518-563-9469 [email protected] Lyon Mountain: The Tragedy of a Mining Town by Lawrence P. Gooley For a century, the best iron ore on earth came from the depths of Lyon Mountain’s mines. The ore served many industries, but most notably was the primary source of steel used in support cables for many of history’s best-known suspension bridges, including the George Washington and the Golden Gate Bridge. This history of Lyon Mountain is supported by many interviews of elderly miners conducted by the author 35 $22.00 years ago. Extensive quotations appear throughout the book, 6 x 9, 224 pages Softcover bringing the story to life. 112 illustrations The book’s first section details the town’s early mining history (1870s through 1920), followed by Lyon Mountain’s years as a company town under the iron fist of mine manager J. R. Linney; the town’s immigrant population and its roots; firsthand accounts of mining jobs from long-deceased miners; the riveting story of death in the mines; the remarkable true story of the town’s Mafia-connected years; and finally, the story of the North American Champion bobsled team and the legendary Lyon Mountain Miners Baseball Team. Out of the Darkness: In Memory of Lyon Mountain’s Iron Men by Lawrence P. Gooley Out of the Darkness, SECOND EDITION, shines a light of recognition on more than 175 men who died in the iron mines of Lyon Mountain, New York. Who were they? How did they die? You’ll find the answers here in a tribute to the men who lost their lives while on the job. Drillers, muckers, furnace workers, timbermen: they’re all here. Many suffered horrible, spectacular deaths, as detailed in the newspaper fashion of the day, tending towards graphic, gruesome imagery. There $22.00 6 x 9, 216 pages is no shortage of such stories in this book, so be prepared Softcover for some intense reading. The reality of Lyon Mountain’s 129 illustrations many tragic accidents includes explosions, amputations, and decapitations. But there’s much more here than reports on fatalities: details of mine accidents from 1878 through 1966; genealogy and bio information on each victim; inside info on individual accidents; photos of many miners; actual newspaper reports with full headlines and complete stories; new info on Lyon Mountain’s role in history; and dozens of amazing stories and facts on Lyon Mountain’s mine deaths. This SECOND EDITION contains new illustrations, several pages of new information, and adds names to the death toll, bringing it to 176. 2 books.bloatedtoe.com [email protected] 518-563-9469 Escape from Dannemora: 170 Years of Escapes, Tortures, and Infamous Inmates at New York’s Most Notorious Prison by Lawrence P. Gooley Clinton Prison has hosted the best and worst criminals in the country, from gentleman scam artists and bank robbers to vicious serial killers. Included within these pages are those stories and much more—ingenious breakout artists and how they escaped, details on severe punishments and tortures imposed at Clinton for a half century, and profiles of dozens of the most famous, infamous, and unusual prisoners ever confined within Dannemora’s walls. $24.00 6 x 9, 311 pages This book was already in progress when the stunning Softcover escape from Dannemora occurred in June 2015. It was a 68 illustrations spectacular breakout, but contrary to what was widely stated in the media, hardly unprecedented. Men went over and under the wall on many occasions prior to 1929, which is the line of demarcation that separates the old from the new. During the eighty-five years following 1929, no one escaped from inside the high wall until Richard Matt and David Sweat did it. But during the eighty-five years prior to 1929, it was done many times in exciting, ingenious, and spectacular fashion. Included in the book is the story of the 2015 escape, the long history of violence and horrible tortures at Clinton, a look at escape attempts and more than three dozen breakouts, plus profiles of many famous and infamous criminals who were incarcerated at Dannemora. Dannemora's Death House: The Crimes and Fates of 41 Killers Sentenced to Die in Clinton Prison’s Electric Chair by Lawrence P. Gooley Inside are the stories of 41 murderers who were sentenced to die in Dannemora’s electric chair. Graphic details of many brutal attacks are covered, including victims’ injuries as provided in coroner and autopsy reports, so this is not a book for the squeamish—but it is a book for fans of true-crime stories. In most cases, you’ll find quotations citing the words of $25.00 the killers—and even some of the victims—as they provide 6 x 9, 456 pages Softcover personal accounts of murderous attacks. 197 illustrations The criminals profiled here came from the state- designated Clinton Prison “district”: counties along the Hudson River, a wide radius in all directions from Albany, and all lands north to the Canadian border. In each case, their offense was the only crime still punishable by death—first-degree murder—mostly committed out of jealousy, anger, or vengeance. books.bloatedtoe.com 3 518-563-9469 [email protected] Terror in the Adirondacks: The True Story of Serial Killer Robert F. Garrow by Lawrence P. Gooley In summer 1973, a serial-killer’s rampage in the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York State terrified thousands of residents and vacationers. Innocent campers were brutally knifed to death. People armed themselves, slept with guns, and lived in fear. It was a reign of terror the likes of which the mountains had never seen. And it was all the vile handiwork of one very troubled, dangerous man: Robert Francis Garrow. $22.00 But there is much more to Garrow’s story. Before his 6 x 9, 224 pages Softcover capture, there was the longest manhunt in Adirondack 18 illustrations history, and one of the longest the state has ever seen. There was a bizarre trial, with horrifying revelations that shocked the senses of citizens from coast to coast. There was also Robert Garrow’s unfortunate, unbelievable childhood, including horrific beatings, bestiality, bloodshed, and more. There was his secret life of crime as an adult, his frequent improbable escapes from the law, his years in maximum-security prisons, and his incredible manipulation of legal, medical, and correctional professionals right up to the state level. It’s an incredible story, and it’s all here. For the first time ever, Robert F. Garrow’s story from birth to grave. Not a pretty part of Adirondack history, but a part of it nonetheless. Killing in the Kuyahoora Valley by Lawrence P. Gooley is the true story of a murderous attack in 1914 by a teenager in the village of Poland, New York. Kuyahoora, the native- American name for West Canada Creek, is in Herkimer County. Poland, in the southern Adirondack foothills, is about 15 miles northeast of Utica. The death of petite schoolteacher Lydia “Lida Lou” Beecher at the hands of a former student was a landmark case—the first to cite imbecility on the same level as insanity in determining a defendant’s guilt or innocence. America’s courts would never be the same. $18.00 5.25 x 8.25, 126 The viciousness of the crime, the intensity of the trial, and pages worst of all, the indifference and arrogance of the killer were Softcover 58 illustrations all reasons why a public mania surrounded the proceedings every step of the way. In the wake of the Chester Gillette–Grace Brown story, the Jean Gianini case assumed the moniker, “Trial of the Century.” It’s a remarkable, true, and disturbing story of how evil can sneak up on those unaware, how successful family men sometimes hide the darkest of secrets, and how juries can be manipulated by silver-tongued attorneys. 4 books.bloatedtoe.com [email protected] 518-563-9469 WINNER: 2008 Adirondack Literary Award Best Book of Nonfiction Oliver’s War: An Adirondack Rebel Battles the Rockefeller Fortune by Lawrence P. Gooley The award-winning true story of Oliver Lamora’s battle with billionaire William Rockefeller: for a decade in the early 1900s, their saga gripped newspaper readers from coast to coast. William Rockefeller was the brother of John D. Rockefeller. Together they built the Standard Oil Trust, the richest, most powerful corporation in American history. The aging Lamora was a hunter, fisherman, and lumberjack all his life in the far northern Adirondack Mountains of New $22.00 6 x 9, 196 pages York State. Softcover He was surviving on a meager Civil War pension when 19 illustrations William Rockefeller decided to build a grand mountain estate. Lamora’s home was in the dying village of Brandon, and Brandon was in Rockefeller’s way. Some people moved, but Oliver didn’t. Soon a disagreement evolved into a running battle between two headstrong men of widely divergent backgrounds. The story received newspaper coverage from the New York Times to the San Francisco Examiner. The old woodsman fought to preserve a treasured way of life. This is the true story of Oliver Lamora, an Adirondack original. 25 Diabolical Adirondack Murders: The Twisted, Fiendish Deeds of North Country Killers by Lawrence P. Gooley Within these pages are twenty-five complete stories of murder in the North Country. The perpetrators range from average citizens to some of the worst degenerates imaginable. Their methods run the gamut from poison to clubs to knives to guns to axes, while their stories contain shocking revelations and remarkable twists, far too many to count.