Where are Teresita Basa and Allan Showery 39 years after her Voice From The Grave sent him to Prison?

February 20, 2016, 4:33 pm

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On February 21, 1977, the body of 47-year-old Teresita Basa was found in her torched apartment on the 15^th Floor of 2740 N. Pine Grove Ave in Chicago. She was a respiratory therapist at the now defunct Edgewater Hospital. Police had no suspects until another respiratory therapist named Remedios Chua started going into trances and channeling the voice of Teresita that ultimately named her killer, Allan Showery, a 32-year-old, orderly at the same hospital. [caption id="attachment_639" align="alignleft" width="225"]

Teresita Basa's apartment building at 2740 N. Pine Grove Ave.[/caption] Not only did Remedios “Remy”, name Showery but also what articles of jewelry the police would find in his possession and the names and phone numbers of relatives of Teresita who could identify the items. I won’t go into the details since I published a story last year on the anniversary of Teresita’s Death. This year I was curious as to what happened to both of them following the crime that made national news in the late 1970s. [caption id="attachment_638" align="alignright" width="300"]

The now defunct Edgewater Hospital where both Teresita Basa and Remedios Chua worked as Respiratory Therapists in 1977[/caption] Both are still somewhat mysteries. On Feburary 20, 1979, Allan Showery was on the verge of becoming a free man. The jury in the murder case was deadlocked and a mistrial was declared. But something happened on the two year anniversary of her death. On February 22, 1979, Showery appeared with his attorney in front of Judge Barbaro and against his attorney’s advice plead guilty to the crime of Teresita’s murder! Showery was sentenced to 14 years in prison (the minimum term for murder at the time) and four additional concurrent 4 year terms for arson and burglary. He was sent to Stateville Penitentiary where he was paroled in July 1983 after only a little over four years. I believe that Showery is still alive and getting ready to reach the age of 70. It seems that after he was released he re-joined a mysterious woman named “Naomi” who attended his court hearings and in the late 1980s moved in with a female relative in Colton, California. After that he came back to live in Chicago for a short stint at 1901 W. Pryor near Blue Island. After that he returned to the area where he lived prior to the murder, New York City. I have been able to trace Showery back to New York up until 2004 but after that it is somewhat of a mystery although there is reason to believe he is still alive and probably still haunted by the voice that convicted him in 1979. According to the book, “Teresita, The Voice From the Grave”, Bonus Books, Inc., Chicago, 1992 by long time Chicago Tribune reporters John O’Brien and Edward Baumann, Teresita’s family took her body back to Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental, The Philippines. According to O’Brien and Baumann, The Basa Mansion still existed on Colon Street and was occupied by Socorro Basa’s sister, Lourdes Calumpang as well as Teresita’s aunt and family. Teresita was supposed to have been resting across the street at Santa Catalina Cemetery. The problem I have is that there currently is no Santa Catalina (St. Catherine) Cemetery anywhere in Dumaguete City. There is a Santa Catalina Church (Also called the Dumaguete Cathedral) off of Colon Road which at one point (at least as far back as 1897) had a cemetery. Now it could have well been renamed since 1992 but there doesn’t exist any cemeteries off of Colon Street or near the church currently. [caption id="attachment_924" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Santa Catalina Church or what is now known as the Dumaguete Cathedral in The Philippines near where Teresita Basa was purportedly buried[/caption] There are two cemeteries about a mile northwest of the location and they are called Bogo Public Cemetery and Dumaguete Memorial Park. Neither of those cemeteries seem to be overseen by the Roman Catholic Church of which Teresita was a devout member. There is also an additional cemetery about 3 miles west and that is called The Gardens Memorial Park which again does not appear to be connected to the Catholic Church. Also about 1.5 miles to the west is the Bagacay Cemetery that seems to be overseen by the World Vision Mission Church. There is a newer looking park directly across Colon Street and adjacent to St. Catherine’s Church. The park is called Quezon Park and could be built on an area that may have contained a cemetery at one point. On the website Find-A-Grave there is an obscure reference to a Dumaguete Roman Catholic Cemetery but it does not have a physical location listed and only one interment entered as Lee Porter Hamilton. Could Teresita have been buried and continue to lie in a small churchyard cemetery or was she at one point buried in a St. Catherine Church Cemetery but then moved to make way for a new city park. Could it also be misinformation given for publication to deter the curious and disrespectful. Whatever the case may Teresita rest in peace. Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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Johann Hoch hung 110 years ago Today – His last moments on Earth

February 23, 2016, 4:21 am

≫ Next: Happy 179th Birthday Chicago! Early Chicago History in Lisle

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Johann Otto Hoch or John Schmidt as was his most accepted birth name, was born in 1863 in Birgen, Russia or in 1855 in Horrweiler, Germany. He had numerous aliases although John Hock was the one he maintained through his execution. He purportedly came to the United States in 1883 with his first wife (that we know of) Annie. What followed was almost 25 years of bigamy and murder. He became infamous for poisoning his wives shortly after taking their money and earned the nickname “The Bluebeard Murderer” after the French folktale published in 1697 in which “Bluebeard” murders his wives. [caption id="attachment_929" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Johann Otto Hoch alias John Schmidt[/caption] He wed over 50 wives illegally and bilked them out of different amounts of money but murdered anywhere from a confirmed 15 to upwards of 30. He was finally tried and convicted of only one murder and that was his second to last wife, Maria Walcker-Hoch who lived with him at 6430 Union Avenue. He supposedly married Maria Walcker on December 10, 1904 in Chicago and almost exactly one month later on January 11, 1905 she was dead of Nephritis or inflammation of the kidneys. Within five days he married Maria’s sister, Emilie Fischer from Joliet. Three days later Hoch fled with $750 and Emilie reported him to the police as a swindler and bigamist. The police became suspicious and had Emilie’s sister exhumed and they found 7.6 grams of arsenic in the body. Hoch was indicted for bigamy and an arrest warrant was issued. Hoch had made the mistake of asking his landlady, a Mrs. Kimberly, in New York to marry him within 24 hours of meeting her. She contacted the police suspecting him to be Hoch and he was subsequently arrested and extradited back to Chicago where he was charged with the murder of Maria Walcker-Hoch. (On a side note I believe that according to Cook County marriage records Walcker had actually gotten married to Hoch under the name Schippnick. Who knows maybe she was trying to rip him off.) The trial started April 19, 1905 and Hoch was convicted of murder on May 20^th. His original death by hanging was scheduled for June 23, 1905. Hoch had avoided the hanging a number of times while in custody. Governor Deneen granted him a reprieve until July 28^th. Within an hour of his hanging he was given another reprieve until August 25^th. Before the August 25^th date, the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to hear his case but on December 15^th handed down its verdict which supported the lower court’s ruling. The Supreme Court set his date of Execution to be February 23, 1906. [caption id="attachment_932" align="alignright" width="232"]

Frank D. Comerford, Hoch's Attorney[/caption] On the date of Hoch’s execution his attorney, Frank D. Comerford, attempted to make an appeal to the Federal Court on the basis that Hoch’s 14^th Amendment rights had been violated because his wife was purportedly coerced by authorities to testify against her husband and commit perjury (Of course she and 49 others were not his legal wives) Judge Landis denied his petition for a writ. One day before his execution Hoch was moved to the Death Chamber of the County Courthouse and Jail (Now Courthouse Place Office Building) where he woke up and ate his breakfast sparingly. He received several visitors on that day. His first visitor at 9am was his spiritual advisor F.W. Schlechte. He met the Reverend Schlechte with a military salute and they studied the Bible for about an hour. His next visitor was a very strange young man who introduced himself as a hypnotist and medical student. The “hypnotist” had slipped past the guards and told Hoch, “Look into my eyes”. Hoch told the guards that he was a “crank” and only managed to make him tired. The crank was removed. His last visitor was his latest wife Emilie Fishcer-Hoch. He bid her a fond farewell at about 6pm and retired with a cigar which he smoked until it burned his fingers. He then reclined in his bed but according to guards did not sleep. He was supposed to die sometime between 10am and 11am on the 23^rd but Jailer Whitman postponed it to as long as 2pm as they waited for Judge Landis’s decision. [caption id="attachment_930" align="alignleft" width="225"]

The Criminal Courts Building where Hoch was hung is now a landmark and office building[/caption] Upon hearing that Landis had refused a writ of habeas corpus the death warrant was read to Hoch who stepped up to the gallows at 1:32pm. His final words were, “ Oh Lord, our Father, forgive them all. They know not what they do. They hang an innocent man. I am innocent. Goodbye.” The trap was dropped and Hoch died of a broken neck almost instantly. The body was lowered and handed off to undertaker Ernst Matz. (The Matz Funeral Home is still in operation) Meanwhile Hoch’s attorney was filing an appeal to the writ and it was approved even after his client’s death. Comerford vowed that if the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the denial of the writ that he would bring murder charges against all persons involved in the hanging. Meanwhile it seemed that no cemetery wanted to allow a murderer to be buried on their property. Even Waldheim that accepted a number of the anarchists from the Haymarket riots (Spies, Parsons, Engel and Fischer) refused. In fact officials from Waldheim stated that the burials of the anarchists had brought such unpleasant notoriety to their cemetery that under no circumstances would they ever allow another body of a person executed for a crime to be buried in their cemetery. [caption id="attachment_936" align="alignleft" width="300"]

A plaque at the Reed Dunning Memorial Park which is in the location of the now defunct "Potters Field"[/caption] Shortly before noon on February 24, 1906 Hoch’s body was interred in the potter’s field of the Dunning Asylum and Poor Farm in an unmarked grave. No Cook County official was ever charged with Hoch’s murder. Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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Happy 179th Birthday Chicago! Early Chicago History in Lisle

March 4, 2016, 4:35 am

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Today the City of Chicago is 179 years old. It was incorporated as a city on March 4, 1837 although it was a town since 1833. There were many colorful characters who first settled the area but I wanted to concentrate on the owner and operator of Chicago’s first hotel, Mark Beaubien. [caption id="attachment_947" align="alignleft" width="227"]

Mark Beaubien, builder of Chicago's first hotel 1880 - 1881[/caption] Beaubien was the younger brother of Fort Dearborn Indian Trader, Jean Baptiste Beaubien and was born in 1800 in Detroit, Michigan. He married Monique Nadeau and with his six children at the time, Josette, Mark Jr., Oliver, Joseph and Emily came to Chicago, according to his own account, to visit his brother in 1826. “I arrived in Chicago in the year of 1826, from Detroit; came with my family by team; no road only Indian trail. I had to hire an Indian to show me the road to Chicago. I camped out doors and bought a log house from Jim Kinzie. There was no town laid out; didn’t expect no town. When they laid out the town, my house laid out in the street; when they laid the town I bought two lots where I built the old Sauganash, the first frame house in Chicago” The Sauganash was both a tavern and hotel and Beaubien was said to have been quite the fiddle player. He was a jovial, fun-loving man from most accounts and visitors to Chicago long told stories of the old Sauganash. The Sauganash was located at the Southeast corner of Wolf Point where the north and south branches of the Chicago River came together. [caption id="attachment_948" align="alignright" width="300"]

A drawing of the Sauganash Hotel[/caption] He was also Chicago’s first ferry keeper (taking Chicagoans back and forth across the south branch for free while visitors paid a fee). He was also Chicago’s last light-house keeper. [caption id="attachment_949" align="alignleft" width="269"]

Map showing Beaubien's Property at the southeast corner of Wolf Point[/caption] Part of the Beaubien legacy can still be found and it exists in Lisle, IL. Beaubien purchased a building from William Sweet in 1840 along the SouthWest Plank Road (now Ogden Ave) in what is now Lisle, IL. He operated it as a tavern and it was a toll house along the Plank Road from 1851 to 1857 and you can still visit the building! It is now part of the Museums at Lisle Station. Although the building was moved a few blocks south of its original location it is much the same as when Beaubien had purchased it. Beaubien passed away on the 16^th of April in 1881 in Kankakee, IL at the house of George Mathews who married his daughter Mary. [caption id="attachment_951" align="aligncenter" width="300"]

The Beaubien Tavern in Lisle, IL[/caption] Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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What will be the Fate of the 101 year old Grave of August Boness?

March 24, 2016, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Update on the 101 year old Grave of August Boness (Bonas) Is Bethania Cemetery Hiding Something?

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For years legend has surrounded the gravestone that until recently was hidden under bushes in the parking lot of the apartment building at 7889 Archer Ave in west suburban Justice. [caption id="attachment_957" align="aligncenter" width="250"]

Could the parking lot of this apartment building be the final resting spot of August Boness?[/caption] I became interested in researching the gravesite about six years ago. I had heard of the gravestone and had to see it for myself. I crawled under the bushes that used to be in the parking lot of the property and found a small obelisk with the following inscription:

AUGUST BONESS

Geb

15 OCT 1888

Gest

26 MARZ 1915

[caption id="attachment_958" align="alignright" width="300"]

Only a few feet from this obelisk is a large stone base.[/caption] I have to admit that at first I thought it was a joke because the last name looked like “BONES” initially until I got a closer look with my flashlight and could see it was actually “Boness”. Of course my curiosity was in overdrive and I set off to find out if this was an actual gravesite or a hoax. I contacted the management company that owned the building, Inland Realty, and asked them if they knew anything about the gravestone that was under the bushes in the parking lot. They told me that they were unaware of any grave or stone in the parking lot, thought it was an interesting story but couldn’t shed any light on that fact if it was true or not. My second stop was actually directly across 79^th Street from the apartment building, Bethania Cemetery. I mean it seemed quite a coincidence that there was a cemetery right across the street from the gravestone. Could someone have stolen a marker and stashed it under the bushes? Sounded plausible at first until a couple feet from the obelisk was a large heavy stone base that would not have been as easy to move. I visited the cemetery office and spoke to a woman who introduced me to the supervisor at the time. I asked him about a burial of an August Boness and after looking in their card system he stated that they had no August Boness but did have a number of other Boness burials including a Frederick, Louise, Theresa, Ernest, Lena, Clarence, Roy, and a Liliana Boness. I asked point-blank about the gravestone across the street and he suddenly became very animated. He said, “That is all a hoax! They put that stone there sometime in the 1980s when they were filming a television series called Sightings which was doing a story on the hauntings at the apartment building that supposedly were linked to the grave!” I asked him if he was working at the cemetery at the time and he said that he was not but that the information was passed down to him. When I left there I didn’t know what to think. Was there a grave or wasn’t there? A search of deaths in Cook County turned up no deaths of an August Boness in or around 1915 which didn’t really prove anything since registration of deaths didn’t seriously become mandatory until the Illinois Department of Public Health was established in 1917. My next option was land records and that is where things start to get interesting. The Property Identification Number for 7889 Archer Ave is 18-27-412-006-0000 and with that or the legal description of the property you can do a search on documents filed with the Cook County Recorder of Deeds. I took a trip to 118 N. Clark Street and proceeded to the basement where the document books are stored. After a little digging I found out something very interesting. The triangular parcel of land where the gravestone in question is located was at one point in time owned by none other than The Bethania Cemetery Association. If one believes the gravestone, Mr. Boness died on March 23, 1915. At that point in time Bethania was still the owner of the property. The interesting part is that the Bethania Cemetery Association sold that property to a person by the name of August Zuelke on February 23, 1916 only 11 months after the death of August Boness! I did locate an August Boness who was born in Willow Springs, IL on March 24, 1884 which would have made him a contemporary of our August Boness in question and only a hop, skip and jump from Justice. There is only one problem. That particular August Boness left the area as a child and ended up in Butternut, Ashland County Wisconsin where he married a Margarethe Sprauger in 1907. They ended up having at least six kids; Rufus, Arno, Edwin, Elsie, Alvin and Eugene. That August Boness died in 1956 and is buried next to his wife at Union Cemetery in Butternut, Wisconsin. [caption id="attachment_959" align="alignleft" width="300"]

There was an August Boness born in 1884 in Willow Springs but he hadn't been in the area since 1895[/caption] Back in 2011 I received an email from a Cheri Boness who stated that she believed that the August Boness buried in the parking lot could be her great uncle and she would check with relatives to confirm but I have not heard back from her. Just recently I was contacted by a volunteer who thought it was high time to create a memorial on the website Find-A-Grave even if there was no proof as of yet that an actual grave exists. He also made me aware that the buildings on the lot are being demolished and that the Village of Justice does not believe that an actual grave exists. [caption id="attachment_960" align="alignright" width="300"]

The fate of the grave site is uncertain as demolition continues[/caption] So what is to become of August Boness if there is indeed more than just an orphan gravestone on the plot. I know that according to Illinois State Law if a human burial exists outside of an established cemetery and is over 100 years old then the remains become property of the Illinois State Archives and from what I understand they do store the bones for historical purposes I am wondering if any archaeological groups at local universities would be interested in doing a seismic analysis of the area surrounding the stone to determine if there are any voids that could indicate the existence of an old grave site. Will a family member see this posting and come forward with information that could help us relocate the body to be with existing family gravesites? Or is this really a hoax that was dreamed up by a documentary-style television show in the 1980s? Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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Update on the 101 year old Grave of August Boness (Bonas) Is Bethania Cemetery Hiding Something?

March 26, 2016, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Update #2 Mystery of August Boness ( Bonas ) SOLVED!

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I had to post this update as soon as possible because time may be running out. For years people have thought that the grave stone that is in the parking lot at the abandoned apartment building at 7889 Archer Avenue in Justice IL was just a hoax. In fact six years ago I spoke with the supervisor of Bethania Cemetery across the street and he stated that the whole thing was a hoax dreamed up by the producers of a television show called “Sightings” in the 1980s that was supposed to be doing a story on the hauntings at the building. The link to my first article from two days ago is here. I, however, was not so sure since the land used to be owned by The Bethania Cemetery Association at the time that Mr. August Boness died on March 26, 1915. I put the information out on my facebook group “Chicago History The Stranger Side” and the almost 7,000 members got to work. It wasn’t long before a sharp researcher by the name of Maryann Felinski found a listing on Find-A-Grave for an August Bonas (phonetic probably for Boness) with the exact dates of birth and dates of death as the mystery stone in the parking lot across the street. Hmmm…kinda coincidental. The stone marker actually looks fairly new and the inscription at the top (it is a dual stone) says Schultz and the two inscriptions on the stone were “Son, Rudolph September 23 1915 to June 8, 2001” and next to it “Uncle, August Bonas Oct 15, 1888 to March 26, 1915” the exact dates of birth and death and almost the same name as the mystery stone. [caption id="attachment_967" align="alignleft" width="300"]

The marker where Rudolph, Ferdinand and Ernestina Bonas Schultz are buried. August Bonas is merely referenced on the stone with no burial record[/caption] So I decided to try Bethania one more time. I was sure with this new information the mystery could be solved right away. I mean if August Bonas and August Boness were the same person and the family simply wanted to update the stone and disposed of the old one then no harm no foul right? I guess that would make sense if the new stone was put up in the 1980s but then nobody was buried there until 2001 so what was the rush? It is possible there are other relatives there that just weren’t on the grave stone but Bethania should be able to clear up all that right? I called Bethania Cemetery in Justice, IL yesterday morning. I spoke to a very pleasant lady on the phone and told her that I was a local historian and was trying to clear up the mystery of the grave stone and possible grave of August Boness that appeared to be across the street from the cemetery. The woman stated that she heard that there was some kind of story about it but didn’t think it was a real grave. I told her that there was a gravestone at Bethania with the same name and dates of birth and death as that person but the last name was spelled BONAS on the stone and not BONESS as on the mystery stone. She thought that was very interesting. I told her that if there was a plot card for August Bonas it would say where he was buried and if he had ever been moved. She agreed with me and put me on hold while she looked. Wow this is wonderful I thought. We could finally put this to rest and maybe the family would like the old tombstone or maybe it would make a great Halloween decoration. Suddenly a person named Nadine answered the phone and asked if she could help me. I told her I had talked to someone about August Bonas. She asked me if I was a family member. I said that I wasn’t but that I was researching him. She very bluntly said that she was told by her supervisor that August Boness was never buried there, that they don’t have anyone by that name and that the land where the mystery stone is located was never cemetery land. I told her that they may have an August Bonas with the same dates and she stuttered and said that they were told it is not the same person and that they have been getting a ton of calls and don’t want to be bothered with it anymore. She said that she was told that that was all she could say about it. I said thank you and that I would try to contact the family members about it. So I did a little research and guess what! These are all real people. I found Rudolph Schultz’s information from his obituary and also from his social security claim files and he was one of many children of Ferdinand and Ernestina Schultz. His wife’s name was Helen and it doesn’t appear that they had any children but plenty of nieces and nephews. Guest what Ernestina’s maiden name is? You guessed it, “BONAS.” So August Bonas IS an Uncle of Rudolph Schultz. This is not some throw away tombstone from some defunct marker company. August Boness or August Bonas is a real person. He died on March 26, 1915 (oddly enough today is the anniversary of his death) and his stone and a very large stone base which are consistent with materials used 100 years ago for grave markers are sitting on land that at the time of his death was owned by The Bethania Cemetery Association (so much for it never being cemetery land) [caption id="attachment_968" align="alignright" width="300"]

Bethania Cemetery in Justice, Illinois[/caption] It actually gets worse! I went to Bethania's Website and you can do it for yourself! There is a burial records search form! So this is the scary part. I found Rudolph Schultz along with his father Ferdinand and mother Ernestine Schultz (maiden Bonas) they are all in Lot 21, Section 8 in Division E. Guess who I didn't find? Uncle August Bonas! There was no August Boness or Bonas under any spelling. In my opinion there is a reason for that. Uncle August was buried on cemetery land that was sold after he was buried. That is why they have no record and hopefully just don't choose to not have a record. Now it is time to do a little reverse genealogy and contact some living descendents of Rudolph Schultz who was born on September 23, 1915 and died on June 8, 2001. I have his obituary from the Chicago Sun-Times which lists all of his brothers and sisters and the fact that he had many nieces and nephews. I tend to believe that the family obviously knows about Uncle August (After all they went to the trouble of having his information carved on the stone) and wanted to memorialize him on the stone or maybe they were told that he was buried there at one point. It makes me wonder if they even know about the original stone that is sitting across the street. Only the cemetery can confirm or deny this but it doesn’t appear that they want to be bothered. [caption id="attachment_970" align="aligncenter" width="300"]

The final resting spot of August Boness (Bonas) ?[/caption] The worst case is that August Bonas or Boness and possibly others have been forgotten about in the land that was once Bethania’s land and was sold in February of 1916 about 11 months after August Boness’s death. The abandoned buildings are being demolished, the land is for sale and the stone is simply propped up against a log and a discarded tire at 7889 Archer Ave in Justice, IL. I am hoping to make contact with family soon in order to insure that Uncle August has been taken care of and will post an update when I do. Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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Update #2 Mystery of August Boness ( Bonas ) SOLVED!

April 11, 2016, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Unsolved Mysteries to Feature Chicago Grimes Cold Case Tomorrow

≪ Previous: Update on the 101 year old Grave of August Boness (Bonas) Is Bethania Cemetery Hiding Something?

Link to Original Article: “What will be the Fate of the 101 year-old Grave of August Boness?” Link to Update#1: “Update on the 101 year-old Grave of August Boness (Bonas): Is Bethania Hiding Something? Since I published my last two articles I have been hard at work to discover a little more history on the mysterious August Boness (Bonas) who may or may not be buried in Bethania Cemetery in west suburban Justice, IL. Please see the links at the beginning and end of this article for the background. As I mentioned before an” Uncle August Bonas with a birth date of October 15, 1888 and a death date of March 26, 1915 is inscribed into the grave marker of Ferdinand Schultz and his wife Ernestina who both died in 1960. A son of Ferdinand and Ernestina who died in 2001, Rudolph, is in the same plot and on the same stone. This name and dates of birth and death for August Bonas match exactly the mysterious stone that had been sitting under the bushes as the apartment building at 7889 Archer Avenue. It also makes sense because Bonas is Ernestina’s maiden name. The cemetery says there has never been a burial of an August Bonas or Boness in the cemetery and the land around 7889 Archer Avenue has never been a burial location although it had once been owned by Bethania but sold to a Kuelke family in February of 1916. [caption id="attachment_982" align="alignleft" width="300"]

The grave marker of Ferdinand and Ernestina (Bonas) Schultz who was the sister of August Bonas (Boness)[/caption] [caption id="attachment_983" align="alignright" width="300"]

The opposite side of the grave marker showing son Rudolph Schultz and Uncle August Bonas[/caption] At the end of my last article I mentioned that I was going to try to do some reverse genealogy and attempt to contact living descendants, of which there seem to be many according to obituaries, but I felt like I needed to do a little more research into “Uncle August” before I start bothering living relatives. As luck would have it, I was contacted by Dale Kaczmarek who is President of the Ghost Research Society and had been following my articles. In the first article of this series I had mentioned that the supervisor of the cemetery had told me six years ago that the mysterious grave marker of August Boness in the parking lot of 7889 Archer Avenue was a hoax perpetrated by the producers of a television reality show called “Sightings”. Well it just so happened that Dale was part of that show and confirmed that neither he nor anyone he was aware of from the segment had moved the stone and in fact he was not aware of the stone until the segment was being filmed in the 1990s. Mr. Kaczmarek told me that a woman by the name of Valerie Kolecki was living in an apartment at the building when she started having what she believed to be paranormal experiences. There were some strange things with her lights as well as her cat would constantly acting as if it was seeing something outside her window. When Dale and his investigative team were checking the outside within sight of the window he found the grave marker under the bushes. He invited me over to his home and had a video-taped copy of the show. That more or less dispels the hoax theory. As I looked further into the Schultz family I found that Ferdinand and Ernestina (Bonas) Schultz had come into the U.S. between 1906 and 1908 had resided at 3023 Broad Street in Chicago from 1910 through at least 1940 according to the Federal Census records of those years. They were Russian Germans and appeared to have been married in Russia around 1899. Ferdinand was doing various odd jobs to sustain the family here in the U.S. I decided to check Chicago City Directories from about 1913 forward to attempt to locate August Bonas somewhere near or living with the Schultz family. I didn’t find him but did find an interesting couple of entries.

The Bonas Family in the Chicago Directories

[caption id="attachment_985" align="alignleft" width="300"]

The 1913 Chicago City Directory showing Natalie Bonas as the widow of William Bonas living at 3332 Archer Ave[/caption] In the 1913 Chicago City Directory there was a Natalie Bonas who was listed as the widow of William Bonas and lived at 3332 Archer Avenue. This was about one half mile directly west on Archer Avenue from where the Schultz’s lived. It could have been a coincidence but as I traced the directories forward through 1917 she ceases to be the widow of William and becomes the widow of August in 1915! To be more specific it actually lists Augusta as the widow of August in the 1915 directory at 3332 Archer Avenue but I believe that could be a typo since she is listed again as Natalie at the same address being the widow of August in 1917. Also in 1917 her son Arthur shows up on the directory as living at that address. (One usually had to be working age to be listed in the directory) [caption id="attachment_986" align="alignright" width="300"]

The 1917 Chicago City Directory showing Natalie Bonas as now being the widow of August Bonas at 3332 Archer Ave[/caption] I decided to look into William Bonas a little further and found his death certificate (Actually Coroner’s Certificate) from July 25, 1908. He also has a probate file at the Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court Archives which I have ordered and am waiting to review. This usually meant that the person in question died in an accident and that the probate was generated due to pending civil litigation. (I will update the story when the file comes in.) I had always tried to find August Bonas coming to the U.S. and had been previously unsuccessful. My guess was that he was only in the country for a short time and that is why he never showed up on a U.S. Census. Luckily Ancestry.com has continued to add new information and I found an August Bonas listed as 25 years old leaving Hamburg Germany on 31 May 1913 headed for New York City. He was single and a Russian German. The problem was he doesn’t show up on a U.S. Arrival list on Ancestry.com as he should. I decided I had to do this the old fashioned way in case there was an error in the computerized index. I went to see some friends at the Great Lakes Region of the National Archives on Pulaski. I wanted to see if they had any microfilm indexes to the original ship manifests in an attempt to confirm August Bonas’s arrival. They actually had a few rolls of the index and the research gods were on our side. I found an index reference to an August Bonas who was a 25 year-old male. The index gave me a reference to a volume number, page and line number on the original manifests. At least I knew that he did arrive but when and where was he going?

Tracing August Bonas Through Ship Lists

[caption id="attachment_990" align="alignleft" width="300"]

National Archives and Records Administration Index to Passenger Arrivals 1902-1943 Microfilm Publication T621 showing August Bonas Arriving as a 25 year-old male.[/caption] There is a website that genealogists are all too familiar entitled, “One Step Pages by Stephen P. Morse”. The pages were created by a uber-geek turned genealogist (He actually was the architect of the Intel 8086 chip) and it allows one to search multiple genealogical websites at one time and, in the case of what I was looking for, a direct link to the Ellis Island Passenger Lists by volume and page number as opposed to relying on the links set up through Ancestry.com. With the information from the index provided by the National Archives I found Mr. August Bonas! Just as the index referenced, he was in volume 4758, page 40, line 18. He arrived at the port of New York on 11 June 1913 and was a Russian German. His father was Christoff Bonas who still resided in Russian and he was on the way to visit his brother-in-law, Ferdinand Schulz who lived at 3023 Broad Street in Chicago! Hello Uncle August! [caption id="attachment_991" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Zoom of portion of ship list showing August Bonas aboard the S.S. Pennsylvania arriving at the Port of N.Y. on June 11, 1913.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_992" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Zoom of ship list showing August Bonas headed to Chicago.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_993" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Zoom of ship list showing August Bonas visiting his brother-in-law Ferdinand Schultz at 3023 Broad Street.[/caption] So the story of August Bonas is starting to come together. It appears that Natalie Bonas was the wife of William Bonas who was more than likely (still not proven) the brother of August Bonas. My theory so far is that after William died his brother August came to the U.S. and stayed with his sister Ernestine Bonas who married Ferdinand Schultz in Russia and were living at 3023 Broad Street. He originally stayed with them but probably was helping out his brother’s widow and may not have had the time to marry her but was at least helping out for a while before his untimely death in 1915. (The details of his death on March 26, 1915 are still a mystery) This would help to explain why Natalie was listed as the widow of August in 1915. I could not find a marriage record for August and Natalie but the directory may have assumed them to be married because they had the same last name.

MYSTERY SOLVED!

As I was writing this article I noticed that Natalie Bonas's husband William did not appear in Bethania's online grave search but after a couple alterations of the last name I found him buried in the same plot as Natalie under the name William Bonnes. They are both buried in Lot #41, Section #1, Division E. I thought to myself, "Self!?, What would be the odds that Uncle August has a simple name transcription error that could be causing years of conjecture?"

After several different possible spellings I found Uncle August! August Barnas, buried on the 28th of March in 1915 in the exact same plot as it shows on the stone. He is alongside his sister Ernestina Bonas, her husband Ferdinand and his nephew Rudolph in Lot #21, Section #8, Division E.

The explanation for all the confusion is simply that prior to the death of Ferdinand and Ernestina in 1960 August's mysterious grave marker (now purportedly in the hands of a local historical society) was inside the gate of Bethania Cemetery where it had been since 1915. In 1960 when Ferdinand and Ernestina passed away a newer stone was installed with the names of August, Ferdinand and Ernestina and since there was no room on the plot for both stones, the stone was discarded and somehow ended up across the street. Rudolph's name was added when he passed in 2001. We can all rest easy now that we know that Uncle August is resting easy now. I will have to drop this information off at Bethania Cemetery so that they are aware that they do have the person listed on the stone, that it is merely an old stone that used to be across the street and that he is resting comfortably with his family.

Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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Unsolved Mysteries to Feature Chicago Grimes Cold Case Tomorrow

April 14, 2016, 10:56 am

≫ Next: The Chicago Memorial Day Massacre of 1937…or was it?

≪ Previous: Update #2 Mystery of August Boness ( Bonas ) SOLVED!

Many Chicagoans, myself included, remember the television series "Unsolved Mysteries" hosted by Raymond Burr, Karl Malden, and most memorably in my opinion the amazing talent and voice of Robert Stack. The series started in 1987 on NBC and ended its network run with CBS in 1999. The series was revived by Lifetime from 2001 to 2002 and then again revived by Spike TV from 2008 t0 2010 starring Dennis Farina. Currently Lifetime runs re-runs of the revived series. [caption id="attachment_1007" align="alignleft" width="232"]

Robert Stack, the most memorable host of TV's Unsolved Mysteries[/caption] The original producers of the show, Cosgrove-Meurer Productions, maintain a website for current "Mysteries" and I thought it was amazing when they contacted me in order to do a video regarding the almost 60 year-old Chicago murder case of Barbara and Patricia Grimes. [caption id="attachment_1008" align="alignright" width="300"]

The website maintained by "Unsolved Mysteries" will feature Chicago's 1956 Grimes Murder on April 15, 2016[/caption] I have been researching the Grimes case since roughly 2009 and had started a facebook group called Help Solve the Chicago Grimes Sisters Murder. Currently the group has over 1,300 members many of whom are family members, neighbors or classmates of the girls. The goal of the group was an informal place to share memories of the girls as well as having a place of open discussion of theories regarding the case. Briefly, for those unfamiliar with the case, On December 28, 1956, Barbara Grimes, 15 and her sister Patricia,13 (Petey to close friends and family) left their home at 3634 S. Damen Avenue in Chicago's McKinley Park Neighborhood at roughly 7:30pm. They left after dinner to go to the Brighton Theater on Archer Avenue to see their idol, Elvis Presley, in the movie "Love Me Tender". According to friends of the girls they were seen at the movie but they never returned home. On January 22, 1957 their bodies were found along the north side of German Church Road roughly 150 feet east of County Line Road in what was then unincorporated Burr Ridge. Autopsies performed were inconclusive and the only cause of death was listed as "secondary shock due to cold temperatures" The case is still unsolved. [caption id="attachment_875" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Barbara (left) and sister Patricia Grimes disappeared on December 28, 1956[/caption] The video of the case will be live on their website tomorrow, April 15, 2016 and we are hoping that the additional exposure will help to jog viewers' memories and possibly bring new information forward to investigators. Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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The Chicago Memorial Day Massacre of 1937…or was it?

May 30, 2016, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Historic Chicago Landmark Second Presbyterian Church to Host Free Event June 22nd

≪ Previous: Unsolved Mysteries to Feature Chicago Grimes Cold Case Tomorrow

Chicago is no stranger to labor disputes. In fact labor is one of the reasons that a traditionally Republican establishment turned Democratic toward the end of the 19^th century and never looked back. While many history buffs are familiar with the Haymarket Riot or Haymarket Affair as it is sometimes called, many are not familiar with what has become known as the Memorial Day Massacre of 1937. On May 26, 1937, 22,000 Chicago steel workers went on strike. The larger steel companies such as U.S. Steel had entered into an agreement with the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (S.W.O.C.) an affiliate of the (C.I.O.) Committee for Industrial Organization while the smaller companies including Republic Steel had not. Striking workers were none too happy with the loyal or (scab) employees that helped Republic to keep its operations going during the strike. A number of small skirmishes erupted between May 26^th and May 30^th but it was the skirmish on the 30^th (Memorial Day) that would be remembered as being the most deadly. There was a short meeting held by labor organizers at Sam’s Roadhouse which was not far from the Republic Steel plant in South Chicago. During the meeting striking employees and picketers, many of whom weren’t even steel company employees, were purportedly told that they had the legal right to bypass the 150 Chicago Police Officers who were stationed at the gates of the Republic Steel plant to protect the company’s property rights. 1,500 to 2,000 individuals armed with clubs, rubber hoses filled with lead, bats with nails, knives, metal bolts to be used as missiles and purportedly some firearms marched toward the gates at 4:30 pm on Sunday May 30, 1937. What happened next to spur on the violence is a subject of debate even today. Both sides agree that the police told the approaching mob that they could not be there and that they needed to disperse even though Mayor Kelly had stated that peaceful picketing would be allowed. The question is did they intend from the outset to be peaceful. A number of witnesses stated that gunshots could be heard coming from the huge group of protestors and Chicago Police immediately answered with tear gas, gun fire and clubs. By the time it was over there would be ten individuals who would die from their injuries (mostly gunshot wounds) and over 90 injured including 23 police officers. [caption id="attachment_1014" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Chicago Police carry injured strikers away to be treated at local hospitals.[/caption] The list of the dead are as follows: Anthony Tagliore, 26, 7413 St. Lawrence Ave Chicago, gunshot wound Earl Hanley, 37, 3307 Michigan Ave. Indiana Harbor, East Chicago, IN, fractured skull Joseph Rothmund, 47, 2857 Belmont Ave. Chicago, gunshot wound Alfred Causey, 43, 7050 Arizona Ave., Chicago, gunshot wound Kenneth Reed, 23, 3921 Deal St. Indiana Harbor, IN, gunshot wound Samuel Popovich, 45, crushed skull Hilding Anderson, 38, gunshot wound Otis Jones, Lincoln, IL, gunshot wound Lee Tisdale, 50, infection Leo Francisco, 17, 10012 Commercial Ave. Chicago, IL, gunshot wound Was this a case of police brutality and overreaction or was this a case of trained, armed, militant, communists trying to put a stranglehold on American capitalism? 65 rioters were eventually charged with minor crimes and $1 fines, The police were found by the Cook County Coroner's Jury as having committed "justifiable homicide". I will be discussing the details of that day as well as different points of view on the Internet radio show: Travis and Vics Drunken Horror Adventures at 8pm Central Time tonight on the 79^th Anniversary of this violent chapter in Chicago history. You can listen live at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fillingthevoidrn/2016/05/31/travis-vics-drunken-horror-adventures-memorial-day-massacre You can also call in at (310) 634-1923 to join in on the conversation. Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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Historic Chicago Landmark Second Presbyterian Church to Host Free Event June 22nd

June 20, 2016, 3:50 am

≫ Next: Update to Three Reasons Donald Trump is Working for Hillary Clinton

≪ Previous: The Chicago Memorial Day Massacre of 1937…or was it?

On Wednesday, June 22^nd at 5:30pm, Friends of Historic Second Church is holding a free event at the National Historic Landmark Second Presbyterian Church at 1936 S. Michigan Avenue. The theme of the event is “Making History at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition” The event will feature refreshments including Chicago original food stuffs that were introduced at this Chicago World’s Fair which is arguably the largest and most spectacular of World Fairs. History of the Church [caption id="attachment_1020" align="alignright" width="300"]

An example of just some of the spectacular stained glass windows in the sanctuary of the 2nd Presbyterian Church

An example of just some of the spectacular stained glass windows in the sanctuary of the Second Presbyterian Church[/caption] The historic church has links to the “White City” as many of the architectural details and stained glass windows were designed by artists who exhibited at the 1893 World’s Fair. Just five years after the incorporation of Chicago, the congregation of Second Presbyterian Church was organized on June 1, 1842 with 26 charter members. Its first building was a modest frame structure at the southeast corner of Randolph and Clark. By 1847, the congregation had grown so much a larger building was planned on the northeast corner of Washington and Wabash. Well known architect James Renwick Jr. of New York was hired to design a building in the Gothic Revival style. The limestone used in the construction contained bituminous tar deposits, creating a spotted appearance, earning the name of the “Spotted Church.” The explosive growth of the city in the 1860’s required the trustees to build a new church south of downtown. Construction on the building, also designed by James Renwick Jr., was begun in 1872 at the northwest corner of Michigan Avenue and Twentieth Street, now Cullerton. The English Gothic design was based upon the churches of the 15^th and 16^th centuries. Construction took two years and was dedicated on July 7, 1874. [caption id="attachment_1019" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Ruins of the 2nd Presbyterian Church after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871

Ruins of the Second Presbyterian Church after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871[/caption] The Prairie Avenue neighborhood around the church became the most exclusive residential district in Chicago. Business and social leaders lived in the beautiful mansions, many of whom were members of the congregation. Robert Todd Lincoln served as a Church Trustee from 1879 – 1889. Robert Lincoln’s wife, Mary, joined the Second Presbyterian by profession of faith on June 12, 1877. Other distinguished Chicagoans worshiped at the Church including George Armour, Timothy Blackstone, Silas Cobb and members of the George Pullman family. In March 1900, a devastating fire, caused by a faulty gas fixture, destroyed the interior of the church. Architect and church member Howard Van Doren Shaw was hired to redesign the sanctuary. Shaw designed a beautiful new space in the Arts & Crafts style incorporating carved wood, pre-Raphaelite murals, metal and glass that exemplified unity of design and focused on hand craftsmanship. The sanctuary has been virtually unchanged since it was rebuilt in 1901. As it has for over 140 years, the 1874 Second Presbyterian Church stands tall on South Michigan Avenue and proudly holds its place in Chicago history. The sanctuary of the Second Presbyterian Church is one of the largest and best preserved Arts and Crafts interiors in the nation. It contains a wealth of stained glass windows including nine by the firm of Louis Comfort Tiffany and magnificent murals by Frederick Clay Bartlett Event Details Date: Wednesday June 22, 2016 Time: Doors open at 5:30pm for tours and reception Location: Second Presbyterian Church at 1936 S. Michigan Avenue, C hicago, IL 60616 The event will start with music from the Fair performed by organist Michael Shawgo and introductions by board members. Diane Dillon, Ph.D., Director of Scholarly and Undergraduate Programs, at the Newberry Library will give a 30 minute presentation entitled, “Making History at The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition”. Following the program there will be free refreshments including Chicago original foods that were introduced at the Fair over 123 years ago as well as tours given by volunteer docents. Information about the current $500,000 fundraising campaign by Friends of Historic Second Church will be available at the event. The funds raised over the course of the campaign will go to restore a Tiffany Studios stained glass window entitled, Peace, a mural by Frederic Clay Bartlett and replace plaster throughout the sanctuary and narthex. The event is completely free but an RSVP to 800-657-0687 or to historic2ndchurch@yahoo.com would be appreciated because space is limited. For more information you can visit Friends Historic Second Church website. Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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Update to Three Reasons Donald Trump is Working for Hillary Clinton

August 4, 2016, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Hate Can Not Drive Out Hate - Only Love Can Do That!

≪ Previous: Historic Chicago Landmark Second Presbyterian Church to Host Free Event June 22nd

This is definitely one of those times when you hate to be right. On August 8^th of 2015 I wrote an article on why I thought that Donald Trump was not a legitimate candidate and was probably just working with Hillary Clinton to virtually guarantee her a presidential victory in 2016 and it seems that I may have been right. Let’s be real for a moment and step back from the whole Red vs. Blue thing and take a good look at what our choices are for the highest office in the land. Both Democrats and Republicans are dumbfounded that we are faced with an unabashedly egotistical loudmouth who works great if you are looking for a host of a reality TV show and a habitual liar who would sell her mother to any foreign power that would donate the largest amount to the Clinton Foundation. Of course the donation would have to go through the non-profit, Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership (Canada) so that the donor can remain secret. I know that I have told my friends in the past that I would vote for a monkey if it ran against Hillary Clinton and I actually might have to write one in. I wonder what the monkey who played Marcel on Friends is up to these days? [caption id="attachment_1030" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Katie better known as "Marcel" from Friends fame might make a good candidate![/caption] I probably consider myself more of a Republican when it comes to my history of voting but I would have seriously voted for Joe Biden or Elizabeth Warren over Donald Trump. I just can’t stand the thought of either a Donald Trump or a Hillary Clinton as leader of the free world. What Hillary is doing is classic Chicago political shenanigans. I know, I know she is from Park Ridge which isn’t technically Chicago but it is definitely part of Crook (I mean Cook) County. If you want to win at Poker or an election you need a Trump card. (Sorry I had to) You need to make sure that you install someone as a monkey or a stooge to run against you. You need someone who doesn’t mind tarnishing their image in order to benefit financially (Sort of like a reality TV star for instance). How Trump would benefit financially is anyone’s guess though. Heck if he loses and writes a book about his unsuccessful run for president that would sell like hotcakes. We probably will never know but my guess is that Trump’s bank account will grow shortly after the election. In the article that I posted almost one year ago I mentioned that Clinton’s goal was to divide and conquer the Republican Party and that goal was accomplished. I also mentioned that we might have a Trump as an “accidental candidate” if he did his job too well which brings us to today. So what does Trump do in order to make sure he doesn’t accidentally land in the oval office in January? Well he can back down and throw up his hands and resign as a candidate based on his assertions that the system is rigged (Ironic since I believe that he is part of the rigging) or he could implode which is probably the most believable of choices. What I mean by that is that he probably won’t resign for a couple of reasons. The first and foremost is that it wouldn’t benefit Hillary. By dropping as a candidate that would mean the Republicans could nominate someone that could re-unite the Party and might even bring over some jilted Bernie supporters. The other reason is that backing down doesn’t fit the TRUMP brand. It doesn’t fit the reality TV image that has proven so lucrative for him. So what option does that leave Mr. Trump. Implode Baby! Implode! In other words, keep being Donald Trump the brand. Keep spouting off at the mouth at the slightest provocation. The latest spout where he denigrated the mother of a slain U.S. soldier was a doozy! That might even be enough to move some of the crazier Trump supporters to not even vote come November or maybe he will actually have to go out on New York’s 5^th Avenue and start shooting people as he suggested would boost his poll numbers. Either way if he continues to be Donald Trump he will only garnish the support of people who are simply voting against Hillary which ultimately will not be enough. I think that the Secret Service should start developing a plan to keep Bill off the interns and to borrow my favorite line from The Devil Wears Prada, “Alright everyone! Gird your loins!” Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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Hate Can Not Drive Out Hate - Only Love Can Do That!

August 11, 2016, 5:58 am

≫ Next: Second Chances - The French Commando School

≪ Previous: Update to Three Reasons Donald Trump is Working for Hillary Clinton

It seems that today our country is more divided than it has been in a long time. I would like to blame that perception on media hype or the recent political nightmare we call the 2016 Presidential Race but it seems to be running deeper than that lately especially with the police shootings, retaliation against police officers, terrorist attacks and much of the race or religious based hate rhetoric in the media and on social media alike. I write a history blog. That is what I love and every once in a great while I will write a political article (I think two in the last three years) but I have never written one on religion. I have heard that if you want to end a good conversation quickly simply start talking about religion or politics. Many times that is true and I have experienced it first hand especially on the political side. But maybe it might be a good way to start a conversation. Recently, at the end of July, I was attending a Sunday service at our Church. It was shortly after the July sniper shootings in Dallas where five police officers were killed, and an additional nine officers and two civilians were wounded. During the service one of our Elders read a letter that was put together by the Elders in the entire Chicago Church community and it really hit a chord with me and I thought it would be great if people outside of the Church walls could hear it as well so I included a link to the letter here. One of my favorite parts of the letter and why I chose the title of this article was the included quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” I profess to be a Christian and I totally understand that many people are not or have even been harmed physically or emotionally by "organized religion" but the letter, while speaking of what Christ's message would be given recent events is really about choosing love over hate, grace and forgiveness over revenge and condemnation and unity over division. It centers not so much on having to "pick a side" but "picking THE side", the side of loving one another. I hope this encourages everyone who reads it. I know it encouraged me. Link to the letter. Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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Second Chances - The French Commando School

August 31, 2016, 7:54 pm

≫ Next: Donald Trump Takes a Dive During First Debate

≪ Previous: Hate Can Not Drive Out Hate - Only Love Can Do That!

After serving four years on active duty in the United States Army from 1986 to 1990, I volunteered to serve in the Illinois National Guard as a Staff Sergeant in Company C of the 131st Illinois Infantry. We were lucky enough to be able to travel to the French Martinique and actively compete in the French Commando School which was two weeks of extremely challenging physical trials in the hopes of receiving the coveted French Commando Badge. [caption id="attachment_1042" align="alignleft" width="235"]

The coveted French Commando Badge[/caption] When I was on active duty I prided myself on being able to accomplish whatever I set my mind to this latest challenge would be no different. There were a number of different phases to the school and I had successfully completed two of them. This included forced road marches, grueling obstacle courses designed to cause painful sores on your hands and various other unmentionable body parts to test the participants' endurance and stamina. I had just finished a water obstacle course in full gear and upon finishing I found myself not able to breath. It was pretty terrifying since it came on with no warning whatsoever. I remember trying to get across to our medic that I couldn't breath and seeing his terrified reaction when he told me he had no way of helping me. We were on an island with no immediate transportation to the mainland. I seriously thought I was going to die and then all of a sudden my body temperature went from what felt normal to 105 degrees! That was a mixed blessing because while my soaring body temperature caused me to go into convulsions it somehow opened up my lungs! I was immediately placed into a rubber raft with an outboard motor and crossed the ocean to the mainland where I was transported via what looked like an old station wagon. Most of the trip in the make shift ambulance is a blur because I would pass out from the fever and become conscious again about every 5 minutes. I finally arrived at what I perceived to be the hospital where a doctor speaking French asked me what I thought was, "Are you allergic to anything?" I said no and luckily I guessed right because I was given a huge injection of something which I only guessed was some sort of antibiotic. They wheeled me to a large open bay where I passed out until morning. When I woke up my pillow was covered with thick yellow mucous which must have come out of my lungs and I found out that I had contracted a very nasty case of bacterial pneumonia which could have killed me if I had not gotten the antibiotics when I did. I felt 100 percent better and my only thought was rejoining my unit because I had no earthly idea where I was and nobody spoke English. I was the only soldier in the bay and was only visited by a male orderly once a day whose only purpose was to take my temperature and I soon found out that they seemed to have an aversion to oral thermometers! After about 5 days of no contact and seeing the same toothless orderly holding that thermometer with a goofy smile on his face I sort of lost it and told him in the most universal language that I could muster that if he came in my room one more time with that thermometer there was going to be an international incident! I didn't see him again. [caption id="attachment_1043" align="alignright" width="300"]

Fort de France where the beginning of the course took place.[/caption] Luckily I still had some Francs in my possession and decided I needed to make contact with someone. I hadn't spoken to any French or U.S. officials and thought I might just have been left there for dead! I managed to leave the hospital and found a small convenient store where I purchased what I hoped was a phone card. I made my way to a pay phone and by some miracle I managed to get through to my wife who was pretty shocked to get a call from me. She asked me where I was and I told her a French military hospital and I had no idea where the hospital was. I remember laughing out loud and she didn't really think it was all that funny. Well as luck would have it my lieutenant came to visit me and I rejoined my unit but since I had missed so many days of the course I was not allowed to finish and of course did not receive the badge that I so badly wanted to be awarded. Of course I am about 25 years older than I was when I was last in Martinique but what the heck I would give it another shot! Well after I lost about 40 pounds! Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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Donald Trump Takes a Dive During First Debate

September 27, 2016, 4:00 am

≫ Next: Another Famous African-American, Mayor Harold Lee Washington, born on April 15 #GiraffeWatch

≪ Previous: Second Chances - The French Commando School

I was one of those voters who were still hanging on to some thread of hope that Donald Trump wasn’t some sort of Clinton plant and he really was trying to make America great again. In fact I was actually a disbeliever in Trump and had published an article shortly after Trump announced his candidacy that he was nothing more than a Clinton plant to help fracture what was left of the Republican or should I say what was left of what many would hope to be the conservative party. Before this first debate I was hoping and praying that I was wrong. I was hoping that I was simply buying into some conspiracy theory that the Clintons were actually smarter than what people considered them to be and that Donald Trump had the welfare of the citizens of the United States as his first priority and wasn’t’ playing the old Chicago political campaign trick of having a plant, or phony opponent take a dive in order to guarantee a win for the establishment. Unfortunately this first of three debates I believe solidifies my belief that Donald Trump, as much as I hate saying it, has been and is continuing to work for the Clinton machine. Some may say that he was simply taking advice from his new campaign management and was more of a kinder and gentler Trump but I don’t believe it for a second. As soon as I heard that Cyber Security was going to be one of the main topics of the debates, I thought that it was Mr. Trump’s perfect opportunity to bring up how at the very least Secretary Clinton was careless with her use of a private email server to send and receive classified State Department emails. It was also the perfect opportunity to state that while the sending of classified information was bad enough it wasn’t the main reason that Clinton had a private email server installed. It wasn’t for convenience. It wasn’t because she was stupid and technologically challenged. It was without a doubt conceived and executed as a way to try to hide her pay to play schemes from the discovery of the U.S. Government and ultimately from the citizens of the United States. While there is no email, even a deleted one, that would specifically lay out the price list of what had to be deposited into the Clinton Foundation in order to receive a favorable response from the U.S. Secretary of State (even Hillary isn’t that stupid), it doesn’t take someone who is an FBI agent to realize that when certain multi thousand and sometimes multi-million dollar donations to the Clinton Foundation are followed up with favorable action by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, that something smells fishy. Heck, I formed a 501c3 non-profit organization two years ago. I wonder why the Prince of Bahrain isn’t donating to my non-profit. Of course it makes sense that an Arabic country would want to donate millions of dollars to programs designed to combat climate change, women’s rights and African health care, right? The problem is that when given the open door Donald Trump did not take advantage of Clinton’s Achilles Heel. Not one word was brought out concerning the Clinton Foundation. Trump did mention that he would release his tax returns when Hillary released her 33,000 deleted emails but that is no better than Hillary saying that the Clinton Foundation would no longer take foreign donations if she is elected! Those emails are gone and the persons who destroyed public records and evidence of political corruption were given immunity by our Department of Justice. Forgive me if I am wrong and I am but a lowly former local criminal investigator but normally a witness comes forward and states that they have information that will destroy the “big fish” and that witness will present that evidence only on the condition that they are given immunity from prosecution. You don’t give immunity first and then ask, “What do you know?” That is stupid in the least and criminal in the worst. Not one but five Clinton co-conspirators were given immunity in exchange for nothing and let us not forget that the husband of the target met with Attorney General Loretta Lynch only days before the investigation was concluded. I am sure that is only a coincidence and the only thing discussed was golf, grandkids and family recipes. No mention of Benghazi, No mention of the Clinton Foundation, no mention of corruption, no mention of the many lies perpetrated against the American people. He destroyed all of his Republican rivals during the primaries and put on the kid gloves when dealing with his ultimate opponent. This is what is called, in boxing circles, “taking a dive” As much as I hate to admit it come November I will be voting for Donald Trump not because I think he is necessarily the best candidate for our country but because I simply cannot vote for a presidential candidate who thinks lack of police training is the reason African American communities are suffering. I can’t, as a former active duty military member, remember the faces of those brave Americans who defended our Ambassador to Libya and vote for the one person who could have saved them. I can’t, as a citizen of the State of Illinois which has been bled dry by corrupt politicians vote for the poster child of political corruption and “Pay to Play” schemes. I can’t, as a husband, vote for a woman who claims to represent women’s rights and sexual abuse victims but on the other hand spent much of her time as First Lady destroying the reputation of women who claimed to have been taken advantage of by her husband and then President of the United States Bill Clinton who eventually came clean only to get a slap on the wrist after lying to a federal grand jury. I wish I had the answer for this election but I don’t and unfortunately it doesn’t look good for the future of our Country. I sincerely pray that God has mercy on us and gives wisdom, guidance and a conscience to whoever wins on November 8, 2016. Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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Another Famous African-American, Mayor Harold Lee Washington, born on April 15 #GiraffeWatch

April 15, 2017, 8:04 am

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Today, thanks to YouTube, the world finally witnessed the birth of April the Giraffe’s calf live on the Internet. Unless you are from Chicago, and even if you are, you may not be aware that April 15th is also the birthdate of another famous African-American. I know April the Giraffe was born in New York but doesn’t mean that as a giraffe she still isn’t an African-American. [caption id="attachment_1062" align="aligncenter" width="300"]

April the Giraffe's calf shares Chicago Mayor Harold Washington's Birthday[/caption] Today, April 15, 2017, would have been the 95th birthday of Chicago’s 41st Mayor, Harold Lee Washington. Mayor Washington was born on April 15, 1922 to Roy Washington and Bertha Jones on the south side of Chicago. Roy Washington was one of the first precinct captains in the city and a Methodist Minister. Bertha was from a small, rural Illinois town and had come to Chicago to become a singer. Mayor Washington grew up in the Bronzeville neighborhood and was in the first graduating class of DuSable High School. He later went on to receive his B.A. degree from Roosevelt University and received his law degree from Northwestern University being the only African-American student in his class. Mayor Washington went on to be a member of the Illinois House and Senate and was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1980 to 1983. In 1983, after a record number of over 100,000 new voter registrations, Mayor Washington won the Chicago Mayoral Primary against Richard M. Daley and incumbent Mayor Jane Byrne with 37% of the vote. Washington was an outspoken opponent to the Chicago political machine and high ranking members of the Democratic Party supported the Republican candidate, Bernard Epton. It was a close race but Washington was elected Mayor of Chicago on April 12, 1983 by a 3.7% margin. His time in office was marked by huge battles with the Chicago City Council deemed, “The Council Wars”. Despite that, he was re-elected Mayor on April 7, 1987 with an 11.8% margin. Just when things started moving in the right political direction for Mayor Washington, tragedy struck on the morning of November 25, 1987. Chicago paramedics were called to the Mayor’s office. Washington had suffered a major heart attack and was later pronounced dead at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Then vice mayor and current Cook County Clerk, David Orr, became the interim mayor until Eugene Sawyer, Jr. was appointed to finish Washington’s term. Mayor Harold Washington was a huge supporter of a central Chicago Public Library and was instrumental in the funding process of the main branch building that currently shares his name. The building opened to the public in October of 1991 and currently houses the Harold Washington Archives as well as the papers of his successor, Eugene Sawyer, Jr. Giraffe naming contest? Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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Today The White City Opened 124 Years Ago in Jackson Park – Free Events Planned Saturday May 6th

May 1, 2017, 4:00 am

≫ Next: The Chicago Haymarket Riot Police Memorial Statue – A Tumultuous History of its Own

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On May 1, 1893, the eyes of the world were on Chicago and more specifically Jackson Park and the Midway Plaisance. The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition opened for visitors and before it ended six months later at least 27.5 million visitors had come from all over the world to see the magnificent splendor that became known as “The White City” Over 200 buildings, one large enough to contain 23 football fields were spread over 600 acres between Jackson Park and The Midway Plaisance. Every state and territory in the union was represented as well as 51 nations and 39 colonies from around the world. The world got its first ride in George Ferris’s wheel which rose an impressive 256 feet and took up to 1,500 riders for an hour long ride. It was once estimated that it would take a person over two weeks and over 200 miles of walking in order to simply lay eyes on all the spectacular exhibits in the fields of science, architecture, art, education, agriculture, horticulture, manufacturing, religion, anthropology, music, and many others. All of this was to commemorate the 400^th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the “New World” and only a little over 20 years since the Great Fire had burned the City of Chicago to the ground! Jackson Park is still a vibrant place for events and this coming Saturday, May 6, 2017, there are plenty of free things going on.

International Migratory Bird Day

[caption id="attachment_1068" align="alignleft" width="300"]

South entrance to Bobolink Meadow[/caption] From 9:00 am to 12:00 pm Jackson Park celebrates International Migratory Bird Day where free family activities include nature/bird walks, educational programs, and projects such as building your own birdhouse or bird feeder. All of this starts from Bobolink Meadow adjacent to the parking lot for the Jackson Park Driving Range which is just west of Lake Shore Drive on Hayes Drive. Visit the website for the Jackson Park Advisory Council for more details!

Free Historic Walking Tour of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition “White City”

[caption id="attachment_645" align="alignleft" width="300"]

View of Museum from Darrow Bridge[/caption] From 11 am to 1 pm enjoy a free walking tour of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The tours are provided by Friends of The White City in cooperation with the Jackson Park Advisory Council. Tours start at the east side of the Clarence Darrow Memorial Bridge immediately south of the Museum of Science and Industry. The start location can be reached by a lovely walk through Bobolink Meadow if you are parked in the Driving Range parking lot or you can park directly in the Park District Lot south of the Museum. For more details, directions and to register free visit the tour site of Friends of The White City.

Free Jane’s Walk Flashlight Tour of Jackson Park

[caption id="attachment_1070" align="alignleft" width="300"]

The 1918 Statue of the Republic on Hayes Drive[/caption] From 8:45 pm to 10:30 pm the more adventurous can take a free flashlight walking tour of historic Jackson Park. (Bring your own flashlight!) Tours will start at the Statue of the Republic “Golden Lady”on Hayes Drive with parking at the Hayes Drive Lot directly across the street and north of Jackson Park’s Cecil Partee Golf Course. The tours are led by historians Julia Bachrach, Tim Samuelson and Ray Johnson and ecologist Lauren Umek and center around the spectacular nature and history of Jackson Park. For more detailed information and to register for the tour visit the Chicago Park District Jane’s Walk Event Page. Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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The Chicago Haymarket Riot Police Memorial Statue – A Tumultuous History of its Own

May 4, 2017, 1:20 pm

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On May 4, 1886 at about half past 7:00pm there was a planned rally of workingmen, predominantly of German descent, that met for speeches and “peaceful” protest of the Chicago Police Department’s response to the striking workers at the McCormick Harvester Works the day before. In that incident at least two but possibly six workers were shot and killed by police when a group of strikers rushed a group of picket line crossers at the end of the work day. I placed “peaceful” in quotation marks because a couple of hundred fliers advertising the event included the line “Workingmen arm yourselves and appear in full force”. The German language flier used incendiary headlines such as “Revenge!” In all fairness , August Spies, one of the protesters arrested and executed was against violence and demanded that the fliers be edited to remove any call to violence although many slipped through the cracks. Regardless, tensions were high on both sides and while the event seemed to be peaceful it was monitored closely by Captains Ward and Bonfield. Mayor Carter Harrison Sr. even made a point to stop by but was not impressed by the size or by the weather which was continuing to get worse. Captain Bonfield had gotten word from one of his plain clothed police officers that the rhetoric was starting to take a more violent turn and at that Ward and Bonfield marched a group of approximately 180 men the short distance from the DesPlaines Avenue Police Station to Haymarket Square. There seems to be some debate over which Captain (Ward or Bonfield) issued the command but the command was given to the protestors, “In the name of the people of the State of Illinois, I command this meeting immediately and peaceably to disperse!” Within a few seconds a bomb with a lit fuse was thrown into the first line of police officers and exploded. Police Officer Mathias J. Degan was killed immediately and six other officers, John J. Barrett, George Miller, Timothy Flavin, Michael Sheehan, Thomas Redden and Nels Hansen eventually died of their wound. A seventh officer, Timothy Sullivan, died two years later from complications of the wounds he received. [caption id="attachment_1076" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Artist's rendering of the Chicago Haymarket Riot.[/caption] Immediately after the bomb went off, police officers, and reportedly some in the crowd, opened fire with pistols. Bullets flew everywhere and by the end of the melee Haymarket Square was empty and quiet but for the cries of the many wounded and dying. The estimates of police wounded were close to sixty and civilian wounded was estimated to be about equal but hard to count accurately since many did not seek medical attention for fear of being arrested. Eight men were arrested in connection with the bombing. August Spies, Samuel Fielden, Adolph Fischer, Albert Parsons, Michael Schwab, George Engel, Louis Lingg (the alleged bomb-maker), an d Oscar Neebe. The trial had its own problems with accusations of a rigged jury but ultimately all were convicted. Only Neebe was spared the sentence of death by being given a sentence of 15 years. On November 10, 1887, Governor Oglesby commuted the sentences of Fielden and Schwab to life in prison and Louis Lingg committed suicide in his cell by exploding a smuggled blasting cap in his mouth. It ripped off half of his face and he suffered in anguish for six hours before dying. On November 11, 1887, the remaining condemned, Engel, Fischer, Parsons and Spies were executed by hanging. On the platform in the twenty seconds before the trap was sprung the doomed made their final statements. August Spies stated, “Our Silence”, as the hood placed over his head muffled his voice. “Our silence will be more powerful than the voices they are going to strangle today.” Fischer and Engle yelled from beneath their hoods, “Hurrah for Anarchy!” Fischer then yelled, “This is the happiest moment of my life!” Parsons attempted to make a speech asking, “Shall I be allowed to speak?” The deputy sheriff moved off the platform and Parson’s words were cut off by the springing of the trap. “Let the voice of the people be heard--.” The four men strangled for about 10 minutes and were then pronounced dead. [caption id="attachment_1077" align="alignright" width="300"]

The actors in the Haymarket Affair, Library of Congress.[/caption] On May 30, 1889, a statue was dedicated close to the site of the event to honor the police officers killed roughly three years earlier. It was erected in the middle of Randolph Street just west of Desplaines. The statue was designed by Frank Batchelder of St. Paul, MN who won a design contest and sculpted by Johannes Gelert of New York City. The statue is a nine-foot bronze statue of a Chicago policeman with his right hand raised in the air. One inscription on the base reads, “In the name of the People of Illinois, I command peace.” The statue was presented to Mayor DeWitt Cregier by members of the Union League Club of Chicago who raised the $10,000 necessary for the monument. It was unveiled by Frank Degan, son of Police Officer Mathias Degan who was killed instantly by the bomb on May 4, 1886. The statue’s history has been anything but peaceful.

1900

The statue was placed too near the tracks to permit a fence around it and was the subject of vandalism forcing its move about one mile west to Randolph Street and Ogden Avenue near Union Park in 1900.

1903 (Seals are stolen)

In 1903 Vandals stole the State of Illinois Crest and City of Chicago Seal from the Monument. A letter was sent to the sculptor, Johannes Gelert, requesting the use of the original plaster casts to recreate the seals which were placed back on the monument.

1927 (Hit by Streetcar)

On May 4, 1927, the anniversary of the riot, motorman Willliam Schultz of 2250 West 21^st Street ran his streetcar off the tracks and crashed into the monument. The base was wrecked and the statue toppled over but it survived. The statue was then moved into Union Park further from traffic. The motorman stated that his brakes failed but was reportedly heard stating later that he was sick of seeing that policeman with his arm raised.

1968 – 1970 (Blown up twice)

The statue was moved in 1957 to the north side of Randolph Stree about a block west of Desplaines just east of the Kennedy Expressway. On May 4, 1968, the statue was vandalized with black paint. On October 6, 1969, the statue was blown off of its base by members of the Weathermen by an explosive placed between the legs of the statue. Pieces of the legs fell on the Kennedy expressway below and about 100 windows were blown out. The statue was rebuilt and unveiled on May 4, 1970 only to be blown up again on October 6, 1970 by the same group. Mayor Richard J. Daley had the statue rebuilt again and placed on 24 hour police guard. The statue was then moved in 1972 to the State Street Police Headquarters Building.

1976 (Moved to Police Academy)

In 1976 the statue was moved to the Chicago Police Training Academy at 1300 West Jackson Street where the statue remained until 2007.

2007 to Present

The statue was moved to its current location at the rear of the Michigan Avenue Chicago Police Headquarters at 3501 South State Street in 2007. Geraldine Doceka, the great granddaughter of Officer Mathias Degan, unveiled it at its dedication ceremony. I tell you, it is rough to be a statue in the city of Chicago! A really cool website I came across while doing research for this blog is www.chicagocop.com . While being a resource for officers it is also rich with history of the Chicago P.D. and owned by a current Chicago Police Officer. Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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If Your Religion is OK with the Bombing in Manchester, It is Time to Re-think Your Beliefs!

May 23, 2017, 10:29 am

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People will more than likely think this is a post looking to demonize the Islamic faith, it is not. It is simply a call for those who hold beliefs that would cause them to justify the murder of at least 22 (mostly children) innocent people at an Ariana Grande concert to possibly re-think their political position or beliefs. My hope is that the vast majority of the world's people would agree that the wholesale slaughter of children is universally despicable. I am not so ignorant as to not understand that in many other countries around the world this is not an uncommon thing. Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more common. There will be the usual outrage by political leaders, the finger pointing, the facebook filters, people so angry that hate speech becomes commonplace on social media, funds will be raised and facebook friends will be lost, but what are we really to do? If I had the easy answer to that, I would be much richer than I am now! But one thing I can do is to ask people to look at themselves. What do YOU believe in? Do you believe that others who do not believe as you do should be killed? Do you believe that women are inferior to men? Do you believe religious leaders should cover up crimes like pedophilia to protect themselves and their image? Do you believe that one religion should govern the world? Do you believe religion should govern at all? Can you look at pictures like the ones coming out of Manchester this time and somehow justify it? Do you believe that speaking out with opinions about any issue justifies a murderous or violent response? If you answered, Yes, to any of the above questions then I disagree with you! That's it! I disagree with you! I don't believe you should be hunted down or killed. What I do believe is that if you answered Yes, then you have no place in a civilized, democratic society or should seriously take a good look at what it is that you believe in. Until we start looking at ourselves, we have no chance of making a positive difference in this world. #prayformanchester Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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Was Dr. H. H. Holmes the Origin of the Hippach Curse?

June 29, 2017, 4:00 am

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I have written about the Hippach family of Chicago before and have referred to them as possibly one of Chicago’s most unlucky families. If I actually believed in curses I would be tempted to claim that the Hippach family was cursed for some previously unknown reason. I have also done a fair amount of research into Herman Webster Mudgett who, during the time of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, murdered and swindles his way around Chicago as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes. During the course of that research I was introduced to something referred to as the “Holmes Curse”. It seemed that quite a few individuals who butted heads with Holmes met with an untimely end or tragedy even if Holmes did not directly cause it. So many in fact that Chicago historian and author Adam Selzer wrote an entire book about it called “The Curse of H. H. Holmes”. Could the infamous Holmes’ curse actually be the reason for the Hippach family having so much tragedy in their lives? I don’t believe in curses but after a little history on the Hippach family you just might. Ida Sophia Hippach was born Ida Sophia Fisher on November 24, 1866 in Chicago and later married Louis A. Hippach who was the wealthy co-owner of Tyler and Hippach Co., a plate glass dealer, in Chicago. The Hippachs had four children; Robert L, born November 1889, Archibald A., born September 1892, Gertrude B. (Jean), born October 1894 and Howard H., born May 1896. Louis was also a past president of the Union League Club of Chicago. [caption id="attachment_396" align="alignleft" width="233"]

Louis A. Hippach,Co-owner of the Tyler-Hippach Glass Company - Courtesy The Hippach Family[/caption] On December 30, 1903, Robert Hippach (14) and his younger brother Archie (12) were attending a matinee performance of “Mr. Bluebeard” at the Iroquois Theater on Randolph Street in Chicago. It was during the performance of this play that a faulty light caused the theater to be engulfed in flames killing over 600 innocents mostly consisting of women and young children. Robert and Archie were two of those many who lost their lives. [caption id="attachment_614" align="alignright" width="300"]

Families attempt to identify bodies of those killed in the Iroquois Theater Fire of 1903[/caption] Their mother, Ida, was so distraught that her health started to fail. In 1912, She thought that a European vacation with her daughter, Jean Hippach, might help relieve some of her depression. On April 10, 1912, while in Cherbourg, France, she decided to purchase first class tickets for her and her daughter on the maiden voyage of the White Star Line’s newest luxury liner, Titanic. They were told that they were lucky enough to have purchased the last two first class tickets to New York! Both Ida and Jean, who was 17 years old at the time, survived aboard lifeboat number 4. [caption id="attachment_395" align="alignleft" width="232"]

Jean Hippach at the age of 18 the year after the Titanic Disaster - Courtesy The Hippach Family[/caption] The tragedy didn’t stop there. On August 29, 1914, Jean was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Hugo Carlson. Hugo and Jean were driving along Lake Shore Drive and were just north of Fullerton Avenue when their vehicle struck and killed an 8 year old boy named John Dredling while his father, mother and four siblings watched. Carlson jumped from the vehicle to render aid to the boy and while he and Jean were outside the vehicle trying to help the little boy and console his family an unknown passerby stole a briefcase from their automobile! Exactly two months later, on October 29, 1914, the Hippachs’ only remaining son, Howard, was killed in an automobile crash in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin at the age of 19. Mr.Louis A. Hippach's glass company, Tyler and Hippach, was bombed by radical labor groups in 1922 and in 1926 an employee, George Linton, was robbed at gunpoint by three assailants who made off with $5,000 in company payroll. In 1930, Jean Hippach divorced her first husband, Hjalmar Unander-Scharin, and her second husband killed himself shortly after the end of World War II. Why was the Hippach family so seemingly “cursed”? If you believe in curses, the answer might lie within the pages of a dusty old lawsuit I happened to come across at the Cook County Circuit Court Archives. It seemed that in 1890, Dr. H. H. Holmes was in the process of building his infamous “Murder Castle” at 63^rd and Wallace and his castle was in need of some plate glass windows. Dr. Holmes purchased at least some of these windows from the firm of Tyler and Hippach. [caption id="attachment_1089" align="alignright" width="300"]

In 1891, Tyler and Hippach sued the infamous Devil in The White City, Dr. H. H. Holmes.[/caption] In typical Holmesian fashion he didn’t make good on his promise to pay for the windows and Tyler and Hippach sued Dr. Holmes and his secretary Kate Durkee for $540.00. They even went so far as to place a lien on Holmes’ murder castle itself! If that wouldn’t invite the Holmes curse nothing would. The judgement in favor of Mr. Hippach was finally entered in September of 1895 while Holmes was sitting in Moyamensing Prison in Philadelphia awaiting trial for the murder of his former partner, Benjamin Pitezel. Holmes was eventually executed by hanging on May 7, 1896 and seven years later the Hippach family’s luck took a tragic turn for the worst. Were the Hippachs victims of the Holmes curse or simply Chicago’s unluckiest family? Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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Inspired by S.M.U. - All U.S. 4th of July Celebrations Should be Banned to Protect the Sensitive!

August 4, 2017, 4:00 am

≫ Next: 59th Anniversary of the Murder of Bonnie Leigh Scott of Addison could lead to closure in the 1956 Grimes Sisters Murder.

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I have to say I was “inspired” by the latest move by Southern Methodist University to protect its students against the vile, hate-filled, triggering image of roughly 3,000 tiny American flags displayed on the lawn outside of their Dallas Hall. Not only just flags were displayed, but a scary black sign displaying the message” 911 Never Forget Project”. Even worse, the 11 is made up of ominous images of the World Trade Center Towers and the 911 was separated with a small airplane aimed at the buildings! Why in God’s name would we want to remind people of the nearly 3,000 innocent lives that were lost when non-U.S. citizens (to be fair they received their green cards from the Immigration and Naturalization Service a short time after they martyred themselves) flew hijacked airplanes into the World Trade Centers, Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. What were these hate-filled members of the S.M.U. student organization known as “Young Americans for Freedom” thinking! Don’t they know that if they do that they will be upsetting and possibly permanently damaging the psyche of these poor, impressionable children and even worse possibly upsetting another group of extremists who might try to hijack their own airplanes and take out the George W. Bush Presidential Center which is right there at S.M.U. [caption id="attachment_1095" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Tiny flags similar to the hate-filled and triggering ones at S.M.U.[/caption] Well luckily for us the brave administrators of the school put out a policy last month that stated in part, "The University also respects the right of all members of the community to avoid messages that are triggering, harmful or harassing." Because of that, they decided to not allow the display in the prominent place by Dallas Hall where it had been displayed since 2010 but to a spot nicknamed Mo-Mac park in an area that would be much more avoidable. This got me thinking about many other situations where the actions of some could detrimentally affect the mental health and possibly the physical health of other members of our very delicate American society. Probably one of the most triggering events condoned by the U.S. Government is the celebration of our independence as a country. I mean just think about it for a minute. Since 1941 the United States decided to celebrate, as a national holiday, the wholesale slaughter of approximately 24,000 British citizens! Not only that but we celebrate with a barrage of explosives that bring back triggering memories of the gunfire and cannons that took so many lives. [caption id="attachment_1097" align="alignright" width="300"]

I shudder to think of the psychological damage done to those of English descent.[/caption] Just think if you were of English ancestry or were simply visiting from one of the British Isles when this type of activity was taking place! I can’t believe the Brits would even conceive of being allies with us when all they were trying to do was to keep their country together but yet every July 4^th I see people hanging (yes you guessed it) more American flags. I am seeing a pattern developing, don’t you? There are just so many of these triggering events and memorials going on it is no wonder that the country is so divided and the level of hate seems to be growing at such record levels. Here are just some of these hate-filled and triggering events or memorials and the groups of people who could be triggered or negatively affected in some way. Veterans Day (originally Armistice Day) – People of German or Japanese descent. Memorial Day – Members of the military who survived their service. The National Law Enforcement Memorial – Rapists, murderers, drug dealers, burglars, robbers, politicians, etc. The Washington Monument – People who don’t have the last name Washington or all the other U.S. Presidents who couldn’t be first through no fault of their own. The Lincoln Memorial – Slave owners and John Wilkes Booth. [caption id="attachment_1096" align="alignright" width="300"]

My son protesting at the Lincoln Memorial on our family trip to D.C.[/caption] The Oklahoma City National Monument and Museum – Timothy McVeigh, Terry Nichols, and all other crazy people with an axe to grind with the U.S. Government. Pearl Harbor Memorial – Crazy Japanese pilots. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – Known Soldiers. [caption id="attachment_1098" align="alignleft" width="300"]

What about the multitude of "named" war heroes?[/caption] Mother’s Day – Fathers. Father’s Day – Mothers. Valentine’s Day – Ugly people. How about some local Chicago memorials and events. Casimir Pulaski Day – People of non-Polish descent and who do not live on Pulaski Avenue. St. Patrick’s Day Parade – People of non-Irish descent (a.k.a. sober people). The Great Fire Memorial – Dairy cows. [caption id="attachment_1099" align="alignleft" width="169"]

Can you image what it is like to be a dairy cow in Chicago after 1871?[/caption] Eastland Disaster Memorial – Non-Western Electric Employees. I mean the list could just go on and on and we, as a country, simply need to wake up and think about how our selfish actions could negatively affect the lives and psychological well-being of others. I am sure if we worked together we could come up with a huge list of these callous memorials and events and please feel free to add them to the list by commenting on this article. After that, we can compile this list and send out a petition that we can deliver directly to the White House, Springfield, or City Hall! Ahhhhh….I just gave myself a huge headache! Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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59th Anniversary of the Murder of Bonnie Leigh Scott of Addison could lead to closure in the 1956 Grimes Sisters Murder.

September 21, 2017, 4:00 am

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On September 22, 1958, a fifteen-year-old sophomore girl from York High School did not return home. She lived at 112 Normandy Drive in Addison with her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Robert H. Schwolow as well as her grandmother, Mrs. Doris Hitchens, who was her guardian. Bonnie had troubles at school and had run away from home before but her grandmother immediately contacted the Addison Police Department. Police immediately started to interview her friends including her boyfriend, Charles LeRoy Melquist. Melquist told investigators that he met Scott at a carnival in the summer of 1957 when he was 20 and Bonnie was only 14. He stated that he thought she was much older than that and he didn’t find out her real age until they went to visit Bonnie’s mother at the Elgin State Mental Hospital. It was then that Melquist stated that he became more of a “big brother figure” to Bonnie and less of a boyfriend. He stated that the night of September 22^nd he received a phone call from Bonnie at about 8:15 p.m. She said that she was at the 4D Restaurant at 12 E. Lake Street and that her boyfriend was making unwanted sexual advances toward her. Melquist said that she would routinely call him when she was having personal problems. He thought that she was a little “mixed up” but a good girl. Melquist then said that he received a phone call later that night from an unknown male who identified himself as Bonnie’s boyfriend and that he was throwing her out of his car at Route 66 (now Joliet Road) and LaGrange Road in what is now Countryside, IL. He said that he drove to the area but did not see Bonnie anywhere. The police thought his story was a little fishy but didn’t really have anything to refute his story. That was until they talked to four boys and a waitress at the 4D restaurant. The waitress stated that the four boys and Bonnie were getting along just fine and that they even danced out by the boys’ car in the parking lot until around 8:30 p.m It was then that Bonnie refused a ride and the boys left her at the restaurant parking lot. There were no other boys with her, cell phones did not exist, and no phone calls were made from the restaurant according to the waitress. This would start to put holes in Melquist’s story. [caption id="attachment_1107" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Charles Melquist, in court as his verdict is read on May 2nd, 1959. He was sentenced to 99 years for killing Bonnie Leigh Scott.[/caption] For the next couple weeks, Melquist drove Bonnie’s grandmother around searching for her around town and in the area of Route 66 and LaGrange Road. On Saturday, November 15, a group of boy scouts from Cicero, IL were on a nature walk in the Forest Preserve on the southwest corner of 95^th and LaGrange Road and were led by Edward Zatas. What they found was horrible. They discovered a badly decomposed decapitated body of a female about 250 feet south of 95^th St. and about 15 feet off of the roadway. The newspaper reported only that a female body was found and that the police thought it might be the body of a newspaperwoman named Mollie Zelko who had disappeared about 13 months prior. Strangely, Ms. Loretta Grimes, mother of murdered sisters Barbara and Patricia Grimes, received a telephone call the same day the article came out. This was before the police even knew it was the body of Bonnie Leigh Scott. Ms. Grimes stated that she recognized the voice of the caller. It was the same voice that had called her shortly after her girls were discovered murdered in January of 1957. In 1957 the caller stated something to Ms. Grimes about one of her girls that was never made public. The caller also stated that he was the one who undressed the girls. He then laughed and hung up the phone. She stated in 1957 that she would never forget that voice. Now over 18 months later another female body is discovered and Loretta Grimes received a phone call from, according to Loretta Grimes, unmistakenly the same person. In this phone call, he stated that he “got away with another one”. He stated that the police were not going to be able to pin this one on Bennie Bedwell or Barry Cook (two prior suspects in the Grimes murders) He then laughed exactly as he did in 1957 and hung up the phone. [caption id="attachment_1108" align="alignright" width="174"]

Loretta Grimes talks about the voice of her girls' killer.[/caption] Bonnie’s grandmother found out about the female body and called the Addison Police Department. She spoke with Chief Nels Anderson and Sgt. William Deveaney. She was wondering if the girl could be Bonnie. She also gave them the name of Bonnie’s dentist, Dr. P.D. Grimes, from Elmhurst where they could receive dental records to help with the identification. Police found the head about 20 yards from the main body. Immediately, Sgt. Deveaney and his partner, William Craig, started talking to all of Bonnie’s friends again and they both remembered Charles Melquist wanting to be extremely helpful and the location where the body was found was not too far from where Melquist stated Bonnie was thrown out of her boyfriend’s car. They found Melquist at his home, 655 Yale Street in Villa Park, at about 11:30 p.m. on November 16^th and asked him to come to the police station to answer some questions about Bonnie. They interviewed him until about 3:15 a.m. and Chief Anderson himself drove Melquist back home. Chief Anderson and Melquist spoke briefly in the driveway of Melquist’s home as he was dropped off. Melquist mentioned that he was planning on applying to be a DuPage County Sheriff’s Deputy on November 25^th and stated that he hoped that being questioned in Bonnie’s disappearance would not hinder his chances of becoming a deputy. Chief Anderson asked Melquist to return to the department at 10:00 a.m. the next morning to continue with the questions and Melquist agreed. The next morning Melquist showed up at the Addison Police Department as planned along with Elmer Melquist, his father. Melquist requested that he be given a polygraph or lie detector test and a polygrapher from the Cook County Sheriff’s Police, George Haney, administered the test. The results came back that Melquist was being deceptive. They asked Melquist if he would be willing to go downtown to John Reid’s office for a more complete and reliable test and he agreed. Before the end of that polygraph, Melquist was going into great detail about how he murdered and disposed of the body of Bonnie Leigh Scott. He was then transported to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office where he gave a more complete and detailed confession. After the State’s Attorney’s Office, Melquist was transported by Cook County Sheriff’s Police to the Bedford Park Police Station and after that was transported to the Villa Park Police Station where he was served with an arrest warrant for the murder of Bonnie Leigh Scott. He was transported to the DuPage County Jail where his attorney, Robert McDonnell, and his father were attempting to get a writ of habeas corpus but charges had already been filed. In his confession, Melquist stated that he picked up Bonnie at her house in Addison at around 8:00 p.m. on September 22nd and while sitting in his vehicle they started, “playing around”. As part of that play he had taken a satin pillow and held it against her face. He said that he must have held it on her face too long because he noticed that she wasn’t breathing. At that point, he stripped off her clothes and stuffed them under his front passenger seat. He then drove the body to 95^th and LaGrange Road where he rolled her body over the guardrail like a “sack” and then drug the body by the feet about 15 feet into a thicket and left. He said that for days he couldn’t believe he killed her and thought he might have dreamed the whole thing. He said that he returned to the body on Friday, September 26^th and found the body. He then stated that he returned about a month later and took a large hunting knife with him. He said that he had the “urge to cut” and cut off Bonnie’s head. He through the head about 20 yards from the body and started slashing the torso. He said that he returned to the body a third time but was scared away by someone walking nearby. It was then that he said he threw the knife on the east side of LaGrange Road and drove to Irving Park Road and Elmhurst Road where there was a bonfire. Only then did he dispose of Bonnie’s clothes in the fire that had been under his front passenger seat for over a month. Melquist was eventually convicted of the murder and sentenced to 99 years but only served roughly eight of those years. He eventually married, had two girls of his own and then divorced his wife. What struck me about Bonnie’s case was the eerie similarities and strange “coincidences” with the still unsolved murders of Barbara and Patricia Grimes. [caption id="attachment_875" align="alignleft" width="300"]

Barbara (left) and sister Patricia Grimes disappeared on December 28, 1956[/caption] Here is a short list of some of the reasons that this writer believes that Charles Melquist is a likely suspect in the murder of the Grimes girls.

The phone call to Loretta Grimes both before and after the murder of Bonnie Leigh Scott.
Detective Sheldon Teller was one of the lead investigators in the Grimes Case while he was also selling narcotics for mob boss Sam Giancana. Sheldon Teller was using an informant in his “narcotics” cases who was a 19-year-old former Army veteran named “Chuck” (Melquist was an Army veteran where he learned a technique for rendering women unconscious). Sheldon Teller was one of the first people through the door of Melquist’s home during the execution of the search warrant and retrieved Melquist’s telephone book which contained the names of at least two neighbors of the Grimes girls. Melquist, whose family did not have much money, was represented by Sam Giancana’s attorney, Robert McDonnell who later married Giancana’s daughter, Antoinette.
A three-pronged garden fork was found in the trunk of Melquist’s car. Patricia Grimes had shallow wounds (3 evenly spaced puncture wounds) on her chest that were unexplained. Keep in mind that if Melquist would have used this fork on the Grimes girls their bodies would have been frozen in which case the fork would not have been able to penetrate as far leaving shallow wounds.
Melquist was identified by a neighbor of the Grimes girls as having been in the Grimes house the day the girls went to the movies.
A government psychiatrist stated that Melquist had the exact personality of someone who would have committed the Grimes murders.
Melquist’s method of rendering his victims unconscious by using a military hold to cut off blood flow to the brain. He used this technique on many of his prior girlfriends who did not die. They were left with red blotches on their faces from Petechiae (small capillary bursting) the Grimes girls had this type of bruising on their faces that was initially thought to be from a beating but the autopsy ruled out a physical beating but could not rule out suffocation as a possible cause of death. Since the Grimes girls had no trace of physical trauma and toxicology results were negative their official cause of death was shock from exposure to cold temperatures.
The location where the Grimes girls were found (German Church Road just east of County Farm Road) was a very short distance where Bonnie Leigh Scott’s body was found.

So was Charles LeRoy Melquist, convicted murderer of Bonnie Leigh Scott, also responsible for the Grimes sisters murders? It is quite possible. Melquist was never questioned with regard to the Grimes Case. His attorney would not allow it. Melquist was a suspect at the time but was largely forgotten about after being sentenced to 99 years. It is clear that Melquist probably did not act alone in the Grimes Case. Based on information provided over the years by neighbors, friends, and relatives of the girls it is highly likely that Melquist was being used by Detective Teller to infiltrate groups or gangs of young people to help Teller get rid of Giancana’s narcotic trafficking competition. Teller himself was convicted for narcotics trafficking due to a federal investigation that was going on at the same time. There is one group in particular that knew the girls and may have been unwitting accomplices in snatching the girls shortly after they attended the Elvis Presley movie, Love Me Tender, at the Brighton Theater on Archer Avenue. Witnesses saw the girls at the movie. Based on the information, all of which has been forwarded to the Cook County Sherriff’s Police, this writer believes that there are three individuals who are still alive that have been harboring a terrible secret for years for fear of being charged with murder. I don’t believe that any of these individuals, who would have been 15 or 16 at the time of the murder, had any idea what Melquist’s intent was and I would plead with them to have the courage now to come forward now to help give the remaining family of the Grimes girls closure. Find Chicago History The Stranger Side on FACEBOOK Find Ray Johnson on Twitter and Google+

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