"Midst the lily pads of a little fish pond watched over by the statue of a mysterious old gnome, death today had ended the life of Mrs. Mary James, three months the bride of Robert James, who found her lying face down in the pond when he returned to their West Eighth street home with friends last night. Arrow points out where Mrs. James' body was found. Standing is Viola Lueck, who had come with James to visit his wife. At right is the statue of the gnome, the only eye-witness to the tragedy, smoking his pipe silently."
Source:
LAPL
In 1935 Mary Busch, 27, answered an ad placed by beauty parlor/barber shop owner Robert James, who was looking for a manicurist for his shop. Soon after she was hired, she and James were married and she became pregnant three months later. On the evening of August 3, 1935, Busch became ill while working at the shop and was sent home. On Monday, August 5th, with Busch still "ill" and unable to work, James ran the shop on his own; after closing at 7:30 pm he invited two friends, Viola Lueck and her boyfriend Jim Pemberton, over for dinner. When they arrived at their home and didn't find Busch inside, they went out back and found her lying face down in the fishpond. Police and a physician arrived at the home, where they pronounced Busch dead at the scene, victim of an accidental drowning. It was surmised she had become dizzy due to her pregnancy, had fallen, and struck her head on one of the rocks used to rim the pool, though no evidence of a head injury was found. When Robert James filed a claim to collect on his wife's insurance policies totaling $21,400, he launched a chain of events that would lead to his downfall. After further investigation, it was determined that he and another man, Charles Hope, had concocted an elaborate scheme to murder Mary Busch. James convinced Busch to have an illegal abortion procedure, but instead, had her consume several glasses of whisky as "anesthesia", and strapped her down to a table with her eyes and mouth taped shut, he then stuck her foot into a box containing two Colorado diamond-back snakes who immediately sunk their fangs into her big toe. Hours passed and Busch still had not died, so James decided to drown her in the bathtub, and with Hope's help, arranged her body in the fishpond to make it appear as if she had tripped and fell in head-first. When confronted with evidence, Hope and James turned on each other. Hope agreed to turn states evidence and pled guilty to first-degree murder, receiving a life sentence. James went to trial for the murder of his wife, where the jury returned a guilty verdict and sentenced him to death by hanging. On May 9, 1942, Robert James became the last man to be hanged in California (capital punishment became more "humane" with the adoption of the gas chamber soon after).
Photograph shows a see-through crate with two large Colorado diamondback snakes, which appear curled and ready to strike. These snakes are similar to those that allegedly were used by Robert James and Charles Hope to poison James' wife, Mary Busch James in an attempt to kill her.
Source:
LAPL
"Charles Hope is shown at right watching officers re-enact his story of how James assertedly put his wife's foot into a box that contained deadly rattlesnakes, shortly before he allegedly drowned her."
Source:
LAPL
"White and wan, Robert S. James, marrying barber, shown standing up in court, was sentenced today to be hanged on the gallows for the rattlesnake torture and bathtub drowning of his seventh bride, Mary Busch James. He scarcely batted an eye at the "jolt."" Note: Pictured with James is his lawyer, Samuel Silverman (left), and a Deputy identified as George Perdue.
Source:
LAPL
"Robert James, barber shop Casanova convicted of the dastardly rattlesnake torture murder of his seventh bride, is shown in jail holding the two hack saws that were sent through the mail addressed to him in a daring and desperate escape plan. Arrows point out the two 14-inch black steel saws. The saws were found by attaches who inspected the mail."
Source:
LAPL
"Doomed to swing high on the gallows tree, Robert James is shown when he slept fitfully on the cot in his jail cell early today after jailors had taken a razor blade from his bedding. Officials believed he planned to end his life after the jury returned its verdict finding him guilty of first-degree murder in the rattlesnake torture and drowning of his seventh bride. James was wan and haggard on his cot and officials said he reminded them of a man already hanged."
Source:
LAPL
"In this fish pond at the rear of the La Canada home of Robert S. James, his pretty wife, Mary Busch, was found dead seven years ago. Today, this scene was recalled as James, convicted of using rattlesnakes to help kill his wife, was hanged at San Quentin Prison."
Source:
LAPL