His name might not have the same notoriety that belonged to Al Capone or John Wayne Gacy, but Silas Jayne's life carved a similarly brutal arc through the Windy City's history. Even the mob was reluctant to compete with a man who burned his own horses alive for insurance money and ordered the assassination of his own brother in the same unhesitating fashion that he reportedly axed a flock of geese when he was six. Protected by bribery and intimidation, Jayne preyed on the innocence of the girls who took riding lessons in his stables and remained perversely untouched in the background of infamous Chicago crimes like the Schuessler-Peterson murders and the disappearance of candy heiress Helen Brach.

This book tells the gripping story of the three murdered Chicago boys and the quest to find and bring to justice their killer. The authors recount the bungled police investigation and a questionable conviction, and present new information concerning two suspects overlooked by police for five decades.

On October 16, 1955, Robert Peterson and Anton and John Schuessler left home to see a Disney movie. Two days later their bodies were found in a forest preserve. This true crime story, written by one of the original detectives on the case, details the police investigation of this triple child murder that spanned 40 years. Never presented before, this firsthand account honestly discusses the successes and failures of the various law enforcement agencies involved with the investigation; describes the intense media attention and public reaction to the crime; and openly addresses the pain and loss experienced by the parents of all three boys. Though heartbreaking, the knowledge the story imparts is important as a historical reference as well as a statement about our shortcomings as a society.

The disappearance of fabulously rich Chicago candy heiress Helen Brach and the suspicious deaths of a string of champion racehorses are linked in a celebrated scandal that has reverberated through every level of the glamorous enclaves of thoroughbred horse breeding. When widowed heiress Helen Brach suddenly disappeared on the morning of February 17, 1977, after a visit to the Mayo Clinic, she left behind a lavender Rolls-Royce, Cadillacs in red, pink, and coral, an eighteen-room mansion, and a fortune now estimated at $75 million. She also left behind a mystery that would tantalize investigators for years. When Assistant US Attorney Steven Miller assigned himself the challenge of solving the Brach case, he never imagined an investigation of the horse world would lead to a charming gigolo named Richard Bailey who made a career of romancing wealthy women out of huge sums of money, a shadowy figure called The Sandman who made his living by killing priceless horses so that their owners could collect insurance, and the ghastly murder of three children in 1955.

Golden Tongue: The Innocent Man that Killed Her? By: Richard Bailey On January 1, 1977, Richard’s life changed forever... On New Year’s Eve, Richard is dancing with the lady of his dreams, and spends a wonderful night of romance at the Waldorf Astoria. Then later, on February 19, 1977, in Florida, she disappears. The devastation of her disappearance is inconceivable, that twenty years later, he is accused of the Murder of Helen Brach—insanity! Helen Voorhees Brach, known as the Candy Heiress, lived a life of luxury and prestige. Her mansion in the northern suburbs of Chicago was staffed with butlers and housekeepers, but all of that couldn’t compete with her love of horses. Brach, the wealthiest woman to ever disappear, disappeared without a trace in 1977. Her disappearance sparked national attention and her male suitor Richard Bailey was swept into the limelight of this enduring murder mystery. There were several suspects, but never a conviction… at least until federal prosecutors came after Richard, a Chicago area stable owner. Richard went from dance and driving instructor and horse entrepreneur, to a “cold-hearted murderer” of a lady who brought the only pleasure into Richard’s life. Golden Tongue tells the story through the eyes of Dr. Annette Hoffman, a plastic surgeon who fell madly in love with a stranger, Richard Bailey. Will Dr. Hoffman believe in Richard’s innocence or guilt? Dr. Hoffman is brought into the drama and sensationalism of who killed Helen Brach. This is the story of a search for truth, love, lies, murder, the mafia, a rogue prosecutor and detective, and a justice system that isn’t very just!

Return again to the scene of the crime and visit the secret hideouts of Nazi saboteurs, anarchist plotters, charlatans, fakers, gangsters, and even a love-sick matron dubbed the "Torso Killer." See up close the murdering matrimonial bluebeard Johann Hoch and probe the unsolved mysteries surrounding the disappearance of candy heiress Helen Brach, the sinking of the "Christmas Tree Ship," and dozens of famous gangland "rubouts." This sequel to the best-selling Return to the Scene of the Crime is a provocative travel guide and road map pointing toward more dark and unexplored corners of the Windy City and its surrounding suburbs. The bizarre, the unexpected, and the offbeat are viewed through a kaleidoscope of colorful Chicago neighborhoods populated by outrageous characters. Crime scenes are presented in "then-and-now" perspective with running commentary on the history of the city. Included in the neighborhood tours is a unique collection of side trips--shorter, lighter historical vignettes that spirit out-of-towners to places of interest in Chicago that are not necessarily infamous. Once you have read this guidebook, you will want to return to the scene of the crime, again and again.