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The Corpse in the Cellar

And Further Tales of Cleveland Woe

by John Stark Bellamy II

  • Format: Softcover, 304 pages, 5.5 x 8.5 inches
  • Illustrations: 103 black-and-white photographs
  • ISBN: 978-1-886228-33-7
  • Price: $13.95

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Description

Bellamy is back! Cleveland's crime and disaster expert returns with 25 more short true tales of woe from local history. As usual, the chapter titles give the best idea of the excitement to follow:

Murderer in Short Breeches: The Gothic Doom of Maggie Thompson (1889)

"Jump Boys, It's a Crash!": The Doodlebug Deathtrip (1940)

Medina's Wickedest Stepmother: The Garrett Tragedy (1887)

"We are Going Down!": The Ashtabula Bridge Disaster (1876)

The Phantom Flapper Killer: The Mystery of Margaret Heldman (1928)

"Step Aside, Daddy, and I'll Fill Him Full of Lead!": The Insouciant Mabel Champion (1922)

Bellamy's signature style brings to life the colorful characters who took part in some of Cleveland's most exciting and tragic moments. Crooks and cops, heroes and villains, ordinary folks who found themselves in extraordinary circumstances—these are the people who make high drama. Bellamy recounts these most notable local dramas in his gripping narratives.

104 spine-chilling black-and-white photographs accompany the text.

Reviews
    The Edgar Allen Poe of Cleveland . . . [John Stark Bellamy] proves that even the murders of ordinary people can make for edge-of-your-seat reading. — The Plain Dealer
    You'd have a tough time finding somebody in town more learned--or enthusiastic--about the city's history of death and disaster. — Scene Magazine
    More tales of the horrible and bizarre. — Sun Newspapers
    Colorful and richly detailed writing. — The Chronicle-Telegram
    While the content of Bellamy's book is somewhat gruesome, it is also strangely fascinating and gives readers insight into criminal minds of the past, the way such crimes were reported, and--most shockingly--the manner in which some old-time law enforcement agents treated suspects. — Lake County Tribune
    As with all the books in his Cleveland crime series, Bellamy writes with razor-edged wit and his own particular brand of charm. — Medina County Gazette
    Bellamy blends details culled from old newspaper clippings, trial transcripts and other sources into an exploration of the city's seamier side. — West Life
About John Stark Bellamy II

John Stark Bellamy II is the author of five books 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:

Christina Lispcomb, Cleveland Accidents, Cleveland Gothic Tales, Cleveland Homicide, Cleveland Mafia, Cleveland True Crime, Cleveland's Black Widow, Criminals, Death Stories, Disasters, Electric Chair, Flappers, Joe Filkowski, Medina, OH, Mentor Marsh Murder, Michael Hahnel, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Fire, Robert Mercer,

Other books by John Stark Bellamy II: