No. 301
Crime, Eccentricity, and the Sporting Life in 19th Century America.
April 05, 2016

Sharkey Escapes,

April 5, 2016
...
...

 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
More...
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 […]
More...
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
More...
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
More...
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
More...
Executed Today - 11/13/2020
Floating Circus. | A Sleep-Walker’s Act.

Sharkey Escapes,

Killed by a baseball

John Walters, of Richmond, Indiana becomes a victim of his love for the national game.

John Walters, a young man 21 years old, died recently at Richmond, Ind., from the effects of a wild pitch which struck him under the left ear, while playing in a game of baseball. The accident happened at 4:30 P. M., and did not seem to hurt him much, as he was able to walk nearly the whole distance home. When he arrived home he sank away unconscious and died three hours after the accident. No arrests have been made. The game continued, the players and spectators knowing nothing of the serious nature of the blow.


Reprinted from National Police Gazette, October 19, 1889.