Weird shit in historic newspapers

Taylorville Quintuplets, 1914

2012-05-30T08:42:00.000-03:00

On 13 February 1914, Mrs Bertha Drury gave birth to five children, three boys and two girls. The newspaper report of this "freak birth" noted that the two girls died, going on to add (in a statement that you would not see in such an account today): "The parents do not state whether they feel lucky or unlucky, owing to the day and date." Source: Haskell News (Oklahoma) 26 February 1914.

PS ... this past Monday was also the anniversary of the famous birth of the Canada's Dionne quintuplets, an event that has given historians a good deal of material over the years.

Daughter Sold for $600

2012-05-29T08:30:00.000-03:00

In the 1890s, when stories of "white slavery" were common, this story would have resonated with the concerns about the safety and future of young women, as well as the increasing concerns about recent immigrants. George Supur allegedly sold his 20-year old daughter Annie to another man for $600. The article notes that the "transaction is the outcome of a love affair" between the man and the young woman. Recognizing that, in 1890, the sale of people was illegal, the transaction was legitimized (?) through the acquisition of a marriage licence. Source: Boston Daily Globe 8 February 1894.

Uncle Sam's Girls

2012-05-28T09:25:00.001-03:00

A story from the US Treasury Department that reveals a good deal about gender norms in the workplace at the end of the nineteenth century. The article notes that "There is, of course, occasional flirting among the clerks. If you put one woman with three men anywhere in the world she must be an extraordinary female if she does not throw coquettish glances at at least one of the three, and the men are not human if they do not look at her."

But, read carefully, the article also shows how these norms were negotiated. For example, "when two department clerks marry one is expected to leave" but it does not necessarily state that the woman had to change positions. In another example, when two clerks married, both jobs were reclassified to permit both to continue working "and they now have good positions in New York."

Source: Daily Tribune (Salt Lake City) 23 March 1890.

The Official Cats of Paris

2012-05-18T06:45:00.000-03:00

In 1920, Paris made use of "official cats" to rid public buildings of pests. Indeed, the city used almost a quarter of a million of them, paying $3 per year for their upkeep. As an added incentive, the cats could eat all the mice and rats they wanted for free. Source: Oxford Leader 15 July 1920.

Paranormal Activity in Nova Scotia

2012-05-17T07:12:00.000-03:00

In 1922, Alexander MacDonald and his wife abandoned their Antigonish County farmhouse because of a series of unexplained fires and the deaths of a number of cattle. The "ghost" that was responsible had previously driven several other families from the same area. A couple of experts, including a biology professor from Dalhousie University, were dispatched to investigate the paranormal activity. My favourite line? "Scientifically the complex that motivates such conduct is called poltergeist, a word of German ancestry that means a mischievous spirit." I liked that this had to be explained and that the phenomenon was subjected to serious (at least somewhat serious) investigation. Source: Boston Globe 26 February 1922.

Car Trouble

2012-05-16T08:04:00.000-03:00

In 1922, the Ontario Safety League suggested that a decline in accidents was due to the "increased artfulness on the part of both motorist and pedestrians." The organization also suggested that "the chronic infractor of our traffic rules and the persistent speeder" be jailed for their traffic infractions. Source: The Globe (Toronto, Ontario) 8 November 1922.

Great Worries of Women

2012-05-15T09:00:00.001-03:00

Advice to women provides lots of insight into the gendered expectations of the early 20th century. This article describes the five great worries of women. Usually, I try to add some pithy comment. But I am still trying to catch my breath after reading these.

1. "The fear of being an old maid."

2. "That of growing old."

3. "Losing a husband's love."

4. "The loss of friends"

5. "A dread of the future and what it may bring."

Source: San Antonio Light (Texas) 1 March 1908.

Best Served Cold

2012-05-14T10:31:00.001-03:00

Loretta Hannigan, aged 19, accused Solomon Mann of "having caused her ruin" and also accused Dr Henry Pettingill of "having performed a criminal operation upon her." Ms Hannigan subsequently died, although not of criminal malpractice, according to the court. But this did not satisfy David Hannigan, who vowed vengeance. Two months later, Hannigan shot Mann twice, intending to kill him. The assailant was "crazed with anger and range" and he escaped the custody of a police officer but was brought down by "a passer-by, who hit him a blow on the head with a cane." Source: Evening Herald (Syracuse, NY) 24 May 1895.

Society Girls Have Use?

2012-05-12T13:45:00.000-03:00

English professor J. Scott Clark, of Chicago's Northwestern University, reportedly said that "the society girl is of no use to the world, that she is a parasite and that the young man who marries her is simply "tying a millstone around his neck."" Harvard professors publicly condemned this view. Source: Des Moines Daily News (Iowa) 21 May 1901.

Electric Medical Devices

2012-05-11T09:33:00.000-03:00

One of my major areas of interest has been the history of health and medicine and, within that, the diversity of medical practice. I have, from time to time, written about Indian herb doctors, homeopaths, hydropathy and other topics. The advertisement below is for a device that delivered "violet rays."

Violet ray machines were developed by Nicholas Tesla and were one of a range of medical devices that used electrical currents to treat a range of medical conditions. Renulife, in the advertisement, was one of the largest American manufacturers. These devices would be the target of a series of lawsuits in the US during the 1950s, although such devices are still manufactured and used in some countries. Source: The Chronicle-Telegram (Elryia, OH) 20 July 1925.

Remembering Westray Mine Disaster

2012-05-09T08:11:00.002-03:00

On 9 May 1992, the Westray coal mine exploded, killing 26 men. The disaster spawned an inquiry into the explosion that found, among other things, a callous disregard on the part of the mine owners for the health and safety of workers. There have been books and studies of Westray ever since, including Paul Cowan's very fine NFB film, Leo McKay's fictional account, a memoir by former miner Sean Comish, Dean Jobb's award-winning book and others.

Source: Winnipeg Free Press 10 May 1992.

The Danger of Muggles

2012-05-07T21:41:00.002-03:00

This story warns of the danger of "muggles" or "loco weed" ... marijuana. Best read as part of the same period that would spawn the classic movie Reefer Madness (one of my faves! I show it sometimes in classes), this story warns of the ease with which "this horrible drug can be obtained in Chicago." In the Southtown area, the article warns parents, "muggles are here almost as accessible to their children as is candy." Source: Southtown Economist (Chicago, IL) 19 February 1930.

Busy for the Wrong Reason

2012-05-07T09:42:00.000-03:00

I am not sure whether a medicine for "diarrhoea, dysentery, summer complaints, cholera morbus, cholera infantum, etc."should be advertised at "The Busy Corner." Source: Salt Lake City Tribune 28 July 1907.

50-Cent Bet Leads to Death

2012-05-05T19:51:00.000-03:00

Eighteen year old Daniel Gold made a fifty cent bet that he could climb up a derrick and then cross a rope from one of the cranes to another. While pursuing his stunt on 77th Street in New York, the young man "was suddenly overcome by heart disease and fell to the ground, thirty feet below." He died and his body was taken to his parents home. Source: Salt Lake City Tribune 28 July 1907.

Husband and Dog were both Dicks

2012-05-03T07:22:00.000-03:00

A Bangor woman has both a husband and a dog named Dick. When she heard that Dick was ill, she began to rush home, only to discover that it was her husband and not her beloved dog who had taken ill. When she learned it was her husband who was ill, her pace slowed "and she walked in with nearly every trace of excitement gone." Source: Biddeford Daily Journal (Maine) 14 June 1884.

White Slavery in Montreal

2012-05-02T08:21:00.001-03:00

Narcisse Saulniers sold himself into white slavery to Joseph Rochon. Rochon, a Montreal milkman, "agreed to feed and clothe him and to leave him his fortune after death." For 23 years, Saulniers "had a hard life," even being sublet to another man for a three-year period. In the end, Saulniers was released from his servitude, penniless and without hope of receiving Rochon's fortune. Source: Boston Daily Globe 22 July 1885.

Toledo's Cocaine Queen

2012-05-01T08:07:00.000-03:00

Minnie Emmick, 35, was the cocaine queen of Toledo, Ohio. She ran a "snuffers' club" of drug users that counted "among its members boys and girls of prominent families." Source: New Castle News (New Castle, PA) 25 October 1911.

Mae Sharkey, Strike Breaker!

2012-04-30T07:09:00.003-03:00

When the men of the Pennsylvania Railroad were on strike for better wages, 22 year-old Mae Sharkey, "an attractive young woman", was putting together a gang of replacement workers. Three years before, she had assembled another group of scab workers during the "Chicago packing house trouble." Sharkey personally interviewed the men on behalf of the company that employed her and is described as a "born cross-examiner and expert on human nature." Mae Sharkey, Strike Breaker! sounds like a good title for a movie, an alternative to Norma Rae or Matewan. Source: Des Moines Daily News (Iowa) 17 March 1907.

Singing for your life?

2012-04-29T08:55:00.001-03:00

Two black youth had had "several good natured tilts" but their final conflict ended with one fatally shooting the other young man. Ed Gilbert was put on trial for killing Mose White. The newspaper reported "The distinctive feature of the opening of the trial yesterday was the statement made by Gilbert to the jury, which was delivered in a sing-song tone." Source: Atlanta Constitution 19 April 1900.

Town-Gown Relationships

2012-04-28T09:26:00.001-03:00

In Quebec, students have been protesting tuition increases for several weeks now and there is, of course, a rich history of student protest. At the same time, tensions between university students and their host community go back to the very founding of universities. This story highlights that the behaviour of university students in New Haven was often excused and that similar acts "would have brought heavy fines and even imprisonment to men with seedy clothing and without social position." Source: Trenton Times (New Jersey) 10 December 1892.

It's Never Too Late ...

2012-04-27T08:04:00.000-03:00

Eighty-year-old Merl Rice celebrated his golden wedding anniversary with his wife Gladys, aged 70 on 27 April 1952. A couple of weeks later, Gladys moved into her own apartment and filed for divorce. Ada Evening News (Oklahoma) 16 May 1952.

I'll Have The Horse

2012-04-26T08:41:00.002-03:00

A farmer's horse in Quebec crashed through the window of a local hotel. The son of the driver was injured. What was unreported in the paper was that a customer was overheard, just minutes before, ordering the horse (j/k). Source: Montreal Pilot 19 December 1857.

Building Collapse

2012-04-25T07:06:00.001-03:00

When I read the piece below, my first thought was that the "hardware merchants" were probably scavaging the nails, screws and other materials from the other building for resale, thereby causing the collapse of the building. My second thought was that, perhaps, the hardware merchants should have been aware of the condition of the building. Source: Montreal Pilot 18 December 1857.

The Price of Modern Luxury

2012-04-24T07:11:00.000-03:00

Sir James Kay-Shuttleworth wrote a good deal about the poor and the working class. Indeed, his work was cited in Engels' Condition of the Working Class in England (1844). In this piece, James Kay (as he was known) mused upon the "cost of living in our artificial society." He was critical of the pursuit of luxury and the distraction it posed to higher pursuits. "The sweat of his brain ought to be spent for something better than merely to live in a fashionable square, to dress his family in the newest gauds, and enable them to appear in all places of public resort." Source: Montreal Pilot 24 October 1857.

Lightening-Charred Goats

2012-04-23T08:26:00.000-03:00

In this story, a "marvellous incident", lightening struck a barn in France. The story reports that the barn did not burn but that "After the shower, a woman who had been accustomed to feed the goats, went to the barn, and perceiving that the animals were entirely motionless, approached and touched them, when to her great astonishment and alarm, they fell and crumbled in pieces, exhibiting nothing but a mass of cinders!" Source: Cape Breton News (Sydney, Nova Scotia) 5 July 1851.