Fact or Fiction: '1923' and Vagrancy Laws, Chloroform, and Tarring and Feathering

Despite what the headline of this week’s 1923 history recap suggests, this was actually the least miserable episode of the season. In fact, a few positive things happened as the season shifted from winter to spring in Montana. For one, Zane’s surgery for a subdural hematoma was successful. We researched what that might be like last week, and I predicted that Zane would resort to alcohol to get through it, but the doctor opted for chloroform instead (he saved the booze for himself after the surgery).

The chloroform, unfortunately, wore off as the doctor was drilling through Zane’s skull. However, chloroform was commonly used as an anesthetic in the 19th and 20th centuries, though it carried significant risks, including respiratory distress. It was also terrible for the liver and kidneys. For what it’s worth, using a rag to administer chloroform was extremely dangerous and could lead to heart failure. But hey — it worked for Zane. The blood was drained, the pressure eased, and while he experienced extreme pain when he regained consciousness during the procedure, he ultimately survived.

That said, there’s no way Zane would have been able to get up and walk around so soon after the procedure. It would have taken at least hours, if not a full day, before he could do that, so some dramatic liberties were taken. In any case, Zane is in fighting shape again, which is good because there’s a war coming to Yellowstone.

That’s because the mustache-twirling villain Donald Whitfield is gathering investors with an eye toward turning the area into a resort, and he’s going to need the Yellowstone ranch to do it. So, basically, the Duttons are fighting the same battles over their land in the 1920s that they are today. It’s worth noting that while vacation resorts that took advantage of nature were already common in Montana at the time — and there were even some dude ranches — winter resorts built around snow-based activities didn’t really start appearing until the 1940s. So, we can assume Whitfield won’t be successful in taking over the ranch (we can also assume this because we’ve seen present-day Yellowstone). It’s also worth mentioning that flights from New York City to Bozeman in the 1920s were not an easy eight-hour trip, as Whitfield suggests. It would have taken at least two or three days, requiring multiple overnight layovers. They were still flying propeller planes, which couldn’t travel in bad weather or at night.

Oh, and speaking of travel times: Alexandra’s train from Boston to Montana will probably take 48-72 hours, which is a long time for a woman who has been robbed of all of her money.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth apparently is staying on the ranch after all. She’s pregnant and elated. And yes, somewhat to my surprise, the 12-14 daily rabies shots would have been safe during pregnancy (assuming no allergic reactions).

Elsewhere, Teonna Rainwater and company had a mostly great episode, helping Texans herd cattle. In the end, they even got to watch their first rodeo (though, unfortunately, they also spotted several wanted posters for Teonna). And yes — rodeos were very common in Texas by the 1920s and already a major part of the culture. The first professional rodeo was thought to have been in 1883, and by the 1920s, they were drawing huge crowds, with significant prize money at stake.

Finally, most of the episode’s misery came from Spencer’s storyline. First, he was picked up for vagrancy — laws that were often used in the 1920s as a form of social control. Essentially, cops could cite broad vagrancy laws to arrest someone for as little as being unemployed, panhandling, not being able to prove income, or even just looking “suspicious.” This was the Jim Crow South, after all, and these laws were frequently used to target Black people, homeless people, and the impoverished. They were also used against union activists and sex workers. America has a long history of lacking compassion for marginalized people.

The punishment for vagrancy typically included days (or even months) in jail, forced labor, or expulsion from the state. These laws remained on the books until 1972.

As for sex workers, yes — by the 1920s, they were often targeted by moral crusaders like the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. They faced public humiliation, violence, and even tarring and feathering, though that practice was less common by the 1920s. “Forced parades,” like the one the sex worker in this episode was subjected to, were also a form of public shaming. What a hell of a time.

At any rate, Spencer was able to escape the police, who were using vagrancy laws to force him into delivering Vinny’s bootleg alcohol. He managed to free himself (and the sex worker) during a gunfight before hopping on a train to get away.

Train hopping was common in the 1920s, too, mostly among migrant workers and so-called “hobos.” There was even a “hobo code,” with various symbols and markings left behind to warn of dangers. Those dangers included railroad bulls (cops hired by railroads), bad weather (it was not uncommon to find frozen bodies in train cars), starvation, and — again — vagrancy laws, which the KKK even used to target Black train hoppers. However, there was an entire hobo subculture at the time, inspiring numerous books and songs.

Thankfully, Spencer survived his train-hopping ordeal — after fending off and killing several hobos — though I have no idea why he decided to jump off the train after escaping danger.