Robert S. James (right) and his attorney Samuel J. Silverman. James is accused of murdering his wife Mary Busch James by subjecting her to rattlesnake bites and drowning her with the help of his friend Charles H. Hope.
Robert S. James' real name was Major Raymond Lisenba. He was known as Robert S. James during his marriage to Mary Emma Busch James and at the time of her death in 1935, and, after her murder by rattlesnake bite and drowning, as "Rattlesnake James."
Related to Los Angeles Times article, June 2, 1936, James Given Prison Term, Barber Assessed Three to 150 Years in Morals Case Conviction. Imposing the extreme penalty for what he termed an extreme offense, Superior Judge Vickers yesterday sentenced Robert S. James, also accused as the rattlesnake-drowning slayer of his wife, to a term of from three to 150 years for mistreating his young niece. …
Robert S. James' real name was Major Raymond Lisenba. He was known as Robert S. James during his marriage to Mary Emma Busch James and at the time of her death in 1935, and, after her murder by rattlesnake bite and drowning, as "Rattlesnake James."
Robert S. James and Samuel Silverman, both in suits and ties, standing, with chalkboard or easel at right, bailiff and another man behind them, man at rolltop desk in foreground, crowded courtroom in background
A similar photograph appears with Los Angeles Times article, May 28, 1936, James Guilty in Girl Case, Suspect Smiles at Verdict, Jury Convicts Barber on All Three Counts of Morals Offenses. … James … sat stolid and emotionless as a jury decreed him guilty of three separate morals offenses involving his 21-year-old niece. … facing the still more serious charge of murdering his wife last August by rattlesnake venom and drowning …