The Case of the Golf Champion and the Dead Indian Princess
Salt Lake bids farewell to a promising young athlete and beloved daughter. George Von Elm, a rising star in the golfing world, and Marcella Rogers were married last evening by Mayor Clarence Neslen. Immediately following the 8 o'clock ceremony at the bride's parents' home, Mr. and Mrs. G. A. Rogers, the couple departed for Los Angeles, where they plan to reside.
Von Elm, affectionately known as "Gix," has achieved national recognition in golf over the past few seasons due to his exceptional skill on the links. He has accepted a position with a Los Angeles firm. While local sports enthusiasts regret his departure from Utah, they extend their best wishes for his success in this new chapter.
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We were married in our hometown in the autumn of 1923. Full of dreams and excitement, we left my parents' home and headed west to Los Angeles. His year-long suspension now complete, George was eager to return and was set to begin training with Arthur Clarkson at Rancho Golf Club.
George had been suspended for violating amateur rules. The violations included accepting money from Utah golf club members for tournament travel expenses, and he was employed by the golf manufacturer Spalding while still competing.
The following year, he traveled the country, playing and winning exhibition matches against top golfers alongside his former teammate and British Amateur champion, Willie Hunter. In 1925, he continued to win, including at Pebble Beach, Del Monte, and the Southern California Open, but lost to Bobby Jones in the U.S. Amateur semi-finals. In 1926, he was runner-up at the Los Angeles Open, won two Rancho events, and placed third at the British Open. He helped the U.S. win the Walker Cup, then, in a repeat from the year before, he defeated Bobby Jones to win the U.S. Amateur Championship, a feat that, in the minds of most, was his single greatest accomplishment to date.
Golf was George's first love and chosen career, superseding everything else. We couldn't afford a home because of the expense of his "gentleman's hobby," and my yearning for children, stemming from my Mormon faith, never came to fruition. Despite his self-professed pride in his work as an insurance salesman and businessman, he dedicated all his time and our finances to the sport.
In 1928, George was lured from California to Detroit by the Tam-O'-Shanter Country Club. The papers gushed with excitement, "Golfers of the Von Elm type are an asset to the game, and it is to be hoped that he decides to compete. His presence would mean better tournaments, and even fellows like Johnny Malloy and Dave Ward, who now rule amateur golf around here, would welcome him into their fold, although their chances of winning naturally would be reduced just that much. No word has been given out concerning Von Elm's plans, except that he is coming here to sell insurance and to represent Tam o'Shanter in the national and major sectional competitions. He has followed that plan for several years while located on the coast, rarely taking part in the smaller tournaments."
In June of 1930, when he secured victory at the French Open, triumphing over R.G. Morris of England, the papers proudly declared that George Von Elm of Detroit was the champion. The members and management of Tam-O'Shanter Country Club couldn't contain their joy. Our soaring success was abruptly grounded the following month. In July 1930, while en route from New York to Minneapolis to watch George compete in the US Open Tournament, the plane I was traveling on plummeted into Lake Huron. I narrowly escaped drowning, treading water until a cutter crew rescued me. Despite this ordeal, George, seemingly unfazed, tied for 10th place. Even now, I'm torn: was the plane crash itself more upsetting, or his decision to continue the tournament instead of being by my side during my recovery?
In September of 1930, George made the difficult decision to retire as an amateur. A staunch traditionalist, he found this a bitter pill to swallow, a characteristic I attribute to his German heritage. His decision was driven by the substantial financial burden of remaining an amateur, having invested over $50,000 and facing annual expenses exceeding $10,000 for travel and participation in championships. George held the view that professionals, driven by financial necessity, were working-class individuals who played for money. In contrast, amateurs were considered upper-class, participating in the sport for leisure and personal honor. George created a fitting label he could embrace.
After turning professional, we returned to California, where George won the 1936 Southern California Open. In the late 1930s, George supervised the restoration of five flood-damaged holes at the Lakeside Golf Club. He later consulted on the redesign of the Rancho Park Golf Course for the City of Los Angeles. Despite these efforts, a steady income remained elusive. In 1940, George was unemployed for the entire year, earning no income outside of golf. We resided in a rented apartment, and as George continued to plug away on the course, my own life seemed to sink further into darkness.
Hoping the proximity of family and friends would alleviate my mood, I returned to Salt Lake City. However, the fear stemming from the plane crash remained, a tenacious grip I couldn't loosen. In December 1944, my father took me to the Latter-Day Saints hospital. Diagnosed with Neurasthenia, a condition characterized by chronic fatigue and extreme nervousness, I was admitted and prescribed a "rest cure." This treatment, consisting of bed rest, isolation, a structured diet, massage, and electrical stimulation, was assured to cure me.
Forty days later, on February 3, 1945, I was found dead on the pavement on the hospital grounds. My death certificate stated I died due to a fractured skull, resulting from a fall from the seventh floor. Though no one witnessed my death, and the doctor overseeing my care even expressed uncertainty about the precise date, my death was ruled a suicide.
Meanwhile, George, ever the golf enthusiast, made headlines the following month with his antics. During a tournament at the Lakeside course, his shot landed in a trap, and to his surprise, his ball rolled into a paper sack. Unfazed by the rules that prevented him from moving the sack, George simply pulled out a match, burned the bag, and effortlessly exploded his shot out of the trap.
That's George—nothing, not even the death of his wife, could prevent him from playing golf. Interestingly, I won't be the only woman married to George whose death was ruled a suicide. It seems that while he was lucky on the golf course, that luck didn't follow him off the greens.
Emogene Lucille Milloy, born in Illinois, married George Von Elm in 1945 shortly after the death of his first wife. George was her third husband; her first two marriages ended in divorce. Of Scottish-Canadian descent, she presented herself as "Princess Emogene Milloy," claiming to be half-Cherokee and a dress designer for Hollywood film studios. Census records, however, dispute these assertions, consistently listing her as white and unemployed.
In the early 1950s, George and Emogene lived at the El Royale Motel on Ventura Boulevard. A place inhabited by transients and the by-the-hour crowd. George, who was the Golf Pro and Head Greenskeeper at Hacienda Country Club in La Habra, earned $1350 per year.
At Hacienda Country Club, George met Roy Arthur Ford, 29, who assisted George with groundskeeping in exchange for golf lessons. Within a few months, a dispute with management led to both men being asked to leave the Country Club. By this time, the two men had grown close and were living together in a different North Hollywood motel room with Imogene.
On October 28, 1954, Ford, now an auto salesman, and Emogene visited several bars in the San Fernando Valley. Police on patrol that night saw them beside a parked car around 2:30 a.m. When they returned at 4:58 a.m., they saw Emogene's feet and legs protruding from an open door of the gray sedan, her body covered in bruises, with Ford on top of her.
Ford told officers that he and Emogene, with whom he claimed to be in a relationship, had been bar hopping. He stated that he was helping her to the car because she had consumed too much alcohol, and she fell multiple times on the pavement as they crossed the parking lot. An argument ensued upon reaching the car when Emogene refused to hand over the keys. Emogene struck him, causing a cut lip, and then she pulled a bottle from her purse and raised it to her lips. Ford said he knocked the bottle away, sending it out the window. He then crawled into the back seat and fell asleep. Upon waking, he discovered her lifeless body. As he checked for a heartbeat, the police arrived.
Det. Lt. Kenneth Kipers, who recovered the bottle from beneath a car parked next to the Von Elm automobile, said it contained insecticide poison. Ford was jailed on suspicion of homicide.
Awakened by police at his North Hollywood motel room, the former golf champion, now a liquor salesman, received news of his wife's death. He calmly stated, "My wife had been in poor health for three months and was putting off a necessary operation."
Von Elm expressed unwavering faith in Ford's innocence, stating, "He merely became entangled in an unmanageable predicament. Nevertheless, I trust him implicitly and am convinced he has committed no wrongdoing. He was like a son to me." Regarding his wife, whom he married nine years ago, the golfer couldn't explain the poison in her purse, remarking, "Maybe she just wanted to join her father in the Happy Hunting Ground."
Ford told the police he and Mrs. Von Elm were in a relationship, but her husband denied that. "I know there was nothing between them. He often had trouble getting her home from bars."
Newspapers referred to George as the "ex-golfer" or "the golfer who beat Bobby Jones" following his first wife's death in 1945 and again in '54. There was little mention of any significant accomplishments since the late 1930s.
Det. Lt. Kipers stated the following day that Ford's lie detector test results were "inconclusive."
Mrs. Von Elm, 46, died from nicotine poisoning. The cause was Black Leaf 40, a nicotine-based pesticide commonly used by gardeners, groundskeepers, and farmers. This finding was released by Dr. Frederick Newbarr, the county autopsy surgeon, from the coroner's office. The manner of death—suicide, homicide, or accident—was still undetermined, pending further examination of neck and throat injuries for potential strangulation. Newbarr also reported a gash on the back of Mrs. Von Elm's head, along with abrasions on her left thigh, lower abdomen, and chest. The coroner further stated that Mrs. Von Elm had been subjected to an unnatural sex act.
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George Von Elm, long recognized as the American amateur golfer ranking second only to Bobby Jones, today, amplified his decision to withdraw from all future amateur competition by identifying himself as "a businessman golfer, neither amateur nor professional, who expects to take the profits from open prize money and yet maintain his own private business.
COST OF HONOR MUCH TOO HIGH
[George's words] I have retired from amateur golf because competing in the American and British amateur and Walker Cup international matches isn't worth the $10,000 a year it costs me. For 10 years, I've had Mr. stuck in front of my name, and that insignia of amateurism has required more than $50,000 of hard-earned money.
I propose hereafter to play golf in such open events as I choose and on such occasions gamble my skill against the prize money. I want it understood at the same time that I have a business of greater value to me than I could ever hope to equal as a golf professional.
It isn't nice to treat the subject of my amateur status in cold terms of dollars. The United States Golf Association's amateur championship is a highly organized commercial project. Fifty thousand dollars is paid in for the amateur show, while the 32 performers play their hearts out for honor and glory. Not a penny of that money is contributed by the United States Golf Association to the expenses of the players. Tournament golf today is show business in a big way.
The finger of suspicion points to many players of amateur golf today, but the show must go on, and the United States Golf Association is busy a good part of the time straining at gnats and swallowing Camels.
From this day henceforth, I am no longer an amateur golfer as defined in the rules of the game. Neither am I a golf professional nor a professional golfer. I am not qualified by training of any kind to become a golf professional. I am simply a businessman golfer.
If the money prizes in open tournament play are waiting when I post my scores, I shall treat the situation as I do any other situation in my business, where my income is involved. If the money doesn't meet the expense of competition, I shall thereafter give up tournament play altogether because I've reached the place in life where my business must come first.
Hoping the proximity of family and friends would alleviate my mood, I returned to Salt Lake City. However, the fear stemming from the plane crash remained, a tenacious grip I couldn't loosen. In December 1944, my father took me to the Latter-Day Saints hospital. Diagnosed with Neurasthenia, a condition characterized by chronic fatigue and extreme nervousness, I was admitted and prescribed a "rest cure." This treatment, consisting of bed rest, isolation, a structured diet, massage, and electrical stimulation, was assured to cure me.
Forty days later, on February 3, 1945, I was found dead on the pavement on the hospital grounds. My death certificate stated I died due to a fractured skull, resulting from a fall from the seventh floor. Though no one witnessed my death, and the doctor overseeing my care even expressed uncertainty about the precise date, my death was ruled a suicide.
Meanwhile, George, ever the golf enthusiast, made headlines the following month with his antics. During a tournament at the Lakeside course, his shot landed in a trap, and to his surprise, his ball rolled into a paper sack. Unfazed by the rules that prevented him from moving the sack, George simply pulled out a match, burned the bag, and effortlessly exploded his shot out of the trap.
That's George—nothing, not even the death of his wife, could prevent him from playing golf. Interestingly, I won't be the only woman married to George whose death was ruled a suicide. It seems that while he was lucky on the golf course, that luck didn't follow him off the greens.
*********************************
Emogene Lucille Milloy, born in Illinois, married George Von Elm in 1945 shortly after the death of his first wife. George was her third husband; her first two marriages ended in divorce. Of Scottish-Canadian descent, she presented herself as "Princess Emogene Milloy," claiming to be half-Cherokee and a dress designer for Hollywood film studios. Census records, however, dispute these assertions, consistently listing her as white and unemployed.
In the early 1950s, George and Emogene lived at the El Royale Motel on Ventura Boulevard. A place inhabited by transients and the by-the-hour crowd. George, who was the Golf Pro and Head Greenskeeper at Hacienda Country Club in La Habra, earned $1350 per year.
At Hacienda Country Club, George met Roy Arthur Ford, 29, who assisted George with groundskeeping in exchange for golf lessons. Within a few months, a dispute with management led to both men being asked to leave the Country Club. By this time, the two men had grown close and were living together in a different North Hollywood motel room with Imogene.
On October 28, 1954, Ford, now an auto salesman, and Emogene visited several bars in the San Fernando Valley. Police on patrol that night saw them beside a parked car around 2:30 a.m. When they returned at 4:58 a.m., they saw Emogene's feet and legs protruding from an open door of the gray sedan, her body covered in bruises, with Ford on top of her.
Ford told officers that he and Emogene, with whom he claimed to be in a relationship, had been bar hopping. He stated that he was helping her to the car because she had consumed too much alcohol, and she fell multiple times on the pavement as they crossed the parking lot. An argument ensued upon reaching the car when Emogene refused to hand over the keys. Emogene struck him, causing a cut lip, and then she pulled a bottle from her purse and raised it to her lips. Ford said he knocked the bottle away, sending it out the window. He then crawled into the back seat and fell asleep. Upon waking, he discovered her lifeless body. As he checked for a heartbeat, the police arrived.
Det. Lt. Kenneth Kipers, who recovered the bottle from beneath a car parked next to the Von Elm automobile, said it contained insecticide poison. Ford was jailed on suspicion of homicide.
Awakened by police at his North Hollywood motel room, the former golf champion, now a liquor salesman, received news of his wife's death. He calmly stated, "My wife had been in poor health for three months and was putting off a necessary operation."
Von Elm expressed unwavering faith in Ford's innocence, stating, "He merely became entangled in an unmanageable predicament. Nevertheless, I trust him implicitly and am convinced he has committed no wrongdoing. He was like a son to me." Regarding his wife, whom he married nine years ago, the golfer couldn't explain the poison in her purse, remarking, "Maybe she just wanted to join her father in the Happy Hunting Ground."
Ford told the police he and Mrs. Von Elm were in a relationship, but her husband denied that. "I know there was nothing between them. He often had trouble getting her home from bars."
Newspapers referred to George as the "ex-golfer" or "the golfer who beat Bobby Jones" following his first wife's death in 1945 and again in '54. There was little mention of any significant accomplishments since the late 1930s.
Det. Lt. Kipers stated the following day that Ford's lie detector test results were "inconclusive."
Mrs. Von Elm, 46, died from nicotine poisoning. The cause was Black Leaf 40, a nicotine-based pesticide commonly used by gardeners, groundskeepers, and farmers. This finding was released by Dr. Frederick Newbarr, the county autopsy surgeon, from the coroner's office. The manner of death—suicide, homicide, or accident—was still undetermined, pending further examination of neck and throat injuries for potential strangulation. Newbarr also reported a gash on the back of Mrs. Von Elm's head, along with abrasions on her left thigh, lower abdomen, and chest. The coroner further stated that Mrs. Von Elm had been subjected to an unnatural sex act.
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That wasn’t all: Burbank police were also investigating the disappearance of a $100,000 inheritance belonging to Mrs. Von Elm. During the investigation into Imogene’s death, authorities learned that money inherited from her father, William Milloy, a Cherokee Indian chief, had gone missing. Ermadine Giles, daughter of the deceased, traveled by car from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Burbank to provide additional information in person. Deputy District Attorney Albert K. Lucas was assigned to the case.
However, it didn’t take long for this claim to unravel as investigators learned from associates of Mr. and Mrs. Von Elm that neither had shown any outward signs of wealth.
Ermadine confessed to police that Emogene's assertions about being a Cherokee princess and inheriting wealth were untrue. She clarified that the narrative stemmed from Emogene’s father's remark, "He used to say that any Indian with $100,000 could call himself a chief."
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Ermadine Hauser Guiles was the first cousin of Emogene Lucille Milloy. Ermadine was raised by her parents, who were Emogene's aunt and uncle (her mother's sister and brother-in-law).
William Malloy, Emogene's father, was born in Canada. His father was born in Scotland, and his mother was born in England. He passed away on May 6, 1957, nearly three years after Emogene. She is not acknowledged in his obituary.
George Von Elm told police that Imogene was a Hollywood dress designer who was half-Cherokee and whose father had passed away. It remains uncertain whether he was involved in the deception or was a victim of it.
Further information regarding the morals charges filed by the state of California against Roy Arthur Ford has not been located. Five years after Imogene’s death, in September of 1959, Ford sexually assaulted and beat a five-year-old child in Indiana. He was fined $100 plus costs and sent to the penal farm for 90 days.
Upon the passing of Imogene, George Von Elm returned to Salt Lake City from California. He remarried in 1957 and found work in Idaho as a golf professional at the Blackfoot golf course from 1957 to 1960. Following this, he supervised the design and construction of golf courses in suburban Alameda and at the Sun Valley resort. George Von Elm died in 1961 at the age of 60 due to lung cancer. Despite his ongoing contributions to the golf industry, many in the Blackfoot community only became aware of his accomplishments posthumously. His obituaries claim he was married twice, naming only his first and third wives.
Two annual golf tournaments, both bearing his name, are now held at the Blackfoot Golf Course in Idaho and the Rancho Park course in Los Angeles.
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The top picture is of Marcella Rogers, the first wife of George Von Elm.
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Primary Sources:
Saskatoon Daily Star, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Fri, Sep 8, 1922 · Page 13
Salt Lake Telegram, Salt Lake City, Utah, Sun, Oct 21, 1923 · Page 32
The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah, Sun, Nov 25, 1923 · Page 33
Western Mail, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales, Fri, Jun 25, 1926 · Page 4
The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah, Thu, Sep 30, 1926 · Page 20
Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Michigan, Sun, May 20, 1928 · Page 33
The Register-Guard, Eugene, Oregon, Fri, Jun 6, 1930 · Page 11The Ogden Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah, Thu, Jul 10, 1930 · Page 12
The Washington Herald, Washington, District of Columbia, Wed, Sep 9, 1931 · Page 11
Salt Lake Telegram, Salt Lake City, Utah, Fri, Dec 25, 1936 · Page 22
The Fresno Bee, Fresno, California, Sun, Feb 4, 1945 · Page 19
News-Pilot, San Pedro, California, Mon, Feb 5, 1945 · Page 7
Los Angeles Mirror, Los Angeles, California, Wed, Oct 27, 1954 · Page 5
The Cleveland Press, Cleveland, Ohio, Wed, Oct 27, 1954 · Page 1
The Independent, Richmond, California, Wed, Oct 27, 1954 · Page 1
Los Angeles Mirror, Los Angeles, California, Wed, Oct 27, 1954 · Page 1
The Flint Journal, Flint, Michigan, Wed, Oct 27, 1954 · Page 1
The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah, Thu, Oct 28, 1954 · Page 3
The Solano-Napa News Chronicle, Vallejo, California, Thu, Oct 28, 1954 · Page 3
Evening Vanguard, Venice, California, Thu, Oct 28, 1954 · Page 1
Daily News, Los Angeles, California, Thu, Oct 28, 1954 · Page 3
The San Bernardino County Sun, San Bernardino, California, Thu, Oct 28, 1954 · Page 2
Valley Times, North Hollywood, California, Thu, Oct 28, 1954 · Page 2
Los Angeles Mirror, Los Angeles, California, Fri, Oct 29, 1954 · Page 14
The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, Fri, Oct 29, 1954 · Page 2
Valley Times, North Hollywood, California, Fri, Oct 29, 1954 · Page 2
Daily News, Los Angeles, California, Tue, Nov 2, 1954 · Page 29
The Sacramento Union, Sacramento, California, Wed, Nov 3, 1954 · Page 3
The Ogden Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah, Sun, May 8, 1955 · Page 12
Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Michigan, Wed, May 8, 1957 · Page 33
The Terre Haute Tribune, Terre Haute, Indiana, Fri, Jan 15, 1960 · Page 9
The Terre Haute Star, Terre Haute, Indiana, Tue, Jun 14, 1960 · Page 11
Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, Idaho, Mon, Feb 27, 1961 · Page 60
The Kellogg Evening News, Kellogg, Idaho, Mon, May 1, 1961 · Page 4
Evening Star, Washington, District of Columbia, Tue, May 2, 1961 · Page 18
Los Angeles Mirror, Los Angeles, California, Tue, May 2, 1961 · Page 25
Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, Idaho, Sun, May 7, 1961 · Page 12
Idaho State Journal, Pocatello, Idaho, Sun, May 7, 1961 · Page 5
Daily News, New York, New York, Sun, Sep 17, 1961 · Page 281
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/170592/marcella-von_elm
https://www.ebay.com/itm/235524702072
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Von_Elm
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