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Chapter Seven - The Muench Kidnapping Trial
- University of Missouri Press
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127 After serving as a state representative for the first six months of 1931, during which his compensation did not cover his expenses, Rush H. Limbaugh returned to Cape Girardeau and redoubled his efforts to provide for his family . Even before his service in the legislature, the Limbaughs’ financial circumstances were poor because of the failure of the Cape Exchange Bank. Indeed, during this period his income was so inadequate that he fell weeks and even months behind in the payment of bills. In May 1932, E. G. Gramling, president of the Cape Girardeau Building and Loan Association, offered Limbaugh a position as attorney. With the economy worsening and few professional opportunities available, this was a very appealing offer, for the position provided a steady income and professional advancement. Before accepting, however, Limbaugh discussed the matter with his partner, Benson C. Hardesty. In previous years, Limbaugh had already received a number of offers to form partnerships with other firms or individuals, including from Russell L. Dearmont, his former classmate at the Normal School, from Albert M. Spradling, and from the firm of Oliver & Oliver. Limbaugh probably had declined all of these offers out of loyalty to his friend and mentor Hardesty. Nevertheless, because of his appointment in 1924 as city counselor for Cape Girardeau, which occupied most of his time, Limbaugh seldom worked on cases with Hardesty during the last half of the 1920s and the beginning of the 1930s. Thus, as Limbaugh explained years later, the “partnership had been largely one in name instead of reality.” Despite his disappointment, his friend Hardesty graciously agreed to dissolve their partnership, encouraging Limbaugh to accept the offer. Because the association had a significant amount of legal work to handle, Limbaugh agreed to move his office into the building of the association to be more readily available to the firm for consultation. Most of his time was spent in examining abstracts of title, studying law questions, drafting contracts, providing legal advice to Gramling and the board of directors, and representing the association and other clients in various courts. Moreover, this arrangement with the association left him free to develop his private practice in which he handled the cases of other clients thus achieving a fair amount of “professional freedom” as well.1 The Muench Kidnapping Trial Chapter Seven 128 The Original Rush Limbaugh While his stint in the legislature caused a temporary economic hardship, Limbaugh believed that his service as one of the House managers in the Larry Brunk impeachment trial made his name more generally known among the public and led to new professional business. Moreover, in recognition of Limbaugh ’s sacrifices and his integrity, Governor Henry S. Caulfield appointed him special deputy commissioner of finance in charge of the property of the Sturdivant Bank, which had been seized by the state in late 1932. This work as liquidating officer for the closed bank was lucrative and helped to improve his financial circumstances.2 In addition to the financial problems, Rush and Bee’s sons Rush Jr., Manley , and Stephen experienced various health maladies, both minor and major , which undoubtedly caused their parents considerable consternation. Just a year after Marguerite’s death in 1926, Manley developed pneumonia, as did Stephen two years later. In the 1930s, Rush Jr. experienced asthma attacks, the severity of which were not diminished until a medical physician specializing in allergies discovered that he was sensitive to certain foods and house dust. These maladies, however, were inconsequential in comparison to Stephen’s health problems.3 In the fall of 1931, just a few months after the Brunk impeachment trial, Limbaugh traveled to Ironton, Missouri, on business. Because Stephen, who was not quite four years old, had not seen the Arcadia Valley, Bee decided to accompany her husband so that their youngest child could experience the beautiful scenery. While driving through the region, Stephen appeared unwell and developed a fever. During lunch, he “appeared chilly and unusually nervous” and thereafter listless. After this episode, he fell asleep but at different times “his body suddenly jerked,” apparently leaving him exhausted. After returning home, he experienced chills and a nervous state again, leading his parents to call a doctor who examined Stephen and concluded that he had influenza. After “three or four days in bed,” it became evident that he had lost his ability to walk. Greatly alarmed, they consulted a “young physician” from the state department of health, who diagnosed Stephen’s ailment as polio and recommended that he be...