Ada Patterson

(1867-1939) lived at Riverton and Franklin, Franklin County. Writer, Journalist, playwright, considered one of four original "sob sisters" of journalism, first newspaper woman in nation to witness the execution of a criminal, Dr. Arthur Duestrow, who was hanged in 1897 at Union, Missouri, interviewed men working in the caisson of a bridge being built across the East River, covered the sensational Harry K. Thaw murder trial in New York in 1907 with colleague New York journalist Dorothy Dix, published several magazine articles, was feature writer for 48 newspapers. Consult Editor and Publisher and Journalist (November 15, 1913) 424 and Tampa /FL/ Sunday Tribune, June 4, 1939, Part 4, p. 2 and Ishbel Ross, Ladies of the Press (Arno Press, 1974) 65-73+ and American National Biography, Sup 1 (2002) 473-474.

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