Implicated In 44 Murders
NEW YORK, Fri. (12.30 p.m.)—The death on the gallows today at Wallawaila (Washington) ended the career of Jake Bird, a negro, who had confessed committing, or having knowledge of, 44 murders. , He was hanged specifically for the slaying of a woman at Tacoma (Washing) in 1947. Although he received only a formal education, Bird’s legal knowledge enabled him to appeal to various courts over a dozen times and have his execution postponed for a year and a half. He heard the death sentence read three times.
A bizarre touch has been the “jinx” deaths of five men involved in Bird’s first trial.
When sentenced, he muttered that most of the people in the courtroom “will die before I do.”
The judge, court clerk, deputysheriff, detective and Bird’s attorney have since died unexpectedly.
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Northern Advocate, 16 July 1949, Page 5
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136Implicated In 44 Murders Northern Advocate, 16 July 1949, Page 5
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