Tag: August 1931
Coast of Corruption: Prince Georges PD Embroiled in Brutal Raid
August 15, 1931, was a night that would leave 65-year-old Mary E. Beach of Branchville, Maryland, shaken and humiliated. The retired woman was preparing for bed when Prince Georges County police burst into her home, leaving her feeling ’embarrassed’ and outraged. According to a letter addressed to the Prince Georges County commissioners and Chief of…
Officer James Johnson, Excessive Force, California 2022
In a shocking turn of events, four Metropolitan Police officers were suspended without pay in Washington D.C. on August 25, 1931, following a probe into allegations of police brutality. The charges stem from an incident involving 24-year-old burglary suspect James Harker, who claimed he was beaten by the officers shortly before his arrest or while…
Clarence L. Gilpin, Horse Racing Betting, Maryland 1931
As the sun set on the 1931 Rockville Fair, the organizers were left reeling from a crushing financial blow. In a desperate bid to salvage the beloved annual event, Clarence L. Gilpin, president of the Rockville Fair Association, revealed that the fair had been doomed unless a radical solution was implemented: allowing betting on horse…
Revolutionary Rebels Brought to Heel: Cuban Insurgents Surrender to Machado’s Forces
In a crushing blow to the Cuban revolution, 70 key leaders have surrendered to President Machado’s army, marking a significant turning point in the long-awaited end to the insurgency. The rebels, who had been waging a fierce campaign against the government, had their headquarters in Pinar Del Rio, a strategic location that ultimately proved to…
Cotton Coup: South Turns Back on Federal Farm Board’s Daring Plan
August 14, 1931, Washington D.C. – In a shocking display of skepticism and hostility, Southern governors and lawmakers have rejected the federal farm board’s audacious proposal to destroy a third of the current cotton crop. The plan, aimed at boosting the price of the remaining two-thirds, has been met with outright disdain in the South.…
Prank Oliver, Murder of Teenage Couples, Michigan 1931
In a chilling revelation, officials in Jackson, Michigan, are probing whether three convicted torch killers, Prank Oliver, Fred Smith, and David Blackstone, are connected to a string of unsolved crimes in the area. The trio, sentenced to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of two teenage couples near Ypsilanti in 1931, may have left a…
Death in the Dark: Coal Magnate’s Mysterious Demise
In the hushed streets of Logan, Ohio, a local legend has fallen silent. G. C. Weitzell, a 77-year-old retired coal magnate, passed away at his home on a sweltering summer Friday, following a two-year battle with anemia. The once-respected leader’s condition took a drastic turn just ten days ago, when it’s believed he suffered a…
Woodcock, Enforcement Failures, California 2022
August 12, 1931, marked a rare moment of candor from Col. Amos W.W. Woodcock, the director of Prohibition Enforcement, as he addressed the Silver Bay Vacation Conference in New York. Woodcock laid bare the weaknesses of the nation’s law enforcement agencies, attributing them to a glaring lack of trained officers. His words were a scathing…
John R. Myer, Excessive Force, Indiana 2024
In a shocking turn of events, motorcycle officer John R. Myer faced the music at a heated meeting of the board of safety, where he was fined five days’ pay and issued a stern reprimand for his cowboy tactics on the streets of South Bend. The controversy surrounds a July 15 incident where Myer allegedly…
Charles Lindbergh, Air Piracy, New York 1937
August 7, 1931, Tachikawa Airdrome, Japan – The transpacific flight dreams of Charles A. Lindbergh, the famous American aviator, are facing a serious setback. Lindbergh, who is scheduled to attend a gathering at the airdrome, is now at the center of a controversy involving two American flyers, Herndon and Pangborn. The duo has been under…
