Tag: New Jersey
Mob Tried to Burn Down New Jersey Pesthouse as Firefighters Fought Back
Orange, New Jersey, had barely finished building its new pesthouse when an angry crowd tried to burn it down. The small hospital, meant to isolate…
Camden Policemen Knocked Down by Electric Shock After Wires Crossed
At four o’clock in the morning, Camden’s police telephones turned deadly. Inside City Hall, Policeman Barr lifted the receiver to take the usual calls from…
Teen Girl Arrested After Saying “Damn” to Atlantic City Beach Censor
In 1923, Atlantic City’s beaches were watched by more than lifeguards. Beach censors patrolled the sand, enforcing rules of modesty and proper conduct, right down…
Actress Rescued from Attack in Jersey City
Shortly after 2 o’clock on a March morning in 1894, frantic reports reached police in Jersey City that a woman was being attacked in a…
Newark Judge Fines Couple for Kissing in Park
In 1902, a few kisses in a Newark park were enough to land one couple before Judge Herman Schalk and cost them $10. The story…
The Kingston Schoolgirl Murder Mystery
For more than a month, the disappearance of 15-year-old Elizabeth Johnson had troubled Kingston, New Jersey. She had vanished from her home on August 12,…
The Night Black Tom Island Blew Up
At 2:15 on a July morning in 1916, New York Harbor erupted. A series of explosions tore through munitions cars, barges, and warehouses near the…
Morristown Mother Forgives Son With Her Dying Breath
A tragic accident in Morristown, New Jersey, turned a child’s innocent words into a family’s lifelong sorrow. In 1904, four-year-old Otto Britting saw his father’s…
New Jersey Woman Blows Horn for Hours to Save Husband
In the winter of 1905, a blizzard could do more than bury roads. It could cut a family off from the world. Before telephones were…
New Jersey Woman Faces Husband Who Came Back from the Grave
In 1921, a strange domestic drama unfolded in Orange, New Jersey, when a woman answered her door and found herself face-to-face with the husband she…
