And in 1971 it unanimously passed a motion honouring the Boston Strangler, which a playful member had sponsored to demonstrate that his colleagues passed bills without reading them.

ECONOMIST: A joke-spinning candidate with serious consequences

Boston, MA: A bewitching past hangings at Boston Common, Civil War dungeon prisons, pirate executions, the Boston Strangler, tales of being buried alive has fostered a spirited present, say many ghost-hunting pros.

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