This week in Indiana’s history …
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
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.”