The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-03-19
ESCAPED CONVICT
 NABBED WITH GAL
Joseph Medley to Face Murder Charges; Caught
 in St. Louis
BY HARTMAN W. NICHOLS

St. Louis, Mo, March 19.-(UP) Joseph Dunbar Medley, 43, dap per, Smooth-talking escaped con- vict suspected in the death of three red-haired women, was held today for removal to Washington, D. C., on murder charge. Police held a fourth red-haired woman who was with him when he was ar- rested.
 Medley, suspected in the mysteri- ous deaths of women in Washing ton, Chicago and New Orleans, was seized yesterday as he entered his suite at the Jefferson hotel with his latest titian-haired girl friend.
 Special Agent G. B. Norris, of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, accompanied by two St. Louis de- tectives, made the arrest. Norris re- fused to identify Medley's companion other than to say she was an at- tractive St. Louis woman. Both she and Medley were held incom- lnunicado pending further question: ing.
 Chicago and New Orleans police were expected here today to ques- tion Medley.
 Medley escaped from the South ern Michigan prison at Jackson last November 27, after conducting a War Loan Drive among prisoners. A guard took him to town to buy the bonds and left him on the sidewalk while he parked the automobile Medley had bene the object of na- tionwide search since March 6 when Mrs. Nancy Boyer, 45-year old Washington Socialite was found shot to death in her apartment.
 A Sleeve-length silver fox jacket and handbag similar to those owned by Mrs. Boyer were found in Med- ley's hotel room. A gun, also found in the room, was sent to Washing ton for checking with bullets talk en from Mrs. Boyer's body.
 At the time of Mrs. Boyer's death, Medley was sought by Chicago and New Orleans police in connection with the bathtub deaths of red haired women in each of those cit- ieS.
 ON Dec. 24, Laura Fischer, 2S, a New York Textile worker, was found dead in the bathtub in 9, hotel room in New Orleans. She had been registered at the hotel with Medley and her nude body was found in the bathtub after he left.
 A few weeks later the nude body of Mrs. Blanche Zimmerman, 38, a telephone operator, was found in the bathtub in 8 Chicago hotel room. Medley, who registered as James H. Hanan, left the hotel a short time before the body was dis covered, leaving 8 "do not disturb" sign on the door. A coroner's jury ruled that Mrs. zimmerman died accidentally of benzedrine intoxica- tion, but Chicaog police said they still wanted to question Medley.
 Mrs. Boyer's death, police, fol- lowed her meeting with Medley by about week. Her body was found in the kitchen of her apartment. She had been shot twice.
 Medley offered no resistance when taken yesterday. He registered un- der the name of Hanan, the same name he used in Chicago, and he readily admitted his identity to the officers who captured him.
 The FBI did not reveal how they caught up with the trail of the sus- pect in St. Louis. But at 5 p. m. Saturday they entered the Jeffer- son hotel and showed the clerk a photo of Medley. The clerk identi- fled the picture. Medley was ar- rested when he returned to his room.
 Medley was serving a 30-to-6O year term in southern Michigan pri- son for the kidnap-robber of Louis E. Brooks, wealthy manufacturer and ex-mayor of Marshall, Mich, when he escaped.