Combat Sports Historian and Martial Artist
Posts about the history of St. Louis, Missouri, family history, classic film, and miscellaneous history.
St. Louis Chief of Detectives William Desmond had respect for the “old school criminals”, who plied their trade in St. Louis during the late 19th Century. However, he did not have the same degree of respect for the thug tactics of the “new school criminals”. These criminals made up for a lack of finesse with great violence. Chief Desmond said
In 2010, St. Louis was the 58th largest city in the United States and the 19th largest metropolitan area. Around the turn of the century, it was the fifth or sixth largest city in the United States and the largest west of the Mississippi River. St. Louis had one of the largest clothing, shoe and beer manufacturing industries in
On Thursday, September 9, 1875, George “Mitchell” Gassert and William Salisbury went to Fred Fisher’s Saloon at the corner of N. Jefferson and Morgan (Delmar today). After ordering drinks, the two young men of unsavory reputation refused to pay for their drinks. After trying to illicit payment, Fisher summoned St. Louis Police Officer John Cummings. Officer Cummings, assigned to the
For the Sunday, June 24, 1900 edition of the St. Louis Republic, a reporter interviewed St. Louis Chief of Detectives William Desmond about the increasing violence of the new criminal. After 10 years as St. Louis Chief of Detectives and one of the most noted thief takers in United States, Chief Desmond lamented the increasing violence he was seeing out
54-year-old William Henry Anderson plied his trade as a St. Louis Police Officer for 25 years. Assigned to a beat near Natural Bridge and Vandeventer Avenues, Officer Anderson was known as the “Friendly Copper” by the residents and businesses on his beat. Working the overnight shift on a cold February morning, Officer Anderson was walking on Vandeventer just south of
Before he was promoted to Special Officer, St. Louis Police Officer Preston Anslyn responded to calls for service like any other patrolman. On the morning of February 28, 1916, Anslyn was patrolling the area of Franklin and Jefferson Avenues. A citizen notified Anslyn that 30-year-old Albert Kivet was celebrating after his birthday on February 27th. During his revelry, Kivet assaulted
William Powell’s fifth turn as S.S. Van Dine’s detective Philo Vance may have been his best. The Kennel Murder Case (1933) finds Philo Vance trying to solve the murder of Archer Coe. Coe had many enemies but the greatest mystery for Vance is how Coe was murdered in a locked room. Vance attended a dog show with Coe and his
On Thursday, January 23, 1902, St. Louis awakened to the news millionaire A. Deane Cooper was found murdered in the Vista Bathhouse at Franklin Avenue and North Grand Boulevard. Cooper, one of St. Louis’ wealthiest men, owned residential real estate and other assets valued at 2 million dollars. Cooper aspired to be the biggest property owner in St. Louis. He
On March 19, 1942, RKO Radio Pictures released the second film starring the Old Time Radio comedy team Lum and Abner. The Bashful Bachelor (1942) starred Chester Lauck as Lum Edwards and Norris Goff as Abner Peabody, the owners of the Jot’Em Down Store in Arkansas. In this film (affiliate link), longtime bachelor Lum Edwards wants to become a hero
Tom Allen was born in Birmingham, England but fought some of his most famous fights in America. In 1867, Allen moved to St. Louis, the largest city west of the Mississippi. Allen never left and would use St. Louis as his home base to train for prizefights. Allen fought mostly in bare knuckle prizefights as American boxing would not be