July 24, 1901
Buried in the Same Grave
Carl Johnson and Della Dreamer Interred at Carthage, Mo.
Carthage, Mo., July 23. -
The funeral of the two children, Carl Johnson and Della Dreamer, drowned in Spring river yesterday, took place at Park cemetery today. They were buried in the same grave, as for years they both had been sweethearts, and were both born on the same day. A large crowd gathered, and their classmates were pall-bearers. It is understood that a fortune teller had recently told Mr. Johnson that his son would either be killed by electricity or drowned.
Aww that is just too sad!! They were only 12. After I found this, I did a little more digging and found a few more articles.
JULY 25, 1901
TWO 11-YEAR OLD CHILDREN DROWNED
BOY HERO DIED THIS MORNING TRYING TO SAVE THE GIRL
LITTLE DELLA DREAMER AND CARL JOHNSON
The Girl Holding Hands of Her Companions, Took a Dare and Waded Over a Step-Off at the Water Works, 75 Feet Below Main Street Bridge
Carl Johnson and Della Dreamer, two eleven-year old children of North Main Street, were drowned this morning at 11 o'clock in Spring River, 75 feet below the Main Street bridge, and just over the riffle below the water works in-take. The boy lives at the water works pump station, his father, A. P. Johnson, being resident engineer there, working from midnight to noon. Little Misses Ethel Orr and Della Sigler stayed with Carl's sister, little Miss Ella Johnson last night, and being joined this morning by Della Dreamer, all four put on old dresses and went wading on the riffle below the water works. Carl was playing somewhere about the bank below the pump house.
Immediately below the riffle, or water works dam, is a very deep hole along one side of which is a steep step-off. Some brush from up river had lodged on the riffle, the butts becoming embedded in the gravel and the ends extending out over the deeper water. Holding onto the brush ends and hand in hand, the Dreamer girl being on the lower end of the line, the girls waded into the water. A small colored youth named King stood on the bank, chaffed the girls about being afraid, and dared them to wade "just a little farther - and a little farther."
Suddenly little Della, on the end of the line, went over the step-off, and in her sudden consternation the next girl to her, Ethel Orr, let go her hold, all being thrown down into the water. The three girls next to the brush could scramble out, but Della Dreamer began to sink and scream.
BOY GOES TO THE RESCUE
There was not a man in sight or hearing, and Carl Johnson, less than the drowning girl in size, rushed to her rescue like the true little hero that he proved himself to be. Priding himself on his swimming, he was at her side in an instant, but in her terror the girl did the usual and worst thing possible. Grabbing him frantically about the neck and arms, she retarded his swimming, and both went down together.
Terrified, the other girls ran to the pump house across the river. Engineer Johnson was at work there and was soon on the scene, an intensely excited man. Ernest Roberts, a small boy, ran up Main street and spread he alarm. A few minutes later eight or ten men were wading through the water looking for the bodies.
J. V. Pearman, notified by the Roberts boy, ran from his planing mill three blocks to the river and plunged in. The water was nearly six feet deep and came up to his neck. A cattleman named French came in from the north and joined the search. The water was of good expanse and it was about fifteen minutes before, feeling about with his feet, Mr. French found and brought out the girl. A full quarter of an hour after that Mr. Pearman brought out the boy. The were found ten feet apart. Both bodies were promptly laid on the hot gravel, rolled and worked with in every way suggested, but the life had departed from each forever. Dr. Ketcham was on hand to direct the work.
The dead little hero was carried into his home adjoining the pump house, clad simply in his little red sweater and knee pants. The girl was taken to the home of L. R. Roberts adjoining her own home on Main Street opposite the woolen mill. The mother had been summoned in distress to the river during the search and returned prostrated with her sudden grief a little later. The father, Robert Dreamer is a tank and pump repairer on the Frisco, and was in Fall River, Kansas this morning. He will be home immediately, and the little boy's sister will be home from Kansas City tonight.
Many people called at the two stricken homes immediately after the sad accident. Among them were the church friends. The little Johnson children attended the Congregational Sunday school. The boy was of excellent character, perfect in manners and disposition. A. Hughes was going to take him on a fishing trip this afternoon. The little Dreamer girl was a member of Mrs. Roy Rohm's class at the Baptist Sunday school.
Henry Briggs, the colored fisherman was at the house when a PRESS reporter arrived. "I taught him to swim," said Briggs. "And if I hadn't stopped to get shaved on the way down here they never would have drowned. It is all man can do to save a drowning child - let alone weight for weight."
Mrs. George Brown, of Dixon, Missouri was camping on the river and saw the children drowning but was sick and "just turned her head away." Her husband was not on hand at the time.
Arrangements have been made to hold the funeral of the little boy tomorrow at 4 p.m. at the residence of his father near the water works. Rev. J. B. Toomay will be in charge.
The date for the girl's funeral can not be fixed until the father is located. Telegrams failing to find him at Fall River this afternoon.
It is not considered necessary to hold inquests, but Dr. Thomas was called this afternoon to look at the bodies and testify as to the cause of their death.
JULY 19, 1901
CHILDREN DROWNED
BOY HERO DIES TRYING TO RESCUE A LITTLE GIRL FROM A WATERY GRAVE
CARL JOHNSON AND DELLA DREAMER, TWO TWELVE YEAR OLD CHILDREN, BATHED ONCE TOO OFTEN - NEGRO BOYS TOLD GIRLS THE WATER WAS NOT DEEP. ETHEL ORR MISSED SAME FATE BY HAIR'S BREADTH
Saturday morning at 10:30 o'clock two children were drowned in Spring River near the pump house of the Waterworks Company, 100 feet below the North Main Street bridge. They had been in the water fifteen minutes and both were dead when taken out.
One was little Carl Johnson, son of A. P. Johnson, the pump man at the waterworks, and the other was Della Dreamer, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dreamer, who live on North Main Street. Mr. Dreamer is in the employ of the Frisco, and was at Garden City, Kansas when the accident occured. Both were twelve years old.
It has been the custom of a number of children in the north part of town to go bathing in the river every morning and sometimes in the afternoon. Yesterday they went down as usual and two of their number for the last time. Ella and Ethel Orr, Dell Sigler, Della Dreamer and Carl Johnson were all there. The two little Orr girls and the Dreamer girl went into the water. They were clad in loose wrappers, which they used for a bathing costume. the Sigler girl and the Johnson boy did not go in. She sat on the bank watching them, and the boy had already been in the water fishing with a small minnow sein. He had been accompanied by some negro boys, and they had grown tired and quit fishing.
As the girls had been in the habit of going down to the water wading and bathing, no fear was felt for them by their parents. Then, too, the water at that point at the deepest place is not more than six feet deep, and that is only in one place - the fatal place.
The negro boys, whom no one knew except the boy, and he was dead when taken out, are severely censured for their action. They were out of the water, and called to the girls to wade out farther, as the water was not deep. They had been in seining, and the girls took them at their word and started out. Della Dreamer and Ethel Orr were wading side by side. the water did not get very deep and they seemed to have plenty of confidence.
Suddenly, as the Dreamer girl took a step forward, she sank nearly out of sight. The Orr girl was a little behind her, and missed the step-off into death water. As the Dreamer girl went down she screamed for help, and the next instant she was in deeper water still and sank out of sight.
Heroism was displayed then by the little 12 year-old boy, Carl Johnson, who died trying to rescue his companion. Sitting on the bank when the girl went down the first time there was not a moment's hesitation. He had been literally raised on the river as his father's house was not 200 feet away, and was a strong swimmer and perfect master of a boat. His father had often said he had no fears for the boy for he was as much at home in the water as he was on the land. He was perhaps fifty feet from the girl but he shot across the space like a flash and plunged into the water. At her side in an instant he waited for her to come to the surface. As she did so he reached out and got hold of her dress and started for the bank. At this point the surely fatal thing so dreaded by the bravest and strongest swimmers happened. The girl reached up and tried to get her arm around his neck. He avoided it the first time and was swimming with great power for one so small, but the next instant the girl made another grab for him and this time grasped his neck and down they both went.
There were a number of spectators across the river, people who had camped there, and they were horrified as they saw the two go down together. They were too far away to reach them in time to render assistance and were almost too horror struck to move until they saw the two children sink together. They screamed to them, but it was too late. The children came up three times and each time it could be seen the boy ws locked in deadly embrace. He struggled, but it was useless and when they went down the third time they were seen no more.
As soon as the Dreamer girl stepped into deep water Ethel Orr rushed frantically to the pump house up on a high bank 100 feet from the river to tell Mr. Johnson , who is engineer there. She had not spoken three words until he grasped the situation and started for the water. when he reached the scene the water had closed over his boy and the little girl and did not ripple indicated where their bodies lay. Directed as well as the words of the children could indicate he waded into the water and began the search. The agony he suffered was not shown. He worked systematically and with care. James French, who lives in Kendricktown, was crossing the bridge when Mr. Johnson called to him for help. There was by this time a crowd of people gathered attracted on the bank by the excitement and all joined in the search for the bodies. James French was wading in the deepest place where he could just touch bottom when his foot struck a body and he dived for it. It was the girl and she was on the bottom close to some brush and driftwood in the stream. She was not tangled up in any way. the body was carried to the bank and laid on a cloth and willing hands did all that could be done to bring back breath to the limp form but life was extinct.
J. V. Pearman of the planing mills was in the water with Mr. French and in a few minutes he found the boy's body. It was on the bottom and also close to some driftwood about twelve feet east of the place where the girl lay. He was carried to the shore and Dr. Ketcham, who had arrived by this time, worked with him faithfully but was of no use. He was dead. They had been in the water perhaps twenty minutes before they were taken out.
A great crowd had gathered on the banks of the river by the time the bodies were rescued. Mr. Johnson sat under a tree and great sobs shook his sturdy frame. Mr. Dreamer was at the Johnson home utterly prostrated.
Both bodies were taken to the Johnson place and later the body of the Dreamer girl was taken to her mother's home. Loving hearts and willing hands were there to lend all assistance possible. Mr. Johnson has two daughters, one of whom is in Kansas City, and she was telegraphed for last night. His wife has been dead 10 years and he has raised his two youngest children himself. the one that was drowned was the only boy he had. It was a terrible shock, but he bore up under it bravely. He has been engineer at the pump house ever since the water works were started and has many friends here who sympathize with him in this hour. The undertakers took charge of the body, but as yet no funeral arrangements have been made. The engineer's place at the pump house is filled temporarily by Matt Pringle.
The agony of the father in the death of his only son is in some degree relieved in the knowledge that he died a hero's death. He gave his life in an effort to save his companion from death, a youthful hero whose act of courage is not excelled. He was a bright little fellow and well known about town.
At the little cottage occupied by the Dreamer family, just north of Waddell & Brown's grocery, on North Main Street, there was a pitiful sight. The little golden-haired girl was brought to her home shortly after the drowning and laid upon a couch in the sitting room and efforts were made to save her. Sympathetic neighboring ladies crowded to the home and used every known and available means to restore her consciousness. At first it was thought she was still alive, but as one by one the ladies bent over her searching for some little flutter of life in the still, cold remains, they gave up. Meanwhile the grief-stricken mother was entirely prostrated by the awful blow that had fallen upon her household. Upon being brought from the scene of the drowning she was assisted from the buggy and could not stand and had to be held by two ladies to keep her from falling. then the physician threaded his way between the little awe stricken group to where the child lay. He quickly made a skillful examination and found life extinct. The pitifulness of the scene grew tenser as the sad news was broken to the mother. Up to this time she had hoped that there might be some little hope of her child's life but when told that there was none she sat with drawn face and moaned and wrung her hands in grief. Kind friends were nearby and assisted in soothing her, but the grief was too great and she could be heard mourning the loss of her child for a block. The father of the little girl is not at home, being employed in the pump station on the Frisco at Golden City, Kansas. He was immediately telegraphed for and arrived on the next train. Della Dreamer was a beautiful child of 12 years of age. she was about the size girls usually are at that age and at the time of her death was clad in a short cotton frock of a pinkish color. She has always attended school and was one of the brightest in her class. In the neighborhood of North Main street where she lives she was a favorite among her companions. After all hope had been given up, the undertakers took charge of the remains and prepared them for burial.
The funeral of Carl Johnson will be held this afternoon from the home, and the services will be conducted by Rev. Mr. Toomay. The hour was set on account of the arrival of the trains from Kansas City, and it is supposed Miss Louie Johnson will arrive in time for the funeral.
The funeral of little Della Dreamer will be held some time this afternoon from the home on North Main Street.
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Can you send those these days?
May 9, 1913
Her Ashes Sent By Mail
Then scattered to the winds in Milford Cemetery, According to Requests in Will.
Worcester, Mass., - One of the most unusual packages to be transported through the now parcel post was received by David B. Rockwood of Milford, Mass., a small can containing the ashes of Mrs. J. Fisher Stoddard, a former resident of this place.
The woman died in Cacaville, Ga., two weeks ago and left a will stating that her ashes should be shipped to Milford and scattered to the winds in Vernon Grove cemetery. The ashes were scattered as directed by the will.
Her Ashes Sent By Mail
Then scattered to the winds in Milford Cemetery, According to Requests in Will.
Worcester, Mass., - One of the most unusual packages to be transported through the now parcel post was received by David B. Rockwood of Milford, Mass., a small can containing the ashes of Mrs. J. Fisher Stoddard, a former resident of this place.
The woman died in Cacaville, Ga., two weeks ago and left a will stating that her ashes should be shipped to Milford and scattered to the winds in Vernon Grove cemetery. The ashes were scattered as directed by the will.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Dueling Husbands
Feb 27, 1892
Second Husband Killed the First
Saginaw, Mo., Feb 26 - Thomas Whelan was shot dead on Thursday night by Moses P. Locke, and yesterday his slayer voluntarily surrendered himself.
Some years ago Whelan married Emma Cobbs, of this place, and they moved to Denver. The wife suffered the husband's abuse for over a year, and when it became unbearable, she returned to her parents here with her only child.
Later, seeing in a Denver paper an account of the death of Thomas Whelan, she accepted the attentions of Locke and married him.
Whelan, who was not dead, learned of the marriage and traced the couple to Saginaw, where they ha settled. He there proposed to Locke to let him alone for $300.
Locke is poor and offered to compromise for $100. Whelan refused and continued to annoy the family by letters.
On Thursday, Whelan approached Locke's house. The latter ordered him away, but Whelan refused to go and made a move to draw a revolver, when Locke seized a shot gun and shot him dead.
I guess you should really make sure the first one's dead so the second one doesn't kill him
Second Husband Killed the First
Saginaw, Mo., Feb 26 - Thomas Whelan was shot dead on Thursday night by Moses P. Locke, and yesterday his slayer voluntarily surrendered himself.
Some years ago Whelan married Emma Cobbs, of this place, and they moved to Denver. The wife suffered the husband's abuse for over a year, and when it became unbearable, she returned to her parents here with her only child.
Later, seeing in a Denver paper an account of the death of Thomas Whelan, she accepted the attentions of Locke and married him.
Whelan, who was not dead, learned of the marriage and traced the couple to Saginaw, where they ha settled. He there proposed to Locke to let him alone for $300.
Locke is poor and offered to compromise for $100. Whelan refused and continued to annoy the family by letters.
On Thursday, Whelan approached Locke's house. The latter ordered him away, but Whelan refused to go and made a move to draw a revolver, when Locke seized a shot gun and shot him dead.
I guess you should really make sure the first one's dead so the second one doesn't kill him
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Sounds Like a Jerk to Me!
July 23, 1901
Divorce Suit on Color Line
Hinden Says His Wife's Grandmother Was a Negress.
Lancaster, Pa., - Application for divorce was made today by William J. Hinden, who alleges that his wife before the wedding represented herself as being a white woman, when the fact is her grandmother is a full-fledged negress.
This circumstance came to Hinden's knowledge some time after the marriage, and since then he has not lived with his wife.
Wow - just wow. So he just stopped loving her because he alleges her grandmother was black? What a douchebag.
Divorce Suit on Color Line
Hinden Says His Wife's Grandmother Was a Negress.
Lancaster, Pa., - Application for divorce was made today by William J. Hinden, who alleges that his wife before the wedding represented herself as being a white woman, when the fact is her grandmother is a full-fledged negress.
This circumstance came to Hinden's knowledge some time after the marriage, and since then he has not lived with his wife.
Wow - just wow. So he just stopped loving her because he alleges her grandmother was black? What a douchebag.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Cookies!!
May 25, 1906
Ginger Cookies
Here is still another recipe for ginger cookies:
Sift together three cups flour, one cup sugar, a dessertspoonful each of soda and ginger and one-half teaspoonful salt. Heat in saucepan one cup molasses with one-half cup shortening; when hot add four dessertspoonfuls hot water. Cool slightly and stir into dry mixture. Add quickly two well-beaten eggs. Mix well. Drop by spoonfuls a little distance apart on buttered tin. When pan is full, flatten each cookie with bottom of measuring cup, well floured. Bake in moderate oven. One-half recipe is sufficient.
I love it - I would try it except I'm not exactly sure what bake in moderate oven would translate to...
Ginger Cookies
Here is still another recipe for ginger cookies:
Sift together three cups flour, one cup sugar, a dessertspoonful each of soda and ginger and one-half teaspoonful salt. Heat in saucepan one cup molasses with one-half cup shortening; when hot add four dessertspoonfuls hot water. Cool slightly and stir into dry mixture. Add quickly two well-beaten eggs. Mix well. Drop by spoonfuls a little distance apart on buttered tin. When pan is full, flatten each cookie with bottom of measuring cup, well floured. Bake in moderate oven. One-half recipe is sufficient.
I love it - I would try it except I'm not exactly sure what bake in moderate oven would translate to...
Monday, September 23, 2013
2 Wives are Twice as Nice?
Oops! I missed posting yesterday :( Sorry about that!
Jan 3, 1908
Death Reveals Dual Life
Port Huron, Mich.
Through the death of both himself and his first wife it has been revealed that Herbert Hoadley formerly of Port Huron, was living a dual life. He died a few days ago in a home where he had a second wife and family. Thirteen years ago Hoadley disappeared from this city, leaving his wife and five children. While she was on her deathbed Hoadley died in Alpena. Before he expired he asked that he be buried in Port Huron. His first wife was laid to rest a few days ago in Lakeside cemetery. In a lot not far from her burial place Hoadley has also been buried. His second wife, who thought Hoadley to be single when she married him, came to attend the funeral services.
Jan 3, 1908
Death Reveals Dual Life
Port Huron, Mich.
Through the death of both himself and his first wife it has been revealed that Herbert Hoadley formerly of Port Huron, was living a dual life. He died a few days ago in a home where he had a second wife and family. Thirteen years ago Hoadley disappeared from this city, leaving his wife and five children. While she was on her deathbed Hoadley died in Alpena. Before he expired he asked that he be buried in Port Huron. His first wife was laid to rest a few days ago in Lakeside cemetery. In a lot not far from her burial place Hoadley has also been buried. His second wife, who thought Hoadley to be single when she married him, came to attend the funeral services.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
14 and Married to a Monster
Feb 22, 1895
14 Year Old Wife
While Yet a Child She is Abused by a Brute of a Husband.
The 14 year old wife of Gerardo Searano, a coal miner living at Marshall, Boulder county, appeared in Harper's court yesterday and wept freely as she told of the beatings she received from her husband. Augustina is her name and she is very pretty. She married Gerardo a year ago in Denver and they went to Marshall, where Gerardo got a job in a mine. On July 15 last, Gerardo beat the girl so badly that she ran away and came to her relatives in Denver. She was induced to return and they lived happily until two months ago, when she ran away again. Yesterday the girl swore out a warrant for her husband charging assault.
-Denver News
All I can say is YIKES!
Friday, September 20, 2013
Seduction at it's finest?
Dec 12, 1906
Conrad Schmidt, who was arrested in this city on Sunday, charged with the seduction of Katie Hein, after spending a night in the county jail, reached the conclusion that the easiest and best way for him to right the wrong he had done the woman and save himself trouble, was to marry her. Accordingly a marriage license was procured of the county clerk and the prisoner and complaining witness were taken before Judge Benson of the county court, who promptly tied the knot which made them man and wife. This done, the prisoner was released from custody and the two went their way rejoicing.
Nothing says "love" like going to jail and getting married to get out!
Conrad Schmidt, who was arrested in this city on Sunday, charged with the seduction of Katie Hein, after spending a night in the county jail, reached the conclusion that the easiest and best way for him to right the wrong he had done the woman and save himself trouble, was to marry her. Accordingly a marriage license was procured of the county clerk and the prisoner and complaining witness were taken before Judge Benson of the county court, who promptly tied the knot which made them man and wife. This done, the prisoner was released from custody and the two went their way rejoicing.
Nothing says "love" like going to jail and getting married to get out!
Thursday, September 19, 2013
September 19, This day in History
September 19, 1902
Murdered and Nude Body Thrown in the Canal
Mystery Surrounding the Crime, But it is Laid at the Door of Jealous Lover.
New York, Sept. 19, - Police are today trying to unravel the mystery surrounding the finding of the nude body of a young woman in the canal near Jersey City. The body has been identified as that of Anna Pulitzer, the wife of a tailor. A long strap was tied around the neck of the dead woman and a heavy weight fastened to the other end.
The police arrested her husband this morning and closely questioned him. He said his wife left home Tuesday night to get some bread for supper which was the last he ever saw of her. The man seemed generally distressed. It was found today that the woman who was quite pretty was seen to get into a buggy with a man which was driven toward New York.
The theory of the chief of police is that Mrs. Pulitzer was killed in New York and her body brought across the river in a ferry boat and taken in a wagon to where it was found. The Chief thinks some one who admired her killed her in a fit of jealousy.
Head End Collision in Pennsylvania
Pittsburg, Sept. 19 - In a head end collision between freight and passenger trains on the Pittsburg & Western near Wittmer today five persons were killed and two seriously injured.
The dead are:
GEORGE CHUGARTY, a brakeman, who was riding on the engine.
WILLIAM BENEDICT, engineer.
THOMAS DUGAN, fireman.
FAY DEMPS, boilermaker, riding on the engine.
WILLIAM GRAHAM, fireman.
The badly injured are Engineer Chambers and Express Messenger Crossman.
The collision occurred on a sharp curve and the crash threw one engine on top of the other and demolished the baggage car.
Reward Out for Boodiers
Jefferson City, Mo., Sept. 19 -
Governer Dockery today offered $300 reward for the apprehension and conviction of the missing alleged St. Louis boodiers, Louis Brecker, Julius Lehman, Emile Hartman, John Sheridan, Adolph Madera and Charles Kelley.
The St. Louis police today sent broadcast throughout the country circulars describing the missing indicted men for whom the governor offered the reward. The grand jury resumed its session at noon.
A Daring Post Office Robbery
Jefferson, Ohio, Sept. 19. - Three masked robbers dynamited the post office safe this morning and stole $250 in cash and stamps worth $800, then boarded a train and escaped. Watchman Jones was bound by the robbers and compelled to sit in a chair near the safe while dynamite tore off the safe doors. The robbers then took him to the depot, made him a bed of hay and rolled him into it.
Statue to General Slocum Unveiled
Gettysburg, Pa., Sept. 19 - The magnificent equestrian statue to Gen. Henry Warren Slocum, erected by the State of New York, was unveiled today in the presence of a large assemblage which included the governors of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Strikers Dynamite Woman and Children
Mahaney City, Pa., Sept. 19. -
Strikers dynamited the home of Richard Pariatt, fire boss at the Gilberton shaft, at midnight. The building was wrecked, but Mrs. Pariatt and her three children escaped unhurt.
Jealousy Causes a Crime
Battle Creek, Mich., Sept 19
Prompted by jealousy, A. Whitcomb, of Chicago, killed William H. Sampson and Elizabeth Nettler at Sampson's home and then killed himself. The woman will recover. It appears both men had been paying their addresses to the woman and jealousy caused the double tragedy.
Railroad Wreck in Ohio
Chillicothe, Ohio - Sept. 19
All those injured in the wreck of the Royal Blue Flyer at Leesburg were brought here; they number fifty. Engineer Roe and Fireman Studebaker were the two killed. No explanation is given as to how the flyer came to dash into an open switch. Most of the passengers escaped through windows and the broken roof.
A Bridegroom Hanged
Baltimore, MD, Sept. 19
John Devine, who murdered a policeman, was hanged today in the jail in which he recently married his sweetheart.
Murdered and Nude Body Thrown in the Canal
Mystery Surrounding the Crime, But it is Laid at the Door of Jealous Lover.
New York, Sept. 19, - Police are today trying to unravel the mystery surrounding the finding of the nude body of a young woman in the canal near Jersey City. The body has been identified as that of Anna Pulitzer, the wife of a tailor. A long strap was tied around the neck of the dead woman and a heavy weight fastened to the other end.
The police arrested her husband this morning and closely questioned him. He said his wife left home Tuesday night to get some bread for supper which was the last he ever saw of her. The man seemed generally distressed. It was found today that the woman who was quite pretty was seen to get into a buggy with a man which was driven toward New York.
The theory of the chief of police is that Mrs. Pulitzer was killed in New York and her body brought across the river in a ferry boat and taken in a wagon to where it was found. The Chief thinks some one who admired her killed her in a fit of jealousy.
Head End Collision in Pennsylvania
Pittsburg, Sept. 19 - In a head end collision between freight and passenger trains on the Pittsburg & Western near Wittmer today five persons were killed and two seriously injured.
The dead are:
GEORGE CHUGARTY, a brakeman, who was riding on the engine.
WILLIAM BENEDICT, engineer.
THOMAS DUGAN, fireman.
FAY DEMPS, boilermaker, riding on the engine.
WILLIAM GRAHAM, fireman.
The badly injured are Engineer Chambers and Express Messenger Crossman.
The collision occurred on a sharp curve and the crash threw one engine on top of the other and demolished the baggage car.
Reward Out for Boodiers
Jefferson City, Mo., Sept. 19 -
Governer Dockery today offered $300 reward for the apprehension and conviction of the missing alleged St. Louis boodiers, Louis Brecker, Julius Lehman, Emile Hartman, John Sheridan, Adolph Madera and Charles Kelley.
The St. Louis police today sent broadcast throughout the country circulars describing the missing indicted men for whom the governor offered the reward. The grand jury resumed its session at noon.
A Daring Post Office Robbery
Jefferson, Ohio, Sept. 19. - Three masked robbers dynamited the post office safe this morning and stole $250 in cash and stamps worth $800, then boarded a train and escaped. Watchman Jones was bound by the robbers and compelled to sit in a chair near the safe while dynamite tore off the safe doors. The robbers then took him to the depot, made him a bed of hay and rolled him into it.
Statue to General Slocum Unveiled
Gettysburg, Pa., Sept. 19 - The magnificent equestrian statue to Gen. Henry Warren Slocum, erected by the State of New York, was unveiled today in the presence of a large assemblage which included the governors of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Strikers Dynamite Woman and Children
Mahaney City, Pa., Sept. 19. -
Strikers dynamited the home of Richard Pariatt, fire boss at the Gilberton shaft, at midnight. The building was wrecked, but Mrs. Pariatt and her three children escaped unhurt.
Jealousy Causes a Crime
Battle Creek, Mich., Sept 19
Prompted by jealousy, A. Whitcomb, of Chicago, killed William H. Sampson and Elizabeth Nettler at Sampson's home and then killed himself. The woman will recover. It appears both men had been paying their addresses to the woman and jealousy caused the double tragedy.
Railroad Wreck in Ohio
Chillicothe, Ohio - Sept. 19
All those injured in the wreck of the Royal Blue Flyer at Leesburg were brought here; they number fifty. Engineer Roe and Fireman Studebaker were the two killed. No explanation is given as to how the flyer came to dash into an open switch. Most of the passengers escaped through windows and the broken roof.
A Bridegroom Hanged
Baltimore, MD, Sept. 19
John Devine, who murdered a policeman, was hanged today in the jail in which he recently married his sweetheart.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Longue Pointe Asylum Fire of 1890
Quebec - Longue Pointe Asylum Fire
I find this story so sad! All those people, and you know asylums aren't exactly known to be good places - this happened in 1890. Some of the descriptions might be a little graphic.
May 6, 1890
AN ASYLUM IN ASHES
One Hundred and Fifty Lunatics Burned to Death at Longue Pointe, Quebec
Insane Asylum Burning
Longue Pointe, Quebec May 6 -
The insane asylum at here is burning. There are between one hundred and one hundred and fifty inmates who cannot be rescued.
Montreal, May 6 -
The insane asylum at Longue Point, nine miles from here, caught fire at half-past eleven this morning and at 2 o'clock was a mas of flames, with no hope of saving the building from utter destruction. As near s can be calculated at this hour there are from a hundred to a hundred and fifty inmates in the building, with no chance of escape. The fire apparatus at the asylum is utterly inadequate and several steamers have been forwarded from here on a special train.
The sights in the grounds surrounding the institution are horrible beyond description. A hundred lunatics, male and female, are grouped together gibbering and in a frenzied condition. The nuns are making every effort to control them and allay their fears, and as rapidly as possible the poor creatures are being removed to places of shelter in the neighborhood. A few minutes past 2 o'clock a detachment of the Montreal fire brigade arrived on the scene and is now doing good work. Excitement among the lunatics in the grounds became so great that a detachment of the Montreal police was hurried out to assist the guards. There were 1300 persons in the asylum when the fire broke out.
At 3 p.m. the firemen are still working and have succeeded in rescuing several in many instances at the risk of their lives. Thousands of persons are flocking to the scene from this city and surrounding country. Nuns, doctors, and other attendants are besieged with anxious inquiries after friends or relatives. One of the doctors connected with the institution said this afternoon there was very little commotion among the inmates when the alarm was given. For the most part they walked out quickly. Some, however, refused to leave their cells and had to be taken out by force.
Those who perished were in wards on the top floors. Efforts to learn the names so far have proved futile, as those rescued are so scattered that no roll can be called. All the book records have been saved.
Two firemen fell from a high ladder and were badly cut.
Chicago, May 6 -
A Montreal special says: It is certainly known that at least 125 patients have perished in the flames. The scenes during the fire were heart-rending. The agonized patients fought and screamed as the flamed wall approached and, in some instances, jumped from the windows and others from the roof.
The building which cost a million dollars is a complete wreck. Insured.
--Aspen Daily Chronicle
May 7, 1890
Details of the Asylum Disaster
Longue Pointe, Quebec, May 6
A long line of gaunt towers is all that one now sees of the Longue Pointe lunatic asylum located 10 miles from Montreal, and which, with many lives was today consumed by flames. The sights witnessed before the tragic scene are such as can never be forgotten. Nothing could exceed the horror attending the terrible calamity, considering the number of victims, the terrible nature of their death and the manner in which the helpless victims received their fate. What to the spectators was a scene of horror was to the lunatics a moment of glee, and in their delight they disported themselves in the flames and waved their blazing limbs in turbulent satisfaction at the ruin that was about them, and, not until the walls tumbled over their heads, were their maniacal screams silenced.
There were incarcerated in Longue Pointe 1300 lunatics, for that asylum was a prison more than a hospital, and now not more than 1100 are accounted for, but many escaped into the fields and woods and the dead are ashes amongst ashes. What the number of the dead is, is purely a matter of conjecture and can never be ascertained, since no other record is kept but that in the asylum books and they were destroyed.
Taking into consideration the whole of the evidence from firemen, half sane inmates and the sisters in charge, it is a conservative estimate to say 100 victims met their death, though some assert the number is double that, and others place it below this figure. However, the fact remains that no such calamity has fallen upon the province of Quebec since the earliest times.
A Shame To Quebec
Ever since Quebec was a province, it's management of these most helpless of all creatures has been it's shame. They have been farmed out to nuns at $100 a head per year, and the sisters' aim was to keep them as frugally as possible. From the construction of the building there is doubt in some minds as to whether it was intended for an asylum or a blast furnace. In any case, it served the latter purpose admirably. It was constructed of brick and was 600 feet long, running back from the river half the distance. The main building occupied the center and on each side extended four wings, six stories in height.
Origin of the Fire
The fire today started in a cupboard in the second ward on the women's side in the upper story by a careless patient, and, as ventilation was carried on by a longitudinal shaft connecting, the flames soon appeared blazing up through the roof in the center of each tower. A telegram was sent to Montreal for aid and an engine and reels started at once. They might as well have remained at home for in five minutes they exhausted the water supply. The only thing that could save the building was the St. Lawrence river and it was a half mile distant. As the heat increased the statues fell from their niches to the ground and then the patients prostrated themselves crying aloud that the saints had deserted them.
Rescuing the Patients
The less hopeless cases were placed in the lower wards and they were rescued without difficulty, but from the upper wards where the violent patients were secured there came the wildest screams as they resisted the nuns who were beseeching them to escape. At a window a maniac would be seen peering through the bars, grinning and jabbering at the bright flames that went up to the sky. As the heat became more intense she would grasp the bars and remain there until the flames enveloped her.
When the firemen found they were powerless to save the building they turned their attention to the inmates and burst in the door with axes. Inside, Chief Benoit says, was such a sight as no firemen ever before witnessed. In one ward that he entered were 25 patients and, at his approach, the huddled together like a pack of beasts, entwining their arms into one mass of humanity. He seized the nearest; "but" said the chief, "I could no more separate the crowd than I could the parts of your horse." He tugged at them until fire darted into their garments and enfolded them like a shroud. The he escaped with his life.
In another ward three firemen were nearly trapped to death. They entered, and at the door, which had a spring lock, closed behind them. There was no handle on the inside. The door resisted their axes and they rushed to the windows, but were driven back by the flames. The chief, suspecting their predicament, sent aid to the other side and the men were carried down on ladders.
One of the tertiary nuns, Sister Marie, lay sick in the infirmary on the fifth floor and to her rescue came three others, Demeresse, Gilbert, and Lumien. They seized their companion and bore her in a blanket to the staircase, but they were met by a sheet of flame and all perished. None of them were over 20 years of age.
The sisters worked with the persistence of heroines, by turns imploring, beseeching and commanding the patients, Sister Theresa, the superioress, is broken-hearted and, being at present in ill health, her name may be added to the already long list of victims.
Collapse of the Building
A loud explosion was followed by a crash of beams. The interior wwas giving way. The wild faces sank from the windows and shrieks of the maniacs were lost in the general uproar. One by one the walls toppled inward and a fierce blaze burst up from the newly added fuel that rose to the dark sky and shot its glare over the St. Lawrence to the southern shore and even tinged the crest of Mount Royal, ten miles distant. Then it died down in blackness and nothing but blackened towers remained bounding a seething mass of metal and debris under which are now, not the bodies but the ashes of 100 victims.
The Escaped Inmates
By this time it was 6 o'clock and growing dark and very cold. The spring rains had converted the place into a quagmire and only horsemen could get from place to place. The poor sisters, most of them young and delicate, stood ankle deep in mud securing and superintending the removal of such furniture as had been saved. Patients moved about aimlessly, clad in scant garments. When released, many of them leaped for joy and bounded like deer across the fields into the woods. A new danger has come upon the inhabitants from the lunatics and will count themselves fortunate if they are not visited by a series of such crimes as only madmen can devise.
Premier Mercier has placed the Montreal exhibition building at the disposal of the nuns.
The buildings were insured by the government for $300,000.
Later Estimates of Loss
Later - At midnight the death roll is estimated at 50, although many more are missing but are expected to turn up. It is feared seven tertiary nuns were burned as three more were missing besides those named above.
--Aspen Daily Chronicle
May 8, 1890
A Terrible Fire
The insane asylum at Longue Pointe, which is 10 miles from Montreal, burned last night. It is thought that not a male patient was lost. Among the women it was different. The less hopeless cases were placed in the lower wards and they were removed without difficulty, but from the upper wards, where violent patients were secured, there came the wildest screams as they resisted the nuns, who were beseeching them to make their escape.
The closest estimate that can be made at this time places the number of lives lost at 50.
The Sisters of Providence spent in founding and organizing this institution $1,132,130 of which $170,000 was spent on the buildings. The buildings were insured by the government for $300,000. With the exception of the medical department, consisting of the doctors, the sisters retained complete control of all the departments.
Premier Mercier has placed the Montreal exhibition building at the disposal of the nuns and tomorrow the building will be stocked with provisions. The strangest wonder to the firemen is that such an absence of fire fighting facilities could exist. Although the appliances were there they were utterly useless. The institution had an excellent engine, ten good pumps and new boilers, but no connection between the pumps and the boilers.
--Buena Vista Democrat
Asylum Fire
Montreal, May 7.
As the full details of the Longue Pointe asylum fire become known the horror is intensified, and the sister is derided who asserts that the number of dead does not exceed sixty. It is known by the last report to the Quebec government that there were 1,780 lunatics instead of 1,300, and this much is certain, that no one will ever know the number of victims. From collateral information it must be that there are 150 dead. If enough material can be found an inquest will be held. The firemen have left the ground and the heat is dying out of the ruins. An Associated Press reporter was on the spot all day, his horse floundering amongst the mud and ashes. A discharged patient today affirmed that to all inquiries sent by friends as to the progress patients were making, one stereotyped answer was given, without any restrictions as to accuracy: "Your friend's physical condition is excellent, but mentally there is no improvement." It is now known that many of the wards were locked, and in cases where the firemen did not break in the doors, whole rooms full perished miserably. The sight from the screaming wretches yesterday was bad enough, but today there was a sadder spectacle in weeping relatives seeking in vain for some tidings of some member of their family. Men coming up town tonight to dinner were startled by seeing a lunatic parading the streets "rejoicing in his freedom", and menacing women till he was secured. The paying patients fared the best, but the great loss was among those confined in the upper stories and those imprisoned in the dark basement cells.
Fire Commissioner Perry characterizes the building as a death trap and a disgrace to a civilized country. A startling report is current tonight; it is that a large number of male patients perished in the flames. All of the women are thought to have escaped. It is absolutely impossible, however, to add any new names to the list of dead. It will be weeks before the nuns will be able to give any information.
Longue Pointe, May 7.
Sister Therese de Jesus, the superior of the burned asylum, places the loss of life at certainly twenty, and possibly fifty. Dr. Duquete, grand medical inspector, places the loss of life at at least sixty. He is strongly opposed to the system of placing lunatics under the care of sisters. He will ask the government to place incurables and furious lunatics in a small institution, where they can have skilled treatment. The harmless insane could, he said, be placed to greater advantage under the care of the sisters. At the ruins of the asylum nothing but heaps of smoking brick and mortar are seen. No vestige of the dead can be traced.
In the rear of the asylum are stables, where about one hundred men patients were quartered last night, under the supervision of the sisters and four Montreal policemen. The scene was not one to be easily described and surely not to be easily forgotten. Lying on heaps of straw, sickly lunatics were to be seen moaning, gibbering, shrieking, twisting and jumping. It made one shudder to pass down between the large hay stalls in which were confined the worst cases, so fierce was the expression of their countenances.
In the laundry are 100 patients, mostly quiet, whose aid has been taken advantage of in putting things in shape. Some of them did most heroic work in rescuing the unfortunates from flames. One of the attendants said seven lay nuns perished. The loss is financially placed as high as $1,000,000; insurance, $300, 1x10. A procession of lunatics was taken up early this morning, and while it was in progress, the whole length of the road was crowded with vehicles.
Longue Pointe, Quebec, May 7.
The laundry of the insane asylum, in which one hundred patients were housed during the night, took lire this morning, but the inmates were all safely removed. It is yet merely a matter of speculation as to the number of dead, but the general consensus is that it cannot be fewer than one hundred people, perhaps nearly double that. The only names of victims known are:
Sister Gravel, Sister Boutellier, Sister Lumine, Sister Victoria, & Sister Lahacro, of the sacred heart convent. The latter was a patient in the violent ward.
Other patients named were: Mrs. Kelly, Montreal; Mrs. Williams, Halifax ; Bridget Malone, Montreal; Miss Letoumay, Maison Euve, Quebec; Miss Cullen and Miss Thericult, of Montreal. Missing: Victoria Beaudry, Augustine Laroux, Camille Marshmont, Delphine Archambault, Marie St. Deny, Eli St. Lavs and Christine Demeis.
-- Associated Press Dispatches
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
A Baby's Obituary
Nov 22, 1899
Marguerite Kettle
On Friday morning last, the Angel, Death, entered the home of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Kettle, of the valley, and claimed their youngest child, Marguerite, at the tender age of 15 months, and carried the little soul across the mystic river to its Heavenly home. The little one suffered the ravages of pneumonia for two weeks, and, although tenderly cared for by loving ones who did all in their power for her, God had willed that little Marguerite should be added to His precious jewels and took her to dwell with Him, where we are told she is not forever lost to those who loved her. The funeral took place from the parent's residence on Sunday at 2 o'clock p.m., and the lifeless little body was followed by sorrowing friends to Ula cemetery and there consigned to earth. In this their sad hour the bereaved ones have our heartfelt sympathy.
This poor little girl, so young
Marguerite Kettle
On Friday morning last, the Angel, Death, entered the home of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Kettle, of the valley, and claimed their youngest child, Marguerite, at the tender age of 15 months, and carried the little soul across the mystic river to its Heavenly home. The little one suffered the ravages of pneumonia for two weeks, and, although tenderly cared for by loving ones who did all in their power for her, God had willed that little Marguerite should be added to His precious jewels and took her to dwell with Him, where we are told she is not forever lost to those who loved her. The funeral took place from the parent's residence on Sunday at 2 o'clock p.m., and the lifeless little body was followed by sorrowing friends to Ula cemetery and there consigned to earth. In this their sad hour the bereaved ones have our heartfelt sympathy.
This poor little girl, so young
Monday, September 16, 2013
An Amusing Separation
Apr 8, 1899
At present George Sanders is in the roll of Rip Van Winkle. He is out in the world with only his dog and gun. He may awake some day as did Rip, and go looking for Gretchen.
Good timing, on the same page - his wife sold some of his stuff...
On Monday last Geo. Kline purchased of Mrs. Geo. Sanders a horse harness and wagon, Mr. Kline contemplates a journey to the kingdom of Huerfano, very soon.
Kingdom of Huerfano? Lol!
More on the separation:
Last Monday, because of a misunderstanding the evening previous, Mr. and Mrs. George Sanders of this place, came to an understanding which led them to agree to disagree. A dissolution of connubial partnership was the result. Mrs. Sanders was given possession of all the joint belongings, and George satisfied himself whis his dog and gun, and he and his property are now at Devil's Hole.
George also posted a notice in the paper!!
A mutual separation having taken place on April 3rd, 1899 between myself and wife and a division of property made, I hereby notify all whom it may concern, that on and after date above mentioned, I will not be responsible for any debt contracted by others than myself.
GEORGE SANDERS
Westcliffe, Colo., April 3rd, 1899
It's a busy news day for the Sanders family - yes all of this in 1 day's paper.
Last Monday at noon, Edward Chetelat and Miss Sarah Sanders, both of Westcliffe, were married at the Catholic church, Fr. R. Servant officiating. Quite a number of friends from Canon City and the county witnessed the ceremony. Presents were showered upon the young couple most generously. They have the TRIBUNE'S best wishes.
P.S. They messed up - *Susan* married Edward Chetelat, not Sarah. Sarah married Edward Ozburn 2 months later.
Just a follow up - George and his wife Cinderella never divorced. At some point they made up, they are listed together on the 1900 census the next year, although all the children are not listed with them, and only 2 were married at this point. George died in 1904, leaving a wife, 6 girls and 2 boys.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Went Up The Hill
Dec 18, 1895
Mrs. Annie Williams, a sister to Mrs. Hopper, went to the creek to get a pail of water and fell and mashed her thumb and received other injuries, perhaps not serious, besides a terrible shaking up.
Jack and Jill went up the hill... I don't know but this made me laugh - all I kept hearing in my head was Jack and Jill. I'm glad Annie was alright. I just love amusing little stories.
Mrs. Annie Williams, a sister to Mrs. Hopper, went to the creek to get a pail of water and fell and mashed her thumb and received other injuries, perhaps not serious, besides a terrible shaking up.
Jack and Jill went up the hill... I don't know but this made me laugh - all I kept hearing in my head was Jack and Jill. I'm glad Annie was alright. I just love amusing little stories.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Impulsive Tina
Sept 16, 1893
Tina's Impulsive Adventure
A west end young miss has never been known to take a dare. Close to her home is a veneering factory, and the other day there was a sign hung out for a "Boy Wanted." It happened that the young lady had several of her friends visiting her that day, and from the front window they could read the sign. "Tina, you dare not go and apply for that place," said one of the young ladies present.
"Who says I daren't?" responded Tina.
Without further ado she rigged herself out in a suit belonging to her brother. Fixing her hair in a manner that it could not be told, she sallied forth. Her movements could be watched from the house, and the scene that followed was a most laughable one. Tina walked boldly into the factory. The clerk approached her, and she said she wanted to apply for the job. The clerk looked at the pretty miss' face and smiled. "How much will you give me?" asked Tina. "I won't work for less than $4 a week." The firm would not pay this much, and Tina walked out, highly insulted to think that her services were not worth more than $4 a week.
-Cincinnati Enquirer
This cracks me up - is it just an invented story or did it happen? Either way I love it!
Tina's Impulsive Adventure
A west end young miss has never been known to take a dare. Close to her home is a veneering factory, and the other day there was a sign hung out for a "Boy Wanted." It happened that the young lady had several of her friends visiting her that day, and from the front window they could read the sign. "Tina, you dare not go and apply for that place," said one of the young ladies present.
"Who says I daren't?" responded Tina.
Without further ado she rigged herself out in a suit belonging to her brother. Fixing her hair in a manner that it could not be told, she sallied forth. Her movements could be watched from the house, and the scene that followed was a most laughable one. Tina walked boldly into the factory. The clerk approached her, and she said she wanted to apply for the job. The clerk looked at the pretty miss' face and smiled. "How much will you give me?" asked Tina. "I won't work for less than $4 a week." The firm would not pay this much, and Tina walked out, highly insulted to think that her services were not worth more than $4 a week.
-Cincinnati Enquirer
This cracks me up - is it just an invented story or did it happen? Either way I love it!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Tales of the Young Horse Thieves
Aug 21, 1910
Young Horse Thief
Suffolk, VA
Ralph Hezekiah Hinton, nine years old, possibly the youngest horse thief ever convicted, was found guilty in Justice Deberry's court on the second offense.
Owing to his youth there was no prosecution for the first horse stolen, but when he disappeared with Thomas Smith's horse he was pursued and captured after a four-mile chase by Hurricane Branch and a posse.
Wow! Nine years old and stealing horses - I wonder if he kept stealing them. But the best part I think is the name Hurricane! I wonder if it was a nickname or his real name?
Aug 4, 1911
A Young Horse Thief Captured
What is probably one of the youngest horse thieves ever captured was Roy Strangler, a youngster fourteen years old, who was taken into custody by Deputy Sheriff Duray last Saturday near Melvin. He was taken, together with a horse belonging to Mr. Baldauf of Parker, which he was riding. The boy's home is in Denver where his mother resides, but for the past several months he has been working for Mr. Baldauf. He decided to leave last Saturday and accordingly saddled and bridled the horse and when no one was looking, started for Denver. He was brought to Castle Rock and was tried before County Judge Bassell on Tuesday and sent to the Industrial School at Golden.
Is August the best month for stealing horses?
Aug 9, 1912
Two Young Horse Thieves Captured
Two young horse thieves, giving their names as Joseph Iker and Percy Donnelly, were apprehended on Monday morning by Deputy Sheriff Angus McBane near his ranch at Larkspur. The boys gave their ages as fifteen and fourteen years, respectively. They had stolen the horse, buggy and a saddle at Cripple Creek and were on their way to Denver. The buggy they had taken in the first place did not seem to suit their fancy, so they made a trade at another place - without the owner's consent - for another rig, and this helped them to escape detection as long as they did. They had evidently started out on a "wild west desperado tour" as they had two guns and a dark lantern along with them. They had no ammunition for the guns, however, when captured. A deputy sheriff came down from Cripple Creek and took them back to that place for trial.
Donnelly is the son of a miner living in Cripple Creek. Iker is just out from New York, according to his story. He stole seventy-five dollars from his mother in July and came to Denver. He went from there to Cripple Creek.
Apparently August IS the month for horse thievery!
Hey I found the best(and youngest) one yet - and it's not in August.
July 7, 1916
Candy for Young Thieves
Infants run off with Horse and Buggy and were treated when arrested.
Richmond, Ind.
Mrs. E. R. Smith reported to police headquarters that her horse and buggy had been stolen from North Seventh Street, where she had left the outfit when on a shopping tour. Two hours later the police received a telephone call from the town marshal at Boston, six miles south of Richmond, who informed the police that he had a "couple of horse thieves" in custody and believed the stolen vehicle which they had in their possession might have been taken at Richmond. The police sent two armed men in an automobile to Boston to get the "thieves."
Chief Goodwin and other officers were nearly all night awaiting the return of the men and the "desperate characters." When they arrived the "horse thieves" were found to be Jesse Smelser, age five and Jack Smelser, age three. The tots had climbed into the buggy after unhitching the horse and, without point of destination in view, Jesse, the older, had driven straight south until Boston was reached, where the marshal stopped them.
Chief Goodwin said the prisoners were too small to be even scolded, so, instead, he bought them each a bag of candy and turned them over to their parents, who were vainly searching for them.
Young Horse Thief
Suffolk, VA
Ralph Hezekiah Hinton, nine years old, possibly the youngest horse thief ever convicted, was found guilty in Justice Deberry's court on the second offense.
Owing to his youth there was no prosecution for the first horse stolen, but when he disappeared with Thomas Smith's horse he was pursued and captured after a four-mile chase by Hurricane Branch and a posse.
Wow! Nine years old and stealing horses - I wonder if he kept stealing them. But the best part I think is the name Hurricane! I wonder if it was a nickname or his real name?
Aug 4, 1911
A Young Horse Thief Captured
What is probably one of the youngest horse thieves ever captured was Roy Strangler, a youngster fourteen years old, who was taken into custody by Deputy Sheriff Duray last Saturday near Melvin. He was taken, together with a horse belonging to Mr. Baldauf of Parker, which he was riding. The boy's home is in Denver where his mother resides, but for the past several months he has been working for Mr. Baldauf. He decided to leave last Saturday and accordingly saddled and bridled the horse and when no one was looking, started for Denver. He was brought to Castle Rock and was tried before County Judge Bassell on Tuesday and sent to the Industrial School at Golden.
Is August the best month for stealing horses?
Aug 9, 1912
Two Young Horse Thieves Captured
Two young horse thieves, giving their names as Joseph Iker and Percy Donnelly, were apprehended on Monday morning by Deputy Sheriff Angus McBane near his ranch at Larkspur. The boys gave their ages as fifteen and fourteen years, respectively. They had stolen the horse, buggy and a saddle at Cripple Creek and were on their way to Denver. The buggy they had taken in the first place did not seem to suit their fancy, so they made a trade at another place - without the owner's consent - for another rig, and this helped them to escape detection as long as they did. They had evidently started out on a "wild west desperado tour" as they had two guns and a dark lantern along with them. They had no ammunition for the guns, however, when captured. A deputy sheriff came down from Cripple Creek and took them back to that place for trial.
Donnelly is the son of a miner living in Cripple Creek. Iker is just out from New York, according to his story. He stole seventy-five dollars from his mother in July and came to Denver. He went from there to Cripple Creek.
Apparently August IS the month for horse thievery!
Hey I found the best(and youngest) one yet - and it's not in August.
July 7, 1916
Candy for Young Thieves
Infants run off with Horse and Buggy and were treated when arrested.
Richmond, Ind.
Mrs. E. R. Smith reported to police headquarters that her horse and buggy had been stolen from North Seventh Street, where she had left the outfit when on a shopping tour. Two hours later the police received a telephone call from the town marshal at Boston, six miles south of Richmond, who informed the police that he had a "couple of horse thieves" in custody and believed the stolen vehicle which they had in their possession might have been taken at Richmond. The police sent two armed men in an automobile to Boston to get the "thieves."
Chief Goodwin and other officers were nearly all night awaiting the return of the men and the "desperate characters." When they arrived the "horse thieves" were found to be Jesse Smelser, age five and Jack Smelser, age three. The tots had climbed into the buggy after unhitching the horse and, without point of destination in view, Jesse, the older, had driven straight south until Boston was reached, where the marshal stopped them.
Chief Goodwin said the prisoners were too small to be even scolded, so, instead, he bought them each a bag of candy and turned them over to their parents, who were vainly searching for them.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
The 1908 Murder of Sarah James
The newspapers unfold the story of the murder of a teen aged girl named Sarah James by a man named Jim Lynn. I found the May 22 paper first and continued to search for the rest of the story. What happened to the convicted man. So between May 14 and October 14, 1908 here lies the story:
May 14, 1908
Unprovoked Murder by a Pueblo Negro
Pueblo, Colo., May 14 - Without apparent cause, James Lynn, a negro, at midnight last night burst into the home of Mrs. Julia James, a white woman, and after beating her unmercifully, drove her and her daughter Sarah, aged sixteen, into the street where he shot and killed the girl and mortally wounded the mother. After the shooting Lynn escaped, going toward the river bottoms. A large number of officers are on his trail. Five other children of Mrs. James were in the house at the time of the assault and they say they do not know the cause of the trouble. Lynn's wife is also unable to account for the tragedy, though she says he has been talking of killing people for some time.
-Telluride Daily Journal.
May 15, 1908
Negro kills two women
Without any apparent cause
A large number of officers are now on his trail
Pueblo, Colo., May 14 - Without apparent cause James Lynn, a negro hod-carrier, broke into the home of Mrs. Julia James, a white woman, 422 East River street, just after midnight last night and, after beating the woman unmercifully, drove her and her daughter Sarah, aged 16, into the street, where he shot and killed the girl and then the mother.
After the shooting Lyn made his escape, going toward the Arkansas river bottoms. A large number of officers are on his trail. The police have not found any clue to the motive for the crime.
-Aspen Democrat
May 16, 1908
Jealousy the cause
Pueblo, Colo., - May 15 - Jealousy is now said by the police to have been the motive for the killing yesterday by James Lynn, a negro hod-carrier, of Sarah James, aged 16 years, and the perhaps fatal wounding of her mother. Mrs. James is at St. Mary's Hospital. Lynn has not been captured.
-Aspen Democrat
May 21, 1908
Pueblo, Colo., May 14 - James Lynn, colored, 42 years old, early this morning broke into the home of Mrs. Julia James, a respected white woman living at 422 River street, and after severely beating Mrs. James and her daughter, Sarah, aged 16, drove them into the street where he shot and killed the daughter, and mortally wounded the mother. Every available policeman and the coroner rushed to the scene of the tragedy and a posse organized and is chasing Lynn, who made his escape on a bicycle. It is possible he will be lynched. In the house at the time of the tragedy were five children, some of them quite small.
-Durango Wage Earner
May 22, 1908
Capture of Murderer
Colorado Springs - Jim Lynn, the negro who murdered Sarah James, a white girl, sixteen years of age, and fatally shot her mother, Mrs. Julia James, at Pueblo last Thursday, was arrested Saturday at Limon Juncion, Colorado, while seeking friends with whom to hide, and was brought here Sunday morning at 2 o'clock for safe keeping, it being feared that n attempt at lynching would be made if he were returned to Pueblo.
Sheriff Fields fully identified him and brought the prisoner here. Lynn made a statement after his arrest to the effect that he did not intend to kill either Miss James or her mother. He said he was returning home late, and looking in through the window saw Joel O'Neill, a white man, in the house. He cried out to O'Neill, telling him to go home. O'Neill, he said, drew a gun and fired at him. Then, Lynn says, he returned the fire, intending to shoot O'Neill.
O'Neill denies that he had any battle with the negro, and the officers do not credit Lynn's story. At the jail in Limon Lynn begged for a knife so that he might kill himself, saying he would rather kill himself than return to Pueblo.
-Fairplay Flume, Littleton Independent, Longmont Ledger, Wray Gazette
--
Well apparently the first articles were a little wrong. Sarah's mother Julia survived.
--
May 22, 1908
Pueblo Mob Seeks Negro
Hundreds Gather at County Jail to Try to Lynch Murderer - Foiled by Absence
Only Desist After Committee Has Thoroughly Searched Building -
Denver - A Pueblo dispatch Monday night says: Believing that Jim Lynn, the negro who last Thursday morning here at Pueblo murdered Sarah James, a sixteen-year-old white girl, after which he wounded her mother, is confined in the county jail here, a mob of 400 tonight visited the jail and demanded that Lynn be turned over to them. The mob, after beating down the outer doors, would not disperse until Sheriff McMillan had allowed two committees to search every nook and cranny of the building. The mob was thoroughly organized, and evidently desperately in earnest. Reports have been prevalent all through the evening that Lynn had been brought in to the city, and excitement was high. About 9 o'clock a man on horseback, with a rope trailing along the ground, rode through the streets, calling for men to accompany him to the jail. He was quickly accommodated, and within half an hour a mob surrounded the place, and was threatening to storm the building. Several heavy planks were secured and used as battering rams. The outer iron door was quickly broken and the officers, realizing that the door could not hold much longer, began to parley. The result of the conference was that a committee of five was appointed to search the jail. When it reported, the members of the mob refused to believe the report and began threatening to again storm the doors. Another conference was held and a committee of twelve was sent through the building. When it reported that the man was not there the mob dispersed. Lynn is now in Colorado Springs and will not be brought here until the excitement has quieted. Practically all of the county officers and the police were summoned to the jail tonight as a result of the mob's visit. Feeling here is against Lynn and although his trial has been arranged for June 9th, it is believed to be unsafe to bring him to Pueblo. The trial of Lynn, who was arrested at Limon Saturday night, will open here June 9th. Sarah James, who was killed by the Negro, was buried today, the funeral being largely attended. Julia James, her mother, is holding her own at the hospital and may recover.
-Wray Gazette, Fairplay Flume
May 23, 1908
Bullet Found Near Skull of Mrs. James
Pueblo, May 22 - A bullet which had struck on the skull and glanced under the skin about two inches from the point of entrance was removed yesterday morning from the head of Mrs. Julia James by County Physician C. V. Marmaduke at St. Mary's hospital. Immediately following the shooting by Jim Lynn, Mrs. James was taken to the hospital and the swelling that resulted from the wound prevented the immediate location of the bullet. When the bandages were taken off yesterday afternoon the swelling had gone down and the position of the bullet was plain. It had struck the forehead on the right side and glanced beneath the skin, causing as far as the doctor could tell, no serious injury. The caliber was that (of) a 32 revolver - the same as the gun which Lynn is said to have twisted out of Mrs. James' hand after he forced his way into the room last Thursday morning. The bullet which caused the other wound, having pierced the right lung, Dr. Marmaduke says protrudes the skin at her back. He states that the bullet will not be removed for sometime yet as it would be merely furnishing another opening for infection and the bullet in its present position causes no harm. Mrs. James was yesterday informed that Lynn had been captured. "I am glad they've got the brute," was the reply. Indications at present are that Mrs. James will recover.
-Aspen Democrat
June 18, 1908
Woman shot by Lynn is taken to Seattle
Pueblo, June 17 - Mrs. Julia James, shot by Jim Lynn, who at the same time killed Sarah James will leave for Seattle tomorrow with her five children. Her sister, Mrs. Mary Callahan, came into here today and will take the woman to her own home. She was shot in the head and through the lungs by Lynn, who was convicted of the murder of her daughter.
-Aspen Democrat
June 25, 1908
Mrs. Julia James, who was shot and seriously wounded by James Lynn, who at the same time killed her daughter Sarah, has left Pueblo with her five children for Seattle, Washington, to make their home with her sister. Mrs. James has practically recovered from the wounds Lynn inflicted. Lynn is under conviction for murder with the death penalty hanging over him.
- Golden Transcript
July 2, 1908
Jim Lynn to hang for murder of a Pueblo girl
Pueblo, July 1 - Jim Lynn, the negro who murdered Sarah James, a white girl, May 13, was sentenced to be hanged during the week ending October 10 by Judge Esser, in the district court today. Lynn did not show any emotion, but pretended not to know what it all was about. Hi attorneys made a motion for a new trial but it was overruled.
Lynn broke into the house of Mrs. Julia James and, after an altercation with a white man who was there, drove Mrs. James and her daughter into the street. He then shot both, killing the girl and badly injuring the mother.
Lynn escaped but was captured in Limon. While he was in jail at Colorado Springs, where he was held for safe keeping, a mob broke into the Pueblo jail bent upon lynching him. Mrs. James is now in Seattle.
-Aspen Democrat
Oct 8, 1908
Jim Lynn will pay penalty for crime - may hang Friday.
Pueblo negro gives up hope of clemency or interference by friends to stay sentence.
CANON CITY, Oct 7 - Jim Lynn, the negro who shot and killed Sarah James, a 14 year old white girl, and seriously wounded her mother, Mrs. Julia James, in Pueblo, on May 14, and a month later was found guilty of murder in the first degree before Judge Esser of the district court and the death penalty imposed on him, under the terms of his sentence, will be hanged here some time during the current week, probably Friday night. Lynn has been kept in solitary confinement since his arrival at the penitentiary on June 14, and ha abandoned all hope of intercession by his friends to secure executive clemency or a postponement of the sentence of the court.
For some time after his incarceration Lynn believed that his relatives and associates would exert themselves in an effort to secure for him a new trial or at least a temporary stay of execution but as nothing of the kind has been done he has stoically accepted the situation and is awaiting death with apparent bravery and composure.
Although eighteen men have been hung in the Colorado state penitentiary in accordance with the degree of the law, Lynn will be the second colored man to pay the extreme penalty for his crime, the other one being William H. Davis, No. 2595, who was hanged here Sept. 22, 1891, by Warden W. A. Smith. Davis, like Lynn, was convicted and sentenced to death for murder in Pueblo.
-Aspen Daily Times
October 9, 1908
Negro Murderer to Pay Penalty
Canon City, Oct. 8 - Some time tonight between 8 and 9 o'clock unless Warden Cleghorn's present plans miscarry or are unexpectedly changed, James Lynn, colored, will be hung in the execution chamber of the state penitentiary for the murder of Sarah James, the 14-year-old white girl of Pueblo whose mother he shot and badly wounded at the same time. Lynn had been in the habit of calling at the James home to see the mother and when he found a white man there one night he was told his company was no ------------
(The article was to impossible to read at that point)
Oct 14, 1908
Negro Murderer will hang tonight
Special to the courier.
Canon City, Colo., - Oct 8 - James Lynn, colored, sentenced to hang for the murder of Sarah James, a young Pueblo girl, will pay the penalty on the gallows at the penitentiary tonight.
-Fort Collins Weekly Courier
There seems to be some conflicting info as to Sarah's age, most of the reports list her as 16, a few list her as 14, and according to the cemetery she's buried in: Date is Interment at age 18.
From the Colorado Public Defender
Catalog of Colorado Executions
JAMES LYNN. October 8, 1908. Pueblo. B-W. Hanging/Broken neck. On May 14, 1908, the front-page headline in the local newspaper shocked Pueblo residents: “Negro Drives Two White Women from Their Home and Shoots Them Down in the Street.” The article identified a neighbor, James Lynn (a Pueblo resident for twenty-two years), as the shooter. Sarah James, sixteen, was dead, and her mother, Julia, was wounded and “expected to die at any moment.” Julia, however, a widow with six children, later recovered. She and her daughter had fled their home when Lynn burst into it at one o’clock in the morning. The wages Sarah earned as a “servant” to a local physician supported the entire family of seven. Lynn, a day laborer, was infatuated with Sarah, and was jealous when another man, who left by the rear door as Lynn came through the front, was spending the night with her. Lynn had a prior arrest for assaulting a man with a poker. After his arrest, Lynn was kept in Colorado Springs to prevent a lynching. His trial occurred exactly one month after the murder, and Lynn maintained his innocence. The jury, however, returned a guilty verdict after only fifteen minutes of deliberation.
I should add that I have found Sarah James is buried in Roselawn Cemetery in Pueblo, Colorado.
I wonder if her mother stayed in Seattle the rest of her life.
May 14, 1908
Unprovoked Murder by a Pueblo Negro
Pueblo, Colo., May 14 - Without apparent cause, James Lynn, a negro, at midnight last night burst into the home of Mrs. Julia James, a white woman, and after beating her unmercifully, drove her and her daughter Sarah, aged sixteen, into the street where he shot and killed the girl and mortally wounded the mother. After the shooting Lynn escaped, going toward the river bottoms. A large number of officers are on his trail. Five other children of Mrs. James were in the house at the time of the assault and they say they do not know the cause of the trouble. Lynn's wife is also unable to account for the tragedy, though she says he has been talking of killing people for some time.
-Telluride Daily Journal.
May 15, 1908
Negro kills two women
Without any apparent cause
A large number of officers are now on his trail
Pueblo, Colo., May 14 - Without apparent cause James Lynn, a negro hod-carrier, broke into the home of Mrs. Julia James, a white woman, 422 East River street, just after midnight last night and, after beating the woman unmercifully, drove her and her daughter Sarah, aged 16, into the street, where he shot and killed the girl and then the mother.
After the shooting Lyn made his escape, going toward the Arkansas river bottoms. A large number of officers are on his trail. The police have not found any clue to the motive for the crime.
-Aspen Democrat
May 16, 1908
Jealousy the cause
Pueblo, Colo., - May 15 - Jealousy is now said by the police to have been the motive for the killing yesterday by James Lynn, a negro hod-carrier, of Sarah James, aged 16 years, and the perhaps fatal wounding of her mother. Mrs. James is at St. Mary's Hospital. Lynn has not been captured.
-Aspen Democrat
May 21, 1908
Pueblo, Colo., May 14 - James Lynn, colored, 42 years old, early this morning broke into the home of Mrs. Julia James, a respected white woman living at 422 River street, and after severely beating Mrs. James and her daughter, Sarah, aged 16, drove them into the street where he shot and killed the daughter, and mortally wounded the mother. Every available policeman and the coroner rushed to the scene of the tragedy and a posse organized and is chasing Lynn, who made his escape on a bicycle. It is possible he will be lynched. In the house at the time of the tragedy were five children, some of them quite small.
-Durango Wage Earner
May 22, 1908
Capture of Murderer
Colorado Springs - Jim Lynn, the negro who murdered Sarah James, a white girl, sixteen years of age, and fatally shot her mother, Mrs. Julia James, at Pueblo last Thursday, was arrested Saturday at Limon Juncion, Colorado, while seeking friends with whom to hide, and was brought here Sunday morning at 2 o'clock for safe keeping, it being feared that n attempt at lynching would be made if he were returned to Pueblo.
Sheriff Fields fully identified him and brought the prisoner here. Lynn made a statement after his arrest to the effect that he did not intend to kill either Miss James or her mother. He said he was returning home late, and looking in through the window saw Joel O'Neill, a white man, in the house. He cried out to O'Neill, telling him to go home. O'Neill, he said, drew a gun and fired at him. Then, Lynn says, he returned the fire, intending to shoot O'Neill.
O'Neill denies that he had any battle with the negro, and the officers do not credit Lynn's story. At the jail in Limon Lynn begged for a knife so that he might kill himself, saying he would rather kill himself than return to Pueblo.
-Fairplay Flume, Littleton Independent, Longmont Ledger, Wray Gazette
--
Well apparently the first articles were a little wrong. Sarah's mother Julia survived.
--
May 22, 1908
Pueblo Mob Seeks Negro
Hundreds Gather at County Jail to Try to Lynch Murderer - Foiled by Absence
Only Desist After Committee Has Thoroughly Searched Building -
Denver - A Pueblo dispatch Monday night says: Believing that Jim Lynn, the negro who last Thursday morning here at Pueblo murdered Sarah James, a sixteen-year-old white girl, after which he wounded her mother, is confined in the county jail here, a mob of 400 tonight visited the jail and demanded that Lynn be turned over to them. The mob, after beating down the outer doors, would not disperse until Sheriff McMillan had allowed two committees to search every nook and cranny of the building. The mob was thoroughly organized, and evidently desperately in earnest. Reports have been prevalent all through the evening that Lynn had been brought in to the city, and excitement was high. About 9 o'clock a man on horseback, with a rope trailing along the ground, rode through the streets, calling for men to accompany him to the jail. He was quickly accommodated, and within half an hour a mob surrounded the place, and was threatening to storm the building. Several heavy planks were secured and used as battering rams. The outer iron door was quickly broken and the officers, realizing that the door could not hold much longer, began to parley. The result of the conference was that a committee of five was appointed to search the jail. When it reported, the members of the mob refused to believe the report and began threatening to again storm the doors. Another conference was held and a committee of twelve was sent through the building. When it reported that the man was not there the mob dispersed. Lynn is now in Colorado Springs and will not be brought here until the excitement has quieted. Practically all of the county officers and the police were summoned to the jail tonight as a result of the mob's visit. Feeling here is against Lynn and although his trial has been arranged for June 9th, it is believed to be unsafe to bring him to Pueblo. The trial of Lynn, who was arrested at Limon Saturday night, will open here June 9th. Sarah James, who was killed by the Negro, was buried today, the funeral being largely attended. Julia James, her mother, is holding her own at the hospital and may recover.
-Wray Gazette, Fairplay Flume
May 23, 1908
Bullet Found Near Skull of Mrs. James
Pueblo, May 22 - A bullet which had struck on the skull and glanced under the skin about two inches from the point of entrance was removed yesterday morning from the head of Mrs. Julia James by County Physician C. V. Marmaduke at St. Mary's hospital. Immediately following the shooting by Jim Lynn, Mrs. James was taken to the hospital and the swelling that resulted from the wound prevented the immediate location of the bullet. When the bandages were taken off yesterday afternoon the swelling had gone down and the position of the bullet was plain. It had struck the forehead on the right side and glanced beneath the skin, causing as far as the doctor could tell, no serious injury. The caliber was that (of) a 32 revolver - the same as the gun which Lynn is said to have twisted out of Mrs. James' hand after he forced his way into the room last Thursday morning. The bullet which caused the other wound, having pierced the right lung, Dr. Marmaduke says protrudes the skin at her back. He states that the bullet will not be removed for sometime yet as it would be merely furnishing another opening for infection and the bullet in its present position causes no harm. Mrs. James was yesterday informed that Lynn had been captured. "I am glad they've got the brute," was the reply. Indications at present are that Mrs. James will recover.
-Aspen Democrat
June 18, 1908
Woman shot by Lynn is taken to Seattle
Pueblo, June 17 - Mrs. Julia James, shot by Jim Lynn, who at the same time killed Sarah James will leave for Seattle tomorrow with her five children. Her sister, Mrs. Mary Callahan, came into here today and will take the woman to her own home. She was shot in the head and through the lungs by Lynn, who was convicted of the murder of her daughter.
-Aspen Democrat
June 25, 1908
Mrs. Julia James, who was shot and seriously wounded by James Lynn, who at the same time killed her daughter Sarah, has left Pueblo with her five children for Seattle, Washington, to make their home with her sister. Mrs. James has practically recovered from the wounds Lynn inflicted. Lynn is under conviction for murder with the death penalty hanging over him.
- Golden Transcript
July 2, 1908
Jim Lynn to hang for murder of a Pueblo girl
Pueblo, July 1 - Jim Lynn, the negro who murdered Sarah James, a white girl, May 13, was sentenced to be hanged during the week ending October 10 by Judge Esser, in the district court today. Lynn did not show any emotion, but pretended not to know what it all was about. Hi attorneys made a motion for a new trial but it was overruled.
Lynn broke into the house of Mrs. Julia James and, after an altercation with a white man who was there, drove Mrs. James and her daughter into the street. He then shot both, killing the girl and badly injuring the mother.
Lynn escaped but was captured in Limon. While he was in jail at Colorado Springs, where he was held for safe keeping, a mob broke into the Pueblo jail bent upon lynching him. Mrs. James is now in Seattle.
-Aspen Democrat
Oct 8, 1908
Jim Lynn will pay penalty for crime - may hang Friday.
Pueblo negro gives up hope of clemency or interference by friends to stay sentence.
CANON CITY, Oct 7 - Jim Lynn, the negro who shot and killed Sarah James, a 14 year old white girl, and seriously wounded her mother, Mrs. Julia James, in Pueblo, on May 14, and a month later was found guilty of murder in the first degree before Judge Esser of the district court and the death penalty imposed on him, under the terms of his sentence, will be hanged here some time during the current week, probably Friday night. Lynn has been kept in solitary confinement since his arrival at the penitentiary on June 14, and ha abandoned all hope of intercession by his friends to secure executive clemency or a postponement of the sentence of the court.
For some time after his incarceration Lynn believed that his relatives and associates would exert themselves in an effort to secure for him a new trial or at least a temporary stay of execution but as nothing of the kind has been done he has stoically accepted the situation and is awaiting death with apparent bravery and composure.
Although eighteen men have been hung in the Colorado state penitentiary in accordance with the degree of the law, Lynn will be the second colored man to pay the extreme penalty for his crime, the other one being William H. Davis, No. 2595, who was hanged here Sept. 22, 1891, by Warden W. A. Smith. Davis, like Lynn, was convicted and sentenced to death for murder in Pueblo.
-Aspen Daily Times
October 9, 1908
Negro Murderer to Pay Penalty
Canon City, Oct. 8 - Some time tonight between 8 and 9 o'clock unless Warden Cleghorn's present plans miscarry or are unexpectedly changed, James Lynn, colored, will be hung in the execution chamber of the state penitentiary for the murder of Sarah James, the 14-year-old white girl of Pueblo whose mother he shot and badly wounded at the same time. Lynn had been in the habit of calling at the James home to see the mother and when he found a white man there one night he was told his company was no ------------
(The article was to impossible to read at that point)
-Aspen Democrat
Oct 14, 1908
Negro Murderer will hang tonight
Special to the courier.
Canon City, Colo., - Oct 8 - James Lynn, colored, sentenced to hang for the murder of Sarah James, a young Pueblo girl, will pay the penalty on the gallows at the penitentiary tonight.
-Fort Collins Weekly Courier
There seems to be some conflicting info as to Sarah's age, most of the reports list her as 16, a few list her as 14, and according to the cemetery she's buried in: Date is Interment at age 18.
From the Colorado Public Defender
Catalog of Colorado Executions
JAMES LYNN. October 8, 1908. Pueblo. B-W. Hanging/Broken neck. On May 14, 1908, the front-page headline in the local newspaper shocked Pueblo residents: “Negro Drives Two White Women from Their Home and Shoots Them Down in the Street.” The article identified a neighbor, James Lynn (a Pueblo resident for twenty-two years), as the shooter. Sarah James, sixteen, was dead, and her mother, Julia, was wounded and “expected to die at any moment.” Julia, however, a widow with six children, later recovered. She and her daughter had fled their home when Lynn burst into it at one o’clock in the morning. The wages Sarah earned as a “servant” to a local physician supported the entire family of seven. Lynn, a day laborer, was infatuated with Sarah, and was jealous when another man, who left by the rear door as Lynn came through the front, was spending the night with her. Lynn had a prior arrest for assaulting a man with a poker. After his arrest, Lynn was kept in Colorado Springs to prevent a lynching. His trial occurred exactly one month after the murder, and Lynn maintained his innocence. The jury, however, returned a guilty verdict after only fifteen minutes of deliberation.
I should add that I have found Sarah James is buried in Roselawn Cemetery in Pueblo, Colorado.
I wonder if her mother stayed in Seattle the rest of her life.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Sensational Divorce
Maybe I should start with something tame - this one quite intrigued me. I'd like to know the details of this one!
-Aspen Daily Times Oct. 30, 1908
---
I am so curious, what a thing to print! Please, please, please let me know what is so sensational!
Sensational Divorce Case
Denver - Oct. 29 - T. W. Rendle, a leading photographer and prominent business man, today filed suit for divorce against his wife, Sarah A. Rendle. The complaint is said to be very sensational.-Aspen Daily Times Oct. 30, 1908
---
I am so curious, what a thing to print! Please, please, please let me know what is so sensational!
Hi, Hello
Just a little introduction to my blog. As I was doing some family research I stumbled across some old newspaper clippings and stories. I just thought they were fascinating. Some stories were tame, such as a woman falling down and hurting her thumb, to others about murder most foul.
These are just some of the stories I found so interesting. Also old obituaries and such. Just to me it is very interesting stuff, and I wanted to share. Perhaps you'll find it as interesting as I.
I have a tendency to wonder about the lives of the people involved, who they were, what they did and such - I wonder if anyone out there is even looking for them. Maybe it's not always something you wanted to know, but it did happen.
These are just some of the stories I found so interesting. Also old obituaries and such. Just to me it is very interesting stuff, and I wanted to share. Perhaps you'll find it as interesting as I.
I have a tendency to wonder about the lives of the people involved, who they were, what they did and such - I wonder if anyone out there is even looking for them. Maybe it's not always something you wanted to know, but it did happen.
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