No. 678
Crime, Eccentricity, and the Sporting Life in 19th Century America.
November 25, 2024

Pretty Female Billiardists

January 3, 2012
...
...

William Condon was a banjo player and a variety performer at Ryan’s Saloon in Cincinnati. For six months, he had been living with a woman named Lou Perry, and in June 1880, they moved into a rented room at No.300 West Fifth Street. The move had not gone smoothly, and they began quarreling frequently.Lou Perry—known as “Big Lou”—was from a troubled family. Her real name was Louisa Dorff, and she
More...
Murder By Gaslight - 11/23/2024
Since opening in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge has been captured in paintings, photographs, and illustrations by scores of artists, each rendering the Bridge’s beauty and power in their own way. But it’s the poetic, enchanting Brooklyn Bridge depicted by Johann Berthelsen, which he titled “New York Skyline From the Brooklyn Navy Yard,” that I find […]
More...
Ephemeral New York - 11/25/2024
Soapy STAR notebookPage 13 - Original copy1882Courtesy of Geri Murphy(Click image to enlarge) OAPY SMITH'S STAR NOTEBOOKPart #13 - Page 13 This is page 13, dated 1882, the continuation of deciphering Soapy Smith's "star" notebook from the Geri Murphy's collection. A complete introduction to this notebook can be seen on page 1. Page 13 is a continuation from page 11 and 12, and
More...
Soapy Smith's Soap Box - 11/21/2024
"Idaho Statesman," August 13, 1976, via Newspapers.comIt’s generally strange enough when a person mysteriously vanishes.  But when they pull off the feat of disappearing twice…James Thomas Cole of Boise, Idaho, seemed to have a perfectly ordinary middle-class life.  He was 24 years old, married, and a father of a small son.  Since 1970, he had been working as a warehouse foreman at
More...
Strange Company - 11/25/2024
Since opening in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge has been captured in paintings, photographs, and illustrations by scores of artists, each rendering the Bridge’s beauty and power in their own way. But it’s the poetic, enchanting Brooklyn Bridge depicted by Johann Berthelsen, which he titled “New York Skyline From the Brooklyn Navy Yard,” that I find […]
More...
Ephemeral New York - 11/25/2024
Included in yesterday’s trip to Fall River was a stop at Miss Lizzie’s Coffee shop and a visit to the cellar to see the scene of the tragic demise of the second Mrs. Lawdwick Borden and two of the three little children in 1848. I have been writing about this sad tale since 2010 and had made a previous trip to the cellar some years ago but was unable to get to the spot where the incident occured to get a clear photograph.  The tale of Eliza Borden is a very sad, but not uncommon story of post partum depression with a heartrending end. You feel this as you stand in the dark space behind the chimney where Eliza ended her life with a straight razor after dropping 6 month old Holder and his 3 year old sister Eliza Ann into the cellar cistern. Over the years I have found other similar cases, often involving wells and cisterns, and drownings of children followed by suicides of the mothers. These photos show the chimney, cistern pipe, back wall, dirt and brick floor, original floorboards forming the cellar ceiling and what appears to be an original door. To be in the place where this happened is a sobering experience. My thanks to Joe Pereira for allowing us to see and record the place where this sad occurrence unfolded in 1848. R.I.P. Holder, Eliza and Eliza Ann Borden. Visit our Articles section above for more on this story. The coffee shop has won its suit to retain its name and has plans to expand into the shop next door and extend its menu in the near future.
More...
Lizzie Borden: Warps and Wefts - 2/12/2024
William Condon was a banjo player and a variety performer at Ryan’s Saloon in Cincinnati. For six months, he had been living with a woman named Lou Perry, and in June 1880, they moved into a rented room at No.300 West Fifth Street. The move had not gone smoothly, and they began quarreling frequently.Lou Perry—known as “Big Lou”—was from a troubled family. Her real name was Louisa Dorff, and she
More...
Murder By Gaslight - 11/23/2024
"Idaho Statesman," August 13, 1976, via Newspapers.comIt’s generally strange enough when a person mysteriously vanishes.  But when they pull off the feat of disappearing twice…James Thomas Cole of Boise, Idaho, seemed to have a perfectly ordinary middle-class life.  He was 24 years old, married, and a father of a small son.  Since 1970, he had been working as a warehouse foreman at
More...
Strange Company - 11/25/2024
Soapy STAR notebookPage 13 - Original copy1882Courtesy of Geri Murphy(Click image to enlarge) OAPY SMITH'S STAR NOTEBOOKPart #13 - Page 13 This is page 13, dated 1882, the continuation of deciphering Soapy Smith's "star" notebook from the Geri Murphy's collection. A complete introduction to this notebook can be seen on page 1. Page 13 is a continuation from page 11 and 12, and
More...
Soapy Smith's Soap Box - 11/21/2024
Decoration Day and its Memories. | An Individual Band.

Pretty Female Billiardists

Pretty Female Billiardists

Philadelphia, Oct. 1888 – Miss Disston and Miss Minnie Lippincott of Philadelphia, PA., do some marvelous manipulating of the cues. Last week the Philadelphia Times gave an account of Miss Disston’s marvelous shooting at a beach gallery. It will now record the names of a brilliant party at billiards a few nights ago at the Hotel Brighton, among whom were Miss Minnie Lippincott of Philadelphia. The young lady is probably nineteen years of age and is a demi blonde. She is tall and shapely and a quick and graceful player. She can make the balls fly about the table after the manner of Sexton, and much of her time is devoted to fancy shots of finger billiards. She would astonish Yank Adams if he could get a chance to see her play his favorite game. The largest three runs made by her were 110, 89 and 56. Edward Webster, who was playing with her, ran 81, 65 and 52.


Reprinted from The National Police Gazette, October 13, 1888