No. 544
Crime, Eccentricity, and the Sporting Life in 19th Century America.
October 13, 2020

Cursing In Church

October 13, 2020
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 Welcome to the Link Dump, where our host for this week will be British composer Daphne Oram's cat!  She had four cats, Elect, Tronic, Sine and Square.  I don't know which one this is, but he is very welcome.When reference librarians were Google.Bigfoot?  Or fat guy skinny-dipping?  The world wonders!The patterns of near-death experiences.The (former) Versailles of
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  [Editor’s note: Guest writer, Peter Dickson, lives in West Sussex, England and has been working with microfilm copies of The Duncan Campbell Papers from the State Library of NSW, Sydney, Australia. The following are some of his analyses of what he has discovered from reading these papers. Dickson has contributed many transcriptions to the Jamaica […]
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Early American Crime - 2/7/2019
"As his son I am proud of hisefforts to succeed in life"Jefferson Randolph Smith IIIArtifact #93-2Jeff Smith collection(Click image to enlarge) oapy's son hires a legal firm to stop the defamation of his father's name. At age 30, Jefferson Randolph Smith III, Soapy and Mary's oldest son, was protecting his father's legacy and his mother's reputation from "libel" and scandal. He was also
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Soapy Smith's Soap Box - 10/13/2025
(Illustrated Police News, February 1, 1885)On Thursday, July 27, 1882, Sarah Proctor, of Salem, Massachusetts, heard groans coming from the cellar where her husband, George, was working.  Downstairs, she found him lying on the floor between two barrels. She rushed toward him exclaiming, “Good God, what is the matter, George?”There was no response, so she ran to a neighbor for help. He found
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Murder By Gaslight - 9/12/2026
Youth With Executioner by Nuremberg native Albrecht Dürer … although it’s dated to 1493, which was during a period of several years when Dürer worked abroad. November 13 [1617]. Burnt alive here a miller of Manberna, who however was lately … Continue reading
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Executed Today - 11/13/2020
A New Gag. | He Hit the Pipe

Cursing In Church

Cursing in Church

Westfield, Ohio, October 23, 1887 - The Sudden Insanity of Rev J. R. Young. He uses profane language in a Sunday school at Westfield, Ohio.

A special from Marshall, Ill., October 24 says: Westfield, this county, was treated to a big sensation yesterday. J. R. Young recently appointed Methodist minister, arrived thre lastweek and while superintending the Sunday school yesterday morning suddenly began to use profane and abusive language and seemed about to demolish the entire gathering. He was promptly secured, as it was seen that he had become a raving maniac. He was at once brought to this city and continued in jail. He sang religious songs during the entire trip, and since his incarceration has made the jail resound with gospel hymns, singing constantly. He is a quite talented young minister, but has been subject to such spells recently. Indeed, he was at one time an inmate of an insane asylum. The cause of his sudden attack was religious excitement.


Reprinted from The National Police Gazette, November 12, 1887