Staraí Spóirt agus Ealaíontóir Comhraic
Posts about the history of St. Louis, Missouri, and miscellaneous history.
Ar Dé Sathairn, Aibreán 9, 2022, the Franklin County Missouri Historical Society invited me to give a PowerPoint presentation on the Union Missouri Bank Robbery of 1902. The book covers the robbery, the investigation, two nationwide hunts for the fugitive and a daring break from the St. Louis City Jail. Two daring robbers, not yet 23 bliana d'aois, pulled off
Ar Dé Máirt, Iúil 4, 1916, former St. Louis Chief of Detectives William Desmond passed away after an illness of two years. Desmond was in Alexian Brothers Hospital from October 1915 until his death on Independence Day 1916. The 59-year-old Desmond left a 12-year-old son, William Desmond, Jr. Chief Desmond’s wife died several years before him. For 17 years from 1890
Ar Nollaig 15, 1903, three men entered the Erie House at Fourth Street and Clark Avenue. The men beat up cook Victor Dauson before shooting hotel clerk Charles Harding. Dauson died from his injuries but Charles Harding recovered. The men took $300 from the safe and fled the hotel. The men entered the hotel at 2:00 a.m. and surprised Harding,
Ar Lúnasa 11, 1896, a train arrived in St. Louis, Missouri around 7:30 a.m. Three figures exited the train. Two healthy looking police officers were escorting John D. “Jack” Shea, who killed St. Louis Police Officer Patrick Doran on November 7, 1881. The gaunt and sickly Shea was no longer the young thug, who executed Doran during a chase after
On a chilly night, Eanáir 9, 1915, Sáirsint. Michael Gibbons stepped off the westbound Delmar owl streetcar about 3:00 a.m. Sáirsint. Gibbons walked towards the Wabash Railroad’s Delmar Station, which was in complete darkness. Gibbons kneeled and wrapped his nightstick on the platform to signal any nearby beat officers to report to him. Patrolman Arthur J. Saxy heard the night
“For the good of the department”. With those 6 words, Naomh. Louis Board of Police Commissioners removed St. Louis Chief of Detectives William Desmond from the position he held for 17 bliana. They replaced him with Desmond’s ex-assistant James Smith, who was dismissed by the previous board. How did one of the greatest, if not the greatest, detectives in
Cornelius O’Keefe earned a reputation as a tough police officer during his career with the St. Póilíní Roinn Louis. He would need all that toughness on the morning of January 6, 1911, when a burglar entered the boarding house, where O’Keefe lived and tried to steal several items including O’Keefe’s pants. O’Keefe had just woken up and was getting ready
When William Rudolph broke out of the St. Louis Jail on Independence Day 1903, the newspapers called it an act of unprecedented daring. Mar sin féin, twenty-two years earlier, Frank Fone and John D. Shea broke out of the St. Louis Jail the same way. Fone and Shea were local criminals, who frequented the Downtown area. Shea was violent, while Fone was
Oíche Nollag 1902, dhá bhaile beag, beag-am, d’oscail fir holdup sábháilte an Aontais, Banc Missouri. Tar éis bagairt ar roinnt saoránach, rinne siad amach le breis $15,000. Bhí na fir sách sábháilte ar feadh cúpla mí go dtí gur glaodh Gníomhaireacht Bleachtaireachta Pinkerton isteach. Bhí gníomhaireacht náisiúnta ag na Pinkertons, a bhí an rud is gaire don Aontaithe
Timpeall 10 am on Thursday, Aibreán 10, 1919, five heavily armed men burst into the Baden Bank. The bandits confronted M.W. Muntzel, the cashier, and demanded access to the vault. They rounded up the four other employees as Muntzel led the group to the vault. The robbers wore colored bandanas to obscure their features. While two of the five men