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Guilty Verdict in Trial of Alleged ‘Madam’

Date: 10/6/1965

Citation:

"Guilty Verdict in Trial of Alleged 'Madam'," Peoria Journal Star, Oct. 6, 1965.

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Categories:

1963–1969: Civil Rights Hits Peoria Ann Pryor Family Affairs

Tags:

ann pryorarrestcancerjail

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  • 1. A Pryor Family Album

    • North Washington Street

      North Washington Street
      –1938–

      The block, in the red-light district, where Pryor was raised

    • Thomas Bryant, Richard’s grandfather

      Thomas Bryant, Richard’s grandfather
      –1944–

      Thomas “Pops” Bryant was Marie's second husband

    • The Pryor Family at the Famous Door

      The Pryor Family at the Famous Door
      –c. 1945–

      The Pryor family diversified its operations, becoming proud owners of a tavern in the mid-40s

    • Ann Pryor and Friend

      Ann Pryor and Friend
      –1950s–

      Ann Pryor and a friend in 1950s Peoria

    • Ann and Buck Drinking With Friends

      Ann and Buck Drinking With Friends
      –1950s–

      Richard's father and stepmother, on the town with some sharp-dressed friends

    • Ann Stepping Out On the Town

      Ann Stepping Out On the Town
      –1950s–

      Richard's stepmother Ann, in a happy time and a sophisticated place

    • Marie Carter Bryant and Richard “Dickie” Carter

      Marie Carter Bryant and Richard “Dickie” Carter
      –n.d. (mid-1940s-1950s)–

      Richard's grandmother and Uncle Dickie at a bar.

    • Buck and Ann Pryor in Aiken Alley

      Buck and Ann Pryor in Aiken Alley
      –4/3/1951–

      Richard's father and stepmother relaxing on Aiken Alley

  • 2. Richard's Grandparents Marie and Roy (1915-1929)

    • Claimed Wife Attended Ball

      Claimed Wife Attended Ball
      –12/06/1915–

      When Marie attended a “grand ball” by herself, her husband beat her for it

    • Cases in Court

      Cases in Court
      –09/22/1916–

      A judge weighed in on a fight between Roy Pryor and a bill collector

    • Got Affectionate with the Baby

      Got Affectionate with the Baby
      –11/19/1916–

      Marie preferred to have her husband Roy in jail rather than near her baby

    • Roy Pryor/Marie Pryor Assault Arrest

      Roy Pryor/Marie Pryor Assault Arrest
      –04/03/1917–

      Another assault charge filed by Marie Pryor against her husband Roy

    • Seven Colored Men Arrested

      Seven Colored Men Arrested
      –01/05/1919–

      Roy Pryor paid a steep fine for running a gaming table from his home

    • Dismiss Economos Case

      Dismiss Economos Case
      –11/20/1925–

      After an argument with his boss, Roy Pryor found himself at gunpoint

    • One Prisoner of Fourteen Pleads Guilty

      One Prisoner of Fourteen Pleads Guilty
      –06/06/1928–

      Six years after his divorce from Marie, Roy Pryor faced a grand larceny charge

    • Tit for Tat

      Tit for Tat
      –11/04/1929–

      Charged with assault, Marie fought back by filing assault charges against her accusers

    • Three Arrested on Assault Charges

      Three Arrested on Assault Charges
      –11/05/1929–

      Under arrest, the candy store proprietor pled not guilty to Marie's assault charge.

    • Woman Fined $50 on Assault Charge

      Woman Fined $50 on Assault Charge
      –11/13/1929–

      The ultimate price Marie paid for her act of candy store justice

  • 3. From Bootleggers to Bar Owners (1927-1947)

    • Police Notes: Thomas Bryant’s Liquor Charge

      Police Notes: Thomas Bryant’s Liquor Charge
      –02/16/1927–

      Thomas Bryant, Marie's soon-to-be second husband, was convicted of bootlegging

    • Three Taken in Raid

      Three Taken in Raid
      –10/11/1929–

      Marie appears to have bootlegged out of her home — and was arrested for it

    • Three Are Arrested in Raid Sunday Night

      Three Are Arrested in Raid Sunday Night
      –10/14/1929–

      Possessing “intoxicating liquor” proved a costly offense for Marie Carter

    • Thomas Bryant, Richard’s grandfather

      Thomas Bryant, Richard’s grandfather
      –1944–

      Thomas “Pops” Bryant was Marie's second husband

    • The Pryor Family at the Famous Door

      The Pryor Family at the Famous Door
      –c. 1945–

      The Pryor family diversified its operations, becoming proud owners of a tavern in the mid-40s

    • Famous Door Exterior

      Famous Door Exterior
      –c. 1947–

      An unidentified group — perhaps from the extended Pryor family — standing outside The Famous Door

    • The Bar at the Famous Door

      The Bar at the Famous Door
      –c. 1947–

      An interior shot of the Pryor family's tavern

  • 4. Richard's Father Buck, in Trouble (1931-1945)

    • Arrest Four Negroes in Wabash Sand House

      Arrest Four Negroes in Wabash Sand House
      –03/ 17/1931–

      At age 15, Marie's son LeRoy — later Richard's father — was arrested for disorderly conduct

    • LeRoy Pryor Receives Section 8 Discharge

      LeRoy Pryor Receives Section 8 Discharge
      –7/25/44–

      LeRoy Pryor was discharged without honor from the US Army at the height of mobilization for WWII

    • Ellis Sergeant Slugged, Robbed

      Ellis Sergeant Slugged, Robbed
      –2/13/1945–

      A black sergeant, flush with cash, was robbed on N. Washington Street — and Richard's father seems to have been the culprit

    • LeRoy Pryor Indicted by Grand Jury

      LeRoy Pryor Indicted by Grand Jury
      –3/1945–

      A Peoria grand jury indicted LeRoy Pryor for robbing a black soldier

  • 5. The Marriage of Richard's Parents (1943-1946)

    • Divorce in a City of 100,000 Population

      Divorce in a City of 100,000 Population
      –1939–

      Peoria had a divorce rate nearly twice the US average; a sociologist surveyed Peoria from all angles to discover why

    • Married: LeRoy Pryor and Gertrude Thomas

      Married: LeRoy Pryor and Gertrude Thomas
      –12/28/1943–

      Three years after he was born, World War II spurred Richard's parents to marry

    • Gertrude Pryor v. LeRoy Pryor

      Gertrude Pryor v. LeRoy Pryor
      –1/1946–

      The divorce papers of Richard Pryor's parents

    • Buck and Gertrude Divorced

      Buck and Gertrude Divorced
      –3/27/1946–

      The marriage of Richard's parents entered its final phase — the back-and-forth motions of divorce court

  • 6. Richard's Father and Stepmother Ann (1950s)

    • Ann Pryor and Friend

      Ann Pryor and Friend
      –1950s–

      Ann Pryor and a friend in 1950s Peoria

    • Ann and Buck Drinking With Friends

      Ann and Buck Drinking With Friends
      –1950s–

      Richard's father and stepmother, on the town with some sharp-dressed friends

    • Ann Stepping Out On the Town

      Ann Stepping Out On the Town
      –1950s–

      Richard's stepmother Ann, in a happy time and a sophisticated place

    • Buck and Ann Pryor in Aiken Alley

      Buck and Ann Pryor in Aiken Alley
      –4/3/1951–

      Richard's father and stepmother relaxing on Aiken Alley

    • Obituary: Mrs. Viola Pryor

      Obituary: Mrs. Viola Pryor
      –1/3/1968–

      Ann Pryor died of cancer on December 31, 1967

  • 7. Richard's Uncle Dickie

    • Marie Carter Bryant and Richard “Dickie” Carter

      Marie Carter Bryant and Richard “Dickie” Carter
      –n.d. (mid-1940s-1950s)–

      Richard's grandmother and Uncle Dickie at a bar.

    • John Clark Discovers Negroes Now Talking

      John Clark Discovers Negroes Now Talking
      –10/11/1952–

      A reporter dropped into Bris Collins's tavern to take black America's pulse — and met Richard's “Uncle Dickie”

    • Eight Arrested Here in Narcotics Raid

      Eight Arrested Here in Narcotics Raid
      –4/8/1953–

      Richard's Uncle Dickie was netted in Peoria's first major drug sting in years

    • 8 Jailed Here in Narcotic Raid

      8 Jailed Here in Narcotic Raid
      –4/9/53–

      Uncle Dickie was arrested with heroin and marijuana, and under suspicion of turning women to prostitution

    • Bell Captured in St. Louis on Dope Charges

      Bell Captured in St. Louis on Dope Charges
      –4/10/1953–

      Jimmy Bell, a band leader at the Famous Door, fled to St. Louis when his partner was caught in drug bust

  • 8. Still in the Game: Buck and Ann in the 1960s

    • Prostitution Counts Name 5 Defendants

      Prostitution Counts Name 5 Defendants
      –9/10/1965–

      When police raided the brothel of Richard's father and stepmother, Buck ran and Ann stayed

    • Guilty Verdict in Trial of Alleged ‘Madam’

      Guilty Verdict in Trial of Alleged ‘Madam’
      –10/6/1965–

      Ann, already sick with cancer, was sentenced to jail time for running a brothel

    • Convicted Madam Out as Student

      Convicted Madam Out as Student
      –10/8/1965–

      Richard's stepmother Ann, accused in court of being a "madam," was kicked out of a local vocational school

    • 5 of 10 Vice Raid Counts Dismissed

      5 of 10 Vice Raid Counts Dismissed
      –11/10/1965–

      Buck avoided jail time by evading police during a raid

    • Appelate Court Upholds Vice Count Conviction

      Appelate Court Upholds Vice Count Conviction
      –9/24/1966–

      A year after her arrest, Ann's conviction was upheld by 2-1 vote in appeals court

    • Upholds Ruling In Vice Case

      Upholds Ruling In Vice Case
      –10/3/1967–

      Ann was ultimately sentenced to a year for prostitution, but did not live to serve the term

    • Vice Raid Nets Man, 56, Woman

      Vice Raid Nets Man, 56, Woman
      –11/15/1967–

      Buck arrested for 3rd time in as many years for running a brothel

    • Prostitution Case Fines Total $700

      Prostitution Case Fines Total $700
      –3/5/1968–

      In the year before his death, Buck was still getting arrested in vice squad raids

  • 9. Richard returns to Peoria (1967-1979)

    • R. Pryor Launched in Movies

      R. Pryor Launched in Movies
      –9/9/1967–

      On the occasion of Richard's first film role, the Peoria Journal Star joined a conversation with his father

    • Richard Visits His Mother Gertrude

      Richard Visits His Mother Gertrude
      –1969–

      Richard raising the spirits of his ailing mother

    • Richard Pryor Returns To Peoria Stage

      Richard Pryor Returns To Peoria Stage
      –03/09/1969–

      A benefit for the local Afro-American Black Peoples Federation brought Richard Pryor back to the Carver Center stage

    • Pryor Joins Family For Grandmother’s Funeral

      Pryor Joins Family For Grandmother’s Funeral
      –01/04/1979–

      Jet's coverage of a central event in Richard Pryor's life — the loss of his “Mama”

Archive created under the supervision of Scott Saul,
in collaboration with The Spatial History Project at Stanford University
and the D-Lab at the University of California, Berkeley.
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