July 8, 2026
Have you ever wondered how Marceline handled hot topics from our past? I uncovered two of those hot button topics, the Ku-Klux and Bootleggers. Below is the articles that will tell you how our past Marceline residents dealt and felt about these issues.
May 18, 1900
The Marceline Journal-Mirror:
Ku- Abroad.
That the people of Marceline are determined to no longer tolerate the presence of questionable characters in the city was more than confirmed by the action of a committee of one hundred, which organized last Saturday night. In a perfectly quiet manner this party gathered, took Charlie Williams, George Neece and Peter McGreavy to the outskirts of the town, and after swinging them up by the neck for a brief period each, gave them a fearful lashing with horse whips and ordered them to leave, which they promptly did.
November 11, 1921
The Marceline Journal-Mirror:
Bootlegging Let To Discovery Of Still
Through the rear window of a tall building on Kansas Avenue the eagle eye of Marshal Sam Parker detected a youth leaving a jug in an old coal shed. Before the war this would have had little significance. The jug might have held coal oil, sorghum molasses or aqua pura.
"O tempora, o mores," sighed the officer, going down to investigate.
"Just as I expected," he solilo-quized a moment later - "booze!"
The jug was filled of corn whiskey. It was no trouble to locate the youth, who turned out to be Johnnie Cinnati. He had a plausible story to tell.
"I was going to Brookfield," he said, "and what did I see but this little jug in a clump of grass by the side of the road."
"Grew there?" queried Marshal Parker.
"Dunno," said Johnnie.
"Now look here," said the officer, "tell me the straight of it, or off you go to jail."
Thereupon the youth made a clean breast of the matter. The whiskey was obtained from Felix Rostello, an Italian who lived near the city water tower. Rostello rented a four room house of another countryman, John Orso, who lived next door, and Marshal Parker had no difficultly in obtaining a key to investigate.
Rostello lived all alone in the tenement after his partner, Tony Vietta, went back to the old country. He was supposed to be at Mine No. 2 when Mr. Parker went through the house, but although the officer waited some time for his return he never showed up. The officer was not long in finding evidence of illicit distilling. Three barrels that had been used for sour mash, a half gallon jug of whiskey, and a bottle of the contraband liquid were found, but the most important discovery was the location of the still in the kitchen. Search as he would, however, Marshal Parker was unable to find the coil. It had been removed to the safer hiding place.
Marshal Parker watched the place that evening for Rostello's return but he failed to come. Later it was reported that he had gone to Kirksville. He is still missing, and may have gone to sunny Italy to join his late room-mate, although there are reports that Tony Vieta has gone to South America.
