Jerome Henry “Jerry” Brudos (1939 - 2006)

Criminal. Known as ‘The Shoe Fetish Killer.’ A native of Webster, South Dakota, he was a former electrician, who became serial kiler, and later one of Oregon’s most notorious inmates. Born to Henry Brudos and his wife Eileen, his troubles began when he was very young. He began a weird obsession with women’s shoes and […]

(1970 - 1970)

Folk Figure, Hysteria Victim. The second of three children born to George and Mary Brown, she lived a quiet life in the rural New England town of Exeter until an epidemic of Tuberculosis took the northeastern states by force. Prior to her death the disease had claimed hundreds of lives in the area as well […]

Pretty Boy Floyd (1904 - 1934)

Pretty Boy Floyd Bank Robber. He was nicknamed “Pretty Boy Floyd” by the press, a name that he personally hated.  The name came from his first major robbery, when the robbed paymaster described him as a “pretty boy with apple cheeks” to an interviewing reporter, and the nickname stuck.  Born Charles Arthur Floyd in Adairsville, […]

John King Fisher (1970 - 1884)

Western Outlaw, Lawman. Born in Collin County, Texas, in his brief life time, John King Fisher transformed from a accomplished outlaw to a very effective lawman. In 1869, he was accused of stealing a horse after he borrowed it without telling the owner. He was arrested but escaped, then arrested again for stealing and sent […]

Louis “Louie the Dip” Finkelstein (1970 - 1964)

Cleveland’s “Prince of Pickpockets”.  His 50 year career record of over 120 arrests and 20 sentences served, made him the most frequently arrested pickpocket in Cleveland history.  In 1933 he picked the pocket of the Parma, Ohio Chief of Police.  Finkelstein even picked the pocket of his bail bondsman and that of a reporter covering […]

David William Ferrie (1918 - 1967)

JFK assassination figure. Accused by New Orleans DA Jim Garrison of being a co-conspirator in the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  Ferrie was under investigation at the time of his death.  He had been interviewed 3 days prior by investigators and was under surveillance. His death was ruled by Garrison as an “apparent suicide.” However, […]

Olive Ann Oatman Fairchild (1970 - 1903)

Indian Captive. Olive and her family headed alone for California in 1850.  They were attacked by Indians on the Gila River in Arizona in February of 1852, and Olive and her sister Mary were captured.  The girls served as slaves for a year and were later sold to a Mojave chief who lived near Needles, […]

Judith Katherine Campbell Exner (1934 - 1999)

Mistress of US President John F. Kennedy and Mafia leader Sam Giancana, her disclosure of her relationship with the men diminished the near legendary stature of the deceased president by revealing a scandal during his administration. Born Judith Eileen Katherine Immoor, she was the daughter of a German architect in New York City.  While still […]

Henry Every (1970 - 1970)

Pirate. Seized the Grand Mogul treasure ship “Ganj-i-Sawai” which was filled with such a massive amount of money (5.2 million rupees) that it was said Every offered to pay off the British national debt with it in exchange for a pardon. Every embarked on his piratical career in 1694, taking over the British ship “Charles”, […]

Christopher Evans (1847 - 1917)

Western Outlaw. Born in Bells Corners, near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, in the late 1880s, together with partner John Sontag he formed the Evans-Sontag Gang and was it’s leader. Going to California, they proceeded to rob several Southern Pacific trains between 1889 and 1892. The outlaws evaded capture for some time until the killing of a […]

Ruth Ellis (1926 - 1955)

Ruth Ellis became a nightclub hostess through nude modelling work, which paid significantly more than the various factory and clerical jobs she had held since leaving school. Morris Conley, the manager of the Court Club in Duke Street, where she worked, blackmailed his hostess employees into sleeping with him. Early in 1950 she became pregnant […]

Johnny Eck, Jr (1911 - 1991)

Artist, Circus performer.  John Eckhardt, Jr. and his twin brother Robert Eckhardt were born to Amelia and John Eckhardt, Sr. in Baltimore, Maryland. John was born with a truncated torso due to sacral agenesis. Though John would sometimes describe himself as “snapped off at the waist”, he had unusable, underdeveloped legs and feet that he […]

Mary Towne Easty (1634 - 1692)

Convicted of practicing witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. There are twenty benches in the memorial, one for each of the victims actively put to death (not counting those who died in prison).  Family links:  Parents:  William Towne (1598 – 1673)  Joanna Blessing Towne (1594 – 1682)  Spouse:  Isaac Esty (1627 – 1712)  Children:  Joseph […]

Claude Duval (1970 - 1670)

Outlaw. A famed Highwayman, he was born in Normandy, France, and came to England under the service of the Duke of Richmond, soon becoming a highway thief. He is as notorious for his daring robberies as he is for his gallantry. He is said to have held up a coach in which a lady and […]

Montague John “M.J.” Druitt (1857 - 1888)

Folk Figure. A lawyer, avid sportsman including a talented cricket player, and a private teacher, Druitt was one of the many persons to be suspected to be killer ‘Jack The Ripper.’ The killer terrrorized the Whitechapel area of London, England, in 1888, murdering street prostitutes. The killer was known to have murdered 5 victims and […]

Bill Doolin (1970 - 1896)

Outlaw. The exact date of his birth has been lost over time and the date of his death, while not a true controversy, is listed as August 25th as often as August 24th, but the year is definitely 1896. At the age of 23, he left his sharecropping family in Arkansas and moved to the […]

Thomas “The Black Donnellys” Donnelly (1854 - 1880)

Members of a mystery-shrouded family known as the ‘Black Donnellys’ and believed, in Canadian folklore, to have been been the source of ‘bad luck’ that befell the town of Lucan, Ontario. The family feuded with townfolk for 33 years before one fateful night when their homestead was burned to the ground, taking many members of […]

(1970 - 1970)

Members of a mystery-shrouded family known as the ‘Black Donnellys’ and believed, in Canadian folklore, to have been been the source of ‘bad luck’ that befell the town of Lucan, Ontario. The family feuded with townfolk for 33 years before one fateful night when their homestead was burned to the ground, taking many members of […]

Bridget “The Black Donnellys” Donnelly (1858 - 1880)

Members of a mystery-shrouded family known as the ‘Black Donnellys’ and believed, in Canadian folklore, to have been been the source of ‘bad luck’ that befell the town of Lucan, Ontario. The family feuded with townfolk for 33 years before one fateful night when their homestead was burned to the ground, taking many members of […]

Edward Laurence “Ned” Doheny, Jr (1893 - 1929)

Businessman.  Son of oil tycoon  Edward L. Doheny.  He has been called “The Bagman of Teapot Dome” for his role in the 1920s political controversy,  but is chiefly remembered today for his mysterious demise.  Doheny was born in Los Angeles.  His parents divorced when he was six and his mother committed suicide in 1901 after […]

David Owen Dodd (1846 - 1864)

Civil War Confederate Folk Figure. He was known as the “Boy Martyr of the Confederacy”. A native of Lavaca County, Texas, he relocated with his family to Arkansas during his formative years. At the commencement of the Civil War in 1861, the Dodd family was settled in Little Rock where young David was in studies […]

Jeane Dixon (1904 - 1997)

Folk Figure. She gained fame for alledged psychic abilities. Some of her most famous predictions were the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Robert, and that Ronald Reagan would one day be President of the United States. She also wrote a series of books, including “My Life and Prophecies” in 1968; “Reincarnation […]

John Herbert Dillinger (1903 - 1934)

John Dillinger Career Criminal. John Dillinger was made an outlaw hero during the depths of the Depression by Americans mired in financial ruin, loss of hope and simply frustrated by desperation brought on by the times.  He was hardly a “Robin Hood” figure envisioned by the public.  John was a cold-blooded killer.  In one year, […]

Jack Diamond (1897 - 1931)

Jack Diamond Born on July 10, 1897, in Philadelphia, Jack Diamond became a leading figure in organized crime during the Prohibition era. He established liquor-smuggling enterprises in New York City and upstate New York, where he lived for a time after shooting and killing men in his Hotsy Totsy club. He was found dead in […]

Thomas DeSimone (1950 - 1979)

Mobster. DeSimone worked under mob boss Paul Vario, and was a friend and associate of Jimmy Burke and Henry Hill, of “Goodfellas” fame. He was portrayed in the movie (as Tommy DeVito) by Joe Pesci. DeSimone was involved in various criminal activities, including the infamous Lufthansa heist in December 1978. He disappeared the week after […]

Albert Henry DeSalvo (1931 - 1973)

Serial Killer.  Known as the “Boston Strangler” for at least 11 murders of women around the Boston area.  He often tied a bow from the strangling cord around the woman’s neck as a “signature.”  He was also called “The Measuring Man” and “The Green Man” by the media for his numerous rapes, said to number […]

Roy Albert DeMeo (1942 - 1983)

Organized Crime Figure. A member of the Gambino crime family, he was a loanshark, car thief, and killer who operated out of the Gemini Lounge in Flatlands, Brooklyn, New York City, New York. Beginning in the mid 1970s, he started dealing drugs and retagging stolen automobiles, accompanied by several neighborhood youths. He then became perhaps […]

Gratton Hanley “Grat” Dalton (1861 - 1892)

Outlaw.  Son of Lewis and Adeline Dalton, he was born near Lawrence, Kansas.  He had a brief career as a lawman.  While working as a deputy U.S. marshal, he got a bullet wound in his arm while attempting to arrest a suspect.  He soon got a bad reputation as a lawman, and he decided to […]

Emma Hart Willard (1787 - 1870)

Educator, Social Reformer. A pioneer in Women’s Rights and Education, she founded the first College for women, starting in Vermont, later moving it to Troy, New York. The educational standards she introduced influenced many educators to improve their school’s curriculum and started the movement to establish co-educational institutions. (bio by: Russ Dodge)  Family links:  Spouse: […]

Dr Wendell Phillips Whalum, Sr (1931 - 1987)