A Mile in His Shoes Anthony Borgo December 2019

Joseph Brenkus was born on December 12, 1870 in Bobrov Hungary. In April 1892 he emigrated to the United States via Bremen, Germany. At the age of 22 he arrived in Whiting, Indiana with his wife Mary. Shortly after settling in town, Brenkus was hired by the Standard Oil Company, where he served the refinery for many years. In addition, Brenkus was also employed at the Sinclair Oil Company and he ran his own pipe fitting business.

Throughout his life, Brenkus was actively involved in several church and fraternal organizations. He was one of the founding members of St. John the Baptist who solicited money for the erection of the church and school buildings. Likewsie, Brenkus was a member of four fraternal organizations: The First National Slovak Union, The Catholic Order of Foresters, The Whiting Mutual Sick Benefit Association, and the Mutual Slovak Society.

For years Joseph Brenkus was an avid walker. He was often seen taking brisk strolls with his longtime friend Dan O’Leary. In 1916 Brenkus began making an annual pilgrimage on foot to Holy Hill, a religious shrine located in Wisconsin. That year he was awarded a medal commemorating his spiritual zeal. This annual trek would later serve as a training regime for a much further pilgrimage that Brenkus had in mind.

During Brenkus’ many walking trips to Holy Hill or elsewhere, he always kept in the back of his head a secret desire. For over 20 years he had wanted to make a pilgrimage across the Atlantic Ocean. So, in 1922 he began to make plans to walk his way to Jerusalem. His two main objectives on this journey were to be blessed by the Pope and to see the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Brenkus trained for this trip by walking to work everyday. At this time he was employed at the Sinclair Oil Company which was located in East Chicago, Indiana. The round trip distance from Brenkus’ home on Indianapolis Boulevard to the refinery was just over 7 miles. In addition, Brenkus further conditioned his body by walking an additional 15 miles per day.

The first leg of Brenkus’ pilgrimage began on June 3, 1922. This portion of his trip started from the steps of Chicago’s City Hall and would end in New York City. Along the way Brenkus stopped at several churches on his route to the east coast for spiritual fortitude. In addition to the Lord, Brenkus carried with him credentials from many prominent men including Chicago Mayor William “Big Bill” Thompson. Thompson had written a letter of introduction to make Brenkus’ entree into unknown towns easier. However, Brenkus’ arrival into town wasn’t always received warmly.

In a letter written home to his family Brenkus stated that once on his journey to New York he came close to getting into a real adventure. According to a Hammond Times article dated July 8, 1922, “When a mob of striking coal miners caught sight of him in a strip of forest in Pennsylvania and thinking him a tramp were going to treat him roughly.” Brenkus explained his situation and quickly defused the escalating confrontation.

Brenkus went on to say that many times when he arrive into a town in the middle of the night, he was picked up by the local police department. The officers of the law would then take him to the local jail to spend the remainder of the night. From the same newspaper article Brenkus stated that this wasn’t too bad though. “In fact it was better than hotel service. The hotels are always crowded but he had the jails to himself.” However, for the most part Brenkus spent the night in one of the eleven lodges that he was a member of.

Joseph Brenkus arrived in New York City on July 3, 1922. It took him exactly 27 days to make his journey from the Windy City to Gotham City. During that time, Brenkus never accepted a single ride, opting to walk the entire distance of 1,115 miles. He claimed that he had to have his shoes re-soled eight times stating, “It is pretty dusty country where you can get nothing to lay the dust except pop and near beer.”

A week after arriving on the east coast, Brenkus took a steamer to Havre, France. From Havre he trekked across Europe traveling through Hungary, Jugo-Slavia, Greece, Turkey and Italy. At night Brenkus slept under the stars in Europe’s picturesque countryside. Once in Rome Brenkus was blessed by Pope Pius XI at the Vatican. In addition, the Pope presented him with a crucifix,which contained relics of several saints.

From Europe Brenkus’ pilgrimage continued through Palestine on his way to Jerusalem. This leg of his journey was a dangerous trip, for the mountainous country through which Brenkus passed was full of fierce tribes of Bedouins. Bedouins were notoriously known to prey on unwarytravelers. In order to survive this ordeal Brenkus disguised himself as an Arab by wearing a traditional Arabic robe. Likewise, he hired an Arab national to serve as his guide. However, even with his disguise Brenkus did have an interesting encounter with a native tribe.

The following account is from a June 20, 1923 Hammond Times article:

“In the wildest passes on the mountains, a marauding band overtook and captured Brenkus and his guide. They were taken to the robber camp and for a time the travelers thought their journey would end in an unpleasant fashion. The fierce tribesmen offered them uneatable food which they were afraid not to accept. It is fortunate that they ate the filthy stuff, for a Bedouin religious custom is that to refuse to eat the food of a man is a deadly insult. Their compliance with the custom undoubtedly saved their lives, and secured their release from the clutches of the bandits.”

Brenkus arrived in Jerusalem on December 22, 1922. He spent Christmas Day in Nazareth, in the province of Galilee, the birthplace of Christ. During his stay in the holy land Brenkus had the privilege of visiting all of the places which were the sites of early Christianity. After years of religious training and education he was finally able to walk in the footsteps of the Bible. This was truly a great gift for such a devoted Christian.

After the Christmas holiday, Brenkus turned around and began his long walk home. During his trip he walked over 3,000 miles. In addition to visiting religious locales, Brenkus was able to provide a first hand account of the horrible devastation that existed in post-World War I Europe.

According to a June 20, 1923 Hammond Times article, “Americans have no conception of the terrible conditions existing throughout Europe. Taxes are high, and so are prices. It is impossible for any but the rich to have more than the bare necessities of life, and in the southern countries starvation is a common death.”

When Brenkus arrived home in Whiting, he was presented with a prize of $2,000. For months, as the world followed Brenkus’ journey daily, Dan O’Leary had been taking bets. O’Leary, ever the opportunist, had made several profitable wagers that his friend would make it home in good health. As a way the reward Brenkus for helping him earn some extra cash, O”Leary decided to share some of his newfound wealth. When asked about his religious pilgrimage, the modest Brenkus quickly and succinctly stated “Never again.”

On November 12, 1925 residents of the Whiting / Robertsdale community were saddened and surprised to hear of the death of Joseph Brenkus. His body was discovered face down by Vincent Grogan in the alley of Indianapolis Boulevard near 118th Street. A sudden heart attack was said to have caused his death. Brenkus was last seen alive on November 11th, when he left his home after having dinner to take his evening stroll. Two hours later his mud covered body, was returned to his family.

According to Brenkus’ family members, that evening Joseph talked heartily and joked around the dining room table prior to leaving the home. He never once complained about pain or having ill health. Brenkus frequently advised the sick members of his fraternal orders that his remedy for ailments seemed to be his brisk walks. However, a neighbor of Brenkus stated that Joseph had informed him that he felt that either himself or his wife would die before Christmas.

Joseph Brenkus died at the age of 56, two years after returning from his pilgrimage. During Joseph Brenkus’ journey he passed through dangers and experiences that few men encounter in a lifetime. It is safe to say that once he passed through the pearly gates, Joseph finally took a load off. He is buried at the Saint John Saint Joseph Cemetery located in Hammond, Indiana.