March 18, 2011
Lost Milwaukee #6... Where have you gone, Miss Anderson?
March 3, 2011
Lost Milwaukee #5... Milwaukee's "Girl-Man" on Trial
February 23, 2011
Lost Milwaukee #4... The Curious Case of Mr. Kerwineo
Mr. Kerwineo, resident of Milwaukee for eight years. |
Miss Mamie White, aka Mrs. Kerwineo. |
Cora Anderson in female attire. |
Dororthy Kleinowski, the second Mrs. Kerwineo. |
February 15, 2011
Lost Milwaukee #3... Step Right Up!
OK, first things first… look at this little sketch here. Note the man’s hands. They are already in position to catch his troublesome false teeth, even though they have only fallen a few inches. It would not be possible to react so quickly to suddenly dislodged teeth. Therefore, I can only conclude that this man is not suffering from faulty denture paste. No, he can only be spitting his teeth out on purpose. Probably to scare the grandkids. Anyway… Wernet’s Powder is actually still around, although the boxes don’t seem to mention laughing, singing, coughing, or sneezing.
The Girl Who Did Not Care! The only title card used during this film simply said “Meh…” Hahaha. But really, the original title to this 1916 film was The Sex Lure. It had to be renamed before most cities would allow it to play. The plot involved a rich industrialist who adopts a girl after her father, a worker in the rich man’s factory, is killed on the job. The girl grows up (for some reason) bitter towards the man and gets her revenge by seducing him and busting up his marriage. The message of the film is a clear warning… never, under any circumstance, adopt a girl whose father you’ve killed.Are you poorly? I like picking up bits of antiquated speech like this. It’s like shopping for retro clothing, only free. The next time I call in sick to work, I’m going to describe my condition as “poorly.” Anyway, this little ad appeared in 1911. Milwaukeeans finally had a cure for clogged bowels and sluggish colons… HOSTETTER’S STOMACH BITTERS. Hostetter’s had been making this little remedy since 1853 and were a well-established national brand by the time this ad ran. Although it is doubtful this potion could actually cure any of the illnesses mentioned in the ad (Malaria… really?!?), it could help out a home bartender in a pinch. The stuff was 94 proof… enough to make you well again, if only for the evening.
February 13, 2011
Lost Milwaukee #2.5 ... Mapping the Jewel Heist
Here is an outline of the initial police chase on a modern map. Again, I have used MS Paint to cosmetic it a bit…
1. The two robbers that escaped the gunfire of Detective Mauger jump into the waiting taxi and proceed westward
2. Turning from Wells onto 13th and blasting towards Grand Ave (now Wisconsin) at a high rate of speed, the taxi draws the attention of a motorcycle cop, who attempts to stop the vehicle for speeding.
3. After firing shots at the bike cop, a squad car joins the chase. More shots are fired as the cab nears the then-Muskego Ave bridge. The police hold their fire for fear of wounding passers-by.
4. The cab looses the cops after they are slowed by snow and slush. At the time, this was near the intersection of National and Greenbush. Today, Greenbush is known as S. 4th Street.
February 9, 2011
Lost Milwaukee #2... Eight Days of Terror in 1935
It started on the night of October 27th. A dynamite bomb placed in a drainpipe underneath Shorewood’s Village Hall (3930 N. Murray) rocked the building, damaging the foundation and shattering nearby windows. The panic began less than 24 hours later when two braches of the First Wisconsin National Bank were bombed. The first was just past six o’clock, causing structural damage to the 3602 W. Villard location. The second was a half-hour later at Farwell and North (now a US Bank branch).
The police were now certain the crimes were connected with the recent theft of 150 lbs of TNT from a local CCC project site. The next two nights were quiet, but on Halloween evening the panic would reach a pinnacle as two police precincts were targeted. At 6:45 the fifth district station at N 3rd and Hadley was hit, a bomb blowing a hole in the wall and nearly injuring several officers. Fifteen minutes later, the third district station at 12th and Vine suffered minor damage from similar attack.
Armed guards now stood watch over Milwaukee Police stations as detectives worked feverishly to track the stolen dynamite. Hundreds of tips poured in. A southside poolhall was raided but none of the forty-five men brought in were able to provide any clues. Wild rumors flew that the bombers were driving a stolen police cruiser. All the while the city held its breath.
A warning letter from the bomber sent two days before his death
The campaign of terror came to an end in horrific fashion. The bombers, twenty-one-year-old Hugh “Idzy” Rutkowski and 16-year-old Paul “Shrimp” Chevanek were building a massive ‘super bomb’ in a sheet iron shed behind 2121 W Mitchell St. One of pair was attempting to set an alarm clock that had been rigged up as a timing device when it went off. The explosion ignited some of the stolen dynamite stashed in the shed, nearly one hundred pounds worth. The two bombers were killed instantly, reduced to bits of flesh and bone. A nine-year-girl in a neighboring house, Patricia Mylnarek, was also killed. 11 people, including several members of the Mylnarek family suffered serious injuries. The blast tore through the block, damaging 40 buildings and shattering windows for blocks in all directions.
Rutkowski’s motives were never fully explained. Described at the time as the leader of a small gang and a social misfit, he was a petty crook with a rap sheet ranging from car theft to “parking.” He was unable to find work and his family suspected he had lost his mind. Found after the blast were barely-literate letters from Rutkowski to the police, demanding cash to stop his spree. He mocked the cops in broken sentences like “Polis gard sity ha ha ha – poooey on g mans.” The letters led police to believe he had intended the bomb for downtown… possibly targeting a movie theatre.
Journal illustration of the damage
It was four days before the cops could positively identify Rutkowski as the bomber. They finally matched his fingerprints to those of a severed and charred hand found on a garage roof a block away from the blast. It was found the same day little Patricia was laid to rest. 2,400 people attended her funeral service at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. Another 25,000 filed past her casket during a two-day wake.
The mangled remains of the two bombers were also put on display. They were held at the county morgue and according the Journal, were “visited by thousands.” That Saturday, the two were buried in a single casket at Forest Home Cemetery.