On Page One this week, we’ve been running excerpts from veteran reporter Tim O’Neil’s book about historic crimes in St. Louis — “Mobs, Mayhem & Murder: Tales From the St. Louis Police Beat”

It’s solid historical reporting and excellent writing — entertaining reading, if you’ll allow that tales of mayhem and murder can be entertainment.

Here’s the lineup of stories:

Sunday: Desperate Robbers and a Sure Shot
Monday: The Chain of Rocks Killings
Today: The Ghastly Secret in the Trunk
Wednesday: The Mob War
Thursday: Blinded but Not Defeated

Some readers have questioned why this is news, why this series is being displayed on Page One. A few say that the holiday season is no time to recall old crimes.

One reader emailed me:

“I am writing to express my frustration with the Post-Dispatch’s choice to place your crime series “Tales from the St. Louis Police Beat” on the front page. I understand that many people enjoy Mr. O’Neil’s work, but I think I speak for many of my friends and colleagues when I say that we want more national and international coverage on the front page. The events in Mumbai, the Libyan humanitarian ship turned away from Gaza by Israel, Zimbabwe, Iraq …  these are all issues that I would like to see featured more prominently than a 120-year-old story about a ghost.”

We consider many things in deciding our front-page lineup. We want a mix and variety of stories. Stories that are interesting, relevant, useful, important, informative, surprising and sometimes fun. Our best pages are heavy with local news — stories that readers aren’t getting from other news sources.

O’Neil’s stories are not what readers would normally expect to find on Page One. If nothing else, they provide surprise. But they are also interesting and informative. They provide a sense of place, historically.

Admittedly, there’s a promotional element here. The serialization helps to sell newspapers and helps to sell the book.

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