Philadelphia Inquirer, January 1, 1913. Some of these deaths leave me wondering if we’re not looking at a disguised suicide. 
They’re not skimping on the gore with this one. The Maryland connection puts me in mind of that nightmarish episode of Homicide: Life on the Streets in which Vincent D’Onofrio gets pushed off the subway platform by a psycho.
Forgive me for asking, but was that watch still running?
I never thought of it before, but what sort of ID would a guy have been carrying in 1913 anyway? Has anyone written about the history of personal ID? 
The no-way-could-he-have-tied-himself-up argument is actually less than conclusive. If you ever get a chance to read this astounding, FBI-sponsored forensic study of Autoerotic Fatalities, you’ll see that motivated people can achieve truly marvelous things in the way of tying themselves up, even to the extent of not being able to get free again. (My favorite thing about this book is that it begins with a don’t-try-these-stunts-at-home disclaimer, as if the title didn’t say it all.)
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I wonder what Amazon is going to make of me now that I’ve followed that link (as if my existing search/browsing history isn’t already weird enough).
Keep an eye on that “We have recommendations for you” button.