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

June 10, 2025

ORPHANS GET AN OUTING.

Kansas City Automobile Club Gives

300 Children Rides in Big

Touring Cars.

Over the boulevards of Kansas City, in forty-five big touring cars, sped 300 little orphans yesterday afternoon. They were being given their third annual outing by the Kansas City Automobile Club, and enjoyed the ride to the utmost. Every car was laden with children carrying flags and each one wearing a shiny, happy face.

The cars, filled with children, met at Baltimore avenue, on Armour boulevard. From there they proceeded in line through the Northeast drives, thence south to Swope park. The line of cars was so long that after the pilot car had left the park the last of the procession was just entering the park driveway. From Swope park the machines took the Rockhill park road back to the starting point on Armour, and then to the different homes.

The third annual outing was under the management of Harry Fowler, chairman of the committee in charge of the event. From the Perry home there were 120 children taken on the ride, from the St. Joseph's home 125, and fifty from the Gillis home.

It was 6 o'clock before the children had been returned to the homes.

Labels: Armour boulevard, Baltimore avenue, children, orphans, Rockhill, Swope park

March 31, 2025

THIS BROUGHAM RAN AWAY.

Unoccupied Electric Machine Scatters

Crowd on Walnut Street.

A crowd which had gathered at Twelfth and Walnut streets was scattered yesterday about noon when an unoccupied electric brougham belonging to Mrs. R. N. Simpson of 109 West Armour boulevard ran away. After it had run a block, however, the fractious car was stopped by a daring chauffeur who leaped from his own machine into the runaway.

The trouble began at Twelfth and Grand by a collision of a west bound Twelfth street car with the brougham, which narrowly missed inflicting serious injury. Mrs. Simpson, who was driving the electric, had with her a woman and a little girl. In her southward course along Grand avenue she had stopped the machine at the intersection of Twelfth street to await the passage of an eastbound car.

In the meantime a westbound car came along. The motorman failed to stop in time, and the front part of the brougham was struck a heavy blow. It was not overturned, however, and a policeman asked Mrs. Simpson to steer it to Twelfth and Walnut to avoid the gathering crowd. She did so, and with her companions, stepped out of the electric to use a nearby telephone.

The impact of the street car had loosened the mechanism of the machine and it caught fire from two crossed wires. In his eagerness to stop the blaze, a bystander inadvertently pushed forward the controller and the brougham started off by itself and got nearly to Thirteenth and Walnut before the chauffeur stopped it.

Labels: accident, Armour boulevard, automobiles, Fire, Grand avenue, streetcar, Twelfth street, Walnut Street

March 17, 2026

WM. KENEFICK'S AUTO

SMASHED TO PIECES.

RAILROAD PRESIDENT'S CHAUF-

FEUR WAS HAVING "JOY RIDE."

Limousine Struck by Twelfth Street

Car and Five Occupants Hurled

to Ground -- One Seriously

Injured -- Owner in Paris.

An expensive motor car belonging to William Kenefick, 1485 Independence avenue, was demolished yesterday afternoon at 2:30 by being struck by a street car at Twelfth and Oak streets. Daisy West, 1333 McGee street, who was in the limousine, was seriously injured. The machine was driven by William Tate, a trusted employe of Mr. Kenefick, who is now in Paris. Mr. Kenefick is president of the Missouri, Oklahoma & Gulf railroad.

In the machine at the time of the accident were four friends of Tate' whom he was entertaining.

FOUR FRIENDS WITH HIM.

Taking the machine from the garage yesterday afternoon Tate invited four friends, two men and two women, to go for a ride over the boulevards. Leaving Miss West's home on McGee street, the driver steered the machine over to Oak and started north on that street. As he was crossing the street car tracks on Twelfth street a car going west struck the machine on the right side, just in front of the rear wheels. The machine was thrown over on the side and skidded across the street and onto the sidewalk on the northwest corner of Oak street.

Those persons riding inside of the limousine were thrown from their seats and besides being shaken up were cut by broken glass. Miss West was the only one seriously injured, and she was carried into Hucke's drug store, on the corner, and cared for until an ambulance from Eylar's Livery Company conveyed her to the University hospital.

GIRL SERIOUSLY INJURED.

Dr. George O. Todd was summoned and found the woman to be suffering from a severe wrench of the back, several scalp wounds and possible internal injuries. She was later taken to her home. At the hospital she gave the name of Davis.

The Admiral Auto Livery Company righted the maching and then towed it to the Pope-Hartford Auto Sales Company, 1925 Grand avenue. At the machine shop it was said that the machine was a total wreck and not worth repairing. Thee top was broken and cracked in various places and badly sprung.

NO PERMISSION TO USE CAR?

Mrs. J. W. H offman, 314 West Armour boulevard, a daughter of Mr. Kenefick, last night said that the chauffeur had not informed her of the accident. She said Tate had not been granted permission to use the car and had never before been known to use it secretly. The machine was a Pope-Toledo valued at $6,500 and was about a year old, she said. On Saturday the motor was taken out of the repair shop.

Tate, who is about 27 years old, has worked for Mr. Kenefick since he was 13 years old. Those in the machine at the time of the accident refused to talk aobut it or give their names. Patrolman Patrick Thornton, who walks on Twelfth street, arrived a few minutes after the accident but when the interested parties once refused to talk the patrolman ceased activity. He allowed them to go without getting any of the details as to who they were.

Labels: accident, Armour boulevard, automobiles, Grand avenue, Independence avenue, McGee street, Oak street, police, streetcar, Twelfth street, University hospital

May 19, 2025

DOESN'T WANT A FLAT THERE.

Resident in a Restricted District Asks

for an Injunction.

Julia B. Fitzgerald yesterday asked that Sallie Y. Payne be restrained from erecting an apartment ho use on a lot Mrs. Payne has purchased adjoining Mrs. Fitzgerald's home on the west side of Wyandotte street, between Armour boulevard and Thirty-sixth street. Both lots were originally owned by Charles B. Herman. In the deeds under which Herman transferred them, Mrs. Fitzgerald alleges, there is a provision that only residences shall occupy the ground.

Labels: Armour boulevard, real estate, Thirty-sixth street, Wyandotte street

May 17, 2025

AUTO CYCLES OUTRAN JONES.

Police Commissioner Had Them Join

the Race as a Test.

At the invitation of Elliott H. Jones, police commissioner, four men on motor cycles trailed the automobiles in the endurance race yesterday. All of the cycles made the trip successfully and beat Jones's machine back to Kansas City. The commissioner asked that the cycles be used on the run, because he has been appointed by the police board as a committee to investigate the feasibility of using motor cycles in the police department.

Dr. A. Moses, C. Hanson, C. O. Hahn and L. C. Shellaberger, each mounted on a two wheeled machine, left Armour boulevard and the Paseo in a bunch yesterday morning about fifteen minutes after the last automobile was officially started. The party made the run to Lawrence without mishap. The freshly dragged roads proved slow going south from Lawrence and at Baldwin the leader was misdirected and led the party to Edgerton, which is a few miles off the course. They got back on the track and passed Jones at Waldo.

They reached the city at 8:30 o'clock, with Moses a few yards in the lead. All of the cycles in the endurance test were Indians. Commissioner Jones, when he finally came steaming into the city, congratulated the four on their good run.

Labels: Armour boulevard, automobiles, Commissioner Jones, Lawrence, motorcycles, races, Waldo

January 31, 2026

CHAUFFEUR'S DINNER TO A JAG.

Profitable Mistake for One Mr. Nichols

in Police Holdover.

T. Edward Lickiss, former chauffeur for Dr. J. D. Griffith, 201 East Armour boulevard, was yesterday released from the workhouse and turned over to his brother, G. A. Lickiss, of Percy, Ill., who arrived here in the morning. The young chauffeur was fined $500 in police court Tuesday on a charge of exceeding the speed limit, and given a stay on all but $50.

An amusing incident happened while Lickiss was being held in the holdover. A young woman went down and asked permission to send him a "swell meal, as I know he's hungry." She was given permission and ordered the following from a restaurant in the city market:

Porterhouse steak with mushrooms.
German fried potatoes.
Celery.
Apple pie.
Strawberries.
Coffee.

Not bad for a prisoner in the holdover who would have gotten a "plain chuck with the juice knocked out," a hunk of bread and a tin of inky coffee.

But Lickiss must have been born under an unlucky star. Soujourning in the holdover with him was a man named Nichols. No Nichols was a "safe keeper." He had been on a rip roaring time and had reached the stage where he could have eaten a stewed boot heel or a boiled mink muff. When the woman said to the jailer the food was "for Mr. Lickiss," he understood the woman to say "for Mr. Nichols"

The swell spread arrived promptly and the jailer ushered the big platter into the cell of Nichols, the jag.

"A lady sent this to you," said the jailer. "Didn't leave her name."

"Thanks, awfully, old chap," replied Nichols after he had rubbed his eyes and pinched himself a few times "Didn't know I had a friend on earth"

Nichols then fell to. Lickiss and the others, who had dined on "jail grub" looked on and envied the fortunate man. They all wished that they, too, had a ministering angel as Nichols had -- and Lickiss had a lurking suspicion that he did have. She had been down to see him and had said she would send him a "swell meal" but it had not arrived.

Later in the day it was discovered that Lickiss was "out a meal" and Nichols was "in a meal," but it was too late to remedy it then. Nichols was fast asleep, a calm, satisfied smile playing over his placid features.

Labels: Armour boulevard, automobiles, city market, doctors, food, police court, workhouse

August 8, 2025

LEOTA FULLERTON GETS BOND.

Girl Who Refused to Plead Guilty to

Stealing Released.

Leota Fullerton, the girl who has spent all of the spring and half the summer in the county jail rather than plead guilty to stealing a dress from Mrs. E. S. Truitt, of 107 West Armour boulevard, the crime with which she was charged, was yesterday afternoon released on a $750 bond, furnished by Attorney W. W. Calvin. The girl will tell her story to a jury in the criminal court next October. She claims that Mrs. Truitt gave her the dress instead of a week's wages as a domestic.

Labels: Armour boulevard, jail

April 29, 2025

IN MEMORY OF A SON.

Mrs. Henry E. Lantry Will Add a

Dormitory to St Anthony's Home.

Mrs. Henry E. Lantry, of 318 West Armour boulevard, has announced to the directors of the St. Anthony's Hospital and Infants' home that she intended to fit up a dormitory of twenty beds in the new building in memory of her son, Henry Jordan Lantry, who died about four months ago. The cost of establishing the memorial room will be about $500.

The women in charge of the home are planning to open the new building in memory of her son, Henry Jordan Lantry, who died about four months ago. The cost of establishing the memorial room will be about $500.

The women in charge of the home are planning to open the new building formally about May 15. Already enough rooms have been fitted through the generosity of friends of the institution to warrant the regular opening. John Long recently furnished an entire suite of eight rooms, and a ward large enough to accommodate fifteen beds. Duff and Repp Furniture Company and the Peck Dry Goods Company have each furnished a reception room in cozy fashion, and the Jones Dry Goods Company are donating the furnishings for a private bed room.

It is planned to make the opening an elaborate affair, in the form of a "pound party," and the management will be assisted by the Elks and the Knights of Columbus lodges. A musical programme will be arranged for the occasion.

St. Anthony's home is a maternal hospital, an infants' home and a day nursery. It is located on Twenty-third street between Walrond and College avenues. The building movement, of which the present commodious structure was the result, was launched several months ago at a meeting addressed by Archbishop Ireland. Donations of from 50 cents to hundreds of dollars were received by the committee in charge until enough money was raised to warrant the building.

Labels: Armour boulevard, College avenue, hospitals, Jones Dry Goods, lodges, retailers, St Anthonys Home, Twenty-third street, Walrond avenue, women

April 9, 2025

DOWNING NOW WANTS OIL.

Declares It Is the Best for Sprinkling

Boulevards.

J. F. Downing, a banker, wrote the board of park commissioners yesterday that he has undergone a change of heart as to the practicability of sprinkling boulevards with oil. Last year he protested against oil on Armour boulevard, but he says he has now discovered his error and requrests that oil be used on that thoroughfare "to keep down the dust and preserve the work that has been done on the boulevard."

Labels: Armour boulevard, Park board