Category Archives: Law enforcement

Gov. Len Small arrested, 1921

Posted on August 9, 2022 by editor

The Aug. 9, 1921, arrest of Gov. Len Small for alleged corruption created a daylong drama in Springfield. It was performed on three stages: the Capitol, the governor’s mansion and the Sangamon County Courthouse. Stars included Small, county Sheriff Henry … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Illinois capital, Law enforcement, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Spectacles, State government, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Pawnee posse captures burglars, 1899

Posted on March 27, 2022 by editor

A posse of Pawnee citizens corralled two burglars in a remote crossroads schoolhouse on Dec. 9, 1899. The two surrendered after a tense standoff. But their criminal careers would include one last episode in Springfield. The men, identified as Frank … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Prominent figures | Leave a comment

First parking meters (1941)

Posted on February 16, 2022 by editor

Confusion, reluctance and a little apprehension were Springfieldians’ responses to the city’s first parking meters. The Illinois State Journal described their debut in its Oct. 24, 1941, edition. Springfield entered a new era of streamlined parking control yesterday as nearly … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement, Local government, Transportation, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

First traffic signals (1924)

Posted on February 7, 2022 by editor

Struggling with out-of-control auto traffic downtown, Springfield decided in 1924 to experiment with traffic signals. Officials chose the intersection of Sixth and Monroe streets for the city’s first set of stop-and-go lights. They started working Nov. 5, 1924. One set … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement, Local government, Transportation | 4 Comments

Sangamon County Detention Home, 1916

Posted on December 19, 2021 by editor

The Sangamon County Detention Home was created with two goals: to be both an alternative to jail for the county’s youngest delinquents and a refuge for neglected or abandoned children. It wasn’t a perfect solution to either problem, but it … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Crime and vice, Family life, Law enforcement, Local government, Sangamon County, Social services | Leave a comment

Rooftop gunman, 1951

Posted on December 6, 2021 by editor

Updated with information on the Horn Hotel — ed. A man fired shots at random from the roof of a Springfield hotel for more than an hour the evening of July 1, 1951. Somehow, no one was injured except the … Continue reading →

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Benjamin Miller, homesick murderer

Posted on December 2, 2021 by editor

Benjamin Miller was homesick. So Miller walked into the sheriff’s office in Jena, Louisiana, in November 1915 to confess that he had shot and killed James Kirlin in Riverton 36 years earlier. “I am tired of dodging from one place … Continue reading →

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Tapeworms and medical fraud, 1884

Posted on November 6, 2021 by editor

Dr. George Kreider “hates quacks as the devil hates holy water,” the Illinois State Register said in 1884, but he almost met his match in an 87-foot tapeworm. George N. Kreider (1856-1922) was a leader among Springfield physicians in the … Continue reading →

Posted in First Citizens, Journalism, Law enforcement, Medicine, Prominent figures, Public health, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Reed ‘Kid’ Waddell, international con man

Posted on June 1, 2021 by editor

Springfield’s Reed Waddell often gets credit for inventing the gold brick fraud. He probably was innocent, for once, of originating that particular swindle. But by the time he was shot to death – by a crony in Paris, France – … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Law enforcement | 1 Comment

First women jurors

Posted on May 27, 2021 by editor

In January 1931, Grace Dye of Williamsville became the first woman eligible for jury duty in Sangamon County. But it would take eight years for most other women to enjoy the same right. The hiatus was thanks to the Illinois … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement, Local government, State government, Women | 1 Comment