Last Birger juror recalls verdict and hanging
Charles Francis 88 recalls the 1927 Birger trial in Benton, saying he voted to hang and never regretted it. He describes the jury’s fears, guard details, and Birger’s calm demeanor while detailing the broader mob clashes, the Sheltons, and the Adams slaying linked to the case. Francis notes the jurors slept in one room and faced threats, with Newman Hyland and Thomasson sentenced to life.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
DeMaris Berry
Southern Illinoisan
Charlie Birger
Southern Illinois
Charles R. Francis
West Frankfort
Illinois
Charles H.) Miller
Birger
West City
Joe Adams
Benton
Francis
Benton City Hall
Grace
Charles Francis
Roy C. Martin
Adams
Shelton Brothers
Sheltons
Ku Klux Klan
Art Newman
Ray Hyland
Newman
Hyland
Thomasson Brothers
Harry Thomasson
W.A.S. Douglas
American Mercury Magazine
Elmo
Shady Rest
Harry
Harrisburg
Marion
West
Shelton
Douglas
Thomasson
Price
Lory Price
Williamson
Paul Angle
Hyman
Angle
Chesed Shel Emeth
University City
Shachnai Itzik
Funnel clouds pass with minimal damage in southern Illinois
A Friday night thunderstorm swept Southern Illinois with funnel clouds and 50 mph winds but caused limited damage. Tornado sighted near Eudement did not touch down. power outages affected Benton and Anna Jonesboro, with repairs by Central Illinois Public Service Co. Winds subsided after 8:45 p.m. and showers ended.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Randolph County
Carbondale
Illinois
Jackson
Williamson
Franklin
Perry
Union
Randolph
Saline
Saline County
Eudement
Benton
Anna-Jonesboro
Central Illinois Public Service Co
Coulterville
Sparta
Southern Illinois
Carbondale dancer performs with Nureyev
Anne McLeod of Carbondale, former SIU-C theater chair, danced with Rudolf Nureyev in two Minskoff Theater numbers. She starred as Venus in The Canarsie Venus opposite Nureyev. Reviews praised her performance and its seductive portrayal of the goddess.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ben Gelman
Southern Illinoisan
Minskoff
Nureyev
Cole Porter
Louis
Alwin Nikolais
Miss McLeod
Venus
Long Island
United Press International
Anne McLeod
Our Town
Manhattan
Missouri Botanical Garden releases wildflower guide
Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis publishes Missouri Wild flowers of the St. Louis Area by Erna R. Eisendrath. The 390 page paperback aids amateur botanists with color coded listings by bloom season and color, a number coding system, drawings and glossary. It sells for $7.95 at the garden or by mail from Publications Department, 2345 Tower Grove Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Missouri Botanical Garden
St. Louis
St. Louis Area
Erna R. Eisendrath
Botanical Garden
Tower Grove Ave
SIU to honor Einstein centennial on campus
SIU Carbondale forms Einstein Centennial Week committee after receiving a 14900 federal grant to mark Albert Einstein's 100th birthday with symposia lectures a Dirac speech and a St Louis Symphony Orchestra performance. Celebration planned two weeks before March 14 during spring break. Paul Schilpp leads project, honoring his longtime friendship with Einstein.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Carbondale
Berlin
Tel Aviv
Los Angeles
Princeton
Albert Einstein
Southern Illinois University- Carbondale
Einstein
Paul Dirac
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Harvard University
Leon Kirchner
National Endowment To the Humanities
Paul Schilpp
SIUC
Illinois mothers honored for devotion and struggle
The piece celebrates Illinois women tied to Mother’s Day stories across Herrin Dahlgren Carbondale and beyond. It highlights Ida Melvin caring for paralyzed son Richard Miller amid meager state aid, Rose Maloney fundraising eight honored children through Rend Lake College, Elizabeth Meehan’s Archway School recognition, Dottie Davis fostering children from a wheelchair, and Doris Hiller’s nine year wait for daughter Verlee’s kidney tragedy culminating in death, underscoring joy and hardship of motherhood.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Idasue Melvin
Herrin
Richard Miller
Rose Maloney
Dahlgren
Rend Lake College
Maloney
Elizabeth Meehan
Carbondale
Archway School
Illinois Council For
Doris Hiller
Verlee
Mother's Day origins and timeless motherhood tribute
Merrill Perlman reflects on Mother's Day as a national holiday created by Anna Jarvis after personal loss. The piece recalls Philadelphia's early recognition and the nationwide observance, praising mothers as universal subjects in culture and everyday life while noting depth beyond simple clichés.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Merrill Perlman
Southern Illinoisan
Anna Jarvis
Grafton
W.va
Miss Jarvis
Philadelphia
Mother
Also Mentioned on This Page
Butch Nevious
W. Frankfort
United States
Germany
Donald S. Detwiler
Bucharest
Sofia
Detwiler
SIU Press
SIU
Siu-Carbondale
Warren Brandt
School of Medicine
Richard May
Springfield
Brandt
May
Byline
B.G
Schilpp
Library of Living Philosophers
Dottie Davis
ED Greer
Jackie Ryks
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!