The Conrad Baby Body Snatching
Tragedy struck on April 4, 1909 when 3 year old Arthur Gael Conrad died from spinal meningitis. Harfield Conrad, the boy’s father, had taken Baby Conrad from their home in Great Falls to southern California to improve his condition. His wife was sick at the Columbus Hospital at the time, and they chose to delay informing her, as they feared the shock would kill her as well. Conrad returned with his son’s body and buried him in Highland Cemetery. As if losing their son was not heartbreak enough, in November of that year, they were struck by another tragedy. The morning of the 25th, James Salmon, the Sexton of the Highland Cemetery, discovered Baby Conrad’s grave disturbed and that his body had been taken. The boy’s casket was placed at the entrance of the cemetery, indicating the robbers wanted their crime to be discovered. The Conrad family was well to do and involved in banking in several Montana cities. Everyone knew what was coming next, a ransom note.
Portrait of Arthur Gael Conrad, 3 years old, leaning against a chair. A small toy elephant is placed on the chair. Photographer J. M. Moriarty. [THM 1989.054.0557]
For months, local papers were silent as the police and Conrad worked to retrieve his son’s body. Conrad received letters from the body snatchers, and he had made one attempt at making a trade, but that had failed. Then in March 1910, the papers lit up again when two people were arrested in connection with the grave robbery. Conrad had been seeing a woman for fortune telling card readings, and she had revealed details that had not been made public. She also accurately predicted the next steps the body snatchers would take. Conrad went to the police.
The card reading woman was identified at Alice Locker, and she and her husband Fred Locker were taken to jail. The pair were found not guilty to being accessories to the grave robbing but did time for unlawful cohabitation. The woman, Alice Lutz, had been living with Fred Locker for years, but the two were never formally married. She did four months, and he did six months; both were also fined. The newspaper became quiet again.
For some time after, Conrad had been receiving letters signed W. C. Hastings who offered to restore the body upon payment of $1,500. The letters instructed Conrad to answer by placing a personal ad in the Great Falls Tribune and initialing it “H. C.”
Great Falls Tribune Clipping, Saturday, October 8, 1910. “H.C.” to W. C. Hastings
Hastings then sent him instructions:
“Mr. Harfteild Conrad: This is what you must do, take a one seated automobile and one man with you and go out on the road that goes through Little Chicago and northeast over the hills, till you come to the telephone line, then follow the road going to Floweree and Fort Benton, you must have a light in front at your feet and one behind so we can see no one is in the car only the two of you, and put the money fifteen hundred dollars all in 20 dollar gold pieces in a sack and all the letters you have ever got from us in a good strong white sack, and just as soon as you drop the sack, and watch for a light on the left hand side of the road, and drive your car at a speed of 15 mph and just as soon as you see the light drop the sack out on the side the light is on, close to the car, but do not stop or slow up, and just as soon as you drop the sack increase your speed to 20 mph and keep on toward Fort Benton for three or four miles and then turn back and go back to the city. … If you do as directed and deal square the body will be returned as promised in 48 hours, but if anything is done to attempt to arrest us the body will be destroyed that night and the matter ended forever. Now we mean business for the last time.”
Conrad sought advice from his friends. He enlisted the help of former-Sheriff Joe Hamilton to ride in the vehicle with him. They filled a sack with iron washers instead of money. Groups of officers were set to come from Fort Benton and to watch the bridges across the river and the entrance to the city. The plans changed last minute however, and Arthur Conrad, Harfield’s brother, rode in the car instead of former-Sheriff Hamilton. As the boys went on their way, mix ups ensued. They dropped the sack of “coins” at the wrong light along the road, so they dropped a handkerchief at the correct spot in hopes of attracting the blackmailers anyway.
They went out a ways past then turned around to head back to town. The Conrad brothers saw a man in the dark by where they had dropped the handkerchief. The man raised his gun and both Conrad brothers fired at him as they went by. They then continued back to where they had dropped the bag of washers to meet up with Hamilton. Hamilton was not there upon their arrival and a horrible suspicion came upon them. They drove back to where they had fired upon the suspected grave robber and found that they had in fact shot their friend. They became almost unhinged as they sped back to those waiting near the edge of the city. Sheriff Collins and Chief Pontet verified the tragedy. Who fired the fated bullet could not be determined by the coroner.
The body of Arthur Gael Conrad was never recovered.
Portrait of Arthur Gael Conrad, nicknamed “Taddy,” by W. S. Sutton, c. 1909. [CCHS 102.5]
-Megan Sanford, Archives Administrator