Category Archives: Crime and vice

Five-minute murder verdict, 1930

Posted on January 13, 2025 by editor

A jury turned in the fastest murder verdict in Sangamon County history on June 18, 1930. It took jurors only five minutes to rule that Ulysses Brazier, accused of murdering three men and then burning their bodies, was not guilty. … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Crime and vice, Law enforcement | 2 Comments

Kresge shootout, 1933

Posted on September 13, 2024 by editor

A wild shootout erupted when police detectives interrupted a stickup at the Kresge store in downtown Springfield the day after Christmas 1933. As bullets flew, the robbers jumped into a waiting car and drove away. One officer  followed in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Department stores, Law enforcement | Leave a comment

Albert Giles, ‘Hero or Villain’?

Posted on June 17, 2024 by editor

Albert Giles, a Black sharecropper from Arkansas, was sentenced to death in connection with what is known as “the Elaine Massacre,” one of the bloodiest racial conflicts in U.S. history. Giles served four years on death row before the charges … Continue reading →

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Kayport Package Express implodes, 1983

Posted on April 21, 2024 by editor

Founder F. George Celani called Kayport Package Express a “41-day miracle” when the shipping startup went into business at Capital Airport on March 1, 1983. About 1,200 Springfield dignitaries attended the ceremony, which included champagne, a high-school band and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Airport, Business, Crime and vice, Law enforcement, Spectacles, Transportation | Leave a comment

‘Bock Beer Day’, 1870s-’80s

Posted on April 12, 2024 by editor

“Today is Bock Beer Day, and the boys will all imbibe freely of the foaming extract of hops,” the Illinois State Journal predicted the morning of May 1, 1882. It didn’t always end happily for “the boys.” Bock beer is … Continue reading →

Posted in Breweries, Business, Celebrations, Crime and vice, Hotels & taverns, Law enforcement, Social life | Leave a comment

Fredrick Pefferle killing, 1973

Posted on February 20, 2024 by editor

Fred Pefferle didn’t get along with his ex-wife. Sandra Pefferle Roofener had custody of their three elementary school-age daughters, and Pefferle repeatedly litigated the manner of their upbringing. As one observer at the time commented, “You didn’t have to know Fred … Continue reading →

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The Oak Ridge Park pagoda

Posted on January 12, 2024 by editor

In the 19th century, the Oak Ridge Pagoda drew merrymakers, thrill-seekers, and sometimes street gangs to what now is Lincoln Park. But the building’s last users were a few pitiful victims of what might have been smallpox. Oak Ridge Park, … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Buildings, Crime and vice, Local government, Parks, Public health, Social life, Sports and recreation, Transportation | Leave a comment

‘The Big O’ fire, 1908

Posted on October 31, 2023 by editor

The Olympic theater – better known as “the Big O” – advertised “strictly refined vaudeville.” But newspaper reporters and state regulators suspected patrons got a bit more for their 15 cents. So the Illinois State Journal saw some justice in … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Business, Crime and vice, Disasters, Fires, Hotels & taverns, Social life, Theaters | Leave a comment

‘A Palatial Barroom’ (1898)

Posted on August 27, 2023 by editor

When Harry Lane opened his new saloon at 415 E. Washington St. in 1898, he wanted you to know: It was no bucket of blood. Rough-and-tumble tipplers patronized the workingmen’s bars (and worse) that lined the streets of “the Levee” … Continue reading →

Posted in Amusements, Buildings, Business, Crime and vice, Hotels & taverns, Prominent figures, Restaurants, Social life, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

FBI bugs Frank Zito hangout, 1965

Posted on April 11, 2023 by editor

When FBI agents successfully planted a surveillance microphone in mobster Frank Zito’s hangout in 1965, their superiors nominated them for letters of commendation. Top brass in Washington, however, counseled patience. “(S)ince this is a newly established source,” Washington officials wrote, … Continue reading →

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