1874     Legendary figures from the Old West were live and on stage at Good’s Opera House in South Bend.  Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild Bill Hickok, and Texas Jack Omohundro appeared in the western drama “Scouts of the Plains.”  The full cast included Italian actress and ballerina Giuseppina Morlacchi.  The reviewer for the South Bend Tribune said the characters were in “such scenes where their own lives were at stake. . . their acting on stage was so natural as to carry terror to the heart of more than one spectator.” Pictured:  Buffalo Bill Cody.

1892     Hoosier Poet James Whitcomb Riley faced perhaps the most distinguished audience of his career as he entertained at the White House.  Gathered to hear him in the East Room were his friends President and Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, along with Vice President and Mrs. Levi Morton, members of the Cabinet, Congressmen, Senators, and diplomats from around the world.  A Washington reporter wrote, “Mr. Riley appeared at excellent advantage in his reading and completely captivated the large and intelligent audience.”  Pictured:  The mural of Riley in downtown Indianapolis, created by the Blice Edwards studio.

1953     A munitions train on the way to Crane Naval Depot derailed in the town of Lewis in Vigo County. Black powder ignited a fire which detonated artillery shells which shot into the air, causing explosions and setting nearly the entire town on fire.  Hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed and several people were injured.  A newspaper reported that every pane of glass in town was shattered.

1969     The black-draped funeral train carrying the body of former President Dwight D. Eisenhower passed slowly through southern Indiana on its way to Abilene, Kansas.  Solemn crowds gathered along the tracks as the 10-car train moved through North Vernon, Seymour, Brownstown, Mitchell, Washington, and Vincennes.  In Washington, a wreath was presented by Indiana Governor Edgar D. Whitcomb, who was joined by Lieutenant Governor Richard Folz and former Senator Homer Capehart.

40 YEARS AGO 1981     Christ Church Cathedral on the Circle in Indianapolis and many other churches around the state held special prayer services for President Ronald Reagan and three others who had been wounded in an assassination attempt.  A gunman had opened fire as the President left the Washington Hilton Hotel after making a speech there.  Reagan was hit in the left chest by a ricochet bullet.  Also hit were Press Secretary James Brady, a Secret Service agent, and a Washington, D.C. policeman.

MARCH IS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH 1984     Sarah Evans Barker was sworn in as a federal judge, the first woman in Indiana to serve in the position.  Appointed by President Reagan, she had previously acted as a United States Attorney.  A native of Mishawaka, she graduated from Indiana University and the American University School of Law.  She was sworn in by Chief Judge S. Hugh Dillon.  Those at the ceremony called Judge Barker “fair,” “kind,” and “eminently qualified.”

ABE MARTIN SEZ:       It don’t make much difference how much you read if you hain’t got sense enough t’ know what t’ believe.

(Kin Hubbard, The Indianapolis News, March 28, 1919)

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Indiana Statehouse Tour Office

Indiana Department of Administration

Guided Tours of the Indiana Statehouse will resume on April 5. For more information, please contact the tour office.

(317) 233-5293

touroffice@idoa.in.gov  

Indiana Quick Quiz

The following Indiana cities are in counties named for United States Presidents.  Name the county for each city.

1.  Seymour

2.  Bloomington

3.  Decatur

4.  Anderson

Answers Below

Hoosier Quote of the Week

“I will try always to be forthright.  I will not always be wise, but I will try to be well prepared.”

– – – Judge Sarah Evans Barker

General Walter Bedell “Beetle” Smith

Did You Know?

     General Dwight D. Eisenhower was the Supreme Allied Commander during World War II.  His Chief of Staff was a man from Indianapolis.  Walter Bedell “Beetle” Smith attended the Oliver P. Morton Elementary School and Emmerich Manual High School.  He was a student at  Butler University before joining the Indiana National Guard.  After going through Officer Candidate School at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, he became a career soldier.  He served in both world wars.  During World War II he was Chief of Staff to General Eisenhower.  Smith helped plan troop operations, including the D-Day Invasion in 1944.  As Eisenhower’s representative, he negotiated and signed the terms of surrender with Italy and Germany. By the time he left the Army, Smith was a four-star general.  Eisenhower called him “The greatest general manager of the war.”  After the war, President Harry S. Truman appointed Smith to be Ambassador to the Soviet Union.  He later served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He died in 1961 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

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ANSWERS:  1.  Jackson              2.  Monroe  3.  Adams   4. Madison