Wicked Ridgefield, Connecticut
Published on 10. October 2016
119 pages
978-1-4396-5834-5 (ISBN)
Description
Ridgefield is no stranger to life's shadier characters. The history of this idyllic community includes cunning crooks, suburban embezzlers, bungling burglars and wandering scallywags. In 1894, a group of bank robbers literally blew it in a heist at the Saving Bank--the explosion attracted witnesses to see the gang miss out on a grand haul of fifty dollars. Half a decade later, in 1940, a skeleton whose origins still befuddle experts was unearthed in a tree nursery. This look at the darker side of Ridgefield's past includes sad and tragic moments as well, such as newlyweds imprisoned in the Tombs, the Satanists of the '70s and a hermit murdered for love. Local editor Jack Sanders tells fascinating tales of two centuries of Ridgefield criminals, n'er-do-wells and even wayward do-gooders in this entertaining--and occasionally humorous--glimpse into some of the town's wickedest moments.
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Jack Sanders
Wicked Ridgefield, Connecticut
Book
10/2016
Arcadia Publishing (SC)
€21.00
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Person
A Connecticut native and Holy Cross College graduate, Jack Sanders retired in 2014 after more than forty years as an editor of the Ridgefield Press, for which he has written hundreds of historical articles. His books of history and natural history include Hidden History of Ridgefield and Ridgefield Chronicles (both The History Press), Ridgefield 1900-1950 (Arcadia), Five Village Walks (Ridgefield Historical Society), The Secrets of Wildflowers (Lyons) and Hedgemaids and Fairy Candles (McGraw-Hill). He and his wife, Sally, also a newspaper editor, live in a 250-year-old farmhouse in Ridgefield, enjoy bicycling and have two sons and a granddaughter.
Content
- Front Cover
- Half Title
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- 1. Time for Crime
- The Crook Who Loved Corned Beef
- A Mickey for Jimmy Joe
- A Rascal at the Tavern
- The Bank Bunglers
- Chickens a la Dickens
- The Horse Thief 's Two Rides
- The Thief 's Shady Victim
- A Tough Time at the Tontine
- 2. Murder Most Foul
- The Farmingville Bones
- Love, Hate and a Hermit
- The Mill Pond Murder
- The Infamous Farruggios
- The Mimosa Mystery
- 3. Burnings and the Devil
- Satanism Beneath a Full Moon
- Firebugs on the Loose
- The Dog in a Tree
- 4. Problems with Prejudice
- The Immigrant Italians
- A Murderous Shot
- The War Path
- The Beating of a Black Man
- A Burned Cross for Christmas
- Green and White
- 5. Government Gone Awry
- The Buster Gets Busted
- Newlyweds in the Tombs
- The Beloved Embezzler
- The Cornen Crisis
- 6. The Mysterious Missing
- A Young Scholar Vanishes
- Gone on a Spree
- The Runaway Millionaire
- Bibliography
- About the Author
