Could she have been his murderer? Or was she an unknown killer's second victim? (Klamath Falls, Klamath County; 1910s) (For text and pictures, see http://offbeatoregon.com/1403a.charles-lyons-murder-myster-of-klamath-falls.html)

... and determined to do something about it. (Portland, Multnomah County; 1890s, 1900s, 1910s) (For text and pictures, see http://offbeatoregon.com/1205d-mary-leonard-legal-mother-teresa.html)

... fate let her live another 20 years, during which she devolved into a total nut case. (Portland, Multnomah County; 1880s, 1890s, 1900s) (For text and pictures, see http://offbeatoregon.com/1205b-mary-leonard-murder-trial-part2.html)

... and done both her, and the historical record, a disservice. (The Dalles, Wasco County; 1870s) (For text and pictures, see http://offbeatoregon.com/1205b-mary-leonard-murder-trial-part1.html)

Each Tuesday we have a reading from a particularly interesting historical item. Sometimes it's a historical tidbit that wasn't quite beefy enough to make a full column out of; other times, an especially interesting old newspaper article; frequently it's a short story from one of the frontier literary magazines that thrived in Oregon at the end of the 19th century.

Today it's a short article by legendary Oregon pop historian and raconteur Stewart Holbrook that first appeared in the October 1948 issue of The American Mercury. It’s titled “Bunco Kelley, King of the Crimps.”

When you hear local historians, especially Portland historians, talking about the unreliability of Holbrook’s historical writings, nine times out of ten they are thinking of this piece. I think it probably did more damage to Holbrook’s posthumous reputation than anything else he wrote.... The stories he tells of Bunco Kelley are mostly folklore, but, writing for a national audience, he kind of lets himself pass them off as real historical events.

(For the text of this story, see https://www.unz.com/print/AmMercury-1948oct-00488/)

... it couldn't defend its city hoosegow from the midnight raiders of Canyon City one summer night. (Greenhorn City, Baker County; 1960s) (For text and pictures, see http://offbeatoregon.com/1505d.greenhorn-smallest-city-jail-stolen-340.html)

... who could blame him? (Portland, Multnomah County; 1930s) (For text and pictures, see http://offbeatoregon.com/1209c-tusko-the-terrible-led-a-colorful-tragic-life.html)

... their bluff called, the backers were forced to go forward with it. (Tomahawk Island (Portland), Clackamas County; 1920s, 1930s) (For text and pictures, see http://offbeatoregon.com/1209b-lotus-isle-amusement-park-a-swindle-gone-awry.html)

... a mysterious force? Opinions vary (Near Gold Hill, Jackson County; 1930s) (For text and pictures, see http://offbeatoregon.com/H1002d_OregonVortex.html)

Each Tuesday we have a reading from a particularly interesting historical item. Sometimes it's a historical tidbit that wasn't quite beefy enough to make a full column out of; other times, an especially interesting old newspaper article; frequently it's a short story from one of the frontier literary magazines that thrived in Oregon at the end of the 19th century.

Today it's an excerpt from a short book, first printed in 1922, titled 'Sensational Escapes from the Oregon State Penitentiary,' by an inmate in the Oregon State Prison who identifies himself only as 'Prisoner No. 6435.' This is part 2 of a 2-part reading of this slim little book; we started it last Tuesday with 6435's account of the Tracy-Merrill prison breakout. In this part, 6435 finishes out his work with a collection of short tales of bustings-out and attempted bustings-out as well as some short poems written by prisoners. You can find Prisoner No. 6435's book for free on the Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/sensationalpriso00pris .