No. 717
Crime, Eccentricity, and the Sporting Life in 19th Century America.
October 17, 2023

Burglars on Bicycles.

Burglars in Massachusetts utilize the flying wheels in their midnight depredations.
October 17, 2023
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Tag: Marriage

Caught a Cowboy.

A Manheim, N.Y., Maiden insert an advertisement in a matrimonial paper and is astonished at the result.

7/19/2022

The Wedding Postponed.

11/27/2017

Eloped on a Spotted Steer.

How a loving West Virginia couple escaped from an obdurate father and were married.

1/30/2017

Abducted by a Woman.

3/31/2014

Thimble Rig A La Mode.

3/18/2014

Torturing a Lover.

6/26/2012

Their Name a Misnomer.

2/28/2012
The Lamb Inn was a large, comfortable establishment in Bristol, England, with a long history, from the mid-17th century until it was demolished in 1910,  Over the centuries, the inn undoubtedly saw many strange and interesting things, but undoubtedly its most famous episode began in late 1761, when all hell broke loose at the hostel.  And, yes, I am speaking quite literally.Richard
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Strange Company - 9/7/2026
  [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 […]
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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
Sadie and Clarence.In April 1894, the murder of Montgomery Gibbs, a successful attorney, caused great excitement in Buffalo, New York. He was found shot to death in a driveway on Delaware Avenue with no clues to the killer’s identity. The police and newspapers investigated the crime, but they had no solid leads, and it remained unsolved. Then, in October, they received a tip that Clarence
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Murder By Gaslight - 9/5/2026
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
Why Wouldn't a "Wild East" Show be Popular, Too? | A Lunatics Ball.

Burglars on Bicycles.

Burglars in Bicycles

A new use of the Bicycle
Burglars in Massachusetts utilize the flying wheels in their midnight depredations.

Burglars mounted on bicycles silently entered Essex, Mass. A few nights ago. They broke into eight houses where they secured booty, and several where they got nothing. Then they mounted their bicycles again and silently rode away, leaving no clue to their identity.


National Police Gazette, May 5, 1883.