The Barnard Lehrmann Memorial Road Race?

Posted on August 4, 2008 by SCblogger

As we all continue to recover from the Bix 7 Run,* it might be of interest to look back 150 years and a month back to another race that took place one Davenport summer—a race that was far more spontaneous and far less planned than the Bix , but somewhat longer and certainly as much a test of physical endurance.

The race took place on Thursday, June 17, of 1858. The Daily Gazette carried a front-page report on the following Saturday:

Great Foot Race.—Considerable interest was excited on Thursday among our German friends in relation to the result of a singular bet. Jake Hoering and two other persons almost as fleshy and Mr. Lahrman proprietor of the German Theatre, who is a rather spare man, got to disputing in regard to the difficulty of ascending the bluff in the lower part of the city to a house standing near the summit, which, we presume, was designed to be used at the Saengurbund festival.

It is to be noted here that Jacob Hoering was the proprietor of Heoring & Henne, which the 1858 city directory lists as a ‘people’s garden and saloon’ on Harrison Street, between 2nd and 3rd Streets. Banard Lehrmann resided at the German Theater, a mere block away at 89 West 2nd. 

The Saengurband festival mentioned was one of many musical events organized by the German community for nearly a century. These events evolved into the Saengerfests that involved the entire city and even produced a few souvenir booklets.**

The article continues:

The result of the discussion was a bet to a small amount that Mr. Lahrmen couldn’t run up the bluff to the building and back forty times within a given time. He started on his race, Jake timing and giving him a ticket each return trip. In both going and returning Mr. L was considerably retarded by being obligated to climb a fence five feet high, yet he accomplished the feat in two hours and three quarters, running a distance by actual measurement of ten miles and 240 feet.

Please note that the Bix 7 Run is, as can be deduced, only 7 miles long. There are indeed a few remarkable hills along the way, but that route pales in comparison to one that was the equivalent of five miles and 120 feet straight up with a fence in the way.*** We hope that Mr. Lehrmann won at least the 1858 equivalent of the Bix prize money for this year!****

The article concludes:

Pretty warm exercise for a hot day. We suggest hereafter that the bluff be known as Lahrmen’s Hill.

We agree on both points–but unfortunately, we have no record that this city took this suggestion seriously, so we aren’t sure exactly which hill it was. The saloon where the argument likely took place was at the foot of Harrison Street Hill, but the hills of Main Street and Brady Street, both formidable in their ways, are only one or two blocks away. Ripley Street Hill is also a contender.#

So, if anyone could shed any light on which hill was involved in this historic, if not famous, race, we would be glad to do a follow up.  Perhaps someday Davenport could hold a Barnard Lehrmann Memorial Road Race in honor of this extraordinary feat!

***************

*Yes, it was two weeks ago, but some of us have unrelenting muscle memories—especially when Brady Street Hill is involved.

** Davenport Illustrated: Saengerfest Souvenir, July 1898 (SC Closed Stacks 917.7769 Dav)

***Not to mention, to spare the winces of those of us with knee issues, five miles and 120 feet straight down. With a fence in the way.

****This year’s prize was $10,000 or a new car—but as Mr. Lehrmann would have had to wait more than sixty years until the invention of the internal combustion engine, he probably would have been more than happy with the $467.12, which is what $10,000 in today’s money would have been back then (according to our historic inflation index).

#Though it is our opinion that if Mr. Lehrmann tried to run up and down Ripley forty times, this article would have been an obituary.

(article discovered by Mary Ann and ‘borrowed’ by Sarah, who ran with it—pun intended)

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Such a deal!

Posted on July 28, 2008 by SCblogger

You just never know what you might find in our Archive and Manuscript Collection! I’d be willing to spend a whole dollar for these ready-to-hang lace curtains, even without the brass rod! No wonder Von Maur has been in business so long!! I wonder if Mrs. Horst took advantage of that sale.

Photographic postcards are fun to look at, and it’s exciting to find one that gives so many different historical clues. Notice the wallpaper and the saucy hairstyle of the very modern housewife who is busy decorating her house. She has so many philanthropic and social activities that curtains requiring no sewing that can be hung in a minute are obviously the very thing she needs!

Housewives needed to watch their time and budgets in 1913, just as now. After all, a dozen fresh eggs cost 20 cents, a can of Calumet Baking Powder was going for 9 cents, and a 100 pound sack of sugar would set the household back about $5.

I still think the curtain AND the brass rod is a good deal, though.

(Posted by Karen)

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A Double-Bix Weekend!

Posted on July 21, 2008 by SCblogger

Bix Beiderbecke, for those of you who don’t know, was a jazz genius, a coronet player who jammed with the likes of Hoagy Carmichael and played with the Jean GoldKette  Orchestra and the Paul Whitman Band.    When he died on August 6, 1931, of pneumonia, quite a few musicians and music lovers took it hard.

In 1971, some jazz musicians decided to honor the 40th Anniversary of Bix’s death.  They visited the gravesite in Davenport’s Oakdale Cemetery and planned a jam session at the Holiday Inn.  Well, more than 2,000 people showed up at that session to listen and join in (according to the next day’s Times-Democrat), so they decided to make it an annual event:  The Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival.  A few years later, the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Society was formed to keep the festival going, and they certainly have.  The event moved to LeClaire Park in its second year and mostly stayed there, but what with the Mississippi River being a little uncooperative this summer, the 2008 festival will be held at the baseball stadium.

Meanwhile, the Cornbelt Running Club had the idea of establishing a 7-mile running event through some of the scenic historic neighborhoods* of central Davenport.  As everyone was already coming to Davenport for the memorial Jazz Festival, the Club set the event for the same weekend in 1975 and dubbed it the Bix 7 Run.  Only 70 people competed in that first race, which started at the foot of Perry Street hill, wound down Kirkwood Boulevard and around through a deceptively challenging course before  turning around at McClellan Boulevard and East River Drive.  But by 1980, several world class runners—including Olympic gold medalists Frank Shorter and Joan Benoit—had joined in, giving the race national publicity and sending participation through the roof.  In 1983, they had to switch the starting line to the foot of four-lane Brady Street hill to accommodate the expansion.  Since then, thousands of runners have registered each year–and thousands of cheerleaders have hollered them up and down the course and into the major party and recovery site downtown.** 

So come on down (or up, or over) to Davenport this weekend (that would be the 26th and 27th) to work up a sweat running, cheering, clapping, or jamming at the Bix 7 Road Race or the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival.  You’ll see us at the finish line—the Main Street library will be closed.***

 

(Posted by Sarah)

_______________________________________________

 *Which includes some of the highest hills and steepest grades in the city, too, but we’re sure that’s just a coincidence.

** Which is most appreciated, since the only way some of us can get up that looong initial hill—a 12% grade, according to our Public Works Department– is through the encouragement of others!

***Mostly because you can’t get near the library during the race!

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The Little Engine that Did—another first for Davenport!

Posted on July 14, 2008 by SCblogger

This week, we are celebrating the upcoming anniversary of the first locomotive in Iowa, which arrived in Davenport on July 19, 1855. 

This was a pretty big deal—most people were counting on reliable overland transportation to be as much of a gold mine west of the Mississippi as it was to the east.  By 1855, the Mississippi & Missouri Railroad had already laid tracks through Davenport towards Des Moines in one direction and Muscatine in the other–and they  just couldn’t wait to get things running.

But, as we all know from a previous entry on this humble blog, the first railroad bridge over the Mississippi River wasn’t completed until a year later.  So how did the train get here?

By boat, of course. 

According to the Sunday Democrat-Times– which ran a 100th anniversary article on August 17, 1955–the M&M railroad hired a special barge to ferry the small locomotive over to where nearly all of Davenport had gathered to welcome it.    A few hours later, the engine had been fed a load of pine wood and enough steam had been built to take its inaugural run.

Twenty-five prominent citizens took that first crowded train trip—the first train trip in the state.  The whistle blew at every intersection, drawing cheers from the crowds.    Alas, the trip was cut short at the west border of the city by a low-hanging branch over the tracks.  Loathe to risk damage to the brand new locomotive, the engineer took her back to the business district, where everyone could take a gander before it was put to work. 

The engine was named the Antoine LeClaire, after one of Davenport’s founders and leading citizens.  Mr. LeClaire had supported the railroad all along, not only by helping to finance the M&M, but by donating his former house—the Treaty House, which was built on the spot where the Blackhawk Treaty was signed– as a railroad station.

Railroading caught on as well as those early supporters would have wished.  By the 100th anniversary of that first train, Iowa had about 8,600 miles of track covering the state.

(posted by Sarah)

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Heat Wave: 1936

Posted on July 7, 2008 by SCblogger

Just as the Mississippi River is beginning to recede and festivals appear on our riverfront, we suddenly have a new weather focus – summer temperatures. The warmth of July is suddenly here and July warmth will soon melt into the heat of August. As we teeter on the edge of our first 90 degree day*, air conditioners are once again running at full force to keep us cool. Imagine for a moment a heat wave with no, or very little, air conditioning. No home air conditioning to help you sleep, no frozen food section to meander through. Sound uncomfortable? Those were the conditions faced by a large portion of the United States in 1936.

1936 was a year of extremes not only socially and politically, but for weather as well. As the U. S. continued to struggle through the Great Depression, the winter of 1935 – 1936 brought record-breaking bone chilling cold while the summer saw record-breaking heat strike most of the country. Davenport was no exception. Many of the high temperature records set that summer still stand. Drought, grasshoppers, floods (in specific areas), and tornados also added to the natural disasters of the year.

Drought was beginning to plague this region as temperatures began to rise in late June 1936. Cooler weather returned briefly until July5 when the temperature reached 105 degrees**. On July 6 it was 105 degrees again and The Davenport Democrat and Leader evening addition reported the first local heat related death, Mr. Leo Brandmeyer age 32 of Rock Island. The overnight temperature dropped to only 81 degrees before soaring again to 105 degrees on July 7. The Davenport Democrat and Leader reported that day the difference in temperature between January 1936 (low temperature of 22 degrees below zero) and July 7, 1936 (105 degrees) was 127 degrees, a new record temperature swing for one year. That record would be surpassed in only days.

Between July 5 and July 15 the temperature remained above 102 degrees during the day with temperatures only dipping into the 80s at night. The highest temperature came on July 14 when the thermometer hit 111 degrees. With no rain in sight newspapers began to report on crops dying. Adding to the agricultural distress were grasshoppers eating what crops were not withering away in the sun. Only a few hotels and movie theaters had air conditioning. Home cooling systems were still very rare. Families began to live in their basements during the day to keep cool. At night people slept in parks or on lawns trying to find what little comfort there was in the outdoors. The local papers continued to list those who had either died or collapsed from the heat.

In the midst of the heat wave, life went on. 1936 was the year of Davenport’s Centennial. In the midst of the heat wave a huge centennial celebration took place including a Centennial parade which drew an estimated 10,000 people on July 14. The Daily Times printed a 144 page special edition on July 11 to celebrate the Centennial. One person featured was Henry P. Brown a Civil War veteran and G.A.R. member who had been appointed in April 1936 as aide-de-camp for the National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. Mr. Brown would become a victim of the heat on July 15. On July16 the temperature finally fell under 100 degrees during the day for the first time in fourteen days with an evening temperature in the 70s. July 17 saw another record breaking day, but by July 20 the heat wave had broken and rain began to cool the area. The evening temperature even reached 67 degrees, the coolest temperature since July 3.

An estimated 89 people died locally during the 1936 heat wave. Nationwide the estimate stands at 5,000 dead. Interestingly, the excessive heat was not located in the southern U. S., but in the northern and Midwestern regions. Warmer weather did return, but in spurts intermixed with cooler temperatures as well. The long continuous heat did not come back. A large percentage of crops were lost that year which added to the misery of the depression. Even the Mississippi River was hit hard as it dropped to 1.0 foot below normal on August 15, 1936, its lowest recorded level in the Quad City region. This surely was a summer to forget, and most definitely not one to repeat.

Highs temperatures still on record from 1936: June 29 – 104° F, July 5 – 105°F, July 6° – 105°F, July 7 – 105°F, July 8 – 104°F, July 9 – 102°F, July 10 – 105°F, July 11 – 107°F, July 12 – 108°F, July 13 – 107°F, July 14 – 111°F, July 15 – 106°F, July 17 – 103°F, July 26 – 106°F, August 12 – 100°F, August 14 – 105°F, August 15 – 101°F, August 18 – 106°F, August 21 – 99°F, August 22 – 101°F, August 24 – 100°F.

*All temperatures are in Fahrenheit.
**Temperature records are based from Moline, Illinois as Davenport did not keep official records until the 1980s. Both are part of the Quad-City region.

(posted by Amy D.)

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Closed for the Fourth — Open for the Fifth!

Posted on July 3, 2008 by SCblogger

The Special Collections Center will be closed tomorrow for the
Fourth of July.

But we will be open Saturday, the fifth of July, during our normal hours!

Have a wonderful–and safe–Independence Day!

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The Death of Colonel George Davenport

Posted on June 30, 2008 by SCblogger

When most people think of the Fourth of July, they tend to think of freedom, fireworks, and food.  Readers of early Davenport history probably think of the same things, but with one addition—murder.

On July 4 of 1845, several men were thinking of the money—said to be at least $20,000—that Colonel George Davenport was rumored to keep in the safe in his home. Two or three of the would-be thieves rowed or rafted to the Mississippi River island (now called Arsenal Island) where Colonel Davenport’s mansion still stands today. It was the perfect time to break in—they figured that everyone in the Davenport household would be attending the big Independence Day celebration in Rock Island, Illinois.  They would all be rich by nightfall.

Two of their assumptions were wrong.

Colonel Davenport had not been feeling well that day, and had decided to stay home. As the men moved through the house to the safe, the Colonel walked in on them. They shot him in the leg and bound him hand and foot. To add to their frustration, when they forced the Colonel to open the safe, there was less than four hundred dollars inside.

Denied their unjust reward, the angry men dragged the Colonel into his own bedroom, where they beat him unconscious and stole a watch and chain, a gold piece, and a gun from a dresser. They fled, leaving the Colonel for dead.

Three passersby, who had planned to spend the day fishing off the island, heard Colonel Davenport’s cries for help. One of them rushed to the Fourth of July picnic and brought back Doctor Brown, who revived the Colonel enough so that he could give a description of the robbers. Unfortunately, his injuries were severe and he died of them that night.

John Baxter—who had been a friend of the Davenport family and a visitor to the house—John Long, Arron Long, Granville Young, and William Fox were eventually charged with murder. William Fox managed to escape before his trial, never to be seen again, but the rest were convicted. After two appeals, John Baxter managed to get his death sentence commuted to life in prison. The others were hanged—in fact, Arron Long was hanged twice, as the rope broke the first time.

The punishment did not stop there. According to Gayle A. McCoy, an author* and historian, the bodies of the three hanged men were donated to a Dr. P. P. Gregg for dissection and study. Dr. Gregg later buried Arron Long and traded Granville Young to another doctor for a barrel of rum, but he kept the skeleton of John Long on display in the hospital steward’s office at the Rock Island Arsenal. Gregg’s widow gave the skeleton to Dr. Charles Kalke of Chicago, who in turn passed it back to the Arsenal in 1940.

John Long was put on display at the Rock Island County Courthouse, and then at the Hauberg Museum at the Black Hawk State Park in Rock Island, Illinois. On September 14, 1978, John was buried in the Dickson Pioneer Cemetery in Rock Island, finally retiring from his unexpectedly active death.

Three others were tried for the Colonel’s death: Robert Birch, William Redden, and Grant Redden were charged as accessories before the fact. Birch was sentenced to life in prison, but escaped, only to be gunned down three months later. William Redden served the whole of his one year sentence. The charges were dropped against Grant Redden, but he moved away soon after, anyway—a smart move, as the Colonel had been a prominent, popular man.

So, while you are out and about this Friday, give a thought for poor George Davenport, and heed the lesson that seems clear from his senseless death: if you are invited to a Fourth of July picnic, go.

—–

* A Clearing in the Forest, 1980 (SC 977-769 McC)

(posted by Sarah)

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Extraordinary Ordinances

Posted on June 23, 2008 by SCblogger

Often overlooked on the library shelves, City Ordinances offer a unique exploration of a community’s history. The Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center has a fine selection of published Revised Davenport City Ordinances on its shelves. Inside we learn how ward boundaries were adjusted over the years and when streets were paved. These ordinances are as common today as they were over one hundred years ago. Sometimes, though, we find ordinances that do not seem to stand the test of time as well. Listed below are a few examples of those ordinances from The Revised Ordinances of the City of Davenport, 1857. For space, some ordinances have been condensed to only one or two sections. Original spelling was also maintained. Enjoy!

Chapter VI: An Ordinance to prevent bathing in front of Davenport. Sect. 1 of 2. No person shall be allowed to go into the river to bathe, in front of the City of Davenport, after one half hour before sun-rise, and until half an hour after sun-set. Sect. 2 of 2. Any person violating the provision of this Ordinance shall, upon conviction thereof, pay a fine of five dollars for each offense. Passed and approved, June 24, 1843. While modesty may have played a part in this ordinance, the city had a bustling levee during this time with boats loading and unloading both passengers and cargo. It certainly would not have been safe to have people bathing in the water with all that activity.

Chapter XVI: An Ordinance to provide for the appointment by the City Council of… Sexton. Sec. 5 of 5. It shall be the duty of the Sexton to attend the City Cemetery at all hours when called upon, and shall dig and prepare graves in the usual way, the same five feet deep, and of sufficient length and breadth to admit the coffin (or rough box to contain it, if one should be used.). He shall keep a register… [where] they are buried. He shall see that all graves are properly filled up and rounded, and make a full report…to the City Council. He shall receive compensation therefore, for a person of ten years, or upwards, the sum of two dollars, and for children under ten years, the sum of one dollar and fifty cents, and if required to attend to the duties in the night time, he shall be paid one dollar additional for each grave dug. Passed and approved May 10, 1849. I thought this ordinance gave an interesting description of the duties involved with being the Sexton. This position has been phased out, but the City Cemetery still exists near downtown Davenport.

Chapter XIX: An Ordinance to prevent the increase of, and to prohibit dogs from running at large in the City of Davenport. Sec. 1 of 4. It shall not be lawful for any animal of the dog kind to run at large in the City of Davenport, from the first day of June until the first day of September of each year, unless the same be securely muzzled, so that no injury can possible result from the bite of such animal. While this may have been associated with an increase in rabies during warmer months, it makes one wonder about the rest of the year.

Chapter XXX: An Ordinance to prohibit Horses from running at large in the City of Davenport. Sect. 1 of 4. No horse, mare or mule above the age of six months, shall be permitted to run at large in the City of Davenport. Passed and approved December 4, 1851. I’m fairly certain that the city no longer allows any horse, mare or mule of any age to run at large.

Chapter XLI: An Ordinance providing for the abatement and removal of nuisances…and to regulate the use of sidewalks. Sect. 22 of 24. All dance-house, beer-houses, beer halls, houses of ill-fame, grog-shops, drinking saloons, where beer, ale, porter, cider, or alcoholic drinks, whether the same be alcohol in part, or mixed liquors by any other name, where people shall resort on the first day of the week (commonly called Sunday) for the purpose of drinking, dancing, card playing, games of amusement, wrestling, shooting, or where persons do assemble, whether with the intention or otherwise, on said day of the week, and shall dance, waltz, play cards, games of amusement, or conduct themselves in a boisterous manner, by making loud and unusual noises, or playing of musical instruments, are hereby declared unlawful, and such places, tenements, houses, and premises, are declared nuisances, and shall be abated as is herein provided by this ordinance, and if necessary, the Marshal…may command and use the police force …in preventing such nuisances on said first day of the week (commonly called Sunday). Passed and approved November 30, 1848, and May 15, 1855. This may be the only ordinance I have found so far that involves wrestling and waltzing – at least in the same section.

Chapter L: An Ordinance licensing Shows, Exhibitions, Performances, Concerts, Etc. Sect. 1 of 4. No person shall give any of the Shows…named in the next section, for pay, and to which license fees are affixed, unless they have a license therefor, signed by the City Clerk. Sec. 2 of 4. There shall be paid for Shows…the following fees to wit: 1st. For every Show of any wild beast, or beasts, fowls, or birds, or monsters, or freaks of nature, the sum of twenty dollars. 3d. For each performance, or attempt at performance of any feats of jugglery, slight of hand, or necromancy, the sum of ten dollars. Passed and approved August 27, 1847. While licensing is still important in city ordinances to the present, I’m not sure when the last performances of necromancy or monsters were licensed.

We hope you enjoyed a little peak into issues and concerns of the past!
(posted by Amy D.)

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The CCC and the CWA

Posted on June 19, 2008 by SCblogger

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “new deal” established a variety of programs, sometimes referred to as “Alphabet Agencies” with the intent of providing Americans beleaguered by the Great Depression with relief. Two programs created in 1933 which greatly impacted the lives of Iowans were the CCC – Civilian Conservation Corps and the CWA – Civil Works Administration.

The CWA – Civil Works Administration – paid an average of $15 a week and those employed worked mainly in construction jobs such as repairing schools, laying sewer pipes, and building roads. The duration of this program was limited to the winter and spring of 1933 – 1934. Scott County, Iowa benefited immensely from the works of the CWA and its off-shoot, the CWS – Civil Works Service. These works are documented in the Illustrated record of C.W.A. Projects, Scott County, Iowa, 1933-1934 (call number SC 352.7 Ill) with photographs by H. E. Dissette. Many of these images are posted on the Upper Mississippi Valley Digital Image Archive. Use the search term “civil works administration” to view them, or click here.

The CCC took unmarried men aged 18 – 25 from relief rolls and sent them into the woods and fields to plant trees, build parks, roads, and fight soil erosion on federal lands. Those employed earned $30 a month and left an environmental legacy throughout the entire United States, particularly Iowa. Did you know that Backbone State Park (located about 125 miles northwest of Davenport near Manchester, IA) has a museum about CCC camp life? Iowa’s Department of Natural Resources also has a terrific website with images and oral history interview transcriptions of former Iowa CCC members.

Don’t miss the opportunity to attend the Tuesday, June 24, 2008 music and storytelling program by Bill Jamerson about the Dollar a Day Boys of the CCC at our Main Street library location at 10 a.m. And be sure to stop by the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center to see our display on these New Deal “Alphabet Agencies”!

(posted by Karen)

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History’s Mysteries: An Image of Prohibition?

Posted on June 16, 2008 by SCblogger

While researching a possible blog entry about Prohibition and Davenport’s various coping mechanisms, we found an image in our collections that gave us pause:

This group image of Thiedemann’s Atheletic Club was taken on April 12, 1933, at Thiedemann’s , a brewery and tap at 1848 West 3rd Street. As you can see, the men are holding half-full mugs. A note of the back of the photograph says that it was taken “shortly” after Prohibition was repealed.

Here’s the problem: The 21st Amendment, repealing Prohibition, wasn’t signed until December 5, 1933. The first state to ratify the Amendment (Michigan) had signed on April 10, 1933, but Iowa didn’t hop on board until July. So either these men were celebrating the repeal a tad early by taking incriminating photos in a speakeasy that sponsored a sports team, or the date of the front of the image is wrong. Or there was something else going on.

The simplest explanation is near beer.

Near beer was a legal exception that kept some breweries open and productive. Non-alcoholic beer wasn’t the same as Davenporters were used to, but at least it didn’t explode like the homebrewed stuff often did. And it was easy enough to put the zing back in with a shot or two of whatever the local speakeasy or neighborhood bootlegger had on sale. There were also rumors that a few local breweries—always nameless in the newspaper articles– often ‘forgot’ to keep the alcohol content down if there weren’t any federal agents around to remind them.

According to the city directories, Henry Thiedemann sold soft drinks, which included near beer. Of course, many other innocent beverages could have been in those mugs. But in that case, why was someone concerned enough to make a note on the back of the photo?

But regardless of exactly what is in those mugs the young men are holding, we are sure Thiedemann’s—and the photographer—meant no harm.

Eight months later, it was all moot, anyway.

(posted by Sarah)

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