Local writer and true murder buff Jim Baumgratz, of St. Marys, recently released “Elk County Murders & Mysterious Deaths” –– a book that might prompt Nosferatu to check his closet at night.
Based solely on true crimes, the book is a compilation of 25 murders and mysterious deaths committed in Elk County that took place in locations such as Ridgway, Johnsonburg, St. Marys, Kersey, Wilcox and many more.
Baumgratz cited his inspiration for creating the book by explaining, “Back in 1999 I read the rare book Tiger at the Bar and was fascinated by the stories of the prohibition era in Bradford as well as local stories of murders and mayhem within Elk County etc. that were covered in this book.”
He explained the book was so expensive and hard to find that he ended up reprinting it.
“I found the content of local crime history fascinating and I wanted to be able to share this with the rest of the area,” Baumgratz said.
He added, “Wanting to explore the dark side of local true crime history was my inspiration and writing this book is from my desire to share this history with fellow true crime/historical buffs.”
Baumgratz said that since he started his research back in 2002 at the Elk County Courthouse, he has discovered about 150 murders and mysterious deaths. Some of the deaths were not necessarily homicides.
Baumgratz said that one of the greatest shocks to him was the number of deaths attributed to accidentally getting hit and run over by a train.
“This seemed to happen quite frequently and (the deaths) never were classified as homicides, but in reading some of the cases, it is hard to believe that in broad daylight a man in a suit, not drinking and with sidewalks readily available, would somehow decide to walk down a train track and not hear the approaching train,” he said.
A second volume about Elk County is in the works; Baumgratz hopes for it to be released by Christmas. Also upcoming is a book about murders and mysterious deaths that were committed in McKean County as well as books about several other counties.
