My grandfather died in the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago. The police called it suicide…the family called it murder. It was ruled suicide.
His 3rd wife was in the room with him and was severely beaten. He had his throat slit from ear to ear. He was a bootlegger from Toledo Ohio and I used to know the name of the bunch he worked with, but have forgotten now.
I contacted the Chicago PD and they said their records didn’t go back that far. I contacted the Palmer House several times and never heard from them.
Anyone have any suggestions where I might get a few details?
Did you contact the Cook County Coroner’s Office? They should have conducted the inquest.
My brother found the record of a coroner’s inquest about my late grandfather who died in a St. Louis speakeasy in 1932. He said it wasn’t particularly difficult. However, you have to go in to ask.
The PD probably doesn’t care much about 70 year old suspicious death. However, the coroner’s office should still have record.
Of course, we are talking about Chicago in the 1930s. I suspect that either Al Capone or Anton Cernak ordered a hit.
My grandfather “accidentally” fell down a flight of stairs and broke his neck in a speakeasy. An off-duty St. Louis policeman just happened to be there according to the coroner’s inquest. He just happened to be related to the owner of the speakeasy, whom, most likely, my grandfather had pissed off because he supposedly was a very loud angry drunk.