July 14, 1989 Atmore, Alabama Horace Dunkins Jr. is executed for tying a woman to a tree, raping her, and stabbing her nearly 70 times Dunkins' victim was 26-year-old mother of four Lynn McCurry. In 1980, Dunkins and an accomplice, Frank Harris, claimed to be interested in purchasing a go-cart McCurry was selling. When she…
The death of Billy the Kid
July 14, 1881 Fort Sumner, New Mexico territory Henry McCarty, alias William H. Bonney, alias Billy the Kid, is shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garret while attempting to evade capture Billy was an American outlaw and gunfighter who allegedly had killed 8 men before his own death. In 1878, Billy and others in a…
Man kills 8 nursing students in their dorm
July 14, 1966 Chicago, Illinois Richard Speck kills 8 nursing students in their dormitory, leaving a sole survivor who escaped by hiding under a bed The nurses were raped, tortured, and killed by being strangled or stabbed. The victims were: Gloria Davy (22): strangled with strips of a bed sheet Patricia Matusek (20): punched in…
Man dies from eating library paste
July 14, 1908 Goldfield, Nevada An unknown man dies after eating library paste Little is known about the man, though the county physician found he was “nearly starved” when he ate the contents of a jar of library paste. The paste was primarily comprised of water and either flour or starch, which may have prompted…
Illustrated Police News cover, featuring the sinking of the SS Daphne
The front page of The Illustrated Police News Published July 14, 1883 The center illustration shows the SS Daphne which sank minutes after her launch on July 3, 1883, killing between 124 and 195 people (sources vary), including young boys hired to work on the ship.
