IL IL - Walter Donley, Peoria, 1 June 1943

[MrsTigglesworth]

This is what I found in newspaper articles regarding the stolen 65,000. It does not mention Donley, but does reference the case. I have used initials for the innocent, but hope it is ok to leave the names of the suspects/convicted. I have also paraphrased because the articles are long.

Edwardsville Intelligencer
June 22, 1942
"Part of 65,000 Stolen from Woman Said to Have Been Used In Deal"
2,000 used as a down payment was stolen from Mrs M. C. - St Louis

Jan 30, 1942
Mrs. C. hopes for part recoveries on losses of 65,000
The money was used for various purposes.
The theft occured after Mrs C. left the cash in the safe of GR C., JR
Co. Clyde Cornett has been sent to Missouri prison in connection with the theft
William Ruemaker is being sought in connection with the theft.

Defendants in the inunction suit are Lawrence Drewer, Alias Wilford Drewer
His wife, Mrs. Mabel Drewer
F. S. and his wife R.
The Drewers bought 40 acres of land from the F.S. making an initial payment of $2000

Drewer received $3000 from Cornett (part of the 65k)
Injunction says that Drewer has been indicted on another charge.
They are asking the land transfer contract be cancelled and the 2K returned

June 8, Wilford Drewer and Frank Grzyb were indicted on the theft of
a shovel and 13 bags of corn from the Walter Toberman elevator at
Peters on March 23. Indictment shows F.S. was a witness.
Property found at the Drewer home.

 

[MrsTigglesworth]

Articles from Ancestry.com, paraphrased

Edwardsville Intelligencer, Jan 5, 1946
Authorities sought 3 gunmen who executed Lawrence Wilford Drewer of Collinsville. They used 6 bullets and a shotgun while he tried to use 24 yr old model as shield.

Edwardsville Intelligencer
Thursday, Jan 10, 1946
RLR, 24, wanted for
questioning in the assassination of L. W. D.
shot down Last Friday in gangland fashion

Jefferson City Post-Tribune:
Feb 4th 1960
Witness missing in Murder Case:
Police searching in St Louis for state's cheif witness
RLR in a murder case against gangster Joseph Burnett
Burnett is charged with the murder of Lawrence Drewer Jan 4th 1946

Burnett released Monday after serving 14 years for Burglary
(*went to jail in 1946, after Donley's dissappearance*)
Burnett described as a hired killer
He was immediately arrested upon release

RLR told police about the 1946 slaying
He never showed up for his hearing..
(*****so, is he missing, too??? Will look into this*****)

 

[STANDREID]

Thanks for that great work MrsT.

Has anyone found if Donley's daughter might still be living or, if not, her date of death?

If I get the chance next week, I will try to drive over to see where 110 S. Bourland might have been. It is not a residential area now.

 

[MrsTigglesworth]

Sorry, not much at all on the daughter after the 1940 census. She would be over 83 now...

 

[STANDREID]

Most likely her name changed due to marriage.

 

[STANDREID]

Maybe several times

 

[athy]

this is the first i've heard/read about this guy. as i was reading up on it i saw the posts about the two men parking the car and leaving. Donley apparently left the office with them but i wonder if they put him in a different car with perhaps another 1 or 2 men. these two could have just had the job of getting him out of the office and to drive the car and park it somewhere. others could have had the job of doing whatever was done to Donley.

 

[Hilda Swenson]

Some street views of a couple of the addresses:

300 W Armstrong

110 S Bourland

 

[STANDREID]

Thanks Hilda. I couldn't get the S. Bourland address to come up but I think it might be because it's no longer an address. It's more like the edge of a Main Street address that covers the entire block.

 

[STANDREID]

I think that land is now a Main St. address because the building that sets on it faces that street.

 

[STANDREID]

I just found out that the river was at an all time record depth of 28.8' just 9 days before Donley disappeared so it was probably at about 27' on June 1. Flood stage is 18'. The wickets almost certainly would have been down under these conditions and, if they weren't, their tops would have likely been submerged.

We just broke that record, the river was at 29.35 feet yesterday.

 

[STANDREID]

During this current high water, we had a man who accidentally drove into the river during the night and drowned. That didn't happen to Donley but, if some overnight postal workers hadn't seen car lights floating down the river, this guy might have vanished and never been found so I think one could disappear into high water and never be found no matter how he got into the river.

 

[STANDREID]

The existing Peoria Lock and Dam was built in 1939 so the river dynamics should be essentially the same now as they were in 1943.

 

[STANDREID]

The existing Peoria Lock and Dam was built in 1939 so the river dynamics should be essentially the same now as they were in 1943.

Which is actually south of Peoria. The locks are in Creve Coeur, IL and the dam/wickets run from there across the river to the shore of Bartonville, IL.

 

[STANDREID]

Creve Coeur is in Tazewell County and Bartonville is in Peoria County.

 

[STANDREID]

According to a witness, Donley's car was seen parked in the 100 block of S. Bourland at 5 pm. The witness claimed two men got out of the car talking loudly to each other. One of the men was carrying a briefcase and wearing a blue shirt which did not match up with what Donley was wearing that day. The witness was unable to identify the second man as Donley.

The two men rounded the corner and continued walking toward University.

I imagine there was a bus or streetcar stop (maybe both) somewhere near there so these guys could have gone almost anywhere from that point even if they didn't have a car stashed.

 

[STANDREID]

It doesn't sound like a professional hit team otherwise they would not have behaved in a manor to call attention to themselves.

 

[STANDREID]

I guess it could have been their first professional hit.

 

[STANDREID]

I've heard that Peoria was considered an open town back then; meaning that mob organizations could operate here but none was supposed to try to take control.

 

[STANDREID]

I think the Shelton Gang was the only one that tried to take over and that led to the murder of Bernie Shelton here in 1948; another of Peoria's major classic unsolved crimes.