Today in Johnson City History, Thursday, December 12, 2024
Dope ring connections, mischief in the police department, “Get Involved!” with Telford’s History Harvest and more
Friday, December 12, 1924: A century ago today, The Brooklyn Daily Times reported “An amazing tale of a ‘dope ring’ that securely fastened its tentacles on a girl still in her ‘teens, compelling her to lead the life of a drug user and peddler, landing her in jail ‘more than one hundred times,’ and finally culminating in a suicide attempt Tuesday night at Flatbush avenue (sic for Avenue) and Nevins street (sic for Street), was unfolded by Mrs. Doris Direnzo, 18, after she had recovered from iodine poisoning in the Cumberland Street Hospital.
“Abducted at 14 and forced into marriage with a bootlegger, Mrs. Direnzo explained why she wanted to die.
“”I wanted to die because my sister-in-law was mean to me. But that wasn’t all. My whole life has been a mess. And I’m only eighteen now,’ she sobbed.
“Four years ago in Bristol, Va., she said she rebelled when her family tried to place her in a convent. She eloped with Frank Chandler, but kept their marriage secret. When three months later her parents discovered she had been married they permitted her to go with Chandler to Xenia, Ohio. She added:
“’There my husband got jailed for bootlegging. I went to jail, too. The judge took pity on me, I guess. Anyway, I told him I didn’t know Frank was selling booze – and I didn’t – and he set me free and sent me home.’
“Helped by friends, she deserted him and fled to Johnson City, Tenn. There she one day met ‘a nice, dignified man’ in the lobby of the hotel. She continued:
“’He said he wanted to help me and promised to take me to his wife. I went with him to Asheville, N. C. I thought his wife was a wonderful woman. For two months they were wonderfully kind to me.
“’Then one day they told me I was a dope fiend; that all the time they had secretly been giving me morphine in my food. I didn’t know what they meant. I had never heard of dope.
“Later she met a Brooklyn sailor. She had been divorced by Chandler, who charged desertion, so the sailor married her.
“Her second husband discovered her habit and tried to make her take a cure. He followed her from city to city, and whenever she fell in with dope users he acted with police to raid their randezvous.”
The Brooklyn Daily Times was published in Brooklyn, New York, from 1855-1932, according to www.chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
Wednesday, December 12, 1934: Ninety years ago today, according to the Johnson City Chronicle, “The front wall of her home, near High Point on the Johnson City-Glanzstoff highway (sic for Highway), saved the life of little June Barnett, 7-year-old daughter of Mrs. Emma Barnett, Tuesday afternoon shortly after 3 o’clock when she was struck by shot fired from a 12-gauge shotgun in the hands of her 9-year-old brother, Hyder Barnett. Although the thick weather boarding of the house prevented fatal injury, the child’s right thigh and legs were peppered by more than a score of the small shot.
“Mrs. Barnett, who was in the same room with the child at the time, also received slight wounds in her left leg. Mother and child were immediately rushed to the office of Dr. E. M. Fleenor where examination revealed the condition of the child was not serious. Both were returned to their home after the shot had been extracted.
“Young Barnett was said to have been handing the gun on the porch of his home when it was accidentally fired, the full load striking the front wall and entering the front room of the house.”
The Glanzstoff Highway is now known as Highway 91 from East Main Street in Johnson City, to the Happy Valley area, at which place it becomes West Elk Avenue and U.S. 321 in Elizabethton.
Tuesday, December 12, 1939: Eighty-five years ago today, the Johnson City Chronicle alerted readers to some outrageous happenings. “Two city police officers yesterday were accusing each other of going out of their way to play ‘dirty tricks’, each on the other.
“It all started when Desk Sergeant Walden Shell opened a desk drawer and a starling flew out into his face. Shell is said, on perhaps not absolutely unbiased testimony, to have been taken aback by the beating of wings and to have knocked down three hilarious fellow cops in his efforts to get out of the ‘danger zone.’
“Shell suspected Officer Jim Onks of the ‘outrage,’ but Onks strenuously, if grinningly, denied it. Twenty-four hours later, however, Onks opened a drawer in which shoe-shining equipment is kept and yelled when his finger was nipped by a fat ‘possum.
“Who smuggled the marsupial in is still a mystery. Onks says Shell did it to get revenge for the starling incident, concerning which Jim maintains he is as innocent as the proverbial new-born (sic for newborn) babe. Shell, chucklingly denying any responsibility for the ‘possum, still contends Onks wished the starling on him.”
Tuesday, December 12, 1944: Eighty years ago today, the Johnson City Press-Chronicle reported that “J. T. Browning, 77-year-old retired postal clerk, newspaper editor and publisher, attorney and educator, died Sunday night at his home, 111 East Myrtle avenue (sic for Avenue) following a lingering illness.
“A native of Greene county (sic for County), Mr. Browning came to Johnson City in the fall of 1889 as a grammar school principal and after teaching about three years, became founder, editor and publisher of the Johnson City Staff, a post he held four years. He was direct representative of Washington county (sic) in the 50th General Assembly of Tennessee at about that time.
“After studying (several indecipherable words), was admitted to the bar. He later accepted a position in the Johnson City post office and was appointed the first postal savings clerk in Tennessee. He was money order clerk at the time of his retirement. He also had been local secretary of the (several indecipherable words) Civil Service Board for 10 years.
“Mr. Browning was a member of the Johnson City board (sic for Board) of education (sic for Education) for 15 years; board of trustees for Washington College, from which he graduated, for 12 years, board for the United College of Washington and Tusculum, official board of the First Methodist Church here more than 30 years, secretary and treasurer of the first board of trustees of College Heights Methodist Church and was for many years teacher and president of the Men’s Bible Class of the First Methodist Church.”
Washington College is a community in rural Washington County. Washington College was a school for many years, functioning as a college and then a high school. In 1944, it was functioning as a high school.
A final reminder about a unique way to “Get Involved!” Saturday, December 14 is the History Harvest in Telford. It will take place from 9 a. m. until 3 p. m. at 101 Telford School Road in Telford; that’s the location of the Telford Ruritan Club. For additional information contact J. D. Banks at banksjd@etsu.edu
To subscribe, click on this link:
https://www.todayinjohnsoncityhistory.com/subscribe
Truly, it takes several people to put together something like you’ve just read. I express profound appreciation to Heidi Dulebohn and Stephanie McClellan Houk for their thoughts and encouragement.
Grateful appreciation is expressed to Collin Brooks for his social media expertise. If you need assistance with your social medial needs, call him at 423-735-8755.
Will Riddle, owner of Riddle Technology Services, can help you with all your computer and computer-related needs. He’s the best! Call him at 423-480-4024.