Harvey Girls

By Kristy McCaffrey

Fred Harvey, an ambitious English immigrant, didn’t initially hire women as waitresses. He only did so after the male waiters he employed at the Harvey House in Raton, New Mexico, engaged in a drunken midnight brawl and were unable to report for work the following day. Harvey was furious and fired them all, including the manager. Tom Gable, the new manager, suggested hiring women, because they were less likely “to get likkered up and go on tears.”

But it wasn’t so simple. At the time, female waitresses were nothing more than “saloon girls,” better known to deliver "something extra" along with food to their customers. Harvey needed to replace that image with a more wholesome appearance. His critics also cautioned that Harvey would never entice women to come west and work for him, leaving civilization behind for the wild frontier. Turned out the critics were wrong. In the 1870’s thousands of women applied, likely due to a shortage of men in the East, and women from lower-income families viewed this as an opportunity to improve their lives.

Harvey Girls

Harvey’s advertisement sought “young women eighteen to forty years of age, of good character, attractive and intelligent” to come work in the West. He was very strict on the requirements. A Harvey Girl had to have finished at least the eighth grade, speak clearly, have good manners, and be neat in appearance. When a woman signed a contract (anywhere from six months to a year), she agreed to learn the Harvey system, follow instructions to the letter, obey employee rules, accept whatever location she was assigned, and abstain from marriage for the duration of her initial contract. If she broke the marriage contract, she forfeited her pay and railroad pass home. Working six days a week, Harvey Girls would become synonymous with superior service.

Wages were $17.50 per month with room and board included. The girls usually lived upstairs in the facility they worked or in a nearby dormitory, chaperoned by Housemothers. They were given a strict curfew and only allowed to visit with men in the parlor. Since many Harvey Girls were the adventurous sort, stories abounded of mischief which usually involved sneaking around.

Harvey Girls were essentially the country’s first group of women who made a decent wage independent from a man, of considerable merit since women didn’t have equal rights at the time. Over the course of 90 years over 100,000 women worked as Harvey Girls.

Connect with Kristy

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Newsletter

Of Cotton Gins & Colts

Did you know that, without Eli Whitney, extraordinary mechanical engineer and inventor of the cotton gin, there would be no Colt “Walker” revolvers. In fact, there’d probably be no Colt firearms at all.

From a young age, Whitney showed an amazing aptitude for all things mechanical. That’s how he paid for his Yale education--by fixing machines. After graduation, he planned to teach in order to pay for law school. Instead, he ended up working for the widow of Revolutionary War general Nathanael Green, fixing things on her Georgia plantation and creating a mechanized way to remove the seeds from cotton--the cotton gin for which he is so famous.

Because of widespread pirating of his design and the costly court battles to protect his patent, Whitney never profited from his invention. Discouraged, Whitney turned his amazing mind to the manufacture of firearms, specifically muskets. Up until Whitney, muskets were hand-crafted, made one at a time, each weapon totally unique. That meant if something broke in a gun, the replacement parts had to be handmade to fit that gun. Whitney invented the method by which gun parts were so precisely made that they were interchangeable–and could be mass-produced.

In a demonstration to prove the interchangeability of the gun parts he manufactured, Whitney is said to have put the parts needed to build ten muskets into a pile. When government officials were successful, Whitney, and arms manufacturing, would never be the same. Whitney is credited with pioneering the assembly production line.

In 1841, Whitney Arms Company was placed under the control of Eli Whitney, Jr. Arms making was a competitive business in the United States in the 1840s and success required both technological efficiency and strong entrepreneurial instincts. With the rapid westward movement of the population in the 1830s, the market for firearms grew, a demand which couldn’t be supplied by gun-smiths—craftsmen--who operated on a small scale. In addition, the rise of the urban middle classes in the great eastern cities meant a market was developing for sporting arms, guns used for target-shooting and hunting.

In the 1830s, Samuel Colt had tried his hand at manufacturing, producing around 3000 of his new revolver-style handgun before creditors shut down the Patent Arms Company. Though he lost his factory, Colt still controlled his patents and, in 1846, succeeded in selling a contract for 1,000 revolvers to Captain Samuel H. Walker of the Texas Rangers. Having only six months to deliver on the contract and no factory in which to build them, Colt turned to Eli Whitney, Jr. On July 7, 1843, Colt and Whitney concluded a contract for the production of the Whitneyville Colt—a weapon that would revolutionize the handgun and become famous as the Colt “Walker.”

Book review: Patrice's Shame by Agnes Alexander

Blurb:

Beautiful Patrice Dickerson is all too happy to leave Philadelphia to claim half of a ranch in Wyoming—an unexpected windfall from an aunt she never knew. But the catch is, the other half has been left to a man that Patrice has never met. Patrice can think of nothing but the new start this gift means for her—to outrun the shame that has threatened her all her life. Her mother, a well-known prostitute, has lately been pressing Patrice to join her in “the business” with threats of letting everyone know Patrice is her daughter—and Patrice lives in fear that her society friends will discover who she really is.

Gavin Barlow has suddenly found himself the owner of half of the Hopewell Ranch—a spread that adjoins the Barlow family land. When the new joint owner from back East arrives, Gavin plans to ask him to sell out. A ranch the size of the Hopewell spread would expand the Barlow holdings significantly. Surely, an Eastern dandy will be eager to sell…

But when Patrice arrives in Wyoming, Gavin is unprepared for her haughty demeanor. He never expected his “partner” to be a woman—and a rude one, at that! His hopes to buy her out are dashed in the face of her self-importance—a façade to hide her secrets.

An accident steals Patrice’s memory. Who is she, and why is she in Wyoming? Her sweet personality is totally opposite the Patrice that Gavin has come to know and be wary of—but which “Patrice” is the real one? As their relationship blossoms into true love, each of them hopes for a life together on the ranch they’ve inherited, but is it possible?

Patrice’s mother follows her to Wyoming with an evil plan of her own, threatening to expose Patrice’s background to Gavin. Can they still find true love in spite of PATRICE’S SHAME?

My Review:

One I started Patrice and Gavin's story, I had a hard time putting it down!  I enjoyed every moment at the Hopewell Ranch, getting to know the Barlow brothers and dig deeper into Patrice's story.

Patrice struggles with her identity and culture shock as secrets that can destroy a reputation start circulating and send her running across the country.  Digging deeper past her nasty attitude, you can see the young woman trying to figure out who she is and where she belongs and how to keep herself (and her secrets) safe.  Unfortunately, bad choices lead to more until drastic events finally help set her on the right course.

Gavin definitely has his hands full when Patrice shows up, and confusion and conflict abound.  He is drawn to her, but yet, her attitude puts him off.  He questions what's real and what isn't.  But Gavin is also a stand-up, honorable man, and realizes that there's something in Patrice he needs to dig deeper to help her discover.

After the initial rough and tumble get-to-really-know-ya time, the drama starts coming from outside forces, giving Gavin and Patrice a chance to fight the new battles side-by-side and build a good foundation.

I loved the family atmosphere and life on the ranch.  It definitely became a safe haven for Gavin and Patrice, and provided a terrific afternoon escape for myself.

Purchase Links:

      

JULIETTE GORDON LOW AND THE HISTORY OF GIRL SCOUTS OF AMERICA by Sarah J. McNeal, Author of #TheWildingsSeries

Juliet Gordon Low

One of my greatest childhood pleasures was participating in the Girl Scouts of America. It wasn’t just the fun of earning badges that brought me so much happiness; it was the joy of being with other girls and learning things together and sharing our successes.

Becoming part of a Girl Scout troop was more than campfires and roasted marshmallows. We learned how to be good citizens, helpful to others, and self-reliant. Like the Boy Scouts our motto was BE PREPARED. Every meeting we cited the Girl Scout Promise: On my honor I will try to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people at all times; to obey the Girl Scout laws.

There were ten laws for Girl Scouts:

1. A Girl Scout’s honor is to be trusted.

2. A Girl Scout is loyal.

3. A Girl Scout’s duty is to be useful and to help others.

4. A Girl Scout is a friend to all and a sister to every other Girl Scout.

5. A Girl Scout is courteous.

6. A Girl Scout is a friend to animals.

7. A Girl Scout obeys orders.

8. A Girl Scout is cheerful.

9. A Girl Scout is thrifty.

10. A Girl Scout is clean in thought, word, and deed.

The Girl Scout Handbook was our guide to learning responsibility and leadership that would stay with us for the rest of our lives. I still have that handbook. It’s kind of worn out with packing tape holding the binding together, but it still holds good memories and accomplishments as I made my way from Tenderfoot to Curved Bar.

My old Girl Scout handbook and my badges (except I lost the 6 in Troop 246)

Juliette Gordon Low (October 31, 1860-January 17, 1927) is the founder of the Girl Scouts of America inspired by the work of Lord Baden-Powell who founded the Boy Scouts in England. She joined the Girl Guide movement while in England and formed the Girl Guides of Great Britain in 1911.

The following year in 1912 she returned to the United States and her home in Savannah, Georgia. In 1915 she established the United States Girl Guides which became known as the Girl Scouts. She became the first president and remained active until her death. Her birthday, October 31, is commemorated by the Girl Scouts as “Founder’s Day.”

Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon was born in Savannah, Georgia, the second of six children. Her nickname was Daisy. Her father, William Washington Gordon II, as a cotton broker with Tison & Gordon, later renamed W.W. Gordon & Company and her mother was Eleanor Lytle Kinzie, a writer whose family played a role in the founding of Chicago.

Her father joined the Confederate States Army six months after she was born to fight in the American Civil War in 1864 because of the close proximity of the Union Army to Savannah. Her mother moved with the children to Thunderbolt, GA. After the Union Army declared victory in Savannah, General William T. Sherman visited her family frequently since he was a friend of her uncle. Sherman arranged for Juliette’s family to be escorted to Chicago in 1865. Shortly after they arrived in Chicago, Juliette contracted “brain fever”, but recovered without severe complications. At the end of the war her father reunited with the family and they moved back to Savannah.

Juliette was accident prone as a child and suffered many injuries and illnesses including a head injury after falling out of bed, an injury to two of her fingers so severe, for a time, her parents considered having them amputated, frequent earaches, and recurring bouts of malaria.

She dedicated most of her time pursuing art and poetry, wrote and performed plays, and started a newspaper her cousins called “The Malbone Bouquet” which featured some of her early poetry. She and her cousins formed a club with the goal of helping others. “The Helpful Hands Club” members learned to sew and attempted to make clothes for the children of Italian immigrants. She was dubbed “Crazy Daisy” by her cousins and family due to her eccentricities. Her cousin, Caroline, described her by saying, “While you never knew what she would do next, she always did what she made up her mind to do.”

Juliette was raised with traditional Southern values which emphasized the importance of duty, obedience, loyalty, and respect. As was customary at the time, Juliette was off to boarding school at age 12 attending several schools through her teen years which included Miss Emmett’s school in New Jersey, The Virginia Female Institute, the Edgehill School, and Mesdemoiselles Charbonniers French finishing school in New York. She joined a secret group Theta Tau while at the Edgehill School in which members earned badges. (You can clearly see the beginnings of a Girl Scout in these accomplishments and social teachings of her youth.) After she finished boarding school she took painting lessons in New York and among her teachers was Robert Walter Weir, a prominent landscape artist.

When her sister, Alice, died in 1880, Juliette returned to Savannah and took over the household duties while her mother grieved. Meanwhile, she met William Mackay Low, the son of a family friend and they began secretly courting until William left Savannah to study at the University of Oxford. Three years later, Juliette traveled through Europe during their time of separation and learned some new skills which included shorthand, bareback riding, and hunting partridge. William Low proposed marriage in 1885 and they were married in Savannah on her parents’ wedding anniversary, December 21, 1886. Later, they leased property in London and Scotland, spent the social season in London and the hunting season in Scotland. Due to Juliette’s medical problems they spent most of their first two years apart. William’s long hunting trips, gambling, and inability to have children began to strain their marriage.

While William spent his time in drinking, gambling, and affairs, Juliette painted, learned word and metal working. She even designed and built iron gates for her home in Warwickshire. She hosted parties and events at her house and received visits from HRH Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales who was a friend of her husband’s and Rudyard Kipling whose wife was a friend of Juliette’s mother. Though her husband was against it, Juliette spent a great deal of time involved in charity which included regular visits to a woman with leprosy. She gave food and care to the people of the village and joined a local nursing association.

Juliette and William spent less and less time together. William drank heavily, gambled, and began an affair with Anna Bridges Bateman, a widow who had stayed as a guest at the Low’s home in Scotland. At first William had not wanted a separation or divorce, but later agreed to a permanent separation in 1901. She received an allotment of money from William which she wisely invested in the Low Home for herself in Savannah with the land surrounding it as well as buying the house next door to rent out for income, and invested in stocks and securities. When William died of a seizure following a long illness, he left his entire estate to his mistress. However, his two sisters contested the will and they awarded Juliette a generous sum of money since Juliette and William had never divorced. I thought this was a noble thing for them to do for Juliette.

Juliette traveled after the death of her husband and did charity work while she sought a project on which she could focus her skills and time. At a party in May 1911 she met Sir Robert Baden-Powell and was inspired by a program in which he had organized called Boy Scouts. At that time the Boy Scouts had 40,000 members in Europe and the United States. The program stressed the importance of military preparedness and fun which Juliette valued. The two became good friends and spent a great deal of time together over the following year.

In August 1911, Juliette became involved the Girl Guides headed by Agnes Baden-Powell, Sir Robert’s sister and she formed the Girl Guides patrol in Scotland near her home. She encouraged the girls in her patrol to become self-sufficient by learning how to spin wool and care for the livestock. She taught them knot tying, how to read a map, knitting, cooking, and first aid. Her military friends taught her girls how to drill, signal, and camp. After that, she taught two Girl Guide patrols in London where she spent the following winter.

Juliette Gordon Low and Lord Robert Baden-Powell 

Juliette and Sir Robert took a trip to America in 1912 to spread the scouting movement. Naturally, she wanted to start the movement in Savannah to teach girls practical skills and character development. She called her cousin Nina, a local educator and said, “I’ve got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all of the world, and we’re going to start it tonight.” In March of 1912 Juliette Gordon Low formed the first two American Girl Guide patrols with 18 girls.

With Juliette’s social connections and her ambitious recruiting efforts by way of friend and advertisements in the newspapers, she was able to quickly gather a following of leaders and new members and Sir Robert assisted her by contacting others who were interested in Girl Guides such as Louise Carnegie. She also released a Girl Guides manual titled “How Girls Can Help Their Country” which was based on “Scouting For Boys” by Sir Robert Baden-Powell and “How Girls Can Help To Build Up The Empire” by Agnes Baden-Powell.

Juliette established the first headquarters in a remodeled carriage house behind the home in Savannah she inherited from her husband with meeting rooms for local Girl Guide patrols and the outside lot was used for marhing and signal drills and sports like basketball. Edmund Strudwick Nash who rented the main house offered to pay rent on the carriage house as his contribution to the organization and his son, Ogden Nash, immortalized “Mrs Low’s House” in one of his poems.

Juliette traveled along the east coast to introduce Girl Guides to other communities and, upon returning home to Savannah, spoke with President Taft who was visiting the Gordon home hoping to recruit his daughter Helen as a patron of the Girl Guides, but she was not successful in that endeavor. I Juliette Gordon Low well enough to know she wasn’t about to knuckle under to a little competition. She decided to change the name from Girl Guides to Girl Scouts deciding that the word Scout would be reminiscent of the pioneer spirit in America. She had some push back from West who led the Boy Scouts of America because he felt Scout trivialized the Boy Scouts name. (Nice…right?) Sir Robert preferred the word Guide after the British Girl Guides, but he supported Juliette’s decision. Naturally, being Juliette, she forged ahead with the name Girl Scouts and made their national headquarters in Washington D.C.. The national headquarters was set up for the girls to purchase their badges and to buy her guide book titled “How Girls Can Help Their Country.”

She worked to recruit leaders and members in every state and spoke to groups at every opportunity. She designed the trefoil badge against West’s wishes since he thought the trefoil should belong only to the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts should have no right to use it. Juliette traveled back to London that summer where she met King George and Queen Mary of Teck and received the Girl Guide Thanks Badge from Princess Louise for promoting Guiding.

Juliette formed the Honorary Committee of Girl Scouts and elected her family and friends to the committee. Using her ample supply of connections she was able to convince Susan Ludlow Parish who was Eleanor Roosevelt’s godmother, Mina Miller Edison (the wife of Thomas Edison), and Bertha Woodward (The wife of the House of Representatives majority leader) to become patrons. Even with all these patrons, Juliette still funded most Girl Scout expenses herself.

When World War I broke out, Juliette rented Castle Menzies in Scotland and let a family of Belgian refugees to temporarily move in.

She sailed back to the United States on February 13, 1915 on the RMS Lusitania to continue her work with the Girl Scouts. She now had 73 patrons and 2,400 registered members. She built a stronger central organization for the Girl Scouts by writing a new constitution that formed an executive committee and a National Council and held the first National Council meeting under the name, Girl Scouts, Inc. on June 10, 1915, and was elected the first president of the organization.

At the entrance of America into World War I in 1916 Juliette expanded the Girl Scouts through publications in newspapers, magazines, events, and film and relocated their headquarters from Washington D.C. to New York City. Juliette returned to England to fund raise for a home for relatives of wounded soldiers where she volunteered 3 nights a week. In November she returned to America to continue her work with the Girl Scouts.

To help with the program enacted by the United States Food Administration to teach women to conserve food, the Girl Scouts in Washington D.C. began growing and harvesting their own food and canned perishable foods. Herbert Hoover wrote a letter to Juliette to thank her for the contributions of the Girl Scouts and expressed the hope that Girl Scouts in other states would do the same. Of course, Juliette responded in typical Juliette fashion by organizing the Girl Scouts to help the Red Cross by making surgical dressings and knitted clothing for the soldiers. They also picked oakum, swept workrooms, created scrapbooks for wounded soldiers, and made smokeless trench candles for soldiers to heat their food. Note: Oakum picking is a tedious and laborious task of picking apart rope which in then used as a kind of caulking to seal off openings and usually sealed over with hot tar. I had to look this up since I had no clue. Just sayin’…

At the end of 1917 Juliette had convinced Lou Henry Hoover to become the National Vice President of the Girl Scouts and Edith Bolling Galt Wilson (President Wilson’s second wife) to become Honorary President of the Girl Scouts.

Juliette stepped down as the National President of the Girl Scouts in 1920 in order to devote her time to creating the International Council of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts and attended the first international meeting in London representing the United States. She continued her work in many directions for the sake of Girl Scouts including a plan for a camping facility in Cloudland, Georgia to be used to train leaders and Girl Scouts together. The name Cloudlands was later changed to Camp Juliette Low.

In 1923 Juliette Low developed breast cancer which she kept a secret. After an operation to remove the malignant lumps, she developed the flu. She managed to cover after a year, but had 2 more operations to cure breast cancer, but was informed in 1925 that she had only 6 months to live. She went to London to receive cancer treatment from Dr. William Blair-Bell which consisted of an IV fluid containing lead. She developed lead poisoning, returned home to Savannah where she died on January 17, 1927 at age 66. An honor guard of Girl Scouts escorted her casket to her funeral at Christ Church the next day. 250 Girl Scouts left school early that day to attend her funeral and burial at Laurel Grove Cemetery. Juliette was buried in her Girl Scout uniform with a note in her pocket that read, ‘You are not only the first Girl Scout, but the best Girl Scout of them all.” Her tombstone read, “Now abideth faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.”

Juliette Gordon Low never had children, but she left a legacy of devotion to thousands of girls and for generations of girls to follow.

I originally only intended to write a 3 paragraph blog, but I found Juliette Low’s life so fascinating and filled with accomplishments and good works I just had to write more. Still, I left out a LOT!

I was a Girl Scout and loved it for years of my youth and earned the Curved Bar badge before I finished. When my mother took over as leader for my Girl Scout troop she and Pop planned a memorable trip for my troop to visit the Juliette Low home in Savannah. It was one of the most memorable times I ever had.

Were you in a scouting group growing up? What do you remember most about your experience? Did you have kids in Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts?

Sarah J. McNeal

Diverse stories filled with heart

Facebook

Twitter

Website

My Amazon Author’s Page

Prairie Rose Author Page

The Wildings

Prairie Rose Blog

Fantasy & Dreams Blog

Born Bad?

Born Bad?

C.A. Asbrey

Cesare Lombroso

Cesare Lombroso has been described as the father of modern criminology, but one of his major theories has been long abandoned and discredited. That theory, however, did dominate thinking about criminal behavior right up into the 20th century. What was that theory? Not only were some people born bad, but that they could be easily identified by their physical characteristics.

It's important to remember that the pioneers using scientific methods to research theories which sound outlandish to us today, did contribute to the sum of knowledge by what was eventually disproven, as much as by what stood the test of time.     

Lombroso was not the first to postulate this theory. It had actually been around for a very long time and before anyone investigated it scientifically, it was just referred to as 'bad blood'. Lombroso wasn't even the first to investigate it using an organized systematic method of observation. That accolade goes to the English social theorist and philosopher, Herbert Spencer. Two years before Darwin came up with his theory of evolution, Spencer published a theory of evolution in Progress: Its Law and Cause (1857). Spencer actually coined the phrase 'survival of the fittest', in 1864, after reading Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. Where Spencer differed from Darwin in that he applied the idea of natural selection to societies.    

Darwin's work was not as revolutionary as some propose. There were a number of people working on similar versions of the theory around the same time as Darwin. It was taking hold in scientific circles, and Lombroso ran with the work of people like Spencer and Darwin and tried to apply it to the world of criminality.

Giuseppe Villella

Lombroso published Criminal Man in 1876, and he proposed that criminal were less evolved than honest and non-violent people, and that their propensity to commit crime was as a result of biological differences between criminals and non-criminals. As he began his career working in insane asylums he was also interested in the differences between the insane and sane. 

Giuseppe Villella was an arsonist and thief from Calabria. He was a notoriously  flamboyant criminal; agile, boastful, cynical and amoral. After his execution, Lombroso examined the skull and found an indentation which was similar to that found in apes. Lombroso noted a similar characteristic in other criminals, and concluded that it was evidence of 'arrested development'. He argued that criminality was found in individuals who were less developed than others, and that it was a throwback to early man. Lombroso wrote: “At the sight of that skull, I seemed to see all of a sudden, lighted up as a vast plain under a flaming sky, the problem of the nature of the criminal – an atavistic being who reproduces in his person the ferocious instincts of primitive humanity and the inferior animals.

Villella's skull

“Thus were explained anatomically the enormous jaws, high cheek bones, prominent superciliary arches, solitary lines in the palms, extreme size of the orbits, handle shaped or sessile ears found in criminals, savages and apes, insensibility to pain, extremely acute sight, tattooing, excessive idleness, love of orgies and the irresistible craving for evil for its own sake, the desire not only to extinguish life in the victim, but to mutilate the corpse, tear its flesh, and drink its blood.” 

Lombroso believed that criminality was not only inherited, he postualted that criminals could be identified by physical defects that confirmed them as being atavistic or savage.  Murderers had cold, glassy stares, bloodshot eyes and big hawk-like noses. Rapists, bizarrely to modern thinking, had ‘jug ears’. A thief could be identified by his expressive face, manual dexterity, and small, wandering eyes. 

Lombroso co-wrote his first book to examine the causes of female crime too, and concluded, among other things, that female criminals were far more ruthless than male; tended to be lustful and immodest; were shorter and more wrinkled; and had darker hair and smaller skulls than ‘normal’ women. They did, however, suffer from less baldness, said Lombroso. Women who committed crimes of passion had prominent lower jaws and were more wicked than their male counterparts, he concluded.

Lombroso not only drew on the work of other criminal anthropologists throughout Europe, but also conducted many of his own experiments. He invented bizarre contraptions to measure various body parts, and also more abstract things like sensitivity to pain and a a tendency to tell lies. He actually did invent an early lie detector. 

Lombroso used various pieces of equipment for different purposes. A hydrosphygmograph studied changes in blood pressure and he compared these results to criminals and ‘normal’ subjects. Using an induction coil called a Ruhmkorff, subjects would be exposed to various stimuli – both unpleasant and unpleasant, such as electric shocks and the sound of the firing of a pistol, music, food, money, or a picture of a nude woman. The responses would then be compared to those of people who were deemed non-criminal. 

Ruhmkorff Induction Coil

The problem was that the recording of the results was chaotic and unreliable. To make matters worse, Lombroso tended to draw on unscientific evidence to add weight to his theories, such as old proverbs, and anecdotes which appealed to him. This left his work vulnerable to attack by critics across Europe, and ensured it was not scientifically robust. All of this reflects the sort of man Lombroso was: unpredictable, effervescent, and fascinating. He gave sell-out lectures in Italy, was famous, and was known for commenting on all kinds of things in the popular press. Lombardo had an opinion on almost everything, and the energy, and contacts, to make them heard. He was a celebrity, and he enjoyed it.   

He was interested in all aspects of human behavior. He was not only an early sexologist, but he was deeply fascinated by ghosts and spiritualism. He did many investigations into hauntings, his most famous being the 'haunted cellar' where he watched bottles mysteriously falling from the shelves for no discernible reason. He investigated mediums like Eusapia Palladino, participated in seances and concluded that ghosts were real. Such work earned him the title of, The Founding Father of Parapsychology. It also served to undermine his credibility.  

After his death his work was further discredited by the growing disquiet with the eugenics movement. The subversion of his work by the Nazis, who sought to prove that whole races were sub-human, and therefore could be murdered, finished that line of thinking completely for a very long time. 

Lombroso's flaws do not wipe out his legacy. He contributed a great deal to the world of criminal investigation, not least that crimes could be investigated using a scientific method, but that the criminal themselves could be worthy of research. He gave us the notion that crime may be examined in the same way that a medical problem in order to find a solution to criminality.  

Today we have come full circle. After years of looking for social causes of crime, the impact of upbringing, economic factors, and even brain injuries, we are now looking again at the genetic component in certain types of criminals. Recent studies have found personality trains which can be passed down the generations, and this is backed up by twin studies. Monozygotic twins are more likely to share a tendency to either delinquency or honesty, than normal siblings. These same studies also show that those genetic traits impact the way a person actually looks.   

For example, although males secrete testosterone at higher levels than females. Researchers have found that higher levels are associated with increased levels of violence and aggression in both genders. However, testosterone levels naturally fluctuate throughout the day and in response to various environmental stimuli. This makes correlating levels to behavior and controlling for environmental stimuli extremely difficult, but research is being done on whether someone people secrete more in response to stimuli than others. Having more testosterone does impact appearance. It will be seen in finger length, muscle mass, balding, and how you process sugar - and we all know about how 'hangry' makes people more irritable. 

Children who live with stress in childhood are more likely to manifest criminal behavior due to changes made to brain structure as their systems are flooded with cortisol during development. Diana Fishbein in 2003 concluded that behavioral problems may originate in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, and that excess cortisol shrinks that part of the brain. Cortisol impacts on looks by impacting on the pattern of fat storage in the body, can change face shape (the well-known moon face), cause hair loss, acne, make scars worse as it impacts on healing, and premature aging. Studies have also shown it also impacts on sex hormones and makes people less attractive to the opposite sex. This can lead to sexual frustration.  

Other aspects being investigated are Premenstrual Syndrome and Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, Post Partum Depression, Neurotransmitters, chemicals that transmit messages between brain cells, called neurons, and have a direct impact on the many functions of the brain. Diet, Food Allergies, Sensitivities, Vitamins, and Minerals. Empathy is largely inherited, and lack of empathy is another factor in certain kinds of criminality.  

All in all, we have continued to build on  the work of the early pioneers. At the moment we conclude that we are all a complex mixture of both nature and nurture, and the genes we inherit can mean that some of us can rise above social and environmental factors more easily than others.

And even though he didn't get the details right, he did stumble across a link between criminality and the way some of us look - even if that's not necessarily the cause.        

Innocent Bystander EXCERPT

A vacant-looking man with prominent yellow teeth walked into her field of vision, striding beyond the blinding sun and dragged her roughly from the horse. She had expected to be searched and had ruthlessly bound her body with bandages to try to flatten and conceal her breasts, but the man merely patted down her sides before turning his attentions to her jacket. He pulled out the pistol which had been loosely placed in her pocket and slapped his way down her legs. She was instantly glad she had foregone the Derringer she usually wore at her ankle. A concealed weapon was too risky.

“He’s clean.”

“Well, boy. It seems like you’re gonna get your wish, but if you’ve been messin’ with us and you ain’t Quinn’s kin, you’re gonna regret it. He don’t like to be messed with.”

Abigail felt her arms grabbed as she was roughly turned around and her carefully dirtied hands were bound behind her back, the rope biting deeply into her skin as it was pulled tight. They must have seen her wince as it provoked a chorus of laughter which rang in her ears.

“Looks like this life’s a bit too rough for you, sonny.”

 A thick, smelly bag was thrust over her head, obliterating the world, before she was lifted back onto her little colt and she felt herself led off to face the rest of the gang.

         

Jasper, Banff and CP Hotels Part One by Elizabeth Clements #prairierosepubs #canada #travel #history

JASPER, BANFF, AND CP HOTELS: PART ONE  by Elizabeth Clements

Jasper Highway

 August is such a special month for me because it reminds me of our yearly two-week vacations in Jasper and Banff.  Anticipation of the trip to the Rocky Mountains kept our four boys excited for the holidays all summer, like presents for Christmas. It meant lots of exploring and campfire marshmallow roasts, playing board games and staying up until midnight. We’d load the car top carrier with luggage, stow a big blue Coleman cooler chest in the trunk with lots of ice to keep the frozen meat for a few days, and head up to Jasper National Park for the first week of our holiday of roughing it in a cabin that had no tv, dishwasher nor a/c, just a small fridge and stove and a bbq outside. The fireplace was a nice touch if it became chilly.

We love the town of Jasper because it’s much quieter and laid-back than Banff, which has become a full-blown tourist town. Jasper was named after a trading post operator, Jasper Hawes. Although established as a park in 1907, it wasn’t until  1930 that it was granted national park status. The park covers over 4,200 square miles and is a protected area in the Rocky Mountains because of its beautiful scenery, lakes, waterfalls and glaciers. We spent a week there for years and never tired of seeing the same things again while discovering new wonders. Jasper truly has something for everyone for summer fun and has fabulous ski slopes, etc for winter sports. One summer we took the Gondola up the mountain, then walked the rest of the way to the top. What an amazing mountain-top view (and my legs felt it the next day <grin>).

We love our rustic cabin at the Pine Cabins and have reserved the same unit many times when the boys were still in school. The Athabasca River rushes by just a couple of hundred feet from our cabin door. At night, when all was dark and quiet and the screened window pushed way up, I’d listen  to the rapids gurgling and chuckling their endless tune over the boulders. In the morning, Doug would rise early, make a pot of tea and carry a mug out to the bench to watch the moose and elk forage across the river while I started making breakfast. At the link below you can see a pic of the cabin….ours was to the left out of sight, but it gives you an idea.

https://www.jasper.travel/accommodations/pine-bungalows/

Every day brought a new exploring adventure. One afternoon we came back to the cabin a little early and heard yells and excitement a couple cabins over. When the housekeeping staff do their chores, they leave the cabin door open. Well, an inquisitive little bear cub wandered in from the woods to check things out. Where there’s a cub, there’s bound to be a protective mama nearby and she will not be asking questions first! Luckily, the mischievous cub was shooed out and peace was restored without mishap. Oh, did I mention that deer and elk calmly rested on the lawns in front of the office, undisturbed, nor intimidated by humans and cars?

Over the years we’ve walked the length of Maligne Canyon several times, always amazed anew by the deep narrow channel and the fury of the water foaming and boiling over the rocks. Click HERE for images.  

Maligne Lake is a scenic 30-mile drive from our cabin just outside of Jasper. There is so much breathtaking scenery along the way it’s best to allow lots of time for camera stops, like wanting to check out Maligne Canyon before you take the turn turnoff for the Maligne Lake Boathouse. As it happened, the boat was out on a trip across the lake, so we had to wait for the next cruise.

To our dismay, we realized the fare for all six of us to take the two-hour boat cruise down Maligne Lake to Spirit Island was too expensive. So, Doug being the gentleman he always is, took the boys fishing and I went on the cruise alone. Doug didn’t get much fishing done—too busy untangling the boys’ lines—but they had fun. And I had an exciting time fulfilling my childhood dream of finally seeing Spirit Island.

I’d been enchanted with the beauty of Spirit Island since my childhood when I saw the 1954  movie musical, Rose Marie with Howard Keel and Ann Blythe. He played Sgt Mike, a red-coated Mountie who always got his man and Ann was a beautiful mountain girl, wearing buckskin and a coon hat. Of course any good story has to have a villain, I assume played by Fernando Lamas, a mountain man. Now I want to see the movie again. Here’s a trailer to get the gist of this wonderful musical:

If one wished to take a canoe across the lake to Spirit Island, it would take a good four hours paddling one way. Thus the cruise is popular and runs several times a day beginning in late May. However, for serious photographers, the best time is around 4:30 p.m. when the light is just right (or late afternoon depending on the summer month, though) A special cruise, guided by a professional photographer, is offered three times a week for this specific chance for photographers to capture the beauty of Spirit Island and the lake in ideal light. No wonder there are so many photos of it in travel books and magazines.

In 1908, Mary Schaffer, a writer, photographer, artist and botanist, was the first European to see Maligne Lake. “She was a trailblazer of exploration at a time when women generally weren’t permitted to travel beyond the comforts of a railway car or luxury hotel unless accompanied by a male family member.” (Thankfully, how far we’ve come since then, eh?)

She called Maligne Lake “the Hall of Gods” because the lake is situated in a long box canyon, surrounded by mountains. She’s also been quoted saying, “If Lake Louise is a pearl, Maligne is the entire pearl necklace.” I’ll take that one step further…pearls gleam, but diamonds sparkle and for me, Maligne Lake with Spirit Island, is the Hope diamond necklace of beautiful lakes. (When the Hope diamond was donated to the  Smithsonian Institute by jeweler, Henry Winston, in 1958, it ended the curse associated with the famous 45-carat blue diamond that had graced the throats of many wealthy women, including the unfortunate Queen Marie Antoinette.)

Maligne Lake is famous for its incredible color that changes the further one travels across the lake. At the dock, the water is blue, but further south, as you get closer to the glaciers, the water deepens into various shades of emerald, depending on the weather, due to the presence of “rock flour” from the glaciers. The Athabasca River by our cabin is quite white, most likely for this same reason.

Another interesting fact about Maligne Lake is the derivation of it name. “Maligne Lake, as well as Maligne River, Maligne Mountain, and Maligne Pass, takes its name from the French word for malignant or wicked. ... It is also possible that early French traders applied the name to the river for its treacherous confluence with the Athabasca River.”

Spirit Island  Maligne Lake

Spirit Island is one of the most photographed sites in the world. It sits on the southern half of Maligne Lake and is 8.7 miles from the boating dock. It’s only an island part of the year, when heavy rains and deep snow from the surrounding mountains and glaciers melt into Maligne Lake, bringing the water level high enough to turn this little pine-wooded land into an island. By the time August rolls around, Spirit Island can be easily accessed via the isthmus that connects it to land. A 30 or 60-minute stop is made for passengers to disembark and wander about, taking pictures.

When I stepped off the boat, I distanced myself a bit from the rest of the passengers because I wanted to soak in the peace and tranquility amongst the fragrant pines and savor this moment of quiet joy. “The island is a spiritual place for the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, who believe mountains are physical representations of their ancestors. The fact that Spirit Island is surrounded on three sides by the same mountain range is very rare and makes it particularly significant to the Stoney.”  

Check out this link for some beautiful night pictures HERE.

My research of the history of the area and its indigenous people reveals there’s evidence of habitation dating back 10,000 years.  There were several tribes that wandered in the valleys, hunting for food. By the 1600’s the Cree had established themselves in the area and by the 1700’s the Stoney-Nakoda also took up residence. With the influx of Europeans who came to hunt for furs, intermarriage was inevitable and the Métis population grew.

“In 1813, Jasper House was built (now a National Historic Site in Jasper National Park) as a place where fur traders could stock up on provisions before traversing the mountains through Athabasca Pass, or refuel if they had just completed the journey. In 1821, the Hudson’s Bay Company took control of the North West Company and posts such as Jasper House. Jasper House closed in 1884.”

For more information about Jasper, please click this link: HERE

Next year, for our special anniversary, we have discussed among the family to plan a special vacation celebration by returning to Jasper. We’d rent the same cabin by the river, but we’d have to get two cabins now, side-by-side. And we still have that car-top carrier for the luggage!

My love of Jasper has rambled on far too long, which seems to be my habit—wordiness—so I shall halt here in Jasper and continue the journey to Banff next month with Part 2.

In closing, I’ll just share a little tidbit about Banff which indirectly relates to my novella, Diamond Jack’s Angel in the Hot Western Nights anthology just released on July 4^th.

Back in the 1990’s at the tail end of our vacation in Banff, we took a detour and visited the Frank Slide mining disaster in the Crowsnest Pass of the Rocky Mountains. I experienced a special “moment” there, which inspired a western historical romance. That book did have a mining disaster in it, with the heroine leaving town (and the hero) because she’d accepted an invitation to sing at the newly opened Banff Springs Hotel in 1888 (now known as the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel). I never published that book, just started a new book. But I resurrected that story this year from memory, partly changed the story line, drastically reduced the length and relocated it to a gold mining town in Colorado.

Here is a brief excerpt from Diamond Jack’s Angel in  the anthology, Hot Western Nights:

Angela kept gazing at the sapphire gown. She’d never owned anything so beautiful. Eagerly she undressed, but when she stood only in her shift, shyness overcame her.

“What is it, my dear?” Lil said.

“I-I…only my mother’s seen me….”

Lil’s expression softened into a tender smile. “I was shy once, too.”

Angela’s eyes widened. “You were? I can’t imagine that.”

Lil cradled the gown, her rouged lips pursed in a rueful smile. “I wasn’t always a madam. Sometimes life kicks you in the backside and you do whatever you must to survive. Now, no more talk. Hold out your arms and lean forward. And close your eyes.”

Angela complied, excitement building inside her. She’d never owned a dress so fine. She heard the whisper of material being gathered, a whoosh of cool slippery cloth over her head and sliding down over her body. She smoothed her hands over the skirt and stopped as her fingers rasped on the material. She bit her lip, embarrassed.

“Don’t fret. The cream’s working nicely. Your hands will be good as new in a few more days.” Lil deftly buttoned the bodice and stood back.

“Can I look now?”

“No, I’m not done yet. Lean your head forward.”

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“No, of course not.” Lil started pulling out the hairpins that held the thick braids in a coronet and tossed the pins onto a table. It took her a few minutes to loosen the plaits and fluff them around Angela’s shoulders. “Oh, my, oh my.”

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Just give me another minute. No peeking.” Lil hurried to the door and opened it. “Arthur, dash upstairs and fetch my full-length mirror. Hurry.”

Angela giggled, trying to imagine the dignified butler dashing anywhere. But she hoped he’d hurry. The suspense of seeing herself in this gown made her tremble. She realized with her eyes closed the rest of her senses kicked in…footsteps on the stairs…the rose scent of a burning candle…the rapid beating of her heart…a movement of air…an indrawn breath….

Suddenly her skin prickled, as if an invisible hand had brushed over her like a caress. Of their own will, her eyes flew open. Jack stood in the doorway, looking so tall and dashing in a black suit and silver vest, his black Stetson resting at a rakish angle. Why have I never noticed how handsome he is? And why is he standing so still as if struck by lightning?

His smoky eyes blazed with an inner fire that shot a melting tingle straight to her core. Her mouth dried up. An uncontrollable hot and cold feeling flashed from her head to her knees.

Jack rushed across the carpet and caught her in his strong arms. She gazed up at him. He was speaking, as if through water. She looked at his mouth. Wanted him to kiss her like the other night. “Yes,” she breathed.

Warmth caressed her cheeks, as if Jack had been holding his breath. And then his lips covered hers and she succumbed to the thrill of his kiss.

Stay connected with Elizabeth here:

Facebook | Goodreads

 On Amazon:

 Diamond Jack’s Angel/Hot Western Nights Anthology

On Amazon:

Beneath a Horse-Thief Moon

  

On Amazon:

Beneath a Fugitive Moon