The murder of Ptl. George A. Conn of the New Philadelphia sub-post touched off the Patrol's first major investigative case, involving dozens of suspects in an extensive and complicated action which laid the groundwork for the eventual creation of the Investigation section.

Ptl. Conn left New Philadelphia to serve a warrant to a Freeport man who had previously failed to appear in court. At around 5:30 P.M., while traveling on Route 8 in Harrison County, Ptl. Conn stopped to check on a 1937 Ford coach parked on the side of the highway. As he questioned the driver and reached for what he apparently thought was the vehicle's registration, a man approached from behind him demanding that he "stick 'em up!" Ptl. Conn quickly turned around and the man began shooting.

The next morning, the New Philadelphia station reported that Ptl. Conn had not returned the night before. Shortly before noon, Ptl. Conn's patrol car was found with the keys still in the ignition. It was immediately apparent that it had been "wiped clean" with a wet cloth, as though to remove fingerprints. A couple of hours later, a motorist traveling on Route 8 just north of Freeport happened to notice a piece of yellow cloth in a ditch next to the road. Thinking that it was a tarp that had blown from a truck, and that he might have use for it, the motorist stopped to pick it up. He made a grizzly discovery. Ptl. Conn had been shot at least seven times. A contingent of patrolmen, led by Captain George Mingle and Lt. Ralph Alvis, descended on the scene to scour for clues.  They found very little -- the cloth covering Ptl. Conn, a few cigarette butts, a map, a pencil, and bullet casings but most importantly of all, an automotive service certificate apparently handed to Ptl. Conn just before he was shot. Ptl. Conn's weapon was in its holster, and his uniform was intact, but his cap and cap badge were missing.

An inquiry on the automobile on the service certificate was sent out, and it was found to be stolen from a Minnesota resident. Soon after, it was discovered near Cambridge, Minnesota, deliberately burned. Several officers, led by Lt. Alvis, were dispatched to Minnesota to investigate the vehicle and develop leads.

Meanwhile, a list of suspects, dotted with colorful names from the area underworld, such as "Pick Handle Pete" and "Steubenville Skip" was immediately developed. But much evidence, including "eye-witness" statements and a great deal of circumstantial evidence, pointed to two separate notorious gangs -- the Bird gang and the Brady gang. The Bird gang had recently escaped from jail in Cleveland, was thought to have been seen in Freeport at the time of the murder, and for good measure had been known to have connections and hideouts in Minnesota, where the car listed on the service certificate was stolen. On September 29, Col. Black publicly announced that he was sure the Bird gang had slain Ptl. Conn.

"G-men" caught up with the infamous Brady gang in Maine on October 12, killing Brady and his "first lieutenant." The one surviving member, James Dalhover, the "trigger man," was reported to have confessed to the killing of Ptl. Conn, but when questioned by Col. Black, denied it but offered to confess, saying, " . . . one more murder [charge] wouldn't make any difference to me now." He later confessed again, but offered a story not consistent with the facts.

At about the same time, members of the Bird gang were also captured, and though positively identified by several witnesses as having been in the vicinity at the time of the murder, were placed elsewhere by FBI officials and subsequently ruled out as suspects.

The big break in the case came in December when an inmate at the Belmont County jail contacted officials with a story he stated would clear up the Conn case and lead to the arrest of the guilty parties. The inmate said a fellow inmate -- one Booker T. Johnson -- had bragged of being involved in the killing of a patrolman named Conn at Freeport, Ohio. Johnson's story implicated four others, namely Bernard Masulla, Peter Sereno, Charles Ford, and Bernice Bradley.

With this information, officials extradited Charles Ford, who in turn confessed details around which the Patrol's entire case evolved. According to Ford, he met the other four in a house of prostitution in Pittsburgh where he was hired to drive for them. They went to Huntington, where Ford said Masulla and Sereno had "business," (possibly picking up a shipment of marijuana,) and stayed the night. As Ford related it, they robbed filling stations along the way. The next day, September 27, 1937, at approximately 4:30 PM, they stopped on Route 8 outside of Freeport and Masulla and Johnson went over a hill into a field to relieve themselves. While the others waited in the car, Ptl. Conn pulled up and walked back to them. He asked to see the "papers" for the car, and Sereno reached into a pouch and produced the service certificate later found with the body. At that time, Conn was spotted by Masulla and Johnson, who approached him just as a truck was passing. Masulla yelled "stick 'em up!" but Conn instead turned, and was met with gunfire.

Among the most convicting evidence was Ford's ability to guide officers to different areas involved in the crime. He led a group to the murder scene, where the car was abandoned, places along the way they had robbed, and landmarks in Steubenville.

During the investigation and trial, it was establish ed that the gang was also involved in white slavery, that is, kidnapping college-age women, doping them, and delivering them to houses of prostitution with which they had ties. It was thought that Conn might have seen one such victim, drugged and tied up in the gang's car, prior to his murder, but this was never substantiated.

In the end, Sereno and Johnson were acquitted; Ford pleaded guilty to manslaughter; Masulla was convicted and sentenced to life at hard labor at the Ohio Penitentiary. Bernice Bradley was never located. Sereno and Johnson did return to jail to serve out sentences for robbery. Sereno was released about a year later and was shot and killed shortly after that.

In reviewing the case, a contemporary reader finds discrepancies in Ford's stories. There are several points that don't quite add up. On the other hand, Ford's ability to accurately lead officers to the murder scene and other important landmarks is hard to discredit. Those involved in the case, such as George Mingle, were confident they got the right men. He felt that Sereno was acquitted because he had a good lawyer who confused the jury, and Johnson because prosecutors couldn't break an alibi that he was in Newark at the time.