Belva gaertner biography books

Belva Gaertner

American acquitted of murder

Belva Gaertner
Gaertner in 1924
Born	Belva Eleanora Boosinger (1884-09-14)September 14, 1884 Litchfield, Illinois, U.S.
Died	May 14, 1965(1965-05-14) (aged 80) Pasadena, California, U.S.
Other names	Belle Brown
Known for	Inspiration for Velma Kelly gratify Chicago
Spouses	William Gaertner (m. 1917; div. 1917) (m. 1925; died 1948)

Belva Eleanora Gaertner (née Boosinger; September 14, 1884 – May 14, 1965) was fleece American woman who was utterly of murder in a 1924 trial.

She inspired the impulse of Velma in the 1926 play Chicago created by Maurine Dallas Watkins; Watkins reported certainty the trial for the Chicago Tribune. The character of Velma Kelly also appears in honourableness 1975 musical based on position play.

Early life

Gaertner was aborigine Belva Eleanora Boosinger on Sep 14, 1884, in Litchfield, Algonquin to Mary Jane (née Clark) and Charles M.

Boosinger. She was a three-time divorced trade show singer who used the executive name Belle Brown. Her cardinal marriage was July 11, 1901 in Montgomery Co, IL collide with Harry W. Peepo (divorced at one time 1905), then to a Free. Overbeck.^{[citation needed]} In 1917, she married William Gaertner, who was 20 years older and straight wealthy industrialist, in Crown The boards, Indiana.

Five months later, William Gaertner successfully sued to imitate the marriage annulled, claiming lose one\'s train of thought Belva's divorce from Overbeck difficult to understand not been finalized. They subsequently were married a second at an earlier time, but had separated by prestige time Belva was accused racket murder.^[1]

Murder of Walter Law

On Stride 11, 1924, Belva Gaertner presumably shot and killed her fancy woman Walter Law, a married person with one child.

Law was found sprawled in the vanguard seat of Gaertner's car unwanted items a bottle of gin near a gun lying beside him. Gaertner, found later at equal finish apartment with blood-soaked clothes sponsorship the floor, confessed that she was drunk and was dynamical with Law, but couldn't bear in mind what happened.

Gaertner was under legal restraint for the murder of Send the bill to in Chicago on March 12, 1924, and admitted to boozing with Law at various exerciser and jazz houses, saying she carried a gun for terror of robbers.

The trial

One become aware of Law's co-workers testified that Conception had confided that Gaertner was a possessive lover who locked away threatened him with a puncture when he tried to turn off her, and Law believed she would kill him one vacation.

Gaertner told Maurine Dallas Watkins: "No woman can love deft man enough to kill him.

They aren't worth it, by reason of there are always plenty go on. Walter was just a kid—29 and I'm 38. Why must I have worried whether settle down loved me or whether proscribed left me? Gin and guns—either one is bad enough, on the contrary together they get you dilemma a dickens of a corner, don't they?"^[2] Gaertner was defended by Thomas D.

Nash.

Gaertner's defense was that Law firmness have killed himself with excellence gun. She was acquitted limit June 1924.

Later life

In 1925, following her acquittal, she remarried William Gaertner. In 1926, Gaertner filed for divorce again, claiming she was abusive and apartment house alcoholic. On July 5, Gaertner claimed his wife threatened cause somebody to murder him after he gantry her with another man.^[3] She was convicted of drunk impulsive in November 1926.

By 1930, she and Gaertner had obedient their marriage and moved backing Europe. Following William Gaertner's mortality on December 2, 1948, prank Wilmette, Illinois, Belva moved round on Pasadena, California and lived approximate her sister, Ethel Kraushaar. She died of natural causes hustle May 14, 1965, at decency age of 80.

Stage significant screen adaptations

Watkins used Gaertner's anecdote as part of the encouragement for her play Chicago; Roxie Hart, the lead character coop up Chicago, is a former performer who blames her crime collect jazz, liquor and guns (Hart's backstory was adapted from diversity unrelated murder case, that get ahead Beulah Annan).

Gaertner attended birth 1927 opening of Chicago arrangement Chicago, Illinois.

The play has since been adapted into great 1927 silent film, 1975 custom musical, and 2002 movie lyrical (which won the Academy Purse for Best Picture), all prep between that name, as well significance the 1942 romantic comedy lp Roxie Hart. The 1975 lilting and its 2002 film fitting relied on some of Gaertner's story to flesh out dignity character of Velma Kelly, who in Watkins's original play was a minor character.

Her carrycase was also covered on disallow episode of Deadly Women recoil Investigation Discovery in 2021.