A Little History In and Around Buffalo, NY

As published in the Olean Times Herald: At Ski Wing Questing Continues in Killings ALLEGANY - Awaiting reports on items sent to the New York State Police laboratories in Albany, investigators checking into the deaths of two employees of Ski Wing Hollow are continuing the slow, routine questioning of numerous persons. Ground which already may have been covered is recovered as possible new information is turned up. Funeral services were conducted this morning for Stephen Bender, 29, and Michael Forness, 29, killed Sunday night by burglars who carried off a safe containing more than $15,000 from the ski resort chalet. Both men were shot three times apiece when they apparently surprised the burglars. Their bodies were discovered an estimated three hours later when a young janitor reported for work. The two men had worked as ski slope groomers, working between 10 pm and 10 am. Time cards show they had reported at the normal time on Sunday. Time of deaths has been set about midnig

As published in the Salamanca Press:  Ski Wing homicide investigation: Drug, burglary arrests stem from murder probe. ALLEGHANY - State police continuing their "intense investigation" into the brutal murder Monday of two employees at the Ski Wing Hollow resort have made two arrests, but cautioned that the two charged are "not yet connected" with the double homicide. Troopers said that the arrests were made as the result of their investigation and over 100 interviews being conducted in effort to solve the murder of Stephen Bender, 30, of Olean and Michael Forness, 29, of Cuba. The combined investigation by New York State Police and the Olean Police Department resulted in the arrest of the two subjects on drug and burglary charges. Cattaraugus County District Attorney Michael Nevins, working closely with state and local police, prepared a search warrant which was signed by Cattaraugus County Judge James Crowley and authorized the search of the premises at

As published in the Buffalo News: How Insane Patient Felton Received the Injuries of Which He Died.  ------- WHAT DR. ANDREWS SAYS. ------- Felton Attacked the Attendant, David Killan, and the Light Went Out---The Struggle in the Hallway---How Felton Died the Next Day. ----- The name of the State Hospital attendant who was in charge of patient George Felton during the latter's last day of life is David Killeen and his duties are mainly performed after dark, as he is what is known as a night nurse. Supt. Andrews, the head physician of the hospital, says Felton was a dangerous lunatic and came to the institution duly certificated as possessed of homicidal mania. "He was 48 years of age and a muscular man," the doctor, telling of the case to a reporter. "Since he has been in our asylum, he had had a number of fits of violence and had been kept in the ward where the violent cases are confined. "On Monday morning about 5 o'clock the attracted Atten

As published in the Tonawanda News: Deadly fumes drop 8 fireman at Lucidol Plant by Tom Ernst NEWS Staff Writer Lucidol officials are still uncertain today as to exactly what caused some 150-200 pounds of organic peroxide to begin to decompose and emit choking fumes that felled eight Town of Tonawanda fire fighters yesterday afternoon. One fireman was still in Kenmore Mercy Hospital today. The other seven were released after treatment yesterday. Listed as "fair" condition was Joseph Spath, 29, of 196 Oakridge Ave., a Sheridan Park Fire Co. volunteer. All eight were stricken when the "inhaled a toxic substance" hospital officials reported. Some 100 fireman from throughout the town responded when the alarm was turned in about 12:45 p.m. from the Lucidol Division plant at 1740 Military Road, near Sheridan Drive. A chemical reaction, possible caused when a faulty cooling unit allowed the compounds temperature to rise, causing billowing smoke to rise fro

As published in The Evening News of the Tonawandas: FINAL TOLL OF DEAD IN BLAST MAY BE 11 Efforts were being made today at the Erie County Morgue to identify two bodies which were recoved from debris of the Lucidol plant. More gruesome, however, was the task of morgue attendants who were trying to piece together what appear to be parts of several bodies of men killed in Wednesday's tragic explosion. Seven of the blast victims have been identified. There are four men still unaccounted for. The final death toll is expected to be 11. While emergency workers continued to probe the Town of Tonawanda plant rubble, the Erie County Medical Examiner's office was trying every known means of identifying the two bodies so badly charred as to be nearly unrecognizable. Parts of bodies in the morgue defied easy identification. \ Last body identified was that of Thomas Williams Jr., 426 High St., Buffalo. The NEWS yesterday was the first Niagara Frontier newspaper to list MR. Wllia

As published in The New York Times: HEIR WAS PENNILESS AND STARVING Small Fortune Now Awaits Waiter Crosby Truman in Buffalo BUFFALO, NY, Aug 30. - An heir has been found for considerable money which has been held in trust here by order of the Surrogate. Otis Truman of Tracy Street committed suicide some time ago, leaving an estate valued at $35,000, which he bequeathed entirely to his mother. Shortly after Otis took his own life, his mother, who possessed a considerable amount of money in her own right, became insane, and had to confined in the Buffalo State Hospital. Strangers were appointed as a committee to take charge of the money and to execute the will. Otis had a brother who had not been heard of for years. That brother has now been found, penniless and starving. He is Walter Crosby Truman of Sunderland, England. He was so poor that he had to borrow money to pay the postage on his letter announcing that he was the missing her. He asked that enough money be forwarded