Henderson history: Dynamite used to persuade roadhouse owners
Four dynamite blasts in a three-week period -- all aimed at gambling interests – set Henderson abuzz in the spring of 1949.
Local officials and The Gleaner did their best to downplay it initially. When the third explosion happened, however, it prompted coverage by the Evansville Press, which was followed the next day by stories in both The Gleaner and the Evansville Courier.
The Evansville Press reported March 31 the incidents were “believed connected with a war of gambling interests.”
The Courier of April 1 said the explosions were rumored to be “the result of an incipient gambling war.”
It’s difficult to get the straight story on this portion of Henderson’s history because a lot of people were flat-out lying when questioned about gambling. For instance, Guthrie Crowe, commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, told the Courier & Press in the April 9 edition that local law enforcement had informed him “there are no slot machines operating in Henderson.”
Anyone with eyes could see that was patently untrue. The Henderson Ministerial Association counted 362 slot machines operating in the city alone, according to the April 1 Courier.
But let’s start at the beginning – which is a little muddy. The Silver Dollar Bar was the victim of arson, according to
The Gleaner of Dec. 16, 1948, followed on Jan. 8 by a fire that destroyed Club Hollywood. It’s not clear whether those two incidents were connected to the dynamite that followed, but there was speculation to that effect.
And the first dynamite blast, which occurred March 20 at Walker’s Tavern, wasn’t initially reported. (A half-case of dynamite had been stolen from Russell Wilson Coal Co. a couple of weeks earlier.)
The second blast, on March 23, destroyed a Jeep that had been stolen from James Septer of Robards. Authorities later said the Jeep was similar to one owned by a fellow with gambling interests. The Gleaner carried a photo of the demolished Jeep in its March 27 issue but made no mention of gambling in the caption.
The third explosion on March 31 at Pearson’s Tavern is what got everyone’s attention. And then on April 8 someone dropped a stick of dynamite down the coal chute of the Right Quick Cafe at 317 Second St. That one shook the nearby Gleaner building and prompted phone calls to the police from all over town.
All the explosions occurred in the early morning hours and – except for the Jeep – resulted in minimal damage.The initial story of The Gleaner reported Carl Pearson saying one of his bartenders had received a telephoned threat March 25: “You will get the same treatment Walker’s got.” That story said other nightclub owners had received similar warnings.
Local law enforcement officials were mostly staying tight-lipped. “I don’t know anything about it,” said Sheriff Lyman Cooper; he reportedly was out of town in subsequent stories.
One city officer, who was not named, theorized it had been the work of “a gang of young punks. We’ve got a lot of them, you know.” Other officials quickly took up that refrain, that “the blasts were ‘kid stuff’ pranks designed to baffle peace officers and stir up the citizenry.”
The Rev. Robert Pfrangle of First Presbyterian Church, and head of the ministerial association, said in The Gleaner of April 3 “if the recent explosions are the result of a quarrel among the gambling element, and if anyone should be killed in any future dynamitings, the citizens of Henderson would be to blame, because they do not have to tolerate gambling.”
The Right Quick bombing of April 8 prompted action. The sheriff contacted the Kentucky State Police, which put together a contingent of 10 troopers out of the Madisonville post to investigate. But the police chief continued to maintain that the explosions “are not the result of a gambling war.” He said the motive was extortion.
The KSP quickly came to the same conclusion and on April 9 they presented about 15 witnesses to County Judge Fred Vogel in a hastily called court of inquiry. William Walker testified that shortly before his tavern was dynamited a mysterious “voice” told him by telephone he needed to pay $6,000 (later dropped to $1,600) to Richard T. “Dickie” Stevens to avoid more forceful persuasion.
Several places were raided over the next couple of days resulting in more than 50 arrests, mostly for unrelated offenses such as vagrancy, drunkenness or carrying a concealed weapon. The jail was filled almost to capacity before most of them bonded out.
Four men remained in jail, however, and were bound over to the grand jury.
They were Stevens — who was held because of Walker’s testimony -- Harvey Meyers, Harry Rednour and James McCormick. The latter three were held because they were linked to the bombings by a 16-year-old girl. She and her 13-year-old sister – who were daughters of a local minister – had frequently accompanied the three men to local taverns.
The Gleaner of April 15 reported the 16-year-old was being held on a charge of perjury after the three men swore out a warrant for her arrest. Rev. W.P. Lawrence posted her bond of $2,500.
The Gleaner of April 19 noted Police Chief Leon Beckham had been called on the carpet by the Henderson City Commission and that, after an executive session, he resigned.
An Evansville Press story of April 22 by Arthur Kasey said taverns were back to business as usual despite Beckham’s resignation. That story also remarked, “Many say that gambling is good for business and brings money into the city.”
Kasey also noted 1949 was an election year but none of the candidates had come out against gambling. “This traditionally has been considered political suicide in Henderson County.”
The Gleaner of May 3 reported KSP Sgt. L.D. Edwards, who had headed the Madisonville KSP contingent, had been named director of safety – in charge of the police and fire departments – and in a companion piece it reported Circuit Judge Marlin L. Blackwell’s instructions to the grand jury.
Blackwell said Henderson’s reputation was being blackened by reports of lawlessness, which could be interpreted to mean he gave credence to the idea of a gambling war. “Certain acts look like the work of gangsters trying to break in.”
Blackwell made no mention of dynamite, the story said, but “the judge very obviously was referring to this by ‘certain acts.’” Commonwealth Attorney Faust Simpson, when questioned by reporters, said it was “very possible” the bombings had been part of a gambling war.
The end of this story, as reported in the May 14 Gleaner, was decidedly anti-climactic. The May grand jury returned no indictments related to dynamite or perjury, but instead referred the matter to the next grand jury.
“Our personal opinion is that a number of people are involved in this crime wave,” the jury’s report said.
“Nevertheless, we feel that other people, whose names have not been mentioned, are also involved in this crime wave.”
No one was ever indicted.
100 YEARS AGO
The main building the preceded the Soaper Hotel at Second and Main streets was being razed, according to The Gleaner of March 26, 1924.
The story said the former Sam B. Mayer & Sons building had been erected about 90 years earlier. Two adjoining, smaller buildings had been taken down earlier in March.
50 YEARS AGO
The old YMCA at 239 N. Main St. and an adjacent house were bought at auction by Woodring Fryer for $45,000, according to The Gleaner of March 27, 1974.
The building had been vacant since the YMCA moved to its new quarters on Klutey Park Plaza the previous April. Although 1907 is usually given as the date of the building\'s completion, its construction was actually an on-going process between 1906 and 1911.
Fryer was pleased with his purchase because he thought he got it for substantially less than the appraised value. He had the building razed in mid-July of 1976.
The same story about Fryer’s purchase noted that the week before the Imperial Building Corp. had bought the old Elk’s Home at Third and Main streets and planned to tear it down to create more parking. Demolition began July 22, 1974.
25 YEARS AGO
The city of Henderson was investigating the pros and cons of switching to second-class city status, according to The Gleaner of March 28, 1999.
The city officially switched on July 14, 2000, because that was the day for all acts of the 2000 General Assembly to take effect.
Henderson had met the population requirements for second-class status for three decades. The Henderson City Commission, however, initially was hesitant to make the change but eventually became convinced it was a wise move.
Two of the changes included prohibiting the mayor from serving more than three consecutive terms and raising the membership of the board governing Henderson Municipal Power & Light from three to five members. Other changes included creation of a Board of Equalization, which helps resolve disputes about property taxes, and the ability of the city commission to allow Sunday sales of alcohol by restaurants that make most of their money from food sales.
Readers of The Gleaner can reach Frank Boyett at YesNews42@yahoo.com.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Henderson history: Dynamite used to persuade roadhouse owners
