October 11: ON THIS DAY in 1944, Aachen ultimatum ignored

October 11, 2019 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1848, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “Dickens is writing another Christmas story, and as [the] report goes, is to get five thousand pounds for it. A handsome price, indeed.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1914, the Eagle reported, “Boston— Mrs. Annie Robinson of Liverpool, a survivor of the Titanic disaster, jumped from the Leyland Line steamer Devonian last night while the liner was groping through a heavy fog. Officers of the vessel, which arrived today, said that Mrs. Robinson had been in a high state of nervous excitement because of the fog and the sounding of the foghorn. She was formerly a stewardess on the Titanic and was coming here to visit relatives.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1926, the Eagle reported, “Essex Falls, N.J.— Johnny Sylvester sat in the presence of his hero, Babe Ruth, today and was too overcome to speak. Johnny is 11 years old, the son of Horace C. Sylvester Jr., vice president of the National City Company in New York City. He is the lucky boy who was drawn back from the shadows of death last week when Ruth and other Yankee and Cardinal players paused long enough in the World Series to send him autographed baseballs. The autographed balls did what medicine alone could not do for the little hero worshipper, and a visit from the Babe today went a long way toward completing the treatment.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1937, the Eagle reported, “Washington (AP) — The Supreme Court rejected today two petitions challenging Justice Hugo L. Black’s eligibility to hold a seat on the high bench. The court denied motions by Albert Levitt, former Federal judge in the Virgin Islands, and Patrick Henry Kelly, Boston attorney, who asked the court to determine Black’s legal qualifications for the post … Neither the Kelly nor Levitt motion made any reference to charges of Ku Klux Klan membership which furnished the basis for principal Senate attacks on Black’s appointment and caused a storm of controversy before he finally took his seat. To the charges, Black said in a radio speech to the nation that he had joined the Ku Klux Klan once but had resigned and never rejoined.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1944, the Eagle reported, “Supreme Headquarters, A.E.F., Paris (UP) — Hundreds of American guns began the systematic destruction of medieval Aachen, Germany’s 37th largest city, today when a 24-hour surrender ultimatum expired with no word from the besieged garrison. As the weather cleared, swarms of dive bombers prepared to join in the bombardment, sounding the doom of the birthplace of Charlemagne as an object lesson to the Germans of the fate awaiting every city in their homeland which resists Allied arms. The surrender ultimatum expired at 10:50 a.m., and an hour and a half later, United Press war correspondent Henry T. Correll reported from 1st Army headquarters, steel and explosives were falling on encircled Aachen in a steady rain. A pall of smoke and dust from the ruined buildings below already was forming over Aachen and its 1,1,48-year-old cathedral and 14th century town hall.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1953, the Eagle reported, “The Brooklyn Army Base during the past week observed National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week by pointing with pride to the almost 200 civilian employees at the base who, despite their physical handicaps, have been performing their duties so efficiently and reliably as to be examples to their fellow employees. Among the 5,000 civilian employees at the New York Port of Embarkation, these 200 are respected for their dependability and their loyalty to their jobs. When the outbreaking of the fighting in Korea resulted in a greatly increased workload, these physically handicapped employees kept pace with the rest, tackling their increased duties with spirit and enthusiasm. Brig. Gen. Calvin DeWitt, Jr., commanding general of the N.Y.P.E., said yesterday, ‘There is no question in our minds as to the value of these physically handicapped employees here at the Port. Their devotion to their duties has been demonstrated in many ways, particularly by the efficient manner in which they perform their duties and their low absentee rate. They are conscious of costs, too, and have made many valuable suggestions which have resulted in considerable savings to the government and to the taxpayers.”