Garrow murder case has lasting impact
Tracy’s book is one you won’t be able to put down
By Ken Tingley
I was familiar with the case of serial killer Robert Garrow.
Jim Tracy, the author of “Sworn to Silence,” had worked at The Post-Star for 10 years as a reporter. He wrote a six-part series “Blood in the Adirondacks” in 2000. The story was so powerful that readers called throughout the six-part series to complain they were frightened all over again.
The story was disturbing. That was a testament to Tracy’s reporting and writing.
In the years since Tracy’s initial reporting, he was able to tie up loose ends with investigators and the lawyer who represented Garrow. It adds new insights.
Heading off on a week-long vacation two weeks ago, I spent most of the four hours in flight reading Tracy’s account. By the time I touched down in Albany a week later, I had finished the book.
It was that type of page-turner. Every time I was about to close the book, I was lured into another chapter.
The story is horrific and still frightening nearly 50 years later. But it also opens a discussion about the ethics of the lawyers who represented Garrow after they learned where two of Garrow’s victims were resting. They believed they could not reveal their location of the bodies to the families without violating their oath as officers of the court. It had a profound affect on both men for the rest of their lives.
If you are looking for a quick vacation read, I recommend “Sworn to Silence.” But I can’t guarantee you won’t have nightmares, especially if you have teenaged daughters.
Requiem for a heavyweight
Part of the argument over the use of an Indian as a mascot in places like Cambridge and Glens Falls is that it is to honor Native American culture.
I don’t buy that.
For anyone that doubts the historical context of using Indians as mascots, just check out the last scene in the 1962 film “Requiem for A Heavyweight” where washed up fighter Mountain Rivera (Anthony Quinn) is relegated to playing the role of an American Indian as a professional wrestler while the crowd hoots and hollers while making derisive comments about the character.
The scene says it all on why sports teams at places like Cambridge and Glens Falls should change their nicknames.
The mask debate
While on vacation, I was among 40,000 at a Houston Astros game - the Yankees won and no one wore masks.
I took the tour at Mission Control where we were asked to wear masks.
We then took in Bill Maher’s standup comedy show at a Proctors-like theater in San Antonio where we were all required to wear masks, although the comedian didn’t.
We were all vaccinated, but half of Texas was not.
It is tough to feel empathy for the people who are not getting Covid. There is no excuse for not getting a vaccine.
Another Review
This is what documentary film maker Mark Turner is saying about “The Last American Editor:”
“Ken Tingley’s new book is more than just a mere collection of columns from his days as a print journalist. This is a collection of life stories. Ken not only writes from the heart, he writes to the heart. While most column writers dwell on their opinions of various current events, Ken delves into the very essence of the people and places in the Upstate New York town of Glens Falls. Even if you’ve never been there, by the time you have read Ken’s collection of essays you will know as much about Glens Falls as you do about your home town.”
