Chalfant: Break-ins at groceries precede bigger crime

During the 1920s, Sedalia experienced a downturn to the economy that foreshadowed the grim days of the Great Depression. The railroad strike of 1922 shut down work at the Missouri Pacific Shops and the Katy Shops. Because so many men were not working, local businesses suffered. Local banks suffered, partly as a result of the strike, and partly due to poor management.

Sedalia’s situation was made worse by crime. Part of the crime was created by Prohibition passage of the Volstead Act, which made the manufacture, possession, use and sale of intoxicating beverages against the law. People such as brewers, distillers, tavern owners and individuals who drank wine, beer or spirits found themselves faced with a choice — change their behavior or be considered criminals.

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