INCENDIARISM IS SUSPECTED - Harry, Lottie and Bessie Iglowitz

Back on October 8, 2011 I told the story of Meyer Iglowitz who tragically drowned in Michigan in August of 1913.  Meyer's death was not the first tragedy to strike the Iglowitz family (nor would it be the last).  Meyer Iglowitz was from the part of the family who were jewelers.  Today we will look at a tragedy that struck the part of the Iglowitz family who were cigar makers.

FOUR DIE IN TENEMENT FIRE; CROWD THREATENS OWNERS

Babies Are Tossed to Street and Caught in Spectator's Coat - Incendiarism Is Suspected

Four lives were lost early yesterday in a fire in a tenement building 1336 South Sangamon street. There were several narrow escapes and exciting rescues.  Traces of incendiarism were seen.

The dead:
    HARRY EGALOVITCH, 24 years old, rear of third floor, suffocated and burned.
    MRS. LOTTIE EGALOVITCH, 21 years old, suffocated.
    BESSIE EGALOVITCH, 6 months old, suffocated.
    SAMUEL ALPERT, 24 years old, a boarder in the Egalovitch flat, suffocated and burned.

Police from the Maxwell street station who hurried to the blaze were called upon to protect Samuel Goldstein and Harry Lasky, owners of the building from violence.

The tossing of two infants to an improvised net and the spectacular escape of a 354 pound woman were interesting features. (!!!)

Chicago Daily Tribune - September 26, 1911

The fire took place at about 2:30 AM on the morning of September 25, 1911.  The Iglowitz family, being devout Jews, insisted on a speedy burial (see Meyer Iglowitz story) and all three were buried the very next day September 26, 1911 even before the Coroner's Inquest - meaning that all three were buried without even a signed death certificate.

The Coroner's Inquest took place on October 4, 1911 and at that time the cause of death for all three was "Shock and asphyxiation due to burns of body sustained in a burning building."

Harry, Lottie and Bessie Iglowitz were all buried at Gate 57 (Anshe Luknik) in Section 4, Row 20, Graves 1(b), 2 and 3.  Their tombstone was provided by Woodmen of the World, a fraternal benefit society who's motto was "No Woodmen shall rest in an unmarked grave."  Apparently this motto only applies to the Woodman himself, because Lottie and Bessie are not mentioned on the tombstone. 

May the souls of Harry, Lottie and Bessie Iglowitz rest in peace.

That may have been the end of the story for Harry, Bessie and Lottie Iglowitz, but not for Samuel Goldstein and Harry Lasky:

RULES LIBEL CANNOT HOLD AGAINST TRUTHFUL ARTICLE

Judge Kavanagh Says Newspaper Story of  Incendiary Fire Was Correct and Damage Verdict Is Denied

In directing a verdict of "not guilty" in a $10,000 suit against the Chicago Journal company yesterday Judge Marcus Kavanagh of the Superior court stated from the bench that no libel could be charged where a newspaper stated the truth, despite any inference that might be drawn from the article or story.

The plaintiff was Harry Lasky, 1348 South Sangamon street, part owner of a building at 1336 South Sangamon street, where four persons lost their lives in a fire.  Lasky's partner, Samuel Goldstein, is plaintiff in a similar suit yet to be tried.

In his declaration and testimony Lasky asserted that the newspaper's description of the fire, which bore the headline, "Firebugs Kill Four; Five Arrested," was such as to charge him with the "infamous crime of conspiracy to defraud an insurance company by setting fire to a building."

"The owners of the building, Samuel Goldstein and Harry Lasky, were arrested on orders of Battalion Chief Michael Kerwin and put in the sweatbox by the Maxwell street police," was the paragraph cited by the declaration.

"I find from the evidence that the story told the truth," Judge Kavanagh said.  "Therefore there can be no charge of libel.  If an inference is drawn from the facts as related, the newspaper is not responsible. These men were not charged with being guilty and there is no legal basis for the suit."

"I have no doubt this fire was of incendiary origin.  Even the stairways were set afire with benzine and human beings were not the culprits.  It was the work of fiends, for whom the death penalty would not be any too severe."

The costs were placed against the plaintiff.

Chicago Daily Tribune - February 6, 1914.

I could not find anything more about either Mr. Goldstein or Mr. Lasky, so I don't know whether they were ever charged with any crime, or for that matter paid any penalty.  Samuel Goldstein has faded into the mists of time.  The events of 1911 must have changed Harry Lasky, however, because his death record from January, 1941 lists his occupation as "Tailor".  

Even 1336 S. Sangamon Street - the scene of the "crime" no longer exists.  It was razed in the 1950s to make way for the University of Chicago Circle Campus.  Where the building once stood is now the Physical Education building.

Harry Iglowitz - Lottie Iglowitz - Bessie Iglowitz - Samuel Alpert - Samuel Goldstein - Harry Lasky - all gone, but not forgotten.

IT WAS NOT MEANT TO BE - William W. Lewis

Last fall, on a beautiful late-autumn day I left work early and went out to Jewish Waldheim Cemetery to fulfill some Find A Grave photo requests (good excuse!).  Part of the enjoyment of an old, historic cemetery is to just wander and take in all of the beauty, not only of the day and of the grounds, but also the beauty of the monuments and the works of art decorating the graves of departed loved ones.  In my wanderings I spotted a family mausoleum off by itself that said "Lewis".

As I peered through the glass in the front doors it was almost like looking at a photograph of a well-dressed, well-groomed young man of days gone by.

 

The image was of twenty-one year old William W. Lewis.  William was born August 1, 1901, and unfortunately died on October 20, 1922.  

I could not locate a death notice or obituary for William, but I was able to uncover a copy of his death certificate:

From the death certificate I found that William had been on this earth 21 years, 1 month and 29 days.  He was single, and was a shoe salesman at Mandel Brothers, a well-known (at that time) department store.  His father Sam Lewis and his mother Rose Pearlman Lewis were both born in Russia, but William was a born-and-bred American.  William died of lobar pneumonia, complicated by acute myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle). 

Sam and Rose Lewis traveled a long way from Russia to Chicago to make a better life for themselves and their children.  I'm sure that like all parents they wanted all of their children, but especially William, their first-born to have a long and happy life and give them lots of grandchildren.  Unfortunately for William Lewis, dead at twenty-one, it was not meant to be.

The Lewis family mausoleum can be found at Gate 47 - B'nai Abraham Zion - at Jewish Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park.  May William, and all of the Lewis family, rest in peace.

"OUR SORROW IS FEARFUL" - Miriam Mandel

It has been said that the most beautiful word in the English language is "Mother".  Anyone who has lost their own Mother knows that her passing leaves a void that no one else can fill.  Hospice workers say that the most frequent person called for as we depart this life is "Mother".  We may love, admire and respect our fathers, but there is only one "Mother".  That was certainly the case with the family of Miriam Mandel.  Instead of just putting her photo on her heart-shaped tombstone, they also put a poem they wrote about her - in English and Hebrew.  Here's the English version:

"Pal, loyal and respected

Mother, whose love was reflected,

Benevolent soul, and heart so pure,

Of each disturbed, or seeking cure,

Our sorrow is fearful,

Our eyes are tearful,

Our hearts broken with grief

Since you were brought to the grave,

From our memory you won't depart

Till from life we part.

Rest in peace

In divine bliss

Mother dear, and wife beloved."

Miriam Mandel's grave is at Gate 37 - Progressive Order of the West at Jewish Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park.  May her soul, and the souls of all our Mothers, rest in peace.

"YOUR BROKEN-HEARTED FAMILY" - Daniel Banzuly

This one started a little differently than most of my grave photos - this one started with an "In Memoriam" notice in the Chicago Daily Tribune on September 16, 1929.  The Notice said:

In Memoriam

BANZULY - Daniel Banzuly.  In loving memory of our darling, son of Robert and Minnie Banzuly, fond brother of Michael and Rose Aronfeld, who passed into eternal rest one year ago today.

YOUR BROKEN-HEARTED FAMILY

So I pulled the death certificate for Daniel Banzuly to see what happened.

As you can see, Daniel Banzuly died at the age of fifteen in his home on September 16, 1928 of chronic endocardosis and cardiac failure. Daniel is buried with his family at Jewish Waldheim Cemetery, Gate 201 - First Gallician Aid Society.

I'm sure his family never got over the loss of their dear son and brother at an age where he had his whole life ahead of him.  Daniel may be gone, but he is not forgotten.  May Daniel and his family rest in peace.

THE SINS OF THE SON ARE VISITED ON THE FATHER - Nathan F. Leopold, Sr.

Most Chicagoans are familiar with the story of Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, Jr.  They were two brilliant and wealthy young men who set out to commit “the perfect crime” in 1924 by kidnapping and murdering young Bobby Franks.  They did not commit the perfect crime – they made some foolish mistakes and were soon caught, and after a sensational trial sentenced to life imprisonment.   If you are not familiar with the story, there is a good synopsis in Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_and_Loeb

Few realize that there are more people who suffer when a heinous crime is committed than the victim himself.  The families of the victims suffer, of course, but few ever think about the families of the perpetrators who also are victims “by association.”  This came to my mind several weeks ago when I was driving through Rosehill Cemetery and came upon an imposing monument that said “LEOPOLD” and the flat gravestone labeled “Father - Nathan F. Leopold, 1860-1929”.  Mercifully, Nathan Jr.’s mother died in 1921 before the crime was committed but Nathan Sr’s obituary from the Tribune tells a sad tale of this forgotten victim:

N.F. LEOPOLD SR. TAKEN BY DEATH AFTER OPERATION

Nathan F. Leopold, Sr., wealthy financier died last night at the Michael Reese Hospital.  He was operated on ten days ago by Dr. Solomon Strauss and his condition had been reported improving until yesterday afternoon.  He had been in the lake transportation business since 1876, but retired recently.

Mr. Leopold’s life was saddened in 1925 in the discovery that his son, Nathan F. Leopold, Jr., had killed little Bobby Franks, a crime to which young Leopold and Richard Loeb pleaded guilty.

Nathan Leopold, Sr., was a respected and well liked business man.  He was born in Eagle River, Mich., on July 2, 1860, and came to Chicago with his parents in 1867.  He married Florence G. Foreman in 1892 and their life together was happy until her death in 1921.

After the trouble over his son Mr. Leopold and his two other sons, Foreman and Samuel, moved from the old home at 4754 Greenwood Avenue.  In 1927 Mr. Leopold married Mrs. Daisy K. Hahn of Los Angeles and after a wedding trip they resided at 420 Roscoe Street.

During the last winter the Leopolds were in California.  Soon after their return last month Mr. Leopold became ill and an operation was deemed necessary.  Dr. Strauss said the ailment was something similar to gallstones.  Chicago Daily Tribune – April 5, 1929

In a strange twist of fate, the family of Richard Loeb, the family of Nathan Leopold, Jr. and Bobby Franks and his family are all interred in Rosehill Cemetery.   May they rest in peace.

WHAT IS THAT ON HIS TOMBSTONE??? - Wallace Rader

Yesterday on my lunch hour I went over to the Irving Park Boulevard Cemetery to do a Find a Grave photo request (what else?).  After I had taken the photo as I walked back toward my car, I looked over the tombstones to see if any looked interesting - then I saw the stone for Wallace Rader:

What is the significance of the hooded figure in the center of the tombstone?  Sure looks like the Ku Klux Klan to me.  But I can't believe the cemetery would have approved that design.  My cousin said "maybe that's why his wife didn't want to be buried with him".  Someone else said it was the angel of death - but I don't think the angel of death wears a white hood.

I checked his death certificate - he was a carpenter.  I couldn't find an obituary and I couldn't find anything about him on Google or ancestry.com other than census information and his death certificate. So I put it out there to you all in the blogosphere - what is this on Wallace Rader's tombstone?  

LOST IN THE SS SCHILLER DISASTER - Moses Kahn

As a student of history I thought that I was aware of most all of the maritime disasters of modern times.  A trip to Rosehill Cemetery last week proved me to be wrong.  As I was photographing the grave of a prominent Chicago rabbi for kevarim.com, I looked over and saw an inscription on a large monument:

“In Memory of Our Brother

 Moses Kahn

Lost on Steamer Schiller May 7, 1875

Aged 38 Years”

I had never heard of the steamship Schiller, or of a disaster about her.  A look at Wikipedia gave me the horrendous details:

SS Schiller was a 3,421 ton German ocean liner, one of the largest vessels of her time. She plied her trade across the Atlantic Ocean, carrying passengers between New York and Hamburg for the German Transatlantic Steam Navigation Line. She became notorious on 7 May 1875, when while operating on her normal route she hit the Retarrier Ledges in the Isles of Scilly, causing her to sink with the loss of most of her crew and passengers, totaling 335 fatalities.

The ship was built 380ft long with a 40ft beam in Hamburg in August 1873 for her German owners, and had plied the Atlantic routes for just two years without major incident. In addition to her load of 254 passengers, she was carrying 250 mail bags intended for Australia, highly valuable general cargo, and 300,000 $20 coins totaling £60,000 at contemporary value and over £6 million today.

The ship was engaged to sail from New York on 27 April 1875, and had arranged to call at Plymouth and Cherbourg on her route homeward to Hamburg. She made excellent time with her combination of two masts and engines, and by 7 May was nearing her first port of call at Plymouth on the Devon coast.

Captain Thomas needed to slow due to poor visibility in thick sea fog as she entered the English Channel, and was able to calculate that his ship was in the region of the Isles of Scilly, and thus within range of the Bishop Rock lighthouse which would provide him with information about his position. To facilitate finding the islands and the reefs which surround them, volunteers from the passengers were brought on deck to try to find the light. These lookouts unfortunately failed to see the light, which they were expecting on the starboard quarter, when in fact it was well to port (nautical). This meant that the Schiller was sailing straight between the islands on the inside of the lighthouse, leaving the ship heading towards the Retarrier Ledges.

The Schiller grounded on the reef at 10pm, and sustained significant damage, but not enough in itself to sink the large ship. The captain attempted to reverse off the rocks, pulling the ship free but exposing it to the heavy seas which were brewing, which flung the liner onto the rocks by its broadside three times, stoving in the hull and making the ship list dangerously as the lights died and pandemonium broke out on deck as passengers fought to get into the lifeboats.

It was at these boats that the real disaster began, as several were not seaworthy due to poor maintenance and others were destroyed, crushed by the ship's funnels which fell amongst the panicked passengers. The captain attempted to restore order with his pistol and sword, but as he did so, the only two serviceable lifeboats were launched, carrying 27 people, far less than their full capacity. These boats eventually made it to shore, carrying 26 men and one woman.

On board the ship the situation only became worse, as breakers washed completely over the wreck. All the women and children on board, over 50 people, were hurried in to the deck house to escape the worst of the storm. It was there that the greatest tragedy happened, when before the eyes of the horrified crew and male passengers, a huge wave ripped off the deck house roof and swept the occupants into the sea, killing all inside.

The wreck continued to be pounded all night, and gradually those remaining on board were swept away or died from exposure to cold seas, wind and resulting hypothermia, until the morning light brought rescue for a handful of survivors.

The recognized manner of signaling disaster at sea was by the firing of minute guns, carried on all ships for signaling purposes. Unfortunately, it had become the custom in the islands to fire a minute gun as your ship passed safely through the area, and so the firing of the Schiller's guns failed to produce hoped for rescue. Such an operation at night and in the dark would have been near impossible anyway with such high seas, and thus it was not until the first light that rescue craft began arriving.

St Agnes pilot gig, the O and M, was summoned to investigate multiple cannon shots. Her crew discovered the mast of the sinking Schiller. The O and M rowed to pick up five survivors before returning to St Agnes for assistance. Steamers and ferries from as far away as Newlyn, Cornwall, assisted the rescue operation.

Of her original 254 passengers and 118 crew, there were 37 survivors. The death toll, 335, made the disaster one of the worst in British history.

Along with Moses Kahn, another of the victims of the disaster whose body was never recovered, was Joseph Schlitz, the brew master from Milwaukee.  Furthermore, in respect to the great assistance that the inhabitants of the Scilly Isles made to assist the mostly German people on board the Schiller, orders were given in the two World Wars to spare the Isles of Scilly from being attacked by German forces.

It is always a tragedy to lose a loved one in a disaster, but the tragedy is compounded when there is not even a body to bury.  May Moses Kahn, and all the victims of the SS. Schiller, rest in peace.