“My wife is sick,” the caller said. “Critically ill. We need help right away – as soon as you can get here.”

Dr. Edward Bartels noted the address, 1134 Locust Street, Milwaukee, and called over his shoulder to his wife Ruth, “House call. Might be gone for some time.” Then, grabbing his medical bag, he drove off to Locust Street. He was never seen alive again.

When next day he still hadn’t returned, Ruth Bartels called the police. At the apartment block in Locust Street, it became obvious that the doctor had been abducted by a tenant named Victor Feguer, who had a record of theft and burglary. While they were still trying to figure out why, Mrs. Bartels received an anonymous phone call. “Your husband is dead,” said a man’s voice before ringing off.

Feguer, a thin, bookish-looking man with thick glasses, was caught 11 days later by FBI agents while trying to sell the doctor’s car. He had a hitch-hiker with him. He told the agents: “It’s lucky you came up on me so fast and that I’ve got someone with me, otherwise we’d have it out right here and now.”

A few days later searchers found the doctor’s body in a field beside a narrow lane.

Feguer wouldn’t say another word. He refused to answer any questions, and in court all he would say was, “I’m guilty of the charges. I want to waive the preliminary hearing, plead guilty and get it over with.”

He was declared sane and fit to stand trial, even though the motive for the kidnapping and murder remained his secret throughout his trial. He was hanged on Friday, March 15th, 1963, in the Iowa State Penitentiary. Asked to choose anything he wanted for his last meal he opted for one olive – as “a symbol of peace.”