|
Wichita opened the decade of the 1920’s with the celebration of its 50th anniversary and registered a population of 72,217. This represented a gain in population of nearly 20,000 persons in ten years. The next ten years would see an even more rapid population increase with the decade closing with a population of 111,110. Progress occurred in a variety of areas for the city in the decade of the 20’s and included the addition of chlorine to the drinking water to make it safer. Wichita jumped to fourth in the world in flour milling, and the Wichita Art Association was formed.
The next aircraft manufacturing company added to Wichita’s aviation industry was the Travel Air Manufacturing Company, formed by Walter Beech and Clyde Cessna, with [Lloyd] Stearman as designer. Beech and Cessna each invested $5,000 in this venture and Stearman contributed $700. The company produced a biplane which sold for $3,500 and customers were more plentiful than planes.
The Bloodiest Decade
The decade of the 1920’s was the worst in the Police Department’s history with 10 officers lost in the line of duty. Those who gave their lives during this decade serving our community were:
| Detective William H. Ballard |
07/20/20 |
| Patrolman A. L. Young |
11/05/21 |
| Patrolman Robert Fitzpatrick |
11/21/21 |
| Detective Charles D. Hoffman |
11/23/21 |
| Detective Charlie E. Galloway |
07/22/21 |
| Patrolman Robert C. Scudder |
11/27/23 |
| Patrolman Harrison R. Brown |
01/04/25 |
| Patrolman Edward F. Hall |
04/10/25 |
| Patrolman Verne G. Odgen |
07/05/27 |
| Patrolman Joseph G. Marshall |
08/09/27 |
Sam and Ed Offutt, brothers, bootleggers and well known police characters, were shot and killed at 4:45 o’clock Sunday afternoon by City Detective Dan Carrier who had arrested them and was taking them to the station in a Ford touring car.
Departmental members received a $25 per month raise and that raised the overall salary per month to: Chief, $250; Bertillon officers, $150 (Bertillon was a system formerly used for identifying persons by means of a record of various body measurements, coloring, and markings, [Named after Alphonse Bertillon (1853-1914)]); Captains, $135; Detective, $130; Desk Sergeants, $125; and Patrolmen and Motorcycle Officers, $115.
The slaying of [Eddie] Adams was one of the most dramatic incidents in Wichita police history. It resulted in one of the biggest round-ups of suspicious characters of all kinds in the history of the department. The night of the shooting, 17 men and 20 women were held in jail for questioning. It brought about a concerted and effective drive against all criminals.
City Manager Bert C. Wells, has decided to employ O. W. Wilson, of Los Angeles, Calif., as chief of police. He will succeed I. B. Walston within the next two or three days.
Also included in the History Book:
O. W. Wilson
Clyde Cessna
Walter Beech
Wichita, The Air Capital
Lloyd Stearman
W.C. Coleman
Boeing – Wichita
The Bloodiest Decade
L. W. Clapp
The Eddie Adams Gang
Eastborough Founded
Charles Lindbergh
|