City of Scoundrels: The 12 Days of Disaster That Gave Birth to Modern Chicago (45 page)

  
7.
 Wells-Barnett’s letter (“There had been a half-dozen outbreaks”) was printed in the
CDT
of July 7.

  
8.
 The 250,000 striking Chicago workers as per Tuttle,
Race Riot
, p. 141. On p. 128, Tuttle describes the expiration of federal employment requirements. Individual strikes in Chicago are per ibid., pp. 138–39, and Taylor, “Epidemic of Strikes in Chicago,” pp. 645–46.

  
9.
 “The traction volcano” is from the
CEP
of July 15. The 50–1 margin for the strike vote was reported in the
CHE
of July 17.

10.
 “Frank is much concerned” is from Florence Lowden’s diary entry for July 19 (Pullman-Miller Family Papers). The official launch of Lowden’s campaign in Washington, D.C., as per the
NYT
of July 14. The admiring profile of Lowden appeared in the July 20
NYT
.

11.
 Thompson’s citation of legal obstacles was reported in the
CEP
of July 15. The reaction of the president of the elevated railway employees (“That committee arbitrate?”) comes from the
CEP
of July 19.

12.
 “Most important meeting since the world’s fair days” is from the
CEP
of July 21. The “dream coming true” quotation is from ibid., July 19. “This bridge’ll bring property values around here up by the millions” is quoted in Wendt and Kogan,
Big Bill of Chicago
, p. 172. (NB: Thompson was, of course, right, as Colonel McCormick would build his Tribune Tower a few blocks north of the bridge within a few years.)

13.
 Baseball details are from the
CDT
of July 20. Emily’s tribulations, with quotations, are from her diary, pp. 192–97 (Emily Frankenstein Papers).

14.
 Davenport’s offer of a blimp ride to the mayor, and Thompson’s response, as per the
CEP
of July 22. The mayor’s two meetings of the day as per the
CEP
of July 21. “The greatest day, barring none, in Chicago’s history” is from the
CDT
of July 22. “It marks a new era” is from the
CDN
of July 22.

CHAPTER NINE: TUESDAY, JULY 22

  
1.
 Details of the scene around the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank building on the morning after the crash, along with the quotation from John J. Mitchell (“Reports that we lost any money”), are from the
CDN
of July 22.

  
2.
 The violation of “all preconceived notions of safety” and the editorial (“That girls working at their desks in the security of a bank building”) are from the
CEP
of July 23 and 22, respectively.

  
3.
 “The most sensational tragedy” is from the
CDN
of July 22. “There seems little question that the flight was experimental” is from the
CDT
of July 23.

  
4.
 Maclay Hoyne’s arrest order was reported in the
CDT
of July 22 (the
CDT
of the
next day amended the number of arrests from the seventeen originally reported to fourteen). All quotes in these two paragraphs are from the
CDT
of July 22.

  
5.
 Details and quotations from the city council meeting were reported in the
CDT
of July 22.

  
6.
 The scene at the Central Undertaking Rooms and the quotation from Mrs. Carl Weaver were recounted in the
CHE
of July 22.

  
7.
 The scenes at St. Luke’s Hospital involving Marcus Callopy’s family and Alice Norton are from the
CDJ
of July 22. Milton Norton’s deterioration overnight as per the
CHE
of July 23.

  
8.
 Carl Otto’s funeral as cited in the
CDJ
of July 22. The scenes with his wife at home and at the hospital, with quotations, were reported in two articles in the
CDT
of July 23.

  
9.
 Mrs. Davenport’s reaction to the news of her husband’s death, with quotations, was recounted in the
CHE
of July 23.

10.
 “All I can say is, I thought the end of the world had come,” was quoted in the
CDT
of July 22. The same edition is the source of the quotation from Maybelle Morey (“I was working in the bond department”). People (including several sportswriters and an alderman) who claimed that they were “almost” passengers on the fatal flight were noted in the
CEP
and
CDT
of July 22 and the
CDJ
of July 23.

11.
 “While the airship was still burning” is from the
CDJ
of July 22. The coroner’s inquest scene was described by columnist Louise Brown in the
CEP
of July 23. Hoffman’s somber announcement of Norton’s death as per the
CHE
of July 22.

12.
 For the mayor’s reaction to Lowden’s “interference” in the traction situation, see the
CDJ
of July 21. The characterization of the closed-door meetings as “star-chamber sessions” was in the
CHE
of July 22. The quotation from the mayor’s spokesman is from the
CDJ
of July 21.

13.
 The 60 percent fare hike as per the
CDN
and
CDJ
of July 22. “If our state constitution were properly constructed” is from the
CHE
of July 22. Thompson’s readiness to take the matter to court was cited in the
CDJ
of July 21.

14.
 The report on the circumstances of Janet Wilkinson’s disappearance is from the Chicago Department of Police Daily Bulletin for 1919, first made public on July 26 (in the Chicago Public Library’s Municipal Reference Collection, MRC Cc P766). Marjorie Burke’s account was reported in the
CEP
and
CDN
of July 23, and later recounted in more detail in the
CDJ
of July 26. Berenice Wilkinson’s was in the
CDJ
of July 23.

CHAPTER TEN: WEDNESDAY, JULY 23

  
1.
 The search for Janet Wilkinson was described in all of the daily papers, most usefully in the
CDN
of July 23 and the
CHE
of July 24, the latter noting the
fifty volunteer boys and girls. The description of Janet is from the Police Daily Bulletin report cited on the previous page. The first published photo of Janet appeared in the
CEP
of July 23.

  
2.
 Marjorie Burke’s story as per the
CDT
of July 24. (NB: The
CHE
of July 23 initially misidentified the witness as Marjorie Dee, another of Janet’s friends.) The story of the previous incident with Janet and Fitzgerald was reported in the
CDN
and
CEP
of July 23.

  
3.
 Fitzgerald’s appearance and manner as described in the
CDT
of July 24, which also recounted Fitzgerald’s explanation of his movements before his arrest.

  
4.
 Fitzgerald’s previous arrests on larceny charges as per the
CDJ
of July 23 and the
CDT
of July 24. His earlier arrest for “conspicuous interest” in two girls comes from the
CHE
of July 24. The dropping of the case “for want of prosecution” was cited in the
CDN
of July 23.

  
5.
 Fitzgerald’s description of the earlier incident with Janet (“It was around Christmastime she came into my home”) was quoted in the
CDT
of July 24.

  
6.
 The dragging of the lake in response to Fitzgerald’s offhand comment was reported in virtually all of the newspapers; see also Lindberg,
Chicago by Gaslight
, pp. 198–99.

  
7.
 The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office could not locate the transcript of the coroner’s inquest in the
Wingfoot
case, so I have had to rely on descriptions of the proceedings as reported in the newspapers. All of the quotations in these first paragraphs are from the
CEP
of July 23 and the
CDT
of July 24.

  
8.
 The various theories about the cause of the fire are from the
CEP
of July 23. Coroner Hoffman’s declaration on the requirements for establishing blame and the lack of precedent in Illinois law as per the
CDT
of July 24. “Which did not contemplate airships falling” is from the
CDJ
of July 22.

  
9.
 The quotations from Goodyear officials were quoted in the
CEP
of July 23. The rumors of damaging testimony from Wacker were cited in the
CDT
of July 24.

10.
 The funeral services for Marea Florence were described in the
CDT
of July 24. (NB: The
CDT
identified her as “Maria,” but the
Columns
, likely to be more accurate, has her first name repeatedly as “Marea.”) “If you ever saw her smile” was quoted in the
Columns
, p. 6. Marcus Callopy’s death as per the
CDT
of July 24 and the
Columns
, p. 13.

11.
 The quotations from W. S. McClenathan are from the
CDJ
of July 23. “Statements by both sides in each meeting today” is from the
CDN
of the same date. The
CEP
of July 24 reported the union leader’s reassurances that no strike would take place until the completion of the commission investigation.

12.
 The mayor’s preparations for his trip to Cheyenne were widely reported. “A lariat and a pair of chaps in his valise” comes from the
CDT
of July 24. The committee’s invitation “to bring everybody who voted for [the mayor]” was
cited in the
CDJ
of July 23. “Well stocked with ice for lemonades” is from ibid. Ettelson as Samuel Insull’s creature as per McDonald,
Insull
, p. 178. The
CEP
of July 23 noted Thompson’s assurance that they’d be missing only two and a half working days.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: THURSDAY, JULY 24

  
1.
 For the union’s intransigence on the eight-hour-day issue, see the
CDN
of July 24. The
CEP
of July 24 reported on the
Wingfoot
funerals. The scene at the Illinois Trust and Savings Bank (“Not a typewriter clicked”) was described in the
CDT
of July 25.

  
2.
 Goodyear’s public apology was printed in the
CEP
of July 24. The formation of the three-man commission as per the
CDT
of July 25. “In justice to our men” is quoted in the
CEP
of July 24.

  
3.
 The
CEP
of July 24 describes Senator Sherman’s bill and the city council’s ongoing work on an aviation bill. “I am going to do everything I can to help establish laws for the regulation of airships” was quoted in the
CDT
of July 25.

  
4.
 The interrogation of Fitzgerald, with quotations, was recounted in the
CDN
and
CEP
of July 24.

  
5.
 The questioning of Watson and Darby and the phone call to Mrs. Fitzgerald as per the
CDN
of July 24. The
CHE
of the same date reported on Lieutenant Howe’s rushing of the photograph to Bangor.

  
6.
 Details and quotations from Howe’s afternoon interrogation of Fitzgerald are from the
CDN
of July 24.

  
7.
 The analysis of the case by Detective Sergeant Powers, with all quotations, are from ibid.

  
8.
 Reports of sightings of Janet, as well as the false alarm at the Morrison Hotel, come from the
CDT
of July 25.

  
9.
 The scenes with Muriel Fitzgerald come principally from the
CHE
(“The reports about his peculiarities”), the
CDN
(“You did it, you did it”), and the
CDT
(“When I received that telegram”), all of July 25. Mrs. Fitzgerald’s appearance as per pictures and descriptions in the
CEP
and
CDJ
of July 25 and the
CDT
of July 26.

10.
 The finding of the revolver at the Virginia Hotel, as well as Lieutenant Howe’s dispatching of a pair of detectives to Michigan, as per the
CDT
of July 25. Wilkinson’s offer of a $500 reward was cited in the
CDN
of July 24.

11.
 The reports of other attacks on children and the calls on Alcock to institutionalize all suspected “morons” come from the
CDT
of July 24 and 25.

CHAPTER TWELVE: FRIDAY, JULY 25

  
1.
 The description of the week’s weather in Chicago is from reports in the
CDT
. For the scene between Muriel Fitzgerald and John Wilkinson, I have relied
principally on the
CEP
of July 25 (“Oh, Mr. Wilkinson”) and the
CDJ
of the same date (“When I [first] received word that my husband was in trouble”).

  
2.
 Helen Hedin’s story as per the
CDT
of July 26. “The Handcuff King” episode as per the
CDN
of July 25. “I’m not the man” was quoted in the
CEP
of July 25.

  
3.
 Lieutenant Howe’s statement (“In my 25 years of police experience”) and the account of the ongoing interrogation (“Look at that picture”) are from the
CDN
of July 25.

  
4.
 The continuing search for Janet was described in the
CDT
of July 26.

  
5.
 “For two days and two nights” is from the
CDJ
of July 24. “I had put [the] baby doll away from her” was quoted in the
CDT
of July 25.