OH OH - Louise Wolf, 38, & Mabel Foote, 24, Parma, 17 Feb 1921

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Stella

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Very informative show on the grisly murders of school teachers Louise Wolf and Mabel Foote. Adds way more info on the case that I first came upon in John Stark Bellamy's book.
 
Your link doesn't seem to work, but I read the NY Times article from 1921 and I'm interested in this case.
 
Sorry, I'm terrible with links. It's to a broadcast from January 2012 with Bob Shafer on Israeli Stones' program. I found it while Google-ing this case. Shafer has been investigating it since 1999. He believes he knows who did it but won't say until he finds out if the man in question was left handed. I always figured it was a pervert/sex fiend or a lesbian triangle killing but Shafer believes Mabel Foote had something incriminating against the killer that was in her satchel; evidence of embezzlement.
 
On re-reading Bellamy's book, "Maniac in the Bushes", I'm not convinced Shafer has all the answer or has even looked into some important questions. How would a nice young school teacher/future missionary have knowledge of anyone embezzling anything? I don't think she knew those sorts of people and she doesn't come across as a blackmailer to me.
 
I want to explore the lesbian triangle, a subject that no one dared bring up at the time. Mabel Foote was in her mid-twenties and quite attractive, yet she had no boyfriends that I can ascertain. Louise Wolf was 38 years old, never married and to quote Bellamy's book, "kept house with a Miss Effie Bufel". Euphemistically speaking, it indicates to me they were likely a lesbian couple. Middle aged Louise with the demure, lovely blonde Mabel most of the time could've sparked murderous jealousy in Miss Bufel. A confrontation on a dirt road, where no one could've seen or heard them makes the murder location perfect.
Then there is the matter of the killer's shoe print, a high heeled shoe; the shoes of a woman. Why anyone thought it was a man's shoe print escapes me. Such shoes had not been worn by men in over 100 years. Perhaps the idea of a woman commiting such a crime back then was unthinkable to LE and the press.
 
 
Mable Foote
titles & terms:event: Death
event date: 16 Feb 1921
event place: Parma, Cuyahoga, Ohio
residence: Brooklyn Hights
street address: Schasf Road
gender: Female
death age: 24y 9m 23d
marital status Single
race: White
occupation: School Teacher
birth date 23 Apr 1896
birthplace: Brooklyn Heights, Ohio
estimated birth year: 1897
burial date: 19 Feb 1921
burial place:cemetery: Foote Cem.
father:J. L. Foots
father's titles & terms father's birthplace: Brooklyn Heights
mother:Ella Osmanmother's titles & terms:mother's birthplace Perry, Ohio
spouse:spouse's titles & terms:reference number: fn 7472film number: 1991487

It's late here so I'll stop searching for now but I'm looking at a possible marriage for Louise Wolf aged 21, I shall resume in the next few days, we may have a motive yet if Stella is correct on the gay theory.
 
Interesting case - I wish there were more details available.

One thing I noticed right away was the report of a 'suitcase' belonging to Wolfe, which had been opened and scattered. In another report, it's described as a 'black hand-bag' - I think 'hand-bag' in those days was not the same as 'purse', but something larger? Anyway, she was carrying clothing in it - does this suggest she was going somewhere? Staying with Miss Foote for the night?

The women also fought back fiercely - would a single perp be able to subdue two women capable of fighting back, in the open like that?

Just a thought on the possibility of one or both women being gay.. In that era, homosexuality in general was seen as a sickness, and a great moral evil (as it is, in some stupendously ignorant minds to this day) - and the question of Wolfe being a lesbian makes me wonder - if it was discovered that she was indeed gay, and the local children were being taught by an "immoral lunatic" - is it possible some of those parents took less than kindly to that?

The blackmail angle's interesting, too. I'd love to see some documentation on that... People in all walks of life and of all ages are capable of blackmail. I don't see it as unlikely. Perhaps somebody feared being 'outed', or they'd heard some terrible family secret from one of the kids they taught.. could be anything, from any source, really.

If anyone find a detailed list of contents for that bag, I'd like to see it... in fact, any extra info would be great.


Thanks for posting this case, it's intriguing.

ETA: awesome, Robin!
 
From Stella's post

''Louise Wolf was 38 years old, never married and to quote Bellamy's book, "kept house with a Miss Effie Bufel".

I need to look this person up and try get some info there methinks.

Edited to add - I read somewhere that clothing was thrown about, maybe the contents of the bag ?

Also, the road, if the photographs are correct, was possibly dark, maybe mistaken identity and the other person was thought to be Effie ?
 
Google-"Wolf Foote murders Bob Shafer". In results, pick "Into the Night 1/23 Israeli Stone Blog Talk Radio; that is the podcast I listened to about the case (the links in my first post didn't work, this is it). It is nearly 2 hours long but worth it for new info on the case.
 
About the shoe-it was a broad square toed high heeled shoe worn by someone with a high instep. Men usually don't have high insteps; it is seen in women who have worn high heels for years or have had ballet training. The embezzlement is talked about in the podcast; if I remember correctly, Shafer thought it was related to some church or charitable organization that Mabel was involved in. His idea was that the killer knew she had the account books or other proof of his stealing with her that day and he was determined to get them away from her.
 
Ausgirl said:
Interesting case - I wish there were more details available.

One thing I noticed right away was the report of a 'suitcase' belonging to Wolfe, which had been opened and scattered. In another report, it's described as a 'black hand-bag' - I think 'hand-bag' in those days was not the same as 'purse', but something larger? Anyway, she was carrying clothing in it - does this suggest she was going somewhere? Staying with Miss Foote for the night?

The women also fought back fiercely - would a single perp be able to subdue two women capable of fighting back, in the open like that?

Just a thought on the possibility of one or both women being gay.. In that era, homosexuality in general was seen as a sickness, and a great moral evil (as it is, in some stupendously ignorant minds to this day) - and the question of Wolfe being a lesbian makes me wonder - if it was discovered that she was indeed gay, and the local children were being taught by an "immoral lunatic" - is it possible some of those parents took less than kindly to that?

The blackmail angle's interesting, too. I'd love to see some documentation on that... People in all walks of life and of all ages are capable of blackmail. I don't see it as unlikely. Perhaps somebody feared being 'outed', or they'd heard some terrible family secret from one of the kids they taught.. could be anything, from any source, really.

If anyone find a detailed list of contents for that bag, I'd like to see it... in fact, any extra info would be great.


Thanks for posting this case, it's intriguing.

ETA: awesome, Robin!
Click to expand...

At the scene, LE found Louise's black handbag which is visible in a photo taken at the murder scene. It wasn't really a handbag as we know it but a large satchel, flat on the bottom; it opened wide at the top like an old fashioned doctors bag. People back then traveled with or carried them like we would a duffel bag today. Inside the bag was an apron and a nightgown. The killer opened the bag, removed the nightgown, closed the bag and spread the gown over/across it almost like a display. An "ah hah, I knew it!" moment that Miss Bufel might've done if she was the killer. Also mentioned is Louise's pocketbook close to her body; that's what was called a purse or handbag back then.
 
A mental defective named Arthur Ihlenfeld claimed he killed "those schoolteachers" referring to Louise and Mabel. He seemed to know details only the killer or a witness to the crime would know. Three witnesses were also able to put him in the area of the crime when it occurred. Because he was adjudicated insane, the courts were not allowed to try him and he was sent to the Lima State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Most LE believe he was the killer.

Ihlenfeld told LE that he had been walking along Bean Road when he saw Louise and Mabel coming towards him. He opened his overcoat and exposed himself to them. Louise screamed at him to go away, calling him "you nasty thing" and struck him. Ihlenfeld became furious, grabbed a tree limb and began to attack Louise. When Mabel tried to come to her rescue by hitting him with her umbrella, he turned on her. Apparently, he would hit one woman senseless then go after the other, back and forth until they stopped moving. Then he ran off.

Louise and Mabel were gravely but not mortally wounded, according to Shafer. They died a slow death of exposure to the freezing elements, where they lay helpless all night.
 
Mmm. So we either have a sex maniac who could have laid out the underclothes to masterbate over or a disgruntled lover wanting to reveal the purpose of the trip. Then we have a possible fraud cover up.

I have looked for Effie Bufel and can't find anything. I have also tried Bussel/Bussle and various other spellings.
Re the fraud- were the account books missing ? ever found ?

When I have time I shall listen to the podcast.
 
I can't find a thing on Effie Bufel either. Bellamy mentions her in only one sentence of his book. I don't even know if LE questioned her.

ETA-The embezzlement theory is new to me; I heard of it for the first time on the Shafer podcast. I have no idea where he got that theory; I probably need to re-listen. I believe it is in the final hour of the show where he discusses it.
 
Robin Hood said:
From Stella's post

''Louise Wolf was 38 years old, never married and to quote Bellamy's book, "kept house with a Miss Effie Bufel".

I need to look this person up and try get some info there methinks.

Edited to add - I read somewhere that clothing was thrown about, maybe the contents of the bag ?

Also, the road, if the photographs are correct, was possibly dark, maybe mistaken identity and the other person was thought to be Effie ?
Click to expand...

The victims left the school at 5:00 p.m. for the walk to the trolley (sometimes referred to as the "dinkey"). They were seen by a Mr. C.J. Ubinck, whose home was across the street from the school on Ridge Road. It would have been getting dusk and starting to rain. It's believed that the crime occurred at 5:15, as Louise's watch had stopped at this time; it was found 150 feet away from her body.
 
I had no luck with "Bufel".. but there's some folks named "Bufahl" with links to Cuyahoga county, Ohio..

William Bufahl, whose father Charles was once arrested for assault with intent (and possibly robbery as well), married a Mary Novak from Cuyahoga county. Mary appears to have used several surnames, I'm still searching into that.

Mary is listed as being in Cuyahoga county in 1935. Later listed as being in Erin, NY and by 1940 was 55, widowed and living with her daughter and son-in-law.

This branch of the Bufahls settled in Erin, NY and most of them are listed there.

'Effie' isn't all that common a name. It can be short for 'Elfreida' and there's a Frida, Frieda or Elfrieda Bufahl (aka Yasna, Chasnow or Jasnau) listed for Erin, NY. Married to Otto Jasnau. She was also born about 1885.

ETA: it appears she was William's sister. And that Charles and his wife Kate (nee Beachler) were also married in Cuyahoga county.
 
I think they were going 'home' and were catching the trolley bus/dinky car, if teachers cleaned the classrooms after school they got extra money for doing so. To leave school at the time they were on the road would be about right.

I can't explain why Mable had night clothes in her bag unless she was staying over somewhere else, possibly at Louises

I listened to the podcast, I can see where Bob Shafer is coming from re the attack and how he's reading the crimescene from the photos he has but I feel there's more background needed here.
I will admit to not hearing about the shoe heel in the mud/snow maybe I missed it or it's in the Bellamy book ? Stella ?

Bob eludes to somebody knowing that a certain something was in the large bag with the night clothes and targeted that bag and not the purses. Bob wont say who the person is but Mable was in a lot of groups and may have come across some poor accounting.
 
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