• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About the author and her website
  • References
  • Archives
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Contact Page

Defrosting Cold Cases

Research website by Alice de Sturler

  • My Research Method
  • How to search for cases
  • Cold Case Database
  • Case of the Month: The Unclaimed
  • Book Reviews
You are here: Home / Book Reviews / American Sherlock by Kate Winkler Dawson

American Sherlock by Kate Winkler Dawson

August 4, 2020 By Alice

American Sherlock by Kate Winkler DawsonIn May 2020, I won this book ‘American Sherlock’ by Kate Winkler Dawson on Twitter during a book giveaway hosted by Scotland Yard CSI.

The book follows the life and career of Edward Oscar Heinrich (1881 – 1953). He was seventy-two years old when he passed away.

Kate Winkler Dawson wrote a book that leaves you thinking about the human brain long after you have turned the last page.

Edward Oscar Heinrich

Heinrich was not just a scientist. He was a chemist, who became a consultant to police, and an expert trial witness. He learned not just how to help police connect the dots between evidence pieces. He learned that he needed different ways to explain scientific findings depending on his audience e.g. fellow scientists, police officers, or jury members.

He was one of the pioneers to spearhead scientific criminology. From his private crime labs he examined, experimenten, detected, and invented new methods and manners to ensure that the story of the crime scene would be heard. He was one of the first to use ultraviolet light to reveal blood, used poison tests while toxicology was still being developed, and he used botany and document analysis.

The author tells the story of Heinrich’s career by highlighting a few of his many cases. However, she does not neglect to tell us about the man in private. We find his personal struggles interwoven with the details  of the cases. Heinrich was methodical in his work, jotting down every detail. He also did that with his private finances. Financial security was an everlasting struggle despite his tracking, notes, and lists.

As successful as he was as a scientists, he was not able to manage his income and assets in such a manner that he and his family didn’t have to face financial heart ship. Throughout the book, we read how one of his two son’s was living above his father’s means for a very long time. It makes you wary of him.

At the end of the book however, we read that this son, Theodore Heinrich not just earned a Bronze Star. He was one of the Monument Men, a group of art historians and museum, personnel from fourteen Allied Nations. Their job was to identify and return art that was stolen by the Nazis, to the original owners. Theodore Heinrich is not portrait in the movie ‘The Monument Men’ and there are no pictures of him in the book either.

The Cases
Edward Oscar Heinrich and David Lamson
AdS

Allene Warden Thorpe Lamson (April 23, 1904 – May 30, 1933) was 29 years old when she died. Husband David Lamson stood trial four times before Heinrich showed the jury an alternative explanation for the facts as presented to them by the prosecution.

Officially, her case is closed however, when you read the ending, ask yourself if she could have been pushed. Not accusing anyone, just wondering. The case features crime scene reconstruction and pattern analysis.

Reverend Patrick E. Heslin (1863 – Aug 11, 1921) was 57 or 58 years old when he was murdered. Heslin was kidnapped, lured from his home to minister to a dying man, and held for ransom. He was later found with bullets in his head and heart. This case features handwriting and fiber analysis.

Fatty Arbuckle
AdS

Virginia Rappe (July 7, 1895 – Sept 9, 1921) was 26 years old when she died. She worked as a model and as a silent movie actress. Her case is well-known as it brought down the career of Roscoe Conkling “Fatty” Arbuckle, who struggled to recover from three trials. The third time he was found not guilty.

Rappe was quickly blamed for her fate. She drank, stripped when drunk, so they say, had numerous abortions, etc. The autopsy showed that she had never been pregnant. “The result of the post-mortem and the testimony of the surgeons who performed the post-mortem show that Virginia Rappe had never been a mother and further show that she was well and strong at the time of her death.”

Rappe died from a ruptured bladder and secondary peritonitis. This case features false witness statements and finger print analysis.

The Siskiyou Massacre or the DeAutremont brothers involved identical twins Ray and Roy, and their younger brother Hugh. The three brothers “were a criminal gang based in the Pacific Northwest during the 1920s. Their unsuccessful robbery of Southern Pacific Railroad express train and the murder of four crew members, known as the Siskiyou massacre, was subject to one of the largest and most extensive investigations in the region.” This massacre happened in October 1923. All three brothers were ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment at the Oregon state prison in Salem, Oregon. The case features gun serial numbers, estimating a suspect’s identifiers such as height and weight, hair and fiber comparison, and writing samples.

Leon Henry Schwartzhof a.k.a. Charles Henry Schwartz was on the verge of a break-through: imitation silk. Imagine what it could do for the fashion industry. He approached and attracted many investors. If only it was true. Heinrich was reminded of another news related to Schwartz, a heart balm lawsuit. A broken marriage promise and the fiancées sued. Yes, more than one woman. Then one day, after an experiment with ether in his lab that held a gasoline lamp and a wooden floor, Schwartz was dead. This case features the analysis of Schwartz’ lab, the absence of fingerprints and eyeballs on the body, body identification, arson detection, fraud, blood pattern analysis, dental identification, hair comparison, and more.

Bessie Ferguson went by many names. She dated different men, told some that she was pregnant with their child, and they needed to pay up if they wanted her to keep quiet. A scheme like this can only last so long. So, the first part of Bessie that authorities found was her ear. This case features post-mortem analysis using insects and decomposition to establish a time of death, fabric analysis, sand particle analysis, and the reassembly of a dismembered body. Despite Heinrich’s extensive efforts, the case remains unsolved.

Did Martin Colwell kill his former boss John McCarthy who said as last words: “I fired Colwell.” This case hinges on ballistics, fire arm identification, irregularities in bullets and barrels, explaining evidence to the jury, and the use of the comparison microscope invented by Philip O. Gravelle. Gravelle, also a chemist, invented the comparison microscope to be used for identifying fired bullets and cartridge cases. Calvin Goddard later perfected it.

Other characters

We meets several people who played very important roles in Heinrich’s life. One was August Vollmer, Chief of Police in Alameda County, San Francisco Bay, California. Vollmer was keen on integrating science into police investigations. “He was the first chief to require that police officers attain college degrees, and persuaded the University of California to teach criminal justice. In 1916, UC Berkeley established a criminal justice program, headed by Vollmer.” Vollmer was also “the first police chief to create a motorized force, placing officers on motorcycles and in cars so that they could patrol a broader area with greater efficiency.”

Another indispensable friend was John Boynton Kaiser. Kaiser was a librarian, an avid stamp collector, a treasure trove of information, a published author, researcher, and confidant of Heinrich. After meeting at Washington Stat in 1914, they corresponded almost weekly. Topics? Scientific research, the best books and sources, cases, but also their most private thoughts, insecurities, and wishes that they did not express to their spouses.

Blood Pattern Analysis

On page 268, the author writes that Heinrich advanced some “dubious methods, including handwriting analysis and bloodstain pattern analysis- both now considered junk science.” Personally, I do not think of blood pattern analysis (BPA) as junk science.

Of course, patters change depending on the surface on which blood lands but that doesn’t mean it is junk science. And, interpreting evidence is a skill and not every scientist, no matter how renowned, can explain in plain sentences to the jury what the evidence shows us.

I see BPA as a supplementing, supporting the rest of the evidence, but never as the only conclusive piece of hard evidence that identifies a suspect as a killer to the exclusion of all others.

Last, as usual, integrity is everything. You cannot claim to be a BPA expert if you have no academic credentials and only took a four-hour course. You cannot claim to be an expert in any field if your findings only surface after trying to get the pattern that matches the paying party’s wishes.

I believe that distinguishing between conclusive and supporting evidence is the key here.

The book

Kate Winkler Dawson wrote a fantastic book about the life and career of Edward Oscar Heinrich. It was a joy to read, took me on an internet tour to look up cases, made me search in my library for books about cases and forensic science, and most importantly, impressed on me how important integrity is when we hold someone else’s fate in our hands.

To not buckle under pressure, to not just give anyone the findings that they want instead of the findings that the crime scene gave, is huge.

This book also gave insight in how fragile we are as human beings. The most fabulous brains can still be hindered by insecurities. Just because they understand science does not mean they can handle their family life well.

The book informs and humanizes Heinrich. That is the greatest tribute to any person. Highly recommended reading.

Note

I won this book in a giveaway on Twitter as said before. The decision to review the book was mine. There were no strings attached to the giveaway. However, I thought that an honest review was fair to the author who made the book available for the giveaway. My other book reviews are here.

Thank you for sharing!

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Book Reviews, Edward Oscar Heinrich, Kate Winkler Dawson

Primary Sidebar

Dina Fort

Author Notes

On this website, I write about old, unsolved cases. Most are from the pre-DNA era and are in need of renewed media attention. I only do research and leave the active investigation of these cases to the professionals.

My posts are about homicides, missing and unidentified people, wrongful convictions, and forensics as related to these cases.

On book reviews: I only review select works of true crime, crime fiction, and historical fiction/mysteries. The stories have to fit my website's theme and research. It remains my prerogative to not review a book.

My database has over 325 cases listed by the victim’s last name. You will find a brief description there as well. The database will always be free to the public to use. You cannot buy ad space on my website, ever.

All writing suggestions that come in by email are added to my to-do list in the order in which they were received. Please be patient. My to-do list is very long but no case gets dropped and I will get back in touch.

Defrosting Cold Cases is NOT an organization. It is my brainchild.

If you have any questions about my website please check the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, the about page, and the tabs in both menu bars. If you still cannot find the answer there, please contact me.

Thank you,

Alice de Sturler

Copyright

If you use my work, please add a link back. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. Thank you!

Protected by Copyscape

Categories

Top Posts & Pages

  • Cold Case Database
  • How to search for cases
  • Gina Renee Hall partial remains found
  • Case of the Month: Hinterkaifeck
  • Amber Elaine Lundgren (Feb 7, 1977 - June 7, 1997)

Subscribe to DCC by email

Enter your email address to get new posts notifications in your inbox

RSS Defrosting Cold Cases

  • Gun Violence
  • Emily Johanne Carmela Starkloff
  • Donald Ray Watson (1953 – 1978)
  • DeAngelo moves to Corcoran State Prison
  • Aftershock by Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell

William Thomas Zeigler

Category: ALL POSTS

On March 31, 2016, an evidentiary hearing was held to request touch DNA testing. On July 18, 2016, Judge Whitehead denied that request.

On November 23, 2016, an appeal was filed with the Florida Supreme Court. On April 21, 2017, the Florida Supreme Court denied the request for touch DNA analysis.

On May 8, 2017 a motion for a rehearing with the US Supreme Court was filed. It was denied November 13, 2017.

In the summer of 2019, the appeal for DNA testing to the Florida Conviction Integrity Unit was denied.

Richard Lapointe

Category: ALL POSTS

In March 2015, the Connecticut State Supreme Court ordered a new trial for Richard lapointe. On Oct 2, 2015, International Wrongful Conviction Day, Richard was set free. The judge ruled that he cannot be retried for the 1987 rape-murder of Mrs. Bernice Martin. Richard Lapointe died on Aug 4, 2020 of Covid19 complications.

In 1987, someone killed Bernice Martin. I hope that she will not become a forgotten file.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright: Please add a link back if you use my work. Let your readers know where you found your information. I do the same for you. If you need help with this, just contact me. Thank you, Alice de Sturler

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright © 2009–2021 - Defrosting Cold Cases - All rights reserved · Hosting & WordPress: 3J WordPress Write Data

wordpress counter

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.