ayfield Mob and cleansed much of Cleveland's police force. He also cleaned up traffic, updated both police and fire equipment and built schools for police training. In short he made being a cop in Cleveland a respectable position again. However there was one major thorn in his side that ravaged his reputation every time it surfaced, The Mad Butcher. In 1934 The Butcher's first victim was found. Deemed the lady of the lake a young woman's body was discovered, after an autopsy the cause of death was found to be decapitation. The body was also quartered; all cutting was done with a heavy blade with obvious skill, indicating a butcher, hunter or possibly a surgeon to be the culprit. Every few years another body would be found bearing the same grotesque signature, some were found mere feet from police stations suggesting the murderer was playing with them. A total of ten victims were discovered, each bearing evidence to a single, twisted, killer. Finally near the end of Ness' career a substantial suspect was uncovered. Dr. Frank E. Sweeney, a large man capable of the brutal strokes used in the killings. He was also an alcoholic who frequently checked himself into clinics. However it was found that whenever he was absent from these clinics another victim was found. He was finally brought in for questioning and was subject to a polygraph test, this was one of the first uses of the polygraph in police work. After hours of questioning Keeler, an expert on polygraphs, firmly believed Sweeney to be the killer. Ness asked to be left alone in the hotel room with Sweeney to ask some questions. What followed was one of the most frightening experiences of Ness' career. Soon after the Sweeney incident Ness was involved in a car accident involving alcohol, this severely damaged his reputation and he resigned from his position. Although he did not merely fade away, he owned a large lock and safe company for some time but it finally did fail. He also ran...
