Scranton, PA. In the early days of this blue-collar city, a well-known doctor is murdered and a manhunt follows.
A man is first convicted, then later acquitted. Does his wife’s outburst in court thirty years later finally reveal the true killer? Continue reading Who Murdered Dr. Durkin?
I’ve previously written about the violence that emanated from the Bull’s Head section of Scranton. Between the notorious actions of the Black Hand and the fact that the early Italian settlers were known to imbibe far too much alcohol on occasion, there was plenty of violence in this section of the then-booming blue-collar city. And sometimes, that violence resulted in death followed by murder or … Continue reading Stabbing Turns Deadly in Bull’s Head
In the early morning hours of May 20, 1926, an explosion tore through a building located at 1032 West Lackawanna Ave. Miraculously, none of the nine occupants at the time were injured during the blast. The Property The building was owned by Frank Palutis. He, along with his wife, three children, and two boarders lived in the apartment on the second floor of the building. … Continue reading Explosion Rocks West Side (1926)
My hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, has gone through some periods of revitalization and redevelopment over th the years. The town that once fueled the nation’s manufacturing with its abundance of coal mines and steel production has seen more than its fair share of ups and downs. In November 1963, the city celebrated its revitalization with the opening of a brand-new building that was the hallmark … Continue reading Murder at the IBM Building!
The Black Hand Mafia wasn’t just involved in shakedowns. They were also involved in a counterfeiting operation that was broken up by some pretty nifty detective work. Continue reading Counterfeit Ring Busted in Chinchilla
Exploring historical crimes in NEPA 