52 Ancestors - IN THE NEWS: Chewing Gum Scandal

My grandaunt Violetta Davis was the love of Virgil “Dick” Ryan’s life. 

Violetta and Dick

However, by the way she never talked about him, I guess he was not the love of hers. Admittedly, he had been dead nearly 30 years before she and I ever had those grown-up conversations about life and family. Were it not for newspapers available online, I probably would know nothing about this man who, I have learned, was quite the mover and shaker in Harrisonburg, Virginia in the 1930s.

Violetta and Dick

He made the Daily News Record quite often, usually because of his involvement in the American Legion. But it was in several brief articles that Dick Ryan revealed himself to be a clever businessman. 

From Daily News Record 6 Aug 1934

From 1934 until 1938, he was a partner in the City News Company along with E. L. Klingstein who was also owner of the extremely popular and successful Friddle’s Restaurant in downtown Harrisonburg. In 1938, they dissolved their partnership allowing Klingstein to concentrate on the restaurant business and Dick to become sole owner of the news stand, renamed Ryan News Company.

Dick Ryan conducted several clever marketing schemes to promote his business selling newspapers, magazines, and novelties. He installed ballot boxes for customers to “vote” on important issues in the news including whether the number of judges on the Supreme Court should be expanded and whether

Bruno Richard Hauptmann was guilty of kidnapping the Lindbergh baby.

Daily News Record
26 Feb 1937

Daily News Record
6 Feb 1935

Daily News Record
29 Aug 1938

He also exhibited in the store window unusual items and puzzles for people to figure out, like the “ever-rolling light bulb.”

The most interesting story of Dick Ryan’s business ventures though was being fined $25 for operating a coin machine, supposedly an illegal one used for gambling. A new coin machine act had become effective in January 1937, and Harrisonburg police were eager to comply to rid the community of illegal gambling. In a raid on the night of January 7, police seized 12 coin machines belonging to eight businesses: Dick’s City News Stand, Klingstein’s Friddle’s Restaurant, a pool room, a coffee shop, and a few other restaurants. Two of the coin machines were empty, surely a sign that someone had enjoyed a big pay-off.

Daily News Record
21 Jan 1937

However, those highly suspicious coin machines were simply gumball machines. Chewing gum.

As the defendants explained, there was no element of chance involved, no pay-off. Pay your penny - get a ball of gum. Guaranteed. Nevertheless, the incident sparked a great deal of discussion over whether even a gumball machine would be considered legal under the new act, especially considering the profit to be made. Gumballs cost 15 cents per hundred and were sold at a penny each.

Oh, if only today’s law enforcement had only gumball machines to worry about.

Amy Johnson Crow continues to challenge genealogy bloggers and non-bloggers alike to think about our ancestors and share a story or photo about them. The challenge is “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.”

Wendy

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