Today -100: August 14, 1924: Of married names and brain sand

The federal government rules that married women employees of the government aren’t allowed to use their maiden names.

At the Leopold n’ Loeb trial, State’s Attorney Robert Crowe puts a couple of alienists on the stand to assert that the boys are perfectly normal (“except so far as commission of a deliberate, cold-blooded murder indicates disordered mentality,” which seems like a big exception) and their endocrine systems are fine. In fact, you can’t rely on x-rays of the pineal gland, which contains “brain sand,” which is evidently a real thing.

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Today -100: August 13, 1924: Of bad motives and fat Germans

Coolidge declines to respond to John W. Davis’s acceptance speech, with its accusations of Republican corruption.

Henry Ford rather belatedly withdraws from the Michigan Republican primary for US senator. He says he doesn’t know the motive of the people who put his name forward, “but believe it cannot be a good one”.

Headline of the Day -100:  

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Today -100: August 12, 1924: Deeper and more widespread corruption than any that this generation of Americans has been called upon to witness

At the Leopold n’ Loeb trial, “More than five minutes was taken up in trying to ascertain the difference between a blush on Loeb’s cheek and a similar glow on that of Leopold.” “[State’s Attorney Robert Crowe] tried to force admission that cunning directed them and not emotion”.

Calvin Coolidge publicly responds to some dude who wrote asking him to step in to prevent the Republican Party running a black dentist, Charles Roberts, for Congress in New York’s 21st district. Cal says it’s a local matter but does give a pretty strong defense of equal rights. (Roberts will run as Republican candidate, and lose badly).

And in a letter to the Jewish Forum, Coolidges praises American Jews for assimilating so nicely.

John W. Davis is officially informed of his nomination for president (he’d probably already heard about it). He accepts. He accuses the Republican Party of “having exhibited deeper and more widespread corruption than any that this generation of Americans has been called upon to witness... I charge it with gross favoritism to the privileged, and with utter disregard of the unprivileged. I charge it with indifference to world peace, and with timidity in the conduct of our foreign affairs.”

Andrew Anderson, the Democratic nominee for governor of South Dakota, is gored to death by a bull, as is the custom in South Dakota, probably.

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Today -100: August 11, 1924: Of constitution days and fiorellos

It’s Constitution Day in Berlin, celebrating the 5th anniversary of the Weimar Constitution, and... no one shows up. Well, 5,000, but most of the major parties boycott it and many people fly monarchist flags in protest. Germany, it is said, is a republic without republicans. I’m sure that won’t be a problem.

Rep. Fiorello La Guardia of New York, currently serving his first term in Congress, leaves the Republican Party, whose platform he dislikes, in favor of La Follette’s Progressives. He will be re-elected under his new banner, and then return to the Republican fold next in ‘26.

Non-silent Cal: Calvin Coolidge is filmed with sound (4 minutes).

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Today -100: August 10, 1924: Of glands

Dr. Harold S. Hulbert testifies at the Leopold n’ Loeb trial that Nathan Leopold Jr has irregularities in his pineal, pituitary, adrenal and thyroid glands. Shows x-rays and everything.

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Today -100: August 9, 1924: It cannot long survive

Robert La Follette says he is opposed to the Ku Klux Klan, but sounds annoyed that the issue is distracting from the big issue, which is the power of the private monopoly system over the US’s economic life. He says the Klan “cannot long survive” because of the “sound judgment and good sense of our people”.

The Connecticut state fire warden bans the burning of crosses without permission of a fire warden.

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Today -100: August 8, 1924: Of non-kluxers and moral violence

John W. Davis denies rumors that he was once a member of the Klan.

Mussolini makes his first speech since the disappearance of of Giacomo Matteotti two months ago, vowing to remain in office, “to which am bound not by caprice or by desire for power, but by a religious sense of duty.” Does he give the speech from a balcony? Of course he gives it from a balcony. He complains that “The Opposition is daily guilty of moral violence against Fascism by painting it as something which it absolutely is not.” Obviously moral violence is much worse than murdering an opposition leader and dumping his body in the woods.

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Today -100: August 7, 1924: Of treaties, fascist extremism, and ponzis

The Anglo-Soviet talks succeed after all. A commercial treaty and a general treaty will be signed.

At the Leopold n’ Loeb trial, one of the defense’s psychiatrist witnesses spills the beans on one of the great mysteries: it was Loeb who actually murdered Bobby Franks.

Bullshit Headline of the Day -100:   

Although the sub-hed is better:

The vague resolutions adopted by the National Council of Fascismo include “further development of the Fascist revolution” and “bringing about a loyal acceptance by the whole country of Fascismo and its revolutionary advent to power.” But Musso has retreated from an earlier draft calling for rewriting the Constitution and maybe further neutering Parliament, which would have pissed off Liberals, which is something he still cares about a little, especially in the context of the wobbliness of Fascist legitimacy after the murder of Giacomo Matteotti.

Charles Ponzi is released from federal prison after serving 3½ years (with time off for good behaviour), and is immediately arrested on Massachusetts state charges.

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Today -100: August 6, 1924: Sane as far as this court is concerned

Treaty negotiations between the Soviet Russian and British Labour governments break down after four months.

Leopold n’ Loeb judge John Caverly rules that they are “sane as far as this court is concerned,” refusing State’s Attorney Robert Crowe’s demands for a jury trial to address the issue. Crowe’s questioning of psychiatric witnesses has focused on 1) getting them to admit that The Boys are so smart they could be deceiving the alienists, and 2) trying to trick them into use the word insane which they keep telling him is a legal term, not a medical one (one shrink used the term psychosis and Crowne asked if that wasn’t the same  thing as insane. Or bughouse). The judge shuts down anything that approaches the subject of homosexuality, although it sounds like he may hear that stuff behind closed doors.

Turkey bans polygamy, except in “unusual cases.”

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Today -100: August 5, 1924: We have heard nothing from the Republican Party

Gov. Al Smith will not run for re-election, the NYT says (he will).

The National Woman’s Party will hold a “women for Congress” conference next week. VP Alice Paul says the NY Democratic Party has promised to cooperate with the NWP in nominating a woman in one (1) congressional district. “We have heard nothing from the Republican Party.”

A federal grand jury indicts Marcus Garvey for income tax fraud & perjury, and Liberia bans his followers entering the country. He’d planned to start a colony there in autumn.

The 1st Little Orphan Annie comic strip appears in the New York Daily News (my cursory search failed to find it).

Headline of the Day -100:  

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Today -100: August 4, 1924: Of anniversaries, vindications, sea writers, and bombs

A ceremony for the 10th anniversary of Germany sort of declaring war on France (no celebrations for sort of declaring war on Russia 2 days before?) is held outside the Reichstag building. Lots of talk about restoring Germany’s place in the world. Communists counter-demonstrate, interrupting the two-minute silence, and are attacked, as was the custom. One is killed. The police make sure no one gets near the French Embassy. A Jewish rabbi is prevented delivering a prayer, so the Jews of Berlin have to hold a separate ceremony.

Rep. John Langley is nominated for re-election in the Kentucky Republican primary, despite, or possibly because of, his conviction for conspiracy to violate the Volstead Act (he is out on appeal). He is campaigning for “vindication.”

A car bomb blows up the Proctorville, Ohio Municipal Building, nearly killing Mayor John Reckard. It is thought this is an act of revenge on him by moonshiners.

Joseph Conrad, “writer of the sea,” dies at 66. The fairly lengthy obit fails to mention Heart of Darkness.

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Today -100: August 3, 1924: Huck & Tom, Leopold and Loeb, compare and contrast

The London conference on the Dawes Plan invites Germany to send a delegation to discuss Germany’s future, which is an innovation, although I think all the decisions have already been made.

At the Leopold n’ Loeb trial, State’s Attorney Robert Crowe asks one of the alienists called by the defense if Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn exhibited criminalistic tendencies.

Former Austrian Empress Zita turns down an offer to become a movie actress, despite her current poverty.

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Today -100: August 2, 1924: Of the spirit of 1914, party fireworks, and elevated guns

Germany will be holding ceremonies and whatnot for the 10th anniversary of the start of the Great War (which they define as when Germany sort-of declared war on France rather than when it sort-of declared war on Russia two days before). Hindenburg writes, “May the spirit of 1914 again be the common property of all Germans.”

Headline of the Day -100:  

Britain has been complaining about US plans to elevate the guns on its battleships, which may or may not violate at least the spirit of arms limitation agreements. Retired Adm. William Rogers says Britain is just jealous.

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Today -100: August 1, 1924: The universe will crumble unless these boys hang

Clarence Darrow at the Leopold n’ Loeb trial: “The State’s Attorney’s office seems to feel the universe will crumble unless these boys hang.”

Turkey orders foreign Jews to leave the country.

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Today -100: July 31, 1924: No joy

Headline of the Day -100:  

Bavaria’s interior minister bans processions & other demonstrations on Constitution Day, August 10th, the anniversary of the adoption of the Weimar constitution. “The Bavarian Government respects the Constitution of the German Republic but derives no pleasure from it,” the proclamation says.

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Today -100: July 30, 1924: Cryin’ Loeb

In the Leopold n’ Loeb trial, State’s Attorney Robert Crowe reverses his plan to have his last witness be one of his assistants, to testify that Loeb was crying before he confessed. He’s afraid of triggering a requirement to have a jury called to assess their sanity. He will also object to the defense introducing alienists, threatening to blow up the boys’ guilty pleas if they’re brought in.

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Today -100: July 29, 1924: Of rebellions, witnesses, fruit packers, and radio

Brazilian government forces recapture São Paulo from the rebels, who mostly escape into the interior.

The Leopold n’ Loeb prosecutor puts on the stand Johnny Levison, a 9-year-old they had intended to be their victim but who took a different route home than usual on the day. He has a whale of a time.

Sacked California fruit packers attacked Japanese who replaced them in Mendocino County. Initial reports in Japan attributed the mob attack to the Ku Klux Klan, but the consul’s investigation doesn’t mention them.

Radio companies say they don’t want to broadcast more than an hour a day of political speeches, or more than 15 minutes per speech.

There are now 534 radio stations in the country, by the way.

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Today -100: July 28, 1924: Super-slow Sunday news day

550,000 people visit Coney Island on a single day, even though the water is quite cold.

Headline of the Day -100:  

The Loyal Order of Moose, not an actual moose.

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Today -100: July 27, 1924: Of diseased minds, reparations, and hylans

Clarence Darrow tells the Leopold n’ Loeb court that he won’t be arguing legal insanity but that “the boys” – he’s gonna be using that term repeatedly if unsubtly throughout the trial – “have diseased minds and... were not responsible for their acts.”

The US threatens to break off diplomatic relations with Persia unless it arrests those who killed Vice Consul Robert Imbrie and his plus-one, punishes cops and soldiers who were present and failed to intervene (or participated), pay for the warship sent to bring Imbrie’s body home, and attend the putting-the-corpse-on-the-warship ceremony.

NYC Mayor John Hylan says he might run for governor, if progressives want him to. It’s unclear if that means he’d run in the Democratic convention in September or would join La Follette’s Progressives. He’s in California, meeting with William Randolph Hearst, who does not get on with Al Smith or Tammany Hall and may have urged this move on Hylan.

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Today -100: July 26, 1924: Of refugees and kidnappppings

Greece tells 50,000 Armenian refugees that they need to go... somewhere. Somewhere else. The League of Nations is asking Russia to take them.

In the Leopold n’ Loeb trial, State’s Attorney Robert Crowe introduces into evidence a copy of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped, purely because its title is spelled with that double P, just like in the ransom notes (“kidnaped” being more common at the time). The judge allows it. It’s going to be that kind of trial.

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