Epay Stories - Mink Jacket of Marilyn Monroe Read online

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  Salter, Salter. I knew I had heard that name before. Salter Petroleum was a small oil and gas company founded in the 1930's by the father then passed along to the sons. Wellington Salter had been the most recent president of the company. I found he had two younger brothers. My guess on the most likely to have bought the coat would be the youngest brother since he was not the head of the company and therefore would have more time to spend the family fortune. I started scanning the Dallas papers of the period. And there it was, just as I had guessed. A photo of the youngest brother with his wife in the coat at a society event. She was not really attractive enough to go with the coat. I searched for more information on the couple. They had married in college and had their first of three children shortly thereafter. The pieces fit together. The coat was to compensate for wounds inflicted by the smiling younger Salter. The coat was apparently not a big enough payoff. As I tracked the life of Salter it all came to a sudden spectacular but not completely unexpected end.

  One late Saturday night the police were called to the Salter mansion to investigate the shooting of Mr. Salter. Before they had arrived the family lawyer had been called. He was waiting to represent Mrs. Salter who was advised to say nothing. She was booked into the jail but immediately made her bail and was released to the waiting attorney. The trial was held about a year later, long enough for memories to have faded a little. Mrs. Salter testified that Salter had beaten her over the years but always in ways that would not leave lasting damage or require hospital treatment. Mrs. Salter was not from a wealthy family so all her expensive living style was paid for by Salter family funds. In fact, those funds ended with the death of her husband by three large caliber bullets. She was not a good shot as there were another six bullets found in the walls and furniture. She said Salter had threatened to kill her with the same pistol. It was just the fact that she was closer to the pistol and sober at the time of the shooting or it would have been her body they would have carried out. The prosecution countered this with witnesses who testified that Mr. Salter had a long history of entertaining younger women. One even mentioned that Salter told her he had bought his wife the Monroe coat as a gift to appease her. The prosecution said Mrs. Salter had killed her husband hoping to receive his share of the family wealth.

  The jury sided with the prosecution. Mrs. Salter was convicted of murder. While she was out of prison on bail pending an expensive appeal she sold all her personal goods to raise funds. I did not think the Salter scandal would stick to the coat. Not expecting any help from the defense attorneys I called the prosecution attorney who was still in public service. Again I briefly explained why I was seeking information on the coat.

  "I understand, Mr. Lessing. I don't have any information that I can give you on an official level but there is always a lot of talk around the courthouse, especially with celebrity cases. I don't mind telling you the rumors that I heard at the time."

  "Yes, any information would help, Mr. Preston. It does not have to be concrete, just anything that would make a good story for my sister-in-law."

  "If your looking for a good story, this is it. Of course, Mrs. Salter was separated from any access to the family funds. Her children were in high school and college at the time. They had witnessed their parents behavior and adjusted to it reasonably well. The youngest child went to live with relatives while the older two continued in college. They were supported by their late father's estate. Mrs. Salter had to scramble to raise money to pay her lawyers' bills. Even if she was unhappy about their not having saved her from the first sentence, she was not in prison and needed them to keep her out of prison while the lawyers filed the appeal. She asked the lawyers for advice on selling her possessions. The better price she received, the sooner they would be paid. They assisted in the private placement of many of the more valuable items including jewelry and clothing. We joked about it a little at one of the bars in the courthouse area. I recall one older lawyer saying he might buy the Monroe jacket if he could negotiate a good enough price. His name was Arnold Pollard. You might give him a call."

  "Thank you, Mr. Preston. I appreciate your assistance."

  "One other thing to complete the story."

  "Yes? What is that."

  "Her lawyers advised her to be prepared to go into custody immediately if the appeal was not effective. She did prepare. She had some prescription painkillers in her pocket. When the judge announced the verdict affirming her conviction she asked for a glass of water. Naturally, it was given to her. She quickly swallowed the handful of painkillers but with enough coverage that it was not detected until a half hour later when she became unconscious in a cell. She died within a few hours."