They Died Crawling: And Other Tales of Cleveland Woe; True Stories of the Foulest Crimes and Worst Disasters in Cleveland History [Paperback]

John Stark Bellamy II (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1995

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A rollicking, no-holds-barred account of the facts about some of the darkest events and weirdest people in Cleveland's history." -- Youngstown Vindicator

"Bellamy's wit is in evidence. . . The tales are told with clarity, compassion and a frankness of style." -- Medina County Gazette

"Blood and tears drip from the pages." -- Akron Beacon Journal

"Despite its grim theme, this is the year's most entertaining book on Cleveland." -- The Plain Dealer

From the Author

Although there are a number of books containing details of the 1954 Marilyn Sheppard murder case, "They Died Crawling" contains the only account concluding that Sam Sheppard murdered his wife--a verdict vindicated on April 12, 2000 by a civil jury in the lawsuit brought against the State of Ohio by Sheppard's son, Sam Reese Sheppard. Read all about the case said to have inspired the television and movie versions of "The Fugitive."

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Gray & Company Publishers; 2 edition (January 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886228035
• ISBN-13: 978-1886228030
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #630,808 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The son, grandson and great-grandson of journalists, I grew up in a family saturated with glorious, if often shocking memories and tales of bygone Cleveland. Reading was the most intense obsession of my childhood, and it remains so. A tormented and mortifying puberty added rambling amid graveyards and pondering human tragedies to my preoccupations. At the tail end of a much prolonged adolescence and too many wasted years in academia, I decided to become a librarian, for lack of a better alternative and because it was the best opportunity to be around books and the people who love them-- without having to put up with intellectuals as a class. Some twenty years ago, arriving at the sere and yellow leaf of middle age, I realized I had not yet become the celebrated Cleveland writer I'd always yearned to be, and so I decided to get cracking. I knew nothing about writing, save the clichéd caveat to "write about what you know," so I decided to recreate the crimes and calamities of my beloved hometown. Six books containing over 140 stories ensued, not to mention sidelines as a lecturer and tour guide to scenes of Cleveland misfortune. A few years ago I moved to Vermont and soon after produced "Vintage Vermont Villainies," a collection of Green Mountain State slayings and disappearances. But my heart remains smitten with the romance of Cleveland dismalia, and I probably couldn't stop writing about it even if I tried. Indeed, I still possess an archive of Cleveland murders and disasters totaling some 15,000 items, so my stock of Forest City woe is unlikely to deplete any time soon. In the winter of 2011 I published "A Woman Scorned: The Murder of George Saxton - An American Melodrama," a full-length narrative of the mysterious murder of President William McKinley's playboy brother-in-law. It remains my all-time favorite murder tale. And in August, 2011, I published "One Man's Mirror" (a collection of the columns of Samuel Jewett Kelly,a virtual history of Cleveland as told in the incomparable personal reminisences of a veteran newspaper reporter who knew everybody and saw everything during the city's most vibrant era.) In the works is a history of Cleveland's most violent civil disorder--suprisingly not either of its traumatic 1960s racial upheavals--and "Wasted on the Young," a memoir of my tumultuous youth. If nothing else the latter will furnish a perfect illustration of a remark uttered by the late British comedian, Peter Cook. Famously alcoholic and frenetically self-destructive, Cook was asked towards the end of his life, during a radio interview, whether he had learned anything from his innumerable mistakes. "Why, yes," he replied without hesitation, "I could repeat them all exactly."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nonfiction the Way It Out to be Wriiten., January 10, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: They Died Crawling: And Other Tales of Cleveland Woe; True Stories of the Foulest Crimes and Worst Disasters in Cleveland History (Paperback)

This book and the two that follow are some of the best written, most captivating material I've had the pleasure to read in far too long. The stories will bring tears to your eyes and stay with you long after you've finished the book. I do hope Mr. Bellamy has more tales to tell.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For Clevelanders, December 28, 2007

By 

F. ROBERTS (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: They Died Crawling: And Other Tales of Cleveland Woe; True Stories of the Foulest Crimes and Worst Disasters in Cleveland History (Paperback)

I discovered this book nearly by accident. But it was a great read. Very few other books I have read on history have connected me to the everyday world around me. I may have driven over the Innerbelt Bridge (near the site of the Central Viaduct), by Ontario just south of Public Square, by E 55th and St. Clair, by the Cleveland Clinic and so on, not really recognizing the disasters that have occurred there. With the exception of the Sam Sheppard case, many of these tales have passed out of the knowledge of the average Clevelander.

Also fascinating was the mystery still wrapped in the cause of many of these events. Who killed one of the founders of one of the world's most powerful law firms (still headquartered in Cleveland)? Was it a light bulb that caused so many to die in the early days of the Cleveland Clinic?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Choice for Disaster Buffs, December 31, 2005

By 

Debra W. Waugh "debwaugh" (Princeton, WV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: They Died Crawling: And Other Tales of Cleveland Woe; True Stories of the Foulest Crimes and Worst Disasters in Cleveland History (Paperback)

This book will appeal even to people who have never been to Cleveland if they enjoy reading about disasters or crime. The book is evenly balanced between the two types of tragedies. The author uses human interest to make the stories come to life. I just wish he had been able to go into more depth about some of the stories, and for my personal taste I would rather have seen more disaster stories and fewer crime stories. With all that said, this is a very good to excellent book.