100 Year Old Weblog ~ News From 100 Years Ago That's New to You from Vintage Kansas City.com

August 2, 1908

BOY DROWNS IN A BATHTUB.

George Lemon, Subject to Fits, Per-

ishes Before Help Arrives.

George Lemon, 17 years old, entered the barber shop of Joseph Sarp and James S. Caldwell, 2605 East Eighteenth street, last night about 9 o'clock and said he wanted to take a bath. R. M. Dodson, the negro porter, prepared the bath for him, filling the tub half full of lukewarm water. Lemon entered and was heard splashing around. Fifteen minutes later his body was heard to fall in the tub and those who rushed into the room found him lying in the water, dead.

Dr. N. McVey was called and he tried to resuscitate him, but without avail. The body was taken to Eylar Bros., undertakers, where Coroner George B. Thompson examined it and found the death was due to drowning. Lemon was subject to epileptic attacks, one of which probably caused him to fall in the tub. No inquest will be held.

The boy was a teamster and lived at 1704 Agnes avenue with his parents and brother.

Labels: Agnes avenue, barbers, Coroner Thompson, death, Eighteenth street, undertakers

December 25, 1907

SHOOTS FATHER IN THE LEG.

Too Much Hard Cider Is the Undoing

of Calvin Jackson.

Too much Christmas celebration out in Dallas, a little town about fourteen miles south of Kansas City, almost resulted in patricide last night. While Calvin Jackson and some of his friends were in the pool room of a combination barber shop and pool room drinking hard cider, George Jackson, Calvin's father, went into the barber shop to get a shave.

Soon the hard cider began to have its inevitable effect upon Calvin, and he drew a revolver and started to shoot out the kerosene lights in the building. The father jumped up from the chair where he was being shaved, with the lather still on his face, and tried to quiet his son. But Calvin did not comprehend, and turned the revolver upon his father, shooting him in the left leg.

Calvin was arrested by Constable O'Brien of Dallas and taken to Waldo, where he was met by Marshal Al Heslip and brought to the county jail.

Later he denied any knowledge of the affair, and said that he would not believe he had shot his father. Calvin is only 21 years old, and his father is about 45. Calvin was accompanied to Kansas City by his father It is not thought that the latter will prosecute the case.

Labels: alcohol, barbers, billiards, County Marshal Heslip, domestic violence, jail

December 19, 1907

ROBBERS ATTACK A WOMAN.

Take Her Money and Leave Her Ly-

ing Unconscious in the Snow.

Alma Day, the 16-year-old daughter of W. L. Day, a barber who lives at Thirtieth street and Cleveland avenue, was assaulted and robbed last night at Thirtieth street and Askew avenue by two men who had followed her from Kansas City, Kas.

Miss Day is employed in the buttering department of Swift's packing house and receives a salary of $6.25 per week. Yesterday was her pay day and she thinks that the two men who assaulted her were aware of the fact. The men took her week's pay, less the 5 cents she had paid in car fair going home.

She says that they got on an Indiana avenue car at the same time she did when she was returning home from work. They sat across the aisle two seats behind her. They followed her from the car at Thirtieth street and Indiana avenue. She walked on down Thirtieth street to Askew, within one block of her home, when the two men grabbed her. She was strangled until she almost lost consciousness. One of the men struck her on the back of her head and in the face. She fell unconscious and lay in the roadside for almost an hour.

Her older sister, Effie, went out to the grocery store, and in doing so had to pass her sister lying in the snow. She did not know that the body was that of a person, but being somewhat frightened at it, walked to the other side of the road. She returned from the store and walked around her sister again in the same manner.

About fifteen minutes later one of the neighbor's boys made the same trip as did Effie Day. He did not notice the body until on his way back home. He immediately ran to the Day home and told Mrs. Day of her daughter's condition, and Alma was carried into her father's house, a block away.

From the tracks in the snow it was thought that the two men ran up Askew for about a quarter of a mile and then they crossed a field and went directly towards Jackson avenue.

The police were notified immediately, but were unable to trace the robbers further than Jackson avenue.

Miss Day's injuries, while not serious, are painful, and she will be unable to leave her bed for some time.

Labels: Askew avenue, barbers, crime, Indiana avenue, Jackson avenue, Kansas City Kas, streetcar, Thirtieth street, women

December 1, 1907

BUT HER MONEY WAS BURNED.

Sick Woman Rescued With Diffi-

culty Wanted to Go for It.

Fire was discovered in a grocery store at the southeast corner of Fifth and Harrison streets this morning at 12:30 o'clock. An alarm was not turned in until the fire had gained considerable headway and the whole upper story, which was used as a residence, was in flames.

While the firemen were fighting the flames a report was spread about that Mrs. J. W. Taggart, who lived over the grocery store, was still in the building and too ill to save herself. Firemen were sent into the house and, after some difficulty, succeeded in rescuing the woman. After she was safely placed upon the ground she remembered that her husband had about $150 in the burning room. She made an attempt to go after the money, but was held back by firemen and the police. The money was in paper and gold and was not found.

The building was owned by William Hall. It was a large two-story frame and was used for stores and residences. The first floor was occupied by Salvato Trapino, who ran a grocery store, and a barber shop owned by Juan Laroso, who lives at Fifth street and Troost avenue.

The fire was supposed to have started from a gasoline tank which was kept in the rear of the grocery store. The loss is estimated at $5,000.

Labels: barbers, Fifth street, Fire, grocers, Harrison street, Troost avenue

November 3, 1907

GIVE BOND OR GO TO JAIL.

SUNDAY LAW VIOLATORS WERE HUR-

RIED TO THE CRIMINAL COURT.

Judge Wallace Wouldn't Allow Them to

Wait Until Tomorrow -- "You're

Next," He Said to Barbers--

A Tight Lid To-day.

No cigars to-day. No shaves. No haircuts. Last Sunday these luxuries were available. But not to-day.

The cigar dealers indicted yesterday for selling on Sunday were counting on one more day of immunity. Then to-morrow they were to flock to the criminal court and give bond. It had all been arranged by their attorney, T. A. Mastin and Albert Heslip, county marshal. Then Judge Wallace heard and--

"What, allow them to keep open another Sunday in defiance of the law?" he exclaimed. "Not at all. These cigar dealers must learn that I mean business. They must be brought in immediately. They'll give bond to-day or go to jail."

THEN FOR THE WARRANTS.

The judge sent for the marshal. The marshal had gone to Independence. The judge then sent for Herman Weisflog, chief deputy. When that officer emerged from the judge's chambers he looked worried and he was mopping perspiration from his face. He seized a bunch of warrants and the first on the pile was one of thirteen indictments for Dan Lucas, a negro proprietor of a barber shop on Main street between Eighth and Ninth streets. He handed it to another deputy telling him to serve it.

"I thought you were going to wait until Monday," the second deputy said. "That was the agreement."

"You are not to think," was the reply. "The judge is doing the thinking."

Then the chief deputy began distributing cigar store indictments among the other deputies for service. He telephoned the news to the attorney for the cigar dealers and asked him to help.

BUT HE THOUGHT WRONG.

"I thought we were to come down Monday," the attorney protested.

"That doesn't go with the court," the deputy replied. "You will have to bring your clients here and give bond to-night. The judge says he will be here until mid-night if necessary.

Then the attorney telephoned the judge. No use. It was only a short time until those who had been indicted began arriving at the courtroom. Judge Wallace accepted bonds until 6:30 o'clock. Then he went to dinner to return at 8:30 o'clock. He took bonds until 9:30 o'clock last night. He required a bond of $600 for the first indictment and $200 bond for each succeeding one. Each bondsman was interrogated closely and none was accepted accept owners of real estate.

The first to appear was J. W. Hearsch, a dealer at 514 Grand avenue.

"I am an Orthodox Jew," he said. I close on Saturday and open Sunday."

"This isn't your trial," the judge said. "If what you say is true you will not suffer. Your bond is $600."

The next were Dan Lucas and his eight barbers. A deputy marshal had arrested them all. This resulted in closing the shop for a while. The deputy allowed the barbers to finish shaving customers in the chairs and then took them to the criminal court.

LUCAS TRIED TO ARGUE.

"There's nothing in this Sunday law against barbers working on Sunday," Lucas said. "I made a test case of it once and beat it in the supreme court."

"That was a special law against barbers alone and unconstitutional because it was class legislation," the judge said. "You were indicted here under the general law against working on Sunday, which applies to all classes of labor and has been upheld by the supreme court. All the other barber shops have closed. My advice to you is to do likewise."

The eight negro barbers sat in a row waiting for their employer to give bond.

"You're next," the judge said, indicating the second after the first had given bond. "You're next here like you are in a barber shop."

As each one gave bond the judge called "next" until all had qualified.

"Now, Lucas, I'll say this to you," Judge Wallace said as the negro barber prepared to to: "I don't wish to be severe with you if you show a disposition to comply with and not defy the law. If you close I will let you off easy, but if you defy the law you will have to take the consequences of a prosecution on all these indictments."

The negro barber said he would close on Sunday. He returned to his shop with his eight barbers and hung a Sunday closing placard in the window.

Miss Agnes Miller, owner of the cigar stands in the Kupper and Densmore hotels, was among those who appeared.

"There's a young woman; have her come up here first," the judge said.

Miss Miller advanced to the clerk's desk and acknowledged her bond; then she left the courtroom.

THEN A CAPITULATION.

Meanwhile the attorneys had learned that the marshal had orders to arrest "on view" any cigar dealers transacting business to-day.

"But," an attorney suggested, "we may not be able to get word to all the dealers of the agreement. Will they be arrested?"

"If the deputy marshals find any cigar dealer transacting business they will notify him to cease at once," the judge replied. "Should he comply he will not be molested. Otherwise he will be taken to jail, where he will be required to supply a bond or be locked up."

Then the judge began to make fine distinctions.

"The cigar stores," he continued, "may remain open to sell candy, news matter, soft drinks, fruits, nuts or any food that is cooked, so that it may be eaten on the spot.

"There's a distinction between food that may be eaten on the spot and food that must be cooked. One sort is a necessity, the other isn't.

THE NECESSITY OF CANDY.

"Now, why is candy a necessity, while cigars are not?" somebody asked.

"I have looked up the law carefully on this subject," the judge replied, "and I have determined that candy is a food necessity. Children must have it. That is my construction of the law.

The dealers who agreed to close to-day include the owners of practically all of the down town stores and of the hotel and drug store stands.

The theaters, however, under the protection of the federal court, will be open to-day as usual.

Labels: barbers, cigars, County Marshal Heslip, Eighth street, Grand avenue, Hotel Kupper, Judge Wallace, Main street, Ninth street

October 20, 1907

ONCE, ANYWAY, THEY WORKED.

County Employes, at Varying Sal-

aries, Answered Telephones.

Inquiries from shopkeepers who wanted to know what they might do and what commodities they might sell today without laying themselves liable to arrest, flooding in over the telephones in the criminal court building yesterday, kept four employes of the county busy all day. Two men sat by the telephones in the county prosecutor's office and two in the city marshal's office answering or trying to answer questions. They are men who draw salaaries from the county of from $75 to $150 a month. Questions of all sorts were asked.

"I run a barber shop. I won't shave anybody tomorrow, but may I turn the water on in the bathtubs?" inquired one voice.

"I pass that," replied Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kimbrell, who was on the telephone. "Cleanliness in next to Godliness, as I have heard, but I don't know what Judge Wallace will say about your selling a bath on Sunday."

"I am an undertaker and there is a man in my office now who wants me to furnish a hearse and carriages for his wife's funeral tomorrow. Will I be arrested if I do so?"

"When did the lady die?" replied Jimmy Moran, for this question floated into the county marshal's office.

"Friday, " replied the undertaker.

"That's a very unlucky day to die on," Jimmy said. "Especially since the lid is on. If you think the body won't keep until Monday, go ahead with the funeral Sunday."

The afternoon papers had not been on the street more than five minutes when the four county officers who served as telephone boys got into real trouble. The earlier instructions of Judge Wallace exempted the sellers of candies, bread, ice, milk, and other necessities of life from arrest. But the grand jury told police to report all kinds of business transacted excepting the sales of drugs and service of meals.

Candy store keepers, florists, and bakers, who thought they were exempt, began calling in to find out whether they should obey Judge Wallace or the grand jury. The men on the answer ends of the telephones were up against it and said so frankly.

"Judge Wallace last night wouldn't discuss the change which the grand jury made during his absence from the city, other than to say that he would look into the matter Monday morning. Men who know him, though, believe that promises which he made to bakers and others, many by personal word, will not be violated. If the jury should decide to go beyond the judge's instructions and close everything in the city excepting drug stores and restaurants, however, the judge will, perhaps, back it in enforcing the rules after today.

Labels: barbers, Judge Wallace, Prosecutor Kimbrell, retailers, telephone, undertakers

September 16, 1907

AS GOOD AS THEY PRETEND.

That's What "Pat Flanagan" Thinks

of Men in General.

"I believe men are just as good as they pretend to be while wearing their 'company manners' in the presence of women. I had supposed that men always tried to be nicer when they knew a women were about. I have met a good many men who did not know a woman was near and they were just as nice as they could have been had they known."

That is what Viola Reed, alias "Pat Flanagan" said about "the men" in the police matron's room yesterday and she ought to know for she has been working with men, wearing men's clothes and passing as a man for several weeks.

She was wearing men's clothes yesterday, and while she talked of men she threw one leg over the other in the most approved manly manner possible.

"Pat" will leave the police station today. She will walk over the the Helping Hand like a little man, leave there like a little woman, and go to work in a private family as a domestic.

Girls do not often patronize barbers. "Pat" just learned yesterday that her inexperience cost her about $40. That was what she paid a barber in Vinita to cut her hair when she decided to be a man. She gave the barber her hair for cutting it. She learned yesterday she could have sold her hair for $40.

Labels: barbers, Helping Hand, police matron, women