Bill was headed to White Plains High School where he was an agriculture teacher who worked with the Future Farmers of America and also GIs returning to family farms after their tour of duty was done.Īt 23, he wasn’t much older than many of his students. It must have been a shock when Bill pushed the fabric from his face.

Someone brought a blanket to cover the young man out of respect as others called for emergency services. Twenty feet from the truck lay the body of their neighbor William Cochrane. The acrid scent of burning fuel filled the air as people tried to make sense of the wreckage. Twisted metal, fluttering pieces of paper, and the mangled remains of a Ford pickup truck littered Franklin Street and the neatly kept lawns that lined it.

The scene of destruction must have been jarring.Ī heavy fog shrouded the carnage, clinging to trees and adding to the surreal affect. The blast tore through the chilled morning air, glass shards from shattered windows raining down on Mount Airy citizens as they ran to investigate. Bill Cochrane was teaching here when he fell victim to a bombing that left him with mortal wounds. (Photo courtesy of Kate Rauhauser-Smith.) After Bill’s murder, Imogene never spent another night in the apartment. The couple were married in August and planned to build their lives together in White Plains where they were looking to buy a home. The swift response of the agents unsettled the alleged murderer who took his own life rather than face justice.īill and Imogene Cochrane lived in the Franklin Apartments at the corner of McCargo and Franklin streets in Mount Airy. When Imogene’s wedding plans to a second husband were made known in 1954, another bomb was placed, and this time she was the apparent target. Rumors flew through the communities where people knew the young couple and people clamored for an arrest and conviction. The weekly Mount Airy News ran pictures of the blast scene. The horrific murder of William Cochrane and the two-year investigation was reported in newspapers from Los Angeles to Memphis, Ontario to Spokane.

Free download peat moss home depot