London's Bicentennial (Snippet 25)

 Happy Canada Day!

   Here are a few items from the London Morning Advertiser - 100 Years Ago - July 1, 1926.

Today the temperature is supposed to soar to 35, but will "feel like" 47! In 1926, it was 25 and peoples' feelings were probably not so inflated.

Cars driving into buildings is not new.

In 2026 we may soon be able to get booze from another province, but probably no bourbon from the U.S. for quite a while.

According to the "Homicide Dashboard" produced by the Toronto Police Service, there have been 16 murders so far in 2026.

The blue license plate problem happened in 2020. The issue is still in the news: "Ford Government is in Secrecy-by-default mode, Critics Say After blue licence plate Documents Released."

DON'T FORGET TO RENEW YOURS

Nurses can now wear scrubs.

Now we just have different coloured ones.

London had a local paper back in 1926 and the sports coverage was considerable. There were even stories about lawn bowling and cricket.

There were plenty of ads, but clearly the writing was on the wall and this strategy was applied. It didn't work.

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 24)

 A Criminal Caught - 1898

Arizona Republican, Oct. 10, 1898

Punishment Forthcoming

The Times (Washington), March 30, 1899

For more about this crime see, "Marion 'Peg-leg' Brown", where a picture of the murdered Constable Michael Toohey is also found. "Death, Disaster, and Disgrace in Victorian London - Walking Tour," . p.33.

Aptronym Alert

   I have written about aptronyms before, so when I spotted three more, I thought I would add them to the pile. For an earlier piece see the clearly titled "Aptronyms". If you are not at all interested in aptronyms, but would enjoy something sleazy, then proceed directly to the bottom and see the Bonus. 

FIFA and the Falcons
  FIFA activities have disrupted many citizens in the cities in which the World Cup games are being played. In Toronto the disruptions extended to the peregrine falcons in the rafters at the stadium. Rather than remove the nest, the decision was made to shield the birds and workers and the chicks survived. During the ornithological consultations, expert advice was sought and provided by David Bird, an emeritus professor of wildlife biology at McGill University. 
  ("How Peregrine Falcon Chicks Nesting in BMO Field’s Rafters Complicated World Cup Preparations," Om Shanbhag, June 23, 2026 G&M.

Fantasies and Fortunes
  Carley Fortune seems to be doing well and is aptly named.
("Her Chart-Topping Romance Novels Started With Her Teenage Diaries: Carley Fortune left a hard-won journalism job to give fiction a shot. Five best-sellers later, a series based on her debut is about to stream," Elisabeth Egan, June 3, 2026, NYT.)

Sordid Shenanigans South of Here

  Jerry D. Cash, had lots of it and embezzled much more. Now out of prison, he is starting over with a new name, Jerry W. Ross and a new modus operandi. 

    

The Bonus:

   The former Mr. Cash was found in an article about an industry about which I knew nothing - the growing Kratom Industry. Kratom is derived from trees in Southeast Asia and as a compound is now found in many forms in drinks and tablets in hundreds of convenience stores and  gas stations across the border.
  If you are re-thinking your stance about not travelling to the U.S. and are heading toward Port Huron, you may want to pause. Although kratom has been said to boost energy and limit pain, it is regarded as unsafe. although it is being promoted by many associated with the current Administration in the U.S. 

  "How an Addictive Gas Station Drug Found Allies in Trump’s Cabinet

With support from Markwayne Mullin and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: The Kratom industry is Pursuing a Potentially Lucrative Policy. Mr. Mullin owns equity in a company that could benefit," Kenneth P. Vogel and Christina Jewett, NYT, June 15, 2026.
   

  "For years, federal health officials have warned about the risks associated with a supplement derived from the leaves of kratom trees that adherents say can kill pain or boost energy. Sold in gas stations across America, kratom has been linked to liver toxicity, seizures and thousands of deaths.

  Powerful figures close to President Trump, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, pushed to downplay those concerns…..

 In a disclosure statement, he listed an investment worth as much as $1 million in a kratom company, Botanic Tonics, that could benefit from the changes he has sought.

 The company’s founder, Jerry W. Ross —[aka Jerry D. Cash] who had been an energy executive in Mr. Mullin’s home state before pleading guilty to a financial crime — is a leading player in the influence campaign that was devised to benefit kratom at the expense of its rivals in the marketplace....

   The kratom campaign underscores how corporations in the growing wellness industry can gain traction in Mr. Trump’s government by casting risky products as aligned with the administration’s Make America Healthy Again, or MAHA, agenda championed by Mr. Kennedy, who has sometimes prioritized unproven remedies over science….

   “It’s looking like we have a coin-operated drug policy that basically responds to whoever will give money,” said Kevin Sabet, who worked on drug policy under Republican and Democratic presidents. “And it threatens public health and safety because it’s going around the scientific process in favor of donors and influencers.

A Rising Scourge

  Long used medicinally in Southeast Asia, the leaves of the kratom tree contain a compound called mitragynine that interacts with the brain’s opioid receptors in a manner said to produce mild pain relief and — depending on its preparation — either sedation or energy and focus.

Kratom started gaining popularity in the United States in the early 2010s as the opioid addiction epidemic raged. With doctors tightening access to powerful prescription painkillers like OxyContin, users spread the word that kratom — initially sold as a bitter-tasting powder — could produce a similar effect.

Devotees promoted it as a way to kick opioid addiction or to replace alcohol. But as reports of negative effects started rolling in, the government tried to take action.

   Kratom took off, appearing on the shelves of convenience stores and vape shops as tablets, drinks and gummies. The products varied in strength, and the concentration of active ingredients on the labels was not always accurate. They could be purchased in many states without age verification.

   From 2020 through 2024, kratom was found in the system of more than 5,200 people who died of drug overdoses, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention based on death certificates and other official reports. Though often found in combination with other drugs, one study determined that those using kratom carried a sixfold increase in the risk of overdose death."

   There are so many articles about the subject of "sleaziness", this one may have been overlooked, but it should be near the top of the list. 

For more about kratom see the Mayo Clinic. 

Jackie Gleason's Library!

    In MM you will find other posts about Private Libraries, that is, collections gathered by individuals as opposed to institutions. For an example see, Louise Penny' Library.  

Ralph Kramden - The Reader!
  I am old enough to remember "The Honeymooners", a '50s sitcom, in which Gleason played the part of Kramden, a crass bus driver. You may know of Gleason because you saw him on Turner Classic Movies as "Minnesota Fats" in The Hustler, or on a channel, not so classic, where he was sheriff Buford T. Justice in Smokey and the Bandit.

Living Large

  Apart from having a varied and successful career, he read and collected many books, most of which were related to the occult and things not normal. They were kept in his rotund house in New York state. There was also, of course, a pool table and much that was related to music, as well as four bars. He liked drinking and smoked six packs a day. He died in 1987 at the age of 71.

  I know this because there is a new book out which is mainly about his library, about which I did not know. It is: Jackie Gleason: Library of the Paranormal, edited by Christine Burgin and you can get it quickly from Amazon, where this description is found:
  "A high school dropout with a photographic memory and a major case of insomnia, he was an avid reader and spiritual searcher who looked for answers in the most unexpected places. Gleason was also a confirmed skeptic who believed that some grand cosmic scheme existed, but he could not say what it might ultimately be. Additionally, Gleason amassed a staggering collection of over 3,000 esoteric books, ranging from scholarly studies to supermarket paperbacks, now part of the holdings of the University of Miami Special Collections Library. Library of the Paranormal lifts the lid on this treasure trove of arcana. A generous selection of colorful and quizzical covers from Charles Fort, L. Ron Hubbard and dozens more are reproduced alongside press excerpts and interviews in which Gleason manages to shoehorn his thoughts on ESP, aliens, life after death and other decidedly off-topic interests, including his failed plans in the early '50s to produce a television show devoted to paranormal experiences."

The Jackie Gleason Collection at the University of Miami Libraries
   Gleason moved to Florida and the books were donated to the University of Miami by his widow in 1987. If you go to the Special Collections area of the U. of M. Libraries, you will find a thorough description of the collection, which is divided into these subject headings where additional details are found. If you click on UFOs, a popular subject these days, you will see the related holdings. 

Celebrities
Cryptids and Lost Worlds
Death
Dreams
Ghosts
Mediums and Telepathy
Oddities
Psychology
Spiritualism
The Supernatural
UFOS and Extraterrestrials

Sources: 
 See, The Jackie Gleason Collection  and for more, Special Collections. The communication folks among "The Hurricanes" also produced these: "Spookiness No Laughing Matter For This Comedian" and "Jackie Gleason's Passion For the Occult".

  In MM I have provided other examples of libraries being given to libraries. See, for example, The Fleur Cowles' London Study, Erle Stanley Gardner's Study and Philip Roth's collection at the Newark Public Library, all of which are found in this post: Actual Libraries. 
   As a minor bonus, you will also find another post about the University of Miami, from which both of my nieces graduated. See: "A Place at the Table for Atheists".

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 23)

 Early Infrastructure Issues - 1881

Source: Juniata Sentinel and Republic, June 2, 1881.
Juniata is a county in Pennsylvania and the paper was published in Mifflintown, which seems to be in the middle of nowhere.

    There used to be thousands of papers, even in small towns in the middle of nowhere. Many also had the word "Sentinel" in the title to indicate they were standing watch over the community. Now there are far fewer, even in a large city like London. In Eastern Ontario, as of today, there will be even fewer.

The following is from the story below the picture above:

The local media scene is changing once again.

This Thursday June 25 will be the last day people in the wider Quinte region will be seeing the Community Press weekly newspaper in their mailboxes.

Owners Postmedia will cease all eastern Ontario print weeklies on that date.

The Community Press will continue to be published online.

Postmedia says its decision will affect affect about 50 full-time and 200 part-time jobs connected to its flyer distribution network.

The Community Press was founded in the 1980’s by Alan Coxwell and his brother-in-law James Eby, along with John Seckar with its offices located in Stirling.

London's Bicentennial (Snippet 22)

 HELLMUTH LADIES' COLLEGE

    In the second half of the 19th century, if you asked any American what they knew about London, Ontario, the answer would likely have been, "It's the home of Hellmuth Ladies' College."  I think that is the case because any newspaper search about London in those days yields "hits" about the Hellmuth Ladies' College, the advertisements for which are ubiquitous. London for them must have been imagined as the "Athens of the North."

                                  Higher Education in London, Ontario
  Elevated above the Thames, young ladies were lured to come to the "sanitary surroundings" in the Forest City where they could study, music, dance, French and refinement. To illustrate what was advertised, here are some samples and they range from such papers as, The Salt Lake Herald, Southern Christian Advocate (Charleston) and The Portland Daily Press (the one in Maine.) These are from the 1880s and there are many more from many different newspapers.

This picture is from the 1890s. 

    The property is located on RIchmond at Windermere and is now mostly a retirement facility, but you can stay at the Guest House on the Mount if you are visiting.

 Farther up the river Thames, east on Windermere, young ladies coming to UWO could stay at Spencer Hall well into the 1960s. One of the finer dormitories found anywhere, I would think. It is now the Spencer Hotel and Conference Centre and you can stay there as well.

  Young women used to be able to come to another "ladies'' college in London which was also an attractive place, located until just a few years ago, above the corn fields across the road from UWO. It ceased to be a college for women a few years ago (see, "Bad News From Brescia.")

 

  The corn fields were removed to make room for parking and the Ivey Business School and the space at Spencer Hall on Windermere is now also associated with the Business School. Progress, I suppose.

Kitty Coleman

 Kitty Coleman Provincial Park

     Recently we spent some time in the Comox Valley area on Vancouver Island. While there, we visited both the Kitty Coleman Provincial Park and the Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens. Although personal names appearing in place names is common in B.C. (e.g.,Vancouver), Kitty Coleman caught my eye.

      A few years ago I wrote a book and in it “Kit" Coleman is mentioned. “Kit” is the diminutive associated with Kathleen Blake Coleman who was a famous Canadian journalist and war correspondent. She is the “Kit” I found during my research and I didn’t recall her ever being referred to as “Kitty”.  Could the Kitty Coleman for whom the park is named, be simply a West Coast, laid-back reference to Kathleen “Kit" Coleman?

Kit Coleman

   The short answer is “No”.  The famous “Kit Coleman” I wrote about showed up recently on a commemorative Silver Dollar issued by the Royal Canadian Mint. (For more about that Kit Coleman and the coin see, Kathleen "Kit" Coleman.)
   Although I am reluctant to use the following word in relation to an Indigenous woman, the infamous “Kitty" Coleman shows up in the database of BC Geographical Names where this is found:
   “Kitty Coleman was an Indian woman who, 40 or 50 years ago, left her tribe to marry a white man. He was later jailed, and she lived alone on this beach selling fish and berries. The beach became known locally as Kitty Coleman's Beach, hence the park name….There are frequent references to Kitty Coleman in court documents through the 1890's and into the early 1900's; she ran a brothel (location not specified), and was frequently cited for unseemly behavior or jailed on prostitution charges. In later years, she lived near Cape Mudge.”

     I confess to being curious about “Kitty” and did a cursory search. The following article was found and it is very interesting. Since it involves Indigenous matters and “colonial” ones, which are contentious these days, I will offer no comments, other than to say that the infamous Kitty and the famous Kit both deserve more attention and research.

       THE GAZETTE, MONTREAL. TUESDAY. MAY 8, 1906, p.7

“SLAVERY AMONG INDIANS”

A Bad State of Affairs Reported in

British. Columbia.

Ottawa, May 7.--  (Special) According to a return secured by Mr. Borden, there seems to have been ample grounds for the statements which appeared In the British Columbia papers a few months ago, that Indian children were being sold into slavery in that province. The matter first came to the attention of the department through a letter from the Rev, J. B. Kindle, of Cape Mudge, B.C., who wrote to Mr. Vowell, Indian superintendent at Victoria, transmitting the complaint of an Indian named Billy Seawhit and his wife Sarah.These Indians said that Mr. South, agent of the Children's Aid Society of Vancouver, had visited the Indian village at Cape Mudge, and had taken from the Seawhits their little girl, who was known as Edith Grant. From reports it appears that she was three parts white and one part Indian. Mr. Debeck, agent for the Indian Department at Cape Mudge, when, asked for particulars of the affair, reported that the child was in the hand of a vicious Indian woman named Kitty Coleman, and that, by order of two magistrates, the child was handed over to Mr. South, to be cared for by the society

at Vancouver. Mr.Debeck says that Mr. South, is a most humane man, and

took this action after full enquiry upon the spot Then, curiously enough,

Debeck recommends the Seawhits to consult a Vancouver lawyer, with a view to compelling the Vancouver society to deliver the child up to the parents. Transmitting Mr. Debeck's report, Mr. Vowell declares that from every possible moral standpoint Mr.South took the proper course under the circumstances. He comments upon the inconsistent position of Mr. Debeck in recommending to the parents to resort to law. They did secure a hearing before two Judges to Vancouver, and after full enquiry the child was ordered to be retained by the Vancouver society. Mr. Vowell proceeds to say that girls with white skins, thick brown hair braided down their backs, and big, innocent, childish eyes, are being sold today, and have been sold for years in British Columbia to the highest bidders. He points out that many of the girls are sent into the logging camps for immoral purposes, and urges that this practice should not be allowed to continue longer. He thinks that the administration of justice department in British Columbia should take hold of the matter. 

   Agent Debeck makes a special report to the department from Alert Bay, dated October 23rd last. He says almost every Indian in that agency who Is in the potlatch is a slave dealer; fathers sell their daughters, brothers sell their sisters or cousins, and he knew of one instance where a son offered his old mother for sale as a slave. He mentions one case where a boy was taken out of the Indian school, and a young girl of 12 or  13 from the girls' school was sold to him. They lived together for a while, and then the authorities compelled both to go back to sohool again. Mr.Debeck recommends a remedy for the existing evils, first of all, the putting down of the potlach, which is really at the bottom of all the evils complained of. He says It should be done with a firm hand, not in a slipshod manner in which Justice has been administered among the Indians in the past. Secondly, he suggests a rigid enforcement of the law, especially as regards the sale of intoxicants to Indians which  is at present, he says, a disgrace to any civilised country. Third, he suggests patting a stop to the custom of buying and selling women, and,  if possible, the compelling  of the Indians to marry their women legally, and lastly, if possible, to keep out the grafters. These different communications evidently stirred up the Indian Department, as a circular letter was sent to all inspectors and agents in the western provinces, asking for information on the subject of the intermarriage between whites and Indians, a number of alliances of a temporary character, the age at which Indian children should be allowed to marry, and the extent of the custom of selling young girls into slavery.

   Again Agent Debeck is to the fore with some pretty frank advice. He says: "You may legislate for these Indians until doomsday, and they will never do any good until this curse of their whole lives, the potlatch, is completely wiped out.” Further he says "People come here in the  garb of missionaries, start a store, commence trading with the Indians, making what they can out of them, ride roughshod over the Indian Act and are then upheld by the Indian Department.  As far as the Criminal Code goes. It Is about the same. All manner of crimes ore committed among these Indians, even to murder, and it is seldom that any of them are brought to justice."

[The source is provided and should be checked. This version is a result of my cutting and pasting and may contain errors. The bolded print is not in the original and was applied by me to call attention to the 'sensational' parts.]

Place Names:

   I suppose one could ask if a place should be named for someone who exhibited "unseemly behavior", ran a brothel and is described as "vicious'. I am not one who would ask such a question and am against the scrubbing of names from maps. For a good book relating to questionable toponyms see, From Squaw Tit to Whorehouse Meadow: How Maps Name, Claim, and Inflame by Mark Monmonier. For a fascinating book about names on the land, read Names on the Land by George R. Stewart.
  For a discussion of those books in MM see "Names on the Land" and the post about the author, George R. Stewart. 
  For more about name changing (and name calling) in B.C., where there are some who want to sanitize the landscape and remove names that often reveal interesting stories see, "British Columbia or Saquatchia?". 
  For my typical contrarian view about name changing, see "No More Name Changing".

  The geographical puritans are also worried about names in the Southern Hemisphere. See, for example, "The Meaning of Magellan."