John Riley Collects Poll Tax

john-riley-poll-tax-book

My second great-grandfather John Riley Deweese served as Welch Township Republican Committee Chairman in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri for most of his adult life.  Besides holding party caucuses in his home, John Riley served as Road Commissioner in the 1910s.  Residents mostly traversed the roads by horse and buggy. One of the mechanisms governments used to collect fees for road

Share
» Read more

Oliver Kirk and the 1904 St. Louis Olympics

oliver-kirk-st-louis-boxer

Oliver Leonard Kirk has the distinction of being the only Olympic boxer to win a gold medal in two separate weight classes in the same Olympic Games.  Oliver Kirk accomplished this feat at his hometown Olympics in 1904. St. Louis hosted the third Olympiad during the 1904 World’s Fair Exposition.  Like the Paris Games four years before, St. Louis gave

Share
» Read more

“Terrible” Terry Dies in Charity Hospital

terrible-terry-mcgovern

On February 22, 1918, former World Bantamweight and Featherweight Boxing Champion “Terrible” Terry McGovern died in New York City’s Kings County Hospital. McGovern checked in a few days earlier with what McGovern thought was a severe upper respiratory infection. However, doctors diagnosed pneumonia. McGovern went from walking and talking to unresponsive in just one or two days. McGovern never recovered.

Share
» Read more

So’s Your Aunt Emma! (1942)

zasu-pitts

Monogram Pictures released So’s Your Aunt Emma! (1942) on April 17, 1942. Zasu Pitts stars as Aunt Emma Bates. In her youth, Aunt Emma was engaged to up-and-coming professional fighter Jim O’Banion. Her sister didn’t approve of the match, so they sent her on a trip to break up the couple. Aunt Emma regretted it and starts following the career

Share
» Read more

Streetcar Strike Mob Attacks Woman

st-louis-streetcar

I have always said the St. Louis Streetcar Strike of 1900 was not the story of the evil streetcar companies exploiting the innocent workers.  “The innocent workers” committed many deplorable acts during the streetcar strike. One of their most frequent tactics involved stripping woman in public who rode the streetcars during the strike.  Amazingly, their victims were young and attractive

Share
» Read more

Chief Desmond Brings Fugitive Home

desmond-1904-heroics

St. Louis Chief of Detectives William Desmond would be primarily responsible for the security of the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.  Prior to the fair opening in April 1904, Desmond played a critical role in St. Louis’ boodling investigation. During his boodling investigation, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Joseph “Holy Joe” Folk indicted City Councilman Charles Kratz for taking bribes or

Share
» Read more
1 50 51 52 53 54 64