Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts

Friday, February 20, 2026

Wednesday, February 20, 1901. Butch Cassidy, Sundance Kid, and Etta Place depart for Argentina.

Butch Cassidy (Robert Leroy Parker), the Sundance Kid (Harry Longabaugh), and Etta Place, departed the United States on board the British steamer the SS Herminius.

They all returned to the United States in 1906, as Place no longer wished to remain in South America.  The men, however, went back to Argentina.  Nobody knows what became of Place upon her return, and very little is otherwise known of her.

The Sundance Kid and Etta Place.

The Hawaii Territorial Legislature convened for the first time. 

Last edition:

Monday, February 18, 1901. Churchill in parliament, Germans in China.

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Friday, February 11, 1916. Bandelier National Monument established.

The Bandelier National Monument near Los Alamos in Sandoval and Los Alamos counties, New Mexico was established by President Wilson.

Bill Carlisle was still at large.


And there was a shakeup in the Department of War. . . the actual one not the Hegseth nom de guerre one that's our current Department of Defense.

The Russians advanced to artillery range around Erzurum.

Senussi's withdrew near Bahariya after being spotted by aircraft.

High water, Roosevelt Dam, Arizona.  February 11, 1916.



Last edition:

Thursday, February 10, 1916. Battle of Dogger Bank.

Monday, February 9, 2026

Wednesday, February 9, 1916.


It was the first flight of the Sopwith Pup.

The HMS Mimi and HMS Toutou sank the Hedwig von Wissmann on Lake Tanganyika. 

From Punch:

Officer (to Tommy, who has been using the whip freely). "Don't beat him; talk to him, man—talk to him!"
Tommy (to horse, by way of opening the conversation). "I coom from Manchester."

Today In Wyoming's History: February 9: 1916   Bill Carlisle robs passengers on the Union Pacific "Portland Rose".  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

Casper Daily Tribune established.

Last edition:

Sunday, February 6, 1916. Irmingard.

Saturday, February 9, 1946. Stalin declares war inevitable.

Stalin in an "election" speech carried on Soviet radio, stated another war was inevitable due to the "capitalist development of the world economy", and that the USSR needed to plan accordingly.

The Chairman:

Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin has the floor.

(Comrade Stalin’s appearance in the rostrum was greeted by the voters with loud cheers lasting several minutes. The entire audience in the Bolshoi Theatre rose to its feet to greet Comrade Stalin. There were continuous cries of “Cheers for great Stalin!” “Long live great Stalin, Hurrah!” “Cheers for our beloved Stalin!” )

Comrade Stalin:

Comrades!

Eight years have passed since the last elections to the Supreme Soviet. This has been a period replete with events of a decisive nature. The first four years were years of intense labour on the part of Soviet people in carrying out the Third Five- Year Plan. The second four years covered the events of the war against the German and Japanese aggressors — the events of the Second World War. Undoubtedly, the war was the main event during the past period.

It would be wrong to think that the Second World War broke out accidentally, or as a result of blunders committed by certain statesmen, although blunders were certainly committed. As a matter of fact, the war broke out as the inevitable result of the development of world economic and political forces on the basis of present-day monopolistic capitalism. Marxists have more than once stated that the capitalist system of world economy contains the elements of a general crisis and military conflicts, that, in view of that, the development of world capitalism in our times does not proceed smoothly and evenly, but through crises and catastrophic wars. The point is that the uneven development of capitalist countries usually leads, in the course of time, to a sharp disturbance of the equilibrium within the world system of capitalism, and that group of capitalist countries regards itself as being less securely provides with raw materials and markets usually attempts to change the situation and to redistribute “spheres of influence” in its own favour — by employing armed force. As a result of this, the capitalist world is split into two hostile camps, and war breaks out between them . . .

And so, how should our victory [in World War II] be interpreted? What can this victory signify from the point of view of the state and the development of the internal forces of our country?

Our victory signifies, first of all, that our Soviet social system was victorious, that the Soviet social system successfully passed the test of fire in the war and proved that it is fully viable.

As we know, the foreign press on more than one occasion asserted that the Soviet social system was a “dangerous experiment” that was doomed to failure . . . [but] now we can say that the war has refuted all these assertions of the foreign press and has proved them to have been groundless. The war proved that the Soviet social system is a genuinely people’s system, which grew up from the ranks of the people and enjoys their powerful| support; that the Soviet social system is fully viable and stable form of organization of society . . .

Now a few words about the Communist Party’s plans of work for the immediate future. As you know, these plans are formulated in the new five-year plan, which is to be adopted in the very near future. The main tasks of the new five-year plan are to rehabilitate the devastated regions of our country, to restore industry and agriculture to the prewar level, and then to exceed that level to a more or less considerable extent. Apart from the fact that the rationing system is to be abolished in the very near future (loud and prolonged applause), special attention will be devoted to the expansion of the production of consumers’ goods, to raising the standard of living of the working people by steadily reducing the prices of all commodities (loud and prolonged applause), and to the extensive organization of scientific research institutes of every kind (applause) capable of giving the fullest scope to our scientific forces. (Loud applause.)

I have no doubt that if we give our scientists proper assistance they will be able in the very near future not only to overtake but even outstrip the achievements of science beyond the borders of our country. (Prolonged applause.)

As regards long-term plans, our Party intends to organize another powerful upswing of our national economy that will enable us to raise our industry to a level, say, three times as high as that of prewar industry. We must see to it that our industry shall be able to produce annually up to 50,000,000 tons of pig iron (prolonged applause ), up to 60,000,000 tons of steel (prolonged applause ), up to 500,000,000 tons of coal (prolonged applause ) and up to 60,000,000 tons of oil (prolonged applause ). Only when we succeed in doing that can we be sure that our Motherland will be insured against all contingencies. (Loud applause.) This will need, perhaps, another three five-year plans, if, not more. But it can be done, and we must do it. (Loud applause) . .

In conclusion, permit me to express my thanks for the confidence which you have shown me (loud and prolonged applause. A voice: “Cheers for the great leader of all our victories, Comrade Stalin! “) by nominating me as a candidate for the Supreme Soviet. You need have no doubt that will do my best to justify your confidence. (All rise. Loud and prolonged applause rising to an ovation. Voices in different parts of the hall: “Long live great Stalin, Hurrah!” “Cheers for the great leader of the peoples!” “Glory to great Stalin!” “Long live Comrade Stalin, the candidate of the entire people!” “Glory to the creator of all our victories, Comrade Stalin! “

Charles "Lucky" Luciano was deported to his native Italy where he'd spend the rest of his life, dying in 1962 at age 64.

Luciano in 1948.

Born Salvatore Lucania, the Mafia boss had immigrated to the US in 1906 as a child.

Last edition:

Sunday, February 8, 2026

Friday, February 8, 1946. Kim Il Sung's rise. Viola Faber, accused of murdering her stepson, gives birth.

Kim Il Sung was elected Chairman of the Interim People's Committee in the Soviet occupied portion of Korea.  Originally, the Soviets preferred Cho Man-sik to lead a "popular front" government but Cho, to his credit, refused to support a Soviet-backed entity.  Red Army General Terentii Shtykov supported Kim over Pak Hon-yong to lead the Provisional People's Committee for North Korea, and therefore Kim was selected on this date.

He remained subordinate to General Shtykov until the Chinese intervention in the Korean War.

More strike problems on the front page of The Rocky Mountain News.


A person had to read deeper into the News to see the story on Viola Elliot. Page 5, where you need to go, is set out below.

She was accused of the beating death of her stepson, Robert.  She denied it, but she was convicted of second degree murder.  Her 8 year old son by a previous marriage was a witness for the prosecution at the trial and Mrs. Elliot admitted at the time of arrest that she had hit and kicked the child on the occasion of his death.  She later changed her story and claimed he'd tripped on his pajamas.

Her parents and husband said they'd stand by her at the time of her arrest, but I wonder if that was still the case later on.  At her sentencing, she stated that Leslie was just as responsible for the death and the judge agreed.  Leslie had already been arraigned for assault and battery and assessory after the fact.  In April she petitioned the County to make her children wards of the County, to which her husband objected.  They were noted to be "estranged" by that time.

Viola was 27 years old and on her second marriage at the time.  She would have had her first child, if her son who testified was the first at age 19 in 1937 or 1938.  The paper mentioned that there were three children, including the murdered boy.  Interestingly, I can find one other reference to a "Miss Viola Elliot" from 1937 indicating that Viola Elliot was employed as an arts and crafts teacher.  A 1943 edition mentions a Viola Elliott as being just back in town after visiting her husband in Tennessee, who was probably in the service.

Viola received 15 to 20 years for the murder.

Leslie would receive six months for assault and battery.

Her mother, Alice Faber, testified at the trial, as did her father.  Alice died in 1966 and is buried in Denver.  Her obituary listed Viola as still living, still with the last name Elliot, and in Denver.  The Fabers also had a son named Wilmer, who was alive at the time.  The boy who testified at the trial was living in California.

Her father died in 1961.

Arguments were occuring on the Bomb.


A resort was being planned near Fort Logan.


An impressive imposter story was reported.


Last edition:

Thursday, February 7, 1946. France attacks in Bến Tre Province, Truman speaks. Bikinis appear in the press. Strike controls. Army shoes on the market.

Friday, February 6, 2026

Friday, February 6, 1976. Peltier arrested. Prince Bernhard implicated. Smith warns. Black Jack dies.

Leonard Peltier was arrested in Canada and charged with the murder of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, the husband of Queen Juliana and the inspector general of the Netherlands Armed Forces, was implicated in a bribery scandal in testimony by an official of the Lockheed Corporation.  He confirmed accepting the bribe in a posthumously published memoir, acknowledging it was a mistake, but claiming all the money went to the World Wildlife Fund.

Sort of an example of how monarchy behaved, the prince is pretty far from a universally admirable person in general, although his record is mixed.  A German, he worked in Germany in the 1930s for IG Faben where he was a member of  the Reiter-SS (SS Cavalry Corps) before it was a full time military establishment, and to the paramilitary National-sozialistisches Kraftfahrerkorps (NSKK) although he never showed any outward Nazi sympathy or political views in general otherwise.  He denied these memberships, although its certain that he belonged.  He claimed to sever all of this ties after marrying Princess Julian, the future queen, in 1937.  During the war, however, he actively supported the Dutch cause and saw military service and was regarded as a war hero by the Dutch, and not without good reason.

He helped found the World Wildlife Fund after the war, and was its first president.  

He had four children by his wife, and two more by mistresses, all daughters.

Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith warned of a new large-scale guerilla offensive against hte country and that it would entail significant military expenditure.

The caisson horse Black Jack died at age 19.

Last edition:

Thursday, February 5, 1976. Swine Flu and Conrail.

Thursday, February 5, 2026

(OPINION) Wyoming first, not Washington, and additional commentary.

 An Op Ed in the Oil City News:

(OPINION) Wyoming first, not Washington

Ochs is spot on. Gray's handing over of Wyoming voter rolls is shocking.  If a Democratic Administration had asked for the same think we'd be hearing his whiney voice clear across the state accusing Biden of being a communist, but when his beloved Trump asks for it, he complies without a whimper.

It's time to charge Gray with what this was, a crime, convict him (he has no defense) and impeach him.

Wyoming's law expressly provides that voter rolls are confidential.

W.S. 22-2-113. Availability and form of registry lists; use of copies; election record; purging.

(a) The secretary of state shall furnish at a reasonable price registry lists to any candidate for a political office in the state, candidate's campaign committee, political party central committees and officials thereof, elected officials, political action committees, individuals promoting or opposing a ballot issue or candidate and to organizations which promote voter participation. The county clerks may elect to furnish the lists and, if they do so, shall make them available to all on an equal basis. All lists are for political purposes only and are not available for commercial use. The lists may be in the form of printouts, mailing labels or other electronic format as available. The lists may be reproduced for political purposes.

(b) Repealed by Laws 1991, ch. 243, § 5.

(c) Information copied from campaign contribution and expenditure reports filed by state and local candidates may be used for political purposes but shall not be used for commercial purposes.

(d) Unless otherwise specifically stated in this Election Code, all election records of the county clerk are public. The availability and dissemination of such records shall be in accordance with the Wyoming Public Records Act. Election records containing social security numbers, portions of social security numbers, driver's license numbers, birth dates, telephone numbers, tribal identification card numbers, e-mail addresses and other personally identifiable information other than names, gender, addresses and party affiliations are not public records and shall be kept confidential. When necessary, members of the county or state canvassing boards may access confidential information for purposes of this code but shall maintain its confidentiality.

Gray's actions are clearly illegal.  The violation is a misdemeanor.  Gray should be charged, and then impeached.

Wyoming Constitution Art. 3, § 17. Power of impeachment; proceedings

The sole power of impeachment shall vest in the house of representatives; the concurrence of a majority of all the members being necessary to the exercise thereof. Impeachment shall be tried by the senate sitting for that purpose, and the senators shall be upon oath or affirmation to do justice according to law and evidence. When the governor is on trial, the chief justice of the supreme court shall preside. No person shall be convicted without a concurrence of two-thirds of the senators elected.

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Of course it was a honeytrap. Was, "Was it a honeytrap?"

 
Delia Kane, age 14 at  The Exchange Luncheon, Why is her photo up here on this thread? Well, it'll become more apparent below, but we now know that the Playboy mansion had a minor who grew up in it, and whose fell into vice about it, tried to write about it, and who had those writing suppressed by Playboy.  Additionally, from other sources, which won't receive as much press as the current A&E documentary, Playboy actually promoted the sexualization of female minors in its early history to such an extent that the result of an independent European study caused this to cease before it became a matter they addressed. This was apparently through its cartoons, but it's worth nothing that apparently at least one Playboy model was 17 years old at the time of her centerfold appearance and another, who later killed herself, was a high school student, albeit a married one.  Girls and young women were accidents of unfortunate labor early in the 20th Century. But the late 20th Century, they were the target of pornographers and sex exploiters.  Which is worse? (From a prior post, but one which is related to this one, and which we'll explain in an upcoming post).

We posted the question yesterday, and did an entry on it.
Lex Anteinternet: Was it a honeytrap?: Never get into an elevator with a Polish blonde” David M. Evans, Consular/Economic Officer, Warsaw, 1964-1967 Cold War era Greek poster warn...

After that, it really occurred to us the question wasn't, was it a honeytrap?   The Epstein teenage girl platter was of course a honeytrap.

The question is, who benefited from it?

We've made the classic suggestion, it was espionage.  But there are other types of espionage other than the clandestine statecraft type.

Industrial espionage is one.

Now, frankly it looks unlikely to be that, but it's possible.  And engaging in spycraft for nations doesn't preclude engaging in it for industry. There are indeed examples of men and women who have done both.

Which takes us to our next item. What if all the effort to stock a Caribbean island with desperate nymphs was simply to advance Epstein himself, much like bootlegging was to advance the bootleggers.

That could have worked in several ways.  One was simply a chance to offer teenage girls to men who wanted to screw teenage girls in exchange for something. . . money, connections, or whatever.

But it goes without saying that if a person set that up, blackmailing them would become very easy to do.

Indeed, why wouldn't a person who had reached such a state of moral depravity take the next step and do so?  Only for a couple of reasons, really.  One is that it might endanger the entire enterprise.  The second is that it might backfire and cause you to end up dead.

And while it's unlikely, it's possible just that occured.

Blackmail, whether as a goal, or accidental byproduct, is indeed part and parcel of an operation such as this.  Epstein had desperate teenage girls available for sex and rich associates who wanted to screw them.  Once they did, he knew that had occured. They had to depend upon his confidence and he upon theirs. The latter was easily acquired as nobody wants to end up like Prince Andrew.  The former, however, could very easily have come at a price at any point.

And the need for confidentiality on the part of the guilty is so strong, that the forces that purchased it are still at work.  By this point, we know why the entire files aren't being released.  When half released, lives are being destroyed.  Andrew lost his theoretical crown.  Peter Mandelson is now out of the House of Lords.  Bill Gates is fighting allegations he deems absurd but which his ex wife Melinda is at least somewhat crediting.

In the end, whatever it is, didn't work out for Epstein twice. The first time it certainly did, he practically got a get out of jail free card.  The second time he lost his life, most likely by his own hands.  Whatever else is in there people are fighting to keep secret.

Which brings us back to something distressing but frankly necessary.

We're never going to know what happened on Epstein Island and in his homes until all the names are released, accused as well as victim.  I know that the victims don't want that, but it's necessary.  Their anonymity keeps them subject to blackmail.  Once their names are out, and those of the accusers are out, if ever, they're free of the threat that chains them and can tell who violated them.  

And as a final note, when the "Me Too" movement broke out it emphasized believing the women who were telling their stories.  Now women do lie about crimes, just like men, and women have lied in the past about rape.  But here there seems to be a widespread acceptance that the worst stories just aren't true.

Why is that?

I'm not saying they are, but if you'd told me fifteen years ago that there was a man who ran a white slavery ring for the wealthy and had his own island where the rich and powerful frequented and sampled the offerings, I wouldn't have believed that either.

Related posts:

Was it a honeytrap?

Sunday, January 25, 2026

Friday, January 25, 1946. Soviet nuclear program gets s jump start.

Igor Kurchatov was summoned to Moscow by Stalin and ordered in an evening meeting to spare no expense in developing a nuclear weapon.

The ironic is so thick it's astounding.  The Soviet Union's anti intellectual campaign had resulting in wholesale murder of engineers and scientists early on, and now the country was depending upon them.1

Of course, the Soviets had penetrated the U.S. nuclear effort, which was quite a help.  Indeed, western scientist of all types, cooperative and captive, would be a boon to Soviet post war efforts on all sorts of weapons.

The United Mine Workers rejoined the American Federation of Labor.

Czechs began the expulsion of Germans from Sudetenland.

Sweden began the deportation of Baltic refugees to the USSR.

MacArthur recommended that Hirohito not be put on trial for war crimes.

Allied forces returned control of the Dutch East Indies to the Netherlands.

A manhunt was on near Sheridan.


Footnotes:

1.  It is of course worth noting that the U.S., currently in the hands of the GOP, is itself engaged in an outright denial of science and engineering.  Americans can almost take hope in the fact that the USSR, in spite of having murdered intellectuals and scientist, was able to make up the deficit and produce an atomic bomb in short order, suggesting that the current anti science and anti intellectual atmosphere of the GOP lead government migh talso be overcome.

Last edition:

Wednesday, January 23, 1946. Soviet Agent installed by Truman.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Wednesday, January 6, 2021. The Coup.

I wasn't going to mark this date.  This tragic event is only five years in our past, and therefore it is much too early, really, to be able to fully apprise it.

But attempt to apprise it we must do, and the coup that started on January 6, 2021 did not fail, it succeeded, and whether the fascistic/Francoist revolution it seeks to bring about will succeed or fail is not yet know.

The coup did not fail, as our justice system failed.  Trump could easily have been in court within six months and sentenced within seven.  Unfortunately, our criminal justice system moves as slowly as Baby Boomers at Walmart as its controlled by them, as is much of our society.  This insurrectionist is now in charge.

But will he succeed?

Most Americans do not support the would be caudillo Donald Trump and most are not part of a muddled fascist/Franoist/New Apostolic Reformation movement, or even have its world view. But those who do are running the country right now, aided and abetted by people like opportunistic Marco Rubio and a compliant Supreme Court.  The worst tests are yet to come.  This year, 2026, is going to be absolutely awful, least we are spared by some sort of Divine Intervention (which I note seriously, not in jest).

Usually, however, people get exactly what they deserve in terms of politics.  The roots of the populist revolution go back at least as far as 1973 and have been brewing for decades now.  We cannot expect that the fruits of political neglect can be harvest and discarded overnight.  We are paying for our errors, and stand to likely pay a heavier price yet.

But the country has come through such things before. The Revolution itself was one, the Civil War a second.  

May God grant that we get through this quickly, and with as little damage to the world as possible.

Friday, December 26, 2025

Saturday, December 26, 1925.

Italy brought to an end a rebellion in Italian Somaliland.

Turkey passed a law bringing in the Gregorian calendar as of January 1.

Richard "Pegleg" Lonergan, of New York City's White Hand Gang, was killed along with  Aaron Hyams and Neal J. Perry, after arriving drunk at the Adonis Social Club in what was basically an armed bar fight. Al Capone was the hitman.  

The Communist Party of India was organized.

The East-West Shrine Game, collegiate footballs first all start game, was played at Ewing Field in San Francisco.

It was a Saturday.

Leyendecker offered a Christmas theme for his Saturday Evening Post illustration.


And Liberty also went with a Christmas theme.


The New Yorker, however, went with a New Years theme which featured alcohol in spite of Prohibition.


Last edition:

Thursday, December 24, 1925. Non è possibile scavalcare il Capo del Governo.

Tuesday, December 23, 2025

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 112th Edition. Clinton calls Trump's bluff.

One of the things about the release of some Epstein materials recently is that Bill Clinton was in them, to nobody's surprise.

One of the things about Trump Derangement Syndrome, the real deal, not the MAGA claim that the vast majority of people on earth are demented as they realize Trump is demented, is the odd ability to take anything that's bad news and claim its good.  Here, the bad news was the massive redaction of the files.  MAGAs immediately claimed; "look, the left is burned as Clinton is in the files".

M'eh.

Nobody cared about that.

But it did cause Bill Clinton to come in and demand that all the files be released.

So. . . . you have Clinton never really saying anything about them, Trump as a candidate supporting their release, his acolytes demanding they be released, then Trump desperately trying to keep them from being released and claiming they're a hoax, to Massie forcing their release. . . to the Trump administration not complying with the legally set deadline, to MAGA's trying to claim that Clinton was in them was a big deal, to Clinton demanding they be released, with Trump once again claiming they don't amount to anything.

Just release them.

Something is in these that really hurts Republicans somehow.  We don't know how, but it must be bad.

And one thing we've learned is that the American BS about wealth being super good and helping everyone is just BS.  People can be too wealthy for their own good. 

Last edition:

CliffsNotes of the Zeitgeist, 111th Edition. Letting Healthcare Fail, How War Really Works, Those Epstein Files, Calling names, Bear Care.

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Blog Mirror: Alcova Grinch Makes Off With 10-Foot, 300-Pound Green Dinosaur

One of the toys we used to have around here was an inflatable Sinclair dinosaur.  We called it "Tropical Jim".  As the Manx grew old and became somewhat disoriented, he seemed to think that Tropical Jim might be living, and might actually respond to cat suggestions.

Alcova Grinch Makes Off With 10-Foot, 300-Pound Green Dinosaur

Cont:


Update, 12/16/25 - We received numerous tips from the public and have identified the owner of the truck. Thank you to everyone who shared information. The investigation remains active.
--
Do you know this vehicle?
The Natrona County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information that may assist in an active theft investigation. In the early morning hours of November 5, 2025, a suspect or suspects stole a Sinclair Dinosaur statue from Sloane’s General Store in Alcova, Wyoming. The statue is valued at approximately $8,000.
Investigators are interested in speaking with the owner or owners of the vehicle pictured. At the time the surveillance video was captured, the truck appeared to be missing sections of body trim on the driver’s side, had a bug deflector attached to the front, and a toolbox mounted in the truck bed.
Anyone with information about the vehicle or the stolen statue is encouraged to contact the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office at (307) 235-9282. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers of Central Wyoming at crimestopperscasper.org or by calling 307-577-8477. Information reported through Crime Stoppers that assists the investigation may be eligible for a cash reward.