May 18, 1927: A bomb destroys the Bath Consolidated School Building in Bath, Michigan, outside Lansing. The explosion killed 38 elementary school children and 6 adults, and injured 58 others.
Andrew Kehoe was a 45-year-old farmer living nearby. Bath Township had him its Clerk the Treasurer of its Board of Education. But his temper and tendency to hold grudges led to his defeat for re-election to each post. His wife, Nellie, was ill with tuberculosis. Between her hospital stays, the loss of his jobs, and the insufficient production on his farm, he was short on cash, and foreclosure on his farm was imminent.
He set off incendiary devices on his house and farm, destroying all the buildings, and killing his wife and several farm animals. Then he went to the school building, and planted timed explosives there. Only the ones at the north end of the building went off: The ones he planted at the south end did not, saving several lives.
It was not intended as a suicide mission. But he stuck around after the explosion, and School Superintendent Emory Huyck, a long-term enemy who had not been caught in the explosion, figured out that Kehoe was responsible. They struggled, and fell against Kehoe's truck. This caused some of the remaining explosives inside to go off, killing them both, and some others, including a boy who had survived the initial explosion.
In spite of all the school shootings since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, the 44 deaths at Bath remains the highest death toll from a single incident at a North American school. Two days later, Charles Lindbergh took off from Long Island, and the day after that, he landed in Paris. So the Bath massacre quickly faded from public consciousness, and is rarely remembered outside of Michigan.
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May 18, 1927 was a Wednesday. This was also the day that Grauman's Chinese Theatre opened in Los Angeles. I have a separate entry for that event.
These baseball games were played that day:
* The New York Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 13-6 at the Polo Grounds. Glenn Wright and Pie Traynor hit home runs for the Bucs. For the Jints, Doc Farrell homered, and Bill Terry went 3-for-3 with an RBI, but it was far from enough.
* The Brooklyn Robins, as the Dodgers were known under manager Wilbert Robinson from 1914 to 1931, lost to the Chicago Cubs, 7-4 at Ebbets Field.
* The Boston Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-1 at Braves Field in Boston.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the Washington Senators, 5-3 at Navin Field in Detroit. (It was later renamed Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium.)
* The St. Louis Browns beat the Boston Red Sox, 8-6 at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.
* The New York Yankees and the Cleveland Indians were rained out at League Park in Cleveland. It was made up 2 days later, and the Indians, won, 2-1. George Uhle outpitched Waite Hoyt. Babe Ruth went 1-for-2 with 2 walks. Lou Gehrig went 1-for-4.
* The Philadelphia Athletics and the Chicago White Sox were rained out at Comiskey Park in Chicago. This one was also made up 2 days later, and the A's won, 12-5. Chick Galloway went 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs. Al Simmons went 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Eddie Collins went 1-for-4 with a walk and 2 RBIs. Ty Cobb, wrapping up his career with the 1st of 2 seasons with the A's, after 22 with the Tigers, went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI.
* And the Cincinnati Reds and the Philadelphia Phillies were rained out in Philadelphia. This one was also made up 2 days later, but not at Baker Bowl: The usual home of the Phillies suffered a stand collapse on May 14. There were injuries, but no deaths. Since they were going to be on the road, the A's let the Phils use Shibe Park until repairs could be made.
The Reds won the opener, 6-3. Former Giants star George "High Pockets" Kelly hit a grand slam. The Phils won the nightcap, 15-2. Cy Williams went 2-for-5 with 2 homers and 7 RBIs. Williams would finish the season with 30 home runs, enough to lead the National League for the 4th time in his career -- but only half as many as Ruth hit in the American League.
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