Wicked Waterbury: Madmen & Mayhem in the Brass City

by Edith Reynolds, John Murray

Overview

In its early days, Waterbury was a muddy swamp, a breeding ground for pestilence and mosquitoes. Yet the town's early settlers rarely strayed from the path of Puritan righteousness. By the turn of the twentieth century, however, this rigorously policed, morally upright community had become what one politician called a "crossroads of slime and evil." Headlines boasted tales of corrupt politicians and love scandals, union strife and industrial sabotage. For sixteen years, Waterbury was the hideout for "Mad Bomber" George Metesky, and in 1974 the town witnessed the double homicide that provoked the longest-running trial in Connecticut's history. From the controversial opening of a birth control clinic to the corruption of Mayor T. Frank Hayes, authors Edith Reynolds and John Murray document the major episodes that gave Waterbury the nickname "Sin City."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781614234234
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	02/02/2009
Series:	Wicked
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Edith Reynolds grew up on the shore of New Haven Harbor and moved to Waterbury nearly forty years ago. She currently owns and operates the John Bale Book Company and Cafe with her husband, Dan Gaeta. With their two girls, Helen and Sarah, grown, Edith and Dan have served as urban pioneers, purchasing a building to house their antiquarian bookstore and converting the fourth floor into a loft living space. As a former educator, college administrator and reporter, Edith has a love for history and community growth. She currently serves the city as a board member for Main Street Waterbury, the Downtown Business Association, the Mayor's Economic Task Force and the Waterbury Development Corp. She also serves on the grants boards for the Connecticut Community Foundation and for the WDC HUD block grant disbursements. Her last book was a history of Savin Rock in West Haven, Connecticut. John Murray began his independent community newspaper sixteen years ago in Waterbury after a career as a photojournalist at a larger newspaper. The Waterbury Observer is a free monthly publication that has grown into a powerhouse for information, with Murray tackling touchy, important subjects like worker health, civil rights, political corruption and, most currently, the search for a missing young man. His in-depth coverage has earned him national acclaim that he shares with his daughter, Chelsea. Together they have brought the city another source of news.

Table of Contents

Preface 7

Chapter 1 Early Ways

Danger Beyond the Fence 13

Revolution Introduced the Crime of Treason 20

Chapter 2 What We Do For Love

Victorian Love Triangle 23

Hanging Bessie Wakefield 25

South End Shootout 26

Barlow and the Poison Needle 27

Chapter 3 Changing Times

Death by Trolley 29

Wobblies in Waterbury 33

The Radium Girls 42

Chapter 4 Politics

Birth Control and the Catholic Church 51

The Great Toilet Scandal 62

Two for One 69

Chapter 5 People Just Get Mad

A Neighborly Dispute 71

The Mad Bomber 72

Chapter 6 The Underbelly

Sin City 77

Racial Strife 81

Chapter 7 Bad Boys

The Yom Kippur Murders 91

Crane's Secret Life 107

The Purolator Massacre 110

Fyodor's Deportment 121

Bibliography 125

About the Authors 127

Editorial Reviews

"A crossroads of slime and evil" is how one local politician described Waterbury, Connecticut, in the early 20th century. How did this straitlaced Puritan community evolve into a metropolis so crime-ridden that it became known as Sin City? Edith Reynolds and John Murray's Wicked Waterbury delves into the darker but more exciting side of "the brass capital of the world."