Re: Old murder mystery, Lolita and Chloe Davis case, 1940
formica63
"Jacque1in":
>A couple of weeks ago while I was doing some research in the Historical New
> York Times database, I came across the story of Chloe Davis, age 11, of
> Los
> Angeles, who was briefly held by the police and accused of the murder of
> her mother and three siblings in April 1940.
Isn't this a great database? We've had a trial at work and I've been
consumed by it.
>According to the original
> stories, she claimed her mother had gone mad and killed the other children
> and tried to kill her and that she had killed her mother in self-defense
> by
> beating her to death with a brick (with her mother at that point begging
> her to do to so.) THe police originally didn't believe this story and
> thought she had actually killed her siblings and then killed her mother,
> at
> least until her outraged father convinced them otherwise and demanded her
> release.
>
> Further research showed that the story has come down through the years now
> as the mother, Lolita Davis, as having killed the kids and then killed
> herself, with little Chloe as the sole survivor, and no further mention of
> Chloe ever having been accused except for one reference in a 1949 book
> called "The Sexual Criminal" by J. Paul DeRiver. Unfortunately, I can't
> find anyone who has a copy of this book to find out what the book actually
> said about the case, although an Amazon review refers to Chloe Davis as a
> "child killer," rather than just a victim.
It seems to have been reissued, though perhaps you know that.
http://www.raintaxi.com/online/2001summer/deriver.shtml
> Has anyone on this list ever read about this story or done any further
> research on this case? I have to wonder what sort of life Chloe Davis had
> after having been accused -- even if not for very long -- of having
> murdered her family at age 11, especially when it appears from the
> original
> story that she probably did really kill her mother in self-defense,
> although it sounds like that was not mentioned much after the fact. What
> does that do to a person's life in the long run?
>
> Jacque1in
> Curious about historical true crimes
Good luck with your search -- keep us in the loop, if you would.
--
Formica
email me at formica63atgmaildotcom
Jacque1in
since I am using Google after accidentally losing this in my regular
news reader --
Thanks for the heads-up on the reprint. It looks as if it isn't
currently available from Amazon, but I'll definitely look around some
more. The review you pointed out tells me why my local library didn't
have it! (They carry true-crime, but I think they would draw the line
at graphic photos some might categorize as "pornographic," especially
if the author is considered rather questionably voyeuristic.)
After doing some more digging around online, I found that Chloe Davis's
full name was Chloe Dibble Davis. There is a genealogy page with
details of her parents' history and her own history.
The story of her mother's murder of the other children and "suicide" is
here:
http://www.familyorigins.com/users/h/o/f/Charles-J-Hoffman-California/FAMO1-0001/d19.htm
And the summary of Chloe's life is here:
http://www.familyorigins.com/users/h/o/f/Charles-J-Hoffman-California/FAMO1-0001/d500.htm#P500
Chloe died in 1987 in Indianapolis, Indiana, having been married three
times (the last only just before she passed away) and had three
children. Her oldest son, Gary Alan Dietz, seems to have changed his
last name to Methany and died on March 12, 1993 in Ohio when he was 41.
Using Ancestry.com, I found him in Ohio Deaths, 1958-2000, and the
records seem to indicate involvement of the coronor and a declaration
of DOA at the hospital, and an autopsy, which makes me think a violent
death of some kind. Perhaps suicide? I got stuck there, although I'm
guessing there might have been some news story in Ohio that isn't
online.
I have to wonder with the name change and the early death if he was
trying to distance himself from the family heritage only to have it
catch up with him in the form of depression. Very sad.
Jacque1in
Jacque1in
Jacque1in
<1104598566.1...@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com>:
>last name to Methany and died on March 12, 1993 in Ohio when he was 41.
>Using Ancestry.com, I found him in Ohio Deaths, 1958-2000, and the
>records seem to indicate involvement of the coronor and a declaration
>of DOA at the hospital, and an autopsy, which makes me think a violent
>death of some kind. Perhaps suicide? I got stuck there, although I'm
>guessing there might have been some news story in Ohio that isn't
>online.
The Social Security Index also shows this would have been in Cincinnati, if
anyone has access to Cincinnati sources and is curious about this.
Jacque1in
tinydancer
"Jacque1in" <jacq...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1104598566.1...@c13g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Apologizing in advance for what is likely to be horrible formatting
> since I am using Google after accidentally losing this in my regular
> news reader --
>
> Thanks for the heads-up on the reprint. It looks as if it isn't
> currently available from Amazon, but I'll definitely look around some
> more. The review you pointed out tells me why my local library didn't
> have it! (They carry true-crime, but I think they would draw the line
> at graphic photos some might categorize as "pornographic," especially
> if the author is considered rather questionably voyeuristic.)
I don't know where you are located, but you might try to see if your library
can request the book from your state library. Many libraries also have a
section of books that are kept *behind the desk*, meaning one has to ask for
it. When I worked in the library, we had books that might be found
offensive to some, kept behind the desk to make sure juveniles didn't have
access to them.
td
Unknown
"tinydancer" <tinyd...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:QdBBd.4176$Me4...@bignews4.bellsouth.net...
Here are some sources for the orig edition. I usually have good luck
with abebooks for price, and timely delivery too (anywhere in the
world). I'm surprised there aren't any of the new editions listed
here tho (I was going to order one myself).
OA
Jacque1in
<QdBBd.4176$Me4...@bignews4.bellsouth.net>:
>
>I don't know where you are located, but you might try to see if your
>library can request the book from your state library. Many libraries
>also have a section of books that are kept *behind the desk*, meaning
>one has to ask for it. When I worked in the library, we had books that
>might be found offensive to some, kept behind the desk to make sure
>juveniles didn't have access to them.
I just checked the state library and they don't have it, but two of the
local universities do, one in locked cases and one in the regular stacks.
I'm pretty sure we have some kind of loaning arrangement with the second
university, so I'll check when I go back to work Monday whether I can check
out their copy or whether I can just ILL it through our own library. (I
actually work at a high school library and this is WAY out of our
collecting range, believe me, as well as being a bit gruesome for the local
public branch, which has everything out on display.)
Jacque1in
Velvet
>Apologizing in advance for what is likely to be horrible formatting
>since I am using Google after accidentally losing this in my regular
>news reader --
>
>Thanks for the heads-up on the reprint. It looks as if it isn't
>currently available from Amazon,
Both Alibris.com and ABEbooks.com have older copies of this book for
sale. The lower price ones seem to start around $30.00 and go up from
there.
Ray
>Apologizing in advance for what is likely to be horrible formatting
>since I am using Google after accidentally losing this in my regular
>news reader --
>
>Thanks for the heads-up on the reprint. It looks as if it isn't
>currently available from Amazon, but I'll definitely look around some
>more.
Ray
>Apologizing in advance for what is likely to be horrible formatting
>since I am using Google after accidentally losing this in my regular
>news reader --
>
>Thanks for the heads-up on the reprint. It looks as if it isn't
>currently available from Amazon, but I'll definitely look around some
>more.
