Monroe, Wisconsin is a town caught in the past. People here still sing their four-part harmonies in groups known as Barbershoppers. Residents belong to organizations such as Toastmasters where every Tuesday evening they get together and practice the art of public speaking. Others belong to service clubs, such as the Rotarians, the Lions Club, and the Masons.

The northern plains were settled over a century ago by Scandinavian immigrants who came to the United States seeking the better life. They settled up north as the climate and lush greenery reminded them of Norway and Sweden. Most are agricultural workers, cheese processors, and brewery workers. Others work in warehouses, factories, or eating establishments. There are a lot of retired folk there.

On Sunday morning, close to the end of March, 1981, the Monroe Barbershoppers were scheduled to sing at the First Baptist Church in Monroe. They took their place in the front of the spacious church auditorium and sang their first hymn "Just a Closer Walk." The audience loved them.

The following day I would  be traveling to Janesville to visit a few prospective clients. The first thing on my list was a coffee break at the local diner. Half a mile from town the music cut out on the car radio and the announcer said:

 

We interupt this normally-scheduled broadcast to bring you

this news bulletin. There has been an attempted assassination on the

life of President Ronald Reagan today.  Around 2:30 eastern standard

time, an unknown assailant fired an undetermined number of 

 shots at the president as he was coming out of the Washington

Hilton. The president has been rushed to the George Washington 

University Hospital. The president's condition is yet unknown. We

  expect a news conferencefrom the White House any minute now.

 

Later would be heard the infamous "I'm in control" line by then-Secretary of State Alexander Haig as he stood straightening his wide bright-red tie. A bullet hit President Reagan about three inches from his heart.

Around 1840, an Indian chief was incensed at the American government. Something about a broken treaty. He pronounced a curse on every president elected every twenty years. Here's what happened. President William Henry Harrison, elected in 1840, died of pneumonia the following year.

President Abraham Lincoln, elected in 1860, was felled by an assassin's bullet, as was Presidents James Garfield (1880) and William McKinley (1900). Warren Harding (1920) and Franklin Roosevelt (1940) died in office due to health reasons. An assassin took the life of John Kennedy (1960).

Would the Indian curse claim the life of Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980? History proved otherwise. Reagan lived, prospered, and life in America went on. De-regulation of certain industries went into effect, interest rates came down, the Dow and the economy went into the stratosphere, all of the federal air traffic controllers were canned, the Berlin Wall came down, the Soviet Union imploded, and the Cold War ended. Not a bad eight years. 

It appears the ancient Indian curse had been broken by 1980.