Tag: May 1917
Max J Elsner, Bread Bill Bribery, Wisconsin 1917
In the sweltering spring of 1917, a scandal rocked the city of Milwaukee like a punch to the gut. Aid Max J. Elsner, a Socialist stalwart, vowed to take on the entrenched interests in City Hall. His target: the bread bill. At issue was the Urbanek ordinance, which aimed to standardize the weight of a…
War Department, Secret Mobilization, Washington D.C. 1917
On May 22, 1917, a clandestine mobilization was underway in Washington, D.C. The War Department, under the guise of preparing for war, was secretly ordering increases in militia and national guard troops. Scores of new regiments, including infantry, engineers, and cavalry, were to be formed to supply the tactical formations necessary for the establishment of…
Price on Head: No Man’s Land Outlaws Hunt Down Pussfoot Johnson
In a chilling display of desperation, notorious outlaws in the Indian Territory put a price on the head of Pussfoot Johnson, a man who had inadvertently foiled their plans for a sensational raid on the Monte Carlo establishment in No Man’s Land. The brazen heist, perpetrated by William E. Johnson, Lewis Killion, and Paradise, resulted…
Chicago Board of Trade, Price Fixing, Illinois 1917
It was a dark and stormy night in Chicago on May 11, 1917, when the Chicago Board of Trade made the unprecedented move to suspend trading in May wheat. The decision, made at a clandestine meeting behind closed doors, was a direct result of a brewing scandal that had been unfolding for weeks. Sources close…
Jameson Reed, Murder, Montana 2022
It was a fateful day in May 1917 when the Monte Carlo establishment in No Man’s Land was raided by Lewis Killion and Paradise. The sensational operation, masterminded by William B. Johnson, led to the murder of Garr Marshal at Caney, Kansas. Killion’s sentence to a life term in the penitentiary seemed like a fitting…
Congressional Power Play: The Espionage Bill Debate
Washington D.C. – In a tense showdown, Congressional leaders faced off in a battle to adjourn before June 1, 1917. The stakes were high, as a ‘tremendous war program’ hung in the balance. Senator Overman, in charge of the embargo section in the espionage bill, warned that if the Senate didn’t ‘get down to cases’…
