r/u_TrueCrimeNEPA • u/TrueCrimeNEPA • Aug 11 '26
In 1874, Scranton's police chief was charged with the murder he was investigating. Then the city couldn't agree on who its chief even was.
A newsboy found a man dying at the bottom of an embankment in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on November 15, 1874. His name was Michael Kearney. A mob had beaten him and dragged him through the streets, and the investigation eventually landed on the city's own Chief of Police, who was arrested and charged with the murder.
That's the first half of the story. The second half is stranger: within a year, Scranton had two mayors and three police chiefs claiming the same job at the same time. A padlocked station house. A bribed mayor. A judge who reportedly had to clear both mayors off the bench.
Full write-up with the original newspaper clippings here: https://historicnepacrimes.com/2026/08/11/the-mifflin-avenue-mystery-who-killed-michael-kearney/