Murder at the Roosevelt Hotel in Cedar Rapids

by Diane Fannon-Langton

Byron C. Hattman sealed his fate when he checked into the Roosevelt Hotel on December 13, 1948. A maid found his body in a blood-spattered room two days later. An investigation linked him to the young wife of St. Louis pediatrician Robert C. Rutledge, who confessed to the brutal attack after trying to poison himself. The scandal made national headlines and seemed like an easy case for the Linn County court. That is, until new evidence changed the story completely. Reporter and author Diane Fannon-Langton uncovers the truth and compiles the complete details of the Hattman slaying for the first time.

Genres: True Crime

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2016

Reviews

[Richard Derus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Real Rating: 2.5* of five

Worth the $1.99 I paid for it...a lot more organization was needed to make this a real barn-burner, such as introducing the characters before the crime. Hard to care about Hattmann when I don't know who he was except a murder victim; why would I want to root for/against Rutledge, the murderer as we know from the get-go, if I don't know why he did it; since his wife was boinking Hattmann, and almost certainly pregnant by him, you'd best tell me why she went there.

The sordid story of a bored woman married to a monstrously jealous and self-regarding man who finds a friend at work and goes over the line with him is a guaranteed winner! So why didn't you tell it to me that way, o reporter-turned-author?

Like I said, worth the $1.99 but I'm the kind of reader who likes facts and lists. If you aren't...well...I just told you what the story's about. I don't think you'd enjoy the court-reporter speaks to crime-beat reporter style.

[Terri M.]

No narrative, or character development. Difficult to follow the case as it just feels like one big info dump.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve only read a few true-crime books but the ones that I have read, I have really enjoyed. There were quite a few reasons why I wanted to read this one: the book was short, this book was being read for a local bookclub that I wanted to check out, the book’s event occurred in my hometown and I hadn’t heard of this event before seeing this book. I have to agree with a few of the reviews that I finally read on this book; it is filled with information.

I used to watch Dragnet when I was a kid. I remember it as being a show that reported the facts, and I also, remembered the announcers voice. This book reminded me a lot of that television show. This book contained a lot of facts: he did/said and she did/said, stating the facts and reacting the events, without getting to the know the actual characters or the/their backgrounds.

I liked that I knew exactly where this event occurred and that this was an actual event. The book had a great flow to it as the author spells everything out, from beginning to end. I also appreciate the research that went into this book. I wished that there was more character development in the book and that the book was more than just a detail account of the facts that occurred in this event.

[Jan]

Nope. It reads like a middle-school research project that probably did well at History Day. Bailed

[Lori · Rating 1 out of 5]

Written by a previous reporter and reads just like the newspaper today - - lots of duplication and redundant information without a lot of congruent details. Not sure why the author felt compelled to publish this 1948 murder in 2016. The book is thin, but could have been half its size.

Since this story took place in our town of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, it was interesting to learn that in 1948 the jury was sequestered with beds in the courthouse and they were given only 5 bath trips at the hotel in 13 days. In the Roosevelt Hotel Lounge was called the Hurdle and Halter Taproom. Engineers from Rockwell Collins were among those interviewed. No family and children were permitted in the courtroom.

[Mollee Lemons · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could never really get into this book, but it wasn't all that bad. This book is about the murder of Byron Hattman back in December of 1948. Robert Rutledge, a doctor, was upset that his wife Sydney had an affair with Mr. Hattman and had gotten pregnant by him. So, he (Mr. Rutledge) took matters into his own hands and went to the Roosevelt Hotel where Mr. Hattman was staying and murdered him because supposedly, he wouldn't give his wife the money for an abortion. Rutledge was found guilty of second-degree murder and was due to spend seventy-two years in prison for the murder. However, after multiple appeals were denied, Mr. Rutledge took matters into his own hands and ended up taking his own life.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this “book” in less than 24 hours. It was a quick read and rather interesting. I did skip some of the legal bits, but it was interesting to read something that occurred where I currently reside that checked off my True Crime Box on my reading challenge. It felt a bit more like reading a rather long newspaper article or blog post. It seemed rather concise and unbiased too. Overall, it was interesting to read a bit of local history and try to ponder what “I think” really happened.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, especially since I personally knew David Elderkin but of course not until years after these events. There was tremendous interest in this story back in the day but the author failed to really discover or disclose the reasons why. The Roosevelt has been around forever and of course with that much time, things are bound to happen in a place of business. It is a tad bit creepy nonetheless.

[Too Many Toys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I lived in Cedar Rapids for more than 30 years and no the Roosevelt Hotel. I saw this on sale in CR and bought the Kindle book. I am satisfied, but I don't recommend this to anyone other than someone who is primarily interested in the CR angle. The story is just not good enough or interesting enough otherwise. It is a compilation of newspaper articles and as such would probably be better if it were covered in about 10 pages.

[Paula Corregan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book!

This book details the murder of Byron C. Hattman in Dec. of 1948 at the Hotel Roosevelt in Cedar Rapids, Iowa by Dr. Robert C. Rutledge, Jr. The author has done extensive research on her topic, and it shows in the book. I highly recommend this book to other true crime readers.

[Kris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried very hard to complete this book and simply couldn’t make it. The writing is so dry and lifeless! I’m certain this could be an interesting story in the hands of someone else, but as it stands it’s deathly dull.

[Pam Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like documentary but so loved the references to Cedar Rapids buildings, attorneys, judges, pictures. Very interesting book.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best written book - it's mostly a recap of Gazette articles from the time with no other real narrative - but still a good look into an interesting event in Cedar Rapids history.

[Deedee · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars... Since I'm from Cedar Rapids, I found this story interesting. The original Roosevelt Hotel still stands, and it looks exactly the same!

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly boring I thought being a true crime boom it would be interesting as I normally am interested but it felt like a waste.

[Randy Roeder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice addition to the "true crime" genre, Fannon-Langton gives us a "just the facts" treatment of a lurid murder that captured and held the attention of a a small Midwestern city for nearly two years. A jealous husband, a comely wife, a suicide, a flight to a neighboring state--the story has it all. Fannon-Langton, a writer for the Cedar Rapids Gazette, plumbed the riches of the newspaper's morgue, an intact resource from the day when newspapers considered their archives as a must-have resource. Loaded with pictures and evocative of the times (1948-1951), the book is a captivating and easy read. No. 1 on the local bestseller list, the volume comes in at one hundred twenty-four pages and contains forty-four photos.