Tag: 1936
Big Business Runs Amok: Price Gouging by Gasoline Tycoons
In the sweltering summer of 1936, San Antonio residents were hit with a scorching reality check: the price of gasoline was a whopping 48 cents a gallon, a staggering sum that left many families reeling. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic in France, citizens paid a mere 12 cents a quart for the same product. The disparity…
Loan Sharks Bite Back: 18,000 Fidelity Members Reel from Scandal
Washington D.C., August 17, 1936 – The Fidelity Building and Loan Association, once a beacon of hope for its 18,000 members, has been plunged into chaos. Controller of the Currency J.F.T. O’Connor’s July 18 order to suspend the association’s activities has left its members reeling. But in a shocking move, the association’s chairman, Dr. Ralph…
Ernest Myers, Suicide, Washington D.C., 1936
Washington D.C. – In a shocking turn of events, Ernest Myers, a notorious figure with a history of violence, took his own life in his cell earlier this week. Myers, 35, was known for his brutal tactics as a hitman and was linked to several high-profile murders. His latest victim was a woman named Wilson,…
James W. Duff, Commission Bribery, North Carolina 1936
August 14, 1936, marked a tumultuous day in Hendersonville, North Carolina, as a judgment was denied in a high-profile case involving two prominent local figures, James W. Duff and L.B. Jackson. The drama unfolded in the Buncombe County court, where a verdict had previously awarded $2,500 in commissions to Duff, a resident of Hendersonville. RELATED:…
Aerial Disruptions, Disturbing the Peace, Washington D.C. 1936
August 9th, 1936: A series of aerial disruptions marred a concert at Washington D.C.’s Water Gate, leaving music lovers in an uproar. For the second time this evening, planes flew directly over the orchestra and audience, drowning out the music and leaving everyone on edge. The first disruption occurred during the ‘Arabian dance’ of Tchaikovsky’s…
Sen William Cabell Bruce Criticizes President Roosevelt, Annapolis MD, 1936
In a scathing letter, Sen William Cabell Bruce of Maryland lashed out at President Roosevelt, expressing his bitter disappointment in the administration’s actions. The 76-year-old Marylander, a cousin of the late Gov Albert C, took his criticism to the highest level, penning a letter to Gov Alf M Landon of Kansas. Bruce’s dissatisfaction was not…
Mrs. May Smallwood, Triple Murderer and Suicide, Berryville VA, 1936
In a shocking and brutal quadruple homicide, an 87-year-old grandmother, her 45-year-old daughter, and two of her grandsons were found shot to death in a farmhouse near Berryville, Virginia. The gruesome discovery was made by another family member early yesterday morning, July 12, 1936. Related Federal Cases No Defendant Name Found, White Supremacist Group Rally…
Ed Curley, Embezzlement, Connecticut 1936
In the scorching summer of 1936, the city of Waterbury, Connecticut, was abuzz with excitement as the St. Francis Xavier baseball team, led by coach Ed Curley, won the championship trophy in the parochial division. But beneath the surface of this seemingly idyllic scene, a web of corruption and deceit threatened to undermine the very…
Oklahoma 1936: The Rise of Burglary
In 1936, Oklahoma was in the midst of the Great Depression, with widespread poverty and unemployment plaguing the state. The economic struggles of the era took a toll on crime statistics, with burglary rates skyrocketing nationwide, including in Oklahoma. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, which was first implemented in 1930, burglary…
Alabama: Crime in the Heart of the Great Depression, 1936
In the midst of the Great Depression, Alabama’s crime landscape reflected the desperation and hardship that gripped the nation. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program, established in 1930, provided a glimpse into the state’s crime trends for 1936. According to the UCR, burglary stood out as a dominant crime category in Alabama during this…
