They Died Crawling

And Other Tales of Cleveland Woe

by John Stark Bellamy II

  • Format: Softcover, 256 pages, 5.5 x 8.5 inches
  • ISBN: 978-1-886228-03-0
  • Price: $13.95
Description

The foulest crimes and worst disasters in Cleveland history are recounted in these 15 incredible-but-true tales.

Each no-holds-barred account delves into one of this city's most notorious moments, from the 1916 waterworks collapse to the Cleveland Clinic fire to the sensational Sam Sheppard murder trial.

These gripping narratives deliver high drama and dark comedy, heroes and villains, obsession, courage, treachery, deceit, fear, and guilt— all from the streets of Cleveland.

Book Excerpt:
Cleveland's Saddest Fourth

Let us set the stage for the chief actors in this melancholy tale. For Anna and Freda Trefall, sisters and fellow clerks at the Ontario S. S. Kresge store, the fateful day began early. They got up at 6 a.m. at their 2308 Carnegie Avenue boarding house, lest they be tardy when the dime store opened at 9 a.m. sharp. Anna and Freda were orphans from Wisconsin, who had come to Cleveland a year previously to live with their sister-in-law. Everyone noticed how close they were to each other; the coming day would offer sublime proof of their sisterly bond.

Mary Hughes, 27, of Whitman Avenue didn't work at the Kresge store. She was an assistant to a downtown dressmaker. But the necessities of her job would bring her to the Ontario dime store that morning to buy some material for her work.

Ed Bolton didn't work for the S. S. Kresge Company either. But his day as a shipping clerk at the W. P. Southworth store next door began early, too, and he expected to spend it slaving over the mountain of orders that had to . . . [ Read More Free Samples ]

Reviews
Despite its grim theme, this is the year's most entertaining book on Cleveland. — The Plain Dealer
A rollicking, no-holds-barred account of the facts (and continued speculation) about some of the darkest events and weirdest people in Cleveland's history. — Youngstown Vindicator
Blood and tears drip from the pages. — Akron Beacon Journal
Bellamy's wit is in evidence. . . The tales are told with clarity, compassion and a frankness of style. — Medina County Gazette
Audio for They Died Crawling

Click to listen to John Stark Bellamy II share his own personal disaster:

Audio was provided by Stephen Bellamy

About John Stark Bellamy II
John Stark Bellamy II

John Stark Bellamy II is the author of six books and two anthologies about Cleveland crime and disaster. The former history specialist for the Cuyahoga County Public Library, he comes by his taste for the sensational honestly, having grown up reading stories about Cleveland crime and disaster written by his grandfather, Paul, who was editor of the Plain Dealer, and his father, Peter, who wrote for the Cleveland News and the Plain Dealer. More About John Stark Bellamy II

Contains References to:

Central Viaduct Disaster, Cleveland Accidents, Cleveland Clinic Disaster, Cleveland Fires, Cleveland Gothic Tales, Cleveland Homicide, Cleveland Murder, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland Press, Cleveland True Crime, East Ohio Gas Company Explosion, Eva Kaber, Jiggs Losteiner, Joe Gogan, John Leonard Whitfield, Judge William McGannon, May Day Riots, Sam Sheppard, William Corrigan, William Lowe Rice,

Other books by John Stark Bellamy II:
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