Black Sheep Sunday - Part 6 (1941-1943) of From small town Georgia boy to notorious Texas (and beyond!) con man

 This post is the 6th in a series of posts about the life of Elridge Solomon Price, Sr.  You can find the other installments here:  Part 1,  Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5.

At the beginning of 1941, Elridge has a warrant out for him for perjury and had disappeared.  The first whisper we hear about the situation comes in March 1941.

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City Missouri,
Friday, March 28, 1941, Page 26

The article states Elridge was at this hearing, but it doesn't say whether he was located and arrested or if he came to the hearing of his own volition.  What I want to know is why is he in Texas?

Then in June...

Newspapers.com, Miami News-Record, Miami, Oklahoma,
Friday, June 20, 1941, Page 2

Wait a minute. In 1940, Elridge was living in Kansas.  Then in March 1941, he was in Texas at a hearing.  Now in June, he is in Oklahoma??? And he was arrested in Oklahoma on the perjury warrant out of Kansas.  I guess Texas was going to extradite him so he fled to Oklahoma??  When he was caught there, I guess he gave up on the idea of fighting extradition to Kansas.  It was time to face the music.

Did you catch the part where he had his little girl with him in a hotel room in Oklahoma?!  Then when he was arrested, he was angry that three people came and took the child?  Well of course, someone had to take the child!! I don't even know how he took the child away from her sister, who had temporary legal custody of her.  Sounds like parental kidnapping to me. I can understand Broadhurst, the probation officer from Kansas who originally had custody of the child, going and retrieving her.  Elridge claims he and Edith were meeting in Oklahoma.  That would explain her presence there.  I do not know why she was meeting him.  The possibilities are endless when it comes to the Price family.

Newspapers.com, Miami News-Record, Miami, Oklahoma,
Sunday, June 22, 1941, page 7

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri, 
Sunday, June 22, 1941, page 12

Just a couple of weeks later...

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri,
Wednesday, July 2, 1941, page 6

What?! If Elridge was sentenced to 6 months in jail in Olathe on June 21, how was he on a highway at the state lines of Kansas and Missouri on July 2? The Feds got him again.  

If you are like me and did not know what the Mann Act was, I asked my friend Google Gemini for an explanation:

"The Mann Act, formally known as the White Slave Traffic Act (Pub.L. 61-279, 36 Stat. 825, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 2421 et seq.), is a federal criminal statute in the United States enacted on June 25, 1910. It was introduced by Congressman James R. Mann of Illinois.

Purpose and Scope

The primary intent of the act at the time of its passage was to address concerns over human trafficking, specifically the interstate and international transportation of women and girls for prostitution, debauchery, or other "immoral purposes."

Key Legal Provisions

• Interstate Commerce: The statute relies on the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, making it a federal crime to transport an individual across state lines (or into/out of the United States) for illegal or immoral purposes.

• Broad Application: For much of the 20th century, the statute's vague wording—specifically the phrase "immoral purpose"—gave federal prosecutors wide latitude. It was frequently used to prosecute individuals for consensual relationships that crossed state lines if the couple was not married, or in cases where morality laws were perceived to be violated.

Historical Context and Evolution

• Notable Prosecutions: In its early decades, the act was sometimes used selectively or controversially. A prominent early example was the 1913 prosecution of heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson, whose conviction under the Mann Act for traveling across state lines with his white girlfriend was widely viewed as racially motivated.

• Modern Amendments: Over time, the scope of the act has been narrowed and updated by Congress to focus squarely on modern definitions of human trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, and coercion, removing its application to consensual adult behavior. Today, it remains an essential federal tool for prosecuting sex trafficking."

Newspapers.com, The Suburban News, Merriam, Kansas,
Thursday, July 03, 1941, Page 4

Again, since I am not an attorney, I had to ask Google Gemini what is an alias warrant.

"An alias warrant is a legal order issued by a court when a defendant fails to appear, respond, or comply with a previous warrant or court command (such as a summons or initial arrest warrant). In legal terms, "alias" means "second" or "another"; therefore, an alias warrant is a subsequent warrant issued to replace an earlier one that went unexecuted or unanswered.

In the context of the clipping provided, the alias warrant from Missouri was filed against Eldridge S. Price after he was already facing legal actions (such as his sentencing for contempt in Kansas), signaling that a previous effort to bring him before the court or address the perjury charge had not been completed, prompting the issuance of this secondary warrant."

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri,
Saturday, July  05, 1941, Page 4

It was no time before Elridge was on the road again but this time he has an escort.

Newspapers.com, The Suburban News, Merriam, Kansas,
Thursday, July 10, 1941, Page 2

Elridge's troubles keep growing...

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri,
Tuesday, July 15, 1941, Page 2

Score one for Edith...

Newspapers.com, The Suburban News, Merriam, Kansas,
Thursday, August 14, 1941, Page 5

Elridge is sued again, but this time, Edith is also sued.

Newspapers.com, The Suburban News, Merriam, Kansas,
Thursday, September 4, 1941, Page 2

So Elridge was taken to Missouri and everything is quiet about that until September.

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri,
Saturday, September 20, 1941, Page 3

The following article is confusing to me in that it appears Elridge is being held in Missouri on The Mann Act violation charge, but then it says "has been arrested in Kansas City and gave bond for appearance before the sheriff of Jackson County October 7." This would be on the perjury charge connected with the custody case. So I am confused - when was he arrested in Kansas City?  Before Missouri picked him up? The article is not clear at all.

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri,
Thursday, September 25, 1941, Page 9

So dear readers, this is where I have to disappoint all of you.  There are NO more articles about the child custody case.  Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.  I do not know why. What I can tell you, is that by late 1942, Elridge and Edith are back together. No divorce and child custody is no longer an issue.  

If you will recall, Elridge was sued in 1940 for alienation of affection.  The case was wrapped up at the end of 1941:

Newspapers.com, Kansas City Journal, Kansas City, Missouri,
Tuesday, July 22, 1941, Page 2

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri,
Tuesday, December 9, 1941, Page 8

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Missouri,
Friday, December 12, 1941, Page 2

So the jury found for the plaintiff, but only ordered Elridge to pay $1.  Hmmm...

Elridge had financial troubles the beginning of 1942.

Newspapers.com, Standard-Times, San Angelo, Texas,
Wednesday, January 7, 1942, Page 1

On May 25, 1942, a newspaper article appeared regarding Frank D. Hedrick, Jr., a former Johnson County, Kansas prosecutor, who had been charged with bribery and was currently on trial.  He testified that all of his actions responsible for the accusations resulted from his efforts ("acted like a detective") to find out who was protecting gambling in his county and stop it. He asserted that someone in the Statehouse was a "Pay-Off Man."  During his "investigation," he met Will Johns, who at the time was a special investigator for the attorney general's office.  Then lo and behold, Elridge's name was brought up during the trial.

Newspapers.com, The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Missouri,
Monday, May 25, 1942, Page 3

Mic Drop.

I'm going to leave this right here.

By the end of the year 1942, The Prices are living in Austin, Texas, and Elridge has found something new to get excited about:  "mines representing huge potential war mineral resources, located in Mexico." Let the schmoozing and entertaining begin.

  

Newspapers.com, San Antonio Light, San Antonio, Texas,
Tuesday, December 15, 1942, Page 14

Newspapers.com, San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio, Texas,
Sunday, December 20, 1942, Page 52

Newspapers.com, Austin American-Statesman, Austin, Texas,
Tuesday, December 29, 1942, Page 2

On to 1943 and they are off to Washington:

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Saturday, January 2, 1943, Page 3

Newspapers.com, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas,
Saturday, January 2, 1943, Page 5

Newspapers.com, The Marshall News Messenger, Marshall, Texas,
Wednesday, January 6, 1943, Page 1

That is all I could find on ole Elridge in 1943.  Stay tuned for 1944 and beyond.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2021 (Week 9): Multiples

 Amy Johnson Crow from Generations Cafe is again hosting the blog writing prompt this year called 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2021.  I'm going to try to participate more fully this year.  I like that she gives us "permission" to interpret the prompt however we wish and share it however we wish.  It doesn't have to be a blog post; it could be a family video, a letter to a child or grandchild, an e-mail, etc.  

The Theme for Week 9 (Mar 1-7) is Multiples.

This topic stumped me.  I have already written about the multiple men named Hosea in my Tapley tree.  We don't have twins in the family much.  We have no triplets that I know of.  I had finally thought of something... not a great something... but maybe I could have made it work.  Then I re-read what Amy had said about this topic... multiple marriages... wait.  This led to me to my Great Uncle Kenneth.

Kenneth Carter Ranney (1909-1989) was the only surviving son of Luther Boardman Ranney (1870-1943) and Bessie Alice Carter (1883-1960).  He was my grandmother Ethel Irene Ranney Tapley's brother.  

As far as we can tell, Kenneth was "different."  He was a wanderer, never stayed in one place very long.  He was uncommunicative; kept to himself.  He didn't keep in touch with his family.  Never had any children.  However, he was married five times.  

I have researched the records many times for information on Kenneth's wives, but what I have is still sketchy.

His first wife was Alice Wright, birth and death dates unknown.  Kenneth was 24 years old when he married Alice in Yuma County, Arizona on September 4, 1933.  At the time, Kenneth was living in Calexico, California and working for the U.S. Postal Service.  He must have met Alice there because their marriage license states she lived in Calexico also.

My grandmother wrote about this in her 1933 diary:

Sunday, September 3 [1933]: "...Kenneth came up about 4 am. He has a Ford V8. 1932."

Monday, September 4: "Kenneth went home about 2 am. Kenneth got married in Yuma."

 I stated then "This last sentence "Kenneth got married in Yuma." was written in a different pen...like it was added later. Probably the family did not know Kenneth was getting married or that he had gotten married until later."  He pretty much just showed up at his parents' house randomly and at odd hours.  

At this time, my great-grandparents and their daughters were living San Bernardino County, California.  Calexico was way down south on the Mexican border, 161 miles away.  Today it's a 2 and a half hour drive.  Back then, it was probably closer to 3 or more.  

Kenneth and Alice separated a short four months later on January 1, 1934.  My grandmother also mentioned this in her diary for that date:  "Kenneth & Alice split up."

At some point, Kenneth and Alice had moved to Mentone in San Bernardino County.  On October 16, 1934, a notice appeared on page 5 of The San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, California):

(Yes that's Reno, Nevada.)

Kenneth's mother, my great-grandmother, supposedly said that she had never seen so much emotion expressed by Kenneth as the day he received his finalized divorce decree.  He actually jumped for joy.  

Kenneth's second wife was named Muriel "Mona" Espy.  She was born abt 1905, so she was about 4 years older than Kenneth.  She was born in Oregon. They married some time between 1935-1938 and lived in Los Angeles.

Mona

   

Here are Mona and Kenneth at my grandparents' wedding, December 1939.

Here are Mona and Kenneth in a family photo, circa 1940-42.

Mona and Kenneth divorced sometime before 1948.

Kenneth remarried between 1948-1950 to Laura Mae Byrd (1907-1980).  She was born in Charlton County, Georgia.  They were divorced by November 25, 1957 because that is the date...

Kenneth married his 4th wife, Beulah Lucille Smith (1906-1963).  Beulah was born in Illinois.  Their divorce was filed in 1960.  The following is from The San Bernardino Sun (San Bernardino, California), on May 5, 1960, Page 22:

  

Kenneth's 5th and final wife was Eva Arnell Byrd (1909-2003).  They were married December 8, 1961 in Bristow, Oklahoma.  Eva was the sister of Kenneth's 3rd wife, Laura May Byrd and was also born in Charlton County, Georgia.  I don't know how they met, but they were living in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the early 1970's.  Eva visited us in Swainsboro once (yes, by herself).  Soon after, they moved to Fort Worth, Texas.  

Either he was just getting too old and tired of marrying and divorcing or Eva was the one for him, as they were married until his death in 1989.  

Eva Arnell Byrd Ranney

It seemed that Uncle Kenneth was searching for something amongst his multiple wives.  I hope he found it at last with Eva.