When I was growing up, western movies were just starting to pass out of popularity. After decades as one of the most popular genres, cowboys just weren’t as cool as they used to be. Thankfully, I got quite the education in the genre from my family, especially my grandfather. We would watch everyone from John …
Fancy Shoes: The Bizarre Fate of Big Nose George Read More »
Paul Schroeder ran through the repair shop, trying to avoid the hail of bullets flying towards him. He raised his revolver, firing blindly. Paul wasn’t really trying to hit anything, but rather keep the police from shooting at him. If he hit one, though, it would have probably been all the better. If Paul hit …
In 1921, a former newspaper editor and a barber decided to rob a bank in rural Iowa. Expecting little resistance, the two expected an easy score. They should have quit while they were ahead. https://media.blubrry.com/kitchentablehistorian/api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/22444681/download.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Some people just don’t know when to quit. Granted, that’s a trait that we normally admire. The sports team that keeps pushing to a win when their score is way down during a game. The guy that’s not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer who keeps trying and studying hard to eventually earn their …
The desecration of human remains and burial sites are regarded as taboo by our society. Regardless, it still happens, and more often than you think. What kind of person would commit such acts? Come and see. Sources ‘Man Held; Graveyard Vandalism.’ Quad City Times, 6/24/1977 ‘Grave Robbers Hit Davenport Crypt.’ Quad City Times, 4/25/1997 …
In 2002, a friend of mine and I took a trip to Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois, about twenty miles outside of Chicago. An enormous Catholic cemetery, it had one major draw for us at that time: gangster graves. Although it might seem a bit strange to some, grave tourism is a popular pastime …
When Iowa policemen arrested a robbery suspect in 1947, they thought they had just apprehended the thief responsible for numerous area break-ins. They didn’t suspect that they had just caught a notorious and uncommon criminal. Sources ‘Widely-Sought Criminal Nabbed.’ The Democrat and Leader, 3/9/1947 p. 1 ‘Burglar, Wanted By the FBI For Jailbreak and …
By March 8, 1947, police in Davenport, Iowa, were looking for an unknown suspect who had been breaking into local homes throughout the city. There had been no solid leads, and every crime that the robber committed was like a slap in the face to the local law enforcement. They were eager to catch …
The morning of December 15, 1921 was just another winter morning in Long Grove, Iowa. The business district at the center of the small town was humming with activity as people went about their normal business. People made their way along the streets, maybe stopping in for a haircut or a little gossip at the …
