Vincennes, 1926: Three Tragedies

Brian Spangle’s book Vincennes, 1926: Three Tragedies, tells the story of three horrific events that befell the city of Vincennes, Indiana in the beginning months of the year 1926. On January 18, a Vincennes firetruck crashed on the way to a fire, resulting in the deaths of four firemen. Then, on February 6, the Burchfield Department store on Main Street was destroyed by fire, with three women losing their lives. Finally, on April 1, Vincennes Police Detective Simon Carie was gunned down on Main Street by an out of state bank robber. Rarely has a city faced so many catastrophic events in such a short time span, and just days after a new city administration took office. Now, on their 100th anniversary, these three stories are documented here in detail for the first time. The book has four chapters, beginning with a chapter describing the city in 1926, covering businesses, factories, schools, transportation, and entertainment, giving the reader a feel for what life was like in Vincennes a century ago. This chapter sets the stage for the three tragedies. The longest chapter recounts the shooting death of officer Carie and its aftermath. The case of Dreyfus Rhoades, Carie’s assailant, would have a five-year journey through the legal system and the book traces that journey through to its conclusion. Above all, the book tells of a city’s resilience in the face of these tragedies. Life went on that year, with the opening of the Brown Shoe Factory, bringing hundreds of jobs to the city and the construction of the Vincennes Coliseum (now Adams Coliseum), an iconic building providing a venue for basketball games and other significant public events. This is a book that will appeal, not only to those who have a connection to Vincennes, but to anyone who enjoys reading narrative history.