Tag: December 1938
Bombs Away: Assassination Bid Foiled Against Waterbury Mayor
On the eve of New Year’s Eve in 1938, Waterbury, Connecticut, was shaken by a brazen attempt on the life of Mayor Hayes. The plot, hatched by unknown assailants, was foiled by the swift and vigilant Waterbury police department. Details of the assassination bid are still sketchy, but eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud explosion near…
Waple James Real Estate Targeted in Foiled Safe Heist, Washington D.C., 1938
In a brazen attempt to crack open the safe, a group of yeggs smashed a window at the Waple James real estate office at 1224 14th St NW last night. However, the would-be thieves found nothing but a handful of papers inside the large strongbox after yanking the bolts and removing the door. Undeterred, they…
F. Donald Coster Arrested for Fraud, New York NY, 1938
In a shocking case of deception, F. Donald Coster, president of the esteemed McKesson and Robbins pharmaceutical empire, has been ensnared in a web of financial impropriety. This isn’t the first time Coster has found himself on the wrong side of the law. A quarter century ago, he was arrested while fleeing to South America…
Gastons Grim Requiem: Notorious Con Man Dies Behind Bars
Gaston Means, a notorious con man and swindler, met his demise on December 12, 1938, just days after undergoing an operation in prison. Means, known for his elaborate schemes and cunning tactics, had been behind bars for quite some time, but his life of crime finally caught up with him. In a career spanning decades,…
Human Cost of the Great Depression: 10.5 Million Jobless and Counting
Washington D.C., December 3, 1938 – The Great Depression has left an indelible mark on the United States, with Leon Henderson, a top economist in the Works Progress Administration, painting a stark picture of the human cost of the economic downturn. In testimony before the Federal Monopoly Committee, Henderson revealed that a staggering 10,569,000 persons…
John Tartar, Murder of Mary Mahan, Massachusetts 1945
On the day of thanks, a convicted killer was granted a pardon by Governor Hurley. John Tartar, sentenced to life in prison for the brutal murder of Mary Mahan in the Blue Hills reservation, was given a second chance despite opposition from Councilor Edward T Collins of Springfield. The pardon was granted with the advice…
