Divorces, tramps and thieves: Elgin's hot topics 100 years ago

Elgin had a visitor a century ago unlike any other ever seen before. Divorce proceedings at the city court likely had some tongues wagging, and the decision of the school board to fire a well known employee raised the ire of hundreds of citizens. Here's a look at those and other stories that made Elgin area headlines in June 1908.

One of the most unique people to ever visit Elgin did so a century ago this month. He was the author of four books, had written numerous magazine articles, and spoke four languages. He even claimed to have had visited most of the cities in the United States and been around the world three times. But, he wasn't a person of royalty, business success, or even a privileged family. Instead this unique individual was simply known as "A-Number-1" - one of the most well-known tramps of all times.

Taking to the rails at the age of 11, this rugged individualist said he had logged nearly a half million miles and paid only $7.00 in fares - records of which he kept in a diary. As a memento of his visits, he often carved "A-No. 1" into fences, box cars, and coal bins.

"Never start," was the message he gave to boys who admired his carefree lifestyle. "Roving is a habit that is incurable."

"The city court of Elgin is rapidly becoming a divorce court," reported one local newspaper. Of the 45 cases on the docket for the month, 12 were divorce cases. Two cases, in particular, drew attention - one involving the police chief and another involving the band leader of the well known Elgin National Watch Company. In both instances neither husband appeared in court and the cases weren't even known about until the wives arrived. Court-goers also had a difficult time in learning any details about the couples since the women and their attorneys huddled closely around the judge.

"Criminals beware," was the message from the Elgin Police Department which had just purchased two bloodhounds to assist in detective work. Acquired from a kennel in Kentucky, the two-month-old puppies were expected to be 100 pounds fully grown. The animals would be trained by a local expert and be able to track a man's scent several miles away, throw him to the ground, and hold him until authorities arrived when the process was complete.

"We believe an injustice has been done," said over 500 people who signed a petition asking the school board to reverse its decision to dismiss an eastside elementary school principal. The school board will "stand pat" on its decision to fire the principal of Garfield School," said a board member in charge of the action. "What do the people think we are that we will change our decision after we have announced our intention to remove Mrs. Kellogg from the position?"

Some supporters of the popular administrator, who had worked for the district for years, said the matter would become an issue in the next school board election.

Patriotism sometimes knows no boundaries. An Elgin man working in the Panama Canal construction zone became upset when he saw a store clerk using an American flag for a window cleaning rag. The employee refused to stop after being asked and a few days later another shop clerk who was doing the same thing was knocked to the ground. The actions led to the printing of over 1,000 cards and a boycott of the store. Organizers felt their actions would send a strong message to this business which relied heavily on American trade.

"Women teachers, or a majority of them, tend to effeminate the pupils in a high school," said a citizen who was in favor of hiring men for four open positions at Elgin High School.

"Men are more desirable for high school work," agreed the superintendent. "The trouble is that men of no better scholarship demand more money than women with the same qualifications."

"There is also great trouble in getting men," he added, saying the same problem was faced by other school districts across the county.

Finally, celebrating one's graduation from high school is a common occurrence, but some students in the Elgin High School Class of 1908 took their enthusiasm too far when they entered the school at 2 a.m. to ring the school bell. Police quickly responded to calls from startled neighbors and arrested three boys for disorderly conduct and held 30 others for entering the building. The officer's actions were too harsh, said some students. A number of men who were playing their brass horns until the wee hours of the morning during a recent convention had no charges filed against them, they added.