Yore Town

The Toolbox Killers sounds as bad as it is. Well, actually it’s worse. There have been movies, books, documentaries you name it on these guys. If you haven’t heard of them let’s give a little back story on these guys and then talk about the Halloween Murder. Feel like that’s a good move right? Yeah.

Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris were just a couple of guys who were up to no good. Started making trouble in many neighborhoods. They killed a bunch of people and everyone was scared so they ended up in jail in the same state as Bel-Air. See what I did there.

Alright, The Tool Box Killers were two American serial killers and rapists who committed the kidnapping, rape, torture, and murder of five teenage girls in southern California over a five-month time frame in 1979. The crazy 70’s. So glad I wasn’t around then. Lawrence Bittaker was described by FBI agents and others as the most disturbing person they ever profiled. He was born in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in the 40s and spoiler alert went to jail and was actually sentenced to death for the 5 murders.

Norris testified against Bittaker and was sentenced to life in jail. You might be thinking why were they the Tool Box Killers? Well...the majority of instruments used to torture and murder their victims, such as pliers, ice picks, and sledgehammers, were items normally stored inside a household toolbox.

There is a pretty shocking and mysterious murder that happened in Upstate New York in the early 1900’s A murder that is so scandalous there are conflicting versions of what really happened. It could be the most shocking murder to ever take place in Upstate NY. What are we talking about? The Murder at Big Moose Lake.

Big Moose Lake, at the head of the Moose River, is a large lake about five miles (8 km) north of Fourth Lake in the Adirondacks in upstate New York. The lake is within both Herkimer and Hamilton counties, and covers portions of the towns of Webb and Long Lake.

Just like most movies that have a murder in it or murders that make a movie it begins with a love story. Grace Mae Brown grew up in the village of South Otselic, Chenango County, New York, the middle child and daughter of a successful Chenango County dairy farmer. She was reportedly given the nickname "Billy" because of her love of the contemporary hit song "(Won't You Come Home) Bill Bailey". Brown attended grammar school in the village, and became close friends with a teacher, Maud Kenyon Crumb, and Crumb's husband. Later, Brown often signed her love letters "The Kid", after the Western outlaw Billy the Kid. In 1904, at the age of 18, Brown moved to nearby Cortland to live with her married sister Ada, and to work at the new Gillette Skirt Factory. While working at the factory she met someone. That someone, Chester Gillette.

Chester Gillette was the nephew of the Gillette Skirt Factory. He grew up in Montana and bounced around from place to place in his not so stable childhood. He moved to Cortland NY in 1905 to work at the factory. Since he was the nephew of the owner he met people in the upper class society in Cortland. He then meets Grace and they began a relationship. A very secret relationship as she was a factory worker and wasn’t up the family standards. It then comes out that Grace Brown is pregenant. She’ 20 and he’s 23. Since it was the early 1900’s unwerd mothers were outcast from society. She decides for those reasons it’s best to go back home to her be with her parents. The two keep in touch writing letters back and forth. Love letters at that. In a lot of these letters it was said the she was begging him to marry her. Gillette finally agrees to take her away to the Adirondacks for a romantic weekend. Many believe that she thought it was he was going to propose or even marry her. Other reports suggested that he was going to bring her to a maternity house where she could live until she had the child.

The couple then travels around the state. They spent the first night in Utica NY where they registered at a hotel under false names. They even left the hotel without paying. They then jump on a trian to Tupper Lake the second night. They planned an outing by a nearby lake once arrived by train but it rained out so it ruined the day. They jumped back on the train and went to Big Moose Lake on July 11th. They then decided to rent a a canoe and spend the afternoon on the lake. People reported seeing hotel guest Carl Grahm aka Gillette check in with his bag and initials C E G with a tennis racket attached to it. Her lueggage was to be reportedly left at the train station. Odd right. Even more odd it was seen that he brought his suitcase with him on the canoe trip.

It is alleged that he used the tennis racket to smash brown in the head and she fell into the water. Brown had told Gillette in a letter that she could not swim. Gillette fled the scene and spent the night at the Hotel giving multiple stories of why he returned alone. Brown’s body surfaced not long afterwards, with the autopsy eventually revealing bruises on her head and a four-month-old fetus inside her.

After Brown's body was found the next day, Gillette was arrested in the nearby town.

Let’s skip ahead to the trial that occured in Herkimer was the biggest trial to ever happened in the area. Newspapers allover the state covered this story.

The psychiatric center came first. Initially, it was to be call the Ogdensburg State Asylum for the Insane, but the name was changed to the St. Lawrence State Hospital before the first patient was admitted. In the late 1970's, it was re-christened the St. Lawrence Psychiatric Center.

Every once in a while I stumble upon a story that leaves me thinking wow there is no way this is true. This story is one of those. From stories of the past to some a little more present dark and twist might be an understatement. If you read the title you know what town this is. If you haven’t well it’s Skidmore Missouri. This town puts the misery in Missouri.

Skidmore is a city in Western Missouri. The population in the latest census is 245 people. When you look up this town everything that it’s known for is not good. Not good at all. We use Wikipedia for a lot of stuff and you know this place is pretty dark based on it’s Wikipedia. It’s legit the shortest Wiki page I have ever seen. There are multiple major stories this town has seen I’m not even sure where to begin. Talking with a friend from near the area he suggests starting with the town bully.

The town bully is officially known as Ken Rex McElroy. He was born in 1934 the 15th of 16 kids born to a poor migrant tenant farming couple Tony and Mabel. He dropped out of school at 15 and was known as a thief, cow rustler, and womanizer. For over 20 years he was suspected of being involved in theft of anything from grain to gas to booze to livestock. Somehow was never charged in any of the 21 convictions. He ended up having more than 10 kids with multiple women.

In the ’60s and ’70s, he was more than the town bully and often referred to as a dictator. He ran the town from everything I have read and heard. He legit raped and pillaged for over 2 decades. If he thought you were pretty you were now his. It didn’t matter if you were 12 or older. He would steal whatever, whoever, whenever, and if you didn’t like it, watch out. He stole a 12-year-old girl that he did terrible things to and married and made her have his child at 14. The parents fought back he stalked them, burned their house down, and killed their pets. When the girl escaped and went back home he did the same exact thing to that family again and took her back.

Just like myself, you are thinking how in the heck could he do this? He had such a stronghold over anyone who wanted to press charges. He had a mob-connected lawyer, he would harass you like no other. He would stalk you, shoot you anything he wanted and so feared the police wouldn’t do anything. There is a story that in the summer of 1973 he was arrested for arson, assault, and statutory rape. He was released on a 2500 bail. His very young wife and their maybe fled and were put into foster care in a nearby town. When he got out he sat outside the foster home for hours at a time. He then told the foster family that they would trade him a girl for a girl so he could get his child back. He even threatened the foster family as he knew where their biological daughter went to school and which bus she rode. A few weeks before the dust settled on this he then shoots a farmer twice with a shotgun after the farmer told him to stop shooting on his property. He was charged with assault with intent to kill. He was acquitted after some locals came to his rescue.

Welcome to the Yore Town Podcast, where we unravel the forgotten tales and unearth the extraordinary history hidden within the heart of small towns. In this riveting episode, we delve into the annals of time to recount the harrowing events surrounding the explosion at Benson Mines in 1908, a tragic incident that claimed the lives of several individuals and left an indelible mark on the community.

Join us as we take you on a journey through the past, painting a vivid picture of life in a bustling mining town at the turn of the 20th century. Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, we'll bring to light the circumstances that led to the tragic explosion and its aftermath, shedding light on the lives lost and the resilience of a community bound together by shared tragedy.

In true Yore Town fashion, we'll also uncover lesser-known stories, anecdotes, and fascinating historical tidbits that enrich the narrative, offering a deeper understanding of the era and the lives touched by this calamitous event. So sit back, tune in, and let's venture into the depths of history to reveal the captivating and often chilling stories that shape the fabric of small-town America on the Yore Town Podcast.