Washington County Murder & Mayhem:: Historic Crimes of Southwestern Pennsylvania

by A. Parker Burroughs

Overview

Explore the chilling history behind some of southwestern Pennsylvania's most horrifying murders.

In 1907, a young girl was found dead in the Lyric Theatre, leaving behind an unwanted pregnancy and an abusive lover. On an otherwise quiet morning in 1891, a cartful of nitroglycerin exploded. The remains of the driver had to be gathered in a peck basket. The Cannonball Express lived up to its name in 1888, when an open switch caused it to shoot off the track, sending two cars flying. Local journalist A. Parker Burroughs resurrects these and other stories from southwestern Pennsylvania's shadowy past. From foul play at the Burgettstown Fair to the tragic murder of North Franklin's Thelma Young, follow the trail with Burroughs as he uncovers the crimes and intrigues of Washington County.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626194007
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	05/20/2014
Series:	Murder & Mayhem
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	1,092,636
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

A. Parker Burroughs has been a newspaper writer and editor for more than four decades and is the retired executive editor of the Observer-Reporter in Washington, Pennsylvania. He has worked as a consultant to newspapers abroad and has taught writing at Bethany College. He is the editor of 200 Years: Our History Through the Pages of the Observer-Reporter" and author of "Enter, With Torches: Recollections of a Grumpy Old Editor." He is a member of the Washington County Historical Society."

Table of Contents

Preface 9

Acknowledgements 11

1 A Death in the Lyric 13

2 An Unholy Passion: The Tragic Tale of Martin Reed 33

3 "Shreds of Quivering Flesh": The Explosion that Rocked Washington 55

4 The West Enders: A Story of Murder in Desperate Times 69

5 The Wreck of the Cannonball Express 99

6 The Murder of Thelma Young 115

Bibliography 137

About the Author 141