Living a Lie

It's difficult to know, some 70+ years after her day in court, just when Irene Koblusz started lying however, this much is certain - by 1946 she was out of control.

As Irene stood before Pennsylvania's U.S. District Court Judge Guy K. Bard on January 11, 1946, she tried to explain how she'd ended up there.

Anderson H.S. Yearbook photo

When she was 17-years-old, Irene had gone straight from Anderson (Indiana) High School into a marriage with 32-year-old, once divorced Paul Theodore Miller. It wasn't necessary for Irene to lie about her age in order to marry Paul but she did. Their marriage license records Irene's age as 19-years-old.

With her ever-present flair for the melodramatic, Irene stood in court and described Paul as "a barnstorming aviator."

She stated that she married Paul with the understanding that he would enable her to study medicine and become a doctor.

This dream was still unfulfilled by April of 1940, at which point we find Irene and Paul living in Hapeville, Georgia. The US Census shows Paul was working as an aviator for a flying service. Hapeville is roughly 10 minutes from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta airport. There is no profession listed for Irene, just an indication that she's a housewife.

Later that year, as the Battle of Britain was being fought, Paul was one of (ultimately) 47 American airmen to be offered a lucrative contract by British Overseas Airways on behalf of the Air Transport Auxiliary. He arrived in Canada on August 11, 1940 to begin training.

photo and caption from www.ata.afleetingpeace.org

According to http://ata.afleetingpeace.org/the-ata/index.php/9-lists?start=12, the pay was $150 a week (tax free), plus $10 a day whilst in transit, plus a $500 bonus at the end of the year.

Unfortunately, Paul was later returned home to the States because he wasn't sufficiently familiar with "modern military aircraft." He was one of 24 men rejected.

Paul must have continued his association with BOAC however, because that's who he listed as his employer when he registered for the draft in 1941.

In 1943, Paul and Irene adopted a baby girl born in Montreal, Canada; they named her Eleanor Joanne but not even this child could save their marriage. Irene and Paul divorced.

Later that year, Irene met John Thomas Koblusz and fell in love.

John was 27-years-old, hailed from Philadelphia and was a Sgt. in the US Army, stationed at Marietta, Oklahoma.

Irene was 24-years-old, fresh off a divorce, posing as lieutenant in the Nurse Corps and inexplicably introduced herself as Tyanya Tickernowoiski. I'm not sure why she chose this alias for herself but paperwork submitted to the military bears this out. One newspaper article claims this is a name Irene used while working as a nightclub singer.

They married twice. Once in Oklahoma on July 25, 1943 and again on December 6, 1943 in Philadelphia. John was attached to the 44th Field Artillery Battalion and when he was transferred to Camp Clayborne, Irene followed.

In too deep and incapable of coming clean to John about her deception, Irene continued to illegally wear an Army nurse uniform and even promoted herself ... twice. First to the rank of Captain and then Major.

At some point, Irene became concerned about the state of their marriage and decided it was time for them to start a family.

Irene told John that she would resign her commission and devote herself to motherhood. Not content to stay at home however, Irene took a job at a Shreveport, Louisiana hospital as a nursing instructor. This would serve her well.

It can't be a surprise when I tell you that Irene soon announced the birth of twins. She wasn't even pregnant.

When John visited his wife and newborn babies at the hospital, a student nurse who was in on the ruse, showed him a set of twins born to another woman. John then did what any responsible parent would do and he applied for additional allotments. This would be Irene's undoing.

By the time the government caught up with Irene, John had been discharged from the Army (on November 20, 1945) and they were living in Washington, D.C..

John was there with his wife in court as she was charged with impersonating a Nurse Corp officer, illegally wearing the uniform and accepting the allotment money for her imaginary children. How much John knew by then, I'm not sure.

Judge Bard listened sympathetically.

Irene was released on 30 days' suspended sentences on all three indictments and ordered to pay back the $440.00.

Irene and John Kolbusz as they exit the courtroom -
Philadelphia Inquirer photo, January 12, 1946

The story doesn't end there.

At some point, Irene did actually attend and graduate from a Washington , D.C. nurses training school.

On April 29, 1949, John Koblusz was admitted to St. Elizabeth's Psychiatric Hospital in Washington, D.C..

On September 25, 1950, Acting Superintendent Samuel A.Silk, M.D. signed off on paperwork declaring John to be mentally incompetent. His wife, Tyanya Koblusz aka Irene, applied for compensation benefits and, on January 18, 1951, they were approved.

John Koblusz died on September 9, 1956. 

I don't have access to John's death certificate so I don't know cause or place of death but I believe it's unlikely he ever left the facility. John's buried at Arlington National Cemetery - Section 31, Plot 7581. Plot 7580 was reserved for the future internment of his widow, who was then living in Albany, Indiana. 

The story doesn't end there.

On Wednesday, June 28, 1960, at 2:30 PM, Anderson, Indiana police received a 911 call from James Earl Conner. "I've accidentally shot my wife," he told them.

Sure enough, when police arrived, Mrs. Conner was sitting on a davenport and confirmed that her husband had shot her. That's all she told them before being rushed away in an ambulance.

As you've already guessed, that woman was Irene Matthews Miller Koblusz Conner.

Irene and James had been married for less than a year. Irene was working both as a private nurse and at the Sherman-Citron Fur Store. James Earl Conner was a self-employed contractor.

photo from the
Anderson Herald -
June 29, 1960

Irene had been shot three times in the chest, twice in the left arm and once in the hip.

Irene's husband, 37-year-old James Conner, was immediately held on charges of assault and battery with intent to kill.

At first, James stuck to his story that he had accidentally shot Irene while cleaning the gun, a .380 caliber Beretta automatic. Ironically, the gun was a gift from his wife.

Back at the station house, James admitted that he and Irene had been quarreling that afternoon but he claimed to not have known he'd fired the weapon until he saw the smoke coming from the barrel. He would also admit to cleaning the weapon after the shooting and before police arrived.

photo from the
Anderson Herald -
August 6, 1960

Within 5 hours of being transported to the hospital, Irene was dead from massive internal hemorrhaging. She was 41-years-old.

James Conner was held without bond and charged with first degree murder.

On July 7, 1960, a grand jury indicted him on a second degree murder charge.

On August 5, 1960, James Conner pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received 2-21 years in prison. 

It was announced on March 12, 1965, that James Conner had been approved for parole.

I believe that he died on July 31, 1978 at the age of 55.

Irene is buried in the Matthews family plot at the East Maplewood Cemetery in Anderson, Indiana.

FindaGrave image uploaded by stoneseeker

photo from the
Anderson Herlad -
June 14, 1964

And what of Irene's adopted daughter Eleanor? 

She seems to have been in the care of Irene's parents throughout all or most of this drama. It's difficult to know without the 1950 Census. 

Eleanor graduated from Anderson High School the very year her mother was shot to death. 

In 1963, Eleanor graduated from Ball Memorial School of Nursing and was working as a Recovery Room R.N. at Community Hospital in 1964 when she married Thomas Joyce. 

Were There Other Victims?

John Elgin Walrath -
photo from the
Sheboygan (WI) Press -
November 25, 1969

On Saturday afternoon, November 22, 1969, a strange man approached a group of young boys playing in a Chicago park and he lured them away to a secluded area across some railroad tracks.

What began as playful tickling took a strange turn when the man offered the boys $1.00 each to engage in more sexual acts.

9-year-old Steven Walker would later testify in court that all refused the offer and ran away. 6-year-old Timmy slipped on a rail and soon found himself in the man's car.

When Timmy failed to come home that evening, his mother Kathy began searching. She interviewed the neighbors and contacted the police to report her son missing. Information supplied by Steven was all it took for the FBI to be brought in.

Police in Illinois, Michigan and Indiana were issued an APB. They were looking for a blueish-green 1968 Chevrolet sedan being driven by a man, 30 to 35 years old.

Google Maps used to show the beginning
and the end of their wild ride

Twenty four hours later and 250 miles from Timmy's home, a group of deer hunters spotted a man dragging a young boy's limp body through the shallows of Lake Michigan at Little Point Sable, just west of Hart, Michigan.

They approached and became involved.

The boy was soaking wet but alive. 

When Timmy saw help had arrived he became hysterical. Timmy had only been "playing dead" and the strategy worked; Timmy had learned a lot in 24 hours.

Timmy told the hunters "He tried to drown me!" With that revelation now out in the open, John Elgin Walrath bolted.

Walrath had his own car parked not far from the lake and he headed right to it.

Just as quickly, four out of the five hunters were in hot pursuit - the deer could wait. Bob Koepler and Ron Evernham ran to Bob's truck and set up a road block. Paul Evernham and Raymond Diepan pushed through the dunes in their Jeep. A fifth man, Cal Steele, drove Timmy to the house of friend.

The hunters flagged down a passing motorist, Steve Juterbock, and asked him to call the police. As Juterbock told reporters, "It was a one-in-a-million chance that the hunters were there. The hunters were going back to get a jeep that was stuck. It was a good mile from anywhere that you could drive with a normal vehicle."

The roadblock did slow Walrath down. It was here that he exited his vehicle and Bob Koepler made an unsuccessful grab for him. Walrath pushed Koepler to the ground. Walrath jumped back in his car and swerved around the roadblock but not before Ronald Evernham smashed the windshield of Walrath's sedan with a large board.

When the Chevrolet sedan sped by Juterbock, he made note of the car's license plate. Koepler followed for several miles at speeds of nearly 100 MPH before losing him. Cal Steele told The Chicago Tribune, "Bob just about ruined his truck trying to batter him off the road."

Authorities credit the UPI with making the quick connection between this incident and the missing boy from one state over. 

Police ran the license plate and knew they were looking for 30-year-old John Elgin Walrath from Hammond, Indiana.

On Monday the 24th, Timmy was reunited with his mother Kathy and John Walrath, a bachelor who was employed as a 6th grade reading teacher at Wadsworth Elementary School in Griffith, Indiana was in custody.
An FBI agent overheard Walrath say "I knew I would be caught but I didn't think it would be so soon."

Kathy Bryant described this incident as "too good an object lessons for the girls." She had long told her three children not to talk to strangers but her warning hadn't been sufficient to save her son from being abducted. Kathy told daughters Pamela, aged 5, and Cheryl, aged 4, that a man nearly drowned Timmy and warned them "Don't ever leave our yard and never go with anybody, even if they offer you candy." Pamela put a hand over her mouth and said she understood.

Kathy told reporters "What a one-in-a-billion chance that those hunters came by. I just shake when I think about it."

photo from the LA Times -
November 25, 1969

On Tuesday the 25th, police revealed what they knew about Walrath's criminal past and what they'd found after searching his Hammond, Indiana apartment.

John Walrath moved from Syracuse, NY to Indiana in 1960 to study electrical engineering at Indiana Technical College. On February 4, 1961, 21-year-old John Elgin Walrath's was arrested and identified as the "screw driver burglar." Walrath would target completely darkened houses in the better areas of Fort Wayne, Indiana. He routinely struck between 7 and 10:30 PM. He stole money, trading stamp books and small valuables such as binoculars or radios.

Walrath committed between 27 and 40 thefts, depending upon which newspaper account you read, before his crime wave came to an end. According to the February 6, 1961 copy of The Commercial Mail (an Indiana newspaper), Walrath "told police he wanted to accumulate enough money to reach California after graduation to get away from his parents" who "were very strict." 

Although his punishment for being found guilty of first degree burglary was 10-20 years, Walrath was paroled from the Indiana State Reformatory on August 7, 1964. In 1965, he enrolled at the Fort Wayne Bible College. Walrath graduated in June of 1968 with a bachelor of science degree. Walrath had never made it to California or out of Indiana.

In 1968, Walrath was arrested in Fort Wayne for shoplifting.

Neither this arrest nor his previous conviction for burglary and the resulting prison term were included in Walrath's application to the Wadsworth Elementary School in Griffith, Indiana. Under previous work record was listed "Counselor to Juvenile Delinquents." School Superintendent Kenneth Manifold based his decision to employ Walrath on a "very impressive" record as a student teacher and a glowing recommendation.

The Fort Wayne Bible College would later be held accountable and put on probation because of their failure to disclose Walrath's prison record to the Griffith School District when recommending him for a job. Fort Wayne Bible officials indicated that they had known about his criminal past but thought he was rehabilitated. Dr. Jared F. Gerig, president of the college, said he didn't know state law required such notification.

John Walrath mailed a letter of resignation to Mr. Manifold just prior to his November 24, 1969 arrest for kidnapping Timmy Martin, citing a "nervous breakdown" as the cause for his leaving. He'd only been working there since September; this was his first job as a teacher. Colleagues described Walrath as normal and dedicated.

When police searched Walrath's apartment they found pornographic magazines and 200 pairs of boys' underwear. Neighbors described Walrath as a "loner" and "a nice fellow."

At Walrath's trial, defense attorney Gerald M. Werksman called upon a psychiatrist to explain away his client's actions.

photo from
The Times -
November 24, 1969

As reported in the October 14, 1970 edition of The Times,  Dr. Gordon Scher described Walrath as "a paranoid-schizophrenic type of individual" although it doesn't appear on the surface. Dr. Scher testified that Walrath had "a long history of various types of sexually devious behavior - including homosexuality with small children."

Dr. Scher believed the defendant should be placed in a mental hospital and that Walrath would find it "extremely difficult" to conform his actions to the law. Walrath's attorney didn't challenge the prosecution's case but pursued the "mental disease" defense.
The prosecution produced their own psychiatrist who provided the opinion that Walrath suffers from an abnormal sexual desire, but he had a "substantial capacity to control his actions."

The jury heard a recording of the victim's statement to police made on November 23, 1969 - the night of his rescue. Timmy told police after getting into the man's car he begged to be taken home. The man, now known to be Walrath, told Timmy "I'm taking you home" but he didn't. Instead, the two drove 250 miles over a 2 day period, stopping for gas twice, eating potato chips and sleeping in the car. Timmy also said that Walrath had exposed himself, that he had been "touched" by Walrath and spanked him for not complying with Walrath's request to do "something that's not nice."

The jury also heard from Steven Walker and the five men who rescued Timmy Martin from drowning.

photo from
 The Times -
November 24, 1969

The jury deliberated for 5 hours. Ultimately they rejected the insanity defense and on October 13, 1970, Walrath was pronounced guilty of kidnapping. Judge Abraham L. Marovitz  handed down a sentence of life in prison but also ordered Walrath be evaluated at a mental facility "for the purpose of determining how best to help you and protect the public." 

On February 19, 1970, following the recommendation of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, John Walrath's sentence was reduced to 35 years. The report issued by the Bureaus indicated Walrath would require a long time, if ever, to be cured. He would be eligible for parole in 11 to 13 years.

John Walrath was paroled in 1983 but in less than 7 years he would find himself back in prison and his parole revoked. It seems that John Walrath had been convicted of retail theft and resisting arrest in 1990 and failed to report this development to his parole officer, Mr. Terry Childers. Walrath was granted parole a second time on May 8, 1992.

According to 1994 court documents:

As a special condition of Walrath's parole, he was required to participate in a mental health treatment program as directed by his probation officer, Terry Childers. Childers first referred Walrath to the Midwest Family Resources Associates, Ltd., in Oak Park, Illinois, for an evaluation. Following a series of interviews, Midwest Family Resources informed Childers that Walrath had been reluctant to discuss his sexual history, and that a clinical polygraph examination and a penile plethysmograph to measure Walrath's patterns of sexual arousal would be necessary to complete the evaluation. Walrath agreed to continue counseling, but refused to undergo any invasive tests.

On July 25, 1992, Childers visited Walrath at his apartment to discuss his mental health evaluation. When the discussion turned to the proposed tests, Walrath became agitated. Childers felt it would be wise to end the interview, and left the apartment. He was met in the lobby by Walrath, who continued to argue about the evaluation. Walrath then climbed onto Childers' automobile, preventing him from leaving. After being told repeatedly to get off the car, Walrath finally did so, but then took his own car and followed Childers for more than a mile before returning home. Childers reported the incident to the United States Parole Commission (USPC). Although Childers did not recommend that a parole violator warrant issue, upon a review of Childers' report and the information from Midwest Family Resources, Senior Case Analyst Carol Wilson Muller caused a warrant to issue for Walrath's arrest. The allegations were that Walrath had violated the special conditions of his parole (Charge One), and that he had attempted to assault Childers (Charge Two). On September 4, 1992, Walrath was arrested at his home and taken to the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where he remained until March 4, 1993. From March 4, 1993, until April 26, 1993, Walrath was held in custody at a halfway house.

Following his release from the halfway house, Walrath moved for voluntary dismissal of his habeas corpus petition, then filed a civil rights complaint pursuant to Bivens. The district court denied his request for injunctive relief against the United States on July 29, 1993.

According to 1995 court documents, Walrath was paroled a third time and his legal battles to avoid the evaluation of his mental health and suitability for parole using a penile plethysmograph continued.

Walrath would frequently agree to undergo the testing, as a way to avoid being returned to jail, but change his mind at the last minute and file additional motions with the court alleging that his First Amendment Rights were being violated. The courts ruled against him every time; the revocation of his parole was upheld. It was an endless cycle of paperwork.

The last decision I found in this matter was handed down on December 6, 1995.

I believe John Elgin Walrath died on December 10, 1997.

Did he ever submit to the penile plethysmograph testing and just what is that anyway?

I can't answer the first part of that question but here's a portion of what the (online) Skeptic's Dictionary has to say about the device and it's application:

Photo and description from the Skeptic's Dictionary

But why is the title of this post "Were There Other Victims?"

Following John Elgin Walrath's November 1969 arrest for kidnapping, police noticed a striking similarity to other disappearances that resulted in the deaths of the young male victims.

Here is a quick rundown on the crimes:

June 30, 1969 -
searching for the body of
David Hill -
 photo from
the Allen County
Public Library's
digital library

On Saturday, June 28, 1969, 8-year-old David Hill, of Fort Wayne, Indiana disappeared. David had been playing in a park near his home. His body was found on July 2, 1969, more than 30 miles away in Salamonie Reservoir. Cause of death was drowning and foul play was suspected.

photo from
The Times -
November 24, 1969

On Saturday, September 6, 1969, 6-year-old John Mazur, of Hammond, Indiana had vanished while playing in a park near his home. His nude body was found a few days later on a Lake Michigan beach at Beverly Shores, at least 25 miles from where he had disappeared. Cause of death was suffocation, possibly strangulation.


The only solid lead police had in John Mazur's disappearance was a report that John had been seen getting into a car with a white man. The car was described as a white, two-door Ford Torino. Nobody caught the license plate number.

photo from The Times -
September 16, 1969

Police worked hard to connect Walrath with these deaths but failed to do so. They knew he had ties to both Fort Wayne and Hammond but could not link him to the White Ford Torino or the victims.

Police would also liked to have closed the case on the rape and murder of 10-year-old Cynthia Warrick from New Haven, Indiana and briefly considered him as a prime suspect but there was even less to connect Walrath to that rape and murder.

These crimes remain unsolved.

From Bad to Worse

Some women have been known to say that growing up they had a fairy tale childhood ..... and they'll mean it in a good way. Rarely do they mean that after their mother died young their father unwittingly brought home a monster to care for her and her siblings and their lives became a living hell. Sadly, such was the case for today's victim.
I'm keeping her true identity to myself even though it was revealed in newspapers at the time. I'll omit her last name entirely and use her stepmother's maiden name because this crime involves an underage victim but to make the story easier to follow I'll assign the victim an alias. For the purposes of this narrative, I shall call her Maggie. Don't think these omissions and changes on my part reflect a failure to accurately research the crime. It is instead my attempt to protect the identity of someone who already had so much taken from her against her will that I felt she deserved some anonymity, even though she's passed on. And because I promised her granddaughter that I would.

Pulmonary tuberculosis claimed the life of Maggie's mother Minnie, aged 32, on May 25, 1911. Left behind was a grieving husband and 4 children. One son had died in 1908, at the age of 7, after being hit in the head by a baseball. Already so much sadness for this Thornhope, Indiana family.

Maggie was the eldest of Minnie's children, she was 12. The youngest child was a son named Forest, 3-years-old. In the middle were two daughters, 8 and 6. Maggie's father James was employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a foreman and his motivation for finding a second wife seems obvious because he married Rosa Flanagan on October 22, 1911, roughly 5 months after the death of his wife. Knowing what we do about James, it seems unlikely he had Rosa waiting in the wings as his wife lay dying. He clearly needed someone to help raise his children while he worked long hard hours to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. Desperate and blinded by grief, he made a poor choice.

Rosa Flanagan was 8 years older than James, twice divorced and had 2 children of her own from her first marriage, a daughter 22-years-old and a son 19-years-old. To quote Jackie Kennedy, "The first time you marry for love, the second for money, and the third for companionship." Well, with friends like Rosa, nobody needed an enemy.

The depths of Rosa's depravity became known on December 13, 1912 when 13-year-old Maggie and a 49-year-old man named George Dirton were arrested by Logansport, Indiana police as Dirton was picking Maggie up at the train station.

According to newspaper accounts of the time, local police had observed Dirton greeting the comely young girl as she stepped off the train as often as two and three times a week for months and they'd found it suspicious. Was it the look of fear of Maggie's face? Her reluctance to get into his car? Dirton's leering and overall lasciviousness? Who can say but thankfully someone was looking out for her, even if they were too late.

When questioned by police, Maggie told them the sordid and terrible truth. Her stepmother Rosa had entered into a financial arrangement with George Dirton and had essentially sold Maggie to Dirton. Maggie would board the noon train to Logansport several times a week and was told to obey Dirton completely until the 4 PM train would take her back home. It was most important that Maggie be back home before James walked through the door at 6 PM. James had no idea any of this was going on. His anger upon being informed was palpable.

James returned home from work on December 13th and found Maggie missing. Rosa seemed just as concerned as James and claimed to not know where Maggie was. Without realizing it, Rosa was telling the truth. She certainly didn't know Maggie was talking to the Logansport Police and that a squad car was on it's way to arrest her.

James asked around town and learned his daughter had boarded a train for Logansport so he hired a car. [Google Maps estimates it's 30 minutes by car.] James and Rosa headed south together but were met midway by a police car. Rosa must have assessed the situation quite quickly because she hopped out of the car and start running away on foot. As if James wasn't already confused. Police easily caught Rosa, brought her back to her husband and informed him she was being arrested for selling his daughter. According to the Fort Wayne Sentinel, in the presence of the police, James told Rosa "If I find that this is true. If I find you've sold my daughter, I'll kill you."

Early newspaper accounts say that Maggie's compliance was rewarded with pretty dresses and while Maggie's testimony confirms this was true she also said she would be forced to comply whenever she refused. Any attempt on the newspapers' part to imply Maggie was on board with this arrangement was completely wrong and inappropriate.

A dual charge of rape brought against both George Dirton and Rosa leave little doubt as to what was inflicted upon Maggie each afternoon as she was picked up at the station. How dreadful must the train ride have been each and every time?

It's unusual that Rosa was charged with rape and not pandering or pimping. Rosa's lawyer, Frank V. Guthrie, would later file a motion to quash the indictment of rape on the basis that it was not only untrue but not possible.

Guthrie did he what he could to defend Rosa or at least guarantee her a fair trial. A motion for a change of venue was granted and he also asked that Rosa be tried before and apart from George Dirton who, rumor had it, intended to plead guilty. This latter motion was not granted. Maybe Dirton felt he'd be safer in prison. Two of Maggie's uncles, Charles & Stephen, had already tried to visit Dirton in his holding cell but they were turned away at the door when it was discovered they were heavily armed.

Maggie meanwhile was being kept safe in her own prison - she was being sequestered at the St. Joseph's Hospital until the case to come to trial. The hospital staff was instructed not to allow her any visitors under danger of being held in contempt of court. News from the outside world was disconcerting. Maggie was under the impression her father James had sided with his new wife and her health suffered severely. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

The Prosecuting Attorney, Michael L. Fansler arranged for Maggie to be present when he interviewed James. The question put forth was "Have you retained an attorney to defend your wife against the charges made by your daughter?" The answer was immediate and definite - "To defend her? I will give every assistance to send her and Dirton to the penitentiary. If money is needed to hire more lawyers, I'll get it."

Maggie's testimony to the Grand Jury was given in private. Both Dirton and Rosa had trouble raising the $5,000 bail. Although Dirton was widely reported to be a wealthy bachelor farmer, his property was heavily mortgaged. A second lein was obtained so that he could hire an attorney. I'm not positive but I don't believe Rosa was able to obtain bail money and she stayed in prison until her trial in January 1913.

On January 22, 1913, George Dirton stood up in open court, entered a guilty plea to the charge of rape and admitted he had "bought" Maggie from Rosa. "I am guilty," Dirton said, "but now I can scarcely realize how I ever came to permit myself to be a party to such an offense. I had too much money and my unoccupied mind turned to evil."

The Indianapolis Star reported the following day that Dirton had implicated another local farmer in the crime but State's Attorney M.L. Fansler refused to make that name known to the public or provide details of that individual's supposed involvement. That same Indianapolis Star newspaper article claims that this second man visited Dirton at the jail and threatened to kill Dirton if he didn't shut up. As far as I know, nothing else came of this accusation.

Judge John Lairy sentenced Dirton to serve a term of 2 to 21 years in the Indiana State prison.

Mug shot for George Dirton, provided by the Indiana State Archives

Next up was Rosa. She continued to maintain her innocence and defended herself by saying Maggie was the problem not she. George Dirton's previous admission of guilt didn't help Rosa one bit. I've seen many court documents relating to this case, including subpoenas but not one for George Dirton. I can't imagine the prosecution wouldn't call him as a witness against Rosa.

On February 14, 1913, with or without the Dirton on the witness stand, Rosa was also found guilty of rape and sentenced to a term of 2 to 21 years in prison. She was 43-years-old.

A most unusual prison photo of Rosa.
She looks like she's recovering at a tuberculosis sanitarium
or vacationing at a friend's summer house

George Dirton was granted parole on January 30, 1915, left the prison on February 18, 1915 and was discharged from parole on January 29, 1916. He was free to live his life.

The 1920 US Census has George and his older brother William living together and working as farm laborers. By 1930, George was an inmate at the Northern Indiana Hospital for the Insane. He would die there on June 8, 1931 of a cerebral hemorrhage with dementia precox listed as a contributing factor. He was 68-years-old.

Rosa, having exhibited good behavior while incarcerated, was paroled on December 16, 1918 and released into the custody daughter Elizabeth. On January 2, 1920, Rosa was discharged fully from parole and free to live her life. She died February 19, 1930 at the age of 60.

I had hoped to see some confirmation, perhaps in testimony transcripts, of a long-term amorous relationship between Dirton and Rosa, as was reported in December 18, 1912 edition of The Huntington Press - "To satisfy perverted passion of her lover of fifteen years, her own greed for money, it is charged that Rosa Flanagan of Thornhope, sold her 13-year-old stepdaughter to George Durton  , a local parcel delivery man." Alas, no such transcripts exist. I suppose I was just looking for some reason, however twisted, for Rosa to ruin a young girl's life and devastate a family.

George Dirton, West Virginia born and raised, seems a most unremarkable man but there is a history of insanity in his family. His paternal grandmother had been institutionalized and his younger brother Joseph, from the various newspaper accounts I've read, seems to have been a dangerous paranoid schizophrenic.

Joseph Dirton had once become severely delusional and shot a man. The wound was non-fatal. Joseph was locked up in several hospitals including the Spencer (WV) State Asylum, a place he escaped from in September 1894 because he claimed the living conditions were horrendous and he wasn't receiving his medication. Joseph's parents petitioned the court to be appointed his guardians.

The Dirton family eventually relocated to Indiana. The change of scenery did not make a difference for two years later (May 19, 1896), Joseph became extremely agitated and had to be removed from the family home. He put up quite a struggle, during which Deputy Sheriff Charles Davison received a severe cut to his hand, and Joseph was sent to the Long Cliff Asylum in Logansport. On September 15, 1899, 33-year-old Joseph died at his parents' home.

Even with Dirton and Rosa in prison, more tragedy awaited Maggie and her family for on August 14, 1913 the body of Maggie's father James was found lying by the train tracks. The death certificate lists his age as 36, the cause of death was a "railroad accident," and his marital status was "divorced."

Now orphaned, Maggie, her two sisters and a brother were taken in by their Uncle Truman and his wife.

On October 16, 1932, Maggie's brother Forest was one of two neighbors to die as a result of a buzz saw accident. Here are the facts, cobbled together from two articles printed in The Times (Muncie, Indiana) newspaper - "Arnold Konietz and Forest were sawing up some old railroad ties at the Konietz home with a buzz saw borrowed from a friend of Konietz. Forest and Konietz had rigged up a belt from the rear wheel of an automobile to furnish power to the saw.

It is believed that the vibration of the saw loosened bolts holding the frame castings together. Arthur Ostrander, another neighbor who had strolled over to watch the work, was standing near. He said it appeared that the shaft bounded from the bearing at one end under the pull of the belt. Then the other bearing broke and the rapidly whirling saw and shaft hurtled at the two men who were standing right in front of it with a heavy tie."

"The saw struck both men. Konietz's left arm was almost severed at the shoulder joint and his left side was laid open from the shoulder down. Konietz died immediately. Forest's left side and left leg had been ripped open. He died 3 days later while in the hospital. He was 23-years-old. He left behind a wife and son."

Maggie lived to the age of 97. She remained haunted by the crime until the day she died and kept it a secret from her children and grandchildren.

Michael L. Fansler, the State Prosecutor in this case, went on to become Chief Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court.

Rosa's attorney Frank Guthrie, shown here in 1939, was elected Mayor of Logansport three times, serving from 1914-1917 then 1922-1929.

I did a bit more research for this story, hopefully it'll be reflected in the narrative. I relied heavily on newspaper archives, as usual, but I also want to give a public shout-out to Dave Birnell and Sherry Raber at the Miami County (Indiana) Clerk's Office. After tirelessly and eagerly digging through a great many boxes of records down in the basement of an annex building, they struck gold and made available to me scans of everything they had found relating to this case including the original indictment for George Dirton and Rosa, The Original Warrant for Rosa, Motion for Separate Trial, Motion to Quash, a Motion to hear her trial first, Motion for Change of Venue, Transcript of Costs, run down of everything filed Subpoenas, The Verdict, and a letter from the Indiana Women’s Prison releasing Rosa for good behavior.

Also, my thanks to Keenan Salla at the Indiana State Archives for all of her assistance. In addition to allowing me access to prison records, which provided biographical info (and possible topics for future blogs), we wouldn't know what George Dirton looked like were it not for her and my $15.00.