, Margaret, took up her abode in Atening so
she might be near him to aid in his fight
for a stay. Held out hopes to the last he
might gain a new trial. She was prostrated with grief.

(01:22:03):
Molford obeyed the last instruction from his mother. He tried
to be brave and succeeded. There was no faltering, no
holding back. The same silent procession preceded Malford's entrance the
only difference between the behavior of the two men was
that Malford chose spiritual advice and consolation as he approached

(01:22:25):
his doom. Father Cashian, who has walked at the head
of the little cortege so many times, walked briskly to
the appointed place, just stood in front of the chair.
He has stood in that same spot many many times
he read prayers for the dying. Molford answered in a clear,

(01:22:46):
firm voice. All the while the guards were at their
given tasks, the same buckling of straps, the same relentless
rush towards the last second of life. The screen which
fits over the face was placed. Just as Malford, answering
the words of the priest, said, may God have mercy
on my soul. Warden Law stepped back again. The hand

(01:23:11):
went up, and the man who aided and snuffing out
the life of a kindly, gentle merchant, passed into the
veil from which no man returns. February third, nineteen twenty two,
Floyd Whitey Slover, twenty one years old, whose home is Osage, Minnesota,

(01:23:39):
paid the Supreme Penalty in the electric chair and sing
sing prison last night for the murder of Abraham Yellen.
Slover entered the death chamber praying goodbye boys. He called
out to the other occupants of the death cells as
he was being led to the chair. His execution the

(01:24:00):
second for the murder of Yellin, Raymond F. Molford having
been put to death in the same manner about three
weeks ago. On January twentieth, nineteen twenty one, Slover was
sentenced by Justice Marcus to be put to death in
the electric chair at sing Singh Prison. Sometime during the

(01:24:22):
week beginning March seventh, nineteen twenty one, his attorneys took
an appeal from his conviction and death sentence, and this
automatically stayed the execution of sentence. Late in December, the
Court of Appeals upheld the conviction of the lower court
and re sentenced him to die during the week beginning
January thirtieth. Evidence produced at the trial showed that Slover,

(01:24:47):
with Raymond Moulford and Harold Weber went into Yellin's store
on Thanksgiving morning, and while Molford and Weber were standing
in the rear of the store, Slover was having an
overcoat fitted in the front part. When he tried to
get away without paying for the overcoat. Yellin put up
a fight, during which he was shot three times by Slover.

(01:25:09):
The three men then ran from the store, but were
arrested a short time later. Molford paid the Supreme Penalty
for his part in the murder about three weeks ago,
and Webber, who was allowed to plead guilty to a
charge of murders second degree while his trial was in progress,
is serving a sentence of from twenty years to life

(01:25:30):
at Auburn Prison.