Category Archives: Law enforcement

General strike, 1917

Posted on August 7, 2014 by editor

Union members shut down mines, railroads, bakeries, restaurants, laundries and construction sites across Sangamon County in September 1917 following the violent breakup by police and the Illinois state militia of a pro-labor march. The march — for which city officials … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor unions, Law enforcement, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Transportation, Women | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Meredith Rhule

Posted on June 8, 2014 by editor

Meredith Rhule (1910-74), a Springfield native, led Burmese and Chinese guerrillas, often behind Japanese lines, during World War II. He won election as Sangamon County sheriff in 1946, but served only one term after newspaper investigations found he had ignored … Continue reading →

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Gambling and the Sangamon County underworld,1948

Posted on June 4, 2014 by editor

The 1948 slaying of a dice game “stickman” helped expose a Sangamon County underworld that featured wide-open gambling and, allegedly, systematic bribery of state, county and city officials. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch at the time had a team of reporters … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Journalism, Law enforcement, Local government, Media, Politics, Prominent figures | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Robbery of Rochester State Bank, 1930

Posted on May 29, 2014 by editor

The Nov. 26, 1930, robbery of the Rochester State Bank quickly became a Bonnie-and-Clyde-style affair, complete with a car chase in which the robbers’ car was riddled by shots from a police officer’s submachine gun.  “Four bandits are nabbed on … Continue reading →

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‘Hell at Midnight in Springfield’

Posted on March 31, 2014 by editor

Hell at Midnight in Springfield: or A Burning History of the Sin and Shame of the Capital City of Illinois was a rant against vice, alcohol and, especially, “political Romanism” written by professional anti-Catholic William Lloyd Clark after a visit to Springfield’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and vice, Hotels & taverns, Illinois capital, Law enforcement, Women | Tagged | 2 Comments

Prohibition violence in Sangamon County

Posted on March 25, 2014 by editor

On Dec. 13, 1933, two days before liquor sales were again to be legal nationwide, the Illinois State Journal tallied up the body count of Prohibition-related murders in Sangamon County. The newspaper said the total came to 20. However, only 18 … Continue reading →

Posted in Law enforcement | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Coal miner union war, 1932-37

Posted on November 26, 2013 by editor

A bitter battle between rival coal mine unions, a battle that began and effectively ended in Springfield, led to strikes, bombings, street riots and at least six killings in Sangamon County in the 1930s. The United Mine Workers of America, … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal mines and mining, Depression, Law enforcement, Prominent figures | Tagged , | 24 Comments

William Donnegan’s memoir of the Underground Railroad

Posted on October 29, 2013 by editor

William Donnegan, an 80-year-old Black cobbler and entrepreneur who was lynched during the Springfield Race Riot of 1908, earlier wrote a memoir about his role in helping an enslaved black woman travel through Springfield on her way to Canada in … Continue reading →

Posted in Abolitionism, African Americans, Ethnic groups, Law enforcement, Prominent figures, Race riot of 1908 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Dr. Garret Elkin (1828 pioneers)

Posted on October 28, 2013 by editor

Dr. Garrett Elkin, who moved to Sangamon County from Kentucky in 1823, “was a man of considerable courage,” serving for six years as county sheriff and in the Black Hawk, Mormon and Mexican wars, according to the History of Medical … Continue reading →

Posted in Early residents, Law enforcement, Local government, Military, Politics, Prominent figures | Tagged | 2 Comments

Federal court opinion on commission government (1987)

Posted on October 28, 2013 by editor

U.S. Judge Harold Baker ruled on Jan. 12, 1987, that the effect of commission government in the city of Springfield had been to “submerge” African Americans as a voting minority and had made it practically impossible for a black person … Continue reading →

Posted in African Americans, Ethnic groups, Law enforcement, Local government, Politics, Prominent figures, Springfield | Leave a comment