Crime and Punishment in Whiting's Earliest Days Gayle Faulkner Kosalko  February 2020

Way back before Whiting became an actual city, there was crime. In the 21st Century we may be used to reading locally about stolen cars, breaking and entering, burglaries and robberies, and drugs and drinking. While some of these crimes were committed all the time at the turn of the 19th century, a few on the list were not common. For example, there were no stolen cars but that was only because people didn’t own cars. But when they did, they were often fined for turning in front of a streetcar, thereby putting the riders and other pedestrians in harm’s way.

Some misdemeanors seem strange to us today. In 1896 Judge Davidson fined a Mr. Harry Exton one dollar for using profanity in public and a Mr. Beach was charged with stealing coal from the coal cars on the Calumet tracks. Remember, this was a time when most homes were heated with coal and following coal cars to pick up the excess that had fallen was even a normal activity for wives and children. Unfortunately Mr. Beach was caught and was taken to court by the state of Indiana. It’s never stated how much coal he had gotten away with.

Horses who were driven over what the city considered their appropriate speed limit often caused their riders to pay fines. One such example is Murray Flautt of South Chicago who rode into town on a borrowed horse from a friend. He definitely wasn’t a true horseman as it was said he fell off a number of times on his ride down 119th Street. But soon he rode his horse at such a speed that it was a danger to pedestrians and officers tried to catch him. Flautt lost his saddle in front of Mattern’s Drug Store but managed to climb on the horse’s back and keep going. Meantime Constable Miller in his horse drawn buggy chased him and when the two met up at the corner of Clark and 119th street, Flautt’s poor horse stumbled, throwing Flautt to the ground. There he lay unconscious and bruised. The cowboy from South Chicago was then carried to Dr. Putnam’s office to be bandaged up. He was also later charged with disorderly conduct and fined. Flautt paid his money and with no horsing around, gladly cantered back to Illinois.

And even back then, the courts were no stranger to litigation. But in this example, a Mr. Boness was being sued because of horse. In 1895 there was the case of Kickenapp vs Boness. Kickenapp sued Boness and won a verdict of $600. It seems that Kickenapp’s wife was thrown to the ground and injured when she fell from her high seat of the beer wagon she was on. Due to Boness’ “speed” riding his own horse, the horse collided into the beer wagon and its team of horses, pulling the beer wagon sharply to the side which caused Mrs. Kickenapp’s fall.

In early Whitng it was not unusual to find cows, pigs, and chickens in residents’ backyards, but even on 119th Street as seen in the photo. Now Andrew Sorensen was a milk dealer by trade in 1902 and he pastured his cows near Stiglitz Park. On a Sunday afternoon he went down to drive them home but he found all kinds of other cows had joined his original herd. For whatever reason, a few days before, a number of other single cow owners had their animals put into the city pound by the police. This information was unknown to Sorensen as he was busy trying to separate his own cows from the rest. Now three Stiglitz Park residents saw Richards among all the cattle and assumed he was trying to run their cattle off. Angered, the trio grabbed Richards, beat him severely and as the newspaper article said, “He was struck with a stone and otherwise injured and only escaped further castigation by the judicious use of his legs.” Needless to say, he pressed charges and the three Stiglitz Park men were arrested and later paid fines of $15 each. It must have been a “moooving” experience for all involved.

Now drink was always a major issue. Whether it was those overindulging in the Oklahoma section of Whiting, or those making it in the confines of their home, they were often caught and charged with violation of the then liquor laws. And while many shops purported to simply be a soft drink parlor, there was a lot more than sarsaparilla going on and the police would prove shutting them down for selling liquor.

One well known character around town, a Chas. B., was charged with being drunk and disorderly in a public place. But this poor fellow was driven to drink, it was said, by personal problems at home. As the newspaper reported, “He did not find the expected solace in the cup however for his wife dragged him out of a saloon and gave him a pommeling in the presence of a dozen persons on the street. “

Probably it was a blessing when an Officer Emmel arrested him and took him to spend a more peaceful night in the city jail.

Sometimes you weren’t even safe from the long arm of the law when you were at work. While working his shift at SOC, Walter Y.’s home at 1611 Lake was searched. A two gallon keg of wine, a gallon glass jug of wine, a gallon of moonshine whiskey and three accompanying half gallon jugs of the same were found there. The police came to Standard and arrested Walter on the spot.

And naturally along with liquor violations were many arrests for illicit gambling.

It wasn’t unusual for the police to raid people’s home if gambling were suspected. For example, when a suspected house on Fischrupp was raided, six men were found guilty of gambling. It was a sure bet that each would be individually fined $5 and the owner of the “gambling house” fined $25.

Now perhaps the fact that in the early days of the refinery there were so many men who were working who were alone and without their families here, it may not be a big surprise that in the late 1880’s there were many reports of houses of “ill repute” in Whiting and not only in the wild Oklahoma section.

The judges in these cases seemed to take a no nonsense stand in their judgments In one example the owner of “a” house had to pay a fine of $117 and spend 90 days in jail. One of her lady residents was only requested to pay a fine of $35. But it was also suggested that she leave Whiting immediately or she would be arrested and sent to the penal farm for 35 days!

Just like gambling houses, houses of ill repute were often raided by the police. One such raid was made at a home at 222-119th Street.

The five policemen had the “house” under survelliance since 10:30 that evening. At 2a.m. they made their move and arrested six men who were visiting the ladies.

The courtroom of Judge T. J. Sullivan was said to be standing room only as it was packed with local men who crowded in to hear the evidence.

Now the owner of the house along with his wife and daughter were not only charged with keeping a bawdy house, but then they were also charged with violating the state liquor law.

The police had found a quart bottle of moonshine whiskey at the scene which was later introduced as evidence. The local newspaper reported that when the officer was asked if the bottle had been taken in the raid, the officer replied, “It is, but there was more in it then” which brought “a general titter from the audience.”

And just like today and probably since Cain knocked off Abel, domestic crimes were in existence.

This domestic trouble began around midnight when residents were “rudely” awakened from their slumber by the screams of a woman. The paper described it as “the like of which was seldom heard outside of a lunatic asylum.” It was said that Officer McCarthy who was three blocks away heard it and came to assist but by the time he arrived, all was quiet.

Soon Chas. Whittlesey was assaulted near the railroad crossing and his attacker went across the track and disappeared into the backrooms of Lacy’s Saloon. Officer McCarthy along with Whittlesey found who they were looking for in a rear flat over a tailor shop next to the saloon. By the time the two men made it into the room, it seemed that everyone was asleep. Nevertheless, they were all immediately awakened and Mr. Whittlesey pointed out one of the men as his attacker. The next day when they came to court, a good citizen brought in a bloody knife he said he had found on the railroad tracks. Mr. Whittlesey had suffered no cuts and never mentioned that he had been threatened with a knife, so as interesting and dramatic as the knife was, it had no bearing on the case. . Whittlesey assailant was fined $10 for his assault. Of course, he had no money to pay his fine so he was taken to the Crown Point jail.

But the screams of that Sunday night were explained when the arrested woman said it was she who was screaming because her son was trying to choke her to death. So then she brought charges against her son. The whole story sounded somewhat bizarre but those involved were all Slovak immigrants who spoke little English. An interpreter was brought in to examine the witnesses and translate for the court what the accused said had happened. Who knows what was lost in the translation.

Because so many people rented out rooms in their homes to garner a little more cash, many domestic problems involved renters. Such was the case of two Standard Oil employees, homeowner Frank E. and renter Alexander W. When Frank went to collect the rent, the two men ended up in an argument; the renter ordered his landlord to leave his rented room. When the landlord refused, Alexander picked up a rifle and shot at him. The bullet missed its mark and ended up in the wall. Alexander was a big hunter, evidently of animals and not men and this English rifle had been a proud possession for years that he brought with him from Scotland.

Hearing the commotion, Mrs. Frank ran for the police who came and locked up both men overnight, but not before Frank had gotten the better of his renter in a terrific fist fight. The next day in court, Alexander appeared with what the newspaper described as his “face swollen almost beyond recognition and his eyes bleared and bloodshot.”

In Judge Davidson’s court, both were arraigned for assault and battery and had to pay court costs as well as both were fined $55 for their part in the fray, which was probably so much more than Alexander’s original rent had been.

Now in another case, Paul D. was a renter in a Slovak household. He was well liked by the owner and thought of himself as the home’s protector. One day, an Armenian peddler woman made a sale with the home’s lady. But when she went to receive her nickel for the sale, the lady of the house shut the door in her face. Needless to say the peddler woman was angry and immediately picked up a piece of firewood and threw it at the front door.

Paul, the house hero, opened the door and was immediately hit in the eye by a brick that was hurled by the still angry peddler woman. Now in anger, Paul grabbed the peddler, knocked her to the ground and began tramping on her. When all three involved, Paul, the peddler and the mistress of the house appeared in court, Justice Davidson was said to hear a mixture of witness stories that were a combination of Armenian, Slavish and English. His final decision was to fine Paul D. court costs and one dollar for his treatment of the peddler. She received a lecture from the Judge and was fined nothing. Whatever happened to the nickel that she was to receive for the selling of her wares was never entered into the records.