Харлан Эллисон: Murder Plus: True Crime Stories From The Masters Of Detective Fiction

Don Thompson maintained his innocence in the face of all this evidence. However, his shoe exactly matched the cast made from the tracks left on the Plant City airstrip.

Suits accompanied the lawmen when they went to Boca Grande Island. It was a matter of five hours’ search, however, before the two suitcases were located.

Thompson and Suits were returned to Bartow in Polk County, where the robbery had occurred. Here Sheriff Hagan Parris charged them with armed robbery and assault. They would also face charges of bank robbery, a Federal offense; plane theft; and car theft.

Two days after the daring bank robbery, Don Thompson admitted his part in the crime.

“We’d been casing airports looking for planes to cover our trail,” Thompson began. “There was one we saw in Clearwater. We were going to steal it, then change to the Aeronca. If we’d done that you’d never have caught us.

“But the plane in Clearwater — it just wouldn’t start. So we had to fly the Cessna into Gilbert Field at Winter Haven and leave it there when we took the Aeronca. We flew that job to Plant City and went on with the bank robbery.

“I understand that somebody saw us when we came back to Plant City for the Cessna, and reported us. That’s where we made our first mistake.”

Thompson shook his head sadly. “The second tough break,” he muttered, “was the weather. There was supposed to be a cold front moving in, with rough winds and a lot of rain. We figured that there would be no other light craft flying that day. But the rain didn’t come.”

The two accused men were returned to Fort Meade, where they directed the lawmen to the weeds along the road they’d taken after their gun battle with Police Chief Baggett and Perry Johnson. It wasn’t long before the revolver which Thompson and Suits had taken from Constable Godwin was found. The bandits had tossed it away before climbing aboard the Aeronca.

Thus the career of the two Jesse Jameses of the air came to an end. Thompson’s great war record will likely stand him in little stead when he comes to trial with Suits, first in Polk County, then in Hillsborough County, and finally before the Federal Court.

It must be remembered, however, that Donald Thompson and Irvin Suits are entitled to fair trials, at which time it will be determined whether they are innocent or guilty of the charges against them.

Bloch, Robert. “The Shambles of Ed Gein.” From The Quality of Murder: Three Hundred Years of True Crime, compiled by members of the Mystery Writers of America. Copyright © 1962. Renewed by Robert Bloch, © 1990. Reprinted by permission of the author and the author’s agents, Scott Meredith Literary Agency, Inc., 845 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10022.

Burgess, Charles. “A Killer with Women.” From Underworld Detective. Copyright © 1951 by World at War Publishing Co.

Champion, D. L. “Madame Murder.” From Master Detective. Copyright © 1954 by Macfadden Publications, Inc.

“Mystery Man Lucks and His Missing Bucks” by Harlan Ellison was originally published in Exposed magazine under the pseudonym “Ellis Hart.” Copyright © 1956 by Whitestone Publications, Inc. Renewed, copyright © 1984 by Harlan Ellison. Reprinted by arrangement with, and permission of, the author and the author’s agent, Richard Curtis Associates, Inc., New York. All rights reserved.

Faherty, Robert. “The Dancing Beauty and the Fatal Trap.” From Master Detective. Copyright 1949 by Macfadden Publications, Inc.

Fischer, Bruno. “The Footprint in the Snow.” From Master Detective. Copyright 1945 by Macfadden Publications, Inc.

Ford, Leslie. “Scar-Faced Fugitive and the Murdered Maid.” From Daring Detective. Copyright 1941 by Country Press, Inc.

Gardner, Erle Stanley. “The Case of the Movie Murder.” True Magazine. Copyright 1946 Fawcett Publications, Inc. Renewed, copyright © 1974 by Jean Bethell Gardner, as widow of the author. Reprinted with her permission.

Halliday, Brett. “Murder with Music.” From Master Detective. Copyright 1945 by Macfadden Publications, Inc.

Hammett, Dashiell. “Who Killed Bob Teal?” From True Detective Mysteries. Copyright 1924 by New Metropolitan Fiction, Inc.

Johnson, Nunnally. “A Scream in the Dark.” From True Detective Mysteries. Copyright 1925 by New Metropolitan Fiction, Inc.

Keene, Day (writing as William Richards). “Strangled.” From Underworld Detective. Copyright 1951 by World at War Publishing Co.

Lipsky Eleazar. “Shield of the Innocent.” From Detective: The Magazine of True Crime Stories. Copyright 1950 by Common Sense Publishing Co.

Palmer, Stuart. “Once Aboard the Lugger.” From Detective: The Magazine of True Crime Stories. Copyright 1951 by Common Sense Publishing Co.

Quentin, Patrick. “The Last of Mrs. Maybrick.” Copyright 1943 by Pocket Books, Inc.

Rice, Craig. “1933 — The Wynekoop Case.” From Chicago Murders. Copyright 1945 Duell, Sloan, Pearce; renewed, copyright © 1973 by Hawthorn Books, Inc. Reprinted by permission of the author and the author’s agents, Scott Meredith Literary Agency, Inc., 845 Third Avenue, New York, New York 10022.

Thompson, Jim. “Case of the Catalogue Clue.” From Master Detective. Copyright 1948 by Macfadden Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of the author’s widow, Ms. Alberta Thompson.

Treat, Lawrence. “The Body in Sector R.” From Master Detective. Copyright 1945 by Macfadden Publications, Inc.

Van Dine, S. S. “Germany’s Mistress of Crime.” From True Magazine. Copyright 1943 by Country Press, Inc.

White, Lionel. “Clue of the Poison Pen.” From True Magazine, July 1942. Copyright 1942 by Country Press, Inc.

Whittington, Harry. “Invaders from the Sky.” From True Police Cases. Copyright © 1958 by Fawcett Publications, Inc. Renewed, copyright © 1985 by CBS Magazines, a division of CBS, Inc. Reprinted by arrangement with JET Literary Associates, Inc.

While every effort has been made to trace authors, publishers, and copyright holders, in some cases this has proved impossible, and the editor would be glad to hear from any such parties so that omissions can be rectified in future editions of this book.