Free Republic

A grandpa’s haunting Thanksgiving ghost story appeared to help two brothers uncover a near 200-year-old “murder mystery.” Bill and Frank Watson were told a chilling tale about 57 Irish immigrants who died at a railroad site in Pennsylvania during the cholera epidemic in 1832. The area is now known as “Duffy’s Cut” as the rail workers’ boss was named Philip Duffy. It is a stretch of tracks located around 30 miles from Philadelphia. The brothers were told the chilling tale by their grandpa – a railroad worker – every Thanksgiving. They believe the rail workers died violently and not from...

Who won, lost in budget game July 31, 2004 BY THOMAS ROESER When the spring legislative session dawned, Big Daddy decided he would have to take The Kid in hand (ahem). It was only right: House Speaker Michael Madigan had served in the General Assembly since 1971, the governor (The Kid) had a few years of legislative service under his belt, sitting on the remotest back bench in Madigan's caucus. Also, all other legislative leaders were new or untried: Tom Cross, in his first term as GOP House leader; Democrat Emil Jones had never been Senate president; Frank Watson was...