Attempted murder in Courthouse Park

For The Madera Tribune

The zoo in Courthouse Park, shown here, was almost the scene of a murder in 1917.

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It was Sunday, and Maderans living near the Courthouse Park were enjoying a sunny May morning. 

William King Heiskell was out surveying his handiwork; after all, he more than any other person, was responsible for the park. He designed it. He built the aviary and the hothouse in which he grew orchids from South America as well as Cherokee pink roses and chrysanthemums. Heiskell had planted sweetpeas of different colors along the lane of small trees next to the highway. Inspired by Holland’s display at the World’s Fair in 1915, he also planted several beds of tulips. 

Heiskell had a lot of which he could be proud, and on that quiet Sunday morning, he was taking it all in, until he heard that blood-curdling scream resounding across the park. “Murder! Help! Awk! Someone was definitely in distress.