The Mad Bomber of New York (42 page)
Out of this rage and social turmoil spun the so called Unabomber, who, from 1978 through 1995, terrorized universities and businesses with a series of bombings that left a trail of death and injury from Connecticut to California. Theodore Kaczynski, a highly educated mathematician with an unrelenting anger directed toward technology and the industrial complex of America, carried out a reign of terror that spanned seventeen years and killed three people. Like Metesky, the Unabomber manipulated the press and provided insights into his personality and motives through extensive writings, which would ultimately lead to his capture. And in a hauntingly familiar identifying clue, Kaczynski labeled each of his bombs and his writings with the signature mark “F.C.” George Metesky had evidently inspired others beyond a ragtag band of hippies.
But Metesky was disinterested in social causes or political rebellion; he just wanted to find peace in whatever time he had left. Like most men of his age, he read his books, worked about the yard, made small repairs to his car, and painted and maintained the home. Caring for Mae, however, had become the centerpiece of his life. As she had done for him in earlier days, he now assisted her and made sure that her needs were met. He thought he owed her that.
From the moment he returned home, Metesky had said that he intended to write a book about his life and, more importantly, about his experiences at Matteawan. He had told the press that he had procured a deal with a collaborative writer and had even entered into discussions with a producer to make a motion picture centered on his life story. Neither would come. Metesky was simply too difficult to work with.
He would find that life had changed much in the seventeen years that he was away from home. “I was in hope of finding a better world,” he said. “But there's no better world, It's worse, if anything, than when I went in.” Despite his evident bitterness, Metesky would find solace in the changes he had prompted to the penal system for those with mental illnessâchanges that in 1976 reached fruition with the New York State Legislature restructuring the delivery of mental health services to the criminally insane and, with the inducement of another federal class action suit, closing Matteawan State Hospital forever.
As the years passed and new and greater concerns stole the attention of a fickle public, the story of Metesky's strange life would fade from memory and the Mad Bomber would be all but forgotten. Despite the obvious hazards of his chosen vocation and the hardships of his later institutionalized life, George Metesky would ironically outlive the doctors who diagnosed him, the lawyers who defended him, the judges who condemned him, and the institutions that confined him. He died on May 23, 1994, at the age of ninety.
“I expected to go before I was 57,” he told a reporter in 1974. “I feel good. I'm lucky in a way. I don't catch too many colds and outside of colds I don't have too many ailments . . . I'm pretty well satisfied. I've been where I want to go, done what I want to do. All I want now is peace and quiet.”
In his own way, George Metesky had laid the past to rest and moved forward with whatever future he could find. The perils of his life were over and he wished only calm and solitude. On occasion, however, when strolling about the yard, he would look to the small corrugated garage to the rear of the house and feel that old rush of anger welling through his veins. He could smell the bitter foulness of smokeless powder in his nostrils, and he could feel the smooth rumble of the old Daimler making its way down Fourth Street, heading south for New York.
The writing of a book is, by necessity, a collaborative effort. The gathering of source materials for a work of nonfiction is often a daunting task and, in the case of
The Mad Bomber
, well beyond this author's practical capabilities alone. I would foremost like to thank Jay Feldman, creator of the stage production
A Loud Noise in a Public Place,
which dramatizes the Mad Bomber case for theater. His willingness to share the volumes of research materials that he accumulated through the years proved invaluable to my effort. I also thank James Ledbetter for sharing his documentation on the case. As always, Kenneth Cobb at the New York City Municipal Archives graciously opened his files for viewing and provided many of the court records of the Bomber case from New York County. Robert Freeman of the State of New York Department of State Committee on Open Government provided guidance and assistance for the retrieval of police records, and his work is very much appreciated. For assistance with photographs, I thank Jeffrey Bridgers at the Library of Congress, as well as the staff at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas. And of course, a special thank you to Eric Paisner for the painstaking legwork of retrieving and cataloging many of the images used in this book.
I wish to acknowledge the gracious and kind people who either were involved in the Mad Bomber case directly or knew people who were. The stepchildren of Dr. Brussel, Professor John Israel and Judith Gutmann, spent a great deal of time speaking to me on the telephone and provided a wonderful insight into Dr. Brussel's personality. Likewise, Bill Berkson, the son of Seymour Berkson, provided useful information as to his father's life and work. The lawyers who skillfully represented Metesky in the days leading up to his release, Franklyn Engel, Gene Ann Condon, and Kristin Booth Glen, were each very helpful in providing me with the legal background of the case as well as information regarding the personality of their client. I also thank Terence F. O'Rourke for documents and assistance regarding his great-grandfather, attorney Bart J. O'Rourke. In the realm of criminal profiling I wish to extend my sincere thanks to Howard Teten, who graciously read the manuscript and patiently helped me understand the concepts involved and the distinctions between his approach to the discipline and that of Dr. Brussel. His input was invaluable. Finally, I would like thank former New York City Bomb Squad detective William F. Schmitt, who actively participated in the search for the Mad Bomber and personally questioned Metesky shortly after his arrest. Detective Schmitt spent hours with me on the telephone imparting wonderful firsthand details of the case and his experiences with the Mad Bomber. I wish to thank Cliff Bieder and the staff of the Detectives Endowment Association for providing me with the leads necessary to make contact with Detective Schmitt. I also thank Officer Robert Sibilio Jr. of the Framingham, Massachusetts, Police Department who, along with Detective Schmitt, provided me with a comprehension of the technical aspects of Metesky's “units,” and thus a clearer understanding of his madness.
My agent, Greg Daniel, as always, provided encouragement and enthusiasm in the formulation of this book. I appreciate his assistance, as well as that of Iris Blasi at Union Square Press, whose foresight and zeal for the topic brought
The Mad Bomber
to life.
Finally, I wish to acknowledge the longsuffering patience and indulgence of my family, Donna, Corey, and Jeffrey, who love and support me every step of the way.
The sheer volume of endnotes in this book reveals my philosophy that any work of nonfiction be extensively documented, and though the sources relied upon were anything but voluminous, I have done my best to mine the details from the books, magazines, and newspapers that are available on the subject. A tedious list of citations, however, can only be useful when viewed in the context of the overall message delivered to the reader or researcher. It is my intention that the following source list will, thus, provide the reader with a schematic to the mind and mystery of the Mad Bomber.
Virtually every quotation in this book was an actual statement taken from primary materials and attributed directly to its source. Newspapers of the dayâmost notably the
New York Journal-American
and the
New York Times
âprovided many of the fluid details and quotes used throughout the book. Official records of the New York City Police Department, county court files, and district attorney notes also permitted a rare glimpse into the law enforcement response to the case. Unquestionably, the most valuable resource relied upon was the actual recollections of people who were directly involved with or affected by the Mad Bomber. Recorded interviews given by Seymour Berkson to Mike Wallace on the 1957 television program
Night Beat
, currently housed at the Paley Center for Media, provided a unique insight into the thoughts and ethical dilemmas of a 1950s newspaperman covering the biggest story of his day and formed the basis for my understanding and descriptions of the open letters to the Mad Bomber. Beyond recorded transcriptions and media images, however, it was the assistance of the actual surviving witnesses to the Mad Bomber and his doings that I relied upon most in the writing of this book. Though many who lived through the terror of George Metesky are no longer with us, some are, and their assistance in formulating and substantiating the story, as I came to understand it, proved invaluable.
PROLOGUE
“Suddenly I heard a report”
: “Blast Hurts 7 in B'klyn,”
New York Journal-American,
December 3, 1956, 1.
“The shock and terror of what happened”
: “Explosion Victims Glad He's Caught,”
New York Journal-American,
January 22, 1957, 3.
This, the Bomber would later state”
: “Transcript of Interrogation of George Metesky, 17 4th Street, Waterbury, Connecticut, at Police Headquarters, January 22, 1957,” NYC Department of Records/ Municipal Archives.
“the one place on earth”
: James A. Brussel,
Casebook of a Crime Psychiatrist
(Bernard Geis Associates, 1968), 22.
The workspace was meticulously ordered:
Ibid.
“as clean and orderly as”
: “âMad Bomber' Made Devices in Neat, Garage Workshop,”
Bridgeport Post,
January 22, 1957, 12.
Interrupting this nefarious circuitry
: Brussel,
Casebook
, 25. Also, telephone interview with William F. Schmitt, December 10, 2009.
To the contrary
: Brussel,
Casebook
, 23.
By now the process had become
: “Report of Psychiatric Examination in the Case of George Metesky alias George Milauskas,” March 1, 1957, NYC Department of Records/Municipal Archives.
Feeling uncomfortable as one of the only men:
Brussel,
Casebook
, 23â24.
With feigned nonchalance
: “Series of âPipe Bombs,'” Notations of the New York City Police Department, NYC Department of Records/Municipal Archives.
“There are sequences and moments”
: Bosley Crowther, “Screen: â
War and Peace
'” (movie review),
New York Times
, August 22, 1956, 26.
“Technicolored panorama”
: Ibid.
The Paramount Theatre arose in an era
: Francis Morrone,
An Architectural Guidebook to Brooklyn
(Gibbs Smith, 2001), 3. Thus, “Warner Brothers Theatre,” “Fox Theatre,” and “Paramount Theatre.”
They would become
: Christopher Gray, “Streetscapes/The Brooklyn Paramount; Once a Rococo Palace, Now a Citadel of Learning,”
New York Times
, July 31, 1994, R7.
With an ornately decorated
: Morrone,
An Architectural Guidebook
, 4.
“the plans of an outdoor moonlit Italian garden”
: “New Brooklyn Theatres,”
New York Times,
January 1, 1928, N19.
“scenic effects . . . not confined”
: Morrone,
An Architectural Guidebook
, 4.
The massive glowing letters
: Ibid., 5.
“most famous movie place”
: Ibid., 3.
Behind the opulent décor
: Christopher Gray, “Streetscapes/The Brooklyn Paramount,” R7.
Rushing into the auditorium
: “6 Hurt in Bombing at Theatre Here,”
New York Times
, December 3, 1956, 1. Also, author's interview with Horatio Tedesco, June 23, 2009. Tedesco knew, of course, that the explosion was caused by a force much greater than a firecracker but made the announcement in an effort to prevent further panic. As police took over the scene, Tedesco contacted the managing director of the Brooklyn Paramount, Eugene Pleshette (father of actress Suzanne Pleshette), who upon arrival at the theatre chided Tedesco for interrupting an evening out on the town. The next day, as news reports began to surface praising Tedesco's actions in avoiding a general panic, Pleshette arrogantly noted a job well done telling Tedesco, “Nice job my boy.” Ibid.
Soon after, Kings County district attorney
: Ibid., 24.
As Doris Russo fought for her life
: “Kennedy Orders Wide Manhunt for Movie Bombing Perpetrator,”
New York Times
, December 4, 1956, 1.
“easily pass as a person”
: “Transcript of Court Appearance,
The People of the State of New York vs. George Metesky,
City Magistrates' Court of the City of New York Felony Court, Borough of Manhattan, Docket No. 1226. January 22, 1957,” NYC Department of Records/ Municipal Archives.
“through some quirk of fate”
: “Blast Hurts 7 in B'klyn,” 6.
He had planted his bombs
: Transcript of Interrogation of George Metesky, January 22, 1957.
“the greatest manhunt”
: “Kennedy Orders Wide Manhunt,” 1.
CHAPTER I: “A REAL BOOM TOWN”
The call came into the 20th squad
: “Series of âPipe Bombs.'”
“CON EDISON CROOKS”
: Brussel,
Casebook
, 14.
“THERE IS NO SHORTAGE”
: Jamie James, “The Mad Bomber vs. Con Ed,”
Rolling Stone Magazine,
November 15, 1979, 47.
While being examined
: Richard Esposito and Ted Gerstein,
Bomb Squad: A Year Inside the Nation's Most Exclusive Police Unit
(Hyperion, 2007), 277.