Emma Theresa Cole was born 10 Sep 1875 in Pine Grove, CA to Thomas Jefferson Cole (1844-1924) & Mary Ann Gardner (1857-1932). They always wanted the best for their daughter, but they did not get along. Emma left home at age 16 and her parents separated after she left.
Emma was married to the following men.
1) Charles Albert Barrett (1869-1954) married 2 Mar 1892 in Sutter Creek, CA. They divorced 1898
2) William Stanley Williams (1872-1902) Married 1898 in Washoe, NV. He moved her to Bisbee, AZ. He died at 30 years old and it was highly suspicious, Emma got $10,000 insurance money. Above is his death certificate.
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| Albert Newton McVicar |
3) Albert Newton McVicar (1869-1906) Married 1 Sep 1902 in Cochise County, AZ. He was very much in love with Emma, but he did not feel the same. She lied to him and said her mom was sick and needed her so that she could get away from him. During this time she was seeing Eugene and a man named Joseph who was a plumber.
4) Eugene LeDoux (1882-1943) married 1905.
5) Frederick Crackbon (1864-1929) married 2 Dec 1925
The actual trunk Albert's body was found in, stained with his blood. The truck was taken to the depot and a depot worker smelled something from the truck and called the police.
This trunk is on display at the Stockton at the Haggin Museum
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| The Train Depot in Stockton, CA |
My mom and I have been to this train depot we took the train to San Francisco.
Emma went to trial twice for the murder of Albert, The first time she was sentenced to hang, then her case went to the Supreme Court she was called the "Trunk Murderess" as she killed him and put him into a trunk. Here are some detailed newspaper articles from 1906-1909.
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-emma-le-doux/28878710/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-call-and-post-emma-le/28878818/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-call-and-post-emma-le/28878864/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/amador-ledger-emma-cole-ledoux/136343798/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/amador-ledger-emma-ledoux-murder/16460359/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-emma-le-doux/28878586/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-call-and-post-emma-le/28878524/
1910 pleads guilty
https://www.newspapers.com/article/amador-ledger-emma-ledoux-pleads-guilty/16461790/
She's paroled in 1920 Went to live with her sister in Los Angeles
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sacramento-bee-emma-ledoux/99513245/
1931 Jailed again, this time for bad checks
https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune-emma-ledoux-out-on-parol/16462195/
https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune-emma-le-doux/28879145/
1933
https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune-emma-le-doux/28879278/
1941 Trunk Murderess dies at age 73 in prison
The Bakersfield Californian Bakersfield, California · Tuesday, July 08, 1941
1947
https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune-emma-le-doux/28879352/
This was the new prison California built for women, called the Tehachapi Women's Prison. This is where Emma died at age 73 on 6 Jul 1941.
Here Find A Grave Memorial:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/97493599/emma-theresa-ledoux
Here are some photos from the newspaper articles
After her husband dies in 1929 she has no money and sets up a sting operation called the Lonely Hearts Agency to generate an income. She was the only eligible single lady, her scheme eventually caught the attention of her parole officer and the authorities all decided this was a breech of her parole and in 1931 was sent back to prison.
Emma is buried in an unmarked grave in the Union Cemetery in Bakersfield, CA.
Emma's sibling were, Emma was the oldest.
Lydia Ann Cole
1878–1954
Daisey May Cole
1881–1948
Henry Lewis Cole
1890–1955
Frederick Jefferson Cole
1896–1941
Although authorities assumed she had also killed her first two husband it could never be proven. One of my favorite YouTube Channels is Brief Case, he did a video on Emma I would like to share with you, it has more information on her arrests and personal life.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post, please leave a comment and give me a follow, thank you for popping in.
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