Disappearance on the Delta

California Delta (J.Rubio)

One warm June evening back in 1980, along the sleepy tributaries of the California Delta, 30 year old Pat Malone of King Island was heading home after finishing up a repair on a houseboat that had been stranded at Snodgrass Slough, when he simply seemed to vanish into thin air.

Pat, who was a private contractor repairman working through the Holiday Flotels Houseboat Rental company on King Island had been dispatched earlier that day around 5 p.m. to repair one of their disabled rentals, but when neither he nor his work boat was seen docked the very next morning, Nita Jackson (owner of Holiday Flotels) knew something wasn't right. It was an employee of the company, Russell Crow, 21, who initially noticed that Pat's maintenance boat was missing so he headed out onto the Delta, retracing the route Malone might have taken back home thinking perhaps Pat's boat might have broken down on the way back the night before. When he discovered the vessel on the the south fork of the Mokelumne River, it was near Hog Slough. As Crow approached the boat, it was clear to see there was no trace of Pat. He immediately notified authorities, and before anyone knew it, Pat Malone's whereabouts were one big mystery.

All initial newspaper reports claimed that the vessel Pat was piloting was found in tact and undamaged. In fact, even the owner of the Holiday Flotels was quoted saying,

“It’s just as if someone reached down and picked him up,” said Holiday Flotels Delta Houseboat Rentals owner Nita Jackson. Malone, a private contractor, was returning from a houseboat repair  mission for the King Island rental firm when he disappeared. "His father and mother are still out there searching,” she said. “It’s such a mysterious situation, with the boat not damaged in any way.  You can’t give up hope. Everybody is in a high emotional state – he’s missing and there’s no evidence of anything.”-- Lodi News-Sentinel (6/21/1980)

When I first began researching this story back in 2014 it was a personal quest to get answers not just for me, but for my dad. You see, Pat Malone was a good friend of my father growing up in Anaheim back in the 1950's and 1960's. I grew up hearing about all the crazy shenanigans that they got into as kids growing up. Although they became adults and moved on in their lives, they both kept in touch every so often to see how each other were doing. I remembered as a kid hearing dad mentioning what happened to Pat, and how the whole thing didn't feel right to him.

Pat lived just down the way on North Street, the same street dad grew up on along with other close friends and fellow school mates. The Malone family's house, just across the street and several houses down from my grandparent's, became like a second home to dad in his younger years.

Dad graduated Anaheim High in '65 with Pat's older brother, Mike, while Pat graduated in '67. It was by chance that I discovered Pat's photo recently after looking through my mom's yearbook. I wasn't going to get my hopes up at first, but as I turned the pages through the Junior year photos, there it was. This person I have been researching for a good 4 years, now I have a face to place the name and the story to.

Back to the story....

"The 20-foot repair craft used by Pat Malone, 30, was found undamaged along the bank of the Mokelumne River’s south fork, near Hog Slough, Friday morning. The boat’s ignition key was on but the motor was not running, the throttle was three-quarters open and there was plenty of fuel in the gasoline tank, according to Sheriff’s reports. Malone’s dog was discovered on a nearby island......Nothing on the deck of the boat, including the pilot’s chair which is not tied to the craft, was disturbed. All the boat’s life preservers were still on board, so apparently Malone was not wearing a life preserver, according to reports. But he has been described as a good swimmer, and as being familiar with the Delta....The boat is not equipped with running lights, and under Holiday Flotels policy, was not supposed to be used after dark."  -- Lodi News- Sentinel (6/21/1980)

According to Pat's fiancee, Gail Skelton, who lived with him on their houseboat on King Island, Pat had called her Thursday night around 7 p.m. to let her know he finished the repair and was heading home. The trip from Snodgrass Slough to King Island by boat was about an hour long, and when Pat didn't come home she began to worry.  The houseboat renters who had seen Pat the night before when he repaired their vessel, mentioned that Pat left around the same time, confirming Gail's story.

One thing that was mentioned twice in the newspaper was that Pat may have stopped by Wimpy's Marina near Walnut Grove. The bartender stated that someone who fit Pat's description was there between 11:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. No one ever confirmed that it was actually Pat, just that someone who fit his physical description was seen there. It was also mentioned that the person seen at Wimpy's "did not appear intoxicated."

A spokesperson for the Sheriff's Department stated several times in the newspapers that followed day by day, that the search was continuing and that they dispatched boat and ground crews in the area, as well as calling in the U.S. Coast Guard air and boat units to aid in their search efforts.

Suddenly by June 25th, the newspapers oddly changed the narrative of what might have happened to Pat. They were now claiming that the boat had been damaged. Remember, for several days each statement given by the owner of the rental company (who owned the boat) and by authorities who had made official statements all said the boat was "in tact" and "undamaged," which was why the mystery behind Pat disappearing was so strange. Initially there was no trace of evidence that anything happened. No accident, no struggle, nothing. He had simply vanished. Now, the story seemed to have changed.

“There was a hole underneath the bow of the boat,” said Sgt. Wilbert Vierra, chief of the Sheriff’s marine division. “It (the craft) did hit something, a rock maybe. He could have been thrown off and hit his head.” The circumstances surrounding Malone’s disappearance remain largely a mystery, but authorities do not suspect foul play.  The search for Malone, a private boat repair contractor, will continue indefinitely, said Vierra. Four men, working two shifts during daylight hours, are dragging the river. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is aiding the search periodically, he said, and farmers and boaters are being alerted.Vierra said that on Monday he flew over the area in a plane rented by the Sheriff’s Department.  Friday, U.S. Coast Guard air and boat units aided the search. “We get some strange disappearances in the Delta,” said Vierra. --- Lodi News-Sentinel (6/25/1980)

After an 8 day search of combing the Delta, the newspapers reported that the body of Pat Malone was discovered about 200 yards from where his "intact but deserted craft was discovered June 20." The newspaper dated June 28, 1980 claimed that his cause of death was "drowning."

"Everything has been found to be consistent with drowning," said a spokesperson for the Coroner's office. They also mentioned that extensive tests were going to be carried out to determine the exact cause of death. Continuing to go with the later theory that Pat's craft had ran into some obstacle on the river, they also continued to adamantly assert that Pat had to have fell overboard and hit his head in the process.

You have to remember again that the reports showed the vessel had no indication that anything had happened to it. It had no damage to it and nothing seemed out of place on board. It wasn't until later that the theory that the boat suddenly had damage to it, and they believed he was thrown from the craft and drowned came into the picture.

It gets worse, much worse.....

According to the newspapers later published in January of 1981, it claimed that Pat's cause of death was drowning because of being drunk.

"Malone had a high level of alcohol in his system at the time of his death, according to the coroner's report, and authorities theorize that his drowning was an accident." -- Lodi News Sentinel (1/29/1981)

This is a red flag that there is something terribly wrong with this case. You see, when our bodies die, they naturally start producing ethanol in order to start the process of decomposition. The production of ethanol within the body begins shortly after death. As the hours go by, the bacteria begins to grow within the body and the bacteria itself produces the ethanol by converting it from sugars such as glucose. Another thing to consider is the fact that alcohol distributes itself unevenly through the body after death. Because of the fact that alcohol production in the body after death is the same as that from drinking, the blood-alcohol level alone cannot determine precisely whether or not the deceased was actually intoxicated at the time of death.

Blood plasma has a higher water content than whole blood, therefore it can show as 10 to 15 percent higher in an alcohol level test. The most accurate way to differentiate between the levels of consumed alcohol in the system and the postmortem produced ethanol, would be by testing the vitreous humour (gel-like substance inside the eye.) Testing that part of the body shows to be most accurate due to the fact that the vitreous humour collects little to no postmortem alcohol (the kind the body produces on its own). Still, this must be done within 48 hours after death.

Clearly 8 days would be long past the point of getting an accurate reading, thus it is my own opinion that Pat Malone was not drunk when he died, and there really is no way of proving that he was.

I have written the Sacramento Coroner's Department requesting copies of Pat Malone's coroner's report under the California Public Records Act. I haven't heard back from them yet, but I hope to add another blog in the future with the coroner's report findings.

Pat Malone and Gail Skelton, a couple very much in love, would have been married on St. Patrick's Day that following March, but sadly that never came to be.

So does the story end here? Sorry to tell you the answer is "no."

The Plot Thickens....

 Gail Skelton (Galt High School)

Just three months after Pat was declared dead, and his name disappeared from any further headlines in the papers, another disappearance took place along the Delta. This time it was further south, within San Joaquin County on the Delta at the western end of Eight Mile Road, and it was none other than Pat's fiancee, Gail Skelton.

On September 26, 1980, Gail was attending a party at Herman and Helen's Marina on Empire Tract when she also vanished without a trace, literally, along with her 1978 blue two-door Toyota (which was never found). The few witnesses who had seen her claimed that she was seen in a heated conversation with a man that they had seen earlier in the evening and again just before she went missing.

According to the January 29 issue of the Lodi News-Sentinel, detectives were able to make a break in the case after the last person who had seen Gail underwent hypnosis in order to help produce a composite sketch of the man that was seen arguing with Gail just before she disappeared. Even with the sketch, none of the detectives on the case could seem to identify the man.

Several times in articles about Pat's disappearance, authorities stated that the cause didn't seem to be from foul play. Although the newspaper managed to bring up in the article about Gail's disappearance that "there was no reason to connect the cases", they admitted the two incidents were "surrounded by a lot of strangeness." (quote by Detective Nancy Sumers.)

 (Unidentified Person of Interest
White male, 25-30 years old,
with dark hair, over 6 feet tall and thin build) 

Gail's family searched tirelessly for years, especially Norma, Gail's mother. She would often spend days searching the river by car and by boat and would use bamboo poles taped together to poke the water hoping to find Gail's car or something that would lead to finding out what happened to Gail. Norma and the detectives on that particular case believed it was possible Gail had lost control of her car and plunged into the water, but since they never found her car or her body, they could never say for sure.

Norma continued searching and hoping that one day her daughter would be found, but eventually a marker at the Galt Cemetery was placed  with Gail's name on it. Although it doesn't actually say she died. It only mentions Gail as "Missing since 1980." I am unsure when this marker was put in, but it might have been around the time Norma passed away in 2013, since they share the marker along with Gail's other sister who is buried there with Norma.

So the question now is "What Happened To Gail?"

There has never been any trace of Gail over the years. No body, no car, nothing. It truly is like she vanished off the face of the earth. Originally when I was looking into Pat's death, I had no idea who Gail was, let alone that she had vanished, too. When I found the case about Gail going missing, it really bothered me a lot. It seems too strange to be a coincidence that both incidents happened 3 months apart to two people who were engaged. Both scenarios didn't fit to me, so I decided to start digging. I emailed the San Joaquin County Sheriff's "Missing Persons" page on Facebook to see if Gail was still missing, and they confirmed that she was. They didn't offer any further information though.

But during my research into her case, I found an oddity,  a public records search that listed a residence in Stockton having Gail's name as a resident there from 1995-2004. Was it possible that it was some sort of clerical error when the information was uploaded into the public records database? Or was it possible that someone was using her identity (since she was never legally declared dead)?

I have since notified the Cold Case Division in San Joaquin County, leaving them a message about this information I have found in the hopes they might do a follow up.

Over the years there have been other rumors or gossip floating around about possible reasons for Pat and Gail's disappearance (and or death) besides Pat accidentally drowning and Gail possibly driving her car into the river. Although there is absolutely no evidence to support these theories I thought I would list them down here for you to see anyway.

1)   DRUGS & ALCOHOL—

One theory thrown out there claims that Pat had been engaged in illegal activities that involved drugs. That he was drunk or under the influence when he fell off the boat, hit his head and drowned. 

*Note: Those who really knew Pat, claimed that he was NOT involved in any drug activity or illegal activities of any kind, and that was a made up excuse to make Pat and Gail look bad.

 2)   MURDERED-

Another theory claims that Pat pissed off some unidentified people in high places and he was silenced. Then possibly later on Gail was threatened by someone and she too disappeared. Bottom line, the theory is that they were murdered. 

3)   WITNESS PROTECTION-

One more theory, although it sounds a tad 'off the wall', was that Pat had some serious dirt on some heavy hitters and that he was going to turn states evidence on them, so in exchange he was offered to be in the witness protection program. It was theorized that Gail’s disappearance just 3 months later was when Pat had sent for her.  (We do not know who these alleged "heavy hitters" were, so there is no person(s) to point the finger at.)

Again, I have to reiterate that these following "theories" are just that. Whether you want to call them rumors or gossip, they are what they are. And although it is always possible that one of them is true, or none of them, as of now there is no way to prove any of them, so they will remain just that, "theories."

Something that I have to mention because it stuck out like a sore thumb to me was that the article about Gail mentioned that Pat and Gail were ardent foes of the Peripheral Canals (the original plan for the Delta Tunnels). Could circumstances surrounding Pat's death and Gail's disappearance have anything to do with their staunch opposition to the tunnel project, and any enemies they might of made because of this?

It seemed the Malone family were planning to open a huge resort (costing an upwards of $6 million to construct) on the Stockton channel of the Delta in San Joaquin County and were constantly dealing with opposition of their own. The May 5, 1978 issue of the Lodi News Sentinel stated that a project planned by Bob Malone and his two sons, Pat and Mike, had seen a lot of 'red tape' because of the Delta Advisory Planning Commission. Supervisor Norm Shumway voted against allowing the resort, claiming that it would "upset that fragile (ecological) balance within the Delta."

The proposed resort was to develop the north Headreach and north Tule Islands into a resort.

"Irish Isle” will provide boaters with a two-story-tall marina facility containing a restaurant, bar, dancing and live entertainment, and several shops. Spaces for 20 “boatels” with 100 units, 103 berths for motor boats, 26 houseboat spaces and camping, picnic, and swimming areas are also included in the plans. People who do not own boats will also be able to use the facilities, the Malone’s have said. Arrangements for shuttles to the island from the Port of Stockton are being negotiated and shuttle service from Uncle Bobbie’s Houseboat Haven at the western edge of Eight Mile Road are being planned, Mike Malone said." - Lodi News Sentinel  (5/5/1978)

Unfortunately that plan never made it to fruition. Too much bureaucratic red tape eventually led to the plan being abandoned completely, and the "Irish Isle"project was soon forgotten.

In ending, Pat Malone was born on September 5, 1949, in New Mexico, to parents Bob and Sue Malone. Pat died on June 19, 1980 on the Delta near Hog Slough. Gail Skelton was born on January 28, 1954, to parents Norma and Kenneth Skelton. Gail went missing as of September 26, 1980 and was never seen again.

Although it appears that Pat's death was ruled as an "accidental drowning," I don't know if I believe that. Those who knew him were aware that he was a great swimmer, and the story that he hit an obstacle and was thrown or fell overboard after the reports had originally stated the boat had no damage sounds very sketchy to me. I am simply unsure about it all to be quite honest. When I get a copy of his coroner's report I will post a follow up blog on my findings and any updates I may have then, along with my conclusion of what I believe really happened to him.

I reached out to the San Joaquin County "Cold Cases" Division this week, and left a message about Gail asking if they had looked into her case and if they would follow up on the public records address I found listing her in Stockton between 1995-2004. If I learn anything else I will post about it on another follow-up blog. Until then, we are left here endlessly searching and hoping one day there will be answers to what happened to Gail Skelton that September night at the marina at the Empire Tract.

Pat's parents have long since passed on, just as his brother, Mike. I haven't been able to locate any place of burial for any of the family members, including Pat. Gail's mother, Norma is buried at Galt Cemetery where you can see Gail's name on the marker stating she has been missing since 1980.

I cannot help but keep asking myself:  Was Pat's death truly "accidental"? Was Gail kidnapped and later murdered? Was it possible that she was so distraught by the loss of Pat that after one too many drinks she drove herself into the Delta waters that she and Pat loved so much? Or were both Pat and Gail murdered for reasons that we may probably never know? Too many questions and not enough answers, but it seems to me that Pat's death and Gail's sudden disappearance are related.

With all the talk of the "Delta Tunnels" going on, I often wonder that if that passes (which by the way will spell the end of the Delta and our agriculture in the Valley and Delta region), it will also open up a whole new can of worms when that river bed drains so low that all sorts of secrets that might have been lying at the bottom resurfaces after all these years.

Will we find Gail Skelton's car, and possibly her remains at the bottom of the river?
Will we find others who disappeared over the years, too? We have no choice but to wait and see. Although I hope that the Delta Tunnels don't go through, I do hope one day we find out what happened to Gail.

(Copyright 2018 - J'aime Rubio - www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

Thanks to"Rats" on websleuths.com for reaching out to me about Gail, and for all your efforts trying to research her case as well. Thank you also to "Folieadeuxnola" for finding Gail's high school photo.

Sources:
Lodi News Sentinel Archives:  5/5/1978; 6/21/1980; 6/23/1980; 6/25/1980;
6/27/1980; 6/28/1980; 1/29/1981
Anaheim High School Yearbook, 1966
Galt High School Yearbook, 1972 (c/o folieadeuxnola on websleuths website)
United States Public Records, 1970-2009
Find-a-grave
Lodi Sentinel (7/20/2013)

Scientific Sources:

Alcohol Metabolism After Death 
Forensic Science: Fundamentals and Investigations (2010 update)
Blood Alcohol Scores After Death Can Be "False Positive."
http://www.atlantainjurylawblog.com/uncategorized/blood-alcohol-scores-after-death-can- be-false-positive-up-to-0-2-html
Postmortem Blood Alcohol Concentrations -Are They Reliable?
http://www.wigmoreonalcohol.com/single-post/2013/01/11/Postmortem-Blood-Alcohol-Concentrations-Are-they-Reliable

Death At Lodi Lake

Lodi Lake, Lodi, California

June 8, 1952 was supposed to be a fun filled day at Lodi Lake for a parent sponsored party of 70 people, mostly students from Stockton High School, who were there for a party for their beloved band director, Bruce Hubbard who was leaving to take a new assignment in Monterey. Stockton High School administration had previously refused permission the week prior, so parents took it upon themselves to plan the party and carry it out. 

What should have been a picnic enjoyed by all, turned into a tragedy. Though park officials stated that every person who rented out a boat that day were warned not to get their crafts too close to the dam, it appears some teenagers didn't heed that message. Perhaps the two young men were too preoccupied with impressing their dates who accompanied them on the boat ride, but for whatever reasons, they ventured farther than they were supposed to.

Bud Kilburn (left)
Stockton High Yearbook '52

Bud Kilburn, 15,  Walter Christiansen, 15, Jacquelyn Scott, 14, and Joan Potter, 14, were enjoying their ride across the lake when the boat got too close to the dam at Woodbridge (the area where the fish ladder is), and the swift waters capsized the boat, sending its passengers off into the water. 

The Sheriff's office later explained that Bud Kilburn's statement was that he had been "attempting to turn the outboard-motored craft around when the current caught the boat broadside and dashed it against the concrete dam."

According to the Lodi News-Sentinel dated June 9, 1952, it stated "a six-inch margin made futile the rescue attempt of John Hollis Bible, 49, a vacationist stopping at Payne's Auto Court, Woodbridge. The Niland taxi operator said he was reaching for the black-haired head of the girl believed to be Joanne [SIC] Potter when both were dashed against boarding under the east support of the Woodbridge Road bridge."

He concluded that he had seen the bobbing head of one of the girls in the water and he tried to get down stream in order to intercept her. Sadly the currents pulled her faster than he could get to her. He said he could tell she had a bloody nose and above her left eye was an injury but that she kept attempting to keep her head above water until she hit the bridge. 

Stockton High
School Yearbook '53

The currents that day were considered "icy" which were said to have been around 6-8 miles per hour, which swept Joan and Jacquelyn under and sucked them in.  Other rescuers listed were W.L Pruett of Woodbridge who used his cherry harness to pull one of the boys out of the water. Eldon Snodgrass of Woodbridge grabbed the other boy by sticking his legs out into the water so the young man could grab on, which saved his life.

In the end, Bud Kilburn and Walter Christiansen were the only ones pulled out of the water alive. It took days before Sheriff's deputies were able to recover the bodies of Joan and Jacquelyn from the Mokelumne River. 

Jacquelyn Scott's parents were notified first. Mrs. Scott then called Mrs. Potter, Joan's mother, but failed to tell her that her daughter had died as well. Mrs. Potter traveled up to Woodbridge to pick up her daughter, thinking only Jacquelyn had passed away, only to find out that both girls had drowned. According to the newspaper, Mrs. Scott was not aware that Joan had died, and thus the confusion in communication between the parents. 

Jacquelyn Dee Scott was born on September 4, 1937, to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Owens Scott. Mr. Scott was a long time principal at McKinley Elementary School in Stockton.  She is interred at Casa Bonita Mausoleum in Stockton (North Wing, 2nd floor, West Wall).

Joan Potter was born on December 22, 1937, to parents Frederick K. Potter and Ethyle N. Oakes Potter. Joan is buried at Park View Cemetery in Manteca with the rest of her family.

Joan was a member of Mr. Hubbard's band along with band mate, Bud Kilburn.  More than likely Jacquelyn and Walter were their invited guests.  

I was able to get photographs of Jacquelyn, Joan, Walter and Bud because of my amazing fiance' Roland who was able to work his magic and locate the 1952 & 1953 yearbooks for Stockton High School out of his collection.  

According to the 1953 yearbook, Walter went on to graduate from the school, and planned to be a salesman. 

I couldn't find Bud Kilburn anywhere, which made me wonder if he transferred to another high school, given the fact that he was the one manning the boat that crashed and ultimately took the lives of two girls. The school took it pretty hard, and they even wrote a memorial for them in the '53 yearbook. 

Upon further researching into the other yearbooks, it turns out that Bud Kilburn graduated from Stockton High in '52. 

Back then Stockton used the 6-4-2 program where kids went 6 years to elementary, 4 years to middle school and two years (Junior and Senior) at the campus of the University of the Pacific. So Stockton High Students were attending the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th grades, and Bud Kilburn was a graduate of the 10th grade that summer.

If you ever visit Lodi Lake, besides enjoying the beautiful serenity of the water, the trees and all that surrounds it, please take one second out of  your day and remember what happened to those two young women that day. A day that was supposed to be a warm, sunny summer day at the lake that turned into a day of tragedy for everyone involved.

In Memorium Photo; Stockton High School Yearbook '53

(Copyright, 2018- J'aime Rubio www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

Lodi News Sentinel (6/9/1952)
Stockton High School Yearbooks 1952, 1953 (Roland Boulware)
Find-a-grave

Remembering The Victor Murders of 1973

The Victor Murder House (8300 Orchard Rd, Acampo)

A few years ago, as I was researching a story in the archives of the Lodi Sentinel newspaper, I stumbled upon a news headline about a mass murder that took place in Victor back in 1973.  Victor, California is a little hole in the wall farm town just east of Lodi, California. Not too much goes on there, so it was a shock to me to read about such a catastrophic incident taking place in such a small knit community, especially way back in 1973. Technically though, the murders actually took place in Acampo, just north of Victor.

Well, I jotted down a few notes about when and where it happened and planned to go back and research the story at a later date. As time went by, and I became more and more busy with day to day life (and researching other stories), I had almost forgotten about the notes I had taken and my plan to look into this case.

Then one day out of the blue as I was driving through Victor, just passing the Victor Market on Hwy 12, a light went off in my head. That little nagging voice inside me, saying "Don't forget to look into that murder case in Victor!"- Well, that little nagging voice got louder and louder until I finally bought out the time to delve into the case, and what a rabbit hole it turned out to be. Since then I have been engulfed in this story and I simply could not rest until I finished researching and sharing this with the world.

As I dug through the old newspapers the story of the victims unraveled before my very eyes, so I decided to put the pieces of their lives separately and continued to study the murder case itself. I spent a lot of time at the library in Lodi digging through their archived yearbooks on the hunch that I could find photos of the victims, and as I laid each person's information down one by one in order, the pieces of the puzzle started to come together, painting me a picture of everything leading up to the tragic event.

Before I get into the actual story of what happened that night on November 6, 1973, first I want to give you a back story to each of the victims.

The Parkin Family

Wally's Senior Photo  '58

Walter George "Wally" Parkin was born on November 17, 1940 in Stockton, California, to parents Kenneth and Eula Parkin.  Wally was raised in Lodi and graduated from Lodi High School. He played tennis and was part of the basketball team. His family belonged to the First Congregational Church in Lodi.

Joanne's Senior Photo '58

Joanne Carol Bettger Parkin was born on November 2, 1940 in Lodi to parents Lincoln and Etta Bettger. Joanne had a twin sister named Bonnie. Both Joanne and Bonnie were raised in Lodi and attended high school together.

Joanne was assistant editor for the school newspaper and yearbook. From the time she was a child she was very active in Sunday school and as a high school student she was a member of the MYF- Methodist Youth Fellowship. Both Wally and Joanne were graduates of  Lodi High School (Class of 1958).

The pair started dating while attending Stockton College (now Delta Jr. College). By June 18, 1960, Wally and Joanne were married at the First United Methodist Church on Church Street in Lodi.

First United Methodist Church, Lodi

The couple went on to have two children: Lisa, who was born on January 18, 1962, and Robert, who was born on November 9, 1963. Both of the kids attended school at Alpine Elementary which was located on Alpine Road. Lisa was in the sixth grade, while Robert was in the fourth grade (he was just 2 days shy of his 10th birthday).

Alpine School (now defunct)

School photos from Alpine Elementary (as published in various newspapers)

The Parkin's originally lived in a house in Victor, near their family store the United Market (now the Victor Market) on Hwy 12/Victor Road.  It was a family owned and operated business that Wally and his dad ran together.  The family were well liked and thought of as "happy people with sunny dispositions." 

Victor Market (fka United Market) Victor, California

By 1973, Wally and his wife had designed and built their dream house at 8300 Orchard Rd. The 3,188 square foot redwood and glass ranch house cost the Parkin family an estimated $65,000 to construct. The family had moved in around Easter of that year and hadn't even lived in the house more than 6 months before tragedy erupted.

The Earl Family

Richard Allen Earl (Sr.) was born on April 11, 1935, in Indiana.  His wife, Wanda Jean Cummings Earl, was born on September 7, 1936 in Oklahoma. (*I do not have a photo of  Richard Sr., and Wanda Earl). The two married in the early 1950's and had two children of their own:  Debra Jean Earl (born January 8, 1955) and Richard Allen "Ricky" Earl, Jr. (born June 2, 1958).  

Debra and Ricky both attended Lodi High School together. Debra had just graduated in June of 1973, while Ricky was a sophomore.  Debra was newly engaged to her beau, Mark Lang and she had just started a job at Montcalm Vintners in town. Ricky, an avid competitive skater, also enjoyed hunting in his spare time, training his Cocker Spaniel and being a member of the Future Farmers of America group in school.

Debra's Senior Photo (Lodi High Yearbook '73)

Ricky Earl's Sophomore Photo (Lodi High, '73)

Richard and his family had previously lived in Concord, Contra Costa County before moving his family to Lodi in 1965. According to a friend of the family, Marvin Yarborough who had been interviewed in the local paper, he stated, "You couldn't find nicer people." He went on to add that Richard was "very determined in his projected life," and "was a hard worker." Richard worked as an accountant with the firm E.K. Williams which was located in Stockton. They originally lived at 741 Willow Glen Drive before building their beautiful brick ranch home on the corner of Orchard and Dustin Roads in Victor (now considered part of Acampo) in the Summer of 1972.

(Note: The Earl's home on Orchard Road was NOT the location of the murders as some other websites have claimed. The actual event took place at the Parkin's home on Orchard Road, just about 1/4 mile east of the Earl's home).

Mark Lang

Born on October 14, 1953 in Norfolk, Nebraska to Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Lang.  By 1955, the family had moved to Redwood City and in 1962, Mark's family moved to 501 S. Rose Street in Lodi, when he was just 9 years old. He attended school in town and graduated from Lodi High School in 1971.  He was a known as a very "happy, extroverted young man who loved life." By 1973, at the age of 20 years, he was attending Delta College (majoring in Administration of Justice) and holding down a position in Stockton at PG&E's warehouse.

He and Debra Earl had been together for about three years, and they had just announced their engagement. In fact, leading up to the tragedy, the couple had just celebrated their engagement party that weekend prior.

Mark's Senior Photo (Lodi High Yearbook, '71)

What Happened?

Now is where I get into the "what, when, and where" of the story.....and I will also do my best to explain the "why" of it all, if I can.

According to STATE v. GRETZLER (126 Ariz. 60 (1980) 612 P.2d 1023) and
STATE v. STEELMAN (120 Ariz. 301 (1978) 585 P.2d 1213) by 1973, both Willie Steelman, from Lodi, and Doug Gretzler, from New York, met in Colorado and struck up an odd friendship. Gretzler  was a drug addict and a drifter who had previously abandoned his wife and young daughter to go to Casper, Wyoming. At some point he wandered down to Denver where he met Steelman. Willie Steelman had previously spent time in the State Hospital in Stockton for mental issues, and had a criminal wrap sheet (having just served some jail time on forgery charges) prior to leaving San Joaquin County.

Steelman had been working at Vista Ray Convalescent Hospital in Lodi prior to this incident but had also been living in Victor and had worked at the small gas station. He had also recently married a Denise Machell, who happened to be best friends with Carol Jenkins' sister, Bonna, just before he very suddenly decided to take off on his own halfway across the country. Soon after Gretzler met Steelman in Denver, the two found themselves drifting from place to place, robbing to supply their habit, kidnapping and attacking quite viciously, and ultimately they took it a step further, becoming serial killers. It appears that Steelman was the manipulator in the duo, and Gretzler was easily manipulated to commit these murders with him.

William Luther Steelman

From October 17 to November 7 of 1973, their killing spree would take the lives of 17 people. Their earlier victims (prior to the Victor murders) included: Ken Unrein, Mike Adshade, Steve Loughran, Bob Robbins, Kathy Mestites aka "Yafah", Gilbert Sierra, Mike & Patricia Sandberg.

After killing the Sandbergs in Arizona, Steelman and Gretzler took their victim's vehicle and drove back towards Steelman's hometown of Lodi with the plan of robbing the United Market, owned by Wally Parkin and his father.  When they arrived at the market, it was closed, so the pair drove to Wally's home on Orchard Road.

How did Steelman know where the Parkin's lived? That is a good question. Some could say that given the fact that Victor's population at that time period was only 265 people, it could have easily been common knowledge where the Parkin's massive ranch house was located. 

Doug Gretzler

From what that authorities could determine, the murders took place in the late hours of Tuesday, November 6th and the early morning hours of November 7th. That evening Wally and his wife, Joanne were going bowling at Tokay Bowl (where Rancho San Miguel Market is located today). This was their weekly tradition, so every Tuesday night they had their neighbor, 18 year-old Debbie Earl babysitting their two young children, Lisa and Robert (Bobby) Parkin.

The Parkin family had a house-guest and employee they had taken in. Her name was Carol Jenkins.  Jenkins reportedly went out on a date with her boyfriend Jim Mettler and was not home at all that evening.

At the time that the Parkin's left to go bowling, the only people in the house would have been Debbie Earl and the two Parkin children.  So how did Debbie's younger brother and both her parents end up at the house? Especially when it was noted in the newspaper that the Parkin and Earl families were not "close socially."

According to the book, "Where Sadness Breathes" which was written by Richard and Wanda Earl's nephew, Jack Earl, he has a very detailed theory about why the Earl family were at the Parkin's home to begin with.  In his 600+ page book, where he not only outlined and detailed step by step the timeline of Steelman and Gretzler's murder spree from beginning to end, he also attempted to fill in the blanks of what possibly transpired at the Parkin home during those last few hours, based on physical evidence, testimony by Gretzler and his own guesswork.

Page 238 of the book mentions that it was not uncommon for Ricky Earl to join his sister at the Parkin's home while she babysat. So for now, we know there were at least four people at the home earlier on in the evening.  At some point Steelman and Gretzler came by. In Earl's book, he mentions that Steelman and Gretzler came by twice, the first time asking to speak to Wally, and then returning the second time, when they came to the door and actually managed to get inside the house.

Earl also states in his book on Page 243 that Debbie Earl had spoken to her fiance' on the phone earlier that evening and that he felt something was wrong so he headed over there, despite the fact he was very tired. He always picked up Debbie after her Tuesday night babysitting, so they would go out for pizza later on, but this night he was extremely tired and was going to call to cancel, but something about her voice made him feel compelled to go to her (again this is according to Jack Earl's book.)

Earl also mentions on pages 246-247 that Debbie spoke to her father sometime in between the time Steelman and Gretzler came to the home the first time and when they returned, making their way into the home on the second visit. In his book he states that Richard Earl, Sr., told his wife Wanda that if he didn't come back in 15 minutes, to call the Sheriff.

In this theory, it was because of Richard threatening Steelman that his wife was going to call the authorities if he didn't return home in 15 minutes (after the gun was drawn on him), that Steelman went over to the Earl's home down the street and kidnapped Wanda and brought her back to the Parkin home to prevent her from alerting the authorities for help. Unfortunately, since there are no living witnesses who can confirm this we cannot know for certain it happened that way. Still, if it had taken place as Earl describes in his book, it would explain how Wanda and Richard Earl ended up at the home.

No matter how they all ended up there, at this point Richard,Wanda, Debbie, Ricky and the two Parkin children were being held against their will at the Parkin home at 8300 Orchard Road. The next person to come over a little after 9 p.m. was Mark Lang, who was checking up on the love of his life, Debbie Earl.  He would prove to be the next one added to the list of hostages being held captive in the home.

According to archived clippings of the Lodi Sentinel, by 10:45 p.m. Wally and Joanne were heading back home from their weekly night of bowling. By the time they arrived there were three extra vehicles parked in their driveway that they probably were not expecting to see: Mark Lang's '64 Chevy Impala, the Earl's vehicle and the stolen Datsun that Steelman and Gretzler were using.

Wally and Joanne didn't stand a chance once they came into the house, both being met by the two armed robbers. The Parkin children, Lisa and Bobby were allowed at some point to go to sleep in their parents bed in the master bedroom. We will never know who put them to bed, whether it was while Debbie was babysitting or if it was after Joanne came home, but at some point the two children went to sleep in their parents bedroom because this is where they were later discovered.

The rest of the hostages were rounded up and brought to the back of the house near the master bedroom's bathroom and walk in closet. They were eventually forced into the closet after being bound by their ankles and wrists with nylon cords, ripped towels and neckties that were used as gags.

While Gretzler watched the hostages, at some point Steelman forced Wally Parkin to take him back to the United Market so he could get all the money stashed in their safe. It was reported in the newspapers that the Parkin's held large sums of money at their store, so that they could cash payroll checks of many of the local farm workers who lived in the area when they bought their groceries. Steelman and Gretzler made out with close to $4,000 in cash that night.

After returning to the house, Steelman forced Wally to the back walk-in closet where he bound and gagged him and threw him in with the rest of the hostages just before Gretzler shot each and everyone of them. Why they killed them all after getting their money is anyone's guess. Was it really because they didn't want to leave any witnesses? Or were they both fulfilling some sick, demented fantasy by killing innocent people? According to Gretzler, the two children were shot first while asleep in their parents bed, and then he moved to the closet where he shot each one of the victims. Then Steelman reloaded their weapons and Steelman took shots at them. Every victim had several bullet wounds, some a total of four gunshot wounds each.

After this brutal crime was committed, Steelman helped himself to some of the left-over birthday cake that was in the refrigerator from Joanne's birthday earlier that week, and he even poured himself a drink. They eventually left the scene taking the Earl's vehicle.

Newspaper accounts from the Lodi News Sentinel dated November 8, 1973. mention that by 3 a.m. the Parkin's house guest and employee, Carol Jenkins arrived at the home after a date with her boyfriend.

"Miss Jenkins, 18, rooms at the house and works at the Parkin's United Market in Victor.....She told investigators she had been out on a date the night before and did not return until 3 a.m. when she went straight to her bedroom at the front of the house. She said she did not look around the house and returned unaware that the nine persons lay dead all about her."--

Although it also seemed very odd to me that Carol didn't notice anything strange to warrant her attention when she arrived home, being that Mark Lang's vehicle, the Parkin's vehicle and the Earl's vehicle were all parked just outside, and the house was dark and very quiet, Carol Jenkins reached out to me and gave her own account to clear up any misinformation.

"I came back way too late that night-- but maybe the Good Lord was trying to protect me, as the Sheriffs say that Steelman and Gretzler waited there for me to come home. The two had been watching the house (per reports) and knew I was living there. I missed them by 15 minutes... I told the Sheriffs that the cars were out of place. The only light on was the shower. I came to my room via a glass slider, and not wanting to wake anyone went straight to bed, to then awaken to an absolute horrific nightmare. I also told them that a little white Datsun was driving by several times during the past few days."

The next morning Carol was awakened by the sound of knocking on the front door. It was two of Mark Lang's best friends, Wayne Nitschke and Steve McFadden. They were looking for Mark, and they stopped there because they noticed his car in the driveway, and no one answered the door at the Earl's down the street.

Carol let them come inside, and after speaking to the two visitors she went looking around the house for the Parkin's and found a ghastly scene, Lisa and Bobby's bodies in the master bedroom.  The authorities were called, and it wasn't until further search of the house that the other victims bodies were discovered.

The Sheriff said the murder was "sheer madness," and that he felt they had all been killed execution-style. Nearby local Fire Chief, Maynard Handel was quoted in the local paper saying this when asked how this horrific tragedy was affecting Victor: "Do you remember how you felt the day John Kennedy was assassinated? Do you remember what it did to the country? That's what's happening to us here now. If people remember that, they'll understand. The people here are like one big family."

As you can imagine, the tiny community of Victor and its surrounding area of Lodi were devastated. Local residents I have spoken to who remember this crime, stated that everyone back then was terrified. If you were a kid you were scared, if you were a parent you were heart broken. It hit everyone pretty hard.

"I remember it was the stuff of nightmares," recalled Lodi resident Pam T. "We kids worried about it for months afterwards. And the parents, well, they downplayed it for obvious reasons."

The Funerals

The first of the victims to be buried was Mark Lang. The service was held at St. Paul's American Lutheran Church, with his burial followed at Cherokee Memorial Cemetery. The pastor of the church, Dr. R.E. Morton gave the eulogy. It was said that 300 people attended Mark's funeral. His bronze casket was adorned with bronze and yellow roses, with streamers that said "Brother" and "Son."

On November 12, 1973 the Parkin family were buried together at Cherokee Memorial Cemetery. The funeral was held at the First United Methodist Church. The four steel gray caskets lined up one by one in front, surrounded by blossoms covering the altar while autumn chrysanthemums and white and yellow roses adorned each casket. The music playing in the background was "I Believe" which was played by the church organist while Reverend Herbert Hirschfield gave the eulogy. Then Pastor Paul Donovan from the First Congregational Church (the church Wally grew up in) spoke a few words of hope to those attending the services.

The same day, November 12, 1973, the Earl family had their funeral together at the Lodi Funeral Home chapel with burial at Cherokee Memorial. Their rose-colored caskets were adorned by blue floral arrangements. Their services were conducted by Reverend John Hughes of the First Southern Baptist Church. It was said that at least 600 people attended.

So what happened to Steelman and Gretzler?

Well, after the two were arrested in Sacramento, they were both indicted for the mass murders of the nine victims including a charge of kidnapping. Because the death penalty was not reinstated in California until January of 1974, the two were facing multiple life sentences but no chance for a shot at death row. Gretzler pled guilty to nine counts of murder, while Steelman asked a judge to determine his fate. They were both found guilty and handed down life sentences (without the possibility of parole) but were later extradited to Arizona to stand trial for the murders they committed there. In the end both men were handed a death sentence. Steelman died from health complications while in prison, and Gretzler was executed by lethal injection in 1998.

* If you would like to read more about Gretzler and Steelman's crime spree from start to finish, I suggest you read "Where Sadness Breathes" by Jack Earl. He spent more than a decade researching every detail about these murderers and all of their crimes. 

Unanswered Questions

We may never know the truth about why Steelman chose to want to rob Wally Parkin. The odds are that he knew about the large amounts of money held at the store, as the newspapers admitted that it was a well know fact that Wally cashed the farm workers checks.  More than likely, it was a combination of two sick individuals with mental issues, severe drug addictions, greed and the desire to commit cold blooded murder that drove them to rob Wally Parkin that night. 

In Jack Earl's book, allegedly Steelman believed Wally Parkin was "dirty" and that he must have been involved in some sort of illegal dealings to afford a big house and have so much money available at the store. Now, that doesn't mean that Jack Earl was insinuating that Parkin was involved in any of that, just that Steelman thought that. Why Steelman believed Wally Parkin was crooked is anyone's guess.

Wally's reputation in town was untarnished and his family were well loved within the community, so I highly doubt that any of Steelman's ideas that Wally got his money from illegitimate practices had any basis in fact. No, I think Steelman just assumed everyone was dirty because he himself was dirty and most people make the mistake of assuming everyone thinks and acts as they do in life, but that isn't always the case. In my humble opinion, I do not believe for one second that Wally Parkin was involved in any sort of crooked dealings.

In the end, no matter how it went down, and no matter who knew or didn't know about the planned robbery before hand, we still cannot bring back Wally, Joanne, Lisa, Bobby, Richard, Wanda, Debbie, Ricky or Mark.

Now every time I pass Victor Market when I am in that area, I will think of Wally and Joanne Parkin, along with all the victims of this horrible and senseless tragedy. Two families: three couples and three kids whose lives were tragically taken far too soon under the most brutal and selfish circumstances. I cannot help but wonder what life Debra and Mark would have lived if they had survived? What would Ricky Earl, Lisa Parkin and Bobby Parkin have grown up to do in life? And what adventures they might have had as adults? I also tend to wonder about Wally and Joanne as well as Richard and Wanda, and what the rest of their lives would have been like, growing old together. They never got that chance because of two sick and twisted individuals who died a much more humane way than their victims left this world.

 May all the victims rest in peace.

(Copyright May 3, 2018- J'aime Rubio - www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to Norman Parkin, Carol Jenkins, Martha the Librarian at the Lodi Public Library, and special thanks to Jack Earl for allowing me to cite information from his book!

Some of my sources:
Correspondence with Carol Jenkins, Norman Parkin, & Jack Earl.
Photo of house at 8300 Orchard Road, Victor (Acampo), California; First United Methodist Church, Lodi, California; Alpine School, Victor, California; Victor Market, Victor, California; Headstones of all victims, Cherokee Memorial Cemetery, Lodi, California. (Copyright 2018- J'aime Rubio)

Lodi High School Yearbook, 1958 (Lodi Public Library)
Lodi High School Yearbooks, 1971 & 1973 (Lodi Public Library)
Lodi News Sentinel Archives:
11/8/1973; 11/9/1973; 11/10/1973; 11/12/1973;
11/13/1973; 11/17/1973; 11/29/1973; 6/7/1974
Desert Sun Archives:
11/8/1973; 11/9/1973; 11/10/1973;
11/17/1973; 11/29/1973; 2/9/1974
New York Times (11/8/1973)
STATE v. GRETZLER (126 Ariz. 60 (1980) 612 P.2d 1023) and
STATE v. STEELMAN (120 Ariz. 301 (1978) 585 P.2d 1213)
Photo of Robert and Lisa Parkin (newspaper clipping photo/widely circulated)
"Where Sadness Breathes"- Jack Earl
http://murderpedia.org/male.G/g1/gretzler-douglas.htm
Find-a-Grave
Ancestry.com & Family Search

Denver's Mysterious Alonzo Thompson Mansion

In my line of work I have discovered all sorts of interesting stories. From mysterious deaths, suicides and murders to over the top urban legends. But this story I will be sharing with you has proven to be one of the strangest of cases. It isn’t about a murderous villain or even a helpless victim. No. This story is about the history of one, Alonzo Thompson and the peculiar details of his life as well as the history of his home. A home that was purported to be a real “Haunted Mansion.”

One thing that I noticed during my research into this story, is that no one had ever written about Alonzo or his house before, at least nothing online anyway. I could find no trace of any books mentioning it either. So what I am sharing with you is straight from the sources and just as they appeared in the headlines back at the turn of the century (or before).

The house that is situated at 1070 Humboldt Street in Denver, looks like any other beautiful, stately mansion, but it’s not just the house itself that intrigued me, but instead what happened inside this home that has pulled me in so much that I was compelled to write about it.  Before getting to all the particulars of the home’s eccentric history, first let me start out with the history of its very first owner, Alonzo Thompson.

Who Was The Original Owner?

Alonzo Thompson was born on February 22, 1832, in the town of Centerville, Illinois to parents Amos and Irene Thompson. The 1850 Census for St. Clair County, Illinois lists Alonzo as a “student” living with his parents along with his brothers and sisters. His father, Amos was listed as a “Farmer” although he was much more than that as I will highlight later on. When Alonzo was just 20 years old his mother Irene passed away. Alonzo graduated from McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois, and he was one of 16 founders of the Platonian Literary Society.

Alonzo began teaching at a private school in Belleville, Illinois after graduating college, and he traveled to Maryville, Missouri and Louisiana to teach there as well.  His obituary noted that from 1856 to 1861 he took charge of the local Union troops, and later was elected into local Missouri Legislature in 1862. By 1864, he had become the Missouri State Auditor.  He remained in that position for four years, but in that time frame he also found himself in a huge scandal that sullied his name.

In 1865, the newspapers published an anonymous letter claiming that Alonzo had orchestrated a scheme that allowed him to steal money from unsuspecting out-of-state landowners who were being sent notices that they would be heavily fined for not paying their taxes on time. The letter also alleged that Alonzo created a fictitious business that acted as a middle man for the landowners to the State, claiming that if they paid him directly, including his “fee” for acting as their agent, he would make sure it got taken care of on time. In reality he had no right nor authority to collect any sort of taxes, but he used his title as the State Auditor to advertise this service to unsuspecting property owners, and thus he swindled a lot of people out of their hard earned money. ---

By 1868-1867, Alonzo became a real estate entrepreneur in St. Louis, and eventually moved back to Maryville, Missouri. Soon he went on to promote a railroad that went from St. Louis to Omaha, and even later settled in an Indian Reservation, building a beautiful and large home in Fullerton, Nebraska. Census records list him as a Capitalist, or Land Agent (real estate). 

Alonzo was married three times during his life. His first marriage was on December 6, 1857, to Mary Visonhaler.  This union brought forth three children: Hattie, Fannie and Elmer. Fannie died at just four months old. Elmer died when he was 26 years old. His wife, Mary passed away on March 1, 1877.  His daughter, Hattie outlived both her mother and father.

His second marriage was on April 12, 1880, to Mary Adams. She died exactly one year and a day later on April 13, 1881. They had no children together. His third and final marriage, to which he would later regret was to one Annie Elizabeth (Heard) Jones, on October 30, 1881, only six months after his second wife had passed.  The couple had one son together, Alonzo Thompson, Jr.

Third Time Wasn’t A Charm

So, Alonzo’s story really doesn’t take a turn for the strange and mysterious until he married his third wife, Annie, which was a huge mistake on his part.  It was during a séance with a medium known as Mrs. Lively in 1881, Alonzo was told to marry Annie, the divorced wife of Knox Jones. In another séance he was warned not to marry her, and later he claimed that was the one and only time he “disobeyed” advice from the spirit world.  You see, Alonzo was a spiritualist and had been dabbling in that field ever since the death of his mother in 1852. In the book “What Converted Me To Spiritualism,” Alonzo was given an entire chapter that tells his account of his original skepticism of life after death and what convinced him to believe otherwise.

(You can read that account here: https://archive.org/stream/cihm_78875#page/n39/mode/2up/search/+Thompson)

When he met Annie, she too was also involved in spiritualism. As years went on though Alonzo realized that she had been playing games with him, and he believed she had deceived him completely from the very beginning, pretending to be truly interested in his other worldly interests in order to entice or trap him by “appealing to the spirits in which the widower believed thoroughly to be the first aid to cupid.” She also gave him hundreds of letters that were purported to have been scribed by the spirits of his dead loved ones. Later on he stated that he felt all those letters were completely fabricated to make him believe she somehow had a direct line to those he missed. He also admitted that Annie managed to use her “connection” with the dead to “induce him to part with large sums of money.” Basically she was a gold digger.

After building a beautiful home in Fullerton, Nebraska and living there for a good twenty years or so, they just up and left, moving this time to Denver, where he would construct his magnificent 9 bedroom, 6 bathroom home on Humboldt Street in 1905, after purchasing four adjoining lots from Mr. Moffat.  It appeared that by the turn of the century Alonzo and his family went from doing so-so to living a moderately wealthy lifestyle. The question was how? What changed?

Courtesy of the Denver Public Library (Digital Collection)

Courtesy of the Denver Public Library (Digital Collection)

In 1901, Alonzo’s father passed away. Already being involved deeply in spiritualism for a good 49 years, he admitted that his real success finally came when he started communicating with the spirit of his dead father. Allegedly he started immediately holding séances where he would ask his father for advice on all matters of business. Once he built his mansion, he had a secret chamber or hidden room constructed, that was strictly for his communication with his father’s ghost. He claimed that every night like clockwork his father’s ghost would visit him at his home and join him in his secret room. It was reported that Alonzo would “never engage in any transactions or business dealings without consulting with him.”

The secret room that is hidden within the home was so secret even his own wife and son were never allowed to enter. To this day no one has ever written about the home besides what we find in archived newspaper clippings from 1912, so there is no way to know if the room was discovered by future owners down the line or if it remains still, a hidden room.

Courtesy of the Denver Public Library (Digital Collection)

Back to the Story

By 1912, Alonzo had just about enough of his marriage to Annie and filed for divorce, seeking not only to keep his newly made millions from her grasp but also to disinherit his son, too. But why?

Well, according to the newspapers of the time, Alonzo claimed that his wife and son were conspiring against him and that they intended to have him committed. According to Alonzo, they had been following him all over, even from state to state where he owned several properties, seeking to have the authorities arrest him and lock him up in an asylum. He was convinced that they wanted to take all control over his estate, and were going to use his “spiritualism” as an excuse to claim he was senile.

Alonzo stated that his father’s ghost had warned him that this was going to take place, and so he preemptively made the first move. Using his attorney, James A. Harris, Alonzo transferred or converted over $500,000 worth of property into cash that his wife and son could not get their hands on. He also changed his will, leaving his wife out and making conditions that his son could not inherit a dime of his estate unless he proved over a length of time that he could “be a man” and support himself. He felt his son was spoiled and needed to learn how to earn a living, instead of riding on the back of daddy’s coattails for the rest of his life. Once Alonzo filed his petition for divorce, Annie filed a counter claim, ultimately spilling the beans on her husband's licentious dalliances.

The Scandal Is Out

According to Annie Thompson, her husband had been unfaithful to her for many years, even going as far back to their time in Fullerton, Nebraska. It seems that their decision to just up and move to Denver was because of the fallout from an extra marital affair he had with another “medium” named Margaret Helsley, who also happened to be married.  Annie claimed that the affair caused such a “drain on them they had to move to another state.”

It didn’t stop there.  Annie went on to make the most surprising and humorous claim that Alonzo was also having dinner with the spirits of dead women. Of course you can imagine that the newspapers had a field day with this accusation, even going so far as to have the newspaper sketch artist draw up some sensationalized drawings of Mr. Thompson sitting in his “secret chamber” dining separately with the ghost of Cleopatra and Dido. Her list also included such names as: Sappho, Nell Gwynn and Juliette Recamier. But it wasn’t just his “dead affairs” Mrs. Thompson was worried about.

You see, moving to Denver didn’t seem to stop Alonzo’s wavering eye, and soon he caught sight of yet another woman. This time it was Mrs. Noyes, who lived on Lincoln Street.  Apparently, Annie started to notice that every time Mrs. Noyes would go on long trips out of town, so would her husband, so she decided to start following them and found that they were having an affair.  

“Cleopatra is not demanding a new motor boat, Queen Elizabeth is not pouting for a new castle, Marie Antoinette does not sign for a chateau to add to her collection….but the living “soul mate” or some other charmer still in the flesh, is alleged to be drawing extensively on the aged man’s plentiful finds.”

According to Annie, her husband became obsessed with Mrs. Noyes, who claimed to have some power to use her body to communicate with his dead father. It appeared that Annie was no longer manipulating her husband, and now he had a new love interest who was sinking her claws into Alonzo’s back, and his pocket book.

His Side of the Story

Alonzo’s quoted statements tell a different side of the story:

 “I want to see my wife humiliated so that she may realize what I have done for her, and I want to see my son, who has posed as the ‘best dressed man in Denver’ for years, at my expense earn his own living.”

“I don’t object to my wife and son living in my home, but I do mean to see Alonzo (Jr.) works for a living and supports his mother….I want to see my wife suffer for the suffering she has caused me. Perhaps she will then realize what I have done for her.”

“Mrs. Thompson says that my spiritualistic studies have unbalanced my mind. I wonder if she remembers that we were poor until I finally established communications with my father, whose advice has given me the fortune that my wife and son now seek to rob me of.”

Alonzo Thompson’s estate comprised of his stately mansion, and a combined worth of millions of dollars of property that spanned from Denver, Tennessee, Nebraska, Missouri and North Dakota.

In the end he did leave a share of his estate to his son, “provided that he makes a man of himself within a reasonable time.” The rest of his estate he bequeathed to charity and “benevolent institutions” to the promotion of spiritualism.

Salida Record (4/11/1913)

Alonzo’s Death

On April 10, 1913, Alonzo passed away at the age of 81 after battling a long illness. The newspapers claimed he had boasted that he had been told by the "other side" he would live to be 96, but obviously that was not to be.  Shortly after his death, his body was taken from Denver and buried at Green Mount Protestant Cemetery in Belleville, Illinois. 

But this story is far from over. 

According to the November 26, 1913 issue of the San Francisco Call, it states that according to the keepers of the property, a “ghost” made an appearance every evening in the home. Now of course the newspaper assumed it was Alonzo, given the fact he had just passed away seven months prior, but if you recall, it was Alonzo who claimed that his father’s ghost would visit nightly like clockwork to visit with him in his hidden room. So who or what was creating such a stir in the home? Unfortunately, no more could be found about the home or its “haunted history” after that one article.

Recently, I reached out to the current owners of the home but I have yet to receive a response back from them. I was hoping I could speak to them firsthand to hear what they have to say about the mansion, whether or not they know about this secret room, and whether they feel it’s a “haunted mansion” or not. Unfortunately, I have yet to communicate with the owners of the home to see if they have something to add to this story so I cannot give you a definitive answer.

Still, Alonzo Thompson’s personal story alone is one built on a lot of secrets, scandals and ultimately superstition.  Was his home ever truly haunted, or was that a farce all along? Did he really communicate with the other side, or was he just a very clever con-man?

Who told the truth between his or his wife’s stories, or was the truth found somewhere in between?  And lastly, was Alonzo Thompson insane as his wife and son claimed, or were they just after his money the whole time?

So many questions that we may never find all the answers to.

HAPPY HISTORY HUNTING!

---Note: The Alonzo Thompson Mansion is a historical home, but it also is a private residence. I am asking everyone reading this blog PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB the current owners/residents of the home. I cannot stress this enough. History is wonderful, and it’s nice to drive by a home that has a fantastic story behind it, but it is still someone’s home, and we MUST show respect and not disturb them. Thank you! --

(Copyright 2018 – J’aime Rubio – www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

A special thanks to Coi Drummond-Gehrig at the Denver Public Library for photo permissions!

and a big thanks also to  John Marshall for added research!

Sources:

Denver Public Library (Digital Collection)

St. Louis Post Dispatch (7/28/1912)

Springfield Missouri Republican (7/21/1912)

Denver Post (7/21/1912)

San Francisco Call (4/21/1913)

Herald Democrat (4/10/1913)

Salida Record (4/11/1913)

San Francisco Call (11/26/1913)

The Engineers Record, Volume 51

The Day Book, Chicago, (7/22/1912)

St. Louis Daily Missouri (c/o Columbia Daily Tribune)

Acts of the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, Jan. 3, 1883

United States Census (1850, 1880, 1900, 1910)

“What Converted Me To Spiritualism- 100 Testimonies,” (pg 33-34) Circa 1901.

Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine – (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1909).