The Mysterious Death of Alfred Loewenstein
In the early 1900s, Alfred Loewenstein was a self-made millionaire. His assets were equivalent to that of Jeff Bezos today. At 20 years of age, he followed in his father’s footsteps. He became a financier, establishing a Belgian bank project that supplied energy to foreign countries. Loewenstein had a knack for making money and could predict the rise and fall of market trends and stock prices.
Although Loewenstein married in 1908 to Madeleine Missone, supposedly, Loewenstein loved only horses and aviation. A rarity at that time, Loewenstein also designed a plane for personal use.
On July 4, 1928, Loewenstein took a trip with his staff. Six people climbed aboard his plane at 6:00 PM: the pilot (Donald Drew), a mechanic (Robert Little), his valet (Fred Baxter), the secretary (Arthur Hodgson), and two stenographers (Eileen Clarke and Paula Bidalon). The plane left Croydon Airport in England and headed for Brussels.
Before departing, Loewenstein called a business colleague to arrange dinner the following week.
The plane had a glass window that separated the cockpit from the body of the plane. Loewenstein installed a makeshift office on the other side of the glass with chairs, tables, and lounge seating. At the end of the office, he had a lobby that separated the lavatory from the passengers. The small corridor held the lavatory on one side and the only exit on the other. Beyond that point, the plane held the enclosed luggage area at the end of the aircraft.
After takeoff, the staff reported Loewenstein put down his book and excused himself to the lavatory. After some time, the staff became concerned, and his valet went to check on him. When Loewenstein failed to respond, Baxter opened the door and found an empty room. Loewenstein had disappeared. Baxter and the secretary, Hodgson, notify the pilot that their employer has disappeared.
Yet, the pilot averted the straight path to the nearby airport and instead landed on the beach of Dunkirk. At 7:30 PM, the French military took the passengers into custody and questioned them.
Everyone told the same story but refused to give the missing man’s identity for thirty minutes. When identifying their boss, the French reported Hodgson began to sweat, Baxter’s teeth chattered, and the two stenographers cried.
After twenty-four hours, the French closed their investigation because Loewenstein had fallen out of the plane outside their territory. Likewise, the English and Belgian governments washed their hands of the case, stating the same excuse. No one wanted to investigate Loewenstein’s disappearance.
Except for Madeliene. According to Belgian law, no one can read the will of the deceased without a body. Loewenstein’s wife had to hire private investigators to find her husband. Madeleine also offered the French police a reward to locate the body.
However, on July 19, two weeks after the incident, a small fishing boat located a bloated and decomposed body ten miles off the coast of France. The fisherman, unable to withstand the smell, dragged the corpse to shore. The figure had only a pair of silk socks, underwear, and a wristwatch with Loewenstein’s name engraved underneath. Without the watch, the man’s identity would have remained a mystery.
The autopsy revealed a large hole in the abdomen and every bone broken. Yet, the reports also show that Loewenstein was still alive at the time of impact. The report also tells of a large quantity of alcohol in Loewenstein’s system. What is more unusual is that Madeliene refused to identify the body and then buried her husband in an unmarked grave at her family’s Belgian cemetery.
Conspiracy theories covered the newspapers. Still, there were plenty of “untruths” told by the staff members to question their stories. For instance, many people who knew Loewenstein well said he hated to read. He never read a book in his life. Second, reports also state that he never drank. If their boss was suicidal, why make dinner arrangements for the following week? Notes taken from his seat show financial stock and future business dealings. Likewise, the Chief Military Inspector in the UK determined Loewenstein could not have opened the door without the other passengers on the plane, noting a shift in air pressure. Yet, two or more people propping the door open, even for a few minutes, was more likely what had happened.
Decades after Loewenstein’s death, Robert Little’s wife confessed that her husband told her that during the flight, he turned around to see Loewenstein taking off his shirt and tie and gasping for air. He claimed Loewenstein acted like someone poisoned.
Rumors suggest Madeliene paid the staff to murder her husband. The crew had removed the door and kept the lavatory area closed. When the pilot diverted the plane to the beach, they restored the exit before the Dunkirk personnel could notice the missing door.
All the parties involved are now deceased. No one will ever know what happened to the wealthy financier unless fresh evidence comes to light.
“Oh, what a tangled web we weave!”
Until next month,
Harper
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