September 26: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

September 26, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle History

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ON THIS DAY IN 1920, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported, “CHICAGO, SEPT. 25 — Plans to subpoena four members of the Chicago American League Club and the wife of one of its players to appear next week before the Cook County Grand Jury investigating the alleged ‘fixing’ of last year’s World Series were abandoned today, and Hartley Replogle, in charge of the inquiry, announced that no members of the team would be called until the end of the baseball season. ‘We do not want to interfere with the chances of the White Sox to win the pennant,’ said Replogle. The players for whom subpoenas were issued earlier in the day but held up by Mr. Replogle’s orders, were Eddie Collins, field captain of the team; John Collins, first baseman; Ray Schalk, catcher; and Eddie Murphy, utility outfielder. There still is no intention of calling any of the eight men, whose World’s Series checks were held up last year, according to Mr. Replogle. Four of these men, Cicotte, Williams, Gandil and Felsch, were mentioned by J.C. ‘Rube’ Benton in his testimony as persons who ‘might know something about the gambling.’ Mr. Replogle, who yesterday announced the jury would be continued in a special session after its regular term expired Sept. 30, tonight said that the investigation probably would last two months longer. Every person who is believed to possess any information concerning the alleged gambling will be subpoenaed, he said.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1926, the Eagle reported, “A skillful navigator can dodge a hurricane altogether, according to Capt. William B. Weld of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, formerly captain of the U.S.S. Cleveland. Captain Weld told how to steer clear of a tropical storm in an interview yesterday on the Florida hurricane. ‘A hurricane divides itself into the dangerous and navigable semicircles,’ said Captain Weld. ‘The wind is from 22 to 30 miles per hour faster in the dangerous semicircle than in the navigable. The expert captain, especially if he has a wireless operator who understands the weather, can generally keep out of a hurricane.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1930, the Eagle reported, “John Wayne, former extra who was selected for the lead in ‘The Big Trail,’ had to keep the long hair of the pioneer role long after the picture was finished for possible re-takes. Friends good-naturedly have twitted him about it. ‘Well,’ is always his ready rejoinder, ‘I’m getting paid for it.’”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1947, the Eagle reported, “LAKE SUCCESS (U.P.) — Great Britain today announced its intention to abandon its 25-year-old mandate over Palestine and to pull out all of its military and government forces in that bloody area at an ‘early’ date if the United Nations fails to find a solution. In a long-awaited statement of policy, British Colonial Minister Arthur Creech-Jones told the 55-nation special U.N. Palestine Committee, however, that Britain will not implement by herself or probably with other nations jointly any U.N. solution which is not agreeable to both Arabs and Jews. He tossed the 25-year-old controversy squarely into the laps of the United Nations, whose delegates immediately began looking at the United States for a decision as to whether it will take over Britain’s commitment in the Holy Land, where bloodshed and trouble have been increasing for months.”

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ON THIS DAY IN 1950, the Eagle reported, “The city’s new Police Commissioner, Thomas F. Murphy, today started his shakeup of the department with an appointment with racket-probing District Attorney Miles F. McDonald as his ‘first order of business.’ As the walrus-mustached former Assistant U.S. Attorney was being sworn in at City Hall with ‘no strings attached,’ the house-cleaning was getting under way with the resignation of two of former Police Commissioner William O’Brien’s top aides. Chief of Detectives Wiliam T. Whalen of Brooklyn Heights and Inspector John E. Flynn, former head of the chief inspector’s confidential squad, put in their applications for retirement on the heels of O’Brien’s forced resignation. Acting Mayor Vincent R. Impellitteri described the man he had appointed — reportedly at the behest of the racket-probing grand jury that yesterday sent him a letter suggesting that he bring in a civilian to clean up the police mess instead of promoting someone from departmental ranks — as ‘hard-hitting, conscientious, courageous and fearless.’ He said Murphy, successful prosecutor in the Alger Hiss case, was an ‘independent who owes his job to nobody except the people of New York City.’”

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Serena Williams
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Christina Milian
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

NOTABLE PEOPLE BORN ON THIS DAY include “The Most Interesting Man in the World” star Jonathan Goldsmith, who was born in 1938; “Adam-12” star Kent McCord, who was born in 1942; former “The Weakest Link” host Anne Robinson, who was born in 1944; Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bryan Ferry (Roxy Music), who was born in 1945; comic book writer Louise Simonson, who was born in 1946; Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley, who was born in 1949; “The Terminator” star Linda Hamilton, who was born in 1956; En Vogue singer Cindy Herron, who was born in 1961; “Little House on the Prairie” star Melissa Sue Anderson, who was born in 1962; sportscaster Jillian Barberie, who was born in 1966; “Sound of Freedom” star Jim Caviezel, who was born in 1968; Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Jaycie Phelps, who was born in 1979; singer and actress Christina Milian, who was born in 1981; and tennis champion Serena Williams, who was born in 1981.

Jonathan Goldsmith
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

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POET’S CORNER: T.S. Eliot was born in St. Louis, Mo., on this day in 1888. One of the 20th century’s preeminent poets, he worked to modernize contemporary poetic diction so it reflected the rhythm of educated speech. His best-known works include “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” (1917), “The Waste Land” (1922) and “Four Quartets” (1945). He died in London in 1965.

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HERE’S THE STORY: “The Brady Bunch” premiered on this day in 1969. The popular sitcom starred Robert Reed as widower Mike Brady, who has three sons and is married to Carol (Florence Henderson), who has three daughters. The show, which ran for five seasons, steered clear of social issues and portrayed childhood as a time of innocence. It spawned a cartoon, a variety series, a sitcom, a short-lived dramatic series and feature films.

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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.

Quotable:

“If you aren’t in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?”

— poet T.S. Eliot, who was born on this day in 1888