Centenaries - whole and half

[Cogidubnus]

I'm truly astonished that this particular anniversary hasn't attracted greater media attention...Medgar Evers must really have been something in life... In death his legacy was impressive to say the least...even to an east-ponder like me...sic transit gloria I suppose...

All the best

Dave

[sdreid]

Yes, I remember the Medgar Evers assassination when it was on the news at the time and it turned out to be a pivotal event. I hadn't heard of him before his murder but he was a brave and great man, no doubt.

[sdreid]

100 years ago - 1913 June 20 - In Bremen, Germany, Heinz Schmidt, 29, enters St. Mary's Catholic School carrying a briefcase full of handguns and 1000 rounds of ammunition. The former teacher then begins a shooting spree that will result in the deaths of 5 little girls, ages 5-8. There were 21 others who were wounded including 18 other students, a teacher, a janitor and a roofer who was working nearby. Schmidt was eventually subdued by two school employees and held until police arrived. As he was led away, he narrowly escaped lynching by an outraged mob that had gathered outside the school. Schmidt was determined to be insane and sent to an asylum where he died in 1926 from tuberculosis.

[DVV]

100 year ago - 1913 May 12 - While awaiting trial, serial child killer Enriqueta Marti, 45, is beaten to death by fellow inmates in a Barcelona prison. It is suspected that she murdered more than 10 little children. Her practice was to kidnap small children off the street who would then be victimized in her pedophile brothel. When the little ones became used up, diseased or too old to be attractive to her child molester clientèle, she would then kill them and, usually, render their remains for ingredients in one of the witch potions that she sold. One little girl who was rescued told of how she had been forced to eat another child who had been slain by Marti.

That's the subject of Eduardo's edito

[sdreid]

In Ripperologist?

[DVV]

Yes Stan.
A worth-reading text, as always with Eduardo, and several pictures.

[Paul O'Henry]

100 years ago - 1913 June 20 - In Bremen, Germany, Heinz Schmidt, 29, enters St. Mary's Catholic School carrying a briefcase full of handguns and 1000 rounds of ammunition. The former teacher then begins a shooting spree that will result in the deaths of 5 little girls, ages 5-8. There were 21 others who were wounded including 18 other students, a teacher, a janitor and a roofer who was working nearby. Schmidt was eventually subdued by two school employees and held until police arrived. As he was led away, he narrowly escaped lynching by an outraged mob that had gathered outside the school. Schmidt was determined to be insane and sent to an asylum where he died in 1926 from tuberculosis.

According to SPIEGEL online yesterday it has been the first rampage
or spree killing in a school ever !

kind regards

Paul O'Henry

[sdreid]

Hi Paul:

Yes, I believe there were some school massacres involving war type situations before this but I think you are correct that Bremen was the first rampage spree killing at a school involving a "wronged" or berserk type of murderer.

[sdreid]

1650 years ago - 363 June 26 - The Roman Emperor Julian Apostate dies from a spear wound to the abdomen as he campaigns in Persia. His death was officially attributed to an attack by a Persian militiaman but it was later claimed that he was actually assassinated by one of his own soldiers who was Christian. Julian had only been on the thrown for three years and was attempting to return his realm to paganism.

[sdreid]

50 years ago - 1963 June 30 - In a Palermo suburb, a car bomb explodes killing seven police officers and military personnel who were sent to defuse it. The bomb was intended to murder Salvatore Greco, the head of the Ciaculli Mafia Family. It was believed that the bomber was a feuding mobster named Michele Cavataio. In 1969, Cavataio and three of his men were gunned down by another rival Mafia faction.

[sdreid]

50 years ago - 1963 July 12 - Sixteen-year-old Pauline Reade is abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered by British serial killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley. Pauline was buried in an English moor where she remained unfound until 1987. Her throat had been slashed. She is believed to be the first victim of the Moors Murderers. After four more slayings, Brady and Hindley were captured and sent to prison. Miss Hindley died there from cancer in 2002. Brady remains incarcerated.

[Mayerling]

1650 years ago - 363 June 26 - The Roman Emperor Julian Apostate dies from a spear wound to the abdomen as he campaigns in Persia. His death was officially attributed to an attack by a Persian militiaman but it was later claimed that he was actually assassinated by one of his own soldiers who was Christian. Julian had only been on the thrown for three years and was attempting to return his realm to paganism.

Hi Stan,

Julian (whose story is retold in Gore Vidal's novel of the same name) is believed to have died saying, "You win, Man of Galilee." Good tag line, but it may be apochraphal.

Jeff

[sdreid]

50 years ago - 1963 July 20 - Fifteen-year-old New York City resident Barbra Kralik is viciously stabbed to death in her bed. Winston Moseley, the murderer of Kitty Genovese, confessed to the killing but so did Alvin Mitchell, 18. Mr. Mitchell was the one to go to trial and he did twice. The first proceeding ended with a hung jury but Mitchell was convicted on the lesser charge of manslaughter in his second trial. Today, there is still argument as to which man, if either, committed the crime.

[sdreid]

50 years ago - 1963 August 3 - In Hammond, Indiana, Paul Overstreet and Ray Bottorf, a railroad fireman and engineer respectively, are found shot dead in the cab of their locomotive. The men were the first victims of Rudy Bladel, the Railroad Sniper. Bladel went on to kill five more in the next 15 years before being captured. He bore a grudge against the railroad industry because he felt that he'd been unfairly treated when he once worked for the business. Mr. Bladel was sentenced to life in prison and died there in 2006.

[Mayerling]

Friday, August 2nd, was the 90th anniversary of a national tragedy in that President Warren Gamaliel Harding died in a hotel in San Francisco apparently of a coronary thrombosis. As a result his Vice President John Calvin Coolidge became the new President.

Harding was elected in 1920 over James Cox of Ohio (and Coolidge over Cox's running mate, Franklin Delano Roosevelt of New York - the only national election that FDR ever lost) by the largest percentage of the popular vote (not the electoral votes as in 1936) in our nation's history (the Republicans got 75 % of the popular vote). This was the "Return to Normalcy" election (based on a comment of Harding's in a speech - he also coined the term, "founding fathers" but that intellectual snob H.L Mencken never bothered mentioning that when he attacked Harding's lack of intelligence). A newspaper editor, former Lt. Governor of Ohio, and current Senator in 1920, Harding was a "Dark Horse" choice to break a convention deadlock. He is remembered for the scandals (like Teapot Dome and the Veterans Bureau) in his two and a half year term. However he did have Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes push for genuine arms reduction (which briefly worked) among the great powers at the Washington Naval Conference of 1921, and negociated for the 8 hour day for steel workers. He created the Bureau of the Budget for the White House as well.

Harding's death is still debated. Upset by the scandals he was returning to Washington from a cross country trip to mend fences. He became the first President to visit Alaska. But he could not sleep well and played poker all night. He was not really as healthy as his ruddy good looks suggested, so most historians credit death by heart attack. However there remains the possibility he committed suicide or was murdered by either his wife Florence (to either protect him from disgrace, or out of anger at his infidelities) or his friend, advisor, and Attorney General Harry Daugherty (under scrutiny for some dubious actions with bootleggers). Unfortunately there was no autopsy, and the allegations were first suggested by a crooked FBI operative named Gaston Means in a book, The Strange Death of President Harding.