Changes in the tobacco industry–lower prices, declining demand, and a heightened stigma towards the trade–have had many small farmers reeling. Many people don’t realize that some Amish grow and use tobacco (especially those in Lancaster County and related settlements). In this Washington Post article, southern Maryland Amish farmers, along with some non-Amish counterparts, have refused a state-sponsored buyout and shifted to producing a higher-demand leaf…
Jim Hillibish describes tracking Eli Stutzman, father of Little Boy Blue, in this piece for the Canton Repository (no longer online). Authorities are to check Stutzman’s DNA and fingerprints in connection with the 1985 murders of two Colorado men.
The Amish and drugs–it’s another one of those things that grab our attention because it seems so out-of-place. Recall the media reaction to two young Amish men busted for dealing coke among Lancaster Amish “gangs” (ie, youth groups) in 1998. But following up yesterday’s post, it’s worth remembering that ‘heavy’, as the Lagrange meth problem was described, may be relative. Meth has clearly been a…
It started in the 60’s, gained momentum in the 80’s and is now being called a full-blown drug epidemic. As America’s ‘most dangerous drug’ has surged through the country, the West and Midwest have been especially hard-hit. But has it even invaded the Amish? In this Toledo WNWO story (no longer online), an Amish informant talks about the ‘heavy’ meth problem in his large northern…
The body of ex-Amishman Eli Stutzman–convicted of one murder, suspected in four others–lies in a Texas morgue, unclaimed by his former Ohio Amish community. Stutzman’s DNA may be the case-breaker in the 1985 deaths of two Colorado men. Gregg Olsen, author of Abandoned Prayers, commented on the case which has hounded him for the past 20 years. Olsen shares an interesting idea–if Ida (Stutzman’s wife…
‘The typical English guy looks at one of us and just sees an Amish person. Actually there can be a lot of difference.’ So said a Holmes County Amishman, commenting on the diversity in his area. Compared to the Old Order Amish, the so-called New Order Amish are a curious mix–one which we might term technologically more liberal, but in some ways culturally more conservative….
The Amish often seek medical treatment across the border. Cost is the main reason why. Lacking health insurance as the Amish do, treatment in the US can be expensive. A new law requiring passports, complete with identifying photos, could stop trips to Canada and Mexico. The photo part is the problem. Most Amish avoid posing for photos. The group has usually been able to negotiate…
Former Amishman Eli Stutzman‘s death has been ruled a suicide. The father of Little Boy Blue, suspected in three other deaths in addition to that of his son, killed himself in a Fort Worth, Texas apartment last week. Gregg Olsen, who chronicled the case in Abandoned Prayers, says the story might not be over. “I think it would be a pretty big thing to take…
“We want to forgive him, but we have to not just do it one time. We have to do it again and again.” An anonymous Amish couple has spoken about the Nickel Mines shootings, and what’s come after. “I have to talk, get it out of my system. If not it would get the best of me “, said the Amish woman. They spoke about…
The stories are heartbreaking. You feel for the victims. It’s hard to imagine what they’ve been through. But at the same time, a 20/20 piece on Amish abuse from a few years back points to the generalizations that many journalists rely on to tell their story. The 20/20 folks lean heavily on cliches and misconceptions–from the ominous opening music, to the overplayed stories they trot…