Introduction
When I was growing up, I loved and collected books. One day I accompanied my father to an estate auction of a man who had been murdered near Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania in 1967. While there, I bid 50 cents on a card table full of books, and then an adult bid 55 cents. The auctioneer yelled "I DON'T TAKE NICKEL BIDS! SOLD!" Another adult asked me what I would take for the old Ouija board that accompanied the books, and I sold it for 50 cents.
One of the books was an original copy of Amos Judson's 1865 book "History of the Eighty-Third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers", and another was an original copy of the 1864 book "Soldier's National Cemetery, Gettysburg". Reading those two books as a youngster turned me into a history buff.
Inside the books, there were photographs of two Civil War soldiers, William M. and Arthur K. Cleeland. I started a web page about the books and photographs, and relatives provided a significant amount of information about the men and their families, which I added to the web page.
In 2011 D. Heasley, a relative of Wallace Coulson, encountered that web page and identified the murder victim as Wallace Coulson. That same year, K. Vanco wrote to me, saying "We were neighbors of Wallace and he was, often, at our house helping my dad and vice versa. I was 9 when Wallace was murdered. January 6 is my dad's birthday; Wallace was invited to our house for cake and ice cream to celebrate. I remember watching Lassie and then going off to bed wondering where he was and why he hadn't arrived. He was found near the bend in the road, I am sure having started out to walk to our house. I have a picture of Wallace helping my dad load one of our pigs to go to market. I fondly remember him."
In 2022, I learned that a high school classmate of mine, Roman Amon, named his son Coleson in honor of Wallace Coulson, and I gave the Civil War books and photos to him to give to his son. When Roman was a youth, he and his friends rode their bikes on the dirt road past Wallace Coulson's farm, and often stopped to visit with Wallace, who he described as a very kind man.
L. Dietle
Photos of Wallace Coulson & family
The following baby photo of Wallace Brooks Coulson was provided in 2011 by D. Heasley, who wrote "His niece Anita Coulson Barker said he was her favorite uncle, he was always so much fun to be around."
The following photo shows Walt Frantz (left) and Wallace Coulson (right) loading Walt's 850-pound hog "Sweet Pea" for market in the spring of 1963. This photo was provided by Walt's daughter K. (Frantz) Vanco, who wrote that she fondly remembered Wallace. I posted the picture on a Mercer County Facebook page in 2022 and was surprised at all the people who wrote to say they had fond memories of Wallace Coulson. It seems to me that still being remembered and loved 55 years after death is a remarkable measure of a man.
The following photo was provided by Roman Amon in 2026. In the photo, Wallace Coulson's brother Clifford is holding Roman's son Coleson.
The following photo of Wallace Coulson was provided by Roman Amon in 2026. In 2026 D. Heasley wrote, "This ... picture is Wallace. It was taken at the house I live in now. My grandparents had rented this house in the 1920s..."
The following photo was provided by Roman Amon in 2026. In 2026 D. Heasley wrote, "This picture is Wallace and his youngest brother William. My grandfather is beside them on the right Maitland Allen Symons. ...William died in 1971 a tractor fell on him."
The following photo was provided by Roman Amon in 2026. In 2026 D. Heasley wrote, "This picture is Wallace, my grandfather Maitland Symons, my grandmother Alma Mary Coulson Symons, and their sister Nellie Coulson Batley. ... The picture you see on the back of the wall Robert Osborn helped me have it restored. Arthur Kelty Cleeland sent money home so they could get their pictures taken."
Information about the murder of Wallace Coulson
Newspaper clippings, etc., from D. Heasley:
Memorial songs
The first song,"Don Brown is Dead," has lyrics. The second song, titled "Victor, Wallace, and Katie," is an instrumental version of "Don Brown is Dead."
Return to the William & Arthur Cleeland page
The following photo of Wallace Coulson was provided by D. Heasley in 2026. R. Amon also provided a copy of the photo in 2026.
A May 12, 2004 article in the "Pocono Record", updated January 7, 2011, is titled "Man pleads guilty to 38-year-old murder". The article indicates that Donald Brown confessed to Katie Lumley’s death in 1996, and plead guilty to Victor Dillaman’s death in 2004. The article also indicates that Brown was already serving life in prison for the 1967 murders of Katie Lumley and Wallace Coulson, and indicates that Victor Dillaman and Wallace Coulson had been customers of Brown when Brown had a bread delivery route.
(Best viewed on a computer.)
The following songs were created in remembrance of the victims of Donald Leroy Brown: Victor Dillaman, Wallace Brooks Coulson, and Ada "Katie" Lumley. Click on the cover images to play the songs. If you are on a computer, when the songs are playing, a menu should be available that allows you to download the audio files to use on your phone or tablet.
