James L. Neibaur - Butterfly in the Rain

Butterfly in the Rain

ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD

Lanham Boulder New York London

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Neibaur, James L., 1958 | Parker, Marion, 1915

Title: Butterfly in the rain : the 1927 abduction and murder of Marion Parker / James L. Neibaur.

Description: Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015030316| ISBN 9781442251199 (cloth : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781442251205 (electronic)

Subjects: LCSH: Parker, Marion, 1915 | KidnappingCaliforniaLos AngelesCase study. | MurderCaliforniaLos AngelesCase study. | Insanity (Law) CaliforniaLos AngelesCase study.

Classification: LCC HV6603.P37 N45 2016 | DDC 364.152/3092dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015030316

TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

The genre of True Crime books investigates crimes that are usually sensational, tell a story, and have an element of suspense, interesting characters, and a satisfying conclusion. This book has all of these. But the way in which I came onto such a project is a story unto itself.

I had been writing books on pop culture history for decades. My specialty was film history. I was researching a project on the silent era when I was distracted by headlines on a microfilm copy of the New York Times that told of a twelve-year-old girl who had been kidnapped and held for ransom. There was a picture of the little girl and of her mother, her father, and her twin sister. Initially, my interest was casual. I wondered if they ever found the childif she had been returned safely for ransom or if perhaps she was rescued and her kidnapper brought to justice. So as I continued to research my own project, I discovered subsequent articles on this case indicating that when the ransom was paid, the childs body was dropped out of an automobile in a sack containing only her head and torso. Her fathers screams pierced through the dark Los Angeles night.

Naturally, I was shocked by these events and wondered if they ever identified the killer. Once I saw that had happened, I wondered if he was caught. Then I wondered about his ultimate fate. I realized that if this story was compelling enough as a series of newspaper articles to distract me while busily at work on another project that should have had my entire focus, it might interest others. Thus, I gathered research and put together the book that you are now reading.

My research led to actual court documents about the case, graphic depictions by her killer that were documented by the defense team, and access to some photos (a few of which were too gruesome to consider usingfrankly, I wish I had not seen them myself). But as disturbing as the more graphic details could be, there continued to be an element to the story that remained compelling. The entire trajectory of events played out like a suspense drama. The characters had the sort of depth that well-drawn characters in popular fiction might have. Writer friends with whom I discussed this project would frequently say, Yknow, this sounds like it would make a good movie.

Perhaps one who writes about movies might perceive a nonfiction True Crime book as if it were a movie. While everything contained herein is real and true, these actual events unfold dramatically, the characters on either side of the law extend beyond any stereotype, and the constant element of suspense (wondering about the childs safety, identifying the killer, hunting for him, capturing him, and bringing him to trial) all combined with the reaction from the childs family, from the killers family, and from the general public add to the suspense. With each new discovery in my research, I found something else about the case that was interesting, unsettling, remarkable, and sometimes frightening.

Then there is the historical element, the fact that this took place during the Roaring Twenties, when the economy boomed, jazz blared, and the movies captivated and amused. This crimes historical setting made it that much more fascinating.

This is the story of Marion Parker, a typical twelve-year-old girl in the 1920s who was kidnapped, murdered, dismembered, and delivered to her father. Her father, an unassuming banker who had lived his life in a most comfortable and ordinary manner, was hit with the worst tragedy imaginable and had his quiet family life thrust into the spotlight. When it was over, he told the press that they just wanted to get on with their lives. Eventually, they were left alone to do sobut not until after they endured what had once been called the crime of the century.

As we recall and detail the events in this book and examine the case and its outcome, the principals involved will be discussed in detail. When possible, the spoken word has been quoted verbatim. However, when that is not possible, conversations have been reconstructed as closely as possible to the reality based on the various sources listed in the bibliography that document those who spoke and those who heard those words. Any information regarding personality traits, relationships, and so on have been pulled from the various sources listed in the bibliography. The public was riveted by this case; they wanted to know everything they could about all involved, especially the victim and the killer. As a result, a variety of feature stories were written about these people and their backgrounds, and it is these sources that allow for a more thorough description of each.

My thanks to Barb Fellion, Lori Kwiatkowski, Terri Lynch, Katie Carter, Cecilia Rasmussen, Bill Cappello, Ted Okuda, the University of Wisconsin Library, and the Racine Public Library interlibrary loan.

The year was 1927.

Americans were flexing their postwar industrial muscle. They were relaxing with the peace and prosperity that World War I had now afforded them, enjoying jazz and dancing the Charleston, laughing at the antics of Charlie Chaplin, marveling at the excitement of Douglas Fairbanks, thrilling to the stunts of Harold Lloyd, swooning to the romance of Greta Garbo and John Gilbert, and marveling at the technical achievement of Buster Keaton.

It was the year that Charles Lindbergh made his transatlantic flight and into the hearts of a hero-worshipping public. It was also the year that Babe Ruth smacked a record sixty home runs, helping the New York Yankees nab the World Series in an event that is still discussed with semireligious awe among baseball fans, even well after this record has been broken.