The popular TV show Gunsmoke is credited for the term
"Get out of Dodge," but the phrase actually has a more colorful and
interesting history.
According to the book Lynchings, Legends and Lawlessness by
Loren Avery, the term actually originated in Sidney, Nebraska. At the time the town had such a bad reputation
it was called Sinful Sidney and the Wickedest Town in the West. Is there small wonder that they buried their
dead in what was called the "Bad Man's Cemetery?"
200 murderers, robbers and the ilk
were buried there and those were just the ones who got caught. The numerous hangings included one hapless
man who managed somehow to get lynched twice. Sidney created so much news it
had three newspapers.
In 1880, a robbery to end all
robberies occurred in the town and five million dollars was stolen. Things were so bad that the Union Pacific
railroad threatened to pull out stakes if something wasn't done to curb
crime. In an attempt to clean up the
town, a vigilante group rounded up sixteen known criminals and issued a warning
to the rest of the lawbreakers telling them to "Get out of Sidney,
forever."
Since the edict was issued on April 1st,
some outlaws thought it was an April Fools’ day joke. When the first of the sixteen captives hung
from the tree in front of the courthouse the message became clear.
Following the hangings, reportedly over
200 thugs fled town. Word spread and
soon other towns, including Dodge City, used Sidney's crime-ridding blueprint
to clear out their own criminals. Now
you know the true story of "Get out of Dodge."
I don't think a sign like that would work today, but some cities are experimenting with all kinds of interesting ideas. Los Angeles claims to have had success in curbing crime by playing classical music in high-crime areas. Lancaster, California left crime-fighting to the birds--literally. Bird chirps were piped over a half mile area and reportedly crime dropped fifteen percent. My town has put up signs saying that we support our police. It's too soon to tell, but some think that these signs will help lower the crime rate. What do you think? Any other interesting crime-fighting ideas out there?
I don't think a sign like that would work today, but some cities are experimenting with all kinds of interesting ideas. Los Angeles claims to have had success in curbing crime by playing classical music in high-crime areas. Lancaster, California left crime-fighting to the birds--literally. Bird chirps were piped over a half mile area and reportedly crime dropped fifteen percent. My town has put up signs saying that we support our police. It's too soon to tell, but some think that these signs will help lower the crime rate. What do you think? Any other interesting crime-fighting ideas out there?
Margaret's Story
The Dog Days of Summer Bride
When two people unknowingly
own the same dog, there's bound
to be trouble!
I need to read this to my hubby....we watch Gunsmoke almost every day and he'd find this interesting. The only crime fighting idea I've seen in my area are Neighborhood Watch signs.
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DeleteWe have those neighborhood watch signs here, too. I wonder if there are any statistics on how well they work.
Interesting post, Margaret! I like the birds chirping and classical music ideas. Here's one: pray for criminals to get saved! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's worth a try, Linore!
DeleteI'm for that, Linore!
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