Prime Crime: Solved Murders - Martha "Mamah" Borthwick Cheney Pt. 1

Episode Date: January 20, 2021

In 1911, Frank Lloyd Wright built a mansion in Spring Green, Wisconsin. The sprawling estate was a haven for him and his mistress, “Mamah” Cheney. But in 1914, it became the scene of a massacre that would claim seven lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Due to the graphic nature of this murder case, listener discretion is advised. This episode includes dramatizations and discussions of murder, assault, and suicidal ideation that some people may find offensive. We advise extreme caution for children under 13. In 1911, celebrated American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, finished construction on his mansion home in Spring Green, Wisconsin. He called the structure Taliesin,

a Welsh name meaning shining brow. According to Frank, the name symbolized his intention to build a home that was of the mountain, not just on it. Instead of constructing his dwelling on top of the hill, he built it into the side on what would be the earth's brow. But this name resonated in other ways as well. The carpenters, gardeners, cooks and maids, who took care of Frank's massive estate, all worked up quite a sweat, their foreheads constantly shining with proof of their labor. Besides these numerous employees, just two other people lived full-time in the 37,000 square foot home, Frank and his mistress, Martha Maima Borthwick Cheney. Maima had a son and daughter who she left with her ex-husband, and Frank had deserted his wife and six children to be with her.

Spring green locals were distraught and disgusted by Frank and his lover, who defied all contemporary conventions of romantic. partnership. In the eyes of the highly religious Wisconsin public, Frank and Maima's relationship was illegitimate. Worse yet, it set a dangerous example. Some worried that the couple's moral corruption would spread like a virus and infect the rest of the city. Many believed that because Taliesin was built to house an unmarried couple, the building was cursed. This idea seemed ridiculous until one summer afternoon in 1914 when Taliesin became the scene of the largest single killer mass murder in Wisconsin history. Welcome to Solved Murder's True Crime Mysteries, a Spotify original from Parcast. I'm your host Carter Roy.

And I'm your host Wendy McKenzie. Every Wednesday we step into the world of true crimes, most fascinating murder cases, and tell the tale of how real-life-tile. detectives close the case. You can find episodes of solved murders and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free exclusively on Spotify. This is our first episode on the 1914 Taliesin Massacre. This week will cover the crime that decimated Frank Lloyd Wright's country estate.

Next week, we'll see how law enforcement uncovered the likely motivation behind the slaughter. We have all that and more coming up. Stay with us. During the early afternoon on Saturday, August 15th, 1914, a man by the name of Mr. Reeder sat eating lunch at his home. The day, like most summer days in spring green Wisconsin, was bright, warm, and altogether pleasant. He gazed out the window, watching the wind to pass through the grass and trees. But Mr. Reeder's peaceful lunchtime reverie was cut short by frantic knocking at his front door. Sir, we have to use your phone.

In any other circumstance, Mr. Reeder might have recognized the three men who pushed their way into his home. They were Herbert Fritz, Billy Weston, and David Lindblum, respectively employed as an architectural draftsman, a carpenter, and a gardener at Tallyesson. Frank Lloyd Wright's giant estate on the hill. But Mr. Reader could hardly see the men's faces. Their features were obscured by ash. Their eyes swollen from smoke, yet still wide with panic. Weston and Lindblum had blood dripping from their heads. Fritz's arm had been broken out of its regular shape.

Hello, at Taliesin, on the hill. It's burning, people are dead. I don't. I'm not sure how many. We have to go back, Mr. Reeder. Mr. Reeder, grab your neighbors. Please. you know that can help.

What's going on? The handyman, Julian, he... He went mad. Weston's right. Please just get help, okay? Then meet us on the hill. Mr. Reeder did as he was told. He gathered neighbors and farmhands

and made calls to spread the word that help was needed at Taliesin. The group traveled a half mile up the hill. Soon Mr. Reeder smelled smoke and heard the crackling of flames. Nothing. could have prepared him for what he saw. Calliesin, once a grand estate, was engulfed in fire. It burned with a ferocity that made him sweat from hundreds of feet away.

But that wasn't the worst part. Frank Lloyd Wright's bright green lawn was streaked with red. Following a trail of blood, Mr. Reeder found himself staring into the face of a corpse, and that was just one of many. Four bodies were scattered throughout the yard. From what Mr. Reeder could see, they were two adults and two children. Their skulls had been split open. He didn't want to look any closer than that. I'm going to try to put out the flames.

You won't find Julian. Mr. Reeder and the ever-growing crowd of locals were given a description of the person who caused the disaster. A black man of average height and weight, Julian Carlton. Although the description was clearly unspecific, Spring Green Wisconsin was an overwhelmingly white city in the early 1900s. The crowd, now nearing 100 people, was simply on the hunt for someone who didn't look like them. They scoured the hill, but the job was intimidating. Frank Lloyd Wright's estate spanned over 800 acres. Luckily, Iowa County Sheriff John Williams soon arrived with backup deputies and a bloodhound to track Julian down.

By the time the deputies showed up, Taliesin was in total chaos. The impromptu search party topped 100 people, and the bodies of the dead had already been moved. The scene was contaminated before Sheriff Williams ever arrived, but he was still determined to gather evidence and information. Likely with the help of Billy Weston, Sheriff Williams identified the dead and dying. Just as Mr. Reader thought, there were two adults, 30-year-old draftsman, Emil Brodell, and 66-year-old handyman, Tom Brunker, employees of Frank Lloyd Wright.

And there were two children, Billy Weston's son, 13-year-old Ernest, and a nine-year-old girl named Martha Cheney, the daughter of Frank's mistress. Tragically, Mamus children happened to be staying at the estate on the weekend of the crime. All four of the victims had suffered head trauma, seemingly from an axe or similar weapon. Blood and brain matter splattered Taliesin's once pristine lawn. The carnage was unimaginable, and yet somehow it got worse. Shortly after Iowa County sheriffs arrived, around 12.45 p.m., Frank Lloyd Wright's own brother-in-law came barreling towards the sheriff. Frank's relative was horrified and out of breath. Frantic,

He led the sheriff around the house and towards a large front porch with flames dancing across its surface. Two more bodies were visible through the fire, one that still resembled a human, and one that had been reduced to bone and ash. Oh, my God. Do you know who this... Maima, Frank's mistress. And this... It's hard to tell, but I think it's probably her son. John. He's... He was 11. The bones look small enough to be a child, right? Yeah, yeah, they do.

With this discovery, the death count reached six. Forty-year-old Maimachini's body was still somewhat recognizable, but her head, like those of the other four victims, had been split open by a large, sharp weapon. It was impossible to tell if her 11-year-old son had suffered the same injuries because his flesh had been completely eaten away by the blaze. Frank's brother-in-law was in shock. He was too stunned to cry.

All he could say was... Somebody's got to tell Frank. Around 1 p.m., approximately an hour after Fritz, Weston, and Lynn Bloom arrived at Mr. Reader's house, someone called Frank Lloyd Wright. The architect picked up from his project work site at Midway Gardens in Chicago, almost 200 miles away. Hello? I'm in the middle of...

Taliesin is on fire. What? What happened? The caller neglected to mention details of the carnage. It would be hours before Frank arrived. As he made his way back to Spring Green, he remained unaware of the six bodies piled outside his home. In the meantime, Fritz and others finally got the fire under control. Around 4 p.m., the towering flame,

were reduced to a smolder. But there was still a major problem. The search party had yet to locate Julian Carlton. The man Fritz, Weston, and Lynn Bloom said perpetrated the crime. Over 100 people scoured the hillside, but even with the help of an Iowa County bloodhound, the man was nowhere to be found. It looked like the killer had simply disappeared. Up next, one clever spring green local finds Julian.

in Carlton's hiding place. Listeners, this month marks 60 years since John F. Kennedy became the 35th President of the United States, ushering his already prominent family into the highest enclaves of political power. But behind their storied successes

lie secrets and scandals so severe, if it were any other lineage, they would have been left in ruin. This January, to commemorate this iconic milestone, dig into the dramas of a real-life American dynasty in the Spotify original from Parcast, The Kennedys. This exclusive series from Spotify features your favorite podcast hosts, including me, covering every angle of the Kennedys from shows like Today in True Crime, conspiracy theories, crime countdown, and others,

assassinations and conspiracies, corruption and cover-ups, international affairs, and extramarital ones too. examine all of the Kennedy family's most controversial moments all in one place. You can binge all 12 episodes of this limited series starting on Tuesday, January 19th. Follow the Kennedys free and exclusively on Spotify. And now, back to the story. Just after noon on Saturday, August 15th, 1914, tragedy struck architect Frank Lloyd Wright's tell yes in a state. Neighbors and the authorities arrived to find a scene straight out of a horror

film. The 37,000 square foot mansion was being eaten by flames, and a total of six bodies were found around the property. Five of the corpses showed evidence of head trauma. Their skulls had been split open by a sharp weapon. The last body, which belonged to 11-year-old John Cheney, had been reduced to a pile of ash and bone. An impromptu search party scoured the 800-acre estate for Julian Carlton, a black man of average height and weight that three survivors said committed the murders and started the fire. But the search seemed fruitless. There was too much space and not enough people to cover the area.

For all the neighbors knew, Julian could have vanished into the wilderness. Even the bloodhound failed to pick up a scent. As 5 p.m. approached, searchers got tired and distanced. discouraged. Then, one clever neighbor had an idea. There was one place at Taliesin meant to withstand high heat, the furnace. Maybe Julian hadn't left the estate at all. Maybe he'd hidden inside the house, hoping to wait out the search party. A small group of locals went to the furnace. When they opened the door, they saw a man who matched Julian's description inside.

According to several witness accounts, he was crouched on all fours, still holding a bloody hatchet in one hand. The searchers ran back to grab Sheriff Williams. As he drove towards the furnace, words spread throughout the crowd that the killer had been found, incensed, people called for immediate revenge. That man should be killed. He's not a man, he's a monster! Who's got a rope? Neighbors went so far as to discuss lynching Julian,

but Sheriff Williams wanted to keep the perpetrator safe. No matter what, it was his job to make sure the man received due process. Sheriff Williams entered the furnace where the perpetrator was doubled over coughing, and the murder weapon was tossed aside. 30-year-old Julian Carlton could hardly speak. He only managed to croak one word. Acid. But Sheriff Williams couldn't understand what Julian said.

He assumed the man was suffering from severe smoke inhalation. The sheriff had little time to ask a follow-up question as the crowd gathered around them. Get in the car before they jump on you. They'd better let me live if they expect to find out something. Sheriff Williams took off towards the Iowa County Sheriff's Station. Some members of the crowd jumped in their own vehicles, and chased him for nearly seven miles before finally giving up and going home. Compared to the chaos of Taliesin, the sheriff's station seemed eerily calm.

Detectives were ready to question Julian, but his voice was too scratchy to understand. Still under the assumption that Julian had inhaled too much smoke, officers gave him milk for his throat and whiskey for his pain. Meanwhile, the crowd that had gathered at Taliesin dispersed, and news of the crime spread as fast as the flames that took down the estate. Before Frank Lloyd Wright even arrived back home, rumors flew about his possible involvement in the murders and arson. Nobody understood the handyman's murderous motivations,

and Frank's absence seemed suspicious. Some even accused Frank of paying Julian to burn down the mansion, but the claim never held any weight. Frank designed Taliesin with love. When he described his buildings, he said they were almost like children to him. The idea that he would have his beloved home destroyed was ridiculous. Worse yet was the suggestion that Frank was complicit in the deaths of his employees and his lover. When he arrived to find Taliesin flattened and six people dead, his grief was beyond words.

He sifted through the remains of his estate, struck speechless by the loss of his prized art collection. his carefully designed home, his lover, and the employees who had become like relatives to him. Presumably, at Frank's direction, the families of the dead were notified. Maima and the three Taliesin employees were taken to a local funeral home to be prepared for burial. Frank gave the remains of the young John and Martha Cheney to Edwin Cheney, Mamma's ex-husband and the children's father. Following Mamma's own wishes, he had them cremated, a strangely repetitive act, considering the manner of their death. With that business taken care of, Frank tried to make arrangements for his lover's funeral.

Something simple. Just a white pine casket. To symbolize her. Okay. What about the funeral? What about it? Who would you like to notify? I'm sure there are many people. who'd like to offer their condolences. No. I mean, nobody. I don't want anybody else there.

Frank? You'll need pole bearers and someone to conduct a service. No, no, none of that. I just want it to be me and her. Can I have that much at least? That's not usually how these things are done. I don't care how these things are usually done. I need to be alone with her.

Please. The following afternoon, Frank, dazed by shock and loss, walked circles around his property. Although some of his lawn had been browned by fire, other parts remained bright and colorful, a reminder of a happier time now lost to him. Most of the color was Mamma's work. When they first moved into Taliesin, Mamma planted flowers all over the property. In the three years they lived there together, she made sure the yard was a rainbow of blossoms. Looking at all of the flowers, Frank thought it right that Mamma got to keep them.

With a pair of gardening scissors, he cut down enough blossoms to make dozens of bouquets. As he did so, he tried to focus on her to hold on to all the beauty she had brought into his life. Two days later, on August 18th, Frank buried Mamma at Unity Chapel, a small church less than a mile away from Taliesin. although he had help lowering her white casket into the ground. He filled her grave all on his own. With each shovel of earth, Frank felt Mamma fall away from him. His once vibrant lover now relegated to another realm, but there was no peace in the act of burial.

All Frank could think about was how Mamma died. She must have been terrified. She must have felt so much pain. It was still hard for Frank to believe that Julian had caused all this destruction. He was a kind, mild-mannered man, a model employee. The man had never had a single disagreement. Nothing in the handyman's previous behavior suggested he was capable of such brutality. The massacre came out of absolutely nowhere.

When Iowa County authorities asked Frank why Julian might want to hurt him or his estate, Frank didn't have any answers. Julian was always so quiet. Even now as the handyman sat at the sheriff's station, he hardly spoke. Sheriff Williams tried his best to get information to figure out why the silent, seemingly gentle man, snapped. Why'd you do it? Julian, why did you do it? Get talk.

Why can't you talk? Hurts. Come on, Julian. I know you inhaled smoke, but you've got some serious explaining to do. They wanted to kill you back there. I brought you here because you deserve a fair trial just like anybody else. I can only help you if you tell me what happened. Acid.

Acid? Swallowed acid. You swallowed acid? Julian managed to tell Sheriff Williams what was really making him sick. Back in the furnace, as soon as he realized that he wouldn't be able to. to escape law enforcement, he swallowed a small bottle of muriatic acid, a less pure form of hydrochloric acid. This compound is highly dangerous and destructive. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, swallowing concentrated hydrochloric acid can cause corrosive injury to the mouth,

esophagus, and stomach. Julian was likely suffering from internal chemical burns and bleeding. speaking was painful and eating was practically impossible. Although officers were providing him food and water, he could hardly get any of it down. It was good to know exactly what was causing Julian's pain and silence, but Sheriff Williams also zeroed in on another crucial piece of information. A bit of detective work revealed that Julian had purchased the acid from a druggist in Central Spring Green on Friday, August 7th,

Eight days before the crime. This meant that Julian's violent rampage had been premeditated. He must have planned the massacre at least a week in advance. This was likely when he decided he would hide in the furnace until nightfall when he could escape the crime scene under the cover of darkness. He bought the acid as a kind of insurance. If he couldn't get away, he would commit suicide by swallowing the whole vial. It seemed probable that Julian drank the acid just before Sheriff Williams came in to arrest him.

Unfortunately for Julian, this plan didn't work. The acid didn't kill him. It just left him incredibly sick and unable to eat. Authorities at the sheriff's station didn't know how to treat such a unique illness, so Julian was simply booked into the county jail on murder charges. Medical care at the jail wasn't much better. Even today, injuries like Julian's would be difficult to treat. In 1914, there was practically nothing doctors could do,

except feed him milk and whiskey. Nobody knew if Julian's injuries would heal. He was rapidly losing weight, and perhaps due to extreme hunger, his behavior became increasingly erratic. Nine days after his arrest, on August 26, 1914, Julian attacked Sheriff Williams in the jail's corridor. He reportedly threw water at the sheriff and had to be restrained by two guards. This attack gave Sheriff Williams a better idea of who Julian really was.

The seemingly harmless handyman could go from friendly to furious in a matter of seconds. Still, Julian's character was a point of contention. Frank Lloyd Wright said that he had a hard time believing Julian was guilty, and Frank's sister described him as mild-mannered. Before her horrific death, Mae Machini had nothing but good things to say about the handyman. To figure out more, Iowa County sheriffs needed to interview people who knew Julian closely. The problem, of course, was that nearly every witness was dead.

David Lindblum, one of the three men who went to Mr. Reeder's home on August 15th, had succumbed to his burns, bringing the total death to him. toll to seven. The only survivors of the Saturday afternoon massacre were Herbert Fritz and Billy Weston. And both men had said the only explanation for Julian's violence was a sudden bout of insanity. But as it turned out, there was another person at Taliesin on the morning of August 15th. Her name was Gertrude, and she'd been found hiding in some brush in spring green after the fire finally cooled to a smolder.

Gertrude was employed by Frank and Mamma as a cook and a maid. Apparently, sometime before the fire broke out, she ran away from the property. At first, the timing seemed like incredible luck. But it wasn't a coincidence. According to Gertrude's testimony, she fled after seeing Julian run toward the barn, armed with a hatchet. Coming up, Gertrude reveals Julian's mental state leading up to the crime. And now, back to our story. Around 5.30 p.m. on August 15th, 1914,

a small group of neighbors found 30-year-old Julian Carlton hiding in the furnace of Frank Lloyd Wright's Talleyess in a state. The perpetrator was doubled over, coughing, having just swallowed a bottle of myriatic acid. Julian couldn't, or wouldn't, divulge his motivation for the crime, and the two survivors of the attack said that the only explanation was insane.

Manity. Luckily, for the authorities, there was somebody who could offer more information. Julian's wife, Gertrude Carlton. Julian is your husband? Uh, yes. Why do you sound hesitant? Well, we never went to the Justice of the Peace with common law married. Okay. You do know he's hurt himself very badly, don't you? Yes. So he can't talk?

Right. So I need you to tell me what happened. I don't really know. Come on. Julian has a tendency to be paranoid. His last few weeks, he's been very concerned about. I don't even know what. He's been sleeping with a hatchet next to the bed.

You're saying he's been fearing for his life? Yes, I suppose. According to Gertrude, Julian became increasingly on edge in the weeks leading up to the crime. He kept a weapon next to him whenever possible. Gertrude also told the authorities that Julian had never felt very comfortable at Taliesin. They'd been hired as a couple near the beginning of summer, just a few months prior, and they moved from Chicago to Spring Green for the work. But less than two weeks after arriving at Taliesin, Julian,

wanted to leave. He felt homesick for Chicago. He and Gertrude were the only people of color working at Frank's estate, and the village of Spring Green was almost entirely white. Being there felt alienating and uncomfortable. Julian felt judged in Wisconsin, likely due to both explicit and implicit bias exhibited by his white co-workers and employers. This bias became even more pronounced after the crime. When local newspapers reported on the massacre, they always made sure to specify the perpetrator's race, and some outlets use slurs and other derogatory language when referencing him. The majority of the victim's autopsy reports included Julian's race in the cause of death, a very strange and clearly prejudiced thing to do. On the whole, reporters and other Spring Green

residents seem to use Julian's violence as a way to support. racist beliefs that they already held. None of this was lost on Gertrude. I think he just felt uncomfortable here. Watched in a way like people were waiting for him to mess up so they could get him fired. Indeed, as rumors spread about the massacre, one of the leading theories was that Julian committed the crime because he was going to lose his job. At first glance, this seemed like a plausible explanation.

There was even evidence to support it. On August 12th and 13th, 1914, the Wednesday and Thursday before the crime, Frank Lloyd Wright took out advertisements in the Wisconsin State Journal looking for new servants. Seeking two girls or married couple to perform housekeeping duties for a country house and kitchen. Wages $40 per month, increase if satisfactory. Julian and Gertrude were on their way out, but not because they got fired. According to Gertrude, they voluntarily quit because Julian wanted to return to Chicago. They were supposed to board a train to Illinois on or immediately after August 15th, the day of the massacre. But the cartons never boarded that train.

If Julian wanted to go back to Chicago, he could have just gone. Something else must have motivated his actions. Some people thought that something had to be money. Famous as he was, Frank Lloyd Wright was constantly in debt. Although the public thought Frank had more than enough cash, some of his employees accused him of shorting their wages or neglecting to pay them at all. A number of people speculated that Julian might have burned down Taliesin to retaliate against a penny-pinching Frank.

But there was no evidence to support this idea. According to all available records, Julian and Frank never squabbled over money, and Gertrude didn't mention missed paychecks. Once again, a public theory was easily proven wrong. But of course, more ideas cropped up. One of the most popular theories among highly religious Spring Green residents was that Julian was an agent of God. Frank and Mamma were unmarried and thus openly living in sin.

So some devout locals said the crime was a kind of divine retribution. I can't even imagine what that. man must be going through. Hopefully he'll see the error of his ways. He's in mourning. What better time to seek God? If he'd only done it earlier... Don't say that.

All I'm saying is that if a person doesn't ask forgiveness, their sins will be punished. Maybe Frank did ask for forgiveness. Frank Lloyd Wright played hopscotch with the devil. Although it was unlikely that the Taliesin Massacre was divinely orchestrated, it did seem possible that Julian could have been motivated to destroy a home he saw as unrighteous. This theory might make sense if Julian had been a particularly religious man. However, the handyman wasn't known to go to church, and he himself was cohabitating with a woman

to whom he was not legally married. Frank and Julian committed the same sins, so this theory had to be thrown out as well. The fruitless investigation was getting frustrating for the authorities. From what they could see, things had been generally positive at Taliesin. Julian likely felt alienated in Spring Green, but being uncomfortable didn't warrant a mass murder, especially when he'd already quit his job and planned his return to Chicago. Sheriff Williams was stuck, and he worried that time might be dwindling. Julian weighed about 145 pounds on August 15th.

but with every passing day he got slimmer. His burns were causing him to starve to death behind bars. Iowa County authorities needed to get answers before it was too late. There was nobody else to interview in Spring Green except Julian, but he was barely able to speak. Sheriff Williams had one last idea. Maybe Julian's violence didn't originate in Wisconsin. Maybe it could be traced back to Chicago.

Luckily, a reporter from a newspaper called The Tribune had the same thought. The journalist interviewed Julian and Gertrude's former neighbors, who said that Julian's rampage wasn't completely out of character. In fact, he had a history of violence and abuse that Gertrude apparently kept under wraps. Thanks again for tuning into Solved Murders. We'll be back next Wednesday with Part 2, of the Taliesin Massacre.

For more information on May Machini, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Julian Carlton. Among the many sources we used, we found Death in a Prairie House, Frank Lloyd Wright, and the Taliesin murders by William R. Drennan, extremely helpful to our research. You can find all episodes of solved murders

and all other Spotify originals from Parcast for free on Spotify. We'll see you next time. If we live till next time. Solved Murders, True Crime Mysteries is a Spotify original from Parcast. It is executive produced by Max Cutler. Sound design by Michael Langsner, with production assistants by Ron Shapiro, Carly, Madden, and Freddie Beckley.

This episode of Solved Murders was written by Karris Allen, with writing assistance by Giles Hofsef, fact-checking by Bennett Logan, and research by Mickey Taylor. The amazing cast of voice actors includes Tom Bauer, Bill Butts, Tiana Camacho, and Kai Jordan. Solve Murder stars Wendy McKenzie and Carter Roy. Fact, fiction, fame. Discover the real story behind one of history's most formidable families and the Spotify original from Parcast, The Kennedys. Remember, you can binge all 12 episodes starting on Tuesday, January 19th. Listen free and exclusively on Spotify.