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

October 11, 1908

TOO MANY MASHERS THERE.

Kansas City, Kas., Girls Welcome Ar-

rest by St. Louis Policeman.

ST. LOUIS, MO., October. 10. -- (Special.) Two pretty, well dressed young girls declared to day that they were glad to be arrested if it would only take them out of St. Louis and back to Kansas City. There are too many mashers here, they say. Patrolman Taylor of the Central district found them at 1413 Washington avenue. When he asked them if they were Mabel Greenway of 316 North Tenth street and Vena Sheirel of 432 Armstrong avenue, Kansas City, Kas., they ran toward him.

"Oh, it's a policeman," cried Miss Greenway. "Are you going to arrest us? We're glad of it if you'll only send us back to dear old Kansas City."

"Goodness, but we'll be glad to get out of St. Louis," said Miss Sheirel. "It's perfectly horrid here. Nearly ever man we meet on the street seems to be a masher. They stare at us and wink and make remarks until we are afraid to go out of the house. Dear old Kansas City is slow, but it is better than St. Louis."

Labels: Kansas City Kas, mashers, police, St Louis, women

December 26, 1907

GET UNION DEPOT "MASHER".

Police Arrest Man on a Charge of

Annoying a Topeka Girl.

Sergeant Harry Stege, while working in plain clothes at the Union depot yesterday noticed a man who appeared to be annoying a girl. The man sat down by her and began talking to her. The girl appeared to be trying to avoid him. When Stege asked the girl if she knew the man she said, "No, and I don't want to, either."

At police headquarters, where the man was booked on a technical charge of vagrancy as a "masher," he gave the name of Miller. He said he was a telegraph operator from Indiana. His case will come up in police court this morning. The girl whom he is said to have been annoying gave the name of Ada Torrence of Topeka, Kas.

Labels: mashers, police headquarters, telegraph, Topeka, Union depot, vagrancy

September 5, 1907

BABY SPOILED IT ALL.

Case of Mistaken Identity Loses

Young Man a Companion.

A young man and woman were seated together in the waiting room of the Union depot last night. They had never met before, but were getting along famously when a little child about 3 years old emerged from the crowd. At first the child looked lost and bewildered, but seeing the young man her face brightened. She ran toward him, threw herself in his lap and called him "Papa." The young woman grew indignant.

"You told me you were not --"

"But I insist I never saw this child before," the young man interrupted.

"You need not tell me," said the young woman, with all the dignity and hauteur possible. "You are just a common masher. I thought I liked you, and that you would be pleasant company on my trip, but I hate you so now."

It was useless for the young man to attempt to further explain. The child had her arms about his neck and was calling him "Papa."

"I guess I will take this child to the information bureau," the young man announced, for the benefit of the young woman.

"No, that story does not go here," said Pi Howell, the "ask me" man. "That kid is probably yours, and I have all the kids I want. You cannot leave the child with me."

While the argument was waxing warm a woman rushed frantically to the information window.

"I have lost my baby," she shouted. Then seeing the child in the arms of a strange man she snatched it to her.

"I found papa," the child said.

Then the woman took a second look at the embarrassed young man.

"Well, you do look something like my husband," she said. "you see, my husband is a traveling man, and it has been a long time since 'Baby' saw him. I left her in a seat a few minutes ago and when I returned she was gone. She mistook you for my husband."

"Say, there is a young woman -- a very angry young woman here in the depot that I want you to explain this affair to," the man said. But the young woman could not be found.

Labels: children, mashers, romance, Union depot