A Letter

When I left off on Wednesday, an unknown assailant had entered the Pauls' home and savagely beat Mr. Pauls to death.

It is thought that the intruder had then gone upstairs to 12-year-old Dorothy's bedroom. She had probably been awakened by the sounds of shots and was now sitting up. (The autopsy revealed that Dorothy had been in a seated position when her injuries were inflicted.) She was then bludgeoned about the head.

Mrs. Pauls then arrives home from the bus stop. When she finds that her husband isn't there to meet her, she runs home in the heavy rain. (A neighbour reported seeing her running towards her house around that time.)

While Mrs. Pauls was rushing home, the killer pulled the blankets off Dorothy and removes her bottom clothing,covers her head with a robe. Whatever he intended to do was interrupted by the arrival of the lady of the house.

Mrs. Pauls came in through the front door and entered the hallway. After putting her purse on the table, she heads along the hallway leading to both hers and her daughter's bedrooms. It was then that the killer stepped out of Dorothy's bedroom, shoots and beats the woman. The killer then left the house through the basement door.

Now the police think they know how the killing was done yet the question of why still remained. It isn't common for prowlers and burglars to carry guns and even if in this case a thief had done so, why wasn't anything in the house taken?

There was a theory that Dorothy had an older boyfriend and had been the target. That theory was never proven. Or perhaps Mr. Pauls had found a 'Peeping Tom' looking through his young daughter's bedroom window and when the man was confronted had turned violent. There was no evidence of sexual assault on the body so investigators placed less credence on sex as a motive.

Mrs. Pauls' father had been murdered in Russia during the time of the Revolution. She had complained recently to a group of relatives that her current employer was a communist and other communists were gathering in the shop where she worked. It was also rumoured that drugs were sold at the store. Helen spoke and understood Ukrainian and Russian and perhaps she had overheard something at work she shouldn't have. Although the police devoted hours to investigating this theory, they were never able to substantiate it.

There was even a persistent rumour that the Mennonite Church was behind the murders. It didn't help that when the police tried to question the Church, members refused to help, insisting the killings were 'The Will of God'.

When the Pauls had moved to Vancouver, they had lived in a person's house who we will call Mr. Jones. One day, the police received this anonymous letter:

Chief of Police

Dear Sir, the man you should go after for the murder is Mr. Jones. he once told that this was his house and someday it would be his. He knew what he was doing had arranged to look like a robbery etc. his a cunning crook. Stop looking for innocent schoolboys and question him, He is the one.

A one time friend.

Jones is not the man's real name.

Because Mr. Jones had already cropped up in the investigation he was brought in for questioning. Numerous times.

Mr. Jones was Russian born and had come to Canada from a German displaced persons camp after World War II. He told police that he had served in the Russian Army until he was captured by Germans and forced to serve in a German Infantry Battalion. Although a check with Ottawa confirmed this by Jones' application for immigration forms, the police checked with German authorities and found the man had not been in the Infantry Battalion but rather the Waffen S.S.

This information could cause problems with immigration but it had nothing to do with the murder. Jones was helpful, granting permission for his palm prints to be taken and submitting to a polygraph. His palm print didn't match those at the crime scene and he passed the lie detector test.

Even though there were plenty of rumours and theories about who killed the Pauls' family, to this day no one has ever been charged with the murder. The motive for the murders, the identity of the killer and of the letter writer remain unknown.

Thanks goes to PoliceBeat by Joe Swan for the information in this entry.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill, Vancouver, Joe Swan, history, PoliceBeat, Pauls British Columbia, Canada, VPL,murder