No. 336
Crime, Eccentricity, and the Sporting Life in 19th Century America.
November 28, 2016

The Pastor Kissed Her.

That is the allegation made against Dominie Hall of the Methodist Church at Livermore, Ky., by Miss
November 28, 2016
...
...

Via Newspapers.comSome people could be said to create an “electric atmosphere.”This is not always a good thing.  The “Wells Journal,” December 9, 1993:A physicist claimed this week to have come up with evidence which completely exonerates pensioner Frank Pattemore for any involvement in the weird goings on with the electrical system at his home. For more than 11 years, Mr Pattemore's
More...
Strange Company - 4/1/2026
"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
More...
Soapy Smith's Soap Box - 10/13/2025
New York didn’t invent April Fools Day; this holiday might date back all the way to ancient Rome. But starting in the 19th century, April 1 in Gotham has been a day to celebrate with stupid pranks, outrageous hoaxes, the mocking of politicians and business leaders, and since 1986, a parade down Fifth Avenue. This […]
More...
Ephemeral New York - 3/30/2026
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
More...
Executed Today - 11/13/2020
National Police Gazette, January 28, 1882Mrs. J.W. Gibbons was away from her home in Ashland, Kentucky, on December 23, 1881. She left behind her 18-year-old son Robert, her 14-year-old daughter Fannie, and 17-year-old Emma Thomas (aka Carico), who was staying with them. Mrs. Gibbons returned the following day to find her home burned to the ground and all three inhabitants dead.Read the full
More...
Murder By Gaslight - 3/28/2026
Whatever you believe about the guilt or innocence of Lizzie Borden, I have always believed film makers do a great injustice to the story by not beginning at the beginning- the death on March 26, 1863 of the first Mrs. Borden. In the dying moments of Sarah Morse, Emma takes on the weight of the care of her little sister, not yet three years old. Emma herself was just 12 on March 1st. Emma has seen her mother suffer for a long time, seen her pain and loss of little Alice Esther. Emma is old enough
More...
Lizzie Borden: Warps and Wefts - 3/26/2026
  [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 […]
More...
Early American Crime - 2/7/2019
December 1860. | Mrs. Snyder Pays Her Bet.

The Pastor Kissed Her.

The Pastor Kissed Her

That is the allegation made against Dominie Hall of the Methodist Church at Livermore, Ky., by Miss May. [more]

Society in Livermore, Ky., especially in church circles, has been in a high state of excitement for several days over a sensation in which Rev. Charles W. Hall, a minister of the Methodist Chruch and a Miss May, a young member of the same congregation figure as the principal parties. The cause of the affair was a charge made by Miss May to the effect that Rev. Chas. Hall forcibly hugged and kissed her. The feeling was heightened by the fact that the friends of the young lady were not content to let the minster off without the exposure consequent upon hearing of the matter before he District Conference, which met there recently. Miss May’s story is straightforward, modest and frank. She says that on a certain occasion they happened alone together, with nobody near or looking. He seized the delightful opportunity and gathered her in his arms, at the same time popping a burning kiss squarely down upon her lips. Being incensed beyond measure, she spurned him from her, at the same instant letting fly her dainty fist upon his nose with all the force in her. He recovered himself and left, beseeching her before he left her to say nothing of the matter, as he meant no harm by it.


Reprinted from National Police Gazette, October 6, 1888.