Monday, February 26, 2018

STILL THERE!


     MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26TH., 2018
                   STILL THERE!

          With Saint Patrick's Parades
scheduled throughout our area over
the next couple of weeks I thought
you'd enjoy this Irish based story!  
          There are few things we can really
depend on these days. But one on which
you can depend is the subject of a sort of
ghost story.
          In 1877 several men were hanged
at the Carbon County Jail in Jim Thorpe.
They had been convicted of crimes
including murder for their part on the
so called "Molly Maguires" a secretive
Irish group angered with the working
conditions for Coal miners in our hard
coal fields.
       One of those men, Alexander
Campbell was said to have rubbed
his hand in the dirt on the jailhouse
floor than slammed it on his cell wall
profession that the mark he left would
remain as proof of his innocence!
        We're told his handprint remains!
        Many years back my WYOU
photographer and I decided to include
the story in a special we were doing.
         When we got to the jail, which
was still the County prison back then,
we learned it was visiting day and the
lockup was jammed with families of
inmates.
          The Deputy Warden told us
he'd be glad to take a Polaroid photo
for us and within 20 minutes he
returned with the instant picture in
hand.
           I came across it while searching
through some family photos last night.
Somebody must have thought it was a
photo from my time in jail! Nope! It
never happened.
           Years later the jail was sold to
private individuals who have turned it
into a tourist attraction.
            I'm told they won't allow photos
of the print. Maybe they're afraid the
flash will do what plaster and paint
haven't been able to accomplish over
all those years. Namely, remove the
print!
             Well since I found my copy
I'd thought I'd share it with you!
Hope Alex is smiling and that all
your NEWS is good!


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