- 2 days ago
Jean De Koven travelled from New York to Paris with her Aunt in 1937, but a few days later she disappeared.
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Please remember to subscribe and hit the bell icon as well as leave a like and a comment for more videos every week!
Brief Case is a True Crime Channel focusing on old or lost cases that have been forgotten to history. If you have any recommendations for future cases that you would like to bring to light, feel free to reach out to me to: briefcaseuk@gmail.com
Music by CO.AG Music - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwZB4l43iTw&t=105s
Music by Myuu -https://www.youtube.com/user/myuuji
Music by Kevin Macleod - https://incompetech.com
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NewsTranscript
00:07Today we are looking at a case from the first part of the 20th century.
00:12So sit back as we go to France.
00:19Jean de Coven was born on the 29th of March 1915 in Boston, Massachusetts.
00:25She grew up in the 1920s, an exciting time that saw dramatic social and political change.
00:32It was a decade that would see for the first time more Americans living in cities and on farms.
00:38Culture changed as people had access to radios and telephones.
00:42Picture palaces became very popular, which were large urban theatres that could seat up to 2,000.
00:49And by 1925, 50 million people a week went to the cinema.
00:53By 1929, half the homes in America owned a radio.
00:58Jean had great interest in dance and trained in both ballet and classical dancing.
01:03And soon after she finished her education, she moved to New York, where she taught dance classes.
01:09In 1937, when Jean was 22 years old, she travelled to Paris with her aunt.
01:15She was very excited about the trip.
01:17Paris in the summer was a very beautiful place.
01:19And the city was hosting the World Fair, which had been described as one of the most spectacular cultural events
01:26of the 20th century.
01:27They took a room at the Hotel Ambassador, which was situated on the city's left bank, south-east of the
01:33River Seine.
01:34It was a good location.
01:36Most of the main attractions were within walking distance, and there was a metro stop nearby.
01:42Jean spent the first few days walking down the boulevards, taking coffee in the cafes,
01:46and looking at the architecture, whose enduring appeal had made the city one of the most visited and well-loved
01:52in the world.
01:54When Jean and her aunt were having trouble locating a friend in the hotel,
01:58they were pleased to accept the assistance of a young man, who offered to act as an interpreter.
02:02He was very charming, and introduced himself as Siegfried.
02:06They chatted for a while, and he told the two ladies to just call him Bobby.
02:11They all seemed to get on well.
02:13He asked if he could meet Jean again.
02:15She agreed, and they arranged to go out a few days later.
02:19Excited by the prospect, she quickly composed a letter to a friend.
02:23In it, she wrote,
02:24I have just met a charming German, of keen intelligence, who calls himself Siegfried.
02:30Perhaps I am going to another Wagnerian role.
02:33Who knows?
02:34I am going to visit him tomorrow at his villa, in a beautiful place,
02:38near a famous mansion, that Napoleon gave Josephine.
02:41On the 26th of July, 1937, Jean said goodbye to her aunt,
02:46and went to meet the young man she had met just a few days earlier.
02:49It was a nice sunny day.
02:51She walked along the boulevards towards his villa.
02:53However, Siegfried, or Bobby, as he was sometimes known,
02:57seemed to be quite intelligent, with a good knowledge of history,
03:01architecture, and the arts.
03:03Jean was quite at ease in his company,
03:05and took pictures with her recently purchased camera.
03:09Later that evening, Jean's aunt, Miss Ida Sackheim,
03:13was becoming quite concerned.
03:15Her niece had not returned.
03:16They were supposed to be going to the opera together,
03:19something that she knew Jean had been looking forward to.
03:21She could not understand why she had not come back,
03:24and started to wonder,
03:25if the young man she had gone out with,
03:27was actually who he said he was.
03:29They'd only ever met on one previous occasion.
03:32All sorts of thoughts entered her mind.
03:34Her anxiety was eased early the next day,
03:37when a telegram arrived,
03:39informing her that everything was fine,
03:41and not to worry.
03:42Miss Sackheim was still not convinced that all was well,
03:45and went to the police.
03:46However, they were quite unconcerned.
03:49It was not unusual for a young lady to spend a night away with a young man.
03:53They assured her,
03:54that her niece would no doubt soon return.
03:56That evening,
03:57there was still no sign of Jean.
03:59Another note arrived,
04:01addressed to Miss Sackheim.
04:03This time,
04:03it stated that her niece had been kidnapped,
04:06and that she would have to pay $500 for her safe release.
04:10Miss Sackheim,
04:11immediately went back to the police station.
04:13The police, however,
04:14did not pay much attention to the notes,
04:16and did not believe that the missing girl,
04:18was actually missing.
04:20They thought,
04:21that it was all just an elaborate way,
04:23of her trying to attract some publicity.
04:26Although,
04:26they did agree to keep an eye on the places mentioned,
04:29where the kidnapper would meet Miss Sackheim,
04:31to collect the ransom.
04:33Miss Sackheim,
04:34then informed the American consulate.
04:36She told the official,
04:38that Jean had left the hotel with 300 francs,
04:40and $430 of traveller's checks on her person.
04:44Soon after,
04:46there were reports,
04:47that her traveller's checks had started to be cashed.
04:49The person who cashed them,
04:50would have had to have signed for them,
04:52and produced her passports.
04:53So it would either mean,
04:55that Jean was cashing them herself,
04:57or someone was impersonating her.
04:59The police investigated.
05:01They discovered,
05:01that the signatures were not particularly convincing.
05:04They were all so surprised,
05:05that it was not some backstreet money shop,
05:07that had accepted them,
05:08but highly respectable institutions,
05:11including a perfumery,
05:13two banks,
05:14and the Place de l'Opera.
05:16With no news of Miss Jean de Coven,
05:18the American consulate,
05:19started to put pressure on the French authorities,
05:22to invest more time,
05:23in their attempts to find her.
05:25On the 7th of August,
05:26the kidnapping was made public,
05:28and for the first time,
05:29was written about in the press.
05:31Soon reported sightings,
05:32of the missing young lady,
05:34appeared all over the country,
05:35and with all the new interest,
05:37in the disappearance.
05:38Jean de Coven's brother named Henry,
05:40arrived in Paris,
05:42and offered a 10,000 franc reward,
05:44for information that resulted,
05:46in his sister being located.
05:48In a statement he said,
05:49in our modest family,
05:51my sister is considered,
05:52a serious minded girl,
05:54incapable of the acts,
05:55which have been insinuated,
05:57either any escapade,
05:58or publicity stunts.
06:00The police had noted discrepancies,
06:02with the telegrams,
06:03received by the missing lady's aunts.
06:05The first one,
06:06had addressed her as Aunt Sackie,
06:08although Jean always referred to her aunts,
06:10as Aunt Sackie.
06:12Miss Sackine believed,
06:13that the person behind,
06:14the disappearance of Jean,
06:16was without doubt,
06:17the young man,
06:17who had come to her aid,
06:19when they were looking for a friend.
06:20She believed,
06:21that he was Austrian or Swiss.
06:23However,
06:24since the story,
06:25had appeared in the press,
06:26there had been no more messages,
06:28from the alleged kidnappers,
06:29and no more attempts,
06:30to cash Jean's traveller's checks.
06:35On the 8th of September 1937,
06:38the body of a chauffeur,
06:39named Joseph Kufi,
06:41was found on the Paris-Orléans road,
06:43near the city of Tor,
06:45one of the largest cities,
06:46in the Val-de-Loire region.
06:48He had been shot,
06:49in the back of the neck.
06:50There was no trace of his car,
06:52and about 2,500 francs,
06:55was missing from his wallet.
06:56A post-mortem revealed,
06:58that he had been dead,
06:59for about a week.
07:00The police investigated,
07:01and discovered,
07:02that the deceased,
07:03was a limousine driver,
07:05who usually worked,
07:06outside the Palais Garnier,
07:08taking passengers,
07:09to various places,
07:09within the city and beyond.
07:11On the 1st of September,
07:13he had been asked,
07:13to take a wealthy looking,
07:15well-spoken client to Cannes.
07:16Witnesses believed,
07:18the client may have been English.
07:20Eleven days after,
07:21the discovery of Joseph Kufi's body,
07:23the case regarding,
07:24the disappearance of Miss Jean de Coven,
07:26was closed.
07:26The police still believed,
07:28she may have just disappeared,
07:29for the publicity,
07:30but they classed it as unsolved.
07:32Her brother,
07:33and aunt,
07:34then returned to Boston.
07:36On the 16th of October,
07:38a young theatrical producer,
07:40named Roger LeBlanc,
07:41left his home in Paris,
07:43to meet with two gentlemen,
07:44who had promised to invest,
07:45in his shows.
07:46He never returned.
07:48Later that day,
07:49his body was discovered,
07:50in a parked car,
07:51opposite the cemetery of Neuilly.
07:53He had also been shot,
07:54shot in the back of the neck,
07:55and 5,000 francs,
07:57was missing from his person.
07:58Six weeks later,
08:00on the 28th of November,
08:01a real estate agent,
08:03named Raymond Lesobreux,
08:05was found dead,
08:06in the cellar of a villa,
08:06in Saint-Cleu,
08:07that he had been showing,
08:08to a potential client.
08:10Apparently,
08:10the client was,
08:11an elegant gentleman,
08:12who spoke French,
08:13with a foreign accent.
08:14He too had been shot,
08:15in the back of the neck,
08:16his wallet had been taken,
08:18and his car was missing.
08:20The police searched the villa,
08:21and found a business card,
08:23which belonged to a gentleman,
08:24named Arthur Schott,
08:26who worked as a travelling salesman.
08:28Commissioner Prambornia,
08:29took up the investigation.
08:31He needed to locate Arthur Schott,
08:33and decided,
08:33that he must be considered,
08:34as someone of significant interest,
08:36in the case.
08:37His description,
08:38was released to the press,
08:39and was distributed,
08:40to police stations,
08:41throughout the country.
08:42He was eventually,
08:43located in Strasbourg,
08:44even though,
08:45he actually lived in Nice.
08:47However,
08:48he had a solid alibi,
08:49and was soon disregarded,
08:50as a suspect,
08:51but not before,
08:52he had informed the detectives,
08:54that his business cards,
08:55were new,
08:56and he had not given them out,
08:57to many people.
08:58One person in Paris,
09:00who had been given one,
09:01was his nephew,
09:03a young man,
09:04named Fritz Frommer,
09:05who had recently,
09:06gone missing.
09:07He told the detectives,
09:08that it had not been long,
09:09since a young man,
09:10had been released,
09:11from prison in Germany,
09:12where he had been held,
09:13due to his anti-Nazi views.
09:15He had come to Paris,
09:17but had not been seen,
09:18since the 22nd of November,
09:19the police,
09:20had not had a good record,
09:21of tracing missing persons.
09:23Jeanne de Colvin,
09:24had still not been located,
09:26and another young lady,
09:27named Mademoiselle,
09:28Jasmine Keller,
09:29had also been reported,
09:31as missing.
09:32She had come to Paris,
09:33in early September,
09:34from Strasbourg,
09:35after answering,
09:36a help wanted advertisement,
09:37and had not been seen since.
09:39Detectives managed,
09:40to find out,
09:41that Fritz Frommer,
09:42was living,
09:43in a back street hotel,
09:44in Rue Saint-Sebastien.
09:46The commissioner,
09:47went there,
09:48along with one of his officers,
09:49and asked Fiona,
09:50if she knew the whereabouts,
09:52of the young German.
09:53The owner replied,
09:54that she did not,
09:55but that he went out,
09:56on the 22nd of November,
09:57and had not returned.
09:59All of his belongings,
10:00were still in his room.
10:02The owner added,
10:03that Fritz,
10:03had an uncle,
10:04named Hugh Weber.
10:06Fortunately,
10:06this gentleman,
10:07was easy to trace,
10:08as his name and address,
10:09had been used,
10:10by Fritz Frommer,
10:11on his application,
10:12for an identity card.
10:13The commissioner,
10:14paid him a visit.
10:15He was German,
10:16and spoke only,
10:17a little French.
10:18He confirmed,
10:19that he was indeed,
10:19the uncle,
10:20of the missing young man,
10:21and said,
10:22that his nephew,
10:22usually had dinner,
10:23with him on Sundays.
10:25But on the Sunday,
10:25just gone,
10:26he had not appeared.
10:27He also said,
10:28that Fritz,
10:29had been in prison,
10:29in Germany,
10:30and since being in Paris,
10:32had often visited,
10:33a young German,
10:34whose last name,
10:35was Carrère,
10:36a very handsome,
10:37and charming young man,
10:38who spoke both English,
10:39and French very well.
10:41Monsieur Weber,
10:42said that he did not,
10:43trust Carrère,
10:44and thought,
10:44that he probably,
10:45did not operate,
10:46within the law.
10:46He also said,
10:48that the two young men,
10:49had met,
10:49while in Zabrucken prison,
10:51in Germany,
10:52and that Carrère,
10:53lived somewhere,
10:54in the neighborhood,
10:54of Saint-Claude.
10:56Realizing,
10:56that he would need,
10:57to speak to the young man,
10:58the commissioner,
10:59contacted the real estate agents,
11:01and soon located,
11:02the address.
11:03It was a rented property.
11:05He first spoke,
11:06to the landlady,
11:07named Madame Marie Brou.
11:09She told him,
11:09that Monsieur Carrère,
11:10had been late,
11:11in paying his rent,
11:13in both October,
11:13and November.
11:14In fact,
11:15the November payment,
11:16was not made,
11:17until the 29th.
11:18Commissioner Primbaud,
11:20remembered,
11:21that Raymond Lézombre,
11:22had been found dead,
11:23on the 28th,
11:24and 5000 francs,
11:26had been stolen,
11:26from him.
11:27The commissioner,
11:28sent two detectives,
11:29to the property,
11:30in Saint-Claude.
11:31When they arrived,
11:32there was no one there.
11:33They looked around,
11:34two cars,
11:35were parked in the yard,
11:36on closer inspection.
11:38They realized,
11:39that one had the same,
11:39registration number,
11:41as a car,
11:41that had belonged,
11:42to Raymond Lézombre.
11:43They decided to wait.
11:45After a while,
11:46they saw a young man,
11:46approaching the villa.
11:48He introduced himself,
11:49as Monsieur Carrère.
11:51He seemed quite pleasant.
11:52The detectives,
11:53told him,
11:54that they were tax inspectors,
11:55and asked him,
11:56if they could go inside,
11:57for a chat.
11:58The young man obliged,
11:59and once inside,
12:00he asked to see,
12:01their identification.
12:02They then told him,
12:04that they were in fact,
12:04police officers,
12:05and showed him their badges.
12:07They then asked,
12:08for his identification documents.
12:10The young man,
12:11calmly put his hand,
12:11in his pockets,
12:13but instead of showing them,
12:14his identity papers,
12:15he pulled out a gun,
12:16and fired.
12:17One of the detectives,
12:18was shot in the shoulder.
12:20Two more shots,
12:20were fired.
12:21One which grazed,
12:22the other detective,
12:23named Bourgogne.
12:24However,
12:25they managed to overwhelm,
12:26the young German.
12:27When one of the detectives,
12:28hit him with a small hammer,
12:30that he had found,
12:31lying on a table.
12:32Monsieur Carrère,
12:33was then arrested,
12:34handcuffed,
12:35and escorted,
12:36to the police station.
12:37On his person,
12:38officers found,
12:39a gold lighter,
12:40which was later confirmed,
12:41to have belonged,
12:42to Raymond Lesobre.
12:43The police searched,
12:44the property.
12:45There were two cars outside.
12:47It was soon established,
12:48that these cars,
12:49had belonged,
12:50to Raymond Lesobre,
12:52and Joseph Cuffey.
12:53At first,
12:54Monsieur Carrère,
12:55did not want to talk,
12:57and would only speak German.
12:58But after he realized,
12:59that there were German speaking officers,
13:01who could interview him,
13:02he became far more cooperative.
13:04He said that his name,
13:05was in fact,
13:06Eugen Weidmann.
13:07Further investigations,
13:08revealed,
13:09that he was born in Frankfurt,
13:11on the 5th of February,
13:121908.
13:13He was well educated,
13:14and his parents,
13:15were hardworking,
13:16respectable people.
13:17At the age of 16,
13:19he had been sent,
13:19to prison for theft.
13:21After being released,
13:22he traveled to Canada,
13:23where he was imprisoned,
13:24for robbery.
13:25And when he returned,
13:26to Germany,
13:26he continued,
13:27with his criminal activities,
13:28and was again imprisoned.
13:30However,
13:31it seemed,
13:31that wherever he was incarcerated,
13:33the guards,
13:34always considered him,
13:35to be a model prisoner.
13:37Meanwhile,
13:38the police,
13:38were searching the property,
13:39in St. Claude.
13:40They had already found,
13:41a body in the cellar,
13:43which was identified,
13:43to be the missing,
13:44Fritz Frommer.
13:45And when the police noticed,
13:47that the front steps,
13:48of the house,
13:49had recently been replaced,
13:50they started to see,
13:51if there was anything,
13:52of interest.
13:53They soon came across,
13:54another macabre discovery,
13:56the body of a young lady,
13:57later identified,
13:59to be the young lady,
14:01who had been missing,
14:01since July.
14:02Machine de Coven.
14:04She was buried,
14:05along with her camera,
14:06and when the police,
14:07developed the photographs,
14:08there of a tourist,
14:10having a lovely day,
14:11in Paris.
14:12There were also photos,
14:13of the young man,
14:14she had been so happy,
14:15to visit.
14:16The young man,
14:16she believed,
14:17was named Siegfried,
14:18but was actually,
14:19the criminal,
14:20Eugen Weidman.
14:21When they questioned,
14:22him about it,
14:23he expressed some regrets.
14:25He tearfully said,
14:26she was gentle,
14:28and unsuspecting,
14:29when I reached,
14:30for her throat,
14:31she went down,
14:32like a doll.
14:33The police,
14:34had also found,
14:34a passport,
14:35that belonged,
14:36to the missing,
14:36Mademoiselle Janine Keller.
14:38Eugen Weidman,
14:39then told detectives,
14:40that he had placed,
14:41an advertisement,
14:42for a job,
14:42as a private nurse,
14:43for which the young lady,
14:44had applied.
14:45When she came to Paris,
14:47he took her,
14:47for a walk,
14:48in the woods,
14:48near Fontainebleau.
14:50There he shot her,
14:50in the back of the neck,
14:51robbed her,
14:52of 1,400 francs,
14:54and removed,
14:55a small diamond ring,
14:55from her finger.
14:57He agreed,
14:57to take the officers,
14:58to the cave,
14:59where he had hidden her body.
15:00The police,
15:01needed to establish,
15:02who else,
15:03had participated,
15:03in the crimes.
15:04They had identified,
15:05four additional gang members.
15:07Roger Millon,
15:08was one,
15:09along with his mistress,
15:11Renée Tricot.
15:13Jean Blanc,
15:13was another,
15:14he seemed to be,
15:15the financier of the group.
15:17And Fritz Frommer,
15:18who had been killed,
15:19and found in the cellar,
15:20of Eugen Weidmann's house.
15:22It was later revealed,
15:23that he believed,
15:24that Fritz,
15:25would inform the police,
15:26as their plan,
15:27to kidnap tourists,
15:28for ransom,
15:29had now turned to murder.
15:31At first,
15:32Eugen refused,
15:33to identify any accomplices,
15:35and denied,
15:36that there had been,
15:36anyone else involved,
15:37in the crimes.
15:38He did,
15:38however,
15:39become more forthcoming,
15:40once the others,
15:41had been arrested.
15:42He told the officers,
15:43that he had met them,
15:45while serving time,
15:46in the prison,
15:46at Zabrucken,
15:47a city,
15:48in southwest Germany,
15:49very close,
15:50to the border,
15:51with France.
15:52When they were all released,
15:54they got together,
15:55and came up,
15:55with the idea,
15:56of kidnapping,
15:57wealthy tourists.
15:58They also recruited,
15:59a lady named,
16:00René Tricot.
16:01She was needed,
16:02to run errands,
16:03and cash traveler's checks,
16:05although she later,
16:06told detectives,
16:07that she had been,
16:07forced to do it.
16:09The body of,
16:10Jean de Colvin,
16:11was transported,
16:11back to New York,
16:13where on the 31st,
16:14of December 1937,
16:16a funeral service,
16:17was held,
16:18at the West End Funeral Chapel,
16:20on 200 West 91st streets.
16:22She was then,
16:23buried in the,
16:23Mount Carmel Cemetery.
16:28The trial,
16:29of Eugen Weidmann,
16:31Roger Millon,
16:32Jean Blanc,
16:33and René Tricot,
16:34took place,
16:35in Versailles,
16:36in March 1939,
16:38and was a,
16:38sensational affair.
16:40The papers,
16:41reported daily,
16:41on the proceedings,
16:42and it seemed,
16:43that it was,
16:44being followed,
16:44by the whole of France.
16:46However,
16:46the outcome,
16:47was never in any real doubt,
16:49and after,
16:50the defense,
16:50and prosecution lawyers,
16:51had closed their case,
16:53the judge,
16:53passed a sentence,
16:54of death,
16:55to Eugen Weidmann,
16:56and Roger Millon.
16:58Jean Blanc,
16:59was given,
16:59a jail term,
17:00of 20 months,
17:01and René Tricot,
17:02was acquitted.
17:04Roger Millon's,
17:05sentence however,
17:06was later,
17:06commuted,
17:07to life in prison.
17:08The execution date,
17:10of Eugen Weidmann,
17:11was set,
17:12for the 17th of June,
17:131939,
17:14outside the,
17:15Saint Pierre prison,
17:16in Versailles.
17:17There were so many people,
17:18who wanted to see it,
17:20that crowds,
17:20started to gather,
17:21on the evening,
17:22of the 16th of June,
17:23all trying to secure,
17:24the best vantage points.
17:26Owners of buildings,
17:27that overlooked the square,
17:28charged exorbitant amounts,
17:30for the public,
17:30to watch from their balconies.
17:32Many of the people,
17:33became drunk,
17:34and due to their behavior,
17:35the French president,
17:36Albert Lebrun,
17:38banned all future,
17:39public executions.
17:41Meaning,
17:41Eugen Weidmann,
17:42was the last person,
17:43to be publicly executed,
17:45in France.
17:48Hello everyone,
17:49and thank you so much,
17:50for listening.
17:51As you know,
17:52I really value,
17:53all your comments,
17:53and feedback.
17:54So please leave,
17:55any that you may have.
17:57And I hope to see you all again,
17:58in the next,
17:59brief,
18:01case.
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