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

November 17, 1909

BODY ON STOVE EIGHT HOURS.

Stone Mason Found Dead Where He

Had Prepared to Cook Noon Meal.

Peter Gilberg, a stone mason, was found dead in his home, 815 East Twenty-second street at 8 o'clock last night by Matt Gleason, proprietor of a saloon at 921 East Twenty-first street, who sent Gilberg home ill yesterday morning. Dr. Harry Czarlinsky, deputy coroner, found that a hemorrhage killed Gilberg.

Gilberg lived alone. He evidently was preparing to cook his noon day meal when he was stricken as uncooked fish and some potatoes were on the kitchen table. One side of the body was cooked from the heat of the gas stove, which had been burning for probably eight hours.

Mr. Gilberg was a member of the Woodmen of the World and carried $1,000 insurance. The secretary of the lodge was called last night but was unable to tell who the insurance was made out to. Mr. Gleason's niece was married about two months ago to a union tailor but whose name was unknown to the uncle. The niece was married in Westport. The body was taken to the Wagner undertaking rooms, Fourteenth street and Grand avenue.

Labels: death, Dr Czarlinsky, food, Fourteenth street, Grand avenue, lodges, Twenty-first street, Twenty-second street, undertakers

October 16, 1909

TO OPEN SANITARIUM TODAY.

Wm. Volker's Gift Means Much to

Kansas City People.

The opening reception of the tubercular pavilion, Twenty-second and Cherry streets, the gift of Mr. William Volker to the Jackson County Society for the Relief and Prevention of Tuberculosis, is to be held at 3 o'clock this afternoon.

As this is a great event in the history of Kansas City, everyone is cordially invited to be present at the dedication of the sanitarium, which is to be presented by Frank P. Walsh, president of the society, to the city, through its mayor, Thomas T. Crittenden, Jr.

Addresses will be delivered by Professor Charles Zubelin of New York, Mayor Crittenden, Frank P. Walsh and E. W. Schauffler, medical director of the sanitarium.

Labels: Cherry street, doctors, Frank Walsh, health, hospitals, Mayor Crittenden, New York, organizations, Twenty-second street

July 21, 1909

"ALTON" RESUMES SERVICE.

All C. & A. Trains Now Running

Over Their Own Tracks on

Regular Schedule.

The popularity of the Chicago & Alton railroad was again demonstrated Tuesday morning by the number of people who appeared at the C. & A. downtown ticket office, following the announcement that all Alton trains were again running over their own lines.

Although the tracks at Glasgow suffered several bad washouts, the Alton completed their reconstruction with unusual promptness and were able to announce the restoration of their train service a full day ahead of their expectations.

For the convenience of their patrons who prefer a downtown depot, the C. & A. also recently began operating their "Red Hummer" train to and from Chicago daily through the Twenty-second and Grand avenue station.

Labels: Chicago, flood, Grand avenue, railroad, Twenty-second street

March 19, 1908

MANY WOMEN WOULD

ADOPT LITTLE PAT.

THERE'S ALWAYS A DEMAND

FOR BABY FOUNDLINGS.

Post Card Picture May Lead to the

Identity of This "Doorstep

Youngster's" Mother.

Was Well Supplied.

Late yesterday afternoon little Pat, the week-old baby who was found in a hallway at 584 Harrison street at 11:45 Tuesday night, was taken from the matron's room at police headquarters to St. Anthony's home, at Twenty-second street and College avenue. Mrs. Lizzie Burns, the police matron who went with the ambulance and got the little fellow and named him Pat in honor of St. Patrick's day, remained up all day to care for the baby. She is on night duty.

The baby was found in a hallway adjacent to the home of Mrs. E. T. Pope, and her son notified the police. The child was well supplied with all baby necessaries, and was wrapped in a black cloak. In searching the cloak yesterday, Mrs. Joan Moran, the other matron, found a picture postcard. The card is addressed to Mrs. Addie Esters, 301 Kickapoo street, Leavenworth, Kas. It was mailed in that city on May 4, 1907, and on the side with the picture is signed the name of Mattie Adams. The card was turned over to F. E. McCrary, Humane agent, who said he would write to both parities and see if any information could be gained.

A boy baby is the most easily adopted, so managers of foundling homes say. After the story of the finding of little Pat got around there were several applicants for him. Mrs. Burns, the matron who went out and got him, came near keeping him herself.

Mrs. Burns became so attached to the little fellow after she had washed and dressed him yesterday morning that she insisted on keeping out a souvenir of his visit. Pat had plenty of clothes, so Mrs. Burns kept out a pair of tiny little white shoes which were immediately placed on the wall of the matron's room.

"Pat is the finest specimen of real young man that I have seen in a long while," said Mrs. Burns. "Young as he is I tickled him under the chin today and made him laugh. He is also a healthy baby, and just as pretty as can be. He deserves a good home."

Labels: children, College avenue, Harrison street, police matron, St Anthonys Home, Twenty-second street

February 24, 1908

SEARCH SEWERS

FOR JOHN FAYHEY

BELIEVING HIS BODY IS PROB-

ABLY HIDDEN THERE.

THE QUEST IS FRUITLESS

PARTY WALKS MILE THROUGH

A MAIN SEWER.

Wife of Missing Man Believes His Is

Still Alive -- She Thinks He

Has Been Injured and

Will Return.

Every manhole, every telephone cable conduit, every underground passageway, even the Walnut street sewer; every possible hiding place into which a body could be stowed, in the neighborhood of Twelfth and Main streets, was gone through yesterday by friends of John Fayhey, who disappeared from the knowledge of his fellow men three weeks ago. No trace of the body was found by the searchers. The search underground was as futile as the body hunt of previous Sundys through the outskirts of the city and in the trenches made by men in the water works department. Fayhey was last seen at 1 o'clock on the morning of February 1, with a party of drunken men, at the corner of Twelfth and Main streets. He was a foreman in the city water works department.

Jerry Ryan, engineer at the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company's plant at Twentieth and Walnut streets, was in charge of yesterday's explorations. Jerry is a brother of Police Sergeant Al Ryan and of Mrs. Fayhey. Others in the party were Patrick O'Conner and Tom Bryan, city firemen, and City Detectives Raftery and Halvey. Jerry Ryan, geared in hip rubber boots, entered every opening on Eleventh, Twelfth, Thirteenth, Main and Walnut streets in the neighborhood of the spot where Fayhey was last seen. No trace of the body was found.

Then Ryan and O'Conner entered the Walnut street sewer at Thirteenth street and explored it south to where it empties into O. K. creek at Twenty-Second street. Ryan, who led the way, was provided with a safety lamp.

This lamp was carried to guard against sewer gas. It is a device imported from the coal mining district, and is valuable in that whenever it is carried into a cloud of sewer gas it is extinguished. O'Conner, who followed with a lantern, was enabled to tell, by watching Ryan and the safety light, where there was sewer gas ahead and to avoid walking into it with his lantern. Only one body of gas was met, but if the lantern had been carried into this an explosion would have resulted which probably would have killed both men. The detectivs and firemen walked along Walnut street and opened the manhole covers ahead of the two men who were walking in the sewer.

No trace of Fayhey's body or any other body was found in the sewer. Jerry Ryan said, when he came out:

"No body could lodge in that sewer. The water, although in no place over knee deep, runs with a very swift current, and would carry any body out into O K. creek. It was not necessary to explore the entire length of the sewer but I did that to make certain that Fayhey's body was not there."

When John Fayhey's wife was told last night at her home ot 1605 Olive street that the search through the sewer and the conduits had been fruitless, she only reiterated her former belief that her husband was still alive.

"I know his is not dead" she said. "I firmly believe that he has been hurt and will come home when he is able."

Police Seargeant Al Ryan, Mrs. Fayhey's brother, holds a different theory. He says:

"There is no doubt that Fayhey was killed, and that his body is concealed somewhere. We have searched Kansas City from center to circuference, above ground and under, but without result. We have telegraphed a description of Fayhey to every town down the river as far as St. Louis. I think that the men who made way with Fayhey were drunk and did not mean to kill him. I know, however, that they had an automobile with them and when they saw what they had done, they put the body into the car and took it away. Probably they threw it in the Missouri river.

"I know that Fayhey had no money to speak of on his person the night he disappeared and I believe that the men who were with him killed him in a drunken brawl without any reasonable motive. I expect that someone who knows all about the killing will come in one of these days and tell the story."

Labels: automobiles, Eleventh street, Main street, missing, Missouri river, Olive street, police, public works, Thirteenth street, Twelfth street, Twentieth street, Twenty-second street, Walnut Street

January 20, 1908

LOSS OF LOVE

CAUSES SUICIDE.

EARL LEMMON SHOOTS HIM-

SELF IN THE HEAD.

GIRL BREAKS ENGAGEMENT.

"Do Not Trifle With a Man as If He

Were a Dog," the Last

Words by Lem-

mon.

EARL LEMMON.

Because Nellie Hickey, 2521 Myrtle avenue, had broken her engagement to marry him, Earl Lemmon, 24 years old, killed himself in his room at Twenty-sixth and Mersington streets yesterday afternoon. Less than two hours after he had bed Miss Hickey a cheerful adieu, his body was found lying across a bed in his room, a 38 caliber pistol lying beside it and a wound in the head revealing the course of the bullet. Upon a table near by the coroner found the following letter:

To All of My Friends. Please forgive me for what I am about to do. I have suffered as no one knows in the last four or five months, but cannot stand it any longer. You will find my plicey at Mrs. Hanifin's. One deed to a lot at Thirty-third and Brighton, a deed to two lots on Leeds road in that box also. If hell is any worse than what I have went through with, I am willing to welcome it.Mr. Cook, you will find a few bills unpaid. If my brothers care for me, they owe me enough to pay all my bills. Give my watch to Mr. Cook and my ring to Nellie. You don't konw what I went through with for you, and you shall never know. But be square next time. Do not trifle with a man as if he was a dog, because they bite back. I must stop now. God bless you. Love and best wishes to Nellie. (Signed) EARL.
(P. S.) God forgive me for this. Goodby all. What money I had I lost some six or seven months ago in a freind-turn-you-down-style.

TWENTY KISSES FOR NELLIE.

Beside this letter was found a souvenir postcard with the photograph of a girl upon it. Upon this card, scrawled in the dead man's handwriting, were the words: "Twenty kisses; goodby, Nellie. Be a good girl."

Young Lemmon was employed by Clayton E. Cook of the Home Produce Company at 2446 Cleveland. He roomed in the home of Clarence Stumpff, a fellow employe, in a cottage near Twenty-sixth and Mersington streets. During the eighteen months he had been in the employ of Mr. Cook he was said to have been a sober, industrious, hard working young man. He had managed to save a little money which he had invested in real estate.

Early yesterday morning he called at the home of Miss Hickey. About n oon he returned to his room and ended his life.

Miss Hickey is the daughter of Lawrence Hickey, a Missouri Pacific switchman. She was very much distressed at the news. When she was seen at her home several hours after the suicide, her eyes were swollen with weeping.

JEALOUS OF THE GIRL.

MISS NELLIE HICKEY.
For the Loss of Whose Love Earl Lemmon Ended His Life.

"Earl and I have been sweethearts from childhood," she said. "We have been betrothed for several years. But he was insanely jealous of me, and several months ago I broke off the engagement on that account. At that time he threatened to kill himself, but I never thought he would do it. He seemed very much grieved because I had received attentions from other young men, but I didn't think ghe took it so much to heart. This morning he called upon me and we chatted pleasantly. When he started home, he called out, 'Goodby Nell,' very cheerfully. There was nothing in his manner that indicated he was thinking of killing himself.

The story was corroborated by Mr. and Mrs. Hickey. Both said there had never been any parental objections to the affair between their daughter and Lemmon, and that ever since the engagement was broken off the young man had been on terms of close friendship with the family.

Lemmon has a brother, bert Lemmon, who lives at the home of a Mrs. Hanifin at 3315 East Twenty-second street. He has four other brothers, a foster sister, who lives in Armourdale, and his father, who lives in California.

Labels: Armourdale, California, Cleveland avenue, Mersington street, romance, Suicide, Thirty-third street, Twenty-second street, Twenty-sixth street

January 20, 1908

FIERCE ENCOUNTER WITH DOG.

Frank Warren, After Being Bitten,

Quited Beast With a Brick.

The neighborhood of bright new cottages and freshly cut streets surrounding the corner of Twenty-second street and Lister avenue was all agog for two hours last night because of an encounter between a watchdog and a carpenter.

Frank Warren, the carpenter, was walking south and nearing Twenty-second street on the new Lister avenue cement walk, when the dog leaped out at him and seized both coat tails in his mouth. Warren shook the beast loose only to find him around in front, snapping at his hands. The dog finally made a leap for Warren's throat and the latter seized him by the neck and tried to strangle him. A hand to tooth encounter ensued, which drew heads to every window in the block. It was only after Warren's hands had been scratched and torn, that he choked the venom out of the dog.

Then Warren carried the animal into a lot where a house was being buit and threw teh animal on the freshly turned clay and hammered his head with a new brick with sharp corners. He left the dog for dead and walked across Twenty-second street to the Luce-Weed drug store. The pharmacist boud up his bleeding hands, called a physician and sent Warren to his room at the corner of Fifteenth street and Lawn avenue in a carriage.

A mounted policeman from No. 6 station arrived shortly and, after looking the dog over, decided not to shoot it.

"He has had puunishment enough," said the policeman.

Two hours later, at 11:00, someone telephoned in from the corner that the dog had revived and crawled to a cottage, where he is alleged to regularly reside.

Labels: animals, druggists, Fifteenth street, Lawn avenue, Lister avenue, No 6 police station, Twenty-second street

July 19, 1907

CIGARETTES HIS CURSE.

MOTHER'S REASON FOR SON'S

SECOND SUICIDE ATTEMPT.

Young Man Who Falls on Street

From Strychnine Poisoning Talks

of a Love Affair --

Will Recover.

A young man was seen walking unsteadily along in the vicinity of Twenty-second street and Dunham avenue shortly after 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Presently he stopped, drew rigid and fell in a convulsion. People who called the ambulance from the Walnut Street station thought possibly it was heat prostration, but Dr. George Dagg, ambulance surgeon, diagnosed the case as one of strychnine poisoning. The man was taken at once to the general hospital, where followed several other convulsions indicitive of strychnine poisoning.

It was learned there that the young man's name was Benjamin Rowland, formerly a bill clerk in the employ of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railway. He lives with his widowed mother at 2045 North Valley street, Kansas City, Kas. It was stated at the hospital late last night that Rowland would recover.

During a conscious period at the hospital yesterday, Rowland intimated that a love affair had caused him to attempt his life.

While calling at the home of Miss Hettie Fredericks, 18 years old, Sixteenth street and the Paseo, last spring, young Rowland attempted suicide by drinking laudanum. He had gone there in the afternoon to make a call. No one was home but Miss Connie Fredericks, an older sister. Rowland said he was going to the bathroom for a drink. After being there some time he called Miss Connie to the door of the parlor and, holding a glass of dark liquid high in the air, said, "Good-bye to all. Here goes." It was later discovered that he had taken laudanum.

She called in the janitress and the latter telephoned for a doctor. After working with Rowland for an hour or more, he was left in good condition, and was later taken home.

A stranger called at his home of the widowed mother, 2045 North Valley street, Kansas City, Kas., soon after the occurrence yesterday and told Mrs. Rowland of the son's second attempt. She went at once to the emergency hospital in the city hall, as she heard he had been taken there. When his employer was called up at the C. M. & St. P. freight office, Fourteenth and Liberty streets, Mrs. Rowland learned for the first time that her son had quit his job there a week ago. What he had been doing meantime she did not know.

"If he lives through this," she said, "I intend to take steps to have him restrained. He has smoked cigarettes until he is a complete nervous wreck. He smokes them all day and then smokes them during the night. I have begged and pleaded with him about it, but it does no good. I think cigarettes are a greater curse to the younger generation of boys than whiskey and should be placed under restrictions just as stringent. I shall place him in some sanitarium if he lives through this attempt."

Labels: doctors, Kansas City Kas, Paseo, railroad, romance, Sixteenth street, Suicide, tobacco, Twenty-second street, Walnut Street

March 30, 1907

IN SEARCH OF HER BABY.

Mrs. Alexander Gave It Away, Now

Wants It Back.

Mrs. Laura Alexander, 1743 Oak street, appealed yesterday to the Humane society for aid in finding her 3-year-old-daughter, Edith Juanita, who, so the mother stated, had been abducted by a woman giving her name as Mrs. Collins, but who, it was later learned was Mrs. L. A. Goodrich of 1003 Wyandotte street.

Edith Juanita Alexander, Missing Baby
MISSING BABY

Mrs. Goodrich first saw the baby with Mrs. Woods, 1743 Oak street, in a dry goods store. She gave her name as Mrs. Collins and at Mrs. Woods' suggestion called upon the baby's mother to see about taking the child to board. She was accompanied by a man, who she said was her husband. The couple took the baby and the woman later left town, going to Lansing, Kas., where she is said to have been seen and heard to say she intended returning to Kansas City.

Goodrich, who works at Twenty-second and Wyandotte streets for the Standard Scale and Foundry Company, said his wife had not lived with him since March 16, but she had brought the baby to see him at 413 West Twentieth street last Wednesday night. The police are looking for the woman.

Labels: children, custody, Humane Society, missing, Oak street, Twenty-second street, Wyandotte street