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Southeastern Illinois History, Albion, IL (2025)

12/09/2024

CARL SWITZER:
One of my favorite movies to watch at Christmas time is “It’s A Wonderful Life” starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed. In the movie we see Carl Switzer playing the part of Freddie Othello, the boy who objects to George Bailey taking Mary away from him at the dance. He is also the one who flips the switch to open the dance floor causing George and Mary to fall into a swimming pool beneath the floor.
When I first saw that movie many years ago, I thought Freddie Othello looked familiar. So I did some research. Yes! Carl Switzer also played the part of Alfalfa in the popular films of the 1950s “The Little Rascals”.
Carl Switzer was born August 7, 1927 in Paris, Illinois. As a child he entertained people in his hometown of Paris with his singing. On a trip to California to visit relatives, Switzer’s mother took Carl and his brother to the Hal Roach Studios, a film and television production company that launched the careers of comedy legends like Laurel and Hardy. The Switzer brothers were signed by Hal Roach and Carl was cast as Alfalfa in the Our Gang series. I remember watching those Little Rascals many times as a child. Switzer never received any royalties from the show.
Carl found small roles in movies and on television, but his most successful days in Hollywood were gone. He did manage to made some money doing odd jobs. He also served as a big game hunting guide, dog trainer and bartender. However, Carl had several run-ins with the police.
On January 21,1959, Switzer and a friend went to the home of Moses “Bud” Stiltz, to collect a debt Switzer believed he was owed. A fight broke out and Stiltz shot and killed Switzer. Carl died at the age of 31. He is buried in Los Angeles.
So the next time you watch “It’s A Wonderful Life”, watch for Carl Switzer who came from southeastern Illinois.

10/23/2024

Albion Shale Pit Cave-in Kills Two Men
If you drive in the Albion area you are bound to travel on streets paved with brick. Though some would like to see a smooth asphalt surface laid down on top of those bricks, the brick streets are an important part of the town’s history. The Albion Vitrified Brick Company was incorporated in 1902. The inexhaustible deposits of shale near the plant was said to be of an indefinite supply for making excellent quality bricks. Those bricks were made for paving streets in Albion as well as several other cities and towns in the Midwest.
On November 26, 1907 several men were working in the shale it. They were digging out shale for the manufacture of bricks for the nearby Vitrified Brick Company Plant. A heavy blast had been discharged and the men were shoveling the shale into cars. They were working beneath a high ledge of rock and shale that extended about 25 feet above them.
At approximately 3:00 that afternoon one of the men working some distance away saw the mass of rock and shale begin to move. He called out a warning to his fellow workers, but apparently two men either didn’t hear the alarm or were unable to escape. The mass weighing 10 to 15 tons crashed down on 45 year old James Gines and 27 year old Jesse Montgomery.
The workers quickly began efforts to dig the shale and rock off the two men. They eventually managed to clear away the debris. Unfortunately, the weight of the rock and shale had crushed the bodies of Gines and Montgomery to an unrecognizable mass of flesh and bones. They had been killed instantly. The bodies were taken to the Bower & Smith undertaking rooms. Coroner Harry Moss conducted an inquest.
James Gines lived on a farm 2 miles northwest of Albion and had been employed at the brick plant almost since its organization. He had the contract to get out the shale at a stipulated price per car and had full control of the work in the shale pit. Gines left a wife and 3 children and was buried in Graceland Cemetery.
Jesse Montgomery lived at Red Top (a community east of Albion) and had been working at the brick plant for just a short time. Montgomery left a wife and 5 children. He was buried at West Village Cemetery.
After nearly 50 years in business, the Albion Brick Plant closed in 1942, but reopened in 1945 when the Albion Chamber of Commerce conducted a fund raising drive to pay for replacement of old equipment. From time to time until 1975, when the last plant closed, the manufacture of brick furnished a living for many area families.

10/16/2024

R**E TRIAL IN EDWARDS COUNTY:
The Edwards County Courthouse in Albion, Illinois is usually a very quiet place. Once in awhile, a court case comes up that draws big public interest. That certainly was true when a r**e case came up in April of 1952. Two teenaged boys were accused of ra**ng a 17 year old girl at Moose Lake north of Albion on October 25, 1951. Newspapers in Albion and Mt. Carmel carried the story.
In statements given to police, the alleged victim said she had just gotten off work at the movie theatre in Albion. Because she knew the two boys, she explained that she accepted a ride home in their car. However, she said she was taken to Moose Lake located about 5 miles north of Albion. She further told authorities that the boys drew matches to decide who would go first. Gordon Gubbins, according to her, went first in ra**ng her. David Hollomon then took his turn in the backseat. During the ordeal, the girl said she was savagely beaten in her attempts to prevent the r**e. She said she was then driven home and told “don’t tell anyone because it’s the word of two fellows against yours”!
The alleged victim told her story to her parents who quickly took her to a doctor. Police were notified of the attack and a search began for the boys she accused of the crime. They were eventually stopped near Grayville early the next morning and arrested by State Police. Placed in the County Jail at Albion, the youths faced 3 counts of r**e charges. Newspaper articles said that relatives of the girl had to be restrained by police as the suspects were being jailed.
State’s Attorney Bamberth told the news media that the alleged victim had been examined by a doctor and he believed that she had indeed been r**ed. She was said to be in shock. As is the common practice in r**e cases, the girl’s name would not be revealed to the news media.
Gordon Gubbins, age 17 and from Albion, secured the services of attorneys Arnold and Boley of Olney to represent him in the defense of the charges. David Hollomon, age 18 and from Bellmont, was represented by court appointed attorney John Holland of Albion. Not guilty pleas were entered in Edwards County Circuit Court on January 9, 1952. Judge Crebs set April 14, 1952 as the date for the trial.
It was standing room only inside the Upstairs Courtroom when the trial began April 11, 1952. Everyone under the age of 21 except those called to testify was barred from the courtroom. The name of the alleged victim had been withheld up until now. However, it’s likely the name leaked out from various sources after the boys were arrested. Now given the requirement to face the defendants, the girl had to appear in court. Perhaps knowing for sure her identity was the reason many came to the trial. Newspapers never printed her name. Neither will her name be revealed in this article.
After questioning by attorneys for both sides, a jury of 6 men and 6 women was seated to decide the case. If Gubbins and Hollomon were found “guilty” they faced the possibility of life in prison with no possibility of parole. Edwards County State’s Attorney Peter Bamberth presented the case calling testimony from Dr. Paul Nierenberg who came back from New York to explain his findings in the examination of the girl. He backed up his previous statements that he believed the girl had been r**ed. Six other witnessed were called by the prosecution.
Now it was time for the defense team of Arnold and Boley to present their case. Their job was to discredit the prosecution’s case and perhaps the character of the alleged victim. Seven boys were called to testify in support of the characters of Gubbins and Hollomon. The defense lawyers attacked the evidence presented by the prosecution. It took a full week for all of the facts of the case to be presented in court.
Judge Crebs gave final instructions to the jury on April 18, 1952. They retired to the Jury Room for deliberations. Relatives and friends of the girl as well as the boys waited nervously outside the courtroom. What would be the verdict…guilty or innocent?
After 5 hours of deliberating, the Jury Foreman notified Judge Crebs that they had reached a verdict. Again the courtroom filled up quickly to hear the results of the trial. The jurors entered the Jury box and sat down. Judge Crebs asked, “Have you reached a decision?” The foreman replied, “We have, your Honor!” “So what say you? asked the Judge. To which the foreman replied, “We find the accused “not guilty”. The courtroom was filled with pandemonium as supporters of Gubbins and Hollomon celebrated with shouts of joy. Relatives and friends of the girl gasped and shouted “no” in disbelief. Gubbins and Hollomon were released from custody.
As one might expect, there was much debate for quite some time among Edwards County residents. Some thought the verdict was a disgrace while others thought it was just. It’s clear that only the 3 people involved in the case knew for sure if the jury got it right.
Gordon Gubbins moved to Dyer, Indiana and then to Conroe, Texas where he spent the rest of his life. He died August 7, 2014 at the age of 79 and was buried there. David Hollomon was killed in a 2-car crash February 28, 1956 on Route 130 north of Albion. He was 23 years old. His body is buried at Bethel Cemetery south of Bellmont.

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