No. 696
Crime, Eccentricity, and the Sporting Life in 19th Century America.
April 4, 2025

A Terrible Punishment.

A father revenges an outrage on his daughter by pulling the wretch asunder; near Junction City, Kansas.
August 28, 2012
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Soapy Smith STAR NotebookPage 19 - Original copy1884Courtesy of Geri Murphy(Click image to enlarge) oapy Smith begins an empire in Denver.Operating the prize package soap sell racket in 1884.This is page 19, the continuation of page 18, and dated April 14 - May 5, 1884, the continuation of deciphering Soapy Smith's "star" notebook from the Geri Murphy's collection. A complete introduction to
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A Terrible Punishment. | Copper.

A Terrible Punishment.

Transparent-Rigg

A daring attempt was made to rob Scott's bank at Palmerston, Ontario, Canada, on the morning of June 9th. By a ruse J. W. Scott, proprietor, was got rid of, and about eleven o'clock a person closely-veiled and dressed in woman's clothes went into the office and wished to deposit $2.000. Teller Bert Boomer showed his customer to a seat in the private office until he got through with other customers. When he returned to the veiled one he was asked to lock the door until the deposit was made. As the customer appeared very nervous Boomer complied with the request. and on returning to the private office the party displayed a large knife and ordered him into the washroom. Boomer refused to go and a struggle ensued, the teller getting badly cut and otherwise injured, Finally he overcame the robber, took the knife from him and on stripping the veil from his face found himself confronted by one Ben Rigg, a resident of the town. Rigg was arrested.


National Police Gazette, July 3, 1886.

Subduing-Crazy

A young man with the sallowness of complexion that betokens the excessive use of morphine called at the office of Dr. W.O. Wilcox in San Francisco, April 12, and commanded the physician to give him one "shot" of the drug. The fiend was armed with a surgeon's knife, the blade of which was six inches long, and he volunteered to cut the doctor's heart out.

Dr. Wilcox dashed part of the contents of a six-ounoe bottle of chloroform in the face of the fiend as he made a lunge with the knife. This stopped the wild man for an instant, and the doctor saturated a handkerchief. As the fiend sprang at him a second time the physician pressed the handkerchief to the fellow's nostrils. The fiend sank to the floor and the doctor gave him a "shot" of morphine.

When the fiend regained consciousness he informed the doctor that he had had a really charming visit, adding as he left the office that he would call again, would not forget the number, and would speak a good word for the house. Dr. Wilcox says the next "shot" he gives the fellow will be powder and ball.


Illustrated Police News, May 4, 1895.

Torn Asunder

A father revenges an outrage on his daughter by pulling the wretch asunder near Junction City, Kansas

B. Robinson, a horse thief and rapist, was treated in a way that should strike terror to the hearts of individuals of his stripe. He committed an outrage on a little German girl, and was caught by her father, who fastened him by one arm to a tree and hitched his horse to the other and pulled Robinson apart. The poor wretch died in about twenty minutes.

 

National Police Gazette, December 4, 1880