Murder & Mayhem in the Finger Lakes

The pristine waters of the Finger Lakes inspire tranquility, but the region has not been spared a history of high-profile murders. George Chapman’s execution for killing a hostler in a drunken rage drew one of the largest crowds in Seneca County’s history. Charles Sprague was the only person from Yates County to be executed and the last person electrocuted at Auburn Prison after shooting a neighbor in a dispute over potatoes. A plea of insanity did not save James Williams from the electric chair after murdering an elderly man and attempting to rape a teenage girl. In the Feedbag Murder, the body of a missing man was found in a canal, and his friend was acquitted of the murder despite confessing to the crime years later. Author R. Marcin explores the gruesome history of homicide in the Finger Lakes.

R. Marcin, a resident of the Finger Lakes region, has contributed historical features to the Watkins Review & Express and the Observer. She studied languages at Elmira College and has a master’s degree in French literature from the State University of New York at Binghamton. This is her first book.