contemporaneous politician do their best to supply us with a unfaltering stream of scandals . But the strange compositor’s case of New Jersey State Senator — shot by his schoolma’am , Ruth Jayne Cranmer , in 1931 — would seize headlines even today . This was during Prohibition , of grade , but it begin with slews of gin rummy .
Four bottles , to be exact , according to this report fromthe August 24 , 1931 subject of Time magazine :
Roy T. Yates , 35 - year - sometime New Jersey State Senator , marital , father of three , sat down and start drink knock rummy with a Miss Ruth Jayne Cranmer , whom he was maintaining in a Manhattan apartment . After their fourth nursing bottle of gin , they fell to quarreling about Miss Cranmer ’s valuation reserve and apartment rent which seemed too expensive to Senator Yates . subsequently still Senator Yates was shot in the venter .
There are quite a few red-hot detail contained in that paragraph , no ? Once the public make a feel at Miss Ruth Jayne Cranmer , a “ fetchingly attired … 27 - year - one-time blonde ” ( some sourcesgave her years as 25 ) , the scandal attracted even more interest as the fact of the shot come to light . The volatile pair had been an item forfive yearsprior to the incident ; Yates had told his mistress that he was “ alienated ” from his married woman , and had been paying for her tear and expense . ( In add-on to being a State Senator , he was also a banker . )
But clock time were bad all over in 1933 , and Yates had decided he was through with paying Cranmer ’s rental ; it ’s ill-defined if he was sample to encourage her to move to a bum spot , or if he was through with Cranmer , too . story does n’t separate us , and it ’s likely neither shooter nor victim recalled the disceptation ’s finer points , anyway ( again : four bottles of noose ) . It seems apparent that Cranmer may have shoot her buff in ego - defense , since she wasfound to have contusion on her neckwhen the ambulance arrive to take Yates aside . Of naturally , she claimed she could n’t actually remember commit the induction :
While being questioned at the constabulary batting order , she abide jauntily in the glare of floodlight and say “ I do n’t screw , I do n’t remember , ” when told she was charge with shooting the banker - senator .
Fortunately for Yates , Cranmer was n’t a groovy shot . The gun , which was found in the courtyardafter having seemingly been dispose from a window , had one empty shield in it ; there were five case on the floor and four slug in the wall . One bullet found it mode into Yates ’ abdomen .
Fortunately for Cranmer , though Yates ’ condition was first deemed “ serious , ” and it was thought he might not pull through , he made a full recuperation , and explicate the defrayal he ’d been making to Cranmer as pay for “ research work . ”
Yates , chairman of the New Jersey pension resume commissioning , defended the employment of Miss Cranmer by that department . He said the $ 556 for which checks had been written in her behalf had been earned by her over a period of three or four months during which she did work at his direction .
As a answer of those payments , Yatesbecame the target of an investigationby the New Jersey State Senate Judiciary committee , and he resigned . And or else of execution , Cranmer was turn on with “ criminal assault ” and subsequently cleared .
And there ’s an odd P.S. to this tale . Comely Miss Ruth Jayne Cranmer resurface in 1933 after she sued oneMerle M. Hoover , a teacher at Columbia University , whom she insisted had agreed to fund her education at the shoal and rule her a job after graduation . Hoover denied ever make up such a promise , stating he ’d only want to helpcounsel her through the psychological aftereffectsof the shot incident — but Crenmer insist he made the vow if she would fit in to “ demolish sure alphabetic character . ” The content of those letters , alas , are unknown .
Images of Ruth Jayne Cranmer : AP Photo
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