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Mind Your Manners
On October 18, 2023 by Elyse“Manners easily and rapidly mature into morals,” the politician Horace Mann is said to have declared. While the stories below suggest otherwise, there’s no denying that good manners can make all the difference in just about any situation. If you follow the etiquette you (hopefully) learned in preschool, you’ll go far—into the judicial system, that
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Crêpe and Punishcake
On June 28, 2023 by ElyseWhat’s better for defending your home than an assault rifle? Why, a-syrup rifle, of course! A Paris message says: An elderly lady, Mme. Mouillebois, was engaged in frying pancakes in her rooms in the Rue de la Maison Blance on Saturday, when she was alarmed by hearing the door of her flat open. A man
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Clip of the Week: March 22, 2023
On March 22, 2023 by ElyseToday’s post as it all*: Stalking! A high-speed carriage chase! Grand theft! An underdeveloped romantic subplot! * Second Glance History is not responsible in any way, shape or form for the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability or completeness of the above information. Read at your own risk. A lady and her daughter, while shopping in Regent
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Clip of the Week: June 15, 2022
On June 15, 2022 by ElyseToday’s lesson: You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, even if those flies are stealing the honeypot. Leopold Karlsberg was held up in the hallway of his home at 5030 Woodlawn avenue late Saturday and was robbed of $150, his keyring and some documents. Last night he received a telephone call from one of
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Clip of the Week: March 23, 2022
On March 23, 2022 by ElyseIt was worth a shot: F. M. Orchard’s home has been robbed many times. Published a “want ad:” “Mr. Burglar, please write. State what you want, and we will prepare it, but don’t muss up the house.” – The Day Book, January 18, 1913 Sounds like somebody could use one of these:
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Clip of the Week: January 26, 2022
On January 26, 2022 by ElyseAs a Chicagoan, I’m equal parts flattered and offended: The elegance of the Chicago criminal is attested by the fact that policemen in that city mistook [Illinois senator] Mr. J. Hamilton Lewis for a bank robber. – The Evening Star, October 30, 1913 In their defense, here in Chicago, our politicians and our criminals are
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The Good Samaritan
On January 5, 2022 by ElyseHere at Second Glance History, I’m starting the year off with a celebration of strangers who help those in need—most especially an angelic lady named Ali, who was in the right place at the right time to rescue a certain silly blogger who got in over her head in the Pacific Ocean last month. As
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Home Alone
On December 22, 2021 by Elyse‘Tis the season for not only reindeer, grinches and magical snowmen but also fearless children, negligent parents and dumb thieves. “Home Alone” may not be the first Christmas movie that comes to mind, but it turns out there’s a long and storied tradition of children left alone around the holidays matching wits against would-be robbers.
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Elephants Gone Wild, Part 2
On July 7, 2021 by ElyseWhat makes an elephant turn to a life of crime? Nature? Nurture? Second Glance History’s guide to pickpocketing? We may never be sure, but what we do know is there are enough incidents of mammoth misconduct for a full season of “CSI: Ele-felony.” Last time, elephant bad boys Peanut and Basil impersonated a sea serpent