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

September 2, 2025

CITY'S GROWTH BEWILDERS.

L. W. Foster Back for Visit After

Twenty-five Years' Absence.

After an absence from the city of twenty-five years, Leigh Wilson Foster, born here in 1841, returned yesterday for a brief visit. Mr. Foster now resides in Chicago, where he is in the piano business. Having been educated in and graduated from the Spalding Commercial college in 1876, Mr. Foster's first call was at his old alma mater, only to learn, however, that Professor Spalding was in California on vacation.

"I cannot believe this is the same town," said Mr. Foster. "When I was a little fellow we had about 5,000 inhabitants, and when I left there were not twice as many as that. Now the city is tremendous and it embarrasses me to think that I do not know my native place. It has changed more than I have."

Mr. Foster's father, C. G. Foster, who died eight years ago, at one time was part owner of The Journal, then The Journal of Commerce. The Chicago visitor was the city circulator of the paper.

"It was not much of a job to deliver the papers, for the town was small," he reflected, in talking to Rolla Spalding at the old college."

Labels: Chicago, history, Spaldings college, The Journal, visitors

June 4, 2025

JOHN W. SPEAS, LONG

ILL, KILLS HIMSELF.

With Pistol and Poison Makes Sure

of Death After Writing a

Farewell Note.

JOHN W. SPEAS.

After writing a brief farewell note to his family, John W. Speas committed suicide yesterday morning at 6:30 o'clock in a bedroom at his home, 1028 Summit street, by drinking carbolic acid and shooting himself.

Mrs. Speas, who was in the dining room downstairs, hurried to the bedroom when she heard the report of the revolver, and found Mr. Speas prostrate upon the floor. She summoned the family physican, Dr. R. T. Sloan, who said death had been instantaneous. Before firing the fatal shot, it is believed that Mr. Speas swallowed the carbolic acid. According to the deputy coroner either method would have resulted in death.

Mr. Speas has been an active member of the Commercial Club for a longer period probably than any other man in it, and once refused the presidency. He was active in the building of the first Convention hall, and also was conspicuous in the work of reconstructing it after the fire. As a member of the Commercial Club he was looked upon as the most popular active worker. He was president several years of the Priests of Pallas, and a member of the board of directors.

Mr. Speas was a native of Missouri. He came to Kansas City at the age of 10 years, and for several years sold papers, and later carried a paper route. He studied bookkeeping at Spalding's Business college, and then allied himself with the Kansas City Distilling Company. Much of his business career was interwoven with that of E. L. Martin, president of the distilling company. Later Mr. Speas became interested in the Monarch Vinegar company, and eventually became the sole owner.

An enthusiastic baseball fan, he identified himself with National League in the '90s, and for three or four years owned or controlled the franchise in Kansas City. He was a member of the Masons, Elks and Mystic Shrine.

Mr. Speas was born on a farm near Kansas city, October 18, 1862. In 1884 he married Miss Evelyn Southworth. Besides his widow he leaves one son, Victor Speas. Continued ill health of three years' duration is believed to explain his suicide.

The pallbearers for the Speas funeral, which will be held Saturday morning, are F. A. Faxon, L. W. Shouse, E. M. Clendening, William Barton, J. C. Schmelzer, D. P. Thompson, F. S. Doggett and W. H. Holmes.

Labels: Commercial Club, Convention Hall, doctors, Edwin Clendening, Frank Faxon, Funeral, guns, Spaldings college, sports, Suicide, Summit street

February 27, 2026

WELL, WELL, IT WAS

THE OLD TOWN WELL.

ACCIDENT TO WAGON REVEALS

LONG-HIDDEN LANDMARK.

Supplied Part of Kansas City With

Water 44 Years Ago, When

There Were No Meters

to Watch.

When a heavily-laden wagon broke through the asphalt paving at the corner of Tenth and McGee streets yesterday afternoon and the rear wheels sank into a hole to the hubs little damage resulted. There was a general outpouring of reminiscences, however, from old-timers who witnessed the accident that made the incident an interesting story, for the hole into which the wheels sank is what remains of a well from which the pioneers of Kansas City obtained their drinking water in the early '70s.

Of the history of the old well, J. F. Spalding, president of the Spalding Commercial college and a pioneer of Kansas City, said:

"That hole is the old well which was sunk by Thomas Smart forty-four years ago. Smart purchased the forty acres of Ninth and Fourteenth streets and laid out an addition to Kansas City. There was a lack of good drinking water on the hill and Colonel Smart dug the well at the corner of Tenth and McGee. It was eighty feet deep and contained the finest of water. The settlers of the new addition used the water from the well for years. Finally it was abandoned and partly filled. Later it was cut down when the hill was graded for the old Tenth street cable line. Still later it was covered with an old stone slab and the pavers went right over it. I had almost forgotten about it until I saw that wagon break through there and then I recalled it at once. It was one of the city's landmarks in her infant days."

The hole caused by the wagon disclosed the walls of the old well. The pavement covering it was not more than three-quarters of an inch thick and the wonder is that it did not give away under heavy traffic before.

Labels: accident, Fourteenth street, history, McGee street, Ninth street, pioneers, Spaldings college, Tenth street

December 19, 2025

SPALDING'S 43 YEARS OLD.

Commercial College Celebrates Its

Long Period of Success Here.

In the presence of an audience of over 600, exercises were held at the auditorium of Spalding's Business college last night commemorating its forty-third anniversary. This institution was started in 1865 by James F. Spalding. A small room at Second and Main streets was sufficiently large for the seven pupils he then had. One of these, Bernard L. Ganz, is still living. Since that time, over 23,000 young people have entered the college, of whom more than 4,000 are in business or in positions in Kansas City.

In introducing the programme last night, Mr. Spalding, still president of that college, said: "I am very glad to state that the present school year is prosperous; that the attendance is larger than ever before. I am equally as happy to say that many new additions and valuable improvements have been made to the course of study in order to more fully meet the ever increasing and exacting demands of the business world, and thus put our graduates in better condition to cope with them. The grade of our scholarship has been advanced. The demand for our graduates is often far in excess of the supply, yet we deem it necessary to fully equip a student for any emergency before sending him or her out. Another note of gratification to me is that in the college now are many students whose parents before them attended the Spalding school."

A most excellent musical programme and an address by Professor J. M. Greenwood constituted the set programme. In the musical numbers were piano solos by Miss Adeline Nentwig and Miss Clara Blakeslee; vocal solo by Miss Hazel Kirk, with violin obligato by Dale Hartmann; cornet solo by Walter M. Eby, and violin solo by Miss Phebe Brooks. Besides these, there were readings by Miss Maude Edris Speer and Everett Elliott.

As souvenirs of the occasion the college distributed booklets containing half tone views of the school, also fifty-two views of the prominent buildings and places of the city. An edition of 50,000 of these booklets has been printed in the college's own printing office.

Labels: business, Main street, music, schools, Second street, Spaldings college, Superintendent Greenwood

December 13, 2025

ESTABLISHED 43 YEARS.

Spalding's Commercial College to

Celebrate Friday Night.

Founded in the year of the close of the war between the states, Spalding's Commercial college will observe its forty-third anniversary December 18, on the night of which the literary society of the institution will give an appropriate programme at the Spalding auditorium, Tenth and Oak streets. James F. Spalding, one of the pioneer commercial educators of Missouri, is still at the head of the institution, of which he is the founder.

The Spalding Commercial College Literary Society was organized a year after the beginning of the school, and the work which it has carried on has been of much benefit to its members, as that of the institution has been invaluable to its graduates.

Those who will take part in the anniversary programme are: Miss Adeline Nentwig, Miss Phoebe Brooks, Miss Clara Blakeslee, Miss Hazel Kirk, Mrs. Jennie Schultz, Miss Maude Edris Speer, Dale Hartmann, Professor J. M. Greenwood, Walter M. Eby, Harold Nagle and Everett Elliott.

Labels: Oak street, schools, Spaldings college, Superintendent Greenwood, Tenth street

July 26, 2025

DEATH GAVE LITTLE WARNING.

Miss Evalina Wolfsohn Suddenly

Stricken With Heart Disease.

Sitting on the porch of her home at 1206 Penn street at 10:15 o'clock last night, Miss Evalina Wolfsohn, 18 years old, suddenly jumped to her feet and fell to the ground, dead from heart disease. A young man, Horace A. Dickson, an employe of the Kansas Bitulithic Company, who lives at 111 East Ruby avenue, Argentine, was talking to Miss Wolfsohn's 12-year-old sister, Katie, who was in a hammock near the porch, then notified the members of the family who were home.

The dead girl's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Wolfsohn, were taking a car ride and did not return until some time after their daughter died. Mr. Wolfsohn is a watchmaker for the Meyer Jewelry Company.

Miss Wolfsohn had complained several times of pains in her heart. She had attended Manual Training high school two years and Spalding's Commercial college one year. She was a milliner's apprentice.

Labels: Argentine, death, Penn street, Spaldings college