:: Northcott Murders: James Jeffrey Paul’s
Research Materials
Introduction
This collection consists of six boxes of materials donated by James Jeffrey Paul, which were used in the research of his book, Nothing is Strange with You: The Life and Crimes of Gordon Stewart Northcott. The collection has been organized into 5 series and includes newspaper articles, books, legal documents, court transcripts, photographs, and a copy of the screenplay Changeling.
Background
On October 2, 1930 Gordon Stewart Northcott was executed for the murders of Lewis Winslow, Nelson Winslow and an unidentified Mexican man. He confessed to other murders, but was never convicted due to lack of evidence. His mother, Sarah Louise Northcott, was convicted of murdering Walter Collins, but was not executed. The murders and subsequent criminal trials of Gordon Stewart Northcott and Sarah Louise Northcott created a media frenzy and left people “shaken with alternating waves of fascination, repulsion, and even a strange kind of pity.”
Originally from Canada, the Northcotts moved to Los Angeles in 1924. Following several scandals and allegations against Stewart concerning sexual misconduct, Stewart asked his father, Cyrus George Northcott, to purchase some land for him away from Los Angeles. In 1926, George Northcott purchased three acres of land in Wineville, California (later renamed Mira Loma), which Stewart used to start a chicken ranch. After several months, Stewart determined it was too difficult to run the ranch himself and decided to procure the help of one of his nephews. Returning to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, he convinced his sister, Winnifred Clark, to let him take her 13-year-old son, Sanford, on a short trip to Regina. Instead of going to Regina, Northcott kidnapped Sanford and brought him back to the chicken farm where he physically and sexually abused him for several years and later forced Sanford to participate in the murders of several young boys.
In 1928, Stewart committed his first known murder, an unidentified Mexican worker whom he accused of stealing from him. A few months later, he kidnapped and molested a young boy named Walter Collins who was eventually killed by Louise Northcott for “seeing too much.” In May of 1928 Stewart kidnapped two brothers, Lewis and Nelson Winslow, and after about a week and a half of imprisonment, murdered them.
In the summer of 1928, worried about Sanford and suspicious that he wasn’t really going to school as he claimed in his letters, his sister, Jessie Clark, decided to visit him in California. While staying at the chicken ranch, Sanford confided in Jessie about his abuse and the murders. After several failed attempts to return home with Sanford, Jessie eventually returned home alone and filed a report with the Canadian authorities stating Sanford had been kidnapped and forced to participate in multiple murders. Soon after, United States Immigration inspectors were dispatched to the chicken farm to question Northcott. Unable to locate Northcott, who eventually escaped to Vancouver with his mother, they took Sanford into custody. On September 14, 1928, Sanford confessed everything while in custody at the Los Angeles Juvenile Home. Several days later, Stewart and his mother were apprehended by Canadian authorities and were eventually extradited to California and tried in Riverside County for murder.
Following a sensationalized trial, Gordon Stewart Northcott was found guilty of murder and was eventually executed at San Quentin on October 2, 1930. Sarah Louise Northcott, also found guilty, served four and a half years at San Quentin and was later moved to the Institution for Women at Tehachapi. She was paroled on May 30, 1940 and spent the rest of her years on a farm in Parsonsburg with her husband, George Northcott. She passed away on November 21, 1944 of chronic myocarditis.
Sanford Clark became a ward of the State of California in February 1929 and was deported to Canada in January 1931. He eventually married and after serving in the Royal Canadian Artillery during World War II he took a position with the Post Office. Suffering from heart problems and cancer, he passed away in Saskatoon on June 20, 1991. According to those who knew him, he was “very well respected and loved by the family,” but never spoke of his time with Stewart, preferring to keep “the memories of it to himself.”
Scope and Content
The collection consists of six boxes of materials organized by material type.
Series I contains published materials and is organized into five sub-series beginning with articles from various newspapers including the Riverside Daily Press, the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Evening Herald, and the San Francisco Chronicle. The articles are organized chronologically and dates range from 1928-1991. Also included in the series are excerpts from books, excerpts from web sites, and books which detail Gordon Stewart Northcott’s crimes and incarceration and provide information on psychological and criminal behavior. These materials are organized alphabetically by the author’s last name. The final sub-series contains three issues of True Detective Mysteries. Each issue includes one part of a three-part series of articles on the Northcott murders.
Series II contains legal documents and is organized into three sub-series: Canadian documents, California documents and the Riverside Superior Court transcript of Gordon Stewart Northcott’s trial. Documents are arranged chronologically and include warrants, witness testimony, legal briefs, and death certificates.
Series III contains 96 printed images from a variety of sources and 9 digital images from the San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library. The digital images are duplicates of print images included in this collection. Since the majority of the images are undated, they are loosely organized by subject (Northcott in a train station, Northcott in the courtroom, etc.). The images can also be classified into four types and are either black-and-white or sepia-toned: Images with captions that were printed from various web sites on regular 8½” x 11” printer paper, images without captions that are from the Los Angeles Public Library collections and printed on regular 8½” x 11” printer paper, images photocopied from articles/books, and photographs developed onto 8”x10” Kodak professional paper.
Series IV contains correspondence and is organized into two sub-series, correspondence with California Governor C.C. Young and correspondence with James Jeffrey Paul.
Series V contains the screenplay for Changeling: A True Story by J. Michael Straczynski.
Series Description
When known, dates of documents are written on the back, lower right-hand corner of the document and are enclosed in brackets.
Series I: Published Materials
Sub-series A: Newspaper Articles
The following folders include articles from the Riverside Daily Press, the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Evening Herald, and the San Francisco Chronicle.
Folder 1: September 15 – September 20, 1928
Folder 2: September 21 – September 30, 1928
Folder 3: October 1 – October 15, 1928
Folder 4: October 16 – November 30, 1928
Folder 5: December 1 – December 7, 1928
Folder 6: December 8 – December 31, 1928
Folder 7: January 1 – January 7, 1929
Folder 8: January 8 – January 31, 1929
Folder 9: February 1 – February 12, 1929
Folder 10: September 23, 1930 – June 24, 1991
Sub-series B: Book Excerpts
The materials in this Sub-series are photocopies of sections from the following books. Subjects covered in the excerpts include studies on psychological and criminal behavior, as well as information on Gordon Stewart Northcott’s crimes and incarceration.
Folder 1: Duffy, C. T. (1962). 88 men and 2 women. Garden City, NY: Doubleday. (pages 60-73 and 130-141)
Folder 2: Duffy, C. T. (1965). Sex and crime. Garden City, NY: Doubleday. (pages 1-203)
Folder 3: Eby, C. P. (1999). Hemingway’s fetishism: Psychoanalysis and the mirror of manhood. New York: State University of
New York Press. (pages 88-98)
Folder 4: Goldstein, S. L. (1999). Sexual exploitation of children: A practical guide to assessment, investigation and intervention.
Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. (various pages)
Folder 5: Jones, A. (1980). Women who kill. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. (p. 239-251)
Folder 6: Kobler, J. (1940). Some like it gory: A post-graduate course in the art of murder. Dodd Mead. (p. 136-143)
Folder 7: Kurz, D. (1988). Wineville district murders, 1928. Riverside, CA: Rubidoux Historical Society. (p. 1-2)
Folder 8: Lamott, K. (1961). Chronicles of San Quentin: The biography of
a prison. New York. D. McKay Co. (p. 232-261)
Folder 9: Marin people, v. 3 (1980). Marin County, CA: Marin County
Historical Society. (p. 297-299)
Sub-series C: Website Excerpts
Folder 1: Web site Excerpts
Sub-series D: Magazines
Livingston, A. (1929, July). Murder farm! True Detective Mysteries, 11(4), 10-17, 74-76.
Livingston, A. (1929, August). Murder farm! True Detective Mysteries, 11(5), 32-36, 104.
Livingston, A. (1929, October). Murder farm! True Detective Mysteries, 12(1), 60-64, 96-100.
Sub-series E: Books
Burgess, L. E. & Sandos, J. A. (1994). The hunt for Willie Boy: Indian-
hating and popular culture. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press.
Cantillon, R. H. (1972). In defense of the fox: The trial of William
Edward Hickman. Anderson, SC: Droke House/Hallux.
Duffy, C. T. (1950). The San Quentin Story. Garden City, NY:
Doubleday & Company, Inc. [signed by author]
Duffy, G. (1959). Warden’s wife. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts,
Inc.
Justitia rei publicae fundamentum (1998). Riverside, CA: Riverside
Museum Press.
Mundy, G. R. (1996). A star was born: A centennial history of the
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Newport Beach, CA: Graphic Publishers.
Newton, M. (2000). Stolen away: The true story of California’s most
shocking kidnap-murder. New York: Pocket Star Books.
Stanley, L. L. (1940). Men at their worst. New York: D. Appleton-
Century Company, Inc.
SERIES II: LEGAL DOCUMENTS
Sub-series A: Canadian Documents
Folder 1: September 21, 1928 – October 29, 1928 [from Library and Archives Canada]
Folder 2: October 30, 1928 – December 3, 1928
Folder 3: Gordon Stewart Northcott Warrant of Committal and Extradition
Proceedings (Collins Case)
Folder 4: Gordon Stewart Northcott Warrant of Committal and Extradition
Proceedings (John Doe Case)
Folder 5: Gordon Stewart Northcott Warrant of Committal and Extradition
Proceedings (Unknown Person Case)
Folder 6: Gordon Stewart Northcott Warrant of Committal and Extradition
Proceedings (Winslow Case)
Sub-series B: California Documents
Folder 1: Witness Testimony, Riverside County Superior Court (9/21/1928)
Folder 2: Documents from December 31, 1928 – January 11, 1929
Folder 3: Documents from January 14, 1929 – January 29, 1929
Folder 4: Documents from February 6, 1929 – February 16, 1929
Folder 5: Statement to the Governor (2/26/1929)
Folder 6: Clerk’s Transcript (filed 3/5/1929)
Folder 7: Documents from May 16, 1929 – December 19, 1929
Folder 8: Appellant’s Opening Brief (filed 1/14/1930) [from the California
State Archives]
Folder 9: Resume of Appellant’s Statement of Facts (filed 1/14/1930) [from
the California State Archives]
Folder 10: Supplemental Reporter’s Transcript on Appeal from the Superior
Court of Riverside County (1/23/1930) [from the California State Archives]
Folder 11: Respondent’s Brief (filed 3/7/1930) [from the California State Archives]
Folder 12: Appellant’s Reply Brief (filed 4/2/1930) [from the California
State Archives]
Folder 13: Documents from January 28, 1930 – October 29, 1930
Folder 14: Gordon Stewart Northcott’s Application for Executive Clemency
(August 1930) [from the California State Archives]
Folder 15: Last Will and Testament of Louise Northcott (1944-1945)
Folder 16: Death Certificates (Gordon Stewart Northcott, George
Northcott, and Louise Northcott)
Folder 17: Commutation of Sentence documents relating to Louise
Northcott (1940)
Folder 18: Documents relating to Ephraim Northcott
Sub-series C: Riverside Superior Court transcript of Gordon Stewart
Northcott Trial
Volume 1: Pages 1 – 612
Volume 2, Part 1: Pages 614 – 1141
Volume 2, Part 2: Pages 1142 – 1318
Volume 3: Pages 1319 – 1937
Volume 4: Pages 1938 – 2501
Volume 5: Pages 2502 – 2985, plus addenda for verdict and sentencing
SERIES III: PHOTOGRAPHS
Sub-series A: Printed Photographs
CLD019-0001: Gordon Stewart Northcott boarding train in Canada (September
24, 1928)
CLD019-0002: Police and lawyer, Frank J, Lyons, leaving Canadian courthouse
with alleged murderer, Gordon Northcott, after extradition hearing (1929), view 1.
CLD019-0003: Police and lawyer, Frank J, Lyons, leaving Canadian courthouse with alleged murderer, Gordon Northcott, after extradition hearing (1929), view 2.
CLD019-0004: Gordon Stewart Northcott photographed as he stepped off the train from Canada. Northcott is handcuffed to Albert R. Kelly (on his right) and is about to be taken to the Los Angeles County Jail, view 1.
[Citation from True Detective Mysteries, July 1929, p. 17]
CLD019-0005: Gordon Stewart Northcott photographed as he stepped off the train from Canada. Northcott is handcuffed to Albert R. Kelly (on his right) and is about to be taken to the Los Angeles County Jail, view 2.
[Citation from True Detective Mysteries, July 1929, p. 17]
CLD019-0006: Northcott with Riverside Deputy Sheriffs leaving for San Quentin – (left to right) C.F. Rayburn, Jack Brown and Gordon Stewart Northcott (1929).
CLD019-0007: Riverside Deputy Sheriffs with Northcott – (left to right) C.F. Rayburn, Gordon Stewart Northcott and Jack Brown (1929).
CLD019-0008: Gordon Stewart Northcott photographed as he stepped off the train from Canada. Northcott is handcuffed to Albert R. Kelly (on his right) and is about to be taken to the Los Angeles County Jail, view 1.
CLD019-0009: Gordon Stewart Northcott photographed as he stepped off the train from Canada. Northcott is handcuffed to Albert R. Kelly (on his right) and is about to be taken to the Los Angeles County Jail, view 2.
CLD019-0010: Gordon Stewart Northcott (middle)
CLD019-0011: Gordon Stewart Northcott signing papers
CLD019-0012: Louise Northcott (left) in train
CLD019-0013: Northcott chicken ranch in Wineville, CA [Citation from True Detective Mysteries, July 1929, p. 10]
CLD019-0014: Room where Walter Collins was imprisoned and killed according to Sanford Clark [Citation from True Detective Mysteries, July 1929, p. 11]
CLD019-0015: Small building
CLD019-0016: Northcott chicken ranch in Wineville, CA
CLD019-0017: Northcott showing law enforcement officials where to look for the bodies of his victims
CLD019-0018: Law enforcement officials digging near chicken ranch
CLD019-0019: Law enforcement officials in ditch
CLD019-0020: Law enforcement officials searching for evidence
CLD019-0021: Law enforcement officials holding hatchets
CLD019-0022: Law enforcement officials observing digging
CLD019-0023: Riverside County Sheriff Sweeters (right) and Deputy Sheriff Quinn (left) examining blood-stained axe found on Northcott ranch. [Citation from Los Angeles Times, September 16, 1928, p.3]
CLD019-0024: Empty wheelbarrow
CLD019-0025: Shovels in ditch
CLD019-0026: Evidence, view 1
CLD019-0027: Evidence, view 2
CLD019-0028: Evidence, view 3
CLD019-0029: Evidence, view 4
CLD019-0030: Evidence, view 5
CLD019-0031: Sanford Clark (center) points to the chair in which each Winslow brother sat when he was first struck with an axe. At left is Deputy Sheriff A.B. Mendoza, at right, Deputy Sheriff L.G. Ybarra. [Citation from Nothing is Strange with You, 2008, p.60]
CLD019-0032: Scene in court as Gordon Stewart Northcott appeared for hearing. (Left to right) Los Angeles District Attorney Fitts (seated), Deputy District Attorney Thomas, Deputy District Attorney Menzies, Defense Attorney Norbert Savay, Northcott and Associate Defense Counsel A.H. de Tremaudan. [Citation from Los Angeles Times, December 6, 1928, p.2], view 1
CLD019-0033: Scene in court as Gordon Stewart Northcott appeared for hearing. (Left to right) Los Angeles District Attorney Fitts (seated), Deputy District Attorney Thomas, Deputy District Attorney Menzies, Defense Attorney Norbert Savay, Northcott and Associate Defense Counsel A.H. de Tremaudan. [Citation from Los Angeles Times, December 6, 1928, p.2], view 2
CLD019-0034: (Left to right) Deputy District Attorney Tom Menzies (seated, facing camera), Associate Defense Counsel A.H. de Tremaudan (on Northcott’s right), Northcott, Defense Attorney Norbert Savay (behind Northcott on his left) and J.M. Cameron (on Northcott’s left).
CLD019-0035: (Left to right) Deputy District Attorney Tom Menzies (seated, fist on chin), Associate Defense Counsel A.H. de Tremaudan (on Northcott’s right), Northcott, Defense Attorney Norbert Savay (behind Northcott on his left) and J.M. Cameron (on Northcott’s left).
CLD019-0036: Jessie Clark at Northcott trial
CLD019-0037: Christine Collins speaking before the City Council’s Welfare Committee (Los Angeles). [Citation from Los Angeles Times, October 25, 1928, p.1]
CLD019-0038: Gordon Stewart Northcott at his trial
CLD019-0039: (Left to right) A.H. de Tremaudan, J.M. Cameron, Northcott and Norbert Savay.
CLD019-0040a: Jury picked the first day. (Left to right, front row) James A. Bruce, J.D. Wood, Otto Dahl, Donald Hancock, Lon LaRoe, W.C. Evens. (Left to right, back row) George W. Thomas, Louis Lind, John Sauers, Jr., W.S. Boggs, L.A. Maes, and J.H. Welch. [Citation from Los Angeles Examiner, January 3, 1929]
CLD019-0040b: Information for jury image
CLD019-0041: Unidentified man holding axe
CLD019-0042: Unidentified man at trial
CLD019-0043: Unidentified boy testifying
CLD019-0044: Cyrus George Northcott in courtroom
CLD019-0045: (Left to right) Frank Dewar and J.M. Cameron
CLD019-0046: J.M. Cameron
CLD019-0047: (Left to right) San Quentin Warden James B. Holohan, Christine Collins and Reverend Harry Newgent, Northcott’s spiritual advisor.
CLD019-0048: Two men outside courthouse, view 1
CLD019-0049: Two men outside courthouse, view 2
CLD019-0050: Unidentified man standing outside courthouse
CLD019-0051: Gordon Stewart Northcott in handcuffs [USC Regional History Center – Examiner Collection]
CLD019-0052: Gordon Stewart Northcott at ages 3, 10, 11, 13, and 14
CLD019-0053: Gordon Stewart Northcott, view 1
CLD019-0054: Gordon Stewart Northcott, view 2
CLD019-0055: Gordon Stewart Northcott, view 3
CLD019-0056: Gordon Stewart Northcott, view 4
CLD019-0057: Gordon Stewart Northcott, view 5
CLD019-0058: Gordon Stewart Northcott in jail, view 1
CLD019-0059: Gordon Stewart Northcott in jail, view 2
CLD019-0060: Gordon Stewart Northcott in jail, view 3
CLD019-0061: Gordon Stewart Northcott in jail, view 4
CLD019-0062: Gordon Stewart Northcott in jail, view 5
CLD019-0063: Gordon Stewart Northcott in jail, view 6
CLD019-0064: Gordon Stewart Northcott mug shot, view 1
CLD019-0065: Gordon Stewart Northcott mug shot, view 2
CLD019-0066: Gordon Northcott leading orchestra, October 11, 1928
CLD019-0067: Photographs of Louise Northcott at various ages
CLD019-0068: Sarah Louise Northcott, 61 year old mother of Gordon Stewart Northcott [Citation from True Detective Mysteries, July 1929, p. 16]
CLD019-0069: Mrs. Louise Northcott as she appeared after being placed in cell, December 8, 1928 [Citation from Los Angeles Times, December 9, 1928], view 1
CLD019-0070: Mrs. Louise Northcott as she appeared after being placed in cell, December 8, 1928 [Citation from Los Angeles Times, December 9, 1928], view 2
CLD019-0071: Mrs. Louise Northcott as she appeared after being placed in cell, December 8, 1928 [Citation from Los Angeles Times, December 9, 1928], view 3
CLD019-0072: Mrs. Louise Northcott as she appeared after being placed in cell, December 8, 1928 [Citation from Los Angeles Times, December 9, 1928], view 4
CLD019-0073: Cyrus Northcott
CLD019-0074: Cyrus Northcott holding a gun
CLD019-0075: Jessie Clark – “Sister of Sanford Clark, who first revealed the asserted Riverside ax murders” [Citation from Los Angeles Times, October 5, 1928]
CLD019-0076: Jessie Clark with caption bubble that reads, “Brother whispered the murders to me at night”
CLD019-0077: Two unidentified boys
CLD019-0078: Unidentified young man, view 1
CLD019-0079: Unidentified young man, view 2
CLD019-0080: Sanford Clark
CLD019-0081: Sanford Clark holding photographs
CLD019-0082: Unidentified woman
CLD019-0083: Unidentified man and woman
CLD019-0084: Unidentified boy and woman
CLD019-0085: Two unidentified women, arm in arm
CLD019-0086: Walter Collins on a horse
CLD019-0087: Photograph of a letter signed by Billy Fields (“I am not Walter Collins, my name is Billy Fields. I said I was Walter Collins because I wanted to get into the movies in Hollywood”)
CLD019-0088: Photograph of a letter signed by Gordon Stewart Northcott pleading guilty to the murder of Alvin Gothea
CLD019-0089: Photograph of a letter allegedly written by Lewis and Nelson Winslow and addressed to their parents
CLD019-0090: Photograph of a hand-drawn map and a not guilty plea signed by Gordon Stewart Northcott (“I am not guilty. If you look here you will find what you want”)
CLD019-0091: Photograph of a letter dated August 12, 1928. Addressed to “Mother”, but unsigned.
CLD019-0092: Photograph of a letter dated January 16, 1928
CLD019-0093: Photograph of a letter dated Monday, January 19, 1928. Addressed to “auntie Agnes”, but unsigned.
CLD019-0094: Photograph of a letter written to Gordon Stewart Northcott and signed by his mother.
CLD019-0095: Photograph of a map detailing parts of Southern California, view 1
CLD019-0096: Photograph of a map detailing parts of Southern California, view 2
Sub-series B: Photographs on Compact Disc
Folder 1: Nine images on a CD from the San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library. The images on the disc are duplicates of print images included in this collection.
CLD019-0036: Jessie Clark at Northcott trial
CLD019-0037: Christine Collins speaking before the City Council’s Welfare Committee (Los Angeles). [Citation from Los Angeles Times, October 25, 1928, p.1]
CLD019-0038: Gordon Stewart Northcott at his trial
CLD019-0039: (Left to right) A.H. de Tremaudan, J.M. Cameron, Northcott and Norbert Savay
CLD019-0047: (Left to right) San Quentin Warden James B. Holohan, Christine Collins and Reverend Harry Newgent, Northcott’s spiritual advisor.
CLD019-0052: Gordon Stewart Northcott at ages 3, 10, 11, 13, and 14
CLD019-0067: Photographs of Louise Northcott at various ages
CLD019-0068: Sarah Louise Northcott, 61 year old mother of Gordon Stewart Northcott [Citation from True Detective Mysteries, July 1929, p. 16]
CLD019-0083: Unidentified man and woman
SERIES IV: CORRESPONDENCE
Sub-series A: Correspondence with California Governor C.C. Young
Folder 1: June 9, 1929 – September 19, 1930 [from the California State Archives]
Folder 2: September 21, 1930 – October 2, 1930 [from the California State
Archives]
Sub-series B: Correspondence with James Jeffrey Paul
Folder 1: February 22, 1999 – August 3, 2006
SERIES V: SCREENPLAY
Folder 1: Screenplay for Changeling: A True Story by J. Michael Straczynski
References
Minn, Tammy. (October 2008). The Wineville murders. Inland Empire, 33(10),
80-87.
Paul, James Jeffrey. (2008). Nothing is strange with you: The life and crimes of
Gordon Stewart Northcott. Philadelphia, PA: Xlibris.
Subject Headings
Changeling (Motion picture)
Child molesters -- California
Crime and criminals -- California -- Mira Loma
Murder -- California -- Mira Loma
Murder – California -- Riverside County
Northcott, Gordon Stewart, 1907-1930
Northcott, Gordon Stuart, 1907-1930
Serial murderers -- California -- Riverside County
Trials (Murder) -- California
Wineville (Calif.)