OH OH - "The Red Shoe Mystery" - Lola Celli, 24, Grandview Heights, Feb 1946

[AnaTeresa]

Originally Posted by nerosleuth

I was wondering if there were any street maps of the streets of Columbus from the mid 1940's to the mid 1950's.

I am curious to know if Olentangy River Road went South of Third Avenue and connected with Goodale Blvd. and Twin Rivers Drive back then.

About a decade ago, there was an article in the Columbus Dispatch about Olentangy River Road that was extended from Third Avenue to Goodale Blvd and connecting with Twin Rivers Drive.

The newspaper article stated that in the area where Olentangy River Road was extended, that area was a garbage landfill.

I was wondering if there was a landfill operating in that area at the time Lola Celli disappeared.

I'm a local - I'll see what I can dig up at some of the libraries. It's interesting that I stumbled onto this case - my boyfriend lived in Grandview Heights for two years, only a few blocks from where Lola disappeared.

As far as information online, I did find a few maps. I'm unable to open many of them, because the file type is incompatible with my computer. Still, it may give a better idea of the area.

http://www.railsandtrails.com/Columbus/index.htm

http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions...s/default.aspx

http://www.puc.state.oh.us/website/rriscrossing/Run.htm

http://historical.mytopo.com/quadlist.cfm?stateabr=OH#C

http://www.historicmapworks.com/Atla...Columbus+1872/

What an interesting case! I really want to find out what happened to her. Does anyone know if her parents' house is still standing?

[MaryLiz]

Lola's Charley Project file has been updated.

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/c/celli_lola.html

[Mca923]

Hello everyone,
My grandmother's first cousin was Lola. My grandma grew up playing with Lola and recalls the disappearance as a huge blow to our family. I saw there were a few questions about Lola's Italian Catholic family, so if you have questions please ask away! We brought up Lola at our Thanksgiving dinner tonight and thought we'd look into who else was still interested in this case. My grandmother is still living and willing to talk about Lola. Lola's brother Felice died recently, which was another tragedy for the family. Lola's sister is still alive.
Thank you,
Mia

[momtolil]

Originally Posted by Mca923

Hello everyone,
My grandmother's first cousin was Lola. My grandma grew up playing with Lola and recalls the disappearance as a huge blow to our family. I saw there were a few questions about Lola's Italian Catholic family, so if you have questions please ask away! We brought up Lola at our Thanksgiving dinner tonight and thought we'd look into who else was still interested in this case. My grandmother is still living and willing to talk about Lola. Lola's brother Felice died recently, which was another tragedy for the family. Lola's sister is still alive.
Thank you,
Mia

Welcome Mca923,
Thank you so much for joining. This case has always interested me, as I am of Italian decent and from Cincinnati, Ohio. Not so sure how far your area is from Cincinnati as I moved out to California when I was a child. I have family still there and visit often. The pictures of Lola always reminded me of my grandmother and her sister back during that era.
Do your grandmother and aunt have any of their own ideas about what happened? What about her demeanor before her disappearance? Did she have any questionable friends, boyfriends or acquaintances that now looking back seem worth looking into?

[Reality Orlando]

Originally Posted by Mr. E

Hitler baby photo here.

As to the missing woman, what an odd story. I'd like to read more about it.

Thanks for that..interesting story. It's sad what happened to the child (from the link you posted): "Tragically, John Warren died a few months after Acme issued its correction, when he fell from his bicycle and pierced his heart on a milk bottle."

[momtolil]

Originally Posted by Reality Orlando

Thanks for that..interesting story. It's sad what happened to the child (from the link you posted): "Tragically, John Warren died a few months after Acme issued its correction, when he fell from his bicycle and pierced his heart on a milk bottle."

I'm confused
What child are you referring to?
-------

OK, I just went back and saw the original post and realized it had nothing to do with Lola. Interesting little story though.

[nerosleuth]

Originally Posted by Mca923

Hello everyone,
My grandmother's first cousin was Lola. My grandma grew up playing with Lola and recalls the disappearance as a huge blow to our family. I saw there were a few questions about Lola's Italian Catholic family, so if you have questions please ask away! We brought up Lola at our Thanksgiving dinner tonight and thought we'd look into who else was still interested in this case. My grandmother is still living and willing to talk about Lola. Lola's brother Felice died recently, which was another tragedy for the family. Lola's sister is still alive.
Thank you,
Mia

Hello Mca923, Welcome to WebSleuths. We're glad to have you here.

Was your grandmother living in Columbus when Lola disappeared in 1946?

If so, I would like to know about Olentangy River Road in 1946. How far south did Olentangy River Road went from Fifth Avenue? Did it ever connect to Goodale Avenue or Twin Rivers Drive back then?

How extensive was the search for Lola back then? What areas were searched?

[liz b.]

Originally Posted by Mca923

Hello everyone,
My grandmother's first cousin was Lola. My grandma grew up playing with Lola and recalls the disappearance as a huge blow to our family. I saw there were a few questions about Lola's Italian Catholic family, so if you have questions please ask away! We brought up Lola at our Thanksgiving dinner tonight and thought we'd look into who else was still interested in this case. My grandmother is still living and willing to talk about Lola. Lola's brother Felice died recently, which was another tragedy for the family. Lola's sister is still alive.
Thank you,
Mia

Thank you so much for taking the time to post here. I am Italian American, my family is from Sicily, from the Marsala area. I have thought about Lola's disappearance since I first joined here. One thing I would like to know is : did Lola always dress up a lot when she would go shopping on a Saturday afternoon ? Her outfit,the grey fur coat, red suede shoes sounded beautiful, and stylish too. I wonder if she was meeting someone ?

She sounds so accomplished, fluent in 5 languages....

[SideKick]

Hi!
Regarding the newspaper clipping of Lola and the confusion of her being the bride I did find this article but not sure if this is the one...I typed in Google... Miss Bernice Scherr.

Newspaper clipping: "Miss Scherr, Mr. Lockrow Married in Church Setting. Miss Dorothy Elizabeth Scherr of 100 Hartford rd. became the bride of Robert Earl Lockrow of 148 Highland ave. at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 27, in the Church of the Assumption. Rev. Edmund Schaumann officiated in a setting of white lilies and white snapdragons. The bride, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank O. Scherr, chose a costume of white faille taffeta with a full net skirt and a fingertip veil. Her flowers were white carnations with white snapdragons. Miss Bernice Scherr, sister of the bride, was maid of honor. She wore a pink net gown with lace inserts and carried pink snapdragons. Mrs. Robert Fisher, cousin of the bride, and Mrs Francis Scherr, were bridesmaids. They wore blue gowns like the honor attendant's and carried pink snapdragons with blue iris. Clifford Lockrow was best man for his brother. They were sons of Mr. and Mrs. George Lockrow. Francis Scherr and Arthur Cramer ushered. A wedding breakfast was given for the bridal party and immediate families at the Green Gate and a reception followed at the home of the bride's parents. For a wedding trip to Washington, DC, the bride chose a powder blue suit with brown alligator accessories and a gardenia corsage. Out-of-town guests were Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Lockrow of Orchard Park and Fred Waffenschmidt of Maywood, NJ. The couple is living at 600 James st. The bride groom attended the University of Idaho and Syracuse University."

[SideKick]

The link to my above post:

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-...agak&id=I54832

[Robin Hood]

Some interesting reading from the newspapers of the day

Teacher missing
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...la+celli&hl=en


Grave to be re-opened in search for Lola
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...la+celli&hl=en

False clue
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...la+celli&hl=en

[Robin Hood]

Missing girl alive, telephoner claims
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...la+celli&hl=en

Marriage licenses checked
http://news.google.com/newspapers?id...la+celli&hl=en

Edited to add something of interest.
If you want you can pay per view the rest of this article
all I can get is ''Ohio State Reports - STATE v. KEARNS, 165 Ohio St. 573... ‎
Pay-Per-View -
Ohio State Reports - Dec 5, 1956
... man named J. Walker for the purpose of securing from Walker information as to the whereabouts of a girl named Lola Celli, who had been missing since 1946; ...

the link isn't helpful but here it is http://www.loislaw.com/ogpc/login.ht...7qL96tupxPQMUg

[Robin Hood]

After doing more searching it appears Frank H. Kearns county prosecutor was accused of embezlement.
He said he had given $210 to a J. Walker to investigate the Lola Celli case but was ripped off so he said the money was expenses he had spent attending a convention. Rather than admit he had used an informer.

[Marilynilpa]

Originally Posted by Robin Hood

After doing more searching it appears Frank H. Kearns county prosecutor was accused of embezlement.
He said he had given $210 to a J. Walker to investigate the Lola Celli case but was ripped off so he said the money was expenses he had spent attending a convention. Rather than admit he had used an informer.

I'm surprised I hadn't posted that info already, as I spent a couple of years researching this case and thought I posted most info here. I'll have to go back and check my prior posts.

For those of you fairly new to this thread, please review the posts from the beginning - there's all kinds of interesting stuff here!

I'm glad people are still interested in this one. I've spent over 2 years researching this case, and am still seeking the answer.

[Richard]

Lola would be 90 years old now. There are a couple of photos of her at the below link:


http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1900dfoh.html

[Marilynilpa]

I finally had a chance to read the articles linked by Robin Hood, who found a couple of articles I hadn't seen before. That's why I love it when new people get interested in these old cases!

I was intrigued by the article concerning the exhumation of a mysteriously buried body. The body turned out not to be that of Lola, but of a man. The circumstances surrounding his burial were suspicious. I wonder what his story is . . .

[Creole]

I'd like to know a bit more on how J. Walker could have helped....realize he is an informant but wonder why he was believed to have "street" info regarding the case...

RE: suit regarding the J. Walker payment

" On the other hand, in the instant case, there is direct evidence that $187 of the $210 of the money received by defendant pursuant to Section 3004, General Code, was used by defendant to discharge a personal obligation of defendant. Defendant apparently conceded that fact and sought to justify or explain such use of the $210 by evidence that he had previously expended that amount by payment to a man named J. Walker, whom defendant's evidence was otherwise unable to identify and whose later whereabouts were unknown, for the unsuccessful purpose of securing information as to the whereabouts of a girl named Lola Celli who had been missing for several years and still was missing, and that the $210 so used by him was to reimburse him for that expenditure. Defendant's written statements in the voucher with respect to the special account in which the $500 paid to him pursuant to Section 3004, General Code, had been deposited and later in the accounting required by Section 3004; General Code, that the $210 was expended on a trip to New Orleans, are entirely inconsistent with the foregoing evidence which he offered to justify and explain his apparent use of this $210 to discharge his personal obligation. There is also other circumstantial evidence which is not consistent with that evidence of defendant. Thus, it is quite apparent that the jury could have disbelieved the evidence with respect to any payments to J. Walker and could have found that defendant did use the $210, which he admittedly had falsely stated twice in writing as used for a trip to the New Orleans prosecutors' meeting, merely to pay off his own personal obligation. Cf. State v. Sheppard, 165 Ohio St., 293, 306, 135 N.E. (2d), "

http://oh.findacase.com/research/wfr...0167.OH.htm/qx

[Creole]

Not sure if this link was posted previously, but found it interesting...

http://www.vastogirardiefriends.it/V...0Celli%202.htm

Creole

[Marilynilpa]

Creole, I don't recall ever seeing this before. Thanks very much for posting it.

One interesting thing from this article - it says Lola's mother wanted her to buy a few feet of fabric for curtains. Most reports state Lola was going to town to buy stockings.

I enjoyed reading about the family's background. I knew they immigrated to the U.S., but the article provided a lot of info about them.

[Creole]

I've been thinking about the theory that she ran away willingly....I don't believe that was the case. This is a close immigrant family who no doubt befriended other area immigrant Italians or stayed close with family members that had immigrated also. With this in mind, I think if there were the proverbial "skeletons hiding in the closet", i.e., Lola was unhappy with her family, conflicting family dynamics, forbidden love, etc., someone who knew the family or was a member of the family would have spoken out by now. The only reports stating that she left willingly came from people who did not know the family personally. And it is odd that a grown adult could just disappear within such a short distance from home with no witnesses - if she did actually disappear on her way to the bus and not after arriving at her destination (I think I read that people had attested to the fact that she was not on the bus). I have to lean toward her going with someone she was familiar with (whether in a vehicle or on foot). Does anyone know of the neighborhood dynamics? (was it safe, crime ridden, friendly and old-fashioned, etc.)
Creole

[Creole]

And yes, I noticed that about Lola going to buy fabric vs nylons. It would make sense that she was sent to purchase fabric as her mother requested Lola to do so...
Creole

[Marilynilpa]

Lola's neighborhood was a middle-class, family one.

I believe Lola did not disappear willingly. She loved her family, and her religion. In fact, shortly after her disappearance it was thought Lola might be in a convent intending to become a nun.

Lola was very close to her brother Felice. In spite of their slight age difference, they were in the same grade at school once they settled in Columbus. He never gave up on finding her.

They also had a younger sister who was born after they arrived in the U.S.

[Creole]

Going with my feeling that she knew her abductor, we would need to know more about the people around her (her friends, co-workers, neighbors, school friends, priest, etc.), which I don't think would be an easy task since so much time has passed. Maybe in the case file it would have a listing of everyone interviewed....As for the man on the motorcycle who said he thought he saw her arguing with a male in a car and a red shoe flew out the window of said car, do we know if the motorcycle was traveling along side the car, parked on the road watching the car, travelling behind the car, etc.? If the motorcycle was travelling along with the car, the witness could have easily been off on his description as to the spot where the shoe flew out the window. And if the shoe flew out the window into a bushy, grassy spot along the road, and they did not have the correct area, it would be plausible that the shoe was never found. Searching for a body in heavy underbrush is tricky - never mind one small shoe...
Just some thoughts,
Creole

[Creole]

The Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Historical Society Oct. 2008 Newsletter
Mentions Lola and the investigations and ask for all those who lived through it or remembered something about it to share their memories...Wonder if anyone did respond - it might shed some new light. Go to Page 2 to see story:

http://www.ghmchs.org/PDFs/VIEWPOINTSOct08.pdf

Creole

[nerosleuth]

Originally Posted by Creole

Does anyone know of the neighborhood dynamics? (was it safe, crime ridden, friendly and old-fashioned, etc.)

Grandview Heights is what I would call an upper middle class suburb. Lots of older style homes are still around.

Grandview Heights back then and today is still a safe area for families to live in. Marble Cliff and nearby Upper Arlington are upper class suburbs.