NY NY - Alice Parsons: Heiress, Long Island, 1937

[Pink Panther]

I'm losing count a little but wasn't Alice left $150,000 somewhere? It just seems to me, if the report was correct and her entire estate at death was only $43,000, that a lot of her money had disappeared.

By the way, fred&edna, you have to look at the 'left her money to maid' link above. Bottom of the page, left hand side, the cartoon. If that's Edna on one side of the bed, it's got to be Fred on the other.......

I do remember reading that another relative of hers was to leave her a larger sum similar to the one you suggest above zwiebel but it hadn't cleared probate when she went missing. Does anyone else remember reading that? I remember thinking that Anna (and probably William) may have thought that it had already gone through when it hadn't yet been distributed - and wasn't in the end, due to her disappearance!

 

[zwiebel]

Yes. you're right. I think that was Col Shaler, who left her $104,000, that went to his wife instead? But then there was another article about another, earlier inheritance, of $150,000. I'll have to find the link now. My memory's going and I may be getting confused.

 

[Pink Panther]

I'm not sure if I've posted this already. I don't think so but just in case...Here's William's departure from New York to Los Angeles:

California, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1957

Name: William Parsons Jr
Arrival Date: 18 Oct 1937
Age: 49
Birth Date: 29 May 1888
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
Gender: Male
Ship Name: President Harrison
Port of Arrival: San Pedro, Wilmington and Los Angeles
Port of Departure: New York
Archive information (series:roll number): m1764:81

Here is another trip I've found for William. He went to London in the mid-twenties and returned as follows:

New York, Passenger Lists, 1820-1957

Name: William Henry Parsons
Arrival Date: 26 Jan 1925
Birth Date: 29 May 1888
Birth Location: New York
Birth Location Other: new york city
Age: 55
Gender: Male
Port of Departure: London, England
Port of Arrival: New York, New York
Ship Name: Minnetonka
Search Ship Database: Search the Minnetonka in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database

I have to admit that the above trip to London (when he really didn't seem to travel much) got my hinkey-meter running. Anna had Roy in 1926...

Just a thought?

 

[Pink Panther]

An interesting article which says the County concluded "definitely murder" and some tidbits about her estate:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...=o1kyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3LYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=923,161442

 

[Pink Panther]

I think Roy got $15,000. The brother's most probably had information that implicated the two even though it might not have been enough to take them to trial. They (Anna, William and Roy) sure left the area quickly!

Yes, Roy got $15,000. See here:

http://fultonhistory.com/Newspaper4...y News 1946 Jan-Jul 1947 Grayscale - 0274.pdf

William Henry Parsons, William's father died in 1935. It's quite likely that whatever William could/would inherit from his family had already been disclosed by the time Alice disappeared. (His mother, Laura Wolcott, had died in 1928). William had four siblings. Two brothers and two sisters. (John P, Oliver W, Laura C and Mary M).

 

[fred&edna]

An interesting article which says the County concluded "definitely murder" and some tidbits about her estate:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...=o1kyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3LYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=923,161442

They certainly did an excellent job of disposing of Mrs. Parson's body.

Of note, did anyone happen to see the next article (re: discovery of the body of 25 yr old Starr Faithfull) in the link above? I do believe I've found another mysterious murder that intrigues me.

 

[Pink Panther]

I don't really understand how this could happen...William, in this article, just one year after Alice went missing, announces his intention to marry Anna. Alice couldn't be declared dead for another 6 years and he is announcing his intention to marry Anna?

http://jjonz.us/RadioLogs/pagesnfil...5-39/1938/38rh_05May/38-05-11-(Wed)_[WSJ].pdf

 

[Pink Panther]

They certainly did an excellent job of disposing of Mrs. Parson's body.

Of note, did anyone happen to see the next article (re: discovery of the body of 25 yr old Starr Faithfull) in the link above? I do believe I've found another mysterious murder that intrigues me.

I hate to say this but I agree with Marylinpi that it's likely they incinerated her in the basement ovens. After - don't forget - the chloroform.

Yes, I got roped into the Starr Faithfull story as a result of this page as well. Spent a while there and other places before roping myself back in to concentrate again! Starr's name alone is intriguing!

 

[Pink Panther]

What the hey? How did I miss this the first time? The kidnapper's "letters" refer to Mary and Paul Jones? HUH?

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...apQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DyIEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5416,5294575

 

[Pink Panther]

For those of you who can access ancestry.com - what do you make of this information for an Anna Sergeevna Kupryanova???

http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/21200995/person/1080944772

 

[Pink Panther]

A Shiskoff (Nichola) is mentioned here. Put your glasses on!

: )

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/9918581

 

[Pink Panther]

FINALLY! The farm was on Gould Road! I have been looking for this information for a while! Scroll over to page 2 for a bit more information. Also, Alice was last seen wearing "a blue dress with red buttons, a blue hat and carried a white beaded pocketbook." Oh, and dogs came in!

http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...eNPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LFUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6365,2725183

 

[Pink Panther]

ok. Done for the night. I was sorting through all the articles I had bookmarked but not posted. I hope I've posted them all now and that they lead to additional info and research.

: )

Looking out for Alice!

 

[Pink Panther]

Yes. you're right. I think that was Col Shaler, who left her $104,000, that went to his wife instead? But then there was another article about another, earlier inheritance, of $150,000. I'll have to find the link now. My memory's going and I may be getting confused.

I'm not sure. I've searched high and low for the article I remember and I can't find it! Col. shaler doesn't ring a bell but you may be right. Do you have a link? I don't know if I'm right but I remember the figure at $150,000.

 

[Ausgirl]

I also saw the 150,000 figure, but thought later it may have been misinformation - but then, I thought perhaps they were reporting a total amount which included her aunt's estate.. idk.

I really do not think Roy was William's son- he clearly had Indian heritage, or why would he call his own son an Indian name?

My hinky meter is nudging red with those more than a dozen notes.. names, the brooch (which was never verified as actually belonging to Alice, aside from Anna's say-so), the later note stating Alice had -died- for goodness sake - what kidnapper does that? And gives names, fictional or otherwise? Really?

The G-man rightly saw the notes as bunk, too.

I think Anna didn't realise that Alice's body never showing up would impact the wills, and when she did realise it, attempted to make sure it was known Alice was dead.. but it all backfired.

She got a comfortable life out of it, anyhow.

 

[Pink Panther]

I also saw the 150,000 figure, but thought later it may have been misinformation - but then, I thought perhaps they were reporting a total amount which included her aunt's estate.. idk.

I really do not think Roy was William's son- he clearly had Indian heritage, or why would he call his own son an Indian name?

My hinky meter is nudging red with those more than a dozen notes.. names, the brooch (which was never verified as actually belonging to Alice, aside from Anna's say-so), the later note stating Alice had -died- for goodness sake - what kidnapper does that? And gives names, fictional or otherwise? Really?

The G-man rightly saw the notes as bunk, too.

I think Anna didn't realise that Alice's body never showing up would impact the wills, and when she did realise it, attempted to make sure it was known Alice was dead.. but it all backfired.

She got a comfortable life out of it, anyhow.

I agree with all of your observations. The notes are beyond silly. In fact, it seems impossible that the case wasn't just solved immediately. The family obviously had enough information to redirect her will and yet LE didn't have enough to make arrests?

At one point I wondered if Alice wasn't "slow" or had psychological problems to be duped so easily and still - I wonder how William and Anna so obviously got away with such a "simple" (really what else could have happened) kind of murder?!

 

[Pink Panther]

Let's sign reciprocal wills. Anna - I have nothing but I am willing to sign. William - I have duped you to believe that I have MUCH more than you think but whatever I have is yours as much as what you have is mine. So let's all get together and sign over everything we have to one another. We're all family. Sign here.

Alice must have had an idea as to what she was worth and if she wasn't feeble-minded or disabled by illness of some sort, what on earth was she thinking to change her will ??? I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they (William and Anna) hadn't spent a great deal of time explaining business reasons for her to change her will...

 

[Pink Panther]

I also saw the 150,000 figure, but thought later it may have been misinformation - but then, I thought perhaps they were reporting a total amount which included her aunt's estate.. idk.

I really do not think Roy was William's son- he clearly had Indian heritage, or why would he call his own son an Indian name?

My hinky meter is nudging red with those more than a dozen notes.. names, the brooch (which was never verified as actually belonging to Alice, aside from Anna's say-so), the later note stating Alice had -died- for goodness sake - what kidnapper does that? And gives names, fictional or otherwise? Really?

The G-man rightly saw the notes as bunk, too.

I think Anna didn't realise that Alice's body never showing up would impact the wills, and when she did realise it, attempted to make sure it was known Alice was dead.. but it all backfired.

She got a comfortable life out of it, anyhow.

she did. anna did whatever she needed to.

 

[Ausgirl]

I don't think Alice was simple minded. I do think she was probably a very kind hearted person who was manipulated by a clever con merchant.

I have been manipulated by somebody way less clever than Anna, because they played on my emotions and knew -exactly- what strings to pull. Did I feel like an idiot later? Yes, I sure did.. because I am pretty darned smart. Still, intellectual smart is not emotionally smart, and I can easily see how a childless woman could come to love a child as her own, and his mother as her dearest friend.. and how that love could be used as leverage.

Alice was duped by people she trusted, and loved, IMO. It happens to the best of us.

Anna was a rather romantic and sympathetic figure - Russian nobility, single mother of a half-Asian child, a tragic widow forced into domestic work by circumstance, and rather more worldly than Alice was ever likely to be. I can really see how the con went.. and how Alice was duped. Poor woman.

 

[zwiebel]

It seems a bit crazy for such an old case, but we have so many useful articles I think this thread would benefit from a separate media/timeline link. I'm certainly beginning to get a bit confused about which article is where and it's time consuming having to search back through pages and pages. We could probably have quite a reasonable timeline too, with all the info we have.

I will try and set one up.