News Items from The Kansas City Journal ~ Old News That's New to You from Vintage Kansas City.com

December 7, 1910

LEE'S SUMMIT GRATEFUL.

Sends Check for Kansas City

Firemen's Pension Fund.

John Egner, chief of the fire department, received a letter yesterday from Mayor J. C. Ritterhouse of Lee's Summit, Mo., inclosing a check for $107.50, a donation from the citizens of Lee's Summit, to be applied to the pension fund of the department.

In the letter Mayor Ritterhouse stated that he was sending the check to show the appreciation of every citizen in Lee's Summit for the work of Kansas City firemen on the night of December 18 last, when they overcame a fire that without their assistance would have destroyed the business part of Lee's Summit.

Labels: Fire, Lee's Summit

December 19, 1909

TRAIN IS RUSHED TO

LEE'S SUMMIT FIRE.

AID FROM KANSAS CITY STOPS

FLAMES IN BUSINESS SECTION.

Town Helpless as Conflagration

Gets Beyond Control, Following

Pump of Volunteer Firemen

Breaking -- Damage $65,000.

Lee's Summit, twenty-five miles southeast of Kansas City, unable to cope with a fire which threatened the business section last night, appealed to Kansas City for aid and a special train, carrying a fire engine and hose reel, went out over the Missouri Pacific at 11:45 o'clock, nearly two hours later.

The fire started from a stove, which was located over the M. A. Kinney grocery store. In a few minutes the entire business section of the town seemed doomed. By midnight three business buildings were badly burned and two others were damaged.

T. M. George, a real estate dealer, was overcome by the heat, but was rescued and revived. No other injuries were reported.

The Lee's Summit fire department was badly handicapped. The company had only a gasoline pump with which to work. Water was pumped from a public well. Two streams of water were being directed on the fire when the pump broke and the volunteers were rendered helpless. The Kansas City's aid was sought.

NINE FIREMEN TAKEN.

A special train was made up of two flat cars and one caboose. The fire engine and reel was from No. 1 station. Nine men were taken along from Company 16 with Assistant Chief Alex Henderson in charge.

The special train reached Lee's Summit at 1 o'clock this morning. when the Kansas Cityans arrived the entire population of Lee's Summit, numbering 2,000, out fighting the fire in their helpless way, cheered wildly. The engine and reel were unloaded at once on skids and in fifteen minutes a big stream was being played on the fire. the water from the old mill pond was used.

The flames were checked rapidly by the Kansas City firemen, and the impending complete destruction of the business district was prevented.

The entire stock and goods of the M. A. Kinney company, in whose building the fire started, were completely destroyed. The flames spread to the building belonging to J. D. Ocker, which was occupied by his stock of furniture and hardware.

BUILDINGS DESTROYED.

The entire building was destroyed, including Mr. Ocker's complete stock of goods, and also the offices and fixtures of Dr. J. C. Hall, who occupied the floor above.

The fire next caught at the Citizens' National bank and the building and all the fixtures and property were consumed except the fire-proof vaults.

The J. P. McKisson building located east of the burned block was saved by the valiant work of the volunteer fire department, under the command of H. Lewis. The volunteers had played their streams on this building until the breaking of the apparatus.

One business block was practically saved. In this was the W. B. Howard Clothing store occupying the ground floor and the Bell telephone company on the floor above.

The loss of the Bell telephone company exceeds $3,000 although the local office was but slightly damaged. Only a week ago the company had rewired the town.

All connections and cables were burned and the service completely destroyed. W. B. Howard, cashier of the Citizens State bank declared that his business was the only one affected entirely covered by insurance.

CITY RECORDS LOST.

In the Citizen's Bank building, where the Kansas City firemen finally checked the fire, were located the offices of Keupp & Kimball, a real estate firm, and also the rooms of the city council. All the records and papers of the city were stored in the city rooms, and were a complete loss.

The Kansas City firemen directed two streams of hose on this building and within twenty minutes had the fire put out. There was plenty of pressure and 1,200 feet of hose were used.

The loss will aggregate $65,000. The damage to the buildings was estimated at $15,000, while conservative estimates place the damage to the goods at $50,000. M. A. Kinney carried $1,000 insurance on both his stock and his building.

J. R. Leinweber, president of the bank at Lee's Summit, announced immediately after the fire that plans would be taken for an early re-building of the bank building. The bank is capitalized at $26,000 and has a surplus of $15,000. Its deposits at the last quarterly statement were $108,00. All the valuable papers and bonds held by the bank were deposited in the fire-proof safety vaults, which were uninjured by the fire.

Labels: banking, Fire, Lee's Summit, railroad, retailers, telephone

December 11, 1909

FATHER AND BROTHER DEAD.

Now Patrolman Ganzer's Mother Is

Dying at Lee's Summit.

In the last ten days Charles Ganzer, a police patrolman, has lost his father and brother, and his aged mother now lies at the point of death at Lee's Summit, Mo. The father, George Ganzer, died ten days ago. Yesterday morning William Ganzer, a brother, 24 years old, died on his farm near Hickman Mills. At last reports the officer's mother was reported very low. The funeral of the brother will take place at the Lee's Summit cemetery this afternoon. He will be buried in the family lot.

Labels: cemetery, death, Lee's Summit, police

September 26, 1909

FATHER O'DONNELL'S

SILVER SACERDOTAL.

LONG SERVICE IN THE PRIEST-

HOOD IN KANSAS CITY.

Friends to Commemorate the Event

on November 1 -- Came From

Tipperary to the West on

Advice of a Friend.

Roman Catholic Priest Father Patrick J. O'Donnell.

FATHER PATRICK J. O'DONNELL,
FOR 25 YEARS A PRIEST HERE.

In 1885 St. Joseph's hospital was an unpretentious structure, a building which now forms a small wing to the greater buildings constructed adjoining it. In one corner of the hospital grounds there stood a little frame building which was used by the druggist attached to the hospital.

In addition to the hospital buildings the grounds now contain a finely appointed church. The priest is the Rev. Father Patrick J. O'Donnell. He has been there twenty-four years. The church building has succeeded a modest chapel in which Father O'Donnell first celebrated mass when he was given charge of the chapel. It was his second charge in the priesthood.

On November 1, Father O'Donnell will celebrate his silver sacerdotal. At least, his friends have advised him that they will celebrate it for him. They have arranged a reception with Father O'Donnell as honor guest in the chapel hall at Eighth and Penn streets for the night of the day which will mark his twenty-fifth anniversary as a priest of the Roman Catholic church.

Father O'Donnell was born in Tipperary in May, 1862. He left Ireland when 14 years old and lived for four years with an aunt in New York. In 1880, he returned to Ireland and attended St. John's Theological seminary at Wexford. He completed the course of religious instruction there in 1884 and came direct to Kansas City.

The reason for his choosing Kansas City as a field for religious work was that a classmate in the Irish school had been ordered to the St. Joseph diocese and had written Father O'Donnell of what a fine country the Western part of the United States is. Kansas City at that time was a part of the St. Joseph diocese. The Right Reverend John J. Hogan, now bishop of Kansas City, was bishop of the St. Joseph diocese. Afterward, when the Kansas City diocese was created, Bishop Hogan became spiritual head of the Kansas City diocese and administrator for St. Joseph.

Father O'Donnell's first religious work in Kansas City was as an instructor in the parochial school of the Cathedral near Eleventh street and Broadway. He taught in the school for several months. In November, 1884, he was ordained as a priest in the Cathedral.

The first charge given Father O'Donnell was in Norborne, Mo. At the time of his ordination, Father O'Donnell was too young to be admitted to the priesthood, but a papal dispensation was granted. He remained in Norborne, Mo., until 1885, when he was appointed chaplain to St. Joseph's hospital and celebrated mass each alternate Sunday at Lee's Summit. He retained the Lee's Summit charge for two years.

Father O'Donnell was asked to build a church in Sheffield. He worked for several years to bring it about. After the church was built he celebrated mass in it. Two years ago it was made a separate charge. In the meantime, the new church at the hospital building was erected. It now serves many parishioners in addition to the convalescents at the hospital.

Father O'Donnell is of genial disposition. He is known as "a man's priest" because of the strong interest he invariably has held in athletics and his liking for the society of men. He is a member of the Kansas City lodge of the Elks, being the only member of the order among the priests of Missouri.

Father O'Donnell's family lives in Kansas City, they having removed from Ireland several years after he was assigned to the charge at Norborne. His various charges in Jackson county have given him a wide acquaintance here, while he is one of the few priests ordained at the Cathedral who has retained a parish in the city. As a result of his long residence here, the reception planned for him is to be made notable by his friends.

Labels: Broadway, churches, Eleventh street, history, hospitals, immigrants, Lee's Summit, ministers, schools, sheffield

May 11, 1909

WOLVES IN JACKSON COUNTY.

Lair of Eight Discovered Three

Miles West of Lee's Summit.

Eight wolf scalps were laid on the desk of the county court yesterday while the court was in session at Independence. W. C. Bushart, who lives three miles southeast of Lee's Summit, discovered the lair of wolves and some of them were old enough to show a little fight. The were captured, however, and the county court yesterday ordered a warrant issued to the capture for $16. There is a bounty of $2 on each wolf scalp.

Labels: animals, county court, Independence, Lee's Summit

January 9, 1909

CAN GROW TOBACCO HERE.

Jackson and Cass Counties' Farmers

Experiment With Weed.

LEE'S SUMMIT, MO., Jan 8 -- G. W. Simmons, who lives near Raymore, Mo., and who recently returned from Kentucky as representative of the Harrisonville Commercial Club to investigate and procure practical help for the raising of tobacco, is in Lee's Summit today. Mr. Simmons says there is no doubt but what the soil of Jackson and Cass counties is properly tilled for the growing of tobacco, and this year he will endeavor to have several of the farmers in the different localities of Cass county plant as much as three acres each of the product.

Jackson county will also be given a trial at this new culture by George Shawhan of Weston, Mo., on his farm near Lone Jack. Mr. Shawhan will plant fifty acres, while his son-in-law, James Rowland, will have fifteen acres. A tobacco company has recently offered inducements to the farmers in these localities in order to get them started in this new venture.

Labels: farmers, Harrisonville, Lee's Summit, Lone Jack, tobacco, Weston

June 22, 1908

MINISTERS CALL ON BROWN.

Says He Expects to Go to Prison for

His Misdeeds.

Since his arrest last Friday night on a charge of issuing worthless checks the Rev. C. S. L. Brown has made his peace with his Diety and is now calmly awaiting the outcome of his trial. Last night Mr. Brown said he expected to receive a penitentiary sentence. He was arraigned Saturday afternoon before Justice Michael Ross and held under a bond of $750. He has made no attempt to secure his release, and said that he did not care to ask his friends for help. If it is possible Brown intends to keep his mother in ignorance of his trouble until he is a free man. He said last night that he did not want his child to see him until he was out of jail.

In the same cell with the minister is Antonio W. Martin, the young Italian adventurer, who has gained some notoriety by his recent escapades. The two men had figured out the amount owed by the minister on account of the worthless checks he had passed.

That the unfrocked pastor still has friends who are willing to stick by him was shown yesterday by the number of persons who called at the county jail to see him. Among the visitors were four Christian ministers. Mr. Brown said last night that since he had resigned from his charge at Lee's Summit six weeks ago he had spent his time in drinking and gambling, but that he had now mastered these passions and believed when he got out of jail he would go forth a stronger man. He wants a place where he can be busy and not have time to think about the allurements of gambling.

Labels: gambling, immigrants, jail, Justice Ross, Lee's Summit, ministers

June 20, 1908

"WAY OF THE TRANS-

GRESSOR IS HARD."

Rev. Brown, Under Liquor, Is Ar-

rested. Says He Has Passed

Worthless Checks and Played

in Some Stiff Games.

"The way of the transgressor is hard." This was the text of a sermon preached by the Rev. C. S. L. Brown at the West Side Christian church, Twentieth street and Pennsylvania avenue, on Sunday night, October 7, 1906. His subject was "Lights and Shadows of Life, or Positive and Negative Teachings."

Since that memorable night when the Rev. Mr. Brown, who six years before had worked as a porter at the Hotel Baltimore, preached before a large congregation, many of whom were his personal friends, glad of his success, he has found out the hard truth of his text -- "The way of the transgressor is hard."

Last night the Rev. Mr. Brown was arrested at Sixth and Walnut streets by Patrolman Harry Arthur. He was locked up for investigation and spent the night in a cell at Central station. When arrested he was in the street. He had thrown away his hat, his coat was off and he had all but stripped the upper portion of his body of clothing.

It was the same Rev. Mr. Brown who a few months ago stood boldly before his congregation at Lee's Summit, Mo., and acknowledged that he had been gambling and drinking. He was drinking last night. When he occupied the pulpit of Rev. W. O. Thomas here in October, 1906, Rev. Mr. Brown then was pastor of a Christian church at Washington, Kas. His mother, a woman of wealth and culture, lives there now. His wife and four small children are with his mother. He is 30 years old.

The minister admitted last night he had been drinking and gambling in Kansas City almost ever since his downfall at Lee's Summit. He said he had passed about $60 worth of worthless checks. He could recall one for $12.50 on C. J. Mees, a saloonkeeper, Sixth and Walnut; one for $15 on James Riddle, saloon, Independence avenue and McGee street, and two at Lee's Summit.

"I can trace my downfall to the love of a woman," he said, with tears in his eyes. "Then the gamblers got hold of me here and what they have left you see now -- a wreck, beaten, down and out. I am willing to take my medicine like a man and serve my five or ten years, but before God I will not divulge the name of the woman. Her name must be protected, as I alone am to blame.

"When I got in my trouble and had to leave my church and Lee's Summit," he continued, "a minister friend down there went to my mother at Washington, Kas., and got $400 to square things. She told him he could have ten times that amount. With part of that I even paid gambling debts to men here who since have refused to give me 10 cents to buy a dish of chile.

"Gambling! Gambling!" he almost shrieked. "Is there much gambling here? Yes. I could lead you to some of the stiffest games you ever saw and they seem to be running with ease. Of course most of them are in hotels and hard to catch. Yes, I have been before the grand jury with it."

The Rev. Mr. Brown refused to divulge the names of the men who had "trimmed" him here. He said "Their time will come later. He said that he went through the Boer war in the service of England. Then he was a soldier of fortune.

"It was there I contracted the drinking and gambling habits," he admitted with bowed head. "I felt the craving for the old habits returning and battled with them as long as I could. At a weak moment, other troubles begetting me, I fell 'as the angels fell from Heaven to the blackest depths of Hell.' Since then the course has been down, down, down with an awful rush."

Labels: alcohol, Central station, churches, gambling, Independence avenue, Lee's Summit, McGee street, ministers, saloon, Sixth street, Walnut Street

May 16, 1908

THEY WANT LONE JACK PICNIC.

Lee's Summit People Say Their

Town's the Proper Place.

A movement is on foot among the people of Lee's Summit to move the Lone Jack picnic thi syear to a point closer to a railroad, and they have suggested that Lee's Summit would be a good place to bring it. This has caused the farmers around Lone Jack, who have profited by reason of the picnic, to register an objection to the change. They claim that it would lose its significance to hold it anywhere else except near the battleground. The picnic has not been held on the battleground proper for the past twenty years.

Labels: Civil War, Lee's Summit, Lone Jack, picnics

March 13, 1908

ROCK ROADS WILL

REACH EVERY TOWN.

No More Mud-Isolated Hamlets.

Road contracts amounting to $55,604.65 were let by the county court yesterday. When these contracts are completed there will not be a town nor hamlet in Eastern Jackson county which is not touched by the web of rock roads.

There was talk yesterday that injunction proceedings would be brought against the court, but this only materialized in a warm protest from Atherton as to the location of a rock road to that town. Some wanted the road east of the Blue, others west. The court had listened to the arguments before on this measure and decided on the east route as the most beneficial.

The contract for the Hickman Mills road to Lee's Summit was let to Colyer Bros., the lowest bidders, at $19,917.44. This gap is three and three-fourths miles long.

Today the county court will go over the Blue Springs rod and make an inspection of work done under the contract. A few days ago a strong delegation from Tarsney appeared before the court and claimed that the contractors were not complying with the specifications. Two of the our miles of road remain to be built. The farmers claim that the macadam laid is not deep enough, the rolling light and everything short in measurement.

Labels: Atherton, Blue river, Blue Springs, Lee's Summit, public works

October 11, 1907

REFUGE FOR CONSUMPTIVES.

Tuberculosis Society Officers Approve

City's Site for Building.

Dr. R. O. Cross, president and C. B. Irving, secretary of the Jackson County Society for the Prevention and Relief of Tuberculosis, accompanied the board of public works and the work house committees from the lower and upper houses of the council, to Lee's Summit yesterday afternoon, and approved the plans for the proposed sanitarium for consumptives to be built in the city.

The site of the proposed sanitarium is on the west forty acres of the 140 recently purchased by the city for the location of a work house. The ground to be used for the "white plague" sanitarium is on a slope with a southeast exposure, and has excellent natural drainage. The city contemplates erecting a permanent building for the segregation and treatment of consumptives.

Labels: City Chemist Cross, health, Kansas City council, Lee's Summit, public works, workhouse

June 25, 1907

ENDED LIFE WITH SHOTGUN.

Former Deputy Sheriff Left Note Saying

"Put Me in Hole."

"Put me in a hole tomorrow."

Just those six words to indicate that he died by his own hand was the parting message to the world left by James Flanery, who committed suicide yesterday afternoon at Lee's Summit. After brooding for weeks over his ill health, Flanery, a former deputy sheriff of Jackson County, and member of a prominent Lee's Summit family, went to the home of an uncle, Ed Chrisman, about nine miles from Lee's Summit yesterday afternoon and obtained a shotgun on the pretext that he wished to go out hunting. A few minutes later his body was found in a little thicket, the head almost torn to pieces by a charge of buckshot.

Beside the body was a shotgun, both barrels of which had been recently discharged. A small forked stick near the left hand indicated that Flanery had placed the butt of the gun against the ground, with the muzzle at his head and pressed the triggers with the stick.

Near the body was a hastily scrawled not which read:

"Put me in a hole tomorrow."

Flanery was at one time prominent in local and county politics. His family was an influential one in the eastern part of the county and the man himself had at one time been a deputy sheriff. Of recent years he had been in bad health and he had threatened a number of times to kill himself. His relatives did not take the threats seriously, however.

As his death was a plain case of suicide, no coroner's inquest was ordered.

Labels: guns, Lee's Summit, Suicide