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Huh – apparently Many Wade Wellman worked as a reporter in the 1930s, and once pulled a real-life, slightly less reprehensible version of what Cagney’s character did in Picture Snatcher:
Sometimes, though, Manly’s memories were very dire. A smalltime crook and hophead named Rabbit had a very beautiful wife. She was far too beautiful for the likes of Rabbit, and before long she was keeping company with one of Wichita’s major crime figures.
One day she and her new boyfriend were in a car which rival gunmen ambushed, killing both of them. This was front-page news–and the paper wanted a ‘before’ picture of the girlfriend. Manly, who knew Rabbit, said he could find one.
Rabbit lived in a shotgun house–a two-room shack–across the tracks. Manly drove down to it. No one answered to his knock, but the door wasn’t locked; he opened it and went in. There, on a table in the front room, was a glamour photograph of Rabbit’s late wife. Manly crossed the room and grabbed the photo. He was just about to hide it under his jacket when he heard a click behind him and turned.
Rabbit stood in the doorway, “… pointing a revolver at me with the hammer already roostered back.” Rabbit’s pupils were shrunk to pinpoints from the cocaine he’d been sniffing.
Manly when he was sober had one of the sharpest minds I’ve ever encountered. Now he held up the wife’s photograph and said, “Oh, Rabbit, I’m so sorry! I came right over when I heard about Nancy!”
For a moment, nothing happened (which wasn’t the worst possibility). Then Rabbit lowered the gun and said, “Aw, Manly, you’re my only friend in the world. I know she was no good, but I loved her anyway.” And then he started to cry.
Manly led him over to the couch and sat down with him. They talked for some while with Rabbit repeating how lovely Nancy was and how much he missed her, and Manly agreeing.
Finally Manly said that as a favor to his friend, he could get Nancy’s picture on the front page of the newspaper so that everybody would see how pretty she was. Blubbering his thanks, Rabbit sent Manly on his way with the photograph–silver frame and all.
http://david-drake.com/2013/manly-wade-wellman-reporter/#more-3692
Apparently Witchita was a hot-bed of crime and intrigue in the 1930s. Perhaps it still is and we just don’t hear about it. I was always fascinated by the travelogue/true-crime show City Confidential for just this reason – most of the murder cases profiled took place in small ponds but involved the local big fish. As a result there’s a kind of tragicomic Magnificent Andersons quality to all the stories.
Sometimes, though, Manly’s memories were very dire. A smalltime crook and hophead named Rabbit had a very beautiful wife. She was far too beautiful for the likes of Rabbit, and before long she was keeping company with one of Wichita’s major crime figures.
One day she and her new boyfriend were in a car which rival gunmen ambushed, killing both of them. This was front-page news–and the paper wanted a ‘before’ picture of the girlfriend. Manly, who knew Rabbit, said he could find one.
Rabbit lived in a shotgun house–a two-room shack–across the tracks. Manly drove down to it. No one answered to his knock, but the door wasn’t locked; he opened it and went in. There, on a table in the front room, was a glamour photograph of Rabbit’s late wife. Manly crossed the room and grabbed the photo. He was just about to hide it under his jacket when he heard a click behind him and turned.
Rabbit stood in the doorway, “… pointing a revolver at me with the hammer already roostered back.” Rabbit’s pupils were shrunk to pinpoints from the cocaine he’d been sniffing.
Manly when he was sober had one of the sharpest minds I’ve ever encountered. Now he held up the wife’s photograph and said, “Oh, Rabbit, I’m so sorry! I came right over when I heard about Nancy!”
For a moment, nothing happened (which wasn’t the worst possibility). Then Rabbit lowered the gun and said, “Aw, Manly, you’re my only friend in the world. I know she was no good, but I loved her anyway.” And then he started to cry.
Manly led him over to the couch and sat down with him. They talked for some while with Rabbit repeating how lovely Nancy was and how much he missed her, and Manly agreeing.
Finally Manly said that as a favor to his friend, he could get Nancy’s picture on the front page of the newspaper so that everybody would see how pretty she was. Blubbering his thanks, Rabbit sent Manly on his way with the photograph–silver frame and all.
http://david-drake.com/2013/manly-wade-wellman-reporter/#more-3692
Apparently Witchita was a hot-bed of crime and intrigue in the 1930s. Perhaps it still is and we just don’t hear about it. I was always fascinated by the travelogue/true-crime show City Confidential for just this reason – most of the murder cases profiled took place in small ponds but involved the local big fish. As a result there’s a kind of tragicomic Magnificent Andersons quality to all the stories.
