Tag: August 1922
Captain Dizer, Blockade Running, New York 1922
In a daring midnight raid, a United States subchaser, the Hansen, captured a British sloop, the Cormorant, off the coast of Greenport, New York, on August 26, 1922. The Cormorant, flying the British flag, was intercepted by Captain Dizer of the Hansen, who demanded to know the identity of the vessel and its cargo. The…
Coal Dealer, Black Market Coal Sales, Connecticut 1922
August 24, 1922, will be remembered as the day the coal crisis in New Britain, Connecticut, reached a boiling point. A local coal dealer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, revealed a shocking truth: he couldn’t even fill a hat with coal. The desperation was palpable as Main Street businesses struggled to keep their doors…
76 Patsies Face 10-20 Years in the Slammer, Washington D.C., 1922
It’s a dark day for 76 innocent men, wrongfully convicted of wartime free speech convictions and slapped with draconian sentences of 10 to 20 years in federal prison. Unless President Harding has a change of heart, these working-class heroes will have to serve out their lengthy terms, racking up a staggering 800 years of collective…
Airplane Fears Insurance Dispute, South Carolina 1922
In the sweltering summer of 1922, a peculiar insurance dispute unfolded in the offices of a Yorkville, S.C. agent. A prospective policyholder, seemingly too tall for his own good, was rejected due to the ‘danger of a fellow having his head knocked off by a skidding airplane.’ This archaic concern was raised by the agent,…
Deadly Dash on the Lincoln Highway: A Tragic Tale of Road Rage
On a fateful morning in August 1922, a devastating car crash shook the sleepy streets of Rock Island, Illinois. John Leveen, a 68-year-old tailor, met a tragic end when the Smith family automobile, in which he was a passenger, careened out of control on the Lincoln Highway, eight miles west of Clinton, Iowa. The gruesome…
France Cracks Down on German Debtors in Alsace-Lorraine
PARIS, August 5, 1922 – In a dramatic move to collect on her civil claims, France today launched a policy of mortgaging and seizing German properties within French borders, particularly in the disputed region of Alsace-Lorraine. Premier Raymond Poincare announced the first of five steps in a progressive plan, which effectively amounts to a massive…
France Catches Germany in Debt Trap: Premier Poincare’s High-Stakes Gamble
In a bold move, French Premier Raymond Poincare set his sights on Germany’s financial jugular, announcing a five-step plan to collect on France’s $800 million debt. The first step, launched at noon on August 5, 1922, sent shockwaves through the diplomatic community as France effectively mortgaged all German property within its borders, including the prized…
James Johnson, Counterfeit Liquor Smuggling, California 2022
In a brazen attempt to evade the long arm of the law, a notorious rum runner was caught red-handed in Brooklyn, thanks to the tireless efforts of the U.S. Customs Service’s Dry Navy. On Friday, August 4, 1922, Inspector Hokensen and his team of four agents, led by Deputy Surveyor William R. Sanders, searched the…
Warren Harding, Labor Compromise, Washington D.C. 1922
In a stunning turn of events, President Warren Harding has brokered a tentative peace between warring railroad unions and employers in Washington, D.C. on July 31, 1922. After months of bitter strikes, the White House announced that Harding would propose a compromise that has already been agreed upon by both factions, virtually assuring peace on…
Drought Devastation: Montana Crops Fail, Tourists Flee, 1922
In a devastating turn of events, the once-promising crop season in Montana has turned into a catastrophic failure. For the past three years, crops in the state have either withered away or suffered irreparable damage, leaving farmers with meager returns. Tourists who visited the state, including Mr. and Mrs. M.W. Maynerd of Pablo, Montana, were…
