The Disappearance of Alice Corbett: A Utica and Smith College Mystery - Paperback

by James M. Greiner (Author)

November 13, 1925, marked the third miserably cold and dreary day on the campus of Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Early that morning the girls at Park House made a horrible discovery. A senior girl, Jeanne Robeson, lay dead on the floor of her kitchenette, the apparent victim of gas asphyxiation.

Later that afternoon, a second tragedy loomed as the girls at Clark House became aware that one of their housemates was missing. Alice Corbett of Utica, New York, walked away from Clark House and simply vanished. Her disappearance was front-page news in every paper in the northeast.

With the death of one girl on campus and the disappearance of another, the press at first speculated that the two cases were somehow connected. The police, on the other hand, had other theories to investigate: was the Alice Corbett case a suicide, a runaway or an elopement? Did she suffer a nervous breakdown due to academic difficulties, or was her personal life dealt a staggering blow by a onetime boyfriend?

Join author James M. Greiner as he unravels the details behind this cold case.

Author Biography

Retired history teacher James M. Greiner has been the Herkimer County Historian for over thirty years. He is the author of several books and numerous articles about local history. Apart from writing history, he is actively involved with preserving history. As president of Historic Herkimer County he is busy raising funds and directing the restoration of the 1834 Jail, a popular tourist attraction. He resides in Herkimer with his wife Teresa.