WAS HE A VICTIM OF "SLOW MURDER?" - Col. Milton B. Green

In doing research for this blog I came across an interesting photograph from 1938:

along with this caption:

I had never heard of Col. Green or his slow murder, so I decided this would make a good story of this blog, and I was right.

Before we look further into the death, burial and exhumation of Col. Green, let's see what else we can "dig up" about him:

Milton Buris Green was born January 4, 1860 in Montford, Grant County, Wisconsin.  His parents were Rufus Pratt Green (1838-1915) and Jenette Kiterus Berdine (1837-1928).  Rufus Green was a farmer by trade.  Rufus and Jenette married September 17, 1855 in Berrien, Michigan.  It was said that they had nine children, but I could only find eight:  Uri (1856-1856), Milton B. (1860-1938), Benjamin Stiles (1862-????), Rufus Grant (1864-1885), Harriet May/Mrs. Ralph V. B. Dunlap (1867-1962),  Alice Jeanette (1869-1870), Myrtle E. (1874-1973), and Burrel Pratt (1878-1930).

Milton makes his first official appearance in the 1860 US Census.  The family was living in the Town of Clifton, Grant County, Wisconsin and consisted of:  Rufus (27 years old), Jenette (22) and Milton B. (6/12).  Rufus said he was a Farmer and had Real Estate worth $1,000.00 ($39,000 in today's funds), and Personalty of $500.00 ($19,000 in today's funds).

In the 1870 US Census, the Green Family was living in Fennimore, Grant County,  Wisconsin.  The family consisted of:  R. P. (37 years old), Jenette K. (32), Milton B. (10), Benjamin S. (8), Rufus G. (5), Hattie M. (3), and Alice J. (1).  Living with the family was Laborer Alex Howard (19).  Now Rufus said he owned Real Estate worth $4,500,00 ($110,000 in today's funds) and Personalty worth $1,000.00 ($25,000 in today's funds).

On October 3, 1879, the Boscobel (WI) Dial newspaper reported the following:

Fanny Clarissa Hubbard (1860-1924) was born in May of 1860 in Richland, Ithaca County, Wisconsin to Delos L. Hubbard (1821-1899) and Theresa Elmira Shepard (1831-1876).  Delos was a minister in the Methodist-Episcopal Church.  Delos and Theresa had married October 7, 1849 in Blac River Falls, Wisconsin.   In addition to Fannie they had two other children:  Mary Theresa (1857-1866) and Byron Lamertine (1864-1866).  

The 1880 US Census has the newlyweds living in Alexandria, Thayer County, Nebraska.  The family consisted of:  M.B. Green (21 years old) and wife Fanny (20).  M.B. said he was a "Laborer"; Fanny was "Keeping House."  None of the other columns of information for this census were filled out.

Milton and Fanny were blessed with a daughter in 1880 that they named Merle Green (1880-1905).  Merle's first name is sometimes spelled "Mirle."  Some sources say that Merle was born in Illinois, other sources say Iowa, still others say Nebraska.

On November 12, 1898, Merle Green married Thomas Leonil McGrath (1872-1920) in Chicago, Illinois.  The bride was eighteen; the groom was twenty-six.

The 1898 City Directory for Sioux City, Iowa shows that Milton B. Green was a Travelling Agent for the Standard Oil Company.  They were living at 210 Ninth Street in Sioux City.  That number no longer exists in Sioux City.  

On September 27, 1899 Merle Green McGrath gave birth to a daughter in Sioux City, Iowa that they named Manjonita McGrath.

Milton and Fanny Green were also said to have had another child, "Maneta" born in Iowa in 1899.  This is obviously their granddaughter, not daughter.  This will become more apparent later.

The 1900 US Census shows the Green family living at 311 9th Street in Sioux City, Iowa.  That number no longer exists on 9th Street.  Since Merle had married in 1898, the family consisted only of Milton B. (40 years old), and Fannie C. (40).  Fanny said she had given birth to one child, and that child was still alive in 1900.  Milton listed his occupation as "Traveling Salesman," and said he had been employed for all of the previous twelve months.

Merle Green McGrath died May 9, 1905 in Lincoln, Nebraska.  She was twenty-five years old.  Here is her obituary from the Saginaw (MI) News of May 16, 1905:

At her request she was buried in Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois:

Photo courtesy of Find a Grave volunteer Wittenized

As indicated in her obituary, Merle's parents would take over the raising of her daughter Manjonita.

The 1910 US Census contributes to much of the confusion about "who's who."  The census finds the Green family living at 322 N. Baum in Saginaw.  A parking lot occupies that space today.  The family consisted of Milton B. (age 50), wife Fanny C. (49) and "Daughter" Manita (11).  Fanny said she had given birth to one child and that child was still alive in 1910.  

This is why I always warn about using census data as hard facts when working on your family tree.  One could tell the census taker virtually anything and not have to back it up.

Milton Green reported his occupation as "Salesman" and the Industry "Traveler."  He said they rented their house, and it was not on a farm.

In 1913 Milton Green went to work for the Imperial Oil Company in Canada, and in 1916, they transferred him to Calgary, Ontario, Canada.

Here is a sworn affidavit he had to provide to the Canadian government to register as an American citizen living in Canada:

They state in this Certificate that Manjonita is their adopted daughter - not their granddaughter.  They said they had officially adopted her; they may have or they may have not.  This is partly how the confusion about the number and names of their children came about.

Milton's father, Rufus Pratt Green died December 31, 1915 in Fennimore, Grant County, Wisconsin.  He was eighty-two years old.  His lengthy obituary was in the Fennimore (WI) Times of January 12, 1916:

I love small town obituaries because they provide so much wonderful genealogy and family history data - and this one even has a photo of the departed.

Here is his tombstone in the Ebenezer Cemetery, Annaton, Wisconsin:

Since they had moved to Canada, Milton Green and family did not participate in the 1920 US Census.  They did, however participate in the 1921 Census of Canada.  They were living at 530 4th Avenue West in Calgary.  A parking lot now occupies that space.

The Census form indicates that Milton Green was 61 years old, as was Fanny.  They came to Canada from the US in 1913.  They told the census taker they were Methodists, that Milton was a Manager for an Oil Company and that he made $1500.00 per year (about $24,000 Canadian in today's funds).  They said they rented their five room apartment for $75 per month rent, and that the apartment building was brick.

Fannie Hubbard Green died in Los Angeles, California on August 25, 1924.  She was sixty-four years old.   The Cause of Death was bladder cancer, but she had previously had radium treatments for uterine cancer.

Fannie Hubbard Green

Here is her Death Certificate:

She has decided to be buried next to her daughter in Illinois - at Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park.  When her information was added to the monument she had her husband's information added to the stone as well, except obviously for the Year of Death.  She assumed that when his time came he would want to be buried with his wife and daughter.

On August 3, 1927 Milton B. Green married Ruby Elizabeth Hardy Pickens (1893-1948) in Los Angeles.  The groom was sixty-seven; the bride was thirty-three.

Ruby Elizabeth Hardy (Hardie, Hardee) was born in Texas on October 8, 1893.  On April 5, 1908 when she was fourteen years old, she married J. Claude Pickens, Jr. in Freestone County, Texas.  The groom was twenty-one and a clerk in a local hotel.  J. Claude Pickens, Jr. died on January 3, 1912 in Teague, Freestone County, Texas.  He died from spinal meningitis and had only been ill for one day.  He was twenty-four years old and Ruby was a widow when she was only nineteen.  The quarantine in Teague was immediate and it does not appear that anyone else was stricken.

The 1920 US Census shows that widow Ruby Pickens was still living in Teague, Texas.  She was living with her mother-in-law Mary Pickens, who ran a boarding house.

When she moved to California sometime between 1920 and 1927 she reverted to her maiden name Ruby Elizabeth Hardy although newspapers occasionally referred to her as Ruby Pickens.

Here are Milton and Ruby Green about the time of their marriage:

Milton Buris Green

                                           

Milton Green's mother, Jenette Kiterus Berdine Green died January 4, 1928 in Grant County, Wisconsin.  She was ninety years old.  She was buried beside her husband in the Ebenezer Cemetery, Annaton, Wisconsin:

Photo courtesy of Find a Grave volunteer Luxuryliners

In the issue of January 25, 1928, the Los Angeles Evening Express reported under "Notice of Intention to Marry" the names of Ralph R. McCord and Manita C. Green.  Apparently Manjonita had shortened her name.  Ralph said he was twenty-four years old - he was actually one month shy of his twenty-forth birthday.  Manita said she was twenty-three years old, she actually was twenty-eight and older than her fiance.  More on them later. 

I was not able to find either Milton or Ruby Green in the 1930 US Census.  They are, however, listed in the 1934 City Directory for Westwood, California.  They were living at 1714 Warnall Avenue:

1714 Warnall Avenue, Westwood, California

Milton Buris Green died May 14, 1938 in the Santa Monica Hospital in Santa Monica, California.  The Cause of Death was a heart attack and rupture of the heart.  There was an autopsy performed.  Here is his Death Certificate:

Here is his Death Notice from the Los Angeles Times of May 16-17, 1938:

Note that Milton's Death Notice mentioned his second wife Ruby but nothing about his daughter.  

Ruby did not ship his body back to Forest Park, Illinois for the grave awaiting him there next to his first wife and daughter.  Instead she had him buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale in Section M, Map 01, Lot 602, Space 4:

Before he died, Milton Green let his wife and daughter know what he was leaving them.  He showed his daughter stock certificates in an oil company he said were worth $25,000.00.  He said these would be his daughter's after his death.

Then he showed his wife stock certificates in an oil company he said were worth $50,000.00.  He told his wife these would be hers after his death.  

After Milton's death Ruby Green and her step-daughter Manita McCord went to the place where Milton Green kept his valuable papers, but there we no stock certificates to be found.

Manita McCord had had enough.  She went to the local sheriff and accused her step-mother of theft and murder and demanded that her father's body be exhumed:

The Oakland Post Enquirer - 26 Jul 1938

When Milton Green's will was presented for probate, it was found that he had left everything to his wife and nothing to his granddaughter/daughter Manjonita.  She immediately filed a suit contesting his will in Superior Court.

The Los Angeles Times - 26 Jul 1938

Manjonita claimed that Green was going to change his will because he found out that Ruby was having a "clandestine love affair."  Thus she provided what she thought was the motive for Ruby killing her husband.

The Santa Maria (CA) Times - 26 Jul 1938 

Right after he died, an autopsy had been performed on Green's body and no evidence of foul play had been found.  But Manjonita accused her wicked step-mother of killing Green by slow-poisoning - not killing by a massive dose of poison but killing by administering small amounts of poison that would build up in the body over time and eventually kill the intended victim. 

Strangely, starting in newspaper accounts from July 27, 1938 onward, Milton B. Green is now referred to as "Colonel Milton B. Green."  I could not find any evidence that Milton Green had ever served in the military, nor is there anything connecting him to Kentucky, so he was not a Kentucky Colonel.  A clue is found in the article from the L.A. Daily News from July 27, 1938:

Milton Green was a Colonel in the Knights Templar, a group that has evolved into a fraternal charitable organization today.

Here is a photo of a modern Knights Templar uniform.  Colonel Green's body would have been wearing a similar uniform when he was buried:

Also found in Green's casket was this photo of Ruby Green:

Los Angeles Daily News - 27 Jul 1938

It took a little time for the analysis to be completed, but the final results were revealed on August 9, 1938:

The Los Angeles Times - 09 Aug 1938

Colonel Green and his family disappeared from the newspapers until December 13, 1938 when it was announced that everything had been settled before the case went to trial:

The Los Angeles Times - 14 Dec 1938

Colonel Milton Buris Green - oilman and Knight Templar, may he rest in peace.

THE REST OF THE STORY

After Colonel Green's death and aftermath, Ruby Green moved to 11036 Westwood Boulevard in Culver City, California.  

11036 Westwood Boulevard, Culver City, CA

Ruby Elizabeth Hardy Pickens Green died in her home on February 17, 1948, apparently of natural causes.  She had been dead in her home for at least 24 hours before her body was discovered.  She was fifty-four years old.  Here is her Death Certificate:

Here is her obituary from the Venice (CA) Evening Vanguard from February 24, 1948:

As it said, she had no known relatives - I wonder who the Leo Anderson was who provided the information for her Death Certificate?

She was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, in the Commemoration Section, Map 1, Lot 3136, Space 3:

Manjonita McGrath McCord died July 7, 1969 in El Cerrito, California.  She was sixty-nine years old.  Her husband Ralph R. McCord died February 14, 1984 in Los Angeles, California.  He was eighty years old.  I was unable to find any interment record for either Manita or Ralph.  They had no children.