Title supplied by cataloger.; Photograph was edited for publication purposes. Hazel Belford Glab's "new" wealthy fiance´, Albert Llewellyn Cheney, died mysteriously on March 13, 1935 in a Las Vegas hotel on the eve of their intended marriage. In a will penned in purple ink on hotel stationary, Cheney attested all his property, personal belongings and insurance policies, go to his future wife. After Cheney's daughter, Mrs. Catherine Taylor, contested what she termed her father's "purported will", it was surmised that Mrs. Glab forged the will over a genuine signature of Cheney's, bequeathing her his entire $400,000 estate, and then persuaded accomplices Fred and Clara Steeger to sign it as witnesses. Ultimately, Glab's luck ran out and she, along with the Steeger's, was arrested on forgery charges. During the trial, authorities reopened the investigation into the shooting death of her third husband, John I. Glab, a wealthy retired Chicago Druggist whose mysterious death seven years earlier had remained unsolved. On December 27, 1935, Mrs. Glab was found guilty and was convicted of forgery and preparing false evidence; she was sentenced to Tehachapi Women's Prison for a term of 2 to 14 years for that crime. Shortly thereafter, in April 1936, Glab was convicted of second-degree murder for killing John Glab, the sentence being seven-years-to-life. Surprisingly, though, she was out of prison in 1943 after serving only 7 years. Photograph article dated October 18, 1935 reads, "Mrs. Clara Steeger - Cheney Will Witness Confers With District Attorney."
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;19 x 24 cm. on sheet 21 x 26 cm. Photographic prints
Cheney, Albert L.--Estate Decedents' estates--Cases Swindlers and swindling--California--Los Angeles Trials (Forgery)--California--Los Angeles Witnesses--California--Los Angeles Forgery--California--Los Angeles Trials--California--Los Angeles Wills--California--Los Angeles Couples--California--Los Angeles Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express photographs Herald-Examiner Collection photographs
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
