The Unsolved Disappearance of Judge Joseph Force Crater

The Rise of Judge Joseph Force Crater

• 💡 Joseph Force Crater was born in 1889 in Pennsylvania and pursued a successful legal career after graduating from Columbia Law in 1916.
• 🎯 In 1930, New York Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt controversially appointed the 41-year-old Crater to the New York Supreme Court, bypassing Tammany Hall.
• 🔑 Crater was known for his fondness for showgirls, earning him the nickname "Good Time Joe," and was rumored to have paid for his judgeship.
• 💰 Before his appointment, Crater withdrew $20,000, a sum close to his annual salary, fueling speculation of a bribe.

Crater's Mysterious Disappearance

• 🗓️ In the summer of 1930, Crater was vacationing with his wife in Maine but returned to New York after a suspicious phone call.
• 🎭 The next day, he went to Atlantic City with his mistress, showgirl Sally Lou Ritzy, before returning to Maine briefly.
• 📝 On August 6th, Crater spent hours in his chambers destroying files and had his clerk cash checks totaling $5,150 before disappearing.
• 🎭 That evening, he dined with Ritzy and attorney William Klene, who both stated Crater seemed in good spirits.
• 📍 This dinner was the last known sighting of Judge Crater, with conflicting accounts of his departure.

The Investigation and Lingering Theories

• ⏳ Alarm bells didn't ring until August 9th when his wife realized he hadn't returned for her birthday, and a search didn't begin until August 25th.
• 📰 The case gained national attention, even spawning the catchphrase "pulling a Crater" for someone who disappeared.
• 🕵️ Initial leads, including an emptied safety deposit box and missing briefcases, quickly went cold.
• 📞 Theories abound, including involvement with the mafia, particularly figures like Arnold Rothstein and Jack Diamond, due to Crater's known associations.
• 💔 A significant theory emerged in 2005 from a letter by Stella Fucci Good, claiming Crater was murdered by Robert Good, Charles Burns, and Frank Burns, and buried in Coney Island.
• 🧐 While some details, like Charles Burns being an NYPD officer, were corroborated, the motive and definitive proof remain elusive, and the case was officially closed in 1979.