The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-09-19
MISSING JUDGE
MYSTERY LIKE
FICTION TALE
Own 'ThriIIerS' Written
Under Pen Name RivaIIed
by Vanished Crater.
BLONDE WOMAN CLEW
Frequent Visits by JuriSt to
Gay Night Resorts Are
Revealed.
BY II. ALLEN SMITH
United Press STAFF Correspondent

NEW YORK, Sept. 19.-Investiga-
ton into the strange disappearance
on Aug. 6 of Supreme Court Justice
Joseph Force Crater-as intriguing
bit of mystery as any of the Van
Dine tales-veered sharply today
toward woman, a blonde of the
happy o-lucky" type.
With the sudden revelation that
Justice Crater might have been in
volyed with such a woman, came
also story of how the jurist spent
many of his leisure hours turning
out weird detective thrillers.
His frequent visits to night clubs,
to Broadway's "hot spots" we're mo-
tivated, 1t seems, by desire to give
his fiction a realistic turn. He con-
stantly was seeking color. And that,
if it does nothing else, gives color
to his own strange story.
Letter Comes From Chicago
While the special grand jury
probed his mysterious fadeout;
while District Attorney Grain was
devoting his entire time to the case,
and while rewards totaling $500
lay in the bank waiting for some
one to hand in tangible clew, a
letter came from Chicago.
It was signed by a woman and
addressed to the New York World.
1t said: Il know where Justice
Crater is; so do others"
The letter said that Mrs. Crater,
who has remained secluded at her
SUMMER home in Maine, knows the
whereabouts of her husband. And
it said even further that Justice
Crater's departure from New York
was preceded by "a tremendous do
nestle quarrel, which almost shook
the roof of their Fifth avenue
apartment"
The name of DR.. Samuel Buchler,
New York lawyer, was mentioned.
The letter said DR.. Buchler had
been hired by woman to bring
suit against Justice Crater, and that
the matter had been settled when
Crater had paid $4,000 to Buchler's
client.
"GirI Threa tens Scandal
Mrs. Crater knows the judge is
in the west" the Chicago woman
wrote. "She also knows he had to
take out cash from the bank to
satisfy whims of a girl who threat
ened scandal"
District Attorney Grain, upon see
ing the letter, Immediately sum-
moned DR.. Buchler before the grand
Jury. DR.. Buchler told his story
freely. but denied he knew where
Crater was.
On Aug. S. day before Crater
dropped from sight, DR.. Buchler said
a woman who gave the name of Fay
Lorraine came to him and asked
him to represent her in a 100000
breach of promise action against
Crater.
She told him, he said, that she
had letters and witnesses to sub
stantiate her claims. She agreed
to return the following day with
this evidence, DR.. Buchler said, but
she did not show up. He has not
seen her since. He said she was
about 80 and blonde.
Search Already On
Police already have started a
search for the woman and are as
surfing that her real name is not
Fay Lorraine.
With the letter and DR. Buchlers
evidence before him, District Attor-
ney Grain said he would make every
effort to bring Mrs. Crater to New
York for questioning He is far
from satisfied, he said, with the list
of written questions and answers
obtained from her by mail
An intimate friend of Justice
Crater today told of his fiction en-
deavors. He has had several of his
mystery stories published in the
Saturday Evening Post under a pen
name. 1t was said