{"id":362,"date":"2018-12-16T10:58:48","date_gmt":"2018-12-16T18:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kaser.com\/BlogicallyYours\/?p=362"},"modified":"2018-12-16T10:58:48","modified_gmt":"2018-12-16T18:58:48","slug":"not-innocent-the-idiot-magazines-part-2-true-police-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kaser.com\/BlogicallyYours\/2018\/12\/16\/not-innocent-the-idiot-magazines-part-2-true-police-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"Not Innocent: The Idiot Magazines (Part 2) \u2013 True Police Cases"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here’s the second of the magazine\u00a0stories<\/em>\u00a0about the murder, this one with a more typically lurid cover. Sex and violence are always successful salesmen…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

True\nPolice Cases \u2013 October 1955<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To\nLove, To Die!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

By Louis Adams<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quickest way for a man to make enemies is to cheat at the game of love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once too often the handsome farmer plucked at forbidden fruit \u2013 and he died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frost was just beginning to sparkle in the fields two miles south of Silverton, Oregon, as Emanuel Kellerhals Jr. burrowed deeper under the comforting warmth of the bedcovers to shut out the chill of the night on February 17,1955.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was tired from his day\u2019s work and as he closed his eyes he was momentarily annoyed by the slam of a car door. The sound came from the direction of his neighbor\u2019s driveway across the road. \u201cErv Kaser\u2019s home early tonight,\u201d he muttered to his wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suddenly the tiny bedroom reverberated to the shattering roar of a shot close by. \u201cWhat was that?\u201d Mrs. Kellerhals asked in alarm, rising to a sitting position. Kellerhals jumped from bed and rushed to the window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From where he stood, the now thoroughly awakened man could see his neighbor\u2019s sprawling hop farm. Parked in the driveway by the house was Ervin Kaser\u2019s sedan.The dome light was burning. Near the front of his own driveway, Kellerhals observed the shadowy outlines of another car. It appeared to be dark in color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As he watched, three more shots punctuated the night air and Kellerhals saw vivid flashes corresponding to the sounds. They seemed to come from the strange car in his driveway and, adding force to his visual observations, the motor of the automobile roared into life. The vehicle leaped ahead, and soon its taillights were fading toward Stayton on the Silverton-Stayton highway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong? What\u2019s going on?\u201d Mrs. Kellerhals inquired anxiously. \u201cTell me what\u2019s happening out there!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d her husband replied, \u201cbut it looks as if someone just shot Kaser!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kellerhals started to dress, intent on going across the road to see what happened; but then he recalled that there were people better equipped than he to handle such matters. He telephoned Constable Harley DePeal in Silverton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DePeal contacted Police Chief Raoul Main, and the two men wasted no time in getting to Kaser\u2019s farm. As they pulled to a stop, they noticed the dome light burning in Kaser\u2019s 1949 Plymouth sedan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The officers rushed up to the car. One glance was all that was required to convince them they needed help beyond that which their own meager departments could give. Constable DePeal called the Marion County sheriff\u2019s office and soon Sheriff Denver Young was on his way from the state capital and county seat at Salem, 13 miles away. As Young left his office he told a deputy to relay the alarm to the Oregon State Police. At the police barracks, Private John Mekkers dispatched State Officer Robert Dunn to the scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the lawmen were assembled, the wheels of a full-scale murder investigation were set in motion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ervin Kaser was lying on his right side on the front seat of his car, his feet on the brake pedal and the accelerator. Blood from a wound beneath the victim\u2019s read-and-black plaid jacket was congealing in a pool that had formed on the car seat. The initials E. O. K. on the man\u2019s belt buckle reflected the light from the dome of the car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom the looks of things, the poor devil never knew what hit him,\u201d Sheriff Young muttered to Officer Dunn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state officer nodded, then suggested that this was a job calling for the talents of Dr. Homer Harris of the state crime laboratory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood idea,\u201d Young agreed. \u201cGet him on his way down here from Portland while I call the coroner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dunn radioed to his dispatcher, with instructions to contact Dr. Harris and have him and a fingerprint technician come down. At the same time, he asked for more help and State Officer Lloyd T. Riegel was dispatched.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Young, Main and DePeal went across the street to talk to the Kellerhalses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all so horrible,\u201d said Mrs. Kellerhals. \u201cWhy would anybody do such a thing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what we aim to find out,\u201d Sheriff Young said grimly. \u201cBut tell us all you know about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Em Kellerhals described what he had seen and heard when he looked out of his bedroom window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you know about Kaser?\u201d Young asked when the other finished talking. \u201cPerhaps if we know something about him, it will help establish a motive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfraid there isn\u2019t much I can tell you,\u201d Kellerhals said. \u201cHe was always a pretty good neighbor. Kept to himself though. Maybe someone tried to rob him. He was supposed to be pretty well off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow about visitors? Did he have many?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot many \u2013 and what few there were, usually came at night. I think they were men he worked with, but I couldn\u2019t recognize any of them,\u201d Kellerhals declared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sheriff asked about the car that had been seen pulling away after the shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt looked like a Ford. Yes, I\u2019m pretty sure it was a Ford. It sounded like one when it started up,\u201d Kellerhals replied. \u201cIt was dark colored, maybe black. It looked like a sedan or coach. I couldn\u2019t tell very well. All there was to see by was starlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The officers soon perceived that the Kellerhalses could offer little, if anything, more in the way of information. As they started to leave, Police Chief Main asked if he could use the telephone. He said he hated to do it, but someone had to notify Kaser\u2019s relatives about the murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, I\u2019ve already done that,\u201d Kellerhals interrupted. \u201cI called his brother, Melvin. He should be getting here soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The officers thanked him and started to leave, but as they were on their way out the front door, Sheriff Young turned back and asked, \u201cHow do you account for the sequence of sounds, Mr. Kellerhals? The door slamming and then the shots?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGosh, I don\u2019t know,\u201d Kellerhals answerd. \u201cLooks to me as if Kaser maybe got out of his car and started for the house, then something warned him so he got back into his car.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s about the way it looks to me, too,\u201d Young commented. \u201cHe probably intended to drive out of there and never had a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The coroner and Officer Riegel had arrived by the time the lawmen returned to Kaser\u2019s car. State Officer Dunn quickly filled them in on what he had determined. Kaser\u2019s wallet had not been disturbed and everything seemed in order in the house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoesn\u2019t look as if the motive was robbery,\u201d Dunn concluded. Officer Riegel, meanwhile, had his notebook out, jotting down a physical description of Kaser and making a rough diagram which showed the location of the murder car and the approximate position of the slayer\u2019s automobile before it fled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ervin Kaser, 49, was of medium weight and about five feet ten inches. His brown hair receded in front, but he had been a comparatively handsome man. In addition to the plaid jacket, he wore a gray shirt, dark twill trousers and tan loafers. A gray felt hat was crushed beneath his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nA sack of groceries in the back\nseat indicated that the victim had just returned from shopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave you searched the area where the killer\u2019s car was parked?\u201d asked Young.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, but we\u2019ll probably have to wait until daylight if we\u2019re going to find anything that might give us a lead,\u201d Dunn replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Harris and Sergeant Ralph Prouty of the state crime laboratory pulled up just then and they immediately got to work. Prouty began shooting pictures of the scene, after which Dr. Harris accompanied the coroner to the morgue where a preliminary autopsy would be performed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, an examination of Kaser\u2019s sedan revealed that three bullets grouped close together had plowed through the left doorpost; a fourth had gone through an open window and out the windshield. Two of the bullets that had penetrated the doorpost also had gone through the windshield, while the fourth was lodged in Kaser\u2019s body. It struck Kaser in the left shoulder, but did not emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kellerhalses had placed the murder car between 50 and 75 yards away from Kaser\u2019s sedan. When Sergeant Prouty learned this he was amazed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhoever did this was a whale of a good shot. Look how closely grouped those shots are on the doorpost,\u201d he said. \u201cAccomplishing that at night is really something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sheriff Young nodded assent. \u201cOf course the killer was helped by the fact that with the dome light on, Kaser made a clear target; but still the sniper is a deadly marksman. We\u2019d better warn the cars that are out hunting him to be careful.\u201d Earlier the sheriff had broadcast a description of the killer\u2019s car and he now issued a warning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, Constable DePeal introduced Melvin Kaser, brother of the slain man. DePeal stated that Melvin lived just down the road from his brother\u2019s farm and might know something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young and Riegel, mindful of the younger brother\u2019s grief over the killing, nevertheless decided to question him immediately rather than wait until later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s behind my brother\u2019s murder,\u201d Melvin Kaser began, \u201cbut I can tell you one thing. It definitely was planned. It looks to me as if there must have been other attempts, maybe several times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy do you think that?\u201d Dunn asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause the chances are about a million to one for Erv to be parked right where he was shot and for him to have his dome light on to make it easy for the killer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t there some other reason, too, why you think the murder was planned?\u201d Sheriff Young pressed. \u201cDid your brother have any enemies?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melvin Kaser\u2019s brow furrowed in deep thought. He was silent several moments as though weighing something in his mind, then he said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cErv was always somewhat of a lone wolf. Sure, he lived next door to me and all of that, but he never told me any of his affairs. He never discussed his friends or where he went. Far as I know, he never had much to do with anybody. Afraid I can\u2019t help you much that way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Silverton police chief, who had been listening, spoke up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of talk going around Silverton that Erv was quite a lady\u2019s man. Some say he\u2019s broken up some marriages around here. His wife sued him for divorce not long ago, claiming he was messing around with other women and staying out all night with them. There\u2019s probably several people who won\u2019t be sorry about his death.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The younger Kaser admitted that he, too, had heard the rumors, but he didn\u2019t know how true they were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, we\u2019re getting somewhere, at least,\u201d Sheriff Young interrupted. \u201cif we can find out who Ervin Kaser has been dating, we\u2019ll probably find a clue to the killer. This job begins to look like the work of some jealous husband.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chief Main nodded agreement. \u201cThere\u2019s a carpenter, named Oveross, who lives up the road a way, and I\u2019ve heard that Kaser has been seen with this man\u2019s wife. He might be a good place to start,\u201d the chief suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sheriff Young thanked Melvin Kaser for his help, conferred briefly with Sergeant Prouty and Officer Riegel, then ordered the carpenter picked up for questioning. \u201cBring him to my office, and while you\u2019re getting him I\u2019ll talk to District Attorney Kenneth Brown,\u201d the sheriff said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Casper (Cap) Oveross had lived in the Silverton area all his life. Unlike Kaser, the thin, gum-chewing carpenter was generally well liked by his neighbors. His habitually friendly grin and youthful ways belied his 44 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As he entered Sheriff Young\u2019s office and was introduced to District Attorney Brown and State Officer Dunn, Oveross appeared only mildly concerned over being taken from his home in the middle of the night and hustled to the county seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The officers wasted little time in obtaining preliminary information from their plaid-shirted subject. He had been born near Rocky Four Corners on Abiqua Creek north of Salem, had graduated from Silverton High School as had his wife, Ethel, and, for 20 years, had lived less than a quarter mile from the murder scene in the Evergreen community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did he like Erv Kaser? No. He blamed Kaser for breaking up his marriage. Yes, he had sued his wife for divorce last fall, just a couple of weeks after Mary Kaser filed for divorce from Erv.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was he glad Kaser was dead? No more so than probably a lot of other husbands in Silverton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere were you when Kaser was killed?\u201d Sheriff Young asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat time did it happen?\u201d Oveross countered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sheriff estimated Kaser died about 10:55 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was probably in a tavern over in Silverton about then,\u201d Oveross said, taking a hitch in his blue jeans. \u201cI was in a couple of them during the evening. I hadn\u2019t even got home when your men came to my place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan you fix the exact time when you were in those taverns?\u201d Brown asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNope, don\u2019t think I can,\u201d the carpenter replied. \u201cNever looked at the clock.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou own a gun, don\u2019t you?\u201d Dunn interrupted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cNot now,\u201d Oveross replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The questioning continued several hours, but Casper Oveross stuck to his story concerning his whereabouts during the evening. He steadfastly denied any part in the killing of Kaser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At midmorning, weary and disgruntled, Young and Brown retired to another room to talk over what had transpired. They agreed that they were getting nowhere; that Oveross should be set free. Certainly he had a motive, but apparently dozens of others in Silverton also had a motive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet him go,\u201d Brown ordered, \u201cbut better check on his wife and Kaser\u2019s wife. Maybe they can offer some hint as to who might want Kaser dead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Young agreed. \u201cFrom what Oveross tells us, Mrs. Kaser divorced Erv because he was chasing around. She just might know of any threats made against her husband.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, and if Oveross is right in thinking his wife was going with Kaser, she might be able to suggest a possible suspect,\u201d Brown commented. \u201cAlso, maybe Kaser wasn\u2019t romantically interested in Mrs. Oveross but in some other woman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two lawmen returned to the interrogation room and told Oveross he was clear of suspicion; they suggested, however, that he not leave Silverton for the time being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt would help us,\u201d said District Attorney Brown, \u201cif you could fix the time more exactly when you were in those taverns.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure,\u201d the carpenter replied as he took his departure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Oveross tentatively cleared, the officers turned their attention toward other suspects. They also decided to check the divorce complaints in the Kaser and Oveross cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On August 6, 1954, they learned, Mary Louisa Kaser, wife of the Silverton hop grower, had filed suit. She charged, among other things, that the \u201cdefendant does associate with and keep company with another woman or women from time to time.\u201d Unfortunately she didn\u2019t name names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On August 20, Oveross sued his wife, Ethel, for divorce, alleging that \u201cfor the period of several years, the defendant has associated herself with other men, and particularly one other man to such an extent that such association has become public scandal and gossip in the community in which the plaintiff and defendant live.\u201d Neither did he list names, but Oveross had told police he referred to Kaser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kaser divorce trial had been set for March 17, but the murder changed the situation. Defendants in both actions had entered general denials of the allegations in the complaints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was evident the women had to be talked to, so interviews were set up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Kaser was contacted at her Salem apartment where she had moved pending settlement of the divorce action. The trim, 40ish blonde told her interrogators that she had no reason to kill Erv. Certainly she was unhappy about his associations with other women, but she had already handled that matter by filing suit for divorce. She indignantly asserted she would never stoop to murder. Before the officers left, Mrs. Kaser had convinced them she knew nothing of real value to aid their search for the killer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No better luck was encountered in the questioning of the ex-Mrs. Oveross. Obviously overwrought by all that had happened, she nevertheless tried to be cooperative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The slender divorc\u00e9e insisted she knew nothing about the killing; she also didn\u2019t think her ex-husband would have done it even in a moment of jealousy. She startled her interrogators by stating that her twin sister was married to Harvey Kaser, a brother of the slain man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturday afternoon, February 19, nearly 40 hours after the killing, District Attorney Brown announced, \u201cThis thing is beginning to go around in circles. We\u2019re getting nowhere. Possibly we\u2019ve been concentrating too much on the Kaser-Oveross situation and the real killer is somewhere laughing at us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrangements were made with state police headquarters to assign Sergeant Wayne Huffman and Officer Lloyd Riegel to work with Sheriff Young and Deputy Amos Shaw until the case was solved, no matter how long it took.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authorities went into a huddle and sifted through the information already at hand: Kaser was killed at 10:55 p.m., and a dark car had fled from the scene. So far as was known, only Emanuel Kellerhals and his wife had seen that car, and their look at it had been hindered by darkness. Perhaps someone else had seen it under better conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the help of Silverton officials, a map was drawn which listed every house in a five-mile radius of the Kaser home, particularly those along the Silverton-Stayton highway. Huffman and Riegel were assigned to check each of the houses to determine whether anyone else had seen the murder car. They also decided, for a few nights at least, to stop every car on the highway on the theory that people have pretty definite habits, and some motorist who normally traveled between Silverton and Stayton at that time would have seen something significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sheriff Young and Deputy Shaw, meanwhile, agreed to check other possible suspects. They already had learned that the shot which killed Kaser was fired from a .30-caliber rifle and that the fatal bullet had been either a \u201clucky\u201d shot or aimed by a perfect marksman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rifle slug had punctured the left lung and the arch of the aorta, the great trunk artery from the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go over to Silverton and see what we can learn about marksmen,\u201d Young said to his deputy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several hours later the two teams met over a cup of coffee to compare progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huffman and Riegel so far had found no one other than the Kellerhalses who had seen the killer\u2019s car, but they had some other interesting information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe kept getting the story that Kaser was involved with other men\u2019s wives,\u201d Sergeant Huffman reported. \u201cHe also had money problems. He was a hard bargainer with people who worked for him in his hop yard, and there\u2019re stories going around that he didn\u2019t pay some of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSay, that\u2019s worth checking further,\u201d the sheriff interrupted. \u201cMaybe he fought with one of those workers and the fellow he fought with went for him with a gun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re way ahead of you there,\u201d Riegel said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been busy compiling a list of former employes and have talked to some of them. Haven\u2019t come up with anything definite yet. However, it should be pointed out that we\u2019re checking stories circulated by people who don\u2019t like Kaser. We\u2019ve heard some good things about him, too, that indicated some of the stories might be distorted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young and Shaw had something to report, too. They had learned that Kaser received a telephone call from eastern Oregon the day before the shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe phone company is looking that up for me now, and when we\u2019ve got the information, I think someone had better go over to eastern Oregon to see what it\u2019s all about,\u201d the sheriff said. \u201cThat call may tie in with the murder.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The teams separated again, Huffman and Riegel to continue looking up former employes of Kaser; Young and Shaw to make a round of taverns where Oveross said he had been at the time of the murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latter team ran into something at the first tavern they visited. James Lowrie, bartender, said Cap Oveross was an excellent shot \u2013 one of the best in the area. He didn\u2019t believe the carpenter had killed Kaser, however \u2013\u201ceven though he had good reason\u201d \u2013 because Cap was too easy-going to be a murderer. Further, he had been in the tavern the night of the shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy do you say he had good reason to kill Kaser?\u201d Shaw asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause everyone knows Kaser was making a play for Mrs. Oveross. Why, they were together just before the shooting,\u201d Lowrie retorted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do you know that?\u201d Young shot back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of my customers saw them in Kaser\u2019s car driving along the road to Silver Creek Falls State Park,\u201d the bartender replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young and Shaw questioned Lowrie further, learning that he could not definitely fix the time Oveross had been in the tavern. Thanking the bartender for his help, the officers proceeded toward the state park. En route they called for Huffman and Riegel to join them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrived at the popular park grounds, the officers again compared notes and then set about checking nearby houses to determine if anyone had seen the dark sedan that had been at Kaser\u2019s farm. The theory had been suggested that the killer was trailing Kaser on the fatal night. Nothing significant was turned up, so back to Silverton the lawmen went. There questioning of townspeople disclosed that, on the night of the shooting, Mrs. Oveross had been at a lodge meeting, had left for a time, presumably to meet Kaser, and then had returned to the lodge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis thing keeps leading right back to the Overosses,\u201d Sergeant Huffman told his fellow officers. \u201cI\u2019ll bet Cap Oveross heard about them meeting Thursday night and trailed Kaser home and killed him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe found out he was a crack shot, too,\u201d Sheriff Young added, \u201cand he\u2019s wrong when he said he had no gun. He\u2019s said to have several. Let\u2019s go talk to him again!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time Casper Oveross was not so friendly when police arrived at his home. He grudgingly admitted he had access to some rifles, but said, \u201cYou\u2019re mistaken if you think I told you before that I don\u2019t have a gun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you tell us about killing Kaser?\u201d Young demanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cListen,\u201d Oveross retorted indignantly, \u201cI\u2019m getting tired of all this monkey business. We went all through it the other night. Now you birds lay off or I\u2019m calling in my attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re innocent, then let\u2019s run a lie detector test and prove it once and for all,\u201d Shaw suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy should I? It\u2019s just more of the same old malarky. I\u2019m not having any part of it,\u201d the carpenter lashed back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basically, the interview produced no more results than the first one, but three rifles Oveross had access to were rounded up for examination by ballistics experts at the crime laboratory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That night in Salem the officers related their findings of the day to District Attorney Brown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s getting more complicated all the time. Looks as if a batch of people, not only Oveross, had motives,\u201d Brown commented when they were through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know, I think the key to this whole thing is the murder gun. We\u2019ve got to find it, then we\u2019ll know who the killer really is,\u201d Young said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat about the guns you got from Oveross?\u201d Brown asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re being checked, but we don\u2019t think any of them is the right one,\u201d Huffman informed the DA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the meeting broke up, it was decided to pick up every .30-caliber weapon in the area for checking by ballistics experts and to drag every stream and pond in case the killer had disposed of the gun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunday, February 20, 1955, saw policemen knocking at every door asking for guns. Residents were surprisingly cooperative and soon a sizable arsenal was on its way to Portland to the crime lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other officers in boats probed all local bodies of water. Dragging operations on two ponds within earshot of the death scene were discontinued when a farmer reported no cars had used the road on Thursday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, State Officer Dunn, who had been sent to Madras in eastern Oregon to investigate the Kaser telephone call, returned to report it had no connection with the murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Late Sunday, Sheriff Young learned that Oveross had a target range behind his home where he test fired rifles for several of his friends. The sheriff directed that bullets be dug from the range and compared with the one taken from Kaser\u2019s body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monday the search for the gun continued, and again on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was late Tuesday afternoon that District Attorney Brown received a call which set him wondering about Paul Hatfield, a friend of Oversoss\u2019 pretty 17-year-old daughter, Colleen. The person who called said the youth knew something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young Hatfield was extremely nervous and reticent when police started talking to him. He denied having had anything to do with the murder, but when the questioning swung to Oveross, he became agitated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI guess I\u2019d better tell you,\u201d the youth is alleged to have answered. \u201cCap came to my place a few minutes after the shooting. He said, \u2018Kaser\u2019s got three slugs in him and you\u2019ve got to be my alibi. If anybody asks, I was with you last night.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown jerked his head for Young and Huffman to follow him into another room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf what the boy says is true, it looks as if we\u2019ve hit pay dirt,\u201d he said. \u201cBring Oveross in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A short time later, armed with a Marion County District Court warrant charging first-degree murder, Deptuy Sheriff Amos Shaw and State Patrolman Lloyd T. Riegel located Casper Oveross at the home of his niece in Silverton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oveross indignantly refused to accept his copy of the warrant, but he offered no resistance as he was taken back to Salem and booked into jail. The officers also impounded his 1950 black Ford coach and stored it in a Silverton garage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All the way to Salem, the rough-clad carpenter refused to answer questions, and when he arrived at the sheriff\u2019s office all he had to say was: \u201cI\u2019m waiting for my attorney.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t long before Defense Attorney Bruce Williams appeared and, after a brief conference with his client, told newspaper reporters there was no evidence whatsoever against Oveross and he would demand the earliest possible preliminary hearing or, failing that, a writ of habeas corpus to free his client from custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next morning, Oveross was arraigned before District Judge Edward O. Stadter Jr., and was granted a March 2, 1955 preliminary hearing. He displayed the same unruffled composure as had marked his behavior almost from the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same day, in Marion County Probate Court, Kaser\u2019s widow, Mary Louisa Kaser, was appointed administratrix of her dead husband\u2019s estate. Probable valuation was listed as $10,000 in real property and $1,000 in personal property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, District Attorney Brown called the officers together. \u201cJust because that boy claims Oveross wanted him to serve as an alibi doesn\u2019t mean that Oveross is guilty. Oveross could have heard of the shooting and have known he would be the logical suspect,\u201d the DA said to the gathered men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Huffman and Riegel returned to Silverton they found the town buzzing. Some people refused to believe that likable, easygoing Casper Oveross could have had anything to do with the crime. They said they would never believe it until the sheriff\u2019s office proved it beyond a doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others said that if Oveross did fire the fatal shots, he only did it to scare Kaser \u2013 not to kill him. \u201cWhy, those shots came so fast that it should prove the rifleman had no intention to hit anyone,\u201d a service station attendant said. \u201cAnybody who deliberately was trying to kill a man under starlight would take a long time between shots.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thursday, February 24, 1955, one week after the murder, Dr. Harris and his assistant, Sergeant Prouty, returned to Silverton from Portland to pick up clothing found in Oveross\u2019 car and to examine the interiors of both the Oveross and the Kaser cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next day, District Attorney Brown again conferred with his officers, reviewing all of the evidence that had been collected. There still were some unanswered angles and the murder weapon still had not been discovered, but the DA decided to take the case to the grand jury on the following Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defense Attorney Williams objected bitterly when he heard the news, then said he would not permit his client to appear before the jury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A parade of 17 witnesses started going into the grand jury rooms at 9:30 a.m. It included Sheriff Young and Dr. Harris, plus relatives of both Kaser and Oveross. At 4 p.m., the jury made its report to Circuit Judge George R. Duncan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The jury failed to find the evidence sufficient to support an indictment. Oveross was released, completely exonerated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

District Attorney Brown summoned the police authorities to his office. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to start all over again. The murder of Ervin Kaser has got to be solved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Officers reviewed again the facts and rumors they had gathered. Finally Riegel spoke up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt still goes back to that missing gun. We\u2019ll have to find it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s more to it than that,\u201d the DA said. \u201cSince Oversoss isn\u2019t the guilty party, then it means there\u2019s a killer loose somewhere around here. We still don\u2019t definitely know he\u2019s a jealous husband. He could well be a trigger-happy madman and he may strike again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI suggest we call for public help in locating that gun. Maybe the American Legion or the Boy Scouts or some similar group can help search.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll keep on looking,\u201d Sheriff Young promised grimly. \u201cWe\u2019ll check every hardware store from here to Portland if we have to, and find out who bought 30-30 shells. Then we\u2019ll go to their homes and look at those rifles. We\u2019ll find that rifle and we\u2019ll get the killer!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The days changed to weeks and the weeks to months, and still the search went on. By the first of May, 1955, more than 100 persons had been talked to. Dozens of ponds were dragged. Dozens of hardware stores were checked. Still no luck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then Sunday afternoon, May 8, Larry Wacker, 12, of Salem, was playing along the banks of the Pudding River near the small community of Pratum. The spot was five miles by road from Kaser\u2019s farm. Suddenly the boy pulled what he thought was an iron rod from the river. It was a .30-30 rifle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The boy excitedly turned to his companions, Neil Beutler, 11, and Roger Beutler, 8, and said, \u201cLook what I\u2019ve found!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gun was crusted with rust, but young Wacker managed to work the lever. The gun ejected an empty cartridge. A live cartridge still was in the chamber.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The boys rushed to the John Ross home where their parents were visiting. When the fathers examined the gun, they immediately notified the authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sheriff Young examined the rifle, and was elated. \u201cThere is a good possibility this is the murder weapon,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gun and cartridge were immediately sent to the crime laboratory and now the officers redoubled their efforts, this time to determine whether anyone had seen the dark-colored murder car in the vicinity of the Pudding River bridge at any time after the shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On May 12, Sheriff Young received a telephone call from the crime laboratory. When he hung up the phone, he turned to his co-workers and said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the death weapon. We\u2019ve got the gun now, the right one. Now all we\u2019ve got to do is prove ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When District Attorney Brown was informed, he said, \u201cI don\u2019t think we\u2019ll have any trouble showing that Oveross had that gun. I\u2019ll call the grand jury into session again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was even more certain later that afternoon when the sheriff called him to report that a witness had been found who claimed he had seen Oveross near the Pudding River bridge the night of the murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Monday, May 16, 1955, a new grand jury heard the now mountainous pile of evidence in the case. This time police were able to produce a murder weapon. Because of their exhaustive canvass of hardware and sporting-goods stores, they had reason to believe that Oveross had bought one like it; the district attorney was able to present ballistics findings that were not available for the first grand jury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The jury did not take long to indict Cap Oveross with first-degree murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then the officers got a shock. Oveross was not in Silverton. He reportedly was somewhere in northern California visiting relatives. Defense Attorney Williams, however, was unconcerned. He told police he was certain his client would return home as soon as he heard of the indictment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The attorney was correct. A few days later, at Fairbanks, Alaska, where he had been working on a construction job, Oveross walked into the office of the U. S. Attorney and identified himself. He had just learned of the indictment and was anxious to prove his innocence. Sheriff Young and Sergeant Huffman soon went to Alaska to accompany the carpenter back to Silverton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oveross still maintained the same calm as before when he was returned to Salem. He still declares he is innocent and is ready to clear himself of the murder charge in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOTE: The names James Lowrie and Paul Hatfield, as used in the foregoing account are fictitious to protect the identities of the persons innocently involved in the investigation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOTE: Obviously, Paul Hatfield was really Dan Gilham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

And that’s it for the second magazine. Next up, the third magazine,\u00a0Real Detective<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blogically yours,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everett<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s the second of the magazine\u00a0stories\u00a0about the murder, this one with a more typically lurid cover. Sex and violence are always successful salesmen… True Police Cases \u2013 October 1955 To Love, To Die! By Louis Adams The quickest way for … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-not-innocent"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaser.com\/BlogicallyYours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaser.com\/BlogicallyYours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaser.com\/BlogicallyYours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaser.com\/BlogicallyYours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaser.com\/BlogicallyYours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/kaser.com\/BlogicallyYours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":375,"href":"https:\/\/kaser.com\/BlogicallyYours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362\/revisions\/375"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kaser.com\/BlogicallyYours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaser.com\/BlogicallyYours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kaser.com\/BlogicallyYours\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}