Thomas Brigham, a 65-year-old former World War II prisoner of war and transient resident of South Norwood, was arrested in Montreal in connection with a devastating Monday bombing at the city’s main railroad station that left three people dead and 41 injured.
Prior to his arrest, Brigham told clerks at the South Norwood Pharmacy on Washington Street that he would be away for a couple of months because “I have a mission in Montreal.” Local acquaintances described Brigham as a frequent customer at the drug store who lived quietly in Apartment No. 4 at 260 Dean St. James Butters, a part-time clerk at the pharmacy owned by Selectman William Butters, recalled that Brigham frequently talked about “cosmic forces,” “hidden meanings” in newspaper headlines, and a belief that he possessed special powers.
Brigham was taken into custody by Montreal police after allegedly telling a reporter that he had mailed notes threatening Pope John Paul II ahead of the pontiff’s scheduled Canadian rail tour. While U.S. Secret Service acknowledged that Brigham had previously been placed under surveillance for trailing President Reagan, his relatives and ex-wife, Marjorie Brigham, noted he had a history of mental illness following his 1973 divorce and subsequent walkout from a Cleveland mental hospital in 1975. Brigham denied planting the 27.5-pound bomb, though authorities continue to investigate the blast’s ties to the upcoming papal visit.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
Peter Makarewicz Confesses to Murder of Geraldine Annese-This Day in Norwood History-November 7, 1954
Levi Greenwood Held in $600 in Dedham Court. DEDHAM. Feb 24- A case that will be of great interest to not only the residents of…
Police Chief James F. Curran reported that Norwood’s four-month-old public drinking bylaw successfully cleared the town square but pushed drinking to the outskirts.
Walenty C. Gil was arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of his estranged wife, Maria Gil, and Frank Doherty following a stabbing at a…
Erastus Monroe Boyden was tried before Judge Emory Grover in the District Court in Dedham, on last Monday morning, on two charges of assault with…
Wrestler and All-Around Athlete, in Perfect Shape Despite 230 Pounds Has Many Important Captures to His Credit Already Patrolman Charles R. Donnell who early this…
Discover more from Norwood Historical Society
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.