Local histories tend to focus not only on the major events in a community’s past, but also on the nicer ones. Any town’s life, however, includes what might be called a wicked side — an assortment of bad guys or bad times that may include thievery, bigotry, murders, missing persons, and other assorted man-made misery. Often these people and events may have been forgotten because they were so long ago — or may have been tucked away because people preferred to forget them. This book describes aspects of Ridgefield’s past that are sometimes tragic, often sad, and occasionally mysterious. Many accounts provide glimpses into the lives that townspeople lived and trials they faced, while others recall the crimes and criminals who upset those lives. In many cases, however, the worst events can bring out the best in a community. People get together, stars emerge, and improvements in how we function as a society result. This look at the darker side of Ridgefield history points out some heroes, offers some lessons, and provides even a little humor. But let’s face it, as anyone from Shakespeare to a newspaper editor could tell you, bad times make good stories.