Mary Eleanor Smith

Serial Killer

Mary Eleanor Smith and the Murder of James Eugene Bassett

Background

Mary Eleanor Smith was an American murderer who became associated with one of the most sensational criminal mysteries in the Pacific Northwest during the 1920s. She committed her known crimes with her adult son, Decasto Earl Mayer, who was also called Earl and occasionally identified in records as Decasto Eugene Mayer. Although Smith and Mayer have sometimes been described as a serial-killing team, only one victim, James Eugene Bassett, was conclusively connected to them. Smith later claimed that her son had killed three other people in Montana and Idaho, but those alleged victims were never publicly identified and the accusations did not result in additional murder convictions. Smith was born in New York in approximately 1866. By the late 1920s, she was living with Mayer in the Seattle area. Contemporary descriptions portrayed her as an older, gray-haired woman whose appearance did not immediately suggest danger. Mayer, who had a physical disability and walked with difficulty, had already accumulated a criminal record. Together, mother and son presented themselves as prospective automobile buyers while apparently planning to obtain a valuable car through robbery and murder.

The Targeting of James Eugene Bassett

James Eugene Bassett was a 34-year-old civilian employee connected to the United States Navy. Originally associated with Annapolis, Maryland, he had traveled across the country and was temporarily staying with relatives in Bremerton, Washington. Bassett owned a nearly new 1929 Chrysler 75 roadster, an expensive automobile valued at approximately $1,600 at the time. In September 1928, Bassett advertised the Chrysler for sale in a Seattle newspaper. A supposed buyer using the name "Mr. Clark" responded to the advertisement. On September 5, Bassett left his sister's home in Bremerton, traveled by ferry to Seattle and arranged to demonstrate the automobile to the prospective purchaser. He intended to return that evening. His relatives never saw him alive again. The purported buyer was connected to Smith and Mayer. According to the confession Smith gave nearly ten years later, Bassett was induced to drive to a rented residence in King County under the belief that he was completing a legitimate automobile transaction. Smith occupied Bassett's attention while Mayer approached him from behind. Mayer then struck Bassett in the head with a hammer, inflicting the fatal injuries. ...

Confirmed Victims: (1)

James Eugene Bassett Age: (34), Date of Death: 1928-09-05

Decasto Eugene Mayer and Mary Eleanor Smith are charged with ...