Tag: February 1902
Smallpox Plagues Kalispell: 9 Cases in Detention Hospital
February 22, 1902 – Kalispell, Montana – The usually peaceful city of Kalispell is currently grappling with a smallpox outbreak. Reports from the detention hospital reveal that nine cases of the highly contagious disease are currently being treated, while approximately 27 cases are isolated in the pest house. The rapid spread of this dreaded illness…
Railroad Insider Fights Bankruptcy Blues
In a shocking turn of events, Peter A. Penney, a farmhand from Malvern, Iowa, has filed for bankruptcy in the United States court. The 23-year-old’s liabilities total a staggering $1119, while his assets, a paltry $111 worth of clothing and a life insurance policy for $1000, are hardly enough to keep him afloat. Penney’s financial…
Burlesque, Burglary, and Betrayal: A Night to Remember in Washington, D.C.
It was a chilly winter evening in Washington, D.C. on February 13, 1902, when the city’s theatre-goers flocked to the Bijou to catch a burlesque and vaudeville show. Thomas J. Ryan and Mary Ritchie were among the stars of the night, dazzling the crowd with their performances. However, little did the audience know, a different…
Graft and Grafters: DC Police Crack Down on Illicit Speakeasies
On a chilly Washington, D.C. Sunday evening in 1902, the Metropolitan Police Department launched a coordinated crackdown on the city’s notorious speakeasies. These secretive watering holes, often masquerading as respectable saloons, had become a thorn in the side of authorities. The police had long vowed to suppress the numerous establishments, which catered to the city’s…
