Willis Hall Gets 99 Years for Murder

Sur Décembre 15, 1903, about 2:00 o’clock in the morning, George Harding, the clerk of the Erie Hotel, was busy working in his office. Used to working alone, Harding had relaxed his vigil and didn’t notice three large, hard looking men enter the hotel at Fourth and Clark Streets.

His attention was arrested, when the first man entered his office with a drawn revolver. The robber told Harding to raise his hands. Harding was startled by the sudden appearance of the man but quickly raised his hands.

While Harding was held at gunpoint, the other two men began to rifle the safe. The gunmen signaled to his confederates that he heard someone coming down the hall. Victor Dawson, the Erie Hotel’s cook, and one of the few employees in the hotel was heading for the clerk’s office.

The robber attempting to break into the safe was using a sledge-hammer. He slid his frame behind the door to shield himself from Dawson’s view. As soon as Dawson entered the room, the desperado brought the sledge-hammer down on his head. Dawson dropped immediately, where his assailant struck him two or three more blows. Dawson died from his wounds.

As the men fled the building, they shot Harding. The owner estimated that $300 was taken from his safe. For several months, St. Louis Police had no leads.

Cependant, St. Louis Detectives Cremins and Finan got a tip that taxi driver Willis E. Hall, alias “Louis Heavy”, may have been involved in the robbery. Cremins and Finan began tailing Hall relentlessly.

In early April 1904, St. Louis Chief of Detectives William Desmond advised his men to pick up Hall. They arrested him at 4301 Easton Avenue, his home residence, early in the morning on April 12, 1904. Hall was a tough customer but no match for Chief Desmond, who talked many criminals into confessions over the years.

Feeling “the third degree” didn’t reveal true information, Desmond a utilisé une manière intelligente d'interroger et d'interagir avec le suspect pour l'inciter à avouer.. Il échouait rarement à convaincre le coupable d'admettre ses crimes..

Hall a rapidement révélé que l'équipe du vol était Hall., James Duffy et Charles Stevens. Ils ont planifié le vol en décembre 14, 1903 dans un saloon au coin des rues Eighth et Walnut. Hall n'a pas admis avoir tiré sur Harding, mais il était le seul à posséder une arme à feu.. Duffy était l'agresseur, qui a tué Dawson avec le marteau.

Charles Stevens purgeait déjà une peine de huit ans pour un autre vol au pénitencier du Missouri.. James Duffy était en liberté. Je ne trouve aucune trace de sa capture.

Quand Willis Hall s'est présenté devant le juge Turner, il a décidé de plaider coupable plutôt que d'être jugé et éventuellement condamné à mort. Judge Turner sentenced him to 99 years in prison. I couldn’t find a death record for Hall. He either died before 1910 or was paroled at some point and left the state.

Solving the Erie Hotel robbery was a feather in the cap for the St. Louis Police Department but nothing unusual in the storied career of Chief William Desmond.

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Sources: St. Louis République, Avril 13, 1904 édition, p. 7 and St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Mai 21, 1904 édition, p. 2

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