Tag: New York City
New York Backed Away From Prohibition Enforcement, but Washington Refused to Budge
New York may have backed away from enforcing Prohibition, but Washington had no intention of doing the same. In June 1923, Governor Al Smith approved…
Grieving New York Impresario Searched for a Singer Who Sounded Like His Dead Wife
After the death of his young wife, Russian impresario Max Rabinoff set out to find something that seemed almost impossible: another woman who could sing…
Strange Businesses Once Found on the Streets of New York City
At the turn of the 20th century, New York City offered just about any service a person could imagine, along with quite a few that…
Judge Tore Up the Summons After Learning Why This 14-Year-Old Was Working
In 1908, fourteen-year-old Harold Bothwick was not asking for much. He simply wanted to work. His widowed mother was struggling to support four children in…
New York Girl, 14, Killed by Stone Meant for Someone Else
Fourteen-year-old Rosie Grippo was sitting on the stoop of her New York City tenement when a quarrel that had nothing to do with her suddenly…
New York’s “Quiet” Fourth of July Was Filled With Explosions and Bloodshed
New York celebrated Independence Day in 1926 with packed beaches, exploding fireworks, stray bullets, and at least one violent confrontation between police and revelers. An…
Rowboat Outing Turns Deadly in Heavy Seas Off Brooklyn
A rough afternoon sea off Norton’s Point turned deadly in July 1909 when two men set out from Sea Gate in a rowboat and were…
Prohibition Agents Attacked With Bottles During Hell’s Kitchen Raid
Prohibition agents found a hostile welcome in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen in July 1922. When three Federal officers entered Gentilly’s Cafe on Eighth Avenue, they…
Jewelry Salesman Found Murdered and Packed Inside Trunk in New York Hallway
A grim murder mystery unfolded in New York City in June 1910 when police were called to remove a rope-bound trunk left in the hallway…
Smallpox Patients Refused the Pesthouse as New Cases Spread
Another smallpox case had appeared, and with it came the difficult question of where the sick should be kept. Miss Mamie Halligan, a domestic in…
