Unpunished murders have always been a blight on Schuylkill County, especially during the 1920s and 30s. In some cases the murderer was identified but eluded capture, disappearing into the night, never to be seen again. Other cases, such as the peculiar death of William Laughlin in 1930, remain unsolved to this day.

Laughlin, who worked as a confectioner at his father's candy shop in Centralia, disappeared after attending a boxing match at Lakewood Park. His nude body was discovered the following day in a most unusual place-- inside a fortune-telling booth near the entrance of a now-defunct amusement park.