Categories
Historic America

Who was Isabelle Scott?

Isabelle Scott lived in Mattoon, Illinois from 1902 until her death in 1907. She died of tuberculosis at the young age of 30-32. In those short years, Isabelle was the notorious madam of a brothel on what was then called Railroad Street/Cottage Avenue. She rubbed elbows with notorious figures in Mattoon’s underworld, even a city alderman.

But who was she, really?

I came across this fascinating figure while researching Mattoon’s history for my book, Tales of Coles County, and later developed it into an essay for a nonfiction writing class at George Mason University.

Unfortunately, I don’t live in Illinois anymore and am only able to visit once a year, if that, so my time to visit Mattoon to conduct research is severely limited.

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Categories
Commentary

Nikki Haley Gets an ‘F’ in History

Can the fumbling Republican presidential hopeful get anything right about our nation’s history?

Earlier this week, former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador Nikki Haley told Fox News viewers that the United States is “not a racist country” and has “never been a racist country.” While her first statement is debatable, her second is not. Even the most generous reader of U.S. history would come away with the understanding that, yes, historically we’ve been a pretty racist country.

Just to name a few examples: The Naturalization Act of 1790 exclusively limited naturalization to “free White person(s)” and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and Immigration Act of 1924 combined to bar entry to a majority of Asian immigrants. These were matters of national public policy.

Is the racism charge true everywhere and at all times? Of course not. Individual opinion is never monolithic, and the degree of social or legal discrimination against certain groups of people varied. But over all, the predominance of laws targeting nonwhite people (for lack of a better term), especially prior to the mid-twentieth century, is well documented.

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Categories
Commentary

Newsweek Goes Off the Rails

Hyperbolic headlines are not exclusive to news about Donald Trump–even local elections get the clickbait treatment.

Over the years, I’ve written many, many articles about bias, sloppy reporting, and outright lies in the news media. Usually it comes from journalists with a left-wing bias, but this article in Newsweek is absurd in the opposite direction.

“Republicans Annihilate Democrats in Virginia Election Sweep,” it proclaims. “Republicans scored massive victories in elections held in Virginia on Tuesday, returning two GOP politicians to local legislature following the departure of the incumbents.”

Um, no, that’s not what happened.

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Categories
Historic America Photography

The Confederate Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery

The Confederate Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. Photo by M.A. Kleen

Slated for removal before the New Year, you may soon only be able to see this memorial in photographs.

Dedicated in 1914, the 32-foot Confederate Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery was designed and sculpted by Moses J. Ezekiel (1844-1917), the first Jewish graduate of the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. Ezekiel fought alongside his fellow cadets at the Battle of New Market, which is depicted in the film Field of Lost Shoes (2014). Until recently, nearly every U.S. president since Woodrow Wilson has sent a funeral wreath to be laid at the memorial, as a gesture of reconciliation and respect for the Confederate veterans buried there. After 109 years, it is slated to be removed. There are 32 bronze figures, including soldiers and civilians and two black slaves, one wearing a uniform accompanying his master to war. It is topped with a female statue representing the South. An inscription on the north face reads:

“Not for fame or reward, not for place or for rank, not lured by ambition, or goaded by necessity, but in simple obedience to duty as they understood it, these men suffered all, sacrificed all, dared all–and died.”

Randolph Harrison

Moses Ezekiel is buried nearby, as well as 264 other Confederate veterans. The memorial is supposed to be removed before the New Year. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin offered to move it to the New Market Battlefield, but its ultimate fate is unclear.

Categories
Fiction

The Case of Mrs. Crabapple’s Cursed Candy

When four daring friends defy neighborhood legend by trick-or-treating at mysterious Mrs. Crabapple’s house, they must confront a spooky curse and discover a Halloween night full of eerie surprises, hilarious escapades, and one unforgettable flying candy.

Please enjoy this horror short, part of a series experimenting with artificial intelligence. I fed the location, characters, scenario, and mood into ChatGPT and asked it to craft a story, then used Stable Diffusion XL to create illustrations. How did it turn out? Well, you be the judge.

In the sleepy little town of Willowbrook, trick-or-treating was the most awaited event of the year, especially for the tweens. This Halloween, Charlie, Sophie, Lucas, and Mia, all 12, had been given the most precious gift they could imagine: the permission to go trick-or-treating unsupervised for the first time. It was a sign, a rite of passage, that they were becoming gasp teenagers.

Charlie was dressed as a wobbly jelly, his wiggly arms often knocking things over, causing the gang to chuckle. Sophie wore a flowing witch robe with a hat so pointy it could have poked a hole in the sky. Lucas, obsessed with robots, had cobbled together an outfit from aluminum foils and blinking Christmas lights. Mia, always the dramatic one, went as a ghost with flowing white drapes and dark, exaggerated eye makeup.

Willowbrook was a peaceful neighborhood, the kind where all houses had white picket fences, manicured lawns, and neighbors knew more about each other than they’d like to admit. There was only one house that all children whispered about and dared each other to approach: the abode of old Mrs. Crabapple.

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Categories
Fiction

The Crestview Cult Encounter

When darkness falls over Crestview Department Store, three unlikely allies are thrust into a heart-stopping encounter with a sinister cult, turning ordinary objects into weapons for survival.

Please enjoy this horror short, part of a series experimenting with artificial intelligence. I fed the location, characters, scenario, and mood into ChatGPT and asked it to craft a story, then used Stable Diffusion XL to create illustrations. How did it turn out? Well, you be the judge.

Detective Dan Williams strode confidently into the vast, modern Crestview Department Store just as the fluorescent lights began their gradual dimming, signaling the store’s imminent closure. He was investigating a series of odd thefts in the area—mystical artifacts with legends stretching centuries had been vanishing. The latest, an encrypted tip from an anonymous source, suggested that some suspicious activity might transpire tonight, right here.

As he walked past aisles showcasing the latest fashion, electronics, and more, his gaze landed on a makeup counter where a young woman was busily tidying up the last-minute mess left by hurried shoppers. Her almond eyes, beautifully shadowed with gold, widened slightly upon seeing him. Her already pale complexion seemed to lose a hint more color, and her delicate fingers trembled as she tried to reorganize a toppled display of lipsticks. The name ‘Lila’ shimmered on her name tag, reflecting the dimming overhead lights.

Dan approached her with a friendly demeanor, hoping to ease any concerns. “Good evening, ma’am,” he began, showing his badge discreetly, “I’m Detective Williams. I’ve received a tip regarding potential suspicious activities in this store tonight. Have you noticed anything out of the ordinary?”

Lila blinked, her long lashes fluttering, and then glanced around, seemingly gathering her thoughts. “Not really, Detective,” she replied, her voice quivering slightly. “Just the regular late-evening shoppers. And Mr. Reed,” she added, pointing towards the checkout counters where a tall, lanky man stood.

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Categories
Fiction

Highway of Horrors

When a scruffy hitchhiker, a stern military officer, and a woods-dwelling survivalist cross paths on a spooky road through the woods, they find themselves up against the most unexpected of foes—a giant, gelatinous blob straight out of a 1950s B-movie nightmare!

Please enjoy this horror short, part of a series experimenting with artificial intelligence. I fed the location, characters, scenario, and mood into ChatGPT and asked it to craft a story, then used Stable Diffusion XL to create illustrations. How did it turn out? Well, you be the judge.

The moon hung low in the night sky, casting an eerie silver glow over the desolate road that cut through the heart of the dark, forbidding woods. The trees stood like silent sentinels, their gnarled branches reaching out like skeletal fingers, as if warning all who dared to tread upon this forsaken path. It was a place where few dared to venture, especially after nightfall.

Tom Baxter was not one to heed such warnings. He was a rugged, middle-aged man with a scruffy beard and a tattered leather jacket that had seen better days. He had been hitchhiking for hours, desperately trying to catch a ride to the next town. With a worn-out backpack slung over his shoulder, he trudged along the desolate road, his footsteps echoing in the oppressive silence.

As Tom walked, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched, that something unseen was lurking in the shadows of the woods. He quickened his pace, the gravel crunching beneath his boots, but the sense of unease only grew stronger. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it a faint, otherworldly moan that sent shivers down his spine.

Just when he was beginning to wonder if he had made a terrible mistake by venturing down this road, he saw the headlights of a vehicle approaching in the distance. Relief washed over him, and he extended his thumb, signaling to the approaching car that he needed a ride.

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