Long ago on independence square (exam, newspapers, youth)

[Mad Anthonie]

During my time there the booking desk was downstairs, a half flight from the side door. The jail was several steel cages in the SE corner room of the basement. Dispatch was behind the booking desk, which doesn't seem like a good idea!

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

During my time there the booking desk was downstairs, a half flight from the side door. The jail was several steel cages in the SE corner room of the basement. Dispatch was behind the booking desk, which doesn't seem like a good idea!

So what kind of training did they put you through to learn the city's limits? Just give you a map and say "study up" or was there something more intense than that?

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

So what kind of training did they put you through to learn the city's limits? Just give you a map and say "study up" or was there something more intense than that?

Much less intense. There was no training at all. Most of it came from maps. I did contact the city engineer's office several times for detailed descriptions of the city limits where the maps weren't clear.

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

Much less intense. There was no training at all. Most of it came from maps. I did contact the city engineer's office several times for detailed descriptions of the city limits where the maps weren't clear.

As far as I can determine, there are no roads in the Clay County portion of Independence.

But, did the police department ever have to handle anything that took place in that area that required the subsequent involvement of Clay County?

Or, Coast Guard involvement?

Or, railroad police involvement?

[WCHS'59]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

The stoplight in the yard was a safety lesson. It was green if there were no injury auto accidents in the last 24 hours. Yellow meant an injury within 24 hours, red was a fatality. It was yellow most of the time.

As I recall in those good old days, there were few murders, if any, at least most of the time.

However, I do vividly recall a murder in 1958 that took place two doors from my house. That event took place while school was in session at the new WCHS and really shook up our neighborhood. But inasmuch as the people involved were short time renters, there was not much of a lasting impression other than the deed, itself. I dont even recall their name.

I also recall that in the late fifties or early sixties, a Japanese woman killed her two or three children and then committed suicide, although there might not have been a successful death effort. I dont recall what caused this event to happen but it could have been that she was dumped by her American husband and the woman saw no other way out.

The murder close to my house did not make much news in the Examiner. The Japanese woman did make some space in the Examiner.

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

As far as I can determine, there are no roads in the Clay County portion of Independence.

But, did the police department ever have to handle anything that took place in that area that required the subsequent involvement of Clay County?

Or, Coast Guard involvement?

Or, railroad police involvement?

The only calls across the river I recall were out to Missouri City. Independence owns a power plant out there, so any crime on the property is handled by IPD. I wonder what happens if there is a fire?

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

As I recall in those good old days, there were few murders, if any, at least most of the time.

However, I do vividly recall a murder in 1958 that took place two doors from my house. That event took place while school was in session at the new WCHS and really shook up our neighborhood. But inasmuch as the people involved were short time renters, there was not much of a lasting impression other than the deed, itself. I dont even recall their name.

I also recall that in the late fifties or early sixties, a Japanese woman killed her two or three children and then committed suicide, although there might not have been a successful death effort. I dont recall what caused this event to happen but it could have been that she was dumped by her American husband and the woman saw no other way out.

The murder close to my house did not make much news in the Examiner. The Japanese woman did make some space in the Examiner.

Murders were about the same as today for Independence, that is variable. Some years only had a couple, others might get clear up to 10. A couple of notable ones from my days were the Gail Skurlock murder, at a motel on 40 Highway, which wasn't solved until a few years ago. Another biggie was the double execution style murder of the 7-11 clerk and customer by Vincent X Lee on Father's Day 1974 or 5-ish. That one was solved in just a few days, and ended a spree of robbery killings he committed.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by Mad Anthonie

The only calls across the river I recall were out to Missouri City. Independence owns a power plant out there, so any crime on the property is handled by IPD. I wonder what happens if there is a fire?



Murders were about the same as today for Independence, that is variable. Some years only had a couple, others might get clear up to 10. A couple of notable ones from my days were the Gail Skurlock murder, at a motel on 40 Highway, which wasn't solved until a few years ago. Another biggie was the double execution style murder of the 7-11 clerk and customer by Vincent X Lee on Father's Day 1974 or 5-ish. That one was solved in just a few days, and ended a spree of robbery killings he committed.

Should have remembered the Vincent X. Lee case since I was very much a newshound back then, so research came up with this (still doesn't ring the bell):

"The convictions arose from occurrences on the afternoon of June 15, 1975, in the "7-11" Store at 23rd Street and Noland Road in Independence, Missouri. Defendant was seen in the store about 2:00 p.m. and soon thereafter was observed driving from the parking lot at a high rate of speed. Within a few minutes two murder victims were found in the store, one a female employee and the other a male, apparently a customer. Abundant evidence linked defendant with the murders and robbery of the store. The evidence also indicated defendant had robbed the dead male victim."

[Mad Anthonie]

Originally Posted by MRG Dallas

Should have remembered the Vincent X. Lee case since I was very much a newshound back then, so research came up with this (still doesn't ring the bell):

"The convictions arose from occurrences on the afternoon of June 15, 1975, in the "7-11" Store at 23rd Street and Noland Road in Independence, Missouri. Defendant was seen in the store about 2:00 p.m. and soon thereafter was observed driving from the parking lot at a high rate of speed. Within a few minutes two murder victims were found in the store, one a female employee and the other a male, apparently a customer. Abundant evidence linked defendant with the murders and robbery of the store. The evidence also indicated defendant had robbed the dead male victim."

Before fouling our fair city Vincent had killed several others in robberies, mainly in KC. I remember one was at a downtown Radio Shack. He didn't like to leave witnesses, but he left several in Independence. Leaving the store too quickly he pulled out in front of several cars, the occupants noticed he was wearing gloves on a warm summer day. They also noticed his car had a cheapy paint job, with much of the chrome logos painted on from poor masking. Those clues led IPD detectives to canvas low cost paint shops. It turned out that Vincent had his car repainted after each job.

[MRG Dallas]

[quote=WCHS'59;28157428]One of the photos was that of the drug store on the northwest corner of Lexington and Union Street, right across from the old WCHS. That place must have made a mint from soda fountain sales to the school kids.

Just as did Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop across the street. Next to IDCo is a place called Barbie Frocks, Inc. (anyone know this?), then residences/apts all the way down to River, save for the Center Stake of Zion RLDS on the corner.

Next to Maid-Rite was Deluxe Cleaners, then down Lexington were osteopaths, a stamp dealer, a cafe, the Packard dealership, Ketchum's Bicyles (I thought they did Oldsmobiles ? and shoe repair. The Galen Boyer's used car lot and ending with Slover's Drive In at River. How many of those do you remember, WCHS?

EDIT: The drug store also lists "School Supplies" on the storefront so undoubtedly it made a killing selling textbooks too. Sally talked about a place up on The Square where she got her texts and supplies (Sturgis?) so those were probably the only two and typically would not compete on price but would charge the "publisher's list price" Of course it was nothing compared to the outrageous prices being charged for school books today.

[MRG Dallas]

Originally Posted by WCHS'59

As I recall in those good old days, there were few murders, if any, at least most of the time.

However, I do vividly recall a murder in 1958 that took place two doors from my house. That event took place while school was in session at the new WCHS and really shook up our neighborhood. But inasmuch as the people involved were short time renters, there was not much of a lasting impression other than the deed, itself. I dont even recall their name.

I also recall that in the late fifties or early sixties, a Japanese woman killed her two or three children and then committed suicide, although there might not have been a successful death effort. I dont recall what caused this event to happen but it could have been that she was dumped by her American husband and the woman saw no other way out.

The murder close to my house did not make much news in the Examiner. The Japanese woman did make some space in the Examiner.

No such luck Googling these murders, WCHS. Tried key words plus Harkless, Japanese, etc. The Japanese one brought up a ton of hit for WW II and the A-bomb but now nuclear domestic cases.