E. St. Louis Journal
East St. Louis, St. Clair County, Illinois
Monday, January 27, 1930
Page 1
Brawlers Sought In Man's Murder
Body of Sylvanius Felty Hurled From Car, Theory.
Police today were trying to link the death of an aged white man, whose body was found at Thirty-seventh and State-sts at 2 o'clock Sunday morning, with a brawl at the House of All Nations, 236 St. Clair-av, lodging quarters for white men of all nationalities and Negroes.
The dead man was identified as Sylvanius Felty, 65, formerly of Carmi, Ill., a lodger at the notorious house. His skull was fractured and he was pronounced dead when taken to St. Mary's Hospital.
Police believe Felty was attacked elsewhere and his body thrown out of an automobile onto State-st in the hope his death would be attributed to an automobile accident. The condition of his clothing and he fact that no other bruises were found on the body, however, caused police to suspect murder.
Detectives P. A. Boyne and Herman Schonhoff, who were assigned by Chief of Detectives George Byrnes to investigate the case, made several arrests yesterday and continued to roundup inmates of the house this morning.
They have questioned Charles Knopski, 48; Mrs. Marie Knopski, 37; Gus Daniels, 17; Joseph Madura, 24, all of 236 St. Clair-av; Albert Jay, 44, Danville; Joseph Reesor, 52, 814 North Second-st, and Green Moore, 33, 900 North First-st.
The body was identified by books and papers in a pocket containing the name of the man's son, Isaac Felty, 3805 Maple-av, Fairmont City.
Dr. T. R. Broadhurst, 3133 Washington-blvd, St. Louis, saw Felty's body lying on State-st when driving west and reported what he thought was an accident. Detective Boyne discovered there was no blood on Felty's clothing and none on his body except his head. Felty's clothing was not torn or soiled as it would have been if he had been struck by a machine.
The body was taken to Burke's funeral parlors, where an examination revealed the skull had been crushed, apparently by a blunt instrument. Dr. W. W. Boyne, coroner, has not set the time for the inquest.
The victim is survived by four sons, Orley, John, Isaac and Herber Felty.
Knopski, one of the men held for questioning, was arrested a few weeks ago for assault and battery. His victim refused to prosecute on the ground that Knopski had probably mistaken him for another man.
E. St. Louis Journal
East St. Louis, St. Clair County, Illinois
Monday, January 27, 1930
Page ?
Fetty, Syvanus
Entered into rest on Sunday, Jan. 26, 1930; beloved father of Orley, John, Isaac, and Herbert Fetty; dear brother of Anne Sumpter, Alfie Newman and Hattie Leasure. Funeral Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 7:30 a.m. from the Burke Funeral Home, thence to Relay station. Interment Carmi, Ill.
E. St. Louis Journal
East St. Louis, St. Clair County, Illinois
Tuesday, January 28, 1930
Page 1
Police Unable To Trace Slain Man
Probe Continues, But Clues Are Lacking.
While police are continuing their investigation, an inquest into the death Sunday morning of Sylvanus Felty, 65, is still pending. Authorities have failed to trace the circumstances which led to Felty's death, after a two-day investigation in which inmates of the House of All Nations at 236 St. Clair-av, where Felty was a boarder, were questioned.
Felty's lifeless body was found lying in the street at Thirty-seventh and State-sts at 2 o'clock Sunday morning by Dr. T. B. Broadhurst, 3133 Washington-blvd, St. Louis, who was driving east on State-st. The physician reported what he thought was an accident to police.
The condition of the man's clothing, however, and the fact that the crushed skull was the only injury suffered by the man, caused police to suspect murder. Authorities believe the aged man was beaten over the head with a blunt instrument and that his body was thrown from a machine at the point where it was found in the hope the man's death would be attributed to an automobile accident.
Detectives P. A. Boyne and Herman Schonhoff have been working on the case since Sunday morning but they have been unable to solve the mystery surrounding the murder.
E. St. Louis Journal
East St. Louis, St. Clair County, Illinois
Wednesday, January 29, 1930
Page 1
Blame Fake Bank Roll For Murder
Aged Victim Found to Have Flashed Stage Money.
A fake bank roll, which Sylvanus Felty, 65, boarder at the House of All Nations, 236 St. Clair-av, was accustomed to flash in the presence of his penniless friends, mosly Negro inmates of the notorious lodging quarters, is believed to have led to his murder.
Detectives P. A. Boyne and Herman Schonhoff learned yesterday that the aged white man, whose lifeless body was found at 2 o'clock Sunday morning lying on State-st, near Thirty-seventh-st, carried a roll of papers wrapped in a greenback coupon, which resembled currency. When Felty produced this roll, it appeared to his friends that he possessed a large amount of money.
Police believe the murderer of felty was seeking his imaginary riches.
Felty was apparently beaten to death. A blunt instrument had crushed his skull. His body, according to the police theory, was carried in an automobile, to the State-st location and thrown out to make it appear as though he had been struck by a machine. Police, however, scoffed at the automobile accident theory because of the condition of Felty's clothing and the fact that there were no other injuries to the body.
Two days spent in questioning a dozen boarders, Negroes and white, at the House of All Nations, however, have failed to cast any light on the manner in which Felty actually came to his death. Authorities, however, are giving considerable thought to the robbery motive.