Look at these statements from headline articles in The La Porte Daily Argus in July 1924. Terminology, capitalization, and what makes headline news can be different. Yet accidents, business, crime, and war still make headlines. Want to read the whole article? It’s on microfilm in the Indiana Room at the Main Library. Staff will be glad to help you access it.
July 1
Twelve hour mail service between LaPorte and New York and 32 hour service between the city and San Francisco became possible today with the initiation of the new government air mail routes.
July 2
Klansmen numbering 30,000 will gather at the Porter county fair grounds in Valparaiso July 4, according to reports from there today.
July 3
(Madison Square Garden, New York) – Twelve more ballots during the morning and afternoon, making a total of 54 that have been cast, and the Democratic party is still without a presidential nominee.
July 5
(Chicago) – Details of a plot to extort $50,000 from United States Senator Medill McCormick under threats of kidnaping his 8 year old son, John Medill, were being uncovered by Chicago postal inspectors and Winebago County authorities today as they questioned two men arrested last night, near Rockford, Ill.
July 7
Clues to the identity of a dog poisoner who has been active over the city during the past few days were discovered today by the police.
July 8
The illness and death of Calvin Coolidge, jr., age 16, the youngest son of President and Mrs. Coolidge, which was caused indirectly from a blister on his right foot, has frightened many persons who have small infections of any kind on their body, according to LaPorte physicians.
July 9
The motive that prompted Charles N. Wilcoxen, age 68, to kill his 70-year-old wife in their beautiful home at Long Beach, LaPorte county, and then to hang himself with a one-inch rope in a closet of their mansion Monday night, was expected to be established at the coroner’s inquest at Michigan City this afternoon.
July 10
(Buenos Aires) – The situation in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where rebellious troops of the state army have seized in the principal military barracks, is increasingly grave, according to private advices here today.
July 11
The leading tourist of America who is a woman, Mrs. Stella Leviston of San Francisco, was in LaPorte today. She is called the “Touring Mother of America.” She and Dan J. Nee, also of San Francisco, have traveled 600,000 miles over all kinds of roads and are now on their 19th transcontinental round-trip tour.
July 12
Forest fires burning in seven California counties today had destroyed thousands of acres of timberland. More than 1,000 men are engaged in battling the flames.
July 14
(Paris) – Three weary American airmen with bloodshot eyes and wind burnt faces, streaking with lines of suffering, piloted their airplanes to Paris today, having flown more than two-thirds of the way around the world – and the first thing they wanted to do was to go to bed.
July 15
(Pekin) – Thousands of lives were reported lost and hundreds of villiages destroyed in the Honan, Hunan, Anhui and Kiangsi provinces of China which have been devastated by floods and landslides brought on by prolonged rains.
July 16
Final coating of the H street asphalt pavement was started today when the wearing surface was being laid over the binder. The latter was put down Monday and Tuesday. The street will be open for traffic the latter part of the week.
July 17
(London) – Japanese destroyers searching the region around the Kuriles Islands for trace of Major A. S. C. MacLauren, British world flyer who has been missing for more than 33 hours, reported at 9 o’clock tonight that they had found no trace of the airman, according to a Central News dispatch from Tokio.
July 18
Gasoline prices in LaPorte were decreased 1 cent a gallon today. This makes the filling station price 21.4 cents and the tank wagon price 19.4 cents, including the state tax.
July 19
J. M. Stewart of South Bend, arrived here this morning with his hot air balloon, from which he will make a double parachute drop at the aerial circus to be staged Sunday afternoon at the Nelson flying field.
July 21
Assessed property valuations for all real estate and personal property in LaPorte have increased $107,130 during the last year, according to the abstract of assessments compiled by the County Auditor Fred Hausheer.
July 22
The biggest project in its history – the formation of a $100,000 corporation to insure industrial growth for LaPorte – is about to be undertaken by the local Chamber of Commerce.
July 23
Members of the Elks lodge are looking forward to their big outdoor frolic which is to be held at Lake park, Hudson lake, Thursday afternoon and night.
July 24
(Gary) – Joseph Bradke, 30, of Calumet City, was electrocuted in the plant of the Overland Crane company at Hommand today. He had a wife and eight children.
July 25
Unless you are practiced in fighting dragons and such monsters you are warned not to venture nearer than a half mile to Koontz lake near Walkerton where a giant sea serpent is said on good authority to be terrorizing the natives.
July 26
The preventorium at Pine lake, established by the LaPorte County Tuberculosis society to aid underdeveloped children that their bodies might be made strong to combat disease, closed today, 118 pounds successful. The 19 children – there were 20 for a while – showed a total gain of 118 pounds in the six weeks the preventorium was in operation.
July 28
(Washington) – The United States government today warned Persia that it may break off relations with the Teheran government if satisfaction is not obtained for the murder of Robert W. Imbrie, American vice council.
July 29
Active work at the Home Brand company canning plant, a recent addition to LaPorte’s industrial circles, was commenced Monday with a daily output of 2,000 pounds of cherries.
July 30
(Cleveland, O.) – Search for Mrs. Phoebe Woods, 50, nurse, whose maternal instinct and passion “to have a child” police believe, led her to kidnap little Dorothy May Blanchard, 5, was extended to Buffalo and Canadian cities today.
July 31
Thirty-eight full blooded Italian queen bees were received Wednesday by Herbert J. Link, owner of the Link Bee Farms, for addition to his swarms.