Good evening Matthew; here is a question for you and thoughts for the readers of this thread. Since you had the opportunity to read the Sheriff's report, did the Maricopa County Sheriff have a suspect or suspects who they believed murdered Ruth? Cordially, Gregory E. Davis
hello Gregory, this is a very good and very complex question. As in most all disappearance and "suspected" murder investigations, the last people to have been with, or seen with or talked with the victim last, are always considered suspects until they can be cleared by a confirmed "alibi". The issue of an alibi was confused in the Ruth investigation because the established time of Mr. Ruth's disappearance was known only to those who were the prime suspects.
The prime suspects in Adolph Ruth's disappearance were: LeRoy Purnell, Jack Keenan and Collins Morse.
As the investigation proceeded and more facts and information were learned, a whole host of persons became what investigators called, "persons of interest".
Those people were, in no special order of importance; Ray Howland, Wm.A. Barkley, Milton Rose, Thomas Dickens, George B. Holmes.
It should be made clear that none of these people were accused of any wrongdoing. Nor were any of them ever charged with anything. They all were, however, questioned repeatedly by the Maricopa County Sheriff's office.
Maricopa Co. Deputy investigator Lon Jordan was the person in charge of the Ruth missing persons investigation. Later that investigation became a cause of death investigation. Sheriff MacFadden had little to do with the investigation because bu October of 1931 he was completely consumed by the Winnie Ruth-Judd double murder case. MacFaddens contribution to the Adolph Ruth matter was mostly photo ops.
A few things that contradict some myths and beliefs about the Adolph Ruth mystery: Adolph Ruth was perfectly able to drive his automobile. He shared expenses and driving time with a man going to the west coast. Ruth could not drive continuously and needed to be spelled because his right leg would eventually cramp up on him. This was due to his breaking his leg in the Anza-Borego desert looking for a lost mine in the 20's. Also Ruth's night vision was not good for driving after dark.
The man's name who accompanied Ruth to Arizona was known only to Adolph Ruth. Ruth's wife and family did not want him to make the trip to Arizona and they did not know the man who was accompanying him on the Journey. Ruth had purchased a new automobile in March 1931 for the trip, a 1930 Essex. Collins Cal Morse remembered meeting the man who accompanied Ruth and was introduced to him but later when pressed could not recall his name. The man waited at Morse's place for the bus then got on and finished his journey to California. Somehow a story got circulated that the man's name was McKnight, but McKnight was Wil McKnight a nephew or cousin of Tex Barkley who was working at the Barkley ranch and was present at Cal Morse Bus Stop and Gas Station when Mr. Ruth arrived there. Tex Barkley's mother was living in Mesa at the time, her maiden name was McKnight.
later on in the investigation, after Ruth's skull was found with what appeared to be a bullet hole through it, more names were added to the Sheriff's list of "persons of interest".
Matthew
