Tell me again

Stories of murder, mystery and mayhem with Wayne County historians

By KIMBERLY M. WEYANDT

EQUINUNK, PA — Despite the sticky heat of the room, chills ran down the spines of many citizens as they leaned forward in their chairs to hear frightful tales of murder, mystery and mayhem at the Calder House Museum on July 16.

The true stories were gleaned from newspapers covering Wayne County over the past two centuries and retold by Gloria McCullough and Ann O’Hara of the Wayne County Historical Society.

“Many people think the past was so much better,” said O’Hara, “but the ‘good old days’ weren’t all they’re cracked up to be.”

The voices of the storytellers lingered in the air and in the minds of the attending citizens as the stories reminded them that the past was not without its problems.

“They didn’t leave much out back then,” warned McCullough, before she and her partner shared the ghastly products of their research. The following tales are just a few of the stories shared that night:

The Democrat, January 21, 1955

‘Frightful Death.’ Mr. Oliver B. Bishop of Hawley, an employee of the Pennsylvania Coal Company, was instantly killed on the 16th day of this month by being drawn into the machinery. His head was severed from his body and his body was broken in two. So sudden was the accident that a person standing but a few feet from him was first apprized of it by the head falling at his feet.

The Wayne County Herald, July 1863

An accident occurred at Plane No. 6 on the D&H road, near Waymart, on Tuesday last, by which a man named Eliphalet Babcock lost his life. We understand that the rope used in drawing the cars up Plane No. 7 broke, allowing them to run down that plane through the head house of No. 6 and then down that. On reaching the foot of the last named, Mr. Babcock, who was standing there with a horse, was literally cut in pieces. The horse was but slightly injured.

The Wayne County Herald, September 26, 1978

Hine Sampson of Shermon left home two weeks ago, and at last account has not returned. Some of the circumstances of his going lead to the supposition that he does not intend to return. He took two suits of clothing, all the money he could raise, and a disreputable woman. He was collector of the town of Scott, but how much of the town’s money he has taken is not known at present. He has a wife and five children at Sherman.

The Wayne County Herald, February 10, 1911

Monday afternoon, about 4:30, Miss Lucy Murry of Delaware Street, an employee in the Florence Silk Mill met with a very painful accident. She was operating a loom when her hair became entangled in a wheel. Large quantities of her hair were pulled out by the roots and it was necessary to shut down the motor power at the mill before she could be released. Dr. W. T. McConvill was called.

The Hancock Herald, November 7, 1960

‘Died from Sudden Shock.’ The sudden jumping of a rabbit which he had just shot and which apparently lay dead on the snow of Creston Park in Wayne County, PA, caused the death from heart disease last Friday morning of Albert C. Henne, 42-years-old and a hotel keeper of Dickson City, PA. A hound startled a rabbit that started across the clearing about 30 yards from Mr. Henne. He saw it coming and fired, the rabbit leaped into the air and tumbled back onto the snow. Mr. Henne ran to pick up the rabbit; as he did so the animal made a jump. The nervous shock of the jumping of the apparently dead rabbit was too much for Mr. Henne’s heart, which was in a weakened state, and brought on a fatal attack.

The Hancock Herald, October 20, 1910

‘Child dies after drinking impure buttermilk.’ A Long Eddy correspondent says, the family of Walter Keesler, who lives on Coals Flat across the river from Long Eddy, were all poisoned the forepart of last week from drinking sour buttermilk and eating cooked stuff that had been made from the buttermilk. One little girl, five years old, died immediately after drinking the buttermilk while a little boy, 13 years old, drank so much of the buttermilk that he was only slightly affected, acting as an emetic. The oldest girl, eight years old, all the prospects are that she will not recover. The doctor has given up hope of saving her. The buttermilk had stood in a tin milk-can, and as it soured the acid absorbed the lead from the can. Different eatables were made from the buttermilk and it was sometime before they knew what was causing them sickness. As a result, those who were sick kept getting worse and finally the whole family became ill.

The Wayne County Herald, November 10, 1885

‘A man frozen to death.’ On Saturday afternoon W.E. Sandy, who has been in this vicinity for the past several weeks from Philadelphia, visiting his children who are scattered throughout different parts of Wayne County, started from Hales Eddy to walk to Stanton Hill where one of his daughters lived at a difference of eight miles. Mr. Sandy was about 65 years of age. A blinding snowstorm prevailed and over the hills; it was an impossibility to live in such weather. Exhausted, tired and worn out, he fell when only about 50 yards from his daughter’s house. The inmates of the house thought they heard some faint groans during the evening, but on going to the door nothing was heard but wind and the tempest. Sunday morning disclosed the sad sight of the man with his face in the snow, frozen and dead. Mr. Sandy was an estimable man and was a consistent member of a church in Philadelphia.

The Honesdale Citizen, December 16, 1897

In Hawley on December 13, a ten-year-old son of a farmer who lives one and a half miles east of Hawley was accidentally strangled to death last Friday morning by swinging from an endless towel. Mr. Wegge and his three sons, the oldest of which is 15 years, lived together on his farm after the death of his wife three years ago. It appears that the boys had been in the habit of frequently amusing themselves by placing their necks in the towel, twisting it up and then letting their bodies swirl swiftly around as the towel was unwound. Friday morning Mr. Wegge and the two older boys were out. It is supposed that the lad, while alone, thought he would pass part of the time at the favorite sport and while thus engaged loss control of himself and was strangled to death as he was found hanging in the towels, dead, when they arrived at the house.

Wayne County Herald, May 5, 1866

About 5:00 Wednesday morning of this week George Busher, an old resident of Hawley, shot himself with a revolver in the ear. His wife, who was in bed, heard two pistol shots in quick succession from the direction of the kitchen. The doctor said there were hopes of his recovery if inflammation did not set in and concluded not to remove the balls as he thought they would do no harm where they were located. When asked why he attempted the rash act, Mr. Busher replied, the cow died last week, the pig died Tuesday and he was discouraged and wanted to die.