No. 865
Crime, Eccentricity, and the Sporting Life in 19th Century America.
May 12, 2026

Sights and Sounds of Spring.

May 12, 2026
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 Welcome to "Weekend Link Dump:  The Musical!"The bombing of LaGuardia Airport.When dead bodies were asked to pick out their murderer.The amulet that could rewrite the history of Christianity.The world's most haunted museum.  That's the boast, at any rate.It may be time to stop insulting the dodo bird.The U.S. Navy and the Soviets compete to find a crashed F-14 jet.15th century
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Strange Company - 8/7/2026
  [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
Illustrated Police News, February 8, 1879.O.P. Hull, a well-to-do farmer, lived with his wife and six children near the village of Wassonville, Iowa. Mr. Hull was a kind father and affectionate husband who was adored by his family. He especially doted on his attractive and popular 19-year-old daughter, Emma. Her comfort and happiness were foremost in his mind. He would leave nothing undone
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Murder By Gaslight - 8/1/2026
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
Dreams a Likeness of her Future Husband. | Pluck and Presence of Mind.

Sights and Sounds of Spring.

Plucky

A Quick-witted and Strong-armed School Girl Saves her Young Lover from a Terrible Death at North Platte, Nebraska.

A few days ago, an exciting incident occurred at one of the public schools in Platte. Nebraska, the particulars of which, as we learn them, are as follows: At the school in question, among the other pupils are a youth of seventeen and his lover a miss of "sweet sixteen," who are dead in love with each other. On the day alluded to the pair were alone in the third story of the building talking soft nonsense generally and leaning out of one of the windows, with arms around each other, when suddenly the youth projected his body a trifle too far, the centre of gravity overcame the base and he started—very much against his will—on his downward career to the bosom of mother earth. As he began to slip out, and his horror stricken lady-love felt him receding from her fond clasp around his waist, her presence of mind came to her, and like a flash she grasped him by one leg as he slid from the window.

Luckily for her, and still more so for him, she is a young lady of rare muscular development, and on this occasion her strong of arm and lung stood the pair in good need, for with the former she held on like grim death, and the latter was quickly called in play to summon assistance, which came speedily, and the young man was rescued from his perilous position. After being safely landed in the room again the pension on her nerves relaxed, the reaction was too powerful, and the beautiful preserver fainted away. She was conveyed to her home and soon entirely recovered, since which time the young heroine has received the hearty and well-merited congratulations of the entire community. It is safe to wager that she will make an excellent wife, and we advise that youth to guard well the priceless treasure of the love she has bestowed upon him.


Illustrated Police News, May 20, 1874.