The Babes in the Woods Story

Just over eighty years ago, in November 1934, the bodies of three young girls were found on the slopes of South Mountain in Penn Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, near the border with Cooke Township. The bodies were located just a short distance off of the state road which leads from Pine Grove Furnace north to Newville (today known as Rt. 233, Centerville Road). The girls' bodies were carefully arranged next to each other on a blanket with another blanket covering them. The...
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Just over eighty years ago, in November 1934, the bodies of three young girls were found on the slopes of South Mountain in Penn Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, near the border with Cooke Township. The bodies were located just a short distance off of the state road which leads from Pine Grove Furnace north to Newville (today known as Rt. 233, Centerville Road). The girls' bodies were carefully arranged next to each other on a blanket with another blanket covering them. The finding of these bodies and the investigation that followed almost immediately came to be known as the "Babes in the Woods" case and continues to be referred to in this way today. Attempts to identify the bodies led to a nationwide search for clues. Newspapers across the country reported on the incident. One hundred twenty-five miles west near Duncansville, Blair County, Pennsylvania, the bodies of a man and a young woman were found at a railway flag stop in a rural area, the apparent victims of a suicide pact. Attempts to identify them eventually led to a connection with the events in Cumberland County. Although the basic facts about these deaths became known by the beginning of December of 1934, fully understanding how and why these events occurred has continued to attract attention over the ensuing years. This book will examine information about the tragedy and will attempt to answer at least some of the questions regarding these incidents.