The Sensational Case Of The Corn Doctor From Quogue

by Linda Paris

Published May 25, 2011 in The Southampton Press, Southampton, NY

“Let’em start something!” Henry Tuthill

In the summer of 1932, Henry Frank Tuthill, known locally as the "Corn Doctor," was a regular fixture on the East End of Long Island. He was described by those who knew him as a “walking bank” and an “eccentric” but Tuthill’s unusual personality was a bit more flamboyant.

Henry, who resented being called a “chiropodist”, insisted on being introduced as a corn doctor. The 68 year old gentleman rented a room from a Mr. and Mrs. Fillmore Dayton and residents often reported seeing him wandering the streets of Quogue and Hampton Bays, invariably wearing 2 black overcoats, one on top of the other. Come winter, summer, spring or fall, the 2 coats were always there. He was also known to carry as much as $30,000 cash in the pockets of those coats, along with at least 2 weapons.

There was no place in Henry Tuthill’s scheme of life for banks or property possession.

By 1932 the American Dream had become an economic nightmare. Beginning with the stock market crash in October of 1929, the economy plummeted and led the country into what is now historically referred to as the “Great Depression.”

This was the atmosphere in which Henry Tuthill lived.

Rooming houses were very popular in the village of Quogue during this time period and the Daytons had grown quite fond of Henry, in spite of his peculiarities. He was never late with the rent and considering the troubling times, this provided some financial security for them.

According to weather sources, 1932 was known as “the year without a winter.” In spite of record breaking heat across the country, on the night of August 6, Henry donned his 2 black coats and had a short conversation with the Daytons before leaving the house. He displayed the five revolvers and pistols he carried that night with bravado:

“Let’em start something!” he dared.

Henry told the Daytons that he also had $10,000 cash on him but refused to go into further detail. As Henry walked out the door, he turned and spoke his last words to them:

“If I’m not back by tomorrow, call the police.”

The next morning, when Tuthill did not return home from his mysterious meeting, that’s exactly what the Daytons did.

The police began a search the next day that ended 2 weeks later on a deserted road in Hampton Bays. Henry Frank Tuthill had been found dead. He lay crumpled inside of his dilapidated car with all of his pockets turned inside out. The corn doctor had been brutally beaten and then shot.

It didn’t take long for the police to make an arrest. Two men and a woman were taken into custody the next day and charged with first degree murder.

Victor Downs (44), his wife Mitzie (25) and their companion Joseph Hojenski (24), were escorted to the Suffolk Co. jail and held without bond.

Victor and Mitzie Downs

“You tricked me! You made me lie!” Mitzie Downs

Considering the lifestyle of Henry Tuthill, it comes as no surprise that he associated with characters like Victor and Mitzie Downs. Not much is known about Mitzie or Joseph, but Victor Downs is a different story.

Downs was a former Virginia policeman and an ex-member of the “Bill Dwyer Liquor Mob.” He was a man who lived on the “left” side of the law. He had come to Long Island and settled in Riverhead with his young wife Mitzie, a few years before the murder.

The prosecution would claim that on the night in question the couple, along with Hojenski, conjured up a scheme to rid the corn doctor of some of his cash.

After meeting Tuthill in an unknown location, Mitzie admitted during police questioning, that it was she who had lured him back to their home with complaints of a foot ailment. There, she claimed, a fight ensued and Henry was murdered. Mitzie offered to testify against her husband in exchange for immunity however when she took the stand at trial she did something that shocked everyone in the courtroom.

To the astonishment of the prosecutors, she began screaming that they had tricked her into signing a false statement.

Mitzie Downs

“You tricked me! You made me lie!” she shrieked.

This threw the entire proceeding into an uproar and made national news. One newspaper wrote: “Rarely does the scene of a criminal court serve as the setting for a drama with such a breath-taking climax, that it rivals anything shown on a motion picture screen.”

When the disorder in the court subsided, Prosecutor L. Barron Hill was forced to admit that he had no other evidence against Victor Downs other than the testimony of his wife. He then reluctantly dismissed the charges for lack of evidence.

But the saga wasn’t over yet. After Downs was discharged, both he and his wife were re-arrested and charged again with first degree murder. Victor’s attorney argued “double jeopardy” and he was released, however Mitzie remained charged.

Prosecutor Hill was still not done. Victor was again arrested, this time he would be charged with stealing $3,000 from Tuthill, an interesting amount considering Henry had told the Daltons that he was in possession of $10,000 when he left the house that night.

In the end, Victor Downs plead guilty to a first degree assault charge in a completely separate case and was sentenced to 10 years in Sing Sing, a condition being that his wife Mitzie was freed.

No one was ever effectively prosecuted for the murder of the corn doctor.

But the story still does not end there.

Victor Downs apparently held a grudge against the former prosecutor in the Tuthill case, who had since become a judge. Upon his release from Sing Sing, he was promptly arrested and this time charged with extortion.

He had targeted the judge and Mitzie’s former attorney, angry that she was arrested after testifying in his favor.

In spite of the fact that justice eluded the unfortunate corn doctor, it could be argued that the person most responsible, still spent the better part of his life in prison.

Copyright pariscreativellc 2011 all rights reserved