Article Archives: Bumps in the Night

Busted-The 1961 Heroin arrest of Ray Charles in Indianapolis

January 11, 2024 | by Al Hunter

This column originally appeared in June 2009. November 7, 1961, on the heels of recording what was arguably his best jazz album ever, Ray Charles checked in to the Downtown Sheraton-Lincoln Hotel. His band stayed in the old black Claypool Hotel. That night, Ray got a call from a man … Read More

The Sad Demise of the Last Burger Chef

January 4, 2024 | by Al Hunter

This column first appeared in December 2016. Recent news that the Burger Chef in Indianapolis that was the scene of a notorious mass murder is to be demolished made me want to pull this from our “Al Archive.” EW A few years ago I wrote an article about the last … Read More

James Dean in Gettysburg

December 21, 2023 | by Al Hunter

This column first appeared in December 2011. There is an item on my office desk that calls to me every time my mind wanders, I’m gathering my thoughts, or most often, while I’m waiting for a document to load on the computer. It’s a ticket stub, smaller than an index … Read More

Oswald’s Coffin, Part 2

December 14, 2023 | by Al Hunter

This column first appeared in February, 2011. It was Monday November 24, 1963 and recently widowed Marina and the rest of the family were watching the John F. Kennedy funeral in a Fort Worth, Texas motel. Marina wanted to keep watching it, but the family said it was time to … Read More

Lee Harvey Oswald and the Death of Innocence, Part 1

December 7, 2023 | by Al Hunter

This column first appeared in February 2011. Fifty years ago this month, the death of innocence in America began. I believe its roots can be found in  a single diary entry  made on February 1, 1961 that reads: “Make my first request to American Embassy, Moscow for reconsidering my position, … Read More