Death of a Pinehurst Princess: The 1935 Elva Statler Davidson Mystery

by Steve Bouser

“A socialite bride, a $1 million inheritance, an older husband of questionable social rank, Yankees misbehaving on Southern soil . . . [A] web of intrigue” (Our State).   A news media frenzy hurled the quiet resort community of Pinehurst, North Carolina, into the national spotlight in 1935 when hotel magnate Ellsworth Statler’s adopted daughter was discovered dead early one February morning weeks after her wedding day. A politically charged coroner’s inquest failed to determine a definitive cause of death, and the following civil action continued to expose sordid details of the couple’s lives. More than half a century later, the story was all but forgotten when local resident Diane McLellan spied an old photograph at a yard sale and became obsessed with solving the mystery. Her enthusiastic sleuthing captured the attention of Southern Pines resident and journalist Steve Bouser, who takes readers back to those blustery winter days so long ago in the search to reveal what really happened to Elva Statler Davidson.   Includes photos   “As compelling as any crime mystery an American writer has ever suspenseful, titillating, true and set in Moore County.” —The Pilot   “Bouser is both compassionate and balanced in his reports of the Davidson affair.” —Authors ’Round the South   “Bouser uses a story ‘ripped from the headlines’ as they say to reveal what’s known and unknown about a young Pinehurst socialite’s bizarre death . . . [He] takes the reader through the wild inquest, a later trial over Elva’s will, and buckets of speculation.” —Salisbury Post

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Historical, Audiobook, Biography, Crime

211 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 23, 2019

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good book for a discounted book. It voluminously researches and reports on the brief life and strange death of a 22-year-old heiress who changes her will to give all her assets to her perennially improvident husband, a wastrel scion of his own fortune who was broke when he married her, and then strangely dies of CO poisoning in the garage of her elegant home the next day. That next day, of course, the bereaved husband plays a round of golf to buck himself up. Since this happened in 1935, it scandalized the socially pretentious community of Pinehurst, North Carolina, a haven of the wealthy built amid the Depression-scarred homes surrounding the area. No one ever dies in Pinehurst, the saying went, so when someone actually did, a major cover-up is necessary.

So did Elva Statler Davidson (known as Stat by her friends) kill herself because of her ongoing lifetime depression? She was an orphan with a mentally challenged fraternal twin who had been adopted by a wealthy family. The other orphans in her family of origin died, as did eventually her twin, and she struggled to adulthood with an approximately million-dollar fortune. She married Brad Davidson, twenty years her senior and not much of a catch, only to find out, when she was at a party, that Brad was having sex with a woman in a nearby town. So if she wasn't depressed before, she was plenty depressed when she heard that. Yet, she and her husband drive home from the party, leave the 12-cylinder roadster in front of the house, yet at 9 a.m. the next morning, Elva is found dead, kneeling on the running board, with her face shoved onto the floor of the car. She is cherry red from CO inhalation.

No one ever solved this, although Brad was treated with suspicion ever afterwards. The author looked up some of the descendants of Brad, and none of them had ever heard of the murder/suicide, but they all roundly agreed that Brad was pretty much of a jerk all his life.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was this seven-week bride/heiress murdered? Did she commit suicide? Or was it all just a tragic accident? Writer Steven Bouser lays out all the known facts of the 1930's investigation of Elva Statler Davidson's sudden death in a straight-forward manner that is nonetheless page turning.

Very enjoyable read, although frustratingly ambiguous.

[Susan Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting (but unresolved) case, ably reported by an experienced journalist. Of interest primarily for its setting: Depression-era North Carolina and its poor-little-rich-girl story. Rich in time/place details, especially in the trial scenes.

[Whistler's Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Money, marriage, and (maybe) murder.

Money can't buy happiness, but it does allow you to be miserable in luxurious surroundings. Plus, it ensures that you'll be an object of interest and pity in the depths of your woe. A Poor Little Rich Girl is assured of sympathy. A poor little poor girl is just a brat with a dirty face and head lice.

Today when the American middle class is shrinking and unemployment is hitting 20%, it's interesting to look back to the Great Depression, when the same conditions prevailed. In 1935, many families struggled to feed their families and health care was out of the question, but the wealthy class continued to enjoy their accustomed lifestyle in resorts like Pinehurst, NC.

In the late 1800's, a wealthy man named Tufts decided to use his money to benefit humanity. Deciding that pine-scented air would heal tuberculosis patients, he bought thousands of acres in North Carolina for a utopian resort where sick people from all walks of life would come to get healthy. Then he died and his son turned the land into a resort for rich families who wanted to get away from the harsh winters of the northern states and enjoy golf, tennis, horseback riding, and socializing in the relatively balmy South.

One of those families was the Statlers, who made their money in luxury hotels. By 1935, the Statler "cottage" was owned by heiress Elva Statler Davidson, who was staying there with her new husband. Elva was a quiet, athletic 22-year-old who had just graduated from college. Henry Bradley Davidson was twenty years older than his bride, had held executive jobs in a number of companies, and had three children by his wealthy first wife who had recently divorced him. The newlyweds had married soon after meeting and Elva immediately changed her will to make her new husband the heir to her considerable fortune. A few days later, she was dead under suspicious circumstances.

Her death by carbon monoxide poisoning was a national sensation. Would a rich, attractive, newly married woman commit suicide? Did her husband kill her to inherit her money? Could it possibly have been an accident? People struggling to survive were enthralled by the story of the girl-who-had-everything and her tragic end. At the request of Elva's family, the governor of North Carolina appointed a special solicitor to investigate.

Rowland Pruette was a loud-mouthed show-off who pulled out all the stops to sensationalize the already scandalous case. He talked of "aces in the hole" and hinted of information that would prove that poor Elva was murdered in an unheard of, "scientific" way. Competing newspapers in New York, Washington DC, and other large cities sent reporters who vied with each other to write the most eye-popping stories. Truth was lost in the excitement.

The cause of Elva's death remained a mystery until a Pinehurst journalist took up the cause, determined to re-examine the facts and learn the truth. Amazingly, some of the people involved were still alive. Some had told their versions of the incident to their children or grandchildren and one of Elva's close friends had left an intimate diary with information that never came out in the trial. Can a look back at a crime decades later clear up mysteries?

This author had one advantage that wasn't available in 1935 - the internet. Using it, he was able to track down facts about Elva's background and her life before she married. Turns out it was a much more complicated story than that of a happy, naive young woman dominated by her older husband.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. The author tells the story dramatically, but avoids melodrama or pathos. The Statlers were a fascinating family and it was Elva's tragedy to lose both her parents and her older brother and sister all before she was twenty-years-old. Her only living relative was an infant niece and a mentally handicapped brother. Small wonder that she sought to find instant happiness and some stability in marriage to an older, experienced man.

If you like "social history" (and I do) this book is outstanding. History isn't just treaties and wars and elections. It's the way people lived and thought. This book takes the reader back almost a century and introduces a group of people who come alive through the telling of an old story. Human nature never changes. Some couples can bring happiness to each other and some can't. I kept wondering, where were my parents or grandparents when Elva's death was the talk of the country? Did they sympathized or was her life too different from theirs for them to feel empathy for her?

Regardless of her circumstances or how she died, Elva's death was a tragedy. She deserves to be remembered as a human being and this author speaks for her. It's a gripping story and I'm glad someone took the time to tell it.

[Mary Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this book on the WE library site under e-books, so I decided to read it.
Set in the 1930's, it tells the mystery behind a young, wealthy woman's death...murder, accident or suicide. Never is able to fully explain what really happened to her. She was an adopted daughter of the owner of the Statler Hotel chain. It describes the type of life that the ultra rich had during the Depression...life in NYC, and esp. At Pinehurst in NC. Slthough very rich, she had many turmoils in her life, the last one being married for only a few weeks to a man who wanted all of her money.
Interesting story, but there was a lot of info included that really took the story nowhere.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Narrative seemed to meander quite a bit, moving backwards and forwards haphazardly through the events at time. Was ultimately disappointed in the conclusion - did not seem to live up to the promise of the introduction.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Has all the elements: true story-wealthy heiress-Pinehurst-horses-lots of pictures....everything except a satisfying conclusion. Beach read

[Julie Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

NF Interesting "local" story.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was somewhere between a two and half stars and three for me. I was thrilled with the investigative work done by Bouser -- he did a great job tracking down resources! Any scintillating detail was included, which I love! I would have liked a bit more Dominick Dunne flair, but as a solid journalist, Bouser tasked himself with presenting the facts. We as readers can make our own assessment as to whether this was murder, suicide, or truly an accident.

That said, I say murder. A healthy 22 year old heiress found dead a fortnight after marrying a male gold digger? She may have had psychological demons, true, but she had just bought art, set up house, had her golf and horses. Her butler, who I think was the most trusted source here, didn't report mental issues. (I know, not that he would.)

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really had high hopes for this book. It sounded interesting - a rich young woman dies under mysterious circumstances not longer after her wedding and an official cause of death is not determined. This is a slim (206 pages), attractive volume with some photos (but not nearly enough). However, like another reviewer noted, there is a lot of reminiscing by locals. I got the impression of several old people sitting around and chatting about days gone by. This is not the atmosphere I want for a true crime book. Also, the writing is not as polished as you would find in, say, Ann Rule. This is an interesting story that needs a better treatment. I am giving it three stars because it IS interesting on its own, but the delivery is lacking.

[Paula Corregan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad story!

This book details the life and death (under mysterious circumstances) of Elva Statler Davidson. Elva was adopted by Ellsworth Statler, a hotel magnate and his wife, Mary and raised in priviledge. Due to the early deaths of several family members, she became severely depressed. She seems to have also suffered from bipolar disorder. She died under questionable circumstances in Pinehurst, North Carolina. It is left for the reader to decide if her death was suicide or murder by her new husband, Bradley Davidson. This book is fascinating, and I highly recommend it to other readers.

[Linda McKinney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Speculative and unnecessarily long

The core of the plot is intriguing. Poor little rich girl dies in mysterious circumstances weeks into her marriage to an older handsome financially down on his luck man. Did he murder her for her money, or did she commit suicide after realizing he married her for her money? This account milks the evidence for more than it's worth leaving the actual facts to fend for themselves beneath the weight of innumerable "but what ifs" and "but wait, there's mores!" 2 stars because it's not ungrammatical, but in the end I felt like this poor little rich girl, though in her grave, is still being taken advantage of for someone else's gain.

[Pam Koenig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story of the death of a Statler heiress, was it murder or suicide. Lot of facts and things I never heard before. I grew up in Buffalo, NY, which was the site of one of the Statler flagship hotels. It was a beautiful, elegant place. I never knew all of Mr. Statler's children were adopted. Three died tragically and the forth spent his life in an institution until his lawyers misappropriated his money. He ended up being taken in by a couple until his death. Money didn't bring happiness in this family.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved loved loved this book. Not so much for the story of the mysterious death, but for the history of my new hometown and the unexpected mention of an ancestor. My initial impressions (below) were correct.

I just started this book but I can tell I will like it already. I am also learning about the history of my new hometown - "an oasis of sophistication in the middle of the Southern desert"

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Covers the 1935 deat of Elva Statler. Did the pretty little rich girl kill herself or was she murdered? Goes into great detail about the inquest. Set during an interesting time in an interesting place. A straightforward historical crime until the end when the author starts playing with all the rumours and hearsay to come up with her version of what really(?) happened.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love hearing stories about the wealthy in an area of North Carolina not far from where my mother grew up. And while this story (murder, suicide, accident?) had fascinating aspects, the writing was not the most professional and left more confusion than answers.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I live in Pinehurst, therefore, I was excited to read about what happened back in 1935. I loved the old pictures and the interesting read about an event that actually occurred here. If you know this special village, too, then you will enjoy reading this book.

[Dennis Long · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Not convinced it was anything other than suicide. It tries to hype up other possibilities but fails to reach any level of intrigue beyond suicide. Spends time rambling about the cultural of newspapers & back stories of little consequence. Meh

[Greg Ross · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not Worth Your Time

This was not a very satisfying book. I live close to and have visited Pinehurst for several US Open golf tournaments, and I thought that this book might be interesting. I was wrong.

[Andie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kept reading thinking that it surely had to get better but, sadly, it never did. Too many insignificant details and a meandering, disjointed writing style make this one of the worst books I’ve ever had the misfortune to read.

[Aubree Bowling · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting true crime story. Brisk, easy to follow writing, but the fact it stays unsolved is a mite frustrating at the end of it all.

[Minoka Dillow Richter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish they had been able to solve the case.

[LuAnn M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much wild speculation

This account posits way too much speculation in what should be a factual account. Entertaining but not particularly engaging work.

[Patti Overholt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather slow and repetitive

[julie stoltz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good, but rambles

Good mystery. Details good. Too much rambling , too long winded, takes too long to get to the point. Thank you

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a rather interesting story. Unfortunately for the writer it is just a little too far back in time to get any first hand information. He really researched it, but there is no real information on the victim other than what was reported in the newspapers. That lack of first hand information on the victim sort of hurts the book. We end up with a rather lopsided view of the woman, which makes it difficult to determine if it is murder, a careless accident, or suicide. On one hand the description of the state of her clothing and body, plus the changing of her will makes it look like an obvious murder. On the other hand the description of the victim's state of mind looks more like a suicide or accident. I thought the story of the woman finding the photograph of the reporters and how that simple find led to the book was charming.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book but no real conclusions made
A politically charged coroner's inquest failed to determine a definitive cause of death, and the following civil action continued to expose sordid details of the couple's lives. More than half a century later, the story was all but forgotten when local resident Diane McLellan spied an old photograph at a yard sale and became obsessed with solving the mystery. Her enthusiastic sleuthing captured the attention of Southern Pines resident and journalist Steve Bouser, who takes readers back to those blustery winter days so long ago in the search to reveal what really happened to Elva Statler Davidson.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. The author must have done exhaustive research and it showed in the final product. The whole book and the coverage of the inquests sounded like it could have been written in the 1930s. Every aspect of life in this resort community in North Carolina was covered to include descriptions of houses, meals, clothing, drinking habits. It was easy to imagine that I was present. Although the exact cause of death of Elva Statler Davidson wasn't established, there are a few explanations of what could have happened. A sad but interesting story.

[Paulette Illmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting review of the death of Elva Statler, and the many theories surrounding it, with an in-depth look at all of the evidence presented at the time, as well as interviews after the fact. Sadly, we will never really know what happened, and it will go down in history as death by carbon monoxide poisoning of unknown cause. Suicide? Murder? Accident? The argument for each of these is possible, but not provable. Read the book and decide for yourself.

[Ione DeOllos · Rating 4 out of 5]

The discussion of a society death in 1935, presents an interesting insight into the lives of wealthy, but not part of the New York elite is interesting. The case has never been solved. Is it murder or suicide? There is a considerable amount of repetition about the actual incident. You are left with this question at the end of the book.