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Thursday, January 22, 2015

WHO IS LUKE BRONIN?

Watch Hartford Mayoral candidate Luke Bronin on "Face the State"
 this Sunday at 11:00am on Channel 3

This Sunday at 11AM on WFSB Channel 3

 

Registrars, Taxes and Bathrooms

Guests:   State Senator Bob Duff (D) Senate Majority Leader

                   State Senator Rob Kane (R) Deputy Senate Minority Leader

 

The race for Hartford Mayor

Guest:  Luke Bronin (D) mayoral candidate

 

Flashback:    Demolition of historic YMCA

              Acrchive film from 1974

CHIEF HUERTAS RESPONDS TO CIRCUS FIRE PHOTO DESTRUCTION. WARNING - SENSITIVE PHOTO BELOW, USE DISCRETION WHEN VIEWING

WARNING-SENSITIVE PHOTO BELOW, USE DISCRETION VIEWING
The Day the Clowns Cried, the Hartford Circus Fire


FROM CHIEF HUERTAS:

Hartford  Fire Chief Carlos Huertas today responded to my posting from yesterday regarding the destruction of photos from  the Hartford Circus Fire.
***********************************************************************************
HUERTAS STATEMENT BELOW
***********************************************************************************
Soon to be retired Captain William Pond exercised poor judgment in removing photos from the quarters of Engine Co. 14. He has demonstrated a lack of professionalism in his decision to take matters in to his own hands and circumvented the process put forth to better handle the situation. The photos removed were found to be copies and have no intrinsic value. However, I will be taking the necessary actions to ensure the situation continues to be investigated in its entirety.****END OF STATEMENT*****


Below is apparently one of the photos in question, This is a morgue photo that was used to eventually identify the deceased victim known as little Miss 1565. This photo apparently drove Hartford Fire LT. Davey to persevere for years to continue to investigate the Circus fire and eventually identify Little Miss 1565 as Eleanor Cook. Her body, after being identified, was eventually exhumed from its grave at Northwoods Cemetery in Hartford and reunited with her family at their plot in Longmeadow , MA

Pond announced his retirement, his last day is tomorrow.

The picture below is apparently what has started the uproar. I apologize for posting it but I think it is important to put this matter in perspective
 
Alittle more about Lt Rick Davey and his quest for the truth, from a Newweek article:
 
For 47 years she was known as "Little Miss 1565." On July 6, 1944, as 7,000 people in Hartford, Conn., watched the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus perform, the Big Top burst into flames. When the inferno subsided, its cause was a mystery and 168 people were dead, including an 8-year-old child lying unclaimed in the morgue with a toe tag numbered 1565.

Haunted by a morgue photograph, Lt. Rick Davey, 42, investigator for the Hartford Fire Department, decided to find out who she was. Beginning in 1982, he studied files and interviewed old-timers. He publicly identified her last month as Eleanor Cook.

If Davey could solve that mystery, what about the fire itself? At the time, the police concluded that a dropped cigarette, probably igniting the tent, caused the fire. But Davey found witnesses who said the flames started high on the tent wall. Davey even tracked down a possible arsonist: a 14-year-old circus worker. Davey's suspect, now 61 and living in Ohio, denies setting the circus fire, He later served time for arson elsewhere, which he allegedly confessed to committing after "frustrating" sexual experiences. Connecticut officials are reviewing the case to determine whether it was arson or an accident. Says Davey: "These [fire victims], even in death, have a right to expect that the truth be known."

The Circus fire always had an interest to me . At the time I was born at Saint Francis, many years after the fire, my mothers roommate was a surviving victim of the Circus Fire also giving birth at the time. My mother and Barbara stayed in touch and  became friends .Coincidentally my father and her husband eventually became employed at the old Hartford Gas Company. I remember at a young age going to their beach house one summer and noticing the scars on her body, arm and legs and chest, and my mother explained to me the devastating effects and the story of the Circus Fire and that those were burn scars covering her body . Apparently her mother and sister were also trapped in the tent and burned , fortunately all 3 survived I didn't realize the damage at the time, but as an adult I can only imagine the pain and agony they went through as well as the terror trying to escape that tent  My grandmothers cousin, Michael Godfrey was also Hartford's Police Chief at the time and I remember photos of him from various reports with the burning tent and devastation as a backdrop behind him, not to mention the pictures of the limo style sedan he was chauffeured in by his police driver. Times have changed.


Wednesday, January 21, 2015

THE ENGINE 14 EXORCISMS

HARTFORD CIRCUS FIRE
 
 
Rally, I don't make this stuff up.

The e-mail below was sent by Captain William Pond of the Hartford Fire Department to Chief Huertas. Apparently Pond took exception  with several framed pictures of a victim of the Hartford Circus fire Eleanor Cook, known as Little Miss 1565 for years.

The best-known victim of the circus fire was a young blonde girl wearing a white dress. She is known only as "Little Miss 1565", named after the number assigned to her body at the city's makeshift morgue. Oddly well preserved even after her death, her face has become arguably the most familiar image of the fire.

Her true identity has been a topic of debate and frustration in the Hartford area since the fire occurred. She was buried without a name in Hartford's Northwood cemetery, where a victims' memorial also stands. Two police investigators, Sergeant's. Thomas Barber and Edward Lowe, photographed her and took fingerprints, footprints, and dental charts. Despite massive publicity and repeated displays of the famous photograph in nationwide magazines, she was never claimed. Barber and Lowe spent the rest of their lives trying to identify her. They decorated her grave with flowers each Christmas, Memorial Day, and July 6.. After their deaths, a local flower company continued to decorate the grave. In 1991, the body was declared to be that of Eleanor Emily Cook, despite the fact that her aunt and uncle had examined the body and it did not fit the description they provided. The Connecticut State Police forensics unit compared hair samples and determined they were probably from the same person. The body was exhumed in 1991 and buried next to her brother, Edward, who had also died in the fire. Apparently Captain Pond took exception with photos  that were supposed to be used after the fire to identify victims, the photos had been posted inside engine 14 for their historic value since the house had been built. The historic value of the pictures is indisputable.

Despite the historic value, Pond for some reason felt he needed to destroy the pictures to bring peace to Cook's soul. According to his e-mail he took the pictures home and burned the pictures in his fireplace as he prayed for the "poor girls" soul. It is unknown as to what authority Pond felt he had to destroy property of the Hartford Fire Department, property of such historic value. This needs to be investigated thoroughly and appropriate action taken immediately.

Pictures or property of such a historic value that are destroyed   have removed a part of Hartford's history that can never be replaced. This is inexcusable and probably criminal as well

THE E-MAIL



From: "Pond, William"
Date:01/15/2015 8:25 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: "Huertas, Carlos M."
Subject:

Chief Huertas
I received your voice mail and will respond to it in writing. When originally assigned to engine 14 in the summer of 1990 I objected to the naked deceased pictures of Eleanor Cook displayed in the hallway. I objected verbally to every house Captain through my career where my efforts proved fruitless. My first order of business as house Captain was to remove them from display.
I was afraid after retirement they would be placed back on the wall where this poor girls soul would never rest. I removed them today and at my home prayed for peace for Eleanor and burned them in my fireplace. I hope you understand and also the Cook family had no knowledge that there loved one was publicly displayed in this horrific manor.
Respectfully Submitted
William Pond


Portions of this posting obtained through Wikipedia

WALLER AGAIN

The Hartford Courant ran a story this morning detailing the latest complaint against the Hartford Fire Department  and former acting Assistant Chief Terry Waller. The complaint was made by Captain Luis Ocasio who apparently felt his career was being threatened by Waller if he didn't lie at a hearing before the Connecticut Department of Health to cover for another firefighter .


Here is Captain Ocasio's complaint below


Tuesday, January 20, 2015

GOING VIRAL

That is how the Springfield Republican has described the story of the Connecticut Legislator parking illegally in a handicap space. In a story posted tonight they described that as the response on their website masslive.com , you can view that story and related video here.

Although I am pretty sure that Representative Mcgee is not happy with the attention. I hope at the very least it has brought attention to the illegal practice of using handicap spaces for a quick convenience for able bodied drivers.

And I loved this line from the article  "A state lawmaker was left with egg on his face – or possibly jelly from a doughnut – after he was caught parking his Beamer in a handicapped parking spot at a Hartford Dunkin' Donuts on Friday."

EXPANDING MY HORIZONS, AND THANK YOU

Last week I posted an entry entitled "Whaddaya know" and it has turned out to be well worthwhile. To those of you who provided information and tips, a sincere Thank you. The parts of the puzzle are coming together.


This morning I received a phone call that I should be in the Hartford Federal Courthouse for 11:00am. No further details. Needless to say, I was at the Federal Courthouse at 11:00am.
I felt a little odd when I approached the Federal Marshal at the metal detector and he asked where I was going. My response surprised him I am sure. "I don't know where I am going, I got a call to be here at 11:00am. I gave him a couple more details as to why and for who I thought I was there and was pointed to a courtroom.. Luckily I wore new socks because they made me take my shoes off also to make it through the metal detector. And no cell phones allowed, leave it in the car


The expected event didn't happen as planned, but apparently lawyers and the US Attorney sometimes work out deals for their clients to surrender, so be patient.I would love to elaborate on the reason for being there , but that will come soon. Be patient.


While I was sitting there in the gallery with NBC Connecticut's Max Reiss, we watched the arraignment of the Finance Director from the Town of Plymouth. Again, not much on details, more procedural than anything else. After the court recessed, The US Attorney handling the case came over to us and introduced himself. I was a little surprised when he asked "Aren't you Kevin Brookman?"  When I answered yes, he replied "I read your blog occasionally" Who doesn't?


He then handed myself and Max the arrest warrant, or whatever the terminology is in FED talk, indictment maybe?


Later when I read it, I thought heads should be rolling today in Plymouth. How does the Finance Director of a little town write almost a million dollars in checks to himself and no one notices. One of the checks was reportedly for $300.000. No one noticed? Who monitors their budget?


The really interesting part to me though was the FBI Agents explanation of how the case began. There apparently was no complaint from the town of Plymouth. The investigation began based on Media reports.


If that is the case and the US Attorney had just told me he reads the blog, the FBI must be crawling all over Hartford City Hall by now. If it works for Plymouth, I am sure it can work for Hartford.. If you ever wondered how to blow a million dollars, read on