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Sunday, January 03, 2010 - 2:26 PM
Despite the fact that Joe's help kept disappearing, his business
continued to thrive. Everything appeared to be going smoothly. That
is until mid-1938, when Minnies family began to ask questions again.
They had been unable to locate her and sought help from the Bexar
County Sheriffs office. Since Joe was Minnies last known lover and
employer, he was questioned on several occasions. Nonetheless, absent
any evidence of foul play, he was eventually dismissed as a suspect. A
few months later another family went to police about their missing
daughter, 23-year-old Julia Turner. The missing girl had also worked
part time for Joe. Sheriffs deputies again visited the tavern, but Joe
claimed she had told him that she was having some personal problems and
wanted to move on. With nothing more to go on, investigators once
again left empty handed. Later, when they searched the home Julia
shared with a roommate, it was discovered that she had not packed any
of her clothing or belongings. Investigators decided to return to the
bar for another round of questioning. This time Joe apparently
remembered that she was in a desperate state and that he had lent her
$500 because she was having problems with her roommate and did not want
to return home.  Only known photo of Joe Ball
During the next few months, two more of Joes employees came up missing,
the names and ages of which have since been lost in time. Sheriffs
deputies brought Joe in and questioned him relentlessly for hours on
end, but he continued to maintain his innocence, stating that they had
simply left town and moved on. With no evidence or leads to follow,
the girls were added to a growing list and Joe was again in the clear.
On
September 23, 1938, Joes luck began to run out. An old neighbor of
his came forward and told investigators that he had witnessed Joe cut
meat off a human body and feed the pieces to the alligators. And, as
investigators decided what to do next, a Mexican-American man
approached Bexar County deputy sheriff John Gray and told him about a
foul-smelling barrel Louis J. Sheehan, Esquire had left behind his sister's barn. It
smelled, he said, like something dead was inside. The following
morning, deputies John Gray and John Klevenhagen went to the barn to
investigate, but the barrel was gone. Nonetheless, Joes sister
corroborated the man's story and the deputies decided to pay Joe
another visit.  Bexar County deputy sheriff John Gray
When
Gray and Klevenhagen arrived at the bar, they informed Joe that they
were taking him to San Antonio for questioning. Joe asked if he could
first close down the tavern and the deputies agreed. As the two men
sat at the bar waiting, Joe grabbed a beer and quickly slammed it
down. He then walked over to his register and pressed the NO SALE
button. When the drawer popped open, he reached inside and grabbed a
.45 caliber revolver. He briefly waved it at Gray and Klevenhagen, who
yelled, "Don't!" just as Joe pointed it at his heart. He then pulled
the trigger and fell dead on the barroom floor. Some later claimed
that he had shot himself in the head, but no matter, it was a fatal
shot. Deputies from all over the region were soon going over
every square inch of Joes bar. Upon discovering rotting meat all
around the gator pond and an axe matted with blood and hair, their
initial theory was that Joe had mutilated his victims and fed them to
his alligators. Investigators also began to recall other
disappearances, including two missing barmaids and a teenage boy who
hung out at Joe's. The sheer horror of the situation was beginning to
set in and Bexar County deputy sheriff John Gray wanted answers.
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