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

January 27, 1910

TEACHER ALSO BALL PLAYER.

Banquet for Dr. Gill, Candidate for

White Sox Berth.

Twenty-one members of the Kansas City chapter, Delta Sigma Delta, the members being students at the Kansas City dental college, gave a banquet last night to Dr. Warren Gill, a faculty member, at the Sexton hotel. In a short time Dr. Gill will leave for California to begin practice with the Chicago White Sox, in which team he is a candidate for first baseman. Dr. Gill is well known in baseball. He was first baseman for Minneapolis last season.

Labels: California, dentists, fraternal organizations, hotels

December 16, 1909

"DON'TS" FOR YOUNG DENTISTS.

Dr. Campbell, at Banquet, Gives Ad-

vice to Students.

Dr. Dayton Dunbar Campbell of the faculty of the Kansas City Dental college was the guest of honor last night at a banquet at the Hotel Baltimore given by the members of the Delta Sigma Delta fraternity of the college, and as a fitting climax to the event Dr. Campbell gave a little talk on "Dental Don'ts."

Here are some of Dr. Campbell's "dont's" -- "Don't brag about your practice or the size of your fees. Don't gossip with your patients. Don't do any quack advertising. Don't encourage familiarity on the part of your women patients. Don't knock your brother practitioners. Don't talk shop at social gatherings. Don't be untidy."

The banquet was tendered by Dr. Campbell as a token of the esteem in which he is held by the fraternity members. Covers were laid for eighteen.

Labels: dentists, fraternal organizations, Hotel Baltimore

July 6, 1909

LIVE OLD DAYS OVER AGAIN.

Fremont-Lincoln Association's Re-

Union in Kansas City, Kas.

About fifty white-haired men, led by a fife and drum corps, marched down Seventh street in Kansas City, Kas., yesterday afternoon to the Washington Avenue M. E. church, where the annual meeting of the Fremont and Lincoln Voters' Association was held. All of them had cast a vote for Abraham Lincoln in the presidential election of 1860, and a majority of them had voted for John C. Fremont in 1856.

At the church an address of welcome was delivered by Mayor U. S. Guyer, which was responded to by Major James P. Dew of Kansas City, Mo., the president of the association. Col. L. H. Waters of Kansas City, Mo., gave some personal reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln, of whom he was a personal friend. A number of five-minute talks were made by others who had voted for the "martyred president."

Labels: Abraham Lincoln, churches, fraternal organizations, Kansas City Kas, music, parades, politics, reunions, veterans

April 19, 1909

WILL SHOW THE GIRLS HOW.

Kansas City Boy to Wear Latest in

Gowns and Millinery.

BOSTON, MASS., April 18. -- Frederick Henry Dierks of Kansas City, a special student at the Institute of Technology, will show the girls at fashionable Smith college tomorrow night just how a girl should wear the latest in gowns and millinery. Dierks, adorned with all the customary frills and furbelows, will make his bow to the college girls as a chorus girl. Only the students at Smith will be granted admittance.

The event is brought out by the production of Technology's annual show. The play this year is called "That Pill Grimm." It will be tried out on the Smith girls tomorrow, largely for the purpose of securing expert feminine criticism of the female impersonations. Dierks is a front row girl.

It seems the young collegian gained his first recognition in a limited circle as an interpreter of feminine foibles while spending a vacation not long ago at the home of his father, Herman Dierks, the lumberman, who lives at 412 Gladstone boulevard.

"Yes, Fred is attending Boston Tech," said Mrs. Herman Dierks.

"That's too funny for anything," said Mrs. Dierks between peals of laughter. "He's been writing me about it and he's going to take the part of a chorus girl, all right."

"Did he ever do anything in amateur theatricals while in Kansas City?" she was asked.

"No, he made his reputation at home. While here on one of his vacations a young lady friend of ours was visiting us from New Rochelle, N. Y., and she fixed him up attired as a woman. He is a regular clown, anyway, when he gets started, and it was perfectly killing to see him."

Prior to entering the Boston Institute of Technology Mr. Dierks attended Blees Military academy in Macon, Mo., where he attained the rank of cadet second lieutenant, one of the coveted honors of the school. He is now a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. Although only 19 years old he has already become proficient in other lines than the amateur stage.

Labels: Boston, fraternal organizations, Gladstone boulevard, New York, theater

March 14, 1909

PHI ALPHA DELTAS BANQUET.

Thoma H. Benton Chapter Holds

First Annual Affair.

The first annual banquet of th Thomas H. Benton Chapter of the Greek letter fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta was held at the Hotel Baltimore last night, in commemmoration of the anniversary of the birth of Benton. John B. Pew acted as toastmaster and the following toasts were responded to: "It So Happened," Loving T. Crutcher; "Will o' the Wisp, and Things Like That," Horace Guffin; "The Non-Reformer," Phil R. Toll; "What of the Future," J. Edward Betts; "A Man's Fraternity," Clif Langsdale.

Labels: fraternal organizations, Hotel Baltimore, hotels

February 18, 1909

SMALLPOX EPIDEMIC

SPREADS IN LIBERTY.

ALL PUBLIC PLACES THERE

HAVE BEEN CLOSED.

Investigation by Secretary of State

Board of Health Shows Condi-

tion to Be Serious -- Twen-

ty New Cases.

LIBERTY, MO., Feb. 17. -- Twenty new cases of smallpox; six more residences quarantined; four fraternity houses under quarantine; high school, ward schools, churches, skating rink and theaters ordered closed; house-to-house canvass to be made, and all suspected places placed under temporary quarantine; outgoing mail from quarantined places refused at postoffice; laundry work from William Jewell college refused and students now doing their own washing.

Briefly, this is the smallpox situation here tonight.

Under orders from Governor Herbert S. Hadley, Dr. J. A. B. Adcock of Warrensburg, Mo., secretary of the state board of health, came here today and investigated, it having been alleged that in reality students and citizens were suffering from an aggravated form of chickenpox. When Dr. Adcock arrived he held a conference with Dr. F. W. Matthews, county member of the state board, Dr. Bert Maltby, city physician, and Mayor C. F. Murray.

The William Jewell gymnasium, which is being used as a pesthouse, was visited, and the smallpox diagnosis in every case was confirmed.

STUDENTS DO LAUNDRY WORK.

The Swan Laundry Company of Liberty, the only one here, refused bundles from the gymnasium today, even though thoroughly fumigated. The boys are washing their clothes in the bathrooms.

A. Z. York is a painter and paper-hanger, at whose wife's boarding house the initial case of smallpox was discovered. It was learned that he, too, had developed the disease, and his home was promptly quarantined.

The disease was discovered in six more residences today and the houses quarantined. The four fraternity houses here also were placed under quarantine. At the Sigma Nu chapter house Dr. Adcock examined ten students and found that eight had the disease.

Drs. Adcock, Maltby and Hooser visited four places in two hours and there discovered twenty cases of smallpox that had not been reported. Eleven of the new cases are students and nine are citizens. Five had just broken out yesterday and today.

Following the investigation, a meeting of physicians and citizens was called by Mayor Murray.

Dr. Adcock suggested the immediate closing of the high school, all of the ward schools, all churches, the skating rink and the theaters. All these places will remain closed until the city physician and his assistant raise the quarantine.

Tomorrow Drs. Maltby and Hooser will begin a house to house canvass of the entire town. The physicians are of the opinion that the college may be able to open in two weeks. After tonight the postoffice here will refuse all mail from quarantined places.

Labels: doctors, fraternal organizations, Herbert Hadley, Liberty, smallpox

November 26, 1908

CITY WAS GIVEN OVER

TO THE COLLEGE BOYS.

BY THOUSANDS THEY THRONGED

STREETS LAST NIGHT.

Roaring Their Songs and Cries, They

Made Their Presence Generally

Known -- Good Feeling Pre-

vailed Above All.

College life with the college left out; that's what several thousand Missouri and Kansas students and graduated enjoyed to the limit in Kansas City last night. Such life is interesting even in a college town, but in Kansas City it is real exciting, and the somber goddess of sleep had little work in the downtown districts after nightfall. Then it was that the real fun of the day before began. Hordes of enthusiastic students gathered in the lobbies of the various hotels. Instinct guided them more than anything else, and so it happened that the boys from K. U. assembled in one hostelry and Missouri fans joined hands and voices in another. The noise -- well, it wasn't just exactly noise, it was more like a human roar -- continued in hotels and on the streets until after midnight, and everybody was good natured.

It would be almost impossible to describe the thousands which went to make up the vast crowd of enthusiastic youths. They came to Kansas City, every one of them out of their own world, dressed in the fantastic garb which inhabitants of college walls and college atmosphere are wont to affect. There was the slouch hat with the brim cut closely around the crown; the heavy tan shoes, buckled for extra weight; trousers rolled up two or three times at the bottom, just why no one can guess' the inevitable cigarette and pipe. It was all of a different line than the Kansas Cityan is accustomed to, and he started and wondered and remembered, perhaps, that once he dressed the same way. Then there was that self-bred enthusiasm which gave vent in lusty roars; roars which showed the joy of life for the college man on the day before the great game.

IT WAS COLLEGE SPIRIT.

Before leaving their colleges the thousands of students had assembled in mass meeting to engender just such enthusiasm. They heard talks from members of their teams; from the old guard and from heads of the universities, and upon each one of them seemed to rest a certain responsibility for the success of his team in the only real football game of the season. That is college spirit, and that is why the regular boarder couldn't sleep in his usually quiet room at the hotel last night.

At the Savoy the Missouri aggregation of imported college men and yells held full sway. Nothing else was considered and nothing else could have made itself heard. True, there were three or four police officers on duty, but what were they when confronted with a mo b of a thousand husky young men? First there came the Missouri "Tiger," and then, with uncovered heads, the throng sang the grand Missouri song, "Old Missouri." Oh, they were sure of victory, were those fellows, and they were mightily proud of their alma mater. Somehow their songs of victory and triumph and allegiance to "Old Missouri" made the outsider think of the times when the ironclad soldiers of Cromwell went into battle singing, and he couldn't help understanding that the same spirit possessed those seemingly frenzied youths that steeled the heart of soldiers of the commonwealth. Over at the Coates house were the Kansas boys, and they were not to be outdone by their natural rivals, so far as noise and college spirit are concerned. "Rock-chalk; jawhawk; K-a-a-a U-u-u-u" made the second floor of the building seem to tremble from the vast noise sent up from a thousand throats. Pennants and banners of crimson and blue were waved frantically in the air between yells, and it was a pretty sight. Confidence there was in abundance; Kansas could not lose the Thanksgiving game because, well, because she was Kansas. It was knowledge of certain victory that added zest to those ferocious yells and gave them the utmost sincerity. No thought of loss entered the heads of enthusiastic rooters. They had put their faith and their money on Kansas, their alma mater, and she couldn't fail them. And so the songs and yells were songs and yells of the victor, and the Kansans were even more confident than their rivals.

GIRLS MADE NOISE, TOO.

Girls; there were lots of them, and they joined in the singing and noisemaking, too. Of course, they stood a little way off from the surging crowd of youths, chiefly on the stairways of the lobbies, but if one got close enough to them they could hear their shouts of general exuberance. But the girls could not stand the strain on the vocal chords as well as the men, and they began to hunt their rooms after an hour of jubilation on the stairways. In their rooms they could talk with each other of the coming game and the heroes thereof. Anyhow, they were girls, and it wasn't their part to make themselves so very obvious.

Early in the evening the old graduate was in his glory. He made the rounds of all the hotels and met the sons of his college chums. He forgot that he was a prominent lawyer and dignified; he remembered only the outlines of the old university hall; how he and his classmates used to hold jubilees on similar occasions; he forgot the numerous flunks in math and history and remembered only the great game "we played when your father and I were on the team." And did he yell and sing those college songs and yells? There were some of the songs that he had forgotten partly, but his lips moved just the same and his eyes were just as bright as those of his younger college mates. Off came his hat when the university hymn was sung and then when the "locomotive yell" was started he kept time with his headcovering and his arms.

WHEN OLD BOYS MET.

But when "old grad met old grad" then it was interesting. The hearty shake of the hand; the resounding slap on the back and the many, many questions of "where have you been all these years, and what have you been doing?" It was the revival of the good old days when they were young and boys; and the joyousness of the approaching game permeated their systems as it did those more active students of the present class.

Then there were banquets of the secret and Greek letter fraternities. The frat yells and songs filled the banquet rooms during the meals and it was all one big jubilee. But the yells were confined to frat yells for both universities were represented in the gatherings. Nothing really discordant could be allowed to enter into the rejoicing of the night.

Late in the evening, after the too mellow wine and overabundance of beer had begun to get in its work, a group of Kansas students left the Coates house and marched with arms locked to the Savoy hotel, where the Missouri bunch was holding forth. Just after a resounding "Tiger" had risen from the Missouri men, it was answered by a "Rock chalk; Jayhawk; K-a-a-a-a U-u-u-u-u" from the meandering Kansas. Some surprise was occasioned by the yell of the enemy and muttered threats of rushing them were heard. But the Kansas men were standing near the doorway, where they could make a hasty exit in case it was necessary, so the M. S. U. fans contented themselves with overshouting their would-be usurpers.

The theaters were heavily patronized by the "fussers" of the college boys. Many of them h ad chosen to spend the evening with the quieter, but equally fascinating, charm of feminine companionship. That was all right; they could do their yelling at the game and after.

All hotels in the city were crowded to overflowing and many of the boys were willing to sleep four and five in a room in order to get accommodations. The college boys literally took the town last night and they were given preference over all other persons.

Labels: Coates house, fraternal organizations, hotels, Savoy, sports, University of Missouri

September 17, 1908

COLLEGE CROWD IS OFF AGAIN.

Boys and Girls Throng Union Depot

on Their Way to School.

If there is one time of the year which is thoroughly enjoyed by the "redcaps" at the Union depot it is the beginning of fall when students start collegeward. Last night the old station and the trainshed were thronged with young men and women, and there were many amusing sights.

The rah-rah boy took his parting form home ties and home friends with a smile and thoughts of the greetings he was was to get from the "fellows" back at school. All through the station could be heard the call of some fraternity man as he whistled a mysterious bar or so, and the joyful answer might come from two or three places in the trainshed.

Not so the girl. Her eyes were bright, but there was a definite trace of tears therein. She stood long upon the car steps, even until the train had passed from the shed, waving her farewell. Not infrequent were the demonstrations of affection which the youths had hoped would pass off for brother and sister love, but the wise "redcaps" had seen too much of that kind of affection and could not be fooled.

"Talk about your spooning parlors," remarked Lee Mitchell, depot master, "what is the use of starting them in churches? Let the lovelorn ones come down here. It's lots safer and less embarrassing, especially at night."

A few minutes after Mr. Mitchell had voiced his opinion, the lights in the tarnished wen tout and all was dark except the shafts of light made from the engine headlights.

"Now, what did I tell you?" he laughed.

Labels: fraternal organizations, railroad, romance, Union depot, universities

December 25, 1907

DID "FRAT" MEN HANG HIM?

Frank Miller's Father Denies That

His Son Was a Suicide.

Did Frank miller, the young Pennsylvania university student who was found hanging ead in his room at the university last Wednesday, commit suicide or was he the victim of a prank played by "frat" men in his initiation into the Psi Omega fraternity? His father, the Reverand J. H. Miller, 2930 Main street, does not believe his son committed suicide, but he will offer no theory as to how he came to his death.

There are two reasons which tend to disprove the theory of suicide. According to the Rev. Miller, his son was not of a morose or nervous temperament as stated in the dispatches from Philadelphia, but was of a cheerful disposition and well liked by his fellow students. The note alleged to have been found in young Miller's room in which he is said to have stated his intention to take hsi life, has not been forwarded to the father, although other letters and personal effects belonging to the young man have been received.

"I cannot believe that he has taken his life until I see that note in my own boy's handwriting," said the grief-stricken father yestrday. "It's a mystery to us all. We only know that he lost his life, but we do not believe he lost it at his own hands. How he came to his death, we are not able to say."

Young Miller was a candidate for membership in the Zeta chapter of the Psi Omega fraternity and the Friday before his death he was initiated into the society. At the initiation ceremony he was roughly handled and one of his toes broken. Whether any further pranks were played on him by the "frat" men is not known. The father stated yesterday that he would write the coroner for a full account of the tragedy.

Labels: death, fraternal organizations, Main street, ministers, pranks, Suicide

April 17, 1907

STORY OF A LOST CHARM.

City Chemist Cross Receives One He

Dropped Years Ago.

Four years ago W. M. Cross, city chemist, lost from his watch chain a charm descriptive of his college fraternity. At the time he lent every effort to recover it, but of no avail and as the years sped on he forgot all about his loss. Yesterday he was seated in his laboratory when a boy about 15 years old entered and introduced himself as W. M. Cross. He said that he had a watch charm with "W. M. Cross" engraved upon it, that it was not his property and he had often desired to meet the man to whom it might possibly belong. The long lost charm was exhibited, and Dr. Cross immediately identified it as his property.

"Where did you get it, my son?" asked the doctor.

"It is a short story," replied the boy. "I am employed in a Main street haberdasher store, and a few years ago my mother married a man by the name of Cross. My initials being W. M. and having assumed the name of Cross, my stepfather gave me the charm, saying that it had been found by the man that gave it to him in a street car. Ever since I have been wearing the charm, and recently I read in the newspapers about W. M. Cross, city chemist, and I concluded that in all possibility the charm was your property. I am glad to be of some service to you by returning the jewel."

The boy refused a reward, but after much persuasion accepted a silver dollar, which he said he would keep as a momento.

Labels: City Chemist Cross, fraternal organizations, jewelry, Main street

February 2, 1907

DEATH OF LOUIS SHUKERT.

Only Son of Furrier Succumbs

to Pneumonia

Louis Shukert, the 19-year-old son of E. Shukert, died yesterday of typhoid pneumonia. He had been ill one month. Young Mr. Shukert was graduated from the Blees Military academy last June, and had since been connected with his father's fur business at 1113 Grand avenue. Louis was the only son. The parents and one sister, Mrs. Hal Brent, survive him. The deceased was a member of the Elm Ridge Club and of the Phi Lambda Epsilon fraternity.

Gustav Shukert, an uncle from Omaha, and George Brokle, of Los Angeles, and Otto Brokle, or Rock Island, Ill., brothers of Mrs. Shukert, are on their way to Kansas City to attend the funeral. Rev. E. B. Woodruff will officiate.

Labels: death, Elm Ridge, fraternal organizations, Grand avenue, illness, Omaha, typhoid