New Britain herald., 1927-09-23

and magazines which batten on | Broadway's scandalmongers. | Benson and his brother, Anthony,
 had at the time of the formers sudden death, been running a brok- i craze office at 21 Wall street, under ! the name of Benson and Benson.
 Both were regarded by the other i brokers of the street as shrewd
 business mel. though perhaps a shade unethical when gauged by the constitution and bylaws of the New York Stock Exchange. | They were markedly contrasted as to temperament and taste, and saw little Of each other outside the office. Alvin Benson devoted his entire leisure 10 pleasure-seeking and was a regular patron of the city's leading cafes; whereas An thony Benson, who was the older and had served as major in the late war, followed sedate and con- ventional existence, spending most | of his evenings quietly at his clubs. | Both, however, were popular in their respective circles, and be- tween them they had built up l large clientele.
 | The glamour of the financial dis trict had much to do with the man. her in which the crime was handled by the newspapers. Moreover. the murder had been committed at time when the metropolitan press was experiencing temporary lull in sensationalism; and the story was spread over the front pages of the papers with a prodigality rarely encountered in such cases.
 Eminent detectives throughout the country were interviewed by enterprising reporters. Histories of famous unsolvcd murder cases were revived; and clairvoyants and astrologers were engaged by the Sunday editors to solve the mystery by various metaphysical
 devices. Photographs and detailed diagrams were the daily accom- paniments Of these journalistic outpourings.
 In all the news stories the gray Cadillac and the pearl Handled Smith and Nosson were featured. There were pictures of Cadillac cars, touched up and recon structed to accord with Patrolman McLaughlin's description, some of them even showing the fishing tackle protruding trom the tonneau.
 A photograph of Benson's center ia ble had been taken. with the secret drawer enlarged and repro duced in an inset" One Sunday magazine went so far as to hire an dissertation on secret compart- ments in furniture.
 The Benson case from the outset had proved a trying and difficult one from the police standpoint. Within an hour of the time that Vance and I had left the scene or the crime a systematic investiga- ton had been launched by the men of the homicide bureau in charge of Sergeant Heath. Benson's house was again gone over thoroughly, and all his private correspondence read; but nothing was brought forth that could throw any light on the trag- edy.
 No weapon was found aside from Benson's own Smith and WesSon; and though all the window grilles were again inspected, they were found 10 be secure, indicating that the murderer had either let him self in with key or else been ad mitted by Benson. Heath, by the way was unwilling to admit this latter possibility despite Mrs. Platz's positive assertion that no other per son besides herself and Benson had q key.
 Because of the absence of any definite clue, other than the hand bag and the gloves, the only pro ceeding poss ihle was the interrogat- ing of BcnSon's friends and asso- ciates ill the hope of lncovering some fact which would furnish a trail.
 It was by this process also that Heath hoped to establish the iden- tty of the owner of the handbag. A special effort was therefore made to ascertain where Benson had spent the evening; but though many of his acquaintances were