Notes from 1965-1970
Background Information:
· This is some important information to keep in mind when studying this era of Pittsburgh history.
Development
1965 May 6
John W. Galbreath plans a 60-story building at a cost of $50 million to house U. S. Steel offices.
1966 July 11
Stadium Authority declares that the projected stadium as designed is too costly. It asks for alternative designs.
1966 August 25
The new stadium plans are unveiled; it is similar to stadiums in St. Louis and Atlanta and it will cost $12 million less than the original design.
1966 November 17
The State Highway Department discloses that a bridge might be built over the Ohio River parallel to the West End Bridge.
1967 March 15
US Steel breaks ground for its new skyscraper headquarters, the world’s second largest high-rise office building.
1967 March 19
H. J. Heinz II and the Howard Heinz Endowment acquire the Penn Theater for the Pittsburgh Symphony.
1967 April 9
"Secret" project entailing new wing for Carnegie Institute financed by Scaife family is reported.
1967 April 21
State Highway Commission says that the finishing of the "Bridge to Nowhere" will start shortly.
1967 June 11
A master plan for a new $200 million terminal and cargo complex for Greater Pittsburgh Airport that would accommodate 12 million passengers by the year 2000 is unveiled. The first phase of the extension is planned to be completed by 1980.
1967 September 11
An 11-mile, $160 million superhighway that will cut through Oakland to link major highways in the North and South Hills is under consideration.
1967 September 18
Plans for a second Skybus to run between downtown and the South Hills have shelved survey work on an $800 million regional-rapid transit system for all of Allegheny County. The new system, different from its predecessor at South Park, will cost $60 million in state, federal, and local funds.
1967 December 29
A report for the Allegheny County Port Authority states that Skybus would be cheaper than a conventional "steel on steel" mass transit system, spreading over 60 miles, but would be more costly to run. Either could be in operation in seventeen years.
1968 January 12
Pittsburgh Stadium Authority approves final plans and specifications for the 52,000-seat stadium on the Northside that could be built for $28,000,000.
1969 December 30
Penn Theater approved as new home for Pittsburgh Symphony.
Education
1966 April 5
K. C. Morrissey named as first president of Allegheny County Community College. Monument Hill, Northside, will be the site of the college’s first campus.
1966 April 19
Pittsburgh board of public education takes first steps in a $50 million construction program.
1966 September 14
A plan to merge Mellon Institute and Carnegie Institute of Technology is announced by Paul Mellon and Aiken Fisher, the respective board chairmen of the two institutions.
1966 September 19
Classes began for some 950 students at the Community College’s Allegheny Campus and at Boyle Campus, then named East Campus on October 6.
1967
A survey conducted in 1967 by the American Insurance Association gave the city’s fire defenses the worst rating in Pittsburgh’s history.
1968 March 14
Carnegie-Mellon President H. Guyford Stever discloses proposals for the University for the next three years. CMU will broaden its scope by creating a Graduate School of Urban and Public Affairs and a College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
1968 June 6
Dr. Sidney Marland resigns as superintendent of the city school system and is succeeded by Bernard J. McCormick.
1969 May 16
Dr. Louis Kishkunas is named to succeed Dr. Bernard McCormick as school’s superintendent.
1970 June 23
Board of Public Education votes to abandon "Great High School" plans.
University of Pittsburgh
1965 July 27
Edward Litchfield resigns as chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh.
1966 January 11
Sarah Mellon Scaife’s bequest of $7.9 million to institutions is announced. The University of Pittsburgh will receive $5 million.
1966 January 26
Dr. Stanton C. Crawford, acting chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, dies. He is succeeded by David Kurtzman.
1966 August 9
The University of Pittsburgh appropriations bill -- $ 19,757,200 -- passes the state House and Senate and is sent to the governor for his signature. It will enable Pitt to reduce tuition for full-time Pennsylvania residents to $450 annually.
1967 January 13
Wesley Posvar named chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh.
1968 March 8
A plane crash into Lake Michigan takes the lives of Dr. Edward Litchfield, former chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh, his wife, his mother, and his two sons.
Entertainment
1966 January 20
Bill Austin named new Pittsburgh Steelers head coach.
1966 February 9
Pittsburgh is granted National Hockey League franchise.
1966 May 25
The creation of UHF television Channel 53 is announced.
1966 July 6
Pittsburgh Symphony is given a $2.5 million grant by the Ford Foundation.
1966 December 1
Maury Wills traded to Pittsburgh Pirates.
1968 March 29
After sweeping the Indiana Pacers, the Pittsburgh Pipers soon faced the Minnesota Muskies in the Eastern Division Finals of the American Basketball Association. The Pipers went on to win the ABA Championship.
1969 October 9
Danny Murtaugh named to manage Pittsburgh Pirates for the 1970 season.
1970 July 16
After many delays, the Three Rivers Stadium on Northside opens with Pirates losing to Cincinnati 3-2.
Labor
1965 April 30
I. W. Abel wins the presidency of USW.
1965 September 5
United Steelworkers accept new 35-month wage agreement.
1968 February 20
The Penn Sheraton Hotel goes on the auction block after Local 327 Hotel and Restaurant workers refuse to accept the management’s terms to end their 43-day old strike.
1968 February 29
Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers (AFL-CIO) goes on strike despite injunction against union leadership.
1968 March 10
Teachers’ strike ends. Board of Education must accept elected bargaining agent as exclusive bargaining agent for teachers.
1968 May 22
Hotel Penn Sheraton is sold to Pittsburgh investors. Local 327 and Bartenders Union Local 188 reaches agreement with new owners.
1969 January 16
Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers reaches agreement preventing teachers’ strike in city schools.
Politics
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1965 November 2
Mayor Barr and his five City Council running mates are re-elected, with new councilman Peter Flaherty leading the ticket.
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1966 April 22
Court ends roadblock to construction of new stadium brought about by taxpayers’ suit.
1966 June 10
Harry Keller is appointed fire chief, succeeding Steven Adley.
1967 February 27
Mrs. Henry Hillman elected county Republican party chairman.
1967 July 20
State Senator John Devlin, minority leader, dies.
1967 August 14
County Commissioner McClelland, rejected by the Democratic party, will run on the Constitutional party ballot with George Shankey as the other candidate.
1967 November 7
Leonard C. Staisey and Thomas J. Foerster elected new Democratic majority commissioners. Robert Duggan, Republican, reelected as district attorney. Robert Friend, former Pirate pitcher, new county controller.
1968 April 4
Baptist minister, American political and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
1968 April 7
Mayor Barr imposes a five-day curfew for Pittsburgh.
1968 June 6
Former Attorney General, current US Senator from New York, and Democratic Presidential hopeful, Robert F. Kennedy is assassinated shortly after winning the California primary.
1969 February 24
The Democratic Policy Committee unanimously endorses Judge Harry Kramer to run for Democratic nomination for Mayor against City Councilman Peter Flaherty who announced his candidacy earlier.
1969 March 2
John Tabor accepts Republican nomination for mayor.
1969 May 20
Councilman Peter Flaherty wins Democratic nomination for mayor, in an upset victory against the Democratic machine.
1969 September 23
Democratic majority commissioners approve PAT’s Skybus-PATway (Early Action) mass transit plans.
1969 November 4
Peter Flaherty elected mayor over Republican John Tabor. Cyril Wecht, lawyer-doctor, elected county coroner.
1970 January 2
Mayor-elect Flaherty replaces Police Supt. James Slusser with Inspector Stephen Joyce. The city council holds over confirmation of Mayor Flaherty’s cabinet appointments: Joseph W. Cosetti for City Treasurer, Ralph Lynch, Jr. for City Solicitor and Bruce D. Campbell for Director of Lands and Buildings.
1970 January 7
Flaherty, the new mayor, freezes city jobs.
1970 January 18
The Flaherty administration fires 71 rank-and-file pay-rollers begins its austerity plan.
1970 March 2
Flaherty threatens to close Pittsburgh Zoo.
1970 April 1
Attorney John H. Bingler named Director of Public Safety.
1970 September 11
Robert J. Paternoster named City Planning Director; Bruce D. Campbell the interim planning director becomes Executive Secretary to the mayor.
Miscellaneous
1966 June 30
"Commuter bandit" hits the Oakland Western Pennsylvania National Bank branch for $9,554. This is the "commuter’s" 14th robbery.
1966 October 21
Roy Arthur Hunt, 85, retired president and chairman of Alcoa’s executive committee and member of its board of directors since 1914, dies.
1966 November 14
Richard K. Mellon retires as chairman of the Board of Mellon National Bank and Trust Co.
1966 November 21
David L. Lawrence, who on November 4 suffered a heart attack while attending a political rally at the Syria Mosque, dies.
1967 May 17
"Commuter Bandit" hits the Bloomfield branch of the Pittsburgh National Bank for the second time.
1967 June 23
A Northside grocer, William Zeiler, arrested. FBI agents and city police believe him to be the "Commuter Bandit," who is responsible for sixteen robberies totaling more than $200,000.
1967 June 29
U.S. attorney’s office announces that "Commuter Bandit" Zeiler will be charged with committing five bank robberies. His alleged accomplice, Richard P. Chiocca, surrendered to police.
1967 November 14
Canon Robert Appleyard elected new bishop of Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh to succeed Bishop Austin Pardue who will retire in August of 1968. More than 70 clerics and 220 lay Episcopal deputies cast their votes in separate elections.
1968 January 23
"Commuter Bandit" Zeiler is sentenced to 15 years.
1968 April 5
Groups of black youth cause unrest in the Hill District and in the city following April 4 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., the black civil rights leader.
1968 May 10
Ling-Temco-Vought, Inc. of Texas offers $85 a share for up to five million shares of Pittsburgh’s Jones and Laughlin Steel. The deal would give LTV 63 percent of J and L stock.
1968 September 11
William K. Whiteford, retired chairman and chief executive of Gulf Oil Corp., killed in traffic accident.
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1968 October 12
State Supreme Court Justice Michael Angelo Musmanno 71, one of the prosecutors in the Nuremberg trials, dies.
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1969 March 28
Pope Paul appoints Bishop John Wright of Pittsburgh a cardinal. He will be a member of the Curia at the Vatican.
1969 June 4
Vincent M. Leonard, the auxiliary bishop to Wright becomes the new bishop of the Diocese.
1970 May 4
Allison Krause of nearby Churchill was among four Kent State University students killed by National Guardsmen.
1970 June 3
Richard King Mellon, 70, the key figure in Pittsburgh’s Renaissance, dies.
1970 August 27
William R. Roesch named Jones and Laughlin Steel president and chief operating officer.
1970 November 13
John F. Counahan, president of City Council, dies.
All of the above information can be found in Historic Pittsburgh's Chronology section at: http://digital.library.pitt.edu/chronology/
AP 24 Mar 2008
Observations about the 1960s and 1970s –era coroner's case files. Physically they are for the most part in quite good condition and are not more than a bit dusty. Most of the "interesting" files dealing with homicides, drug abuse and auto accidents are missing, although a few car accidents and drug-related deaths remain. I am uncertain what the requirement is for those cases that went into the "drug file." In many but not all of the missing homicide, auto and drug files some details can be determined based on the empty folder; the decedent's name is available, and occasionally gender. Some references to referrals or specific tests that were run are also listed.
The remaining files are a mixture of accidental death and suicides. The information available varies depending on the manner of death but can include birth as well as death information, photos, the medical examiner's autopsy report, and letters from decedent's insurance companies, employers or relatives. The coroner's inquest forms also state the type of cases upon which inquests must be held, including fetal deaths, and therefore some fetal deaths are present.
Some apparently extraneous information is also available more by accident than design; for example, when the Coroner Hunt was running for county commissioner, the back of some of his fliers were apparently used to type up the medical examiner's findings for one case. Another case contains a copy of a memo referring to a state police examination of statewide auto accidents and the cases which the police ought to be called in to examine which, presumably, might otherwise be left to local authorities.
BB 07 Jan 2007
Reactions
Interesting Cases
The work I have done so far with the coroner’s records, primarily from the late 1960s, has proven to be a very educational experience. While these records deal with the deaths of citizens of the Pittsburgh region, each file provides a concentrated look into the deceased life, painting a specific picture of the time period. Many of the files are barely distinguishable from one another; “arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease” is a phrase that has become as recognizable as “cheese sandwich.” The biggest question quickly became which files to pay closer attention to, so as not to get bogged down with countless heart attacks. The cataloging of the cause of death on the file folder gives a very general idea about what type of death. For example deaths classified as ‘natural’ are not terribly exciting as most of the decedents are extremely old. Glancing first at the type of death followed by the decedent’s age and then depending on those two factors the more specific cause of death and coroners report, which details the scene. These portions of the files give the most information in a concentrated area.
Some of the more interesting files have had small personal tokens that give some clue as to what the person’s life or death was like. For example, many of the suicide files include the suicide note left by the decedent. In addition I have come across a butcher’s union carrying card, two bullets, one removed from a suicide victim’s head, the other from a man’s sternum (complete with a fragment of his sternum). An interesting inclusion to one file was the box from cough syrup, which dated the file with the fact that at this point they were still including a large amount of hydrocodene in the ingredients (something that no longer is included in cough syrup as it has proven to be addictive). Small tokens such as these make sorting through the files anything but tedious.
A box from 1970 included a surprising amount of files that included photographs from the scene. Previous boxes had only included photos from industrial accidents that documented blast furnace explosions and property damage of that nature. However, this particular box included photographs of a steel worker’s head after being struck by a giant hook used for hoisting steel beams. Other files included pictures of a man whose cause of death was “asphyxiation by strangulation, plastic bag over the head” in which detailed photos showed bruising around the thorax and neck. Yet another file included a series of photographs from an autopsy that had several pictures of the man’s intestinal track laid out on the table. The graphic nature of these photos was a little bit jarring, but also brought the cases back to reality instead of keeping them at a distance where each file simply needed to be processed instead of explored.
I very nearly missed one of the more interesting photographs. The case included all of the normal procedural documents along with some newspaper clippings. The article included was of an engagement announcement of the decedent to a young woman, both individuals finishing their college degrees before marriage. After reading the article I assumed it was the case file for the young woman, so I read the case report from the coroner to learn what ‘accidental’ tragedy had befallen her. Oddly enough the deceased was her fiancée and was found in his apartment (which had been locked from the inside), hanging about 10 feet from the front door by a rope. His body was clad in women’s clothing (complete with go-go boots and mini skirt as indicated by the receiving record of personal effects), and wrapped with gold chain link. The cause of death was ruled accidental asphyxiation due to strangulation. It is in cases like this that I feel as though I have gained a small piece of insight into the lifestyle of the decedent.
In suicide cases some files give such a complete picture of the scene and the decedent’s thoughts that it is a little unsettling. For example one of the five suicide cases I came across detailed the several hours leading up to the man shooting himself in the head with a revolver. After locking his son in his bedroom the man went to the basement, scrawled a note apologizing to the son, and informing his wife that he was terribly unhappy, in debt, and unable to see another solution. The son broke out of his room soon after he heard the gun shot and found his father slumped over on the couch and had apparently used his foot hooked onto a coat hanger to pull the trigger. Several telephone numbers and small doodles were written on the back of the note as it appeared to be a piece of scratch paper.
Another case involved a woman who died of asphyxiation due to a plastic bag being over her head. The note she left said roughly "I’m terribly sorry for the inconvenience that cleaning up my body may cause any one. I just didn’t feel as though I had much to offer any more. If it’s not too much trouble could you please make sure my remains are donated to the Pitt medical school so that I can be of use to someone. Thank you."
The last box I came across was completely different from the traditional filing system it was an assortment of still born and fetal deaths all stuck into one folder and then a series of maybe six folders that were no jurisdiction cases separated by months. These generally only had the Coroner’s report included and were not separated individually. I’m not entirely sure why this box was organized (or not organized) in this manner as it seemed that it would be extremely difficult to locate any file in particular. However, I suspect that there was some sort of reasoning behind grouping these cases in such a way, it was just not described in any way within the files.
LG 07 Feb 2007
Going through the files from the 1960s I found a few interesting things among the number of natural causes of death. Before I go into the interesting files the natural causes of death deserve some attention. Those that died of natural causes during the 1960s were between the ages of 60 to 80. More being toward the sixty- to- seventy ranges then the eighties. These people mostly died from heart attacks or simply states they did not feel well went to lay down and never woke up again. A number of others passed away at hospitals after being ill for a while but I found that majority of people did not know they were sick and were not receiving treatment from a doctor. Now, to take a look at some of the interesting coroner files.
A few files I looked out stood out to me among them were a number of industrial accidents, suicides, and one is something a person would only think to see on television. I had a few industrial accidents that involved men falling into a vat of acid and dying from the severe burns that acid can cause. Other industrial accidents involved people being struck by falling objects and dying from the head trauma. Suicide is never an interesting topic; no matter how it is distorted, it is always a sad thing. I found a number of suicide notes that instructed their loved ones what to do afterwards but I found it odd that the majority of them did not give a definite reason as to why they would kill themselves. It seemed that the method most often used to commit suicide was carbon monoxide poisoning. I deduce this is because it is painless, most often the person will just fall asleep never to wake again. One particular person to do this did so in her garage while her three sons were still in the house. The mother did not take into account that the gas would penetrate through the house and also kill her sons. Reading this file made me extremely sad to think that someone was so unhappy and desperate that she neglected to think of all the possibilities in doing so and took the lives of her children as a consequence.
To move off of this topic one file I read actually had a man die during the act of intercourse. He was a relatively young man in his early 30s and according to his wife they were in the act when he began to breath really hard and suddenly collapsed on top of her. At first she mistook this as him climaxing but soon she realized what had occurred.
Another file had a boy about 14 die from electrocution when he was swimming at a friend’s house and had a radio out on the deck with the wire hanging over a metal fence. When the boy got out of the pool to play with the dog he was still dripping wet and grasped the fence causing him to be electrocuted. In addition to these files I found a number of automobile accidents that did not have information on them.
As I got later into the 60s I noticed files started to be labeled as drug files, this was towards 1968-1969. Prior to this I did not see any drug files. Finally, there were also a few homicide files throughout the 60s but I did not see an overwhelming amount of them.
In conclusion throughout the 60s people just like in every other generation died from a number of causes, from automobile accidents, to work accidents, to suicides. In looking at how they died though and seeing what they were doing when they died allows people to examine how society was i.e. working conditions.
MB 07 Feb 2007
During my time reviewing the coroner case files of the 1960s there are a number of things that proved to be a little different from what we see in today’s society.
One of the things that stood out was the fact that a lot of elderly people who died during this time period died without ever going to see a doctor. Most had no medical history. The same rang true for some younger people. I believe this is due to the fact that doctor fees where very expensive, and so were the medications one needed when sick. And since Medicare would not become a reality until the mid-1970s it was hard for some elderly people to afford all of their bills.
Suicide was another occurrence that I found was a little high, especially with young men in their early to mid-20s. In a few files I noticed that these young men often did not seem to have anything wrong with them. Even more strange was that an overwhelming amount of them used the same method- they ran a tube from the tailpipe of their vehicles into the windows, and died of carbon monoxide poisoning. One of these men wrote a suicide note that was one of the most touching and articulate writings I have ever read. He seemed like he had so much ahead of him but he could not handle life. While it did not say that these men were in Vietnam, it is my strong belief that these men were veterans who could not deal with civilian life. And the manner in which they chose to end their lives could have had something to do with keeping their bodies intact for burial.
MW 25 Feb 2007
1966
File #164: A 2-year-old white female baby died through the accidental swallowing of six lomotil tablets that were in her home. This lead to an eventual coma and death. Interestingly enough, the doctor consulted for the autopsy disagreed that the six pills could have sent the girl into a coma and caused her eventual death.
File #191: A 54-year-old white man died when he fell 40 feet from a steel girder. The case file included witness reports on how the man attempted to hold on to the girder but fell.
A 16-year-old white male was hit by a train while walknig with his girlfriend on the tracks. Amazingly, the girl survived and only suffered arm injuries. The file contains several newspaper clippings about the incident. 196611_88
This file contains the story of an abonded fetus found at a sewage plant on Atlantic Avenue The identity was never determined. 196611_90
This was a suicide file for an 81-year-old white male. it contained the suicide note, found on the back of an old newspaper. 196611_94
An automobile accident file in which a 60-year-old woman was killed contained actual witness testimony in regard to the accident itself. This was one of the few automobile files that actually contained any sort of documents. 196611_121
A 4-month-old came down with meningitis and died. Newspaper clippings were found within the file, explaining how this was the second case of meningitis in the past two weeks to hit Allegheny county. 196611_163
EF 07 Jan 2007
File #89: This file contained the story of a man who sustained a heart attack and died. What makes the file interesting is that this occurred while onboard a flight to Dayton Ohio, while the plane was still in the air. I am curious if cases like these caused defibrillators to be placed on board planes.
1968
An undetermined cause of death: a 20-year-old black male was found with high levels of doriden in his sytem from possible poisoning. Lacerations were found on his hands, and he was located on the side of a highway in a ditch. The file itself contained the victim's fingerprints, head hair, pubic hair, and fingernail scrapings. 196802_157
An accidental death: a 16-year-old boy shot himself while cleaning his rilfe. Within the file is a report including a drawing showing the layout of the scene, and some discussion as to whether it was a suicide or not. 196802_168
A 58-year-old white female was found by a relative in her bathroom, dead for over 13 days and already somewhat decomposing. The husband apoparently knew that the woman was dead, and yet did not call the police for uncertain reasons. The house was in a horrible condition, as if someone had ransacked it. The woman was found to have a gunshot wound in her side, and the spent cartridge was found underneath her body. Police later found blood all over the bedroom sheets. Yet, despite all of this, the case was ruled as accidental due to an undetermined injury. Interesting file in general due to the many various reports contained within it. 196802_176
One file contained the accidental death of a 105-year-old woman. Beside the woman's age and her cause of death being accidental rather than from natural causes, nothing else was of much interest in this file. 196802_219
EF 07 Jan 2007
June and July
Most of the natural causes of death in this time period are of hardening of the arteries, other effects of heart disease, and complications related to pneumonia. These diseases are still in the top five fatal diseases today.
There were over five suicide cases of older, seventy-somethings throwing a chair through a (usually fourth floor) window in Oakland hospitals (especially Montefiore and the V.A.) and throwing themselves out to the street. These people were ill, but no note on mental condition in most cases. This phenomenon tapered off as time progressed. Possibly, if the records of these hospitals were cross-referenced, there could be an explanation somewhere, maybe of foul-play by a disgruntled nurse or orderly.
Some files contained life insurance information, though hardly any are coupled with cases where foul play was suspected. There were few photos; most photos were of industrial accident scenes. There was one photo of identifying characteristics of a “Jane Doe” (slightly grotesque.)
There was one unsolved case of a night watchman who was shot with his own hand gun in the chest and discovered by his wife and child. The wife claimed she panicked and put the gun back in the drawer where he normally kept it. This case was categorized as suicide, but other details make it sound more like a homicide.
Another suspicious suicide involved a middle-aged woman found wearing only her girdle and laying across the front seat of her car. She had lacerations and contusions on her head. Where did those injuries come from if she really did lie down on the front seats and start the car in the garage? Why was she not fully dressed or undressed? It sounded like the suicide scene was a cover for an accidental beating death from her estranged husband. His records could possibly yield some clarification.
AC 07 Jan 2007
Two suicide notes were in Box 271. One was very specific, with multiple instructions from an Egyptian/Albanian man who was just laid off from his job. He told his wife that he could not bear making her support him: “I’ve failed as a husband and an engineer…Empty the bank account and spend it on yourself…" The other was short and looked as though it was scrawled in blue marker at the last minute. It read “…I have lived my life. There is no more for me. I am going to be no more…” 196807_? – 196808_4
An industrial accident made headline news: "Explosion kills laborer as drill hits blasting cap" from November 10, 1967. There was a file of pictures of the victim at the scene from the Detective Bureau. There were witness accounts typed on yellow legal-pad paper. Most of the file was paper work from the company and various agencies.
AC 26 Jan 2007
1969
February
A man in his 50s committed suicide by a 12 gauge shot gun. But before he killed himself, he rigged his wife’s room with canisters of ‘gas’ in the rafters above and below the room, so that when she turned on the light the room would explode. She lived through the fire. His file included his mug shot.
One file was about a man who had a fatal seizure while waiting for his turn in a bowling alley.
AC 03 Feb 2007
A 12-year-old white male died of swelling of the brain due to a football-related injury. The file contained several different reports done on the injury itself and determined just what caused the death. 196910_46
One file was of a criminally induced abortion by an 18-year-old white female. It was of a 20-week-old fetus, and the case itself was considered a homicide. This was a very unique case, unlike any others I had seen from the time period. 196910_61
Two files contained the reports on two women, aged 44 and 20, who were found within their house badly decomposed and dead for an undetermined amount of time. The house was swarming with flies, and both bodies were so decomposed that very few tests could be done on the remains. Eventually the coroner decided that the women died of natural causes at the same time due to a genetic problem, which the file is fairly unclear on. Also, two loaded revolvers were found beside each body, but tests proved that the guns were never fired. 196910_84-196910_85
This file contained the case of a baby who died of SIDS. This was the first such case of two for these specific parents. The file contained many letters of correspondence between the woman and Dr. Cyril Wecht, as well as other various interested parties. After the second SIDS death, police began to investigate a case of abuse that spanned over a 6-year period with these two parents and variuous adopted children (1969-1975). Eventually this all led to a court hearing (in which the parents were aquitted), the mental collapse of the mother due to the stress, and the eventual drug use and downward spiral of the father. It is unclear what exactly happened, but some of the reports within the file have testimony from the mother saying the father smothered the children, then recanting. A truly bizarre and difficult case to read through. 196910_118
EF 07 Feb 2007
1970
March and April
I found a case file of one of my distant relatives, George Blasko, who died of hardening of the arteries. Hardening of the arterires was a symptom of heart disease.
There was one victim of overexposure, found in their home.
Another case was the suicide of a mother of three very young children. She also accidentally killed her children when she put them on the second floor of her home, went to the garage, and started the car in the closed house. She was wearing a crooked red wig when they found her.
AC 01 Feb 2007
One file was of a female victim of over-exposure who was found in her home. Included in the file were very graphic pictures.
There was one case of a man in his 40s from Monroeville, a manager at a retail store with a wife and children. He was found by this family in his cellar bathroom with his feet handcuffed. He had one hand in handcuffs that were chained around his abdomen. He was nude except for a diving suit head covering with some type of bandage over his mouth. He was kneeling, hanging from a light fixture above. His case was first called a suicide, then an accidental death. What was going on in that bathroom before he passed?
There was one very long, poetic suicide note from a 19-year-old man in one of the files. He lost his girlfriend Cathy to a man named Rick at a party. Cathy did not know he knew about her and Rick at the time. He wrote to Cathy, “I’ve found my tomorrows.”
AC 03 Feb 2007
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