FATE OF "RED MAX" KASSEL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 126, 29 May 1937, Page 4 (Supplement)

FATE OF "RED MAX" KASSEL.

WHITE SLAVER BEATEN TO DEATH.

ACCOMPLICE SENTENCED

FOUND guiltv of murdering white slaver Max Kassel ("Red Max"') with premeditation, hut with extenuating: circumstances, Roger \ onion, 30-vear-old car dealer, was sentenced at the Seine Assizes to ten yearn liaid labour and 20 years' concurrent banishment from Paris. His woman friend, Suzanne Bertron, accused of aiding and abetting him to murder Kassel, was acquitted and freed. The trial was the sequel to the finding of "Red Max's" bullet-riddled body under a hedge near St. Albans, Herts, in January, 1930. The story of a fight in a Solio fiat was told at the-trial. Vernon, who was closely questioned by the presiding judge, said that Kassel went to his Hat, struck him in the face, threw him into a chair, and tried to strangle him. "I was armed with my pistol," he said. "The entire charge went off." In the Public Prosecutor's indictment, read by the Clerk of the Court, remarkable allegations -were made of \ ernon s activities in the white slave traffic in Canada and in London. Bertron, it was stated, married an English sailor so that she could live as a prostitute in London. The trial was adjourned until the next day. Proceedings opened with the examination of Vernon by the judge. It was with difficulty that Vernon was persuaded to give an account of his pastContinual promptings by the from the dossier in front of him clicited 110 other answer than a dreamy "I don't remember." "Presumably you remember your penal servitude?" rapped out the judge. "Oh yes, well enough," was the nonchalant reply. Vernon then described his escape from Devil's Island. He related that the supervision was not strict, that he collected some hundreds of francs by catching butterflies and selling them to sailors. A fellow-prisoner constructed a primitive canoe, and Vernon, with two other convicts, hud 110 difficulty in reaching Caracas, where he found work in a cinema.

Meeting in Canada. He went to Canada, bought the identity papers of Charles Lacroix, came to London, and married under that name. He met "Red Max" Kassel in Canada. Later he separated from his wife, met Suzanne Bertron in Paris, and brought her back to London with him. Vernon continued that in 1934 he lent "Red Max" £25. The Judge: Now we are on the threshold of the drama. You arranged a meeting with him and he did not come. Vernon: The first invitation was written by Suaanne. Several times 1 asked him for my money and he left me standing. On one occasion he came in my absence and promised to bring the money in a few days. Judge: Then why did you send him a fresh invitation, dictated by you to Marcelle Aubin —Suzanne Bertron's maid? Vernon: I don't remember this letter. Do you think, M. le President, that I should tell my business to the servant? And Kassel was a powerful man twice my size- Is it likely that I should arrange a meeting with him to have a row with him? Judge: You did more than have a row with him; you murdered him. "Tried to Strangle Me." After several denials Vernon finally admitted that he had dictated the letter to Mareelle Aubin. Vernon: When Max arrived he was furious. Cursing and swearing without j any explanation, he struck me in the face, and my head rang like a bicycle j bell. He kfiocked me down into a chair J and, throwing all his weight on to me", tried to strangle me. I was armed with my pistol. The entire charge went off. There was tense silence for a minute. Then Vernon added: "There you are, that's how it happened." Maitre Legrand, for the defence: The corpse bore the marks of six bullets, five in the front. The Judge interposed quickly: "But the sixth bullet hit him in the back — how do you explain that, Vernon?" Vernon: I do not explain it. I do not see how he could have taken a bullet in the back. Judge: He asked for a drink. He said to you, "I am dying"; you took him down to the bathroom. Vernon: He insulted me. Judge: He called out for help from the window. You had the cynicism to say to him, "Shut your mouth." Vernon: I do not remember. Judge: Suzanne Bertron and the chambermaid, unable to stand the horror of the fight any longer, so they say, withdrew. For some minutes they continued to hear the cries of Max. Vernon: I went out of the bathroom, too. I came back later on hearing a noise. It was Kassel, who was collapsing. My first thought was to send for a doctor, but when I saw that he was dead I decided not to do so. When Alexandre, the garage owner, came in answer to my call, I proposed that we should take the body to a hospital. Alexandre will tell you. Judge: When you were arrested you had only very slight contusions. This fact, confirmed by Dr. Paul, is difficult to reconcile with the savage attack you have just described. And Max was unarmed. Vernon: He hammered my head with his fists. He needed no weapon to get the better of me; he had fists like sledo- e hammers.

Gave Him Whisky. Judge: When Alexandre aiyived did you give him anything to drink? Vernon: I gave him some whisky because the news upset him. I asked him to transport the body to hospital. He went for a car and came back at 4 a.m. "When I returned to the apartments," Vernon added, "I threw awav the blanket." JuUge: Marcelle Aubin said, on the contrary, that the blanket was cut into pieces and burnt. You then said to the chambermaid. "Help madame to put things straight," as much as to mt, "Remove the bloodstains''—which was done. Vernon said he did not remember. Neither did he remember burning Max's papers, including the letter from Marcelle -lubin. The Judge indicated that his examination of Vernon had finished. Vernon was deathly pale; sweat was running down his face. "I did not mean to kill him," he said, and sat down. Maitre Legrand: Sounds of a dispute preceded the shots.

AMAZING UNDERWORLD STORY IN FRENCH COURT— PREMEDITATED MURDER "WITH EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES" —DEVIL'S ISLAND ESCAPEE AND WOMAN

Public Prosecutor: I don't agree. Maitrc Legrand: I insist. I shall demand that the question of premeditation be put to tlie jury. The examination of .Suzanne Bertron was taken next. She admitted that she j was living on her earnings as a prosti- ! tute when she met Vernon in Paris. She ! stated that "colleagues" advised her, 011 ; going to London, to marry an English ' sailor to acquire English nationality. This. she said, was often done by foreign girls in London to avoid ex- j pulsion. She admitted having written to j Kassel invitin™ him to the apartments j in Little Newport Street. J "Kassel arrived in a fury, utteringj threats against Vernon for mixing me j up ill their difference," she said. '"He went away and said he would come back I when he was sure of finding Vernon ; there." j She stated that on the day of "Red Max's" death Vernon instructed her and Marcelle Aubin to remain in the downstairs part of the house and showed Max to the floor above. The wireless set was going at maximum volume, but this was, she said, a coincidence. "After Roger and Max has talked for some moments I heard the- noise of a dispute," she stated, "and a cry, 'I will have your hide.' Then came the shots. Roger called out. Max was leaniug against the wall, wounded." "It is Finished." After Max had been taken to the bathroom she and Marcelle were unable to endure the sight and went out.

Vernon, however, remained with the I wounded man "ri£lit to the end." When finally Vernon came out of the ! bathroom, she continued, the groans had ! ceased. Vernon said to her and Mar- j celle, "You have nothing to worry about. It is finished." "Almost immediately we burned the papers," she continued. "The following day we burned the blood-stained blanket after cutting it into pieces." Suzanne Bertron added that Vernon went to Paris. She followed him on January 23, when the news of the discovery of the body was in the papers. Story of White Slave Traffic. The indictment against Roger Vernon i and Suzanne Bertron stated: "Born in Paris, Vernon, although brought up in honourable conditions, showed himself from his youth to be undisciplined, lazy and violent, rebellious to all advice, associating only with suspect persons. "After being sentenced on July 30. 1920, to six months' imprisonment with benefit of the First Offenders' Act on charges of receiving, and on May 26, 1924, to two years for theft, and on November 15, 1924, to seven years' hard labour and 10 years' exile from certain towns, lie was transported to Guiana in July, 1926, and interned in the peni- j tentiary of St. Laurent du Maroni, whence he escaped on November 20, 1927." ] The indictment then related how ! Vernon, who was involved in white slave traffic, lived at Montreal with his i mistress, Esther Odde, and there mtt Max Kessel, who, after being expelied from France and Belgium, was living in Canada on the proceeds of the exploitation of prostitution. Later, having by false identity papers assumed the status of Charles Lacroix, Vernon married Esther Odde in London. Met Suzanne Bertron. - He frequently visited Paris, where he met Suzanne Bertron, then aged 21. She was married to Emile Beaudoin, now Tiler, but abandoned him in 1932 and took to prostitution. The indictment continued: "Having secured the birth certificate of Sinione Ferrero, mistress of Vernon's brother, Suzanne Bertron had a passport delivered to her in the name of Ferrero and followed Vernon to London. "With the status of Simone Ferrero, <&lie married an English seaman, William Nay lor, whom she was never to see again, in London on March 18, 1935. This was to allow her to continue her prostitution in London without being troubled by British legislation affecting her alien origin. "Vernon and Suzanne Bertron, after staying in Paris, Marseilles, Italy and Tunis, returned once more to London, where Vernon went into the motor trade with a Frenchman, Pierre Alexandre, and had a garage in Soho Square. According to the police the two accused were also concerned with the white slave traffic and had a number of apartments in the West End, where they lodged French prostitutes.. "It was there, at Xo. 36, Little Newport Street, that they went to live in 1935. Tliev occupied an apartment on the second floor, consisting of a vestibule, bedroom and bathroom, and on the third floor, joined by an interior staircase, there was a dining room and kitchen.

French Servant. "When his mistress was reeehh client* 011 the second floor Vernon, *55 lived 011 her prostitution, used to retir* to the third floor by the stairs. Ike* had a servant, Marcelle Aubin, of Frendi origin." At this time, the indictment continued. Vernon again met Max Kassel, who was carrying on in Kn-Lii..l th e same i a . moral trade as in Canada. He borrowed £2-5 from Vernon, who repeated?" for repayment in 1900. Vernon, in agreement with Suzana» Bertron, decided to get Kassel to eon-f to the The woman wrot<? ask l, him to come without mentioning t'fce reason. He came, but refused to" pav The indictment went on: "Then, 011 January 22, 1936. y,„ accused induced the servant. Marce*'Aubin, whose writing re-cuibled that ■ji Suzanne Bertron. to write a letter to Kassel, stating: 'Will you come to mv apartment 011 Thursday between C.3U and 7 in the evening: I have a letter to give you personally.' It was signed'Suzanne Naylor.' ~ "On Thursday. .January 25. 1030, about 7 p.m., Kassel came to the rendezvous Vernon had gone up t<> the third .floor According to instruct tons, the servant brought Kassel to the third floor, and she and Suzanne remained on the second floor iu the kitchen." -Describing what followed, the indictment said that, after hearing several shots, the two women went upstairs and found the men standing in the dininz room. Kassel shouted: "He fired on me." All forced the victim downstairs, and Vernon remained alor.e with him in the bathroom until his death at 8.30 that evening. Vernon then summoned Pierre Alexandre by telephone and obtained his assent to removing the body in his car. Five Bullet Wounds. The two men wrapped the body in a blanket, took it away and placed it near a hedge "in the suburbs of London" (St Albans), returning at seven in the morning. Meanwhile Bertron, assisted by the maid, washed away all traces of blood in the flat and put everjjthing in order. The indictment concluded: "The body was discovered abont 10 in the morning of January 24 by a carpenter, who was going to work at St

Albans and who informed the police. The victim bore the trace of five bullet wounds. "Suzanne Bertron remained at liunsi--011 January 24. but on January 2-5. tLc morning papers having revealed tl:e <li>eovery of the body, she left immediately for Pajrie, where she rejoined her lover. The two accused were arrested in Paris on February L "Vernon confessed to having fired on the victim all the shots in his revolver, but alleged that he had been threatened and struck by his enemy. "Suzanne Bertron admits the material facts established by the prosecution. Her role in organising the trap by lending her name to 6ummon the victim, her attitude at the time of the murder, her precautions to hide every object of suspicion, and her immediate flight to Paris, emphasise her complicity and assistance in its execution."—Reuter.