Mindhunter
What was the motive for the murder of Father Patrick Heslin? The police admitted to some puzzlement over that issue. Probably the best evidence we have as to the killer’s mindset is provided by the only genuine ransom letter in the case. The demand letter was mailed to St. Mary’s Cathedral from downtown San Francisco sometime before 10 am on August 3rd. Heslin was kidnapped from the Colma rectory around 9 pm on the 2nd, and most likely was murdered minutes later at the cliffs where his body would be found, buried in a shallow grave. The letter was typed, except for the date, the words “of Colma,” which were filled in an underlined space, and a hand-printed postscript.
AUG - 3RD
Act with caution for I have father of Colma in boot leg cellar, where a lighted candle is left burning when I leave, and at bottom of the candle are all the chemicals necessary to generate enough poison gas to kill a dozen men, and as he is fastened with chains you will see that he is in a very bad way and if I am arrested, or bothered in any way, I will leave him just where he is and in two hours from the time I leave him he will be dead. The candle will not burn more than an hour and a half after I leave him, for I cut it at that length.
[Withheld sentence interpolated]1 You damn Catholics made my wife believe that she was not married to me at all and she got a division of property amounting to $6500, and your damned bunch must make it good.
If door is opened to this cellar by any one except myself, it will ignite a bunch of matches, and upset a can of gasoline on top of him, and the entire police force and all your damned knights2 would not be able to get the chains off of him before he would burn to death. SO THE ONE BEST BET IS FOR YOU TO GET THE SIXTY-FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS IN FIVES TENS TWENTIES FIFTYS AND HUNDREDS BUT NONE HIGHER THAN HUNDREDS AND BE SURE THERE IS NO MARKS ON THEM FOR IF ANYTHING AROUSES MY SUSPICION I WILL LEAVE HIM TO DIE RIGHT WHERE HE IS. I had charge of a machine gun in the Argonne, and poured thousands of bullets into struggling men, and killing men is no novelty to me, besides it will be your own bunch that will kill him if you do not do just as you are told.
GET THE SIXTY-FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS IN UNMARKED BILLS WRAP IN PACKAGE AND SEAL IT FOR THE TWO MEN WHO WILL HANDLE IT BEFORE IT GETS TO ME THINK IT IS DOPE, so dont leave it unsealed or it might not reach me after you had sent it.
Have car ready with spot light, and you will get instructions what road to take and you will tum the spotlight upward and drive slowly until you see a white strip across the road, then stop, get out with the money, leave car, and follow the string that is attached to white strip until you come to end of string, then put down package, and go back to town, and remember your brother does not get out until I have the money and am in the clear, besides an [… about 18 words “smeared with ink” or possibly withheld …], he is complaining of the pain when he is not gagged so he cannot make a complaint. Better have a doctor ready with you, and be at the house where he lived, and wait for the messenger with the instructions what road to take. REMEMBER JUST ONE MAN IN THAT CAR, and he had better be careful, for if he looks suspicious he will be tagged with a hand grenade, as have six of them ready for any treachery, and the waiting man will not be seen at all, and he will not see the man to whom he passes the package, and the second man gives it to me, but remember, if the cops are notified, or any move made that will make it dangerous for me, l will not send you the instructions how to find him and release him, besides, if this becomes public it will be seen how easy it is to trap you bunch of imposters, and others will go and do likewise. “Nuff said” “It's up to you”.
You will get the message about nine oclock at night, perhaps tonight, perhaps tomorrow night.
HAD-TO-HITT HIM FOUR TIMES AND HE IS UNCONCIOUS FROM PRESSURE ON BRAIN
SO BETTER HURRY AND NO FOOLING
TO-NIGHT AT 9 CLOCK
The immediate impressions of the police handwriting expert, E. O. Heinrich, reported in the San Francisco Bulletin, are noteworthy. If the author of the letter was the small, dark “muffled stranger” who called at the rectory, then his broken English at the time was play-acted. Heinrich opined that the writer was English-trained, educated, widely read on popular science matters including chemistry, was feigning a knowledge of the criminal underworld, and that his purpose was to inspire fear rather than to score big money off a ransom. All of which sounds perfectly reasonable, as far as it goes…
The withholding of remarks connecting the $6500 ransom demand to a loss incurred by the kidnapper due to a divorce or annulment was acknowledged three days after the publication of the letter. See “Anti-Church Fanatic Bared as Kidnaper,” San Francisco Examiner, August 8, 1921. The only exact quote I have seen came from Hightower’s defense counsel, William F. Herron, at trial. See “Final Pleas in Hightower Case Follow Holiday,” Oakland Tribune, October 12, 1921. There may be more that was withheld — the Examiner story mentions sentences (plural). I have guessed the original location of the deleted sentence.
A reference to the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic fraternal order which was then convening in San Francisco.