Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the many facets of Fool Killer lore. FOR PART ONE, INCLUDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT IN THE 1850s, CLICK HERE.
PART 76 – As always, it’s fascinating to read the over 100-year-old opinions of James Larkin Pearson (and by extension his Fool Killer), including the opinions that one doesn’t agree with. Here are the Fool Killer’s targets in July, 1915:
*** Frank Holt – real name Erich Muenter – an Imperial German spy who was active in the U.S. despite America not having entered the World War yet. (We would not enter the war until April 1917.) In addition to teaching anti-American sentiments at Ivy League universities Harvard and Cornell, he set off a bomb in the U.S. Capitol building, sabotaged U.S. war aid being sent to the Allied Powers against the Central Powers in Europe and elsewhere and tried assassinating J.P. Morgan’s son Jack in his own home.
“Holt” also murdered his own pregnant wife with arsenic before taking his own life on July 6th, 1915.
*** An unidentified ripoff artist in Iowa who was selling a device which he claimed cured blindness.
*** Cigarette smokers. For newbies to Pearson’s Fool Killer, he was a very early critic of the health dangers of smoking.
*** The rotating series of “official” Mexican governments, which made it hard for other countries to know which one to recognize.
*** American female fashion-slaves who were, as usual, following the latest trend – in this case applying fake moles (beauty marks) to their face or even fake freckles.
*** Though Pearson and his Fool Killer opposed the World War, he ridiculed the many Leagues of Peace which were forming in opposition to each other around the world. The gist of the joke was “They can start discussing peace as soon as they get on speaking terms with each other.”
*** Churches in New York who had taken to advertising in the newspapers.
*** Harry Thaw, who had murdered Stanford White in 1906 but after two trials was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Thaw was rising in popularity for some reason and the Fool Killer joked that he would probably be doing Chautauqua talks soon.
*** William Jennings Bryan, President Woodrow Wilson’s Secretary of State and three-time loser as the Democrat candidate for president.
*** Jane Addams, who declared that the World War was about to end.
THE FOOL KILLER’S PITHIER REMARKS THIS TIME AROUND:
“He that is satisfied is rich, but he that is rich is never satisfied.”
“The bosses are willing to do anything for the workers except get off their backs.”
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