The following had to be written years later from his memory. Some of his facts are off, such as Ruth Baumgardner was taken about May 4th and Patrolman Conn was shot & killed 9/27/37.
The following paragraphs are taken from pages 61& 62 of the typed transcripts of “ON EAGLE’S WINGS” The Story Of My Life Ernest Paul Webb:
"About two weeks prior to Conn’s murder a college coed by the name of Ruth Bumgardner had mysteriously disappeared from Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. We questioned Ford later on this, but the name he gave was different. After showing him her picture, he readily identified her as Ruth Bumgardner. He also stated that Serino knew her very well. Ford said that she had been drugged and left at a house in Steubenville. This group left Pittsburgh to go to Huntington and she had been picked up when they came through Steubenville.
There were so many angles by this time that it is impossible to keep them in chronological order. Though many hours of police work, these five were identified through mug shots and pictures as having been seen in St. Clairsville, Huntington, and were definitely identified by a gas station attendant in Freeport. They had purchased gas there and left approximately 10 to 15 minutes before Conn stopped in. In Huntington they stayed over night a house of prostitution and were all identified together with the blanket that was on Conn’s body, s having been taken from this place.
The girl was suppose to have been dropped off at a house of prostitution in Pittsburgh. With this information the Pittsburgh detectives raided this place and took into custody, Ma Brown (Black) and two white or mulatto girls. I went with them on this raid along with 5 detectives. One detective and myself were assigned to the rear of this place which was along an alley. It was dark there, but a car entered the alley and the lights momentarily hit us. A second later they cut lose on us with an automatic weapon. I can only remember the brick dust and splinters. I took a dive into the dark spot which turned out to be about a truck load of tin cans and garbage. This car passed the front of the house and another detective emptied his gun into it but they got away. Ma Brown and her girls were taken to the detective bureau were they were questioned. Ruth Bumgardner had been there but her photo was identified as another name. Shortly there after, a Pinkerton Agent approached me in the hotel where I stayed and asked us to lay off the case at the request of the Bumgardner family, stating that she had been returned home and had been placed in a metal institution. Before I gave him a n answer, I conferred with Inspector Monyhan and Col. Black and they both agreed. This is one story the press never got as we told them she had just disappeared."