The Wilmington morning star., 1947-03-16
BY SAUL PETIT
AP Newsfeatures Writer

Ruth Snyder and Henry Gray wa
crudely executed and overly dis
guised.
AS individuals, the Queens
housewife and her corset salesman
were mediocre and rather dull.
But their elimination OF Albert
Snyder 20 years ago next Thurs.
day was the sensation, of its day.
Millions of newspaper read
ers avidly consumed every detail
of the case and, as the last hours
before the execution ebbed away,
it seemed a good part of the coun-
try was vicariously living the ten
sion and near = hysteria of that
melodrama.
Why then was the nation held
spell : bound by a murder which
was far from extraordinary? The
answer, most analysts agree, was
that the principals involved seem
ed so ordinary. Alexander Wood.
colt said of Mrs. Snyder:
'tShe was so like the woman
across the street that many an
American husband was soor
haunted by an unconfessed reali.
zation that she also bore an EN-.
ba~rrassing resemblance to the
woman across the breakfast
table"
This was the dramatic person
nael:
Ruth Snyder, 30, blonde, blue
eyed, buxom. Mother of a nine
year-old girl. A wife who was, bor-
ed by suburban life in Queens vii.
lage, Long Island. She al
ways wanted to step out more than
Albert Snyder, 43, her husband.
A quiet-living, mild magazine art
editor, who pre- erred to spend his
evenings puttering around the ga
rage behind their little white cot
tage. Until his last few minutes on
earth, he had never met Henry
Judd Gray, "a, respectable, mod
erately successful corset salesman,
Of good background. A square.
faced, drab, bespectacled, prosaid
commuter from East Orange, N. j.,
where he lived with his devoted
wife and child.
Two years before they made the
front pages, Ruth Snyder and Hen
ry Gray were introduced by a mu-
tual friend. One thing led to an
other and to hotel rendezvous.
They met often and drank a lot.
Once. Mrs. Snyder suggested
something jokingly. That is, she
seemed to be joking. Gray ignor-
ed it. Later she put forward the
idea again. This time it was seri-
Gus. He was Mortified. But the sug-
gestion was made again and again
until finally.
At Z am, Sunday, March 20.
1927, Lorraine Snyder was awaken
ed by a noise. Investigating. she
found her mother in the hall,
bound and gagged, kicking against
the wall. The child loosened the
bonds. Her mother told her
to fetch Mr.. Mulhauser, a neigh
Dor.
In the bedroom, under a pile OF
bloody bedding, Albert Snyder was
found dead. His head bore deep
gashes, his throat was bound with
picture wire and his nostrlls were
stuffed with cotton smelling
Of chloroform.
Later, to Capt. Arthur Carey OF
the homicide squad, Mrs. Snyder
told her story: After she and her
husband retired at / am, she
heard a noise in the hall. Snyder
investigated. She saw one man and
heard the voice OF another. Then,
she was knocked unconscious.
Burglars" she said, "see?"
The whole house seemed to have
nave been nsacked. Draw
ers, bureaus, chests were emptied,
their contents thrown widely about.
Cushions had been removed from
the sofa and chairs. Silverware
and kitchen utensils had been scat
tered over the floors.
Carey looked at the mess and
looked at Mrs. Snyder. Hell hus-
band had been cruelty beat
en-. She hadn't been scratched.
Burglars don't usually create such
havoc.
Then police found Ruth's small
address book. Gray's name was
there. Then they found a cancell-
ed check made payable to him.
Then they found that Ruth had
been paying premiums on a $45,-
900 double indemnity insurance
policy for her husband.
Mrs. Snyder was removed for in
tensive questioning. By Monday,
Gray bad been checked. He said
he was in Syracuse Saturday and
Sunday. His name on a hotel regis
ter supported this. The desk said
a man phoned from Gray's room
that night and asked not to be
disturbed in the morning, the bed
rumpled.
Also, Mrs. Gray had received a
delivery letter from Gray
post-marked Saturday night from
The Gray angle seemed
to be fading until a detective found
some interesting fragments in the
wastebasket of his hotel room.
Put together, the pieces made a
pullman ticket. Someone had used
it coming from New York to SYRIA
cuse that Sunday morning.
The police turned back to Gray
with renewed interest. He said he
had more proof. He had visited a
in Syracuse. The friend was
questioned. That did it.
The friend admitted sending the
letter to Mrs. Gray. Admitted
making the call from Gray's room
and leaving the bed rumpled. Ad-
mitted he did this because Gray
had told him he was going to Al
bany with a lady. He wanted his
wife to think he was in Syracuse.
Back in New York, Mrs. Snyder
Cf1lrk tn hnr ~ko-,, ,.~k.I Al. .4J;4a