A Murder Mystery at the Waltham Watch Company! Part TWO
/The clues keep piling up, but the police don't have the answer yet.
Or should we say "clews"?
On the night of July 12, 1936, Waltham Watch factory guard Harry E. Bradley was killed by presumptive thieves who wrapped his own belt around his neck, throwing his body into the nearby Charles River.
Banjo-style clocks were piled up by a loading dock, and 16 pocket watches were missing from the repairs department.
Bradley's gun was said to have fired three shots, and was found in the shrubs of the muddy riverbank.
Once the story broke in the morning papers, people started reporting leads for the police to chase down - One woman in Roxbury said she heard three men arguing the same night, with one possibly suffering a bullet wound.
The guard at the nearby New England Mica Company plant reported thieves trying to break in there on the same night. Police speculated that Bradley might have been strangled by amateurs who were caught in the act, or that they were known to him and they killed him so as not to be identified.
Meanwhile, the next morning, a pair of forceps were found on the ground by a smashed mailbox on Lake Street, Waltham. The paper described it as, "used for sewing up wounds," potentially pointing to the wounded man the Roxbury woman recalled overhearing.
Police and the District Attorney were confident about a speedy resolution. Two young men were picked up and held 48 hours, before being released for lack of further evidence.
Meanwhile, a disagreement arises between Massachusetts Governor James Michael Curley and Waltham Mayor Frederick MacDonald over the proposed $1,000 reward for information leading to the killers.
Governor Curley says it would be bad policy, offering a reward for a single killer when multiple men might be responsible. As an aside, Curley is most famous for being one of the most corrupt politicians in modern history, even serving part of a term as Boston mayor from prison.
Mayor MacDonald is intent on finding the murderers and getting justice for Bradley's wife and 10 children.
And lastly, our favorite "clew" - the sighting of a dark-colored roadster with "a peculiar green striping," seen by the factory building around the time of the murder.
Police describe the suspects seen in the roadster:
"No. 1 — 21 to 22 years of age, 5 feet 6 inches tall, weight 145 pounds. Short hair, rough-looking face, no hat, medium complexion, light trousers and darker coat and sport shoes.
"No. 2 — Looks enough like No. 1 to be his brother. Same age, height and weight. No hat, light trousers, darker coat, sport shoes, rough-looking.
"No. 3 — Younger, about 18 years old. Dark complexion, better-looking than the others, dark suit, no hat, black shoes."
Despite all of this, the police are unable to resolve the case, something Middlesex DA Warren Bishop attributes to "police laxity," drawing recriminations from Mayor MacDonald, who in turn blames the DA.
Part 3 NEXT WEEK
