Just a few days ago, I was on Newspapers.com searching for an obituary for my cousin's husband, Walter C. Cochrane. This came up in the list of possible matches:
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| The Tuscaloosa News, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 14 Nov 1923 via Newspapers.com |
My Walter C. Cochrane was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 1915. However, there are two glaring problems already. The spelling of the last name is not the same and this incident happened in 1923 when my Walter would have only been 8 years old. While not impossible, I guess, I do not believe Walter C. Cochrane was married or killed his wife at the age of 8.
But before moving on, I stopped and read the entire little article, and realized it is just madness. The piece is out of Belleville, Illinois. Mr. Cochran was granted a change of venue to Nashville - what? Nashville, Tennessee?? But no, I found out there is a Nashville, Illinois. Also Mr. Cochran "formerly resided at Wichita Falls, Texas?!" What did that have to do with it? And the piece was run in the Tuscaloosa, Alabama newspaper. Why? I am guessing it was printed there either to add some sensationalism to their day's paper or to just fill some space.
Oh and let us not overlook the "alienists!" I discovered this is what psychiatrists used to be called!
I enjoy running across these interesting tidbits while browsing old newspapers. I hope you got a chuckle out of it, too.
