HEART AILMENT HELD CAUSE OF OFFICER’S DEATH
Major Beaten at Night Club Say Friends
SAN FRANCISCO, California – February 5, 1935 – Hardening of the heart arteries was announced here today by an autopsy surgeon as the cause of the night club death of Major Charles Ross.
The Army officer fell or was pushed down a stairway at a night club early today.
Announcement of the finding came after arraignment of three men on the night club staff on manslaughter charges.
The three, Clem Gaviotti, manager of the Club Cairo and Joe Vanessi and Sam Erlich, two of his aides, were released on $2,500 bail each.
Coroner T. B. W. Leland will hold a formal inquest tomorrow. Later Mrs. Ross will leave for Washington, D.C. with the body, which will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Fellow officers of Major Ross, who went to the club early today in celebration of the 30th Infantry’s 34th anniversary, reported Ross had been manhandled by the club attendants and thrown downstairs.
Gaviotti and his assistants denied this and said Major Ross had been argument and had said, “I can lick the whole hunch of you.”
Major Ross had gone to the club with five companions. Major William F. Lee suffered a bruised left yes and Lieutenant Winfred Skelton’s lip was cut. The other officers were Major C. M. Easley and Captains Earle M. Miner and Thomas N. Stark.
Major Ross had been in the Army since 1918. He was a member of the General Staff School at Washington, D.C. for a number of years and was assigned to the 30th Infantry here six months ago. He is survived by his widow and two daughters, one of whom lives in Washington, D.C.
Born in Michigan he was appointed to West Point and served in various parts of the country. He was in France during the World War.
ROSS, CHARLES ADDISON
MAJOR INF USA
DATE OF DEATH: 02/04/1935
BURIED AT: SECTION 6 SITE 4994
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.
Reviewed by: Michael Howard