Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Today in History for Nov. 18, 2014

President Abraham Lincoln
Nov. 18, 1307 - Legend has it that on this day, William Tell shot an apple off his son's head. He'd been ordered to do this as punishment for disrespecting an authority figure.


Nov. 18, 1813 – The “Hillabee Massacre” occurred at Hillabee, an important Muscogee (Creek) town in east central Alabama. During the massacre, General James White dispatched a force of allied Cherokee under Gideon Morgan to surround the main Hillabee town. The Hillabee, believing they had made peace, were unprepared for an attack, and were unable to resist Morgan's assault. The town was destroyed, 64 Hillabees were killed, and several hundred were captured.

Nov. 18, 1853 – Iyra H. Malden became postmaster at Burnt Corn.

Nov. 18, 1859 – At 1 p.m., brothers Irvin and Stephen Ward were hung for the murder of Allen Page during a failed cotton wagon robbery near Brewer Creek. A posse caught the brothers, who confessed. The posse marched on to the place of execution where Patrick Page and William Wright (sons of Allen Page and John Wright) adjusted the hanging nooses around the necks of the condemned murderers. The old gallows was not removed following the execution, and it stood for many decades as a reminder of the tragic murder at Fork Sepulga. The location of that murder and hanging, where the old gallows stood, known thereafter as “Gallows Hollow,” was located on the road that turned south from the Federal road near Cokersville (Activity) and led past the Sepulga community through Sparta Station.


Nov. 18, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln boarded a train for Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to deliver a short speech at the dedication of a cemetery of soldiers killed during the battle there on July 1-3, 1863. The address Lincoln gave in Gettysburg became one of the most famous speeches in American history.

Nov. 18, 1871 – W.B. Kemp was commissioned as Monroe County’s Sheriff.

Nov. 18, 1889 – The trial of State of Alabama vs. I.S. Lambert was held in Monroe County Circuit Court. Lambert was charged with assault with intent to murder T.D. Hestle. Lambert was represented by attorneys D.L. Neville of Monroeville and G.L. Smith of Mobile and he pleaded insanity. The case “attracted wide interest and a large audience of spectators,” and the entire day was “consumed in the examination of the witnesses, of whom there were about 40, after which the court adjourned until the following morning, when the case was argued with much ability on both sides. The plea of the defense was insanity and was most ably and eloquently argued by Col. D.L. Neville of our local bar and G.L. Smith, esq., of Mobile. The jury sustained the plea and the defendant was sent to the insane asylum in compliance with the provisions of an act passed by the last legislature, bearing on cases of that character.”

Nov. 18, 1903 - The Hay–Bunau-Varilla Treaty was signed by the United States and Panama, giving the United States exclusive rights over the Panama Canal Zone and allowing them to build the Panama Canal.

Nov. 18, 1941 – In Conecuh County Circuit Court, Alvin Wilkinson faced charges of first-degree murder in connection with the killing of his mother-in-law, Josephine Zellers, in July 1939.

Nov. 18, 1943 - Philadelphia Phillies President William Cox was banned from baseball for betting on his team.

Nov. 18, 1949 - Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player.

Nov. 18, 1951 - Chuck Connors of the Los Angeles Angels became the first player to oppose the major league draft. Connors later became the star of the television show "The Rifleman."

Nov. 18, 1956 – NFL quarterback Warren Moon was born in Los Angeles, Calif. He would go on to play for the Houston Oilers, the Minnesota Vikings, the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Nov. 18, 1966 - Sandy Koufax, the ace pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, retired from baseball. He was just 30 years old, and he was retiring after a great season - he’d led the Dodgers to a National League pennant and won his third Cy Young award. But he had chronic arthritis in his pitching arm, and he was afraid that if he kept playing baseball, eventually he wouldn’t be able to use his left hand at all.

Nov. 18, 1977 – In the second round of the Class 1A state playoffs, Repton High School saw its season come to an end with a 27-13 loss to Brantley in Brantley. Repton finished the season 10-1-1.

Nov. 18, 1978 – Millie Steans Cunningham, a native of Evergreen, died in the infamous massacre and mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, South America. Was buried at First Zion Church Cemetery in Conecuh County on April 20, 1979. Cunningham was among the more than 900 people who died at Jonestown after Jim Jones led his Peoples Temple to a mass murder-suicide that claimed 918 lives in all, including 270 children.

Nov. 18, 1984 - The television program “Inside the Closet,” teleplay by Alabama author Robert McDowell, is broadcast as part of the “Tales from the Darkside” series.

Nov. 18, 1985 - Joe Theismann of the Washington Redskins broke his leg after being hit by Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants. The injury ended Theismann's 12 year NFL career.

Nov. 18, 1996 - Chris Boniol of the Dallas Cowboys tied an NFL record when he kicked seven field goals against the Green Bay Packers.

Nov. 18, 1997 - The Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays participated in their initial expansion draft.

Nov. 18, 2011 – The “Mystery Booms” first widely reported in Monroe and Conecuh counties.

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