1931 Torch Murders Photo On Sale at eBay

eBay has for sale a photo of the three men that allegedly robbed two couples in Peninsular Park, drove them to Tuttle Hill Road and murdered them and burned their bodies, in August of 1931. The photo comes with what seems to be a newspaper article of the day, but the text is unattributed. For more on the Torch Murders, here is Edward Deake's Gleaning's story.

Camp Meeting in Peninsular Park

One hundred and three years ago, Peninsular Park was the scene of a September 1907 Christian revival meeting, led by a dynamic 25-year-old reverend.

The son of a West Indies-born father and an Alabama-born mother, Illinois native and Ypsilanti resident James O. Derrick pastored the city's Second Baptist Church on South Hamilton near Buffalo Street. He lived with his wife May B. at 531 Jefferson Avenue, in the city's historically black district sometimes called "Hungry Hill." Married in 1903 when they were both 21, the couple had one infant son Delman S., who in a year and a half would get a brother, Delmer A.

May had emigrated from Canada in 1901. By 1910, May would have 5 children, of whom 2 survived.

in 1919, the Derricks relocated to Detroit, where James led and expanded the three-year-old Russell Street Baptist Church, where he would remain in authority until 1931. He was regarded as scholarly, inspiring, and a good youth programs organizer. Derrick oversaw the relocation of the church to its present-day site at 8700 Chrysler Service Drive, where it would become a second home to blacks migrating to Detroit to work in the Big Three auto plants. Today, Derrick is regarded as one of the church's best pastors in its history.

For a while, however, Ypsilanti had been able to call the pastor one of her own.

Against His Better Judgment, at Sundown in 1912

C'mon, let's just go out for an hour.

I have to help my dad with the draying tomorrow morning, and he gets up early.

Oh, phooey. The daisy was right. I guess he loves me not.

It's not--I just have to get up early, and I can't--

Look, the sun is going down. Let's just run out for a minute to cool off. We can paddle out there behind the trees. No one can see us there. Here, take this oar.