Mrs. Emma Louise Dodd, age 65, resident of Bethany, was killed by a Wheeling Traction company street car.  She was crossing Main Street at the corner of Mahan avenue, Follansbee, at about 11 a.m.  She was visiting her son, Cecil Dodd. She started to cross the street in back of the north-bound car and stepped directly in front of the Wheeling bound car.  Motorman Duval applied the emergency brakes but the front tracks passed over the woman.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Woman Killed,” October 6, 1921, p. 3.

Fans took advantage of a special streetcar to attend the Blakely A.C. Brilliant A.C. football game at Brilliant.   Fans made reservations for special rates at Blakely’s pool room or with Coach Sam Baker. The Blakleys won the game from the Brilliant Independents 7-0.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Special Car To Brilliant,” September 30, 1921, p. 4
• Steubenville Herald Star, October 3, 1921

An attempt was made by several Black Handers to kill James Circone who resided on the corner of Main and Raymond streets. Circone, a respected resident of the city for 16 years, was induced to step out onto the porch. One of the men pulled a gun and told him to prepare to die.   Circone fled back into his house as a bullet whizzed past his head almost hitting his wife. Circone, who was a merchant, had helped the authorities rid the town of Black Handers in the past.

As a result of the murderous attempt, Follansbee officials, aided by citizens prepared to drive the alleged Black Handers from the city.   Four Italian suspects were arrested and others were being sought.   The Herald Star reported that those known to be connected with the society were rounded up and marched out of town.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Attempted Murder at Follansbee,” September 15, 1921, p. 3.

An Ohio Valley League was organized in Steubenville.  Old timers will remember the Follansbee soccer field located near where the current city little league baseball field is today.   Known as the Ohio Valley Press Soccer League, some of the cities with teams were Mingo, Steubenville, Moundsville, Triadelphia, Tiltonville, Salineville, and Follansbee.   The popularity of the sport reflected the large population of ethnic families living in the region at the time. An earlier Follansbee team was organized by the Moose Club in 1919.  William R. Reese was the manager of the Moose Lodge team.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Soccer Team Coming,” September 17, 1921, p. 11.
• Steubenville Herald Star, “Soccer Team Plays Sunday at Mingo, Meeting Salineville; Follansbee in West Penn Event,” October 6, 1921, p. 11.
• Steubenville Herald Star, “Wheeling To Enter Team in Soccer League,” Sept. 19, 1921, p.6.
• Steubenville Herald Star, “Soccer Today,” January 3, 1920.

Teams from Yale, Harvard and Princeton were among those competing in trial runs with the Cross Creek Yachting Club. The event occurred on the river near the mouth of Cross Creek. The crews were preparing for the big race scheduled for Labor Day. Billy Lake was cockswain of the Cross Creek crew. Doc Castek coordinated the various crews in their workouts.  Cross Creek made a fine showing with Dave Lewis being the main dipper.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Follansbee – Creek Yachting Club,” July 5, 1921, p. 9

Mike Ondrick and his wife, the famous Madame Stanley of Follansbee, were found guilty of the cold blooded murder of Stephon Galcheck of Pittsburgh. Galcheck was handcuffed and murdered in Follansbee and his body thrown into the river from the Market Street bridge.  Before radio and TV, trials were the soap operas of the day. Hundreds packed the county court room as the trial began.   The main curiosity for the public was Madame Stanley who claimed to have supernatural powers as a clairvoyant. Initially the accused claimed to be not guilty.   The evidence against the man and wife was entirely circumstantial. However, every point needed by the state was made by Prosecutor Robert Ramsey of Follansbee and his able assistant William Willkin.

In his opening statement, Defense attorney Boyce noted that the relationship between Galcheck and Madam Stanley had been more then just friends; they had been lovers.   In a little graveyard in Sewickley (PA) lies the body of a child born to Mary Ellis, now Madame Stanley, and Stephon Galcheck.   Boyce stated that Galcheck opposed her marriage with Mike Ondrick. Galcheck came to Follansbee to see her and gave her money as a loan.   Out of jealousy he gave her a check for $5,000 that could not be cashed and would get her into trouble.

As the trial progressed, sensation after sensation marked its development.  Evidence was introduced tracing the handcuffs to Mike Ondrick when a witness testified that he gave the cuffs to Ondrick a few months before the murder.   Photographs illustrated that the check for $5,000 was forged by Madam Stanley.    Then came evidence from a man who had seen Madam Stanley at Galcheck’s room in Pittsburgh with the dead man’s keys a day after his murder. A streetcar motor man observed Ondrick’s car nearing the Market Street bridge on the eventful night of the murder.

In order to escape the death penalty, both Madame Stanley and her husband changed their plea to guilty. As part of her deal with the prosecuting attorney, Madame Stanley implicated a third person, Hebert Grimm, a Follansbee youth who helped her husband murder Galcheck.  Grimm was later hanged, Mike Ondrick served life in prison, and Madame Stanley got 18 years.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “First Degree Murder Trial at Wellsburg Draws Great Crowed,” October 27, 1920, front page.

Duke, the guardian of the Penn Street hose house and long time companion to many, was killed by an automobile while following his masters to a fire in the north end of town after dark. When the boys on the big fire truck looked back and saw Duke under the wheels of another machine it was too much for some of them.   Several jumped off and went to the old fellow’s rescue.  Duke breathed his last when carried to a grassy lawn nearby.  After the other firemen extinguished the blaze, the truck was brought back to the scene and tender hands lifted the dog into the vehicle and took him to the fire house. The dog was given a public burial by the firemen.  Duke did not occupy the grave of an ordinary dog.   A mound was dug at the Pastime bathing beach and the firemen purchased a marker for the grave.

Duke was a bird dog first owned by Brown Latimer as a puppy.  Latimer helped organize the first Volunteer Fire Department. When his dog began wondering into the fire house, the fireman took a liking toward him and Duke became a permanent resident for nearly 15 years. He refused to leave except to venture out to greet the mill men when they changed turns or to rub his noise against the children who grew to love and play with him on their way to and from school.   During his years, Duke saw the big Follansbee mill built.  He saw the town laid out into lots. He saw the boardwalks constructed and later torn up and replaced by brick and concrete. As a tribute, the firemen had Duke’s collar riveted to the fire truck.  Their wish was that Duke’s last run would be remembered as long as Follansbee has a fire department.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Duke,” City Mascot and Fire Dog Killed………” October 1, 1920, p. 18.
• Steubenville Herald Star, (Follansbee Section), October 4, 1920, p. 9.

A four-room school building was built on a plot of ground adjoining the Jefferson School, for the purpose of relieving the over crowded schools in other parts of the city. The building may possibly be the small structure that can be seen on Picture 15 exhibited on this timeline. With an enrollment of 869 there were more children attending schools in Follansbee than in the neighboring town of Mingo with a population of 700 more residents.  Jefferson School had 489 enrolled, Mahan School had 322 and the High School had 85 students.

• Steubenville Herald Star, (Follansbee Section), September 8, 1920, p. 3.
• Steubenville Herald Star, (Follansbee Section — “School Enrollment’), September 10, 1920, p. 17.

The Blakley athletic club was preceded during the city’s first two decades by the Thistle A.C.,  Welsh Lads and Follansbee Tanks. The Blakley baseball and football teams represented the city in 1920-1921.  Located on Main Street, the Blakley pool hall club played its athletic contests at the Pastime Park.   Gerald Eugene Blakley purchased the business for his three sons to operate form an earlier proprietor.

Ray Blakley was the manager of the Blakley A.C.  Ray played football at Bethany College and was “known as one of the best line busters in the valley.” The Blakley football coach was Sam Baker.   Gerald “Peck” Blakley, whose grandfather sponsored the team, recalled as a little boy seeing the players dressing for games in the basement of the pool hall.   They would then load on to a trolley for games out of town.   (See October 1921, Special Street Car to Brilliant)

Reports indicate that the team had difficulty finding support from local boosters and scheduling games at Pastime Park, which explains why the final games were away. A partial schedule of the 1920-21 seasons were reported by the “Herald Star.” Notice the cancellations, which indicate the difficulties the Athletic Club had in scheduling.

• Blakley vs Follansbee High School – score unavailable  (H)
• Blakley vs Mingo Indians  (A) was scheduled as opening game, score unavailable
• Blakley 7-7 Bellaire Buckeye A.C. (H)
• Blakley vs Benwood A.C.  – game cancelled due to death of a Benwood player
• Blakley 0-14 Moundsville American Legion (H)
• Blakley 13-0 Toronto Tigers or Acme (H)
• Blakley 6-0 Wellsburg Merchants (A)
• Blakley 6-0 Martins Ferry American Legion (A)
• Blakley 7-0 Brilliant Independents (A)
• Blakley vs Coleman A. C. Pittsburgh  – game was cancelled

Gerald “Peck” Blakley, is the grandson of Gerald Eugene Blakley, the founder of the Blakley Athletic Club.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Follansbee Section – Blakley’s Get Ready,” Sept. 20, 1920, p. 8.
• Steubenville Herald Star, “Blakleys and Tigers to Attract Big Crowed..,” Oct. 14, 1920, p 16.
• Steubenville Herald Star, “Follansbee Section – Won Great Game,” Oct. 25, 1920, p. 11.

“Beat Wellsburg” was the slogan with which F.H.S. entered Saturday’s football game and they did.   It was Follansbee’s first home victory in the history of the heated county rivalry against the Orange Crushers. The final score was 6-0 in front of home fans at Pastime Park.   The victory came in the second quarter when right halfback and team Captain Cooper carried the ball for a touchdown after receiving a pass from quarterback Carey.  Fumbling of the football from the start made the Wellsburg eleven look its weakest in years.   The game’s intensity was fueled by protests from the Follansbee side.  According to the Herald Star, Wellsburg’s left halfback Seltner was over the age limit and should not have been allowed to participate. However, to the delight of the home crowd, he lost yards continually when given the ball.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Follansbee Section – Beat Wellsburg,” September 20, 1920, p. 11.