Forgotten Terror

I was moved to write to you for two reasons after reading your November/December 2001 issue. The first was Nathan Ward’s statement (in “The Fire Last Time”) that the Wall Street bombing of 1920 was, “until the Oklahoma City devastation, the most deadly terrorist attack in American history.” The second was Kevin Baker’s statement (“In the News”) that “one standing rule at American Heritage is to be sure not to focus too much on New York City.”

On the morning of May 18, 1927, in the small town of Bath, Michigan, 43 people were killed, 44 including the killer. Thirty-nine of these were victims of the single bombing at the Bath school. The bomber, like Timothy McVeigh, was lashing out against the government. Perhaps I do not fully understand the term terrorist , or we are splitting hairs about the number of victims. Either way, mentioning this incident or qualifying some statements would have helped all of us out here in the sticks to really believe you truly do not focus too much on New York City.