The deeper I dug into the 1872 murder of John Garrity, the clearer it became: this was not just a story about a killing. It was a story about an entire community. Irish immigrants bound together by family, friendship, hardship, and secrets buried in the records of Scranton’s Notch.
The 1872 murder of John Garrity was an open-and-shut case. Part I follows the crime, investigation, and sentencing. But there was more. Part II uncovers the family story the newspapers never reported.
In 1928, Italian immigrants in Scranton were particularly violent. Dynamite was the weapon of choice used to intimidate and exact revenge of their targets and ideological enemies. The Black Hand, present for decades, was now joined by fascists and anti-fascists during Mussolini's reign in Italy. Read about how the city was rocked by attacks leading up to the Great Depression.
Margaret Martin, a bright and involved young lady, tragically disappeared in 1938 after a job interview offer. Her body was found with signs of struggle, leading to a murder investigation. Despite multiple suspects and leads, the case remains unsolved to this day.
A decades old missing person case turns into a murder investigation in Nanticoke,
