Today’s Amusing Yet Truly Morbid Fact!
In Liverpool in 1855 a group of nine boys were amusing themselves by playing “cap on back,” a Liverpudlian variant on that classic game of childhood, leapfrog. This was more than a childish pastime. Subsequent events proved they take their “cap on back” very seriously on the banks of the Mersey.
In the midst of the keen competition, a shrill voice of anger cut through the boyish merriment. Alfred Fritz, 9, loudly accused 7-year-old James Fleeson of making an unfair jump. Young James heatedly denied the charge, saying his jump was as fair as any of Alfred’s. After a few exchanges, Alfred diplomatically suggested they resort to the customary childhood means of resolving such disputes: the takeover. James, clearly affronted, refused; he was “too tired.”
This only further inflamed Alfred’s passions, already near the boiling point due to the contest. Seizing a piece of brick, he struck James on the forehead, knocking him down. As the smaller boy lay prostrate on the ground, protesting feebly, Alfred emphasized his point by letting him have it again.
It was at this point that the foolhardiness of James’s dispute became apparent. No more than 50 yards from the scene was a canal. In his charming Liverpudlian accent, Alfred called to his friend, 9-year-old John Breen, saying, “Let’s throw him into the canal or else we’ll be cotched.” One took the semi-conscious boy by the hands, the other seized his feet. As their six playmates watched, they carried James over to the bank and with a quick heave-ho, he was in the water. After a brief struggle, James’s head slipped beneath the surface—permanently.
Perhaps it was testimony to the truth of Alfred’s charge that none of the other six lads raised a voice in protest. After all, no one likes a cheater. Five witnesses would go on to play “River’s Edge” for a while and keep their silence. Only a sixth boy (there’s one in every crowd) couldn’t keep the secret and spilled the beans to his parents that evening. Alfred and John were later convicted of manslaughter.
Culled from: Murder Can Be Fun #17 by John Marr
Post-Mortem Portrait Du Jour!
A Mother’s Sorrow
Circa 1852 – sixth-plate daguerreotype – 3.75″ x 3.25″
Woman grieves at the bedside of her deceased little boy, who holds a small bouquet of flowers.
Culled from: Beyond the Black Veil
Andersonville Prisoner Diary Entry Du Jour!
This is the continuation of the 1864 diary of Andersonville prisoner Private George A. Hitchcock (see the archived version for all entries up until now).
Here’s today’s entry:
September 5th. Very hot. Drew rations of rice and molasses, bread and pork, which we found to be a mistake, as squad three lost theirs, so most of our boys gave up their extra.
Culled from: Andersonville: Giving Up the Ghost