Martial Artist, Historian and Writer
Frank Gotch was famous for defeating George Hackenschmidt, the world champion wrestler and weightlifter in
This post is an unedited excerpt from my newest book to be released in Fall
Sunday morning, August 12, 1900, St. Louis Police arrested four former Transit Line streetcar workers
During the last week of December 1902, William Rudolph, a recently returned miner to Franklin County, and George Collins robbed the Union Bank in Union, MO. They robbed it overnight, when no one was present by blowing up the safe. Rudolph returned to his parents’ cabin in Stanton, MO. He and his accomplice hid out until the Franklin County Sheriff
William Muldoon was the reigning World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion and a noted physical culturist, when he was engaged by John L. Sullivan’s backers to get their fighter in shape. Sullivan was the reigning World Heavyweight Bare Knuckle Prizefighting Champion. He signed an agreement to meet his toughest challenger, Jake Kilrain, in July 1889. Sullivan admitted he was in bad shape,
As patrons sat around the Centerfield Lounge, 3111 North Grand Boulevard in St. Louis on Saturday night, April 14, 1956, they were surprised by a slightly built man walking in through the back door armed with a revolver. His stocky partner wore a mask but was not carrying a visible firearm as they entered the tavern around 11:15 pm. The
The day before Independence Day in 1925, 75 employees of the H.S. Printing Company were watching the clock about 4:00 p.m. as they would soon be getting off work. Suddenly, 6 young men, armed with revolvers, popped into the office on the sixth floor of 1531 Washington Avenue, a 10-story loft building in St. Louis, Missouri. Frank Bird, Maurice O’Flaherty,
While famous for fighting John L. Sullivan in the last world championship prizefight contested under bare knuckle rules, Jake Kilrain also took part in many gloved bouts. Prizefighting was transitioning from bare knuckle rules to gloved bouts under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules (early amateur and professional boxing) in the late 19th Century. Like Sullivan, Kilrain would fight in major
On November 10, 1924, Mrs. A.W. Stickney was leaving the St. Louis Country Club, when she was approached by two African-American men. The lighter skinned man told Mrs. Stickney to turn over her jewels or he would take them from her. Fearing for her safety, Mrs. Stickney handed the man her jewelry, valued at $17,000.00, and $85.00 in cash. Mrs.
Alex Aberg defeated many notable foes in the greatest year of his professional wrestling career. In 1915, Aberg competed in both the Spring and Fall versions of the New York International Wrestling Tournament. Competing exclusively in his preferred style of Greco-Roman wrestling, Aberg defeated Dr. Benjamin Roller, Wladek Zbyszko and Ed “Strangler” Lewis along with a number of journeyman wrestlers.
On Christmas Night 1902, two small town, small-time, holdup men blew open the safe of the Union, Missouri Bank. After threatening a few citizens, they made off with over $15,000. The men were relatively safe for a few months until the Pinkerton Detective Agency was called in. The Pinkertons had a nationwide agency, which was the closest thing the United
In the 1910s, American professional wrestling permanently moved from legitimate wrestling contests to prearranged exhibitions. Fan interest, promoter control and less wear and tear on the wrestlers all played a role in this transition. Another less talked about pressure was outside of the sport itself. Prior to the 20th Century, professional boxing was illegal in the United States. Bare knuckle
Cars and guns have caused the most deaths in St. Louis Police history. However, a tornado was responsible in one of the rare instances, where more than one officer lost his life. On Thursday, September 29, 1927, one of the deadliest tornadoes in St. Louis history cut a swath through the center of the city. The tornado entered the city