Talk:Boundary Channel

A fact from Boundary Channel appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 25 May 2013 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that Boundary Channel off the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. was dredged and widened to provide fill material to raise the ground by more than 8 feet (2.4 m) when The Pentagon was constructed?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2013/May. The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/Boundary Channel.

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Irrelevant info? Cut from main page and pasted here

A second throat-slashing murder and rape occurred on Hains Point (almost directly east of Boundary Channel on the D.C. side of the Potomac River) on October 5. This victim was 18-year-old Dorothy Berrum. Investigators quickly found eyewitnesses and a chain of evidence which led them to United States Marine Corps Private Earl McFarland. McFarland was indicted on December 11, 1944, and a jury convicted him of murder after an hour's deliberation on February 1, 1945. He was sentenced to die in the electric chair.^[1] On April 3, McFarland and a companion escaped from the D.C. Jail. Two guards were playing cards with them, and the men overpowered them and walked out of the unlocked cell block. An eight-day manhunt covered the entire East Coast before McFarland was recaptured in Knoxville, Tennessee, (his home town) on April 11. His escape led to scathing indictments about the way the D.C. Jail was staffed and managed. President Harry S. Truman declined to give McFarland clemency on July 3, 1946, and the Supreme Court of the United States denied his appeal on July 18. He was executed on July 19.^[2]

^ "Victim, 17, Raped, Then Strangled." The Washington Post. October 7, 1944, p. 1; "McFarland Indicted in Lagoon Death." The Washington Post. December 12, 1944, p. 1; "McFarland Trial Delayed Until Jan. 29." The Washington Post. January 4, 1945, p. 4; "Death Penalty Is Asked for McFarland." The Washington Post. January 30, 1945, p. 1; Bernstein, Adele. "McFarland's Alibi Jolted As Girl Recants." The Washington Post. January 31, 1945, p. 1; Bernstein, Adele. "McFarland Denies Any Part in Murder as Case Nears Jury." The Washington Post. February 1, 1945, p. 1; Bernstein, Adele. "Jury Returns Guilty Verdict After Hour's Deliberation." The Washington Post. February 2, 1945, p. 1; "McFarland Sentenced to Die June 26." The Washington Post. February 17, 1945, p. 3.
^ Hailey, Al and Lewis, Al. "McFarland's Companion in Escape Is Recaptured." The Washington Post. April 4, 1946, p. 1; Hailey, Al and Lewis, Al. "McFarland Manhunt Covers East." The Washington Post. April 5, 1946, p. 1; Hailey, Al. "Jail Guards and Killers Played Cards for a Month." The Washington Post. April 11, 1946, p. 1; Yarborough, Charles and Lewis, Al. "Free for 8 Days and 8 Hours, Unarmed Slayer Tells FBI How He Dodged Police, Rode Freights to His Native State." The Washington Post. April 12, 1946, p. 1; "McFarland Recaptured in Knoxville." The Washington Post. April 12, 1946, p. 1; Hailey, Al. "Botkin Will Be Asked Why Death Row Door In Jail Was Left Open." The Washington Post. April 13, 1946, p. 1; "Marshals Have Difficulty Getting McFarland Into Jail." The Washington Post. April 16, 1946, p. 1; "FBI Report on Jail Suggests Everyone Could Have Got Out." The Washington Post. June 1, 1946, p. 1; "Truman Rejects Clemency Plea of McFarland." The Washington Post. July 4, 1946, p. 1; "McFarland Must Die Today; Vinson Rejects Delay Plea." The Washington Post. July 19, 1946, p. 1; Hailey, Al. "McFarland Dies in Chair, Protesting Innocence to End." The Washington Post. July 20, 1946, p. 1.

Opera hat (talk) 18:52, 14 February 2021 (UTC) (text originally posted by User:Tim1965)[reply]

It seems relevant when two gruesome murders occur at the site, and this one results in a U.S. Supreme Court case. That's my rationale for including it. To my mind, it's akin to saying "Marion Barry was arrested in Room 711 at the Vista Hotel" in an article about that hotel, or in saying "The Donner Party got trapped and committed cannibalism in the Tahoe National Forest." The history of places is as important as the thing itself. If the idea is that this particular event is provided in too much detail, then be bold. - Tim1965 (talk) 20:38, 14 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]
- But this is the article about the Boundary Channel, and the second gruesome murder didn't occur at the site; it took place in East Potomac Park on the other side of the river. To my mind, it's akin to saying "John Lennon was shot outside the Dakota" in the article about the Sherry-Netherland. The info about McFarland is all good stuff, but it doesn't belong here. I suggest you add it to the article on East Potomac Park. Opera hat (talk) 15:08, 16 February 2021 (UTC)[reply]

[1] "Victim, 17, Raped, Then Strangled." The Washington Post. October 7, 1944, p. 1; "McFarland Indicted in Lagoon Death." The Washington Post. December 12, 1944, p. 1; "McFarland Trial Delayed Until Jan. 29." The Washington Post. January 4, 1945, p. 4; "Death Penalty Is Asked for McFarland." The Washington Post. January 30, 1945, p. 1; Bernstein, Adele. "McFarland's Alibi Jolted As Girl Recants." The Washington Post. January 31, 1945, p. 1; Bernstein, Adele. "McFarland Denies Any Part in Murder as Case Nears Jury." The Washington Post. February 1, 1945, p. 1; Bernstein, Adele. "Jury Returns Guilty Verdict After Hour's Deliberation." The Washington Post. February 2, 1945, p. 1; "McFarland Sentenced to Die June 26." The Washington Post. February 17, 1945, p. 3.

[2] Hailey, Al and Lewis, Al. "McFarland's Companion in Escape Is Recaptured." The Washington Post. April 4, 1946, p. 1; Hailey, Al and Lewis, Al. "McFarland Manhunt Covers East." The Washington Post. April 5, 1946, p. 1; Hailey, Al. "Jail Guards and Killers Played Cards for a Month." The Washington Post. April 11, 1946, p. 1; Yarborough, Charles and Lewis, Al. "Free for 8 Days and 8 Hours, Unarmed Slayer Tells FBI How He Dodged Police, Rode Freights to His Native State." The Washington Post. April 12, 1946, p. 1; "McFarland Recaptured in Knoxville." The Washington Post. April 12, 1946, p. 1; Hailey, Al. "Botkin Will Be Asked Why Death Row Door In Jail Was Left Open." The Washington Post. April 13, 1946, p. 1; "Marshals Have Difficulty Getting McFarland Into Jail." The Washington Post. April 16, 1946, p. 1; "FBI Report on Jail Suggests Everyone Could Have Got Out." The Washington Post. June 1, 1946, p. 1; "Truman Rejects Clemency Plea of McFarland." The Washington Post. July 4, 1946, p. 1; "McFarland Must Die Today; Vinson Rejects Delay Plea." The Washington Post. July 19, 1946, p. 1; Hailey, Al. "McFarland Dies in Chair, Protesting Innocence to End." The Washington Post. July 20, 1946, p. 1.

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