Evelyn Hoey
Encyclopedia
Evelyn Hoey
(December 15, 1910 – September 11, 1935) was a Broadway theatre
torch singer
and actress.
and Good News
. She began performing at the age of 10 in Minneapolis. As an adult she appeared in London
, England
and Paris
, France
. She had one movie credit with a role in the 1930 comedy Leave It To Lester. The film was directed by Frank Cambria and co-starred Lester Allen
and Hal Thompson.
was found shot to death in an upstairs bedroom of oil heir Henry H. Rogers III's Indian Run Farm house, Wallace Township near Downingtown, Pennsylvania in 1935. A bullet was discharged in her brain on the night of September 11. She had been a guest at the home for a week. Others present there during this time were Rogers, photographer William J. Kelley, a Japanese cook, George Yamada, a butler, and Rogers' chauffeur, Frank Catalano. Hoey's body was removed to a morgue in Downingtown. Later the body was taken to the county hospital in West Chester, Pennsylvania
for an autopsy.
Rogers was the son of a deceased millionaire, Colonel Henry Huddleston Rogers, a former Standard Oil
executive. Colonel Rogers made millions in oil, together with the family of John D. Rockefeller
, from the resources of the huge estate. The elder Rogers left virtually his entire inheritance to his wife, a daughter, and to a son from his daughter's first marriage. The residuary estate was left for the wife, daughter, and daughter's son to share equally. Henry H. Rogers III was excluded from the provisions of his father's will through the careful wording of lawyers. He lived on $500,000 annually from a trust fund provided by his father's will. The income was to go to him during his lifetime but would return to the estate when he died.
Rogers left his father's home when he was twenty. He found work in a Cleveland, Ohio
machine shop, working for twenty five cents an hour. He wanted to become an engineer and aspired to complete his education in Oxford
, England. Rogers eventually went to Hollywood to study camera technique. There he partnered with Harold McCracken to produce pictures. His first film was a comedy concerning nudism. He was estranged from his wife, the former Miss Virginia Lincoln, a physician's daughter from Cleveland. The couple were married in 1929.
A jury of eighteen men and four housewives convened in West Chester on November 12, 1935. Among the witnesses was Hoey's singing coach, Victor Andoga, of New York City
. Andoga testified that he believed Hoey committed suicide because of anguish over a love affair with a New York theatrical man. He said that she was also worried that her voice was failing. According to him she twice told him she wanted to end her life.
Hoey confided to Andoga in 1932 that a man wanted to marry her but she was unwilling because of her affection for the theater man. She asked him to test her voice when she returned from a trip to Bermuda
in 1934. Hoey disclosed to Andoga that she took the trip with the idea of
slipping off the ship overboard, but lost her nerve.
The grand jury concluded on November 18, following a week's inquiry, that Hoey committed suicide with a revolver
by shooting herself in the head. They asserted that members of the coroner's jury were too intimately associated with news reporters. Grand jury members denied there was criminal interference with any juryman or the deputy coroner.
Hoey
Hoey is an Irish surname. Spelling variations include: Haughey, McCaughey and McKeogh, among others. Modern spelling comes from the original Ó hEochaidh.The Hoeys are descendants of the ancient Dál Fiatach dynasty, rulers of the Ulaid...
(December 15, 1910 – September 11, 1935) was a Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
torch singer
Torch song
A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship...
and actress.
Career
Hoey was noted for her performances in Fifty Million FrenchmenFifty Million Frenchmen
Fifty Million Frenchmen is a musical comedy with a book by Herbert Fields and music and lyrics by Cole Porter. It opened on Broadway in 1929 and was adapted for a film two years later...
and Good News
Good News (musical)
Good News is a musical with a book by Laurence Schwab and B.G. DeSylva, lyrics by DeSylva and Lew Brown, and music by Ray Henderson.The show opened on Broadway in 1927, the same year as Show Boat, but its plot was decidedly old-fashioned in comparison to Show Boats somewhat tragic and daring...
. She began performing at the age of 10 in Minneapolis. As an adult she appeared in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She had one movie credit with a role in the 1930 comedy Leave It To Lester. The film was directed by Frank Cambria and co-starred Lester Allen
Lester Allen
Lester Allen was a screen, stage, vaudeville, circus actor, and film director. In vaudeville, he appeared in a double act with Nellie Breen and also emceed at the Palace Theatre.-Selected filmography:...
and Hal Thompson.
Mysterious death
HoeyHoey
Hoey is an Irish surname. Spelling variations include: Haughey, McCaughey and McKeogh, among others. Modern spelling comes from the original Ó hEochaidh.The Hoeys are descendants of the ancient Dál Fiatach dynasty, rulers of the Ulaid...
was found shot to death in an upstairs bedroom of oil heir Henry H. Rogers III's Indian Run Farm house, Wallace Township near Downingtown, Pennsylvania in 1935. A bullet was discharged in her brain on the night of September 11. She had been a guest at the home for a week. Others present there during this time were Rogers, photographer William J. Kelley, a Japanese cook, George Yamada, a butler, and Rogers' chauffeur, Frank Catalano. Hoey's body was removed to a morgue in Downingtown. Later the body was taken to the county hospital in West Chester, Pennsylvania
West Chester, Pennsylvania
The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, Marsh Creek State Park, and other historical attractions are near West Chester...
for an autopsy.
Rogers was the son of a deceased millionaire, Colonel Henry Huddleston Rogers, a former Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
executive. Colonel Rogers made millions in oil, together with the family of John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
, from the resources of the huge estate. The elder Rogers left virtually his entire inheritance to his wife, a daughter, and to a son from his daughter's first marriage. The residuary estate was left for the wife, daughter, and daughter's son to share equally. Henry H. Rogers III was excluded from the provisions of his father's will through the careful wording of lawyers. He lived on $500,000 annually from a trust fund provided by his father's will. The income was to go to him during his lifetime but would return to the estate when he died.
Rogers left his father's home when he was twenty. He found work in a Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
machine shop, working for twenty five cents an hour. He wanted to become an engineer and aspired to complete his education in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, England. Rogers eventually went to Hollywood to study camera technique. There he partnered with Harold McCracken to produce pictures. His first film was a comedy concerning nudism. He was estranged from his wife, the former Miss Virginia Lincoln, a physician's daughter from Cleveland. The couple were married in 1929.
Coroner's inquest
At a coroner's inquest Rogers and Kelley both insisted they were seated in the living room on the first floor when they heard the shot that caused Hoey's death. Their testimony was supported by Yamada, Catalano, and a farmer who was present when he called to collect some wages he was owed. Rogers and Kelley were discharged by the coroner. They had been under $2,500 bail each. The coroner's jury returned an open verdict that Hoey killed herself in the second floor bedroom.Grand jury
In October 1935 District Attorney William E. Parke requested that a grand jury investigate the fatal shooting of Evelyn Hoey. The prosecutor asked that the shooting be studied as well as the conduct of members of the coroner's jury, and people with whom they had been in contact. Particularly he wanted to identify their association with certain newspaper men who covered the inquest. Parke believed the jury's verdict indicated they felt a homicide had been committed. After asking for a grand jury he said he did not know whether any new evidence had been found.A jury of eighteen men and four housewives convened in West Chester on November 12, 1935. Among the witnesses was Hoey's singing coach, Victor Andoga, of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Andoga testified that he believed Hoey committed suicide because of anguish over a love affair with a New York theatrical man. He said that she was also worried that her voice was failing. According to him she twice told him she wanted to end her life.
Hoey confided to Andoga in 1932 that a man wanted to marry her but she was unwilling because of her affection for the theater man. She asked him to test her voice when she returned from a trip to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
in 1934. Hoey disclosed to Andoga that she took the trip with the idea of
slipping off the ship overboard, but lost her nerve.
The grand jury concluded on November 18, following a week's inquiry, that Hoey committed suicide with a revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
by shooting herself in the head. They asserted that members of the coroner's jury were too intimately associated with news reporters. Grand jury members denied there was criminal interference with any juryman or the deputy coroner.