Vanishing Point: The Disappearance of Judge Crater, and the New York He Left Behind
The sudden disappearance of Judge Joseph Crater nearly 75 years ago led to perhaps the most famous missing persons case of the twentieth century. Crater, a justice of New York's state Supreme Court, vanished amid political scandal. Within days, questions arose about Judge Crater's finances and his liaisons with numerous women. A public frenzy about what happened to Crater provided impetus for scrutiny of New York's Tammany Hall political machine―and ultimately for the vanishing of Tammany...
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Tofel's investigation of the 1930 disappearance of Joseph Crater, a New York State Supreme Court justice, takes the reader to Tammany Hall and Jazz Age night clubs. Tofel, assistant publisher of the Wall Street Journal and a Dow Jones vice-president, reconstructed the story from newspaper accounts and literature about the era, which he records in his list of sources. Although Tofel does not solve this mystery, he provides a fascinating look at New York as the Great Depression was about to eclipse the Jazz Age. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR New York Post Tofel...has written an entertaining account.... For those who recognize the name, but don't know the fascinating story behind it, this is the book to read.
Preface91.The World He Left Behind152.The World of Tammany Hall333.The La Guardia Phenomenon624.Franklin Roosevelt Names a Judge775.Crater at the Vanishing Point936.Never to Be Seen Again1257.Tammany at the Vanishing Point157Epilogue185Acknowledgments189Sources193Notes199Index211
\ Dallas Morning NewsIt's a fascinating tale, even after all these years.\ \ \ \ \ Green BagThis makes for fascinating reading.\ — Eugene R. Fidell\ \ \ Midwest Book ReviewFans of true crime and New York City politics alike will be attracted to Vanishing Point, an excellent survey.\ \ \ \ \ New York Daily NewsCompelling.\ — Owen Moritz\ \ \ \ \ New York Law JournalExcellent...a vivid portrayal...New York lawyers should find fascinating the depiction of a New York legal world...Illuminating.\ \ \ \ \ New York PostTofel has written an entertaining account...For those who recognize the name, but don't know the fascinating story behind it, this is the book to read.\ \ \ \ \ New York SunWith a newspaperman's eye for drama, Tofel covers a great tale about a New York just beyond our living memory.\ \ \ \ \ New York Times Book ReviewShrewd, terse, engrossing study...\ \ \ \ \ SmokeAn intriguing mystery built around the author's compelling argument about the truth behind Crater's disappearance.\ \ \ \ \ The New York TimesShrewd, terse, engrossing study...\ \ \ \ \ The Wall Street JournalOffers a portrait of Tammany personalities and their intricate political deals...The first book to piece together his [Crater's] surprising story.\ \ \ \ \ Times Record NewsUsing a substantial body of evidence Tofel...offers a tentative, yet intriguing solution…\ — Gracie Gregg\ \ \ \ \ Tucson CitizenHe makes the case relevant and fascinating for the reader.\ — Larry Cox\ \ \ \ \ Wall Street JournalOffers a portrait of Tammany personalities and their intricate political deals...The first book to piece together his [Crater's] surprising story.\ \ \ \ \ Dallas Morning NewsIt's a fascinating tale, even after all these years.\ \ \ \ \ Midwest Book ReviewFans of true crime and New York City politics alike will be attracted to Vanishing Point, an excellent survey...\ \ \ \ \ New York Law Journal...Excellent... a vivid portrayal.... New York lawyers should find fascinating the depiction of a New York legal world.... Illuminating.\ \ \ \ \ New York PostTofel...has written an entertaining account.... For those who recognize the name, but don't know the fascinating story behind it, this is the book to read.\ \ \ \ \ New York SunWith a newspaperman's eye for drama, Tofel covers...a great tale about a New York just beyond our living memory.\ \ \ \ \ New York Times Book Review...Shrewd, terse, engrossing study....\ \ \ \ \ Smoke...An intriguing mystery built around the author's compelling argument about the truth behind Crater's disappearance.\ \ \ \ \ Wall Street Journal...Offers A Portrait Of Tammany Personalities And Their Intricate Political Deals.... The First Book To Piece Together [Crater's] Surprising Story.\ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsThe life and colorful times of a New York State Supreme Court justice who went missing one warm August evening in 1930. Ever since, numerous magazine articles and many book chapters have contemplated the celebrated case of Joseph Force Crater, but this appears to be the first book entirely devoted to the classic mystery since his widow's unsurprisingly partial account in 1961. Given the paucity of available evidence, Wall Street Journal assistant publisher Tofel has chosen to focus on the political history behind Crater's disappearance, painting a mordant picture of the fading Tammany machine and the judge's place in it as they "approached the vanishing point together." In 1930, Jimmy Walker was Mayor of Broadway (and only incidentally of the rest of the city), FDR was governor of the Empire State, and the price of a seat on the bench was approximately a year's judicial salary. This was the world from which Crater suddenly vanished, not long after making large withdrawals of cash that his wife discovered some weeks later in their New York apartment. The judge was last seen on Wednesday, August 6, after dinner with some acquaintances, headed for a musical show. His wife was at their home upstate. Without a telephone, she wasn't immediately concerned when she did not hear from her husband. After some time, however, she concluded that he was murdered, or at least so she claimed to the insurance company. Tofel, less certain of foul play, offers a plausible alternative involving madam Polly Adler. The judge was declared dead in 1939, and the case was closed by the NYPD in 1979 after a fruitless half-century. Tofel's surmise about what happened to Judge Crater would explain why hisdisappearance wasn't investigated terribly vigorously. Casts intriguing new light on a famous unsolved mystery. (8 pp. b&w photos, not seen)\ \
