The Deadly Triangle

THE DEADLY TRIANGLE

 NORMAN V. KELLY

 The year was l982, for you folks that were here in Peoria, Illinois at that
time you probably remember the phrase “Turn out the lights when you
leave.” They were talking about Peoria, our hometown, and it only got worse.
Jobs were hard to come by and many of us lost ours during that down period
in Peoria’s History.

 I remember when I first got wind of the story I am about to tell you. It
was the middle of January, l982, a typical winter’s day here, and after
lunch I walked down by the river. Truth is I never walk anywhere, I
ran, coming to a stop down by the Cedar Street Bridge. What caught
my attention were the seven or eight police cars that had gathered there
near the edge of the river. I also saw a rescue vehicle from the fire
department and a couple of media cars. Being nosey, I slowly walked up

as close as I could to see what in the hell was going on.

 Nobody paid any attention to me and since I saw no yellow crime scene
tape I kept going. I saw four men all dressed in black diving gear, and
as they walked toward the river, I heard a man say “if what the Peoria
Police Department wants is down there we’ll find it.” I later found out
that that man was Sergeant John Ronan who headed the elite group of
divers from Detroit, Michigan. The Peoria authorities had asked them
to come here to look for a body that apparently was missing somewhere
out there in the dark, murky Illinois River. The media swarmed around
the spokesman as he looked out at the river. “Truth is it could be right

out there or in the Mississippi by now.”

For two days the divers went about their grim task, slithering along the
muddy, ice-laden waters to no avail. So far, who the body was or why

the police thought it was there was unknown to the folks in Peoria.

 THE THREE PLAYERS

 As the title of this piece implies, this is a love story, bizarre, unbelievable

and horrible, but nonetheless it is a love story. In this case, there were 

two women both in love with the same man. Throughout history that

has spelled trouble and it certainly was no different in this case. 

 Linda Firebaugh, a thirty-year-old woman that had a ten-year-old daughter

living with her was running a business out of her home over on
Fredonia Avenue called The Valley of the Dolls Escort Service. The
police had their own version of what that business really was, so they
knew about Linda and had often encountered her in one capacity of the

other. 

 The other woman in this drama was Paula Shaw also known as

Paula Anderson, age 25. The police later told the press that Paula had
worked for Firebaugh way back when she was a younger woman, and
the two were apparently friends as well. At the time this story unfolded,
Paula was living over on Third Street with the man in this story,
Charles “Hassan” Taylor. He was a thirty-three-year-old man from

Chicago who was on parole for shooting a man in a tavern brawl.

 So mix these three, two women in love with Taylor, let it stew a bit, and
then duck. Paula and Linda had clashed a bit over Taylor, Paula telling
Linda to leave ‘her man alone, and stay out of their lives’. Of course
that did not work, so Paula made up her mind one night to bring all this
to a head. She asked Taylor to come over to her house and bring Linda
with her. She called Taylor right back and told him to bring Linda
Firebaugh over to her brother’s home there at 1015 Butler. Her
brother Joel was in jail at the present time on a traffic problem and the

house was empty.

 Moments after Taylor delivered Linda the two rivals got into a shouting
match. Charles Taylor then grabbed Linda’s arm jerking her toward
the stairs that led to the basement. She screamed and struggled, but he
managed to get her down to the furnace area. He then took a pair of
handcuffs from his pocket, snapped one loop over a steam pipe and the
other on to Linda’s slender wrist. He then walked back up stairs, turned

the light off at the top of the steps and slammed the door shut.

THE MISSING WOMAN

 Firebaugh’s relatives reported her missing, and the police appealed

through the media to help them find her. The last time she was seen
according to investigators was the night of January 19, l982 when she
left her home to meet a man over at the Holiday Inn in East Peoria,

Illinois. Police never found that man, nor did they run down any other 

leads that sounded promising. Their investigation did lead to several people that knew Linda very 

well, including Taylor and Shaw. 

 About that time Joel Shaw got out of jail and when he got home he reported a

few things different in his house there on Butler. A mattress was found
in the basement and some of the bricks down there were missing. Police
found dirt on the floor and what amounted to the appearance of blood

on the floor and walls. Interesting…very interesting.

MISSING OR DEAD?

 Police decided to take Charles Taylor and Paula Shaw into custody. 

They questioned them at length about their relationship with Linda 

and their business relationship as well. The state’s attorney

soon got into the act and charged the two with housebreaking and
kidnapping. Later they added aggravated kidnapping. Authorities held
them both until the SA managed to get a $100,000.00 bond on their
heads, which pretty much guaranteed that they would remain behind
bars. Of course what the SA really wanted to do was charge the two
with the murder of Linda Firebaugh, but where was the body? What

proof did they have that the lady was dead, or had been murdered?

 Once in jail, her rights explained to her, Paula Shaw began leaking to the
police the bizarre story of the missing Linda Firebaugh. The police
indicated that she talked plenty but what she said was primarily lies.
The blame was put upon Taylor, and the police decided that since they
had them both in custody they would not jump to any early conclusions.
Slowly that process worked in getting at the truth. Of course what the
SA wanted was the body, the corpus delicti. Literally in Latin this
means “the body of the crime.” It does not mean the actual body or
corpse. But if they could not produce the body of Linda how would they
prove their case? The SA can try a person for murder even without a

body, but it sure as hell complicates matters.

 After careful study of the statements Paula Shaw had given
investigators the state’s attorney decided to charge her with two counts
of murder and two counts of kidnapping. Taylor was not charged with
murder and his two charges remained as they were. Linda was taken
before a judge and her bail bond was set at a half million dollars,

Taylor’s stayed at his initial $100,00.00. 

 The SA’s office was going to have to rely on the February 9 and 

February 15 statements they had from Paula Shaw to convict her. The 

statements gave conflicting stories, so the reliability of them would be a major

question for the jury to decide. Still the SA had to proceed even though
the body of Linda Firebaugh was still missing, but they felt that they
knew exactly what had happened to it. All the SA had to do was
convince the jury that the woman was dead, and that Paula had not only
killed Linda Firebaugh she had also managed to conceal or discard the

body.

WHAT DID THE POLICE REALLY HAVE?

 All the details would come out in the trial, but the police did allow some

of the information they had gathered to reach the media. First, they
found blood on the walls and the basement floor of Shaw’s brother’s
home. Her brother certainly had absolutely nothing to do with the
murder and in fact was a victim as well because shortly after he got out
of jail the uninsured house was destroyed by fire. A victim of arson he
was now out of his house and home. Police suggested the missing bricks
were used to weight the garbage bags down when the dismembered
body of Linda Firebaugh was tossed in the Illinois River, explaining the

presence of the Detroit divers.

 What the authorities learned about the last days of Linda’s life was even
more shocking. Remember Linda was attached to a pole down in the
basement of Paula’s brother’s house. After two days of her horrible
ordeal Linda managed to get lose from the cuffs making her escape
through the basement window and away she ran to a nearby neighbor
for help. Seconds after she got to the house Taylor and Shaw barged in
behind her demanding to know where Linda was. Taylor then went to
the bedroom where she was hiding and dragged her out kicking and
screaming back to the home on Butler. What kind of help did she get

from the people she begged for help? None!

 More damaging evidence was obtained when police got their hands on
the blue jump suit that Linda had worn the day she was abducted and
chained to the steam pipe over there on Butler. There was no doubt that

the SA would be faced with a circumstantial evidence case but he was 

confident he had enough to convince a jury. It was time to bring this

case to a trial, let the people decide. There, the minute details would be

laid out in a sensible, chronological order and justice would be served.

THE AXE MURDERER’S TRIAL

PEORIA COUNTY MAY 11, 1982

 So with that sobriquet attached the trial began that warm day in May,

l982. It was one of those hot tickets trials that few trials in Peoria managed 

to be, after all it had the right ‘stuff,’ a love triangle, murder,

dismemberment, and Intrigue, all the ingredients of a macabre horror
movie. It caught the imagination of the people that read about it, and

some of them meant to be in the audience to hear it all first-hand.

 For the People were State’s Attorney John Barra and his assistant Darilynn 

Knauss. Paula Shaw was represented by Michael Brandt, a competent

local lawyer. In the opening arguments the jury and spectators knew
they were in for some horrific details as Barra outlined the last terrorfilled
days of the victim, Linda Firebaugh. That was all right with them,

they didn’t come to be told a bedtime story.

 The People would rely almost solely on the very statements that police
took from the defendant wherein she described the treatment given to
Linda before and after she was axed to death. According to Kimberly
Bentley, one of the first witnesses, Paula had worked as a prostitute for
Firebaugh and that Paula loved Charles Taylor. The evidence then went
on to show that both women loved this ‘Hassan,’ Taylor and that the
relationship between the old friends had grown hostile. Barra quickly
admitted to the jury that the body of Linda Firebaugh had never been
found, and that the People’s case would rely on the statement of the

defendant and corroborating evidence.

 Police Detective Charles Cannon was then sworn in and his testimony
included reading the statements he had taken from the defendant. The
first statement was February 9, 1982 and in that statement Paula told
the officers that she had watched and gagged as Taylor decapitated and
dismembered the body of Linda Firebaugh. The officer then switched
statements and reading from his notes, he told the jury that on

February 15, 1982, the defendant changed her tune. 

 The detective said that Paula wanted to get the story straight, so the 

officer took her second statement as evidence. He then told the jury 

that Paula confessed that it was she, not Taylor, that had wielded the 

axe and killed Linda Firebaugh. Another officer, Sammy Hoskins took 

the stand to discuss the second confession. Shaw said that Taylor telephoned 

her and told her to meet him at the house over on Butler. Shaw said in her 

statement that Taylor had brought along Linda and that he had taken her to 

the basement where he handcuffed her to a steam or ceiling pipe. 

 The couple stayed there that night, but in the morning they went over to 

Third Street to make sure that Linda’s ten-year-old got to school. Paula then 

said “I told Linda that if she could get the cuffs off to run as fast as she could 

because neither of us knew what Hassan was doing.” Later the evidence showed 

that Linda had escaped by getting out of the cuffs and crawling out of the window. 

Linda then ran to a nearby neighbor’s house and gained admittance. “Linda asked 

me why Taylor was holding her and I said, ‘I don’t know, I’m just as scared as

you are,’” Paula then told the police in her statement that “Hassan is mad at me 

and blames me for letting you escape.”

 The officer continued reading the statement to the jury. She said that it
was Thursday night when Taylor killed Firebaugh. “He ordered me
down in the basement with an axe and ordered me to kill Linda. I

started to shake and couldn’t do it. I brought the axe up, but when it came down 

it hit the floor.” The officer glanced up then continued “Linda screamed and Taylor

grabbed the axe. That’s when Linda yelled ‘No, Hassan, please don’t. This isn’t
necessary.’ Hassan then held her head down with his foot and took her

head off.” 

 A multitude of expressions were on the faces of the jury and the spectators as the 

real horror of the murder was read into evidence. The statements would become 

exhibits and go with the jury to read during deliberations. If the defense could not 

come up with something dramatic to overcome them then Paula Shaw was doomed 

that first day of her trial. 

 Now the jury would hear that the February 15th. statement was the

‘real’ truth and that most of what Paula told the police on the ninth of
February was false. They shifted a bit forward hoping to finally know
the truth. Who killed Linda Firebaugh, this Hassan Taylor or the

defendant Paula Shaw?

 When Taylor brought Linda to the house on Butler, according to
Shaw’s second statement, it was she, Shaw that told Taylor to take her
to the basement since she was screaming and Shaw was afraid it would
alert the neighbors. Shaw then talked with Linda alone in the basement
telling her that she loved Hassan and that all she wanted was for Linda
to leave them alone. The next morning, a Thursday, Paula Shaw told
Taylor to bring her the fire-axe that she kept in the kitchen and to find
some garbage bags. Taylor did what he was told to do.

 The officer told the jury that Linda had made up her mind what to do

about Linda Firebaugh. “ Paula told me that Linda was a threat to
Hassan, and she didn’t want anything or any person to harm him.” The
officer looked over at the judge, then continuing, she said “Paula said
she hit Linda in the neck with the axe ‘one, two, three times I guess.’
“She told me that after the head came off, she chopped her hands off,
then her feet.” The audience murmured bringing a stern look from the
judge but he did not use his gavel. This was stunning evidence, horrific
and graphic indeed. The officer paused, took a deep breath, then said
“She said the axe was going all over the place; she could hardly control
it. She could not control the axe any longer and that is when she called
Taylor. Taylor was upset with her and told her that the job had to be

finished, so he did the rest of it.”

 Defense attorney Brandt attacked Hoskin’s testimony pointing out to
the jury that the officer had told a different story to the grand jury.
 “Isn’t the reason you didn’t take a written statement
 then and tell the grand jury is because you did not
 believe the story yourself?”
Officer Hoskins shook her head “No, that’s incorrect.” Evidence was
then put forward that the outfit Linda Firebaugh was wearing at the
time of her disappearance was found at the defendant’s residence on

Third Street. 

 Along with the outfit, Linda’s purse and rings were discovered as well.

Bentley, a teen-ager was a witness and she told the jury that she saw
Shaw wearing one of Firebaugh’s rings. The jury also heard that the
blue jumpsuit belonging to Linda was offered as a gift to Shaw’s

mother. The trial would continue after lunch, the jury already had a lot of 

evidence to mull over…all of it bad for the defendant.

THE DEFENSE HAS SOMETHING TO SAY

 Mr. Brandt looked over at the jury. “Where is the body? The police

couldn’t find it. Professional divers couldn’t find it. Where is the body?” 

If the jury believed Firebaugh was murdered, fine, but his client certainly did 

not kill her.

 “I would suggest to you the evidence we have heard
 all points in one direction only…Charles ‘Hassan’ Taylor
 was the killer, not Paula.”

 Brandt then went on to tell the jury that Taylor was on parole for
shooting a man in a barroom fight and the center of a bizarre love
triangle with the two women. He then got a bit more specific, calling

Taylor a “psychopathic, psychotic maniac.” He then went on to tell the jury that 

Firebaugh’s captivity in the basement was some sort of perverse game the trio was

playing. The defense told the jury that even if his client was involved in

disposing of the body it was after the murder and she wasn’t liable.

 The People, through assistant Darilynn Knauss countered with “It was
Linda Firebaugh’s last day of life and Paula Shaw decided what she was
going to do and how to get Firebaugh out of her life forever.” She then
went on to ask the jury “Not to let a confessed murderer walk out the doors
of the courtroom, the same doors Linda Firebaugh will never walk through.”

 State’s Attorney John Barra had the last word calling the slaying a

“Senseless, bizarre and inhumane crime.” He approached the jury,
turned and looked over at the defendant. He dismissed those that thought just
because Shaw had no criminal record that she was incapable of such a crime.
“What kind of lady would be involved in holding a person hostage? What

kind of lady would have gone on with life after this brutal event as if nothing had 

happened? What kind of lady would have taken the very last outfit Linda Firebaugh 

wore, planning to give it to her mother as a present?” He was back at his table now 

looking over at the jury, gesturing. “What kind of lady could have worn one of the 

victim’s rings even before the blood had a chance to dry? What kind of lady? 

No kind of lady, because Paula Shaw is not a lady, she’s a murderer.” He went on 

to remind the jury that “They tied her up to a pole just like livestock and they 

butchered her like beef cattle.”

DID THE JURY BUY IT ALL?

 The six-man, six-woman jury deliberated almost nine hours before they brought back 

their verdict of guilty to the two counts of murder,aggravated kidnapping and kidnapping.

The defendant, head down, stood as Judge Peter J. Paolucci read the first verdict. By 

the time he had gotten around to the two murder charges the defendant was sobbing 

audibly, her head on her lawyer’s shoulder. The defense attorney told the reporters that he 

would appeal, adding, “What we have here is a missing person, and Linda Firebaugh hasn’t

even been missing four months.”

THE JUDGE PASSES SENTENCE

 If Paula Shaw had something to cry about when the jury convicted her of murdering 

Linda Firebaugh the sentencing she received must have been utterly devastating. 

Judge Peter Paolucci sentenced the defendant to 85-years in the state penitentiary. 

Describing the grisly axe murder of Firebaugh as “Hideously cruel and an atrocity,” 

the Third District Appellate Court affirmed the verdict of the lower court. It was 

August 2, 1983 when the SA’s office heard the good news. The court also upheld the 

85-year sentence the lower court had handed down and indicated that they found no 

reversible errors during the trial.

 A clear motive for the murder was never established although some
evidence existed that Taylor wanted to go into the prostitution business
with Shaw and a cab driver. Killing Firebaugh cut down on the

competition.

 Charles “Hassan” Taylor had his day in court up in Rock Island, Illinois and 

the same judge sentenced him to a total of thirty years for his part in the murder. Taylor 

was convicted for residential burglary and kidnapping. The judge described Taylor as 

being beyond rehabilitation noting eight felony and misdemeanor convictions in the

past fifteen years.

You might be happy to hear that a judge sentenced the neighbor over on Butler to 

2 years for obstructing justice in this case. Remember he was the neighbor Linda ran to for help but got none. I won’t mention his name, surely he understands what a terrible mistake he made…I

hope.

Shaw went to Dwight Correctional Center, where she died of lung cancer in early 1996 at age 38.

Taylor, meantime, went to Illinois River Correctional Center near Canton. He was released in late 1996.

Today Charles Taylor is currently incarcerated at the Dixon Correctional Center. He's serving
a 9 year sentence for burglary. That conviction was in Cook County. He's due to be released
December 1, 2017.

Editor’s Note: Norm is a local historian and well-known author of books and
articles about Peoria’s bawdy past. More details in his book MURDER IN YOUR
OWN BACKYARD, available in our library. norman.kelly@sbcglobal.net

Murder In Our City Hall

MURDER  IN  OUR  CITY  HALL

  NORMAN  V.  KELLY

 It was Thursday morning October 29, 1936 down on the first floor of The Peoria City Hall when the drama that would shake up the folks in Peoria, Illinois really began. At least that is what the readers of the Evening Star thought when they picked up the evening paper from their front door stoop.

 Truth is it began three years earlier with divorce proceedings over at the courthouse.  Like all marriages there are ups and downs but lately it seemed the marriage of David and Wilma Roe had a lot more downs than it did ups.  They began their marriage living over at 511 Millman just two blocks from where my grandmother’s house stood and still stands today.  The neighbors certainly were aware of the squabbles going on but so far no police had been called.  The divorce got as far as a first meeting with a judge but the decree was never signed and life went on.  It culminated in the office of the chief of police on October 29, 1936 and would end that same afternoon on the third floor of the city hall. It was the talk of the town and the headlines screamed out as the downtown paperboys sold their EXTRAS all over town.

 It seems that Wilma Roe had written a letter to Chief Fred Nussbaum and he had arranged a meeting with the couple in his office before they went to their scheduled meeting with Mrs. Smith of the Family Welfare Association up on the third floor.  The truth is that office had already taken two of the children to a home within its organization for safe keeping.  The oldest daughter, Donna had accompanied her parents on the fateful day of October 29, and she was one very upset young girl of six years old. Her two sisters, Shelia, age 5 and Janet age 2 would probably soon be joined by Donna the way things were going so far. Chief Nussbaum read the letter from Mrs. Roe out loud so her husband could understand that Wilma not only wanted a divorce, she also told the chief that she was afraid of her husband and that he had threatened to kill her.

 It was a tense scene inside the chief’s office and terrified little Donna could hear the loud voices out in the waiting room where she sat, wide eyed and scared out of her wits. Finally, the meeting ended and a truce seemed to have been worked out.  Wilma left the office with her daughter to head to the Welfare Office and David told his wife that he would see her in Mrs. Smith’s office.

 Winifred Smith, an accomplished and experienced social worker sat at her desk listening to the couple, first one then the other. The battle raged back and forth and after an hour or so, she had made some progress.  She also separated David and Wilma then brought them back together. She made a telephone call to Elizabeth Geisel the executive secretary and as she waited Dave sat in the council chambers alone. After talking to Mrs. Geisel a lunch break was decided upon and around one in the afternoon they met once again.

 Mrs. Smith would later relate to the local newspaper reporters that Mrs. Roe was ‘Mortally afraid of her husband.’ David had made it clear how he felt about the matter when Mrs. Smith had written down his quote which she shared with the newspaper reporters. “My wife ran off with my very own brother. I don’t care about that she can have him. All I want is my oldest daughter.”

 Mrs. Smith separated the couple again and waited for Mrs. Geisel to come back.  Mrs. Smith went to fetch David but saw him coming back on his own. Mrs. Roe screamed and started to run.  As she passed David he reached out to stop her and as he did so he pulled a .32 revolver from inside his jacket and fired point blank into the side of his wife’s head. She fell instantly to the floor fatally wounded.  By then Mrs. Geisel walked up to David Roe and as he looked up at her David fired his weapon at Mrs. Smith.

 In all Mr. Roe had fired four shots, but Mrs. Smith had not been hit.  In a quick move David Roe pointed the gun at his temple and fired. He fell dead upon the floor next to his wife. By then Donna stood among the adults looking down at her dead parents as their blood began to spread over the tile floor. Pandemonium followed as every police officer in the building and terrified office worker seemed to appear from nowhere.  Dr. Wilbur Weinkauf, of the Health Department pronounced the couple dead.

 The coroner’s inquest was held to a packed courthouse room and all the details were pretty much covered. Of course the jury ruled the case a murder/suicide and over the months the story slipped away. As in all the other cases there are more details but space prevents their being printed here. I left this story with sadness for The Roe family and especially Donna.  I hope the kids managed to live fruitful lives after such a personal tragedy struck them so early in lie.

Editor’s Note: Norm is a monthly contributor to News and Views, a Historian, Author and some of his stories are on line.  This Story is for norm’s friend Stacy. Contact Norm anytime at norman.kelly@sbcglobal.net .

DIARY OF OUR RIVER CITY - Part Two

Simeon De Witt Drown

DIARY OF OUR RIVER CITY

Part Two
                                       
NORMAN V. KELLY

In my last post I introduced you to Mr. Simeon De Witt Drown, who really began a recorded history of our town which evolved into our City Directories. I thought I would start up where I left off and see if we can pick up some interesting tidbits about those folks way back then.

Winter 1845: On the criminal docket there was an interesting case that the local folks were eager to be part of: People vs. Nomaque described as a “half-breed” was charged with the murder of a Frenchman named
Pierre Landre. Nomaque entered a plea of ‘Not Guilty’ and his trial was set shortly after the plea. A jury found him guilty of killing the Frenchman and sentenced to hang. His lawyer appealed the case and while awaiting that decision Nomaque escaped and ran into the vast Prairie. It might interest you to know that the only residing attorney in Peoria at this time was John L. Bogardus.

December 6, 1845: There was a ‘war’ going on between Mormon and Anti-Mormons in Hancock County and as a result the sheriff of that county, J.H. Backenstoss was arrested for murdering Franklin Worrell, a Mormon. He was tried here in Peoria, Illinois and the jury took all of fifteen minutes to find him ‘Not Guilty.’ That little war was serious business and during the conflict almost 100 homes were burned to the ground and several men on both sides were killed.

November 20, 1850: A jury of Judge Kellogg’s Court found Thomas Brown and George Williams guilty of robbing and murdering Mr. Hewitt, a cattle buyer from Peoria. The beating and robbery took place on Spring Street here in Peoria and the men were hanged out in the Prairie. Today that would be Second and Sanford down in the South-end. Our population was a little over 6,000 and well over 15,000 people jammed together around the dual gallows that were built out there. The hangings took place on January 15, 1850. Imagine that throng of people on that bitterly cold, snowy day. Can you imagine that spectacle? I described that scene in my book Until You Are dead. Our local library still has a couple copies. Actually Brown and Williams were the first killers to face execution here in Peoria, Illinois. Six more would follow and two other men were executed by electric chair.

JUDGE WILLIAM KELLOG

September 7, 1853: School Master Seary was acquitted this day when a jury found him not guilty in the whipping of a ‘scholar.’ On that day Mr. Erford’s jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict in his trial for ‘Maliciously shooting a Mule.’

April 4, 1857: At noon on that exciting day the first train passed over the first rail road bridge built across the Illinois River at Peoria, Illinois. That span connected the Peoria and the Oquawka tracks heading towards the Tazewell banks. The massive bridge was 600 feet long and a draw span of 203 feet. It was a marvel to local folks and truly an important day for the future of Peoria, Illinois. Spectators cheered the wood-burning locomotive “George C. Bestor.” Throngs of spectators screamed and yelled their welcome then the young boys ran after the locomotive as it passed over the bridge.

May 18, 1857: Peoria was excited today as most of the town’s 12,000 citizens seemed to be flocked around the huge building on a downtown street as the ceremonies got under way for the opening of Rouse Hall.
The theatre and office complex covered the entire city block of Main and Jefferson Streets and would remain the leading show house in Peoria for almost a half century. The building was built by one of Peoria’s leading citizens, Dr. Rudolphus Rouse and leased to a showman named John Huntley who always put on great shows like the “Merry Monarch” and popular singers from throughout the United States. The theatre drew thousands of People from all over to Peoria, Illinois

May 23, 1851: I had to bring you this piece since as a child the arrival of a circus or a carnival in Peoria drove all of us kids into a frenzy. We had a lot of out door activities on the river and the arrival of attractions like carnivals and circuses was always the high light of the summer. Just look at how Peorians reacted in 1851. Nixon and Kemp’s Eastern Circus, certainly one of the largest traveling circus in America, arrived in Peoria today and the entire town rejoiced. All of the circus members paraded through town followed by the largest Calliope ever built and certainly the first one to arrive in Peoria. The massive contraption was pulled by 40 horses and sent the folks into a wild frenzy. Clowns, acrobats, jugglers and get this…‘necromancers’ furnished most of the entertainment.
Editor’s Note: Norm is a local Historian and true crime writer and welcomes your questions and comments. norman.kelly@sbcglobal.net

DIARY OF OUR RIVER CITY

DIARY OF OUR RIVER CITY

NORMAN V. KELLY

Part One

Peoria,IL - 1839

For those of you that read my story last month about Rudolphus Rouse, you are well aware of how quickly Peoria became a sophisticated city. Through out our history we had a plethora of men and women that stepped up to give us a boost, and I spent over three decades trying to praise them. I thought I would bring you some early history in a form of a diary that was devotedly kept and guarded by our keeper of the records, the folks at the Peoria Public Library. Even before we became a city in 1845, there were newspapers located here, followed quickly by a library and record keepers, court files, and police reports. That record was scrupulously kept. The only time it was distorted was during the time our pet gangster Bernie Shelton lived here. Then our uncles and grandfathers took over with gangster stories that they loved to perpetuate upon gullible listeners. A lot of so-called historians did the same thing. Me? Why I stuck to the record, but it is always more fun to read fiction than it is musty old historical records. I did it because that is where you will find the truth about Peoria, Illinois, its people and its history.

We are not a city yet, and there is a lot of activity way out in the county by January 1843. By then Philander Chase, founder of Jubilee College, let it be known that “No baptismal rite performed on a Mormon by a
Mormon had any saving value in the eyes of Heaven.” Strong language and of course there were repercussions to Philander’s statement.

On February 1, 1843 somebody must have had the authority and control of the town’s purse strings to issue this rule. Anyway the Peoria Waterworks Company was authorized by legislature to improve any spring water within two miles of Peoria.

On the evening of February 13, 1843 an Abolitionist meeting being held by The Anti-Slavery Society to pick officers was broken up by slavery sympathizers, led by Mr. Underwood. Now this was a private meeting being held at the Main Street Presbyterian Church. Didn’t we name a street after Underwood? Remember way back then, because of our Constitution and Bill Of Rights folks had the same inalienable rights as we do today. Apparently Underwood and his gang did not believe that to be true.

Main Street Presbyterian Church

During the very early spring folks still tried to cross the river to East Peoria on horse and buggy even though the local authorities warned people of the dangerous conditions. Two children riding with the Rodecker and Parker families drowned when their buggy broke through the ice on the Illinois River. That was February 28, 1843 at the foot of Main Street.

Newspapers were established in Peoria even before we became a Town in 1835. By 1845 when we became a City and for decades the newspapers competed with each other not only politically but for the almighty dollar as well. Many local politicians, business men and women and police officers felt their wrath. A sample was this zinger:
“The thing called a ‘jail’ in this county is not worthy the name.”
Peoria: January 1844.

Printed on 2-7-1844, The Democratic Press went against the local newspapers in trying to squelch the rumor that folks in the Town of Peoria, Illinois were suffering and dying from a mysterious disease known only as ‘The Black Lung.’ The editor pointed out that the last death among the 1,600 inhabits was recorded way back on December 8, 1843. Some folks laughed at this statement and the rumors persisted.

James K. Polk

November 4, 1844 certain newspapers gleefully reported that
The County of Peoria registered their usual Democratic majority
by casting 1,169 votes for James Polk, Democrat and 846 for Henry Clay, Whig… for President of the United States. By the way Lincoln never won here either. Polk won the election.

On December 10, 1844, Charles Owen died. Owen had declared that he was 110 years old and came to Peoria from Virginia in 1822. The article went on to state that Mr. Owens came to Peoria carrying a load of whiskey, which he sold to one of the local Indian tribes. No not the Peoria Indian who had been driven out of this area by 1720.

A man that took it upon himself to be Peoria’s first census taker and local historian, S.D.W. Drown let the folks know on January 16, 1844
that Peoria’s population was 1,619. Mr. Drown also published a ‘Town Directory’ which evolved into ‘The City Directory.’ There would be very little recorded history of early Peoria without the dedication of Mr. Drown.

By March of 1844 steamboats were a vital link to the outside world and along with our whiskey moved Peoria along head and shoulders above all the other villages and towns that sprung up along the Illinois River. However, none grew so substantially as Peoria, Illinois, ‘The Gem along the Illinois.’
Next month let’s take another peek into the ‘Peoria Diary’ and see just how our forefathers prospered in Peoria, Illinois, ‘The Pearl on the Illinois.’

Editor’s note: Norm is a true crime writer, Peoria historian and author. He welcomes your comments. norman.kelly@sbcglobal.net

PEORIA: LIBERTY TOWN USA

PEORIA: LIBERTY TOWN USA

NORMAN V. KELLY

Here in the month of October I thought that I would reminisce a bit out loud about Peoria, Illinois during WWII. I will remind you of V-J Day, which to us here in Peoria began with a flash to our news rooms at 6:08 P.M. on August 14, 1945. In less than a moment of hearing the marvelous news that Japan had surrendered the streets downtown began to fill. All the people and folks living near downtown were in the streets long before ordinary folks like me and my friends in El Vista managed to get downtown. Throughout our history all major events were celebrated in Downtown Peoria, Illinois, I can tell you that for sure.

The celebration started with some horn honking, a few handshakes and hugs and then pandemonium broke out. The church bells began to ring and Peorians found themselves in a traffic jam to end all traffic jams. So…the drivers and passengers got out of their cars and joined in. In groups of fifteen hundred strong, folks held hands and circled the courthouse singing and yelling their fool heads off. Shots were fired into the air, firecrackers sounded across the city as the exuberance began to swell.

Soon high school bands were in the streets, followed by musicians that played loud and long. Patriotic songs were played with the vibrant drums stirring up the crowd. A few gals and soldiers opened up the hotel windows and began tearing up pillows allowing the feathers to fall over the folk’s heads on the streets. Once they began dumping water the police kindly asked those folks to cease and desist. I think the party got a little out of hand as alcohol began to make a difference in the crowd. Cars were shaken so hard that some of them were damaged, and police virtually helpless in the snarl of traffic, could only yell at the culprits.

We didn’t have a lot of tall buildings but some of them were ten and twelve stories high. Up on the roofs confetti rained down and added to the madness. As always there is an element that thinks pranks are more fun than good old celebration. The street cars were trying to hurry back to their barns, but some of the toonervilles were attacked damaging most of the windows. The rear electric connections were pulled and some of the motormen ran for their lives. Mayor Woodruff quickly ordered all the taverns and the downtown businesses to close and invited everyone to come on down and celebrate. Folks obeyed and the place was a scene of chaos and joyful madness.

GO ON HOME

Now it is 11:30 P.M. and although we were all of thirteen and fourteen years old we were still downtown. There was no way we could have caught a bus or even gotten to the two cars we parked down by the river, so we just stayed. Surely our parents would understand and probably my entire family was down there anyway. Even then you could see that the crowd had grown and between you and me it was getting a bit scary. We hung out close to the courthouse steps and saw what we could see. I did kiss my first woman that day and believe me there was a lot of kissing going on. The truth is about the only amusement for us was watching the crowds hurrying by. Now where were they going? The next block over I guess.

Of course booze was now all over the place and the older men were obviously drunk. We saw some guys openly carrying whiskey and beer, some in brown sacks but they were not fooling anyone. I heard a few bottles being broken and I was anxious to get the hell out of there and ‘go on home.’

I saw a lot of men in uniform and even some of the officers forgot their place, but they were all having fun. The war was over…it was actually over and now was the time to celebrate that very fact. The other guys in uniform got most of the kisses and as I mentioned we were just a bunch of teenagers trying to get home. At first we were scared with the sound of guns going off, especially from the National Guard troops, but some police officer told us that they were “Just shooting blanks.”

People crawled all over the buildings like the Alliance life Building and the Lehmann Building trying to get a better view high up there on the fire escapes. They were thwarted by the managers and the police but eventually we saw a lot of them up there, waving and screaming like idiots. Truth is we would have loved to have gone up there ourselves, but we stayed put.

Finally we made our move toward the river avoiding Main Street and on more than one occasion we feared getting run over by large groups of men in uniform, arm in arm coming down the street. To a kid it was exciting, but once it was obvious that we were not really part of the adult celebration it got a bit boring. We had to go east all the way to Woodruff High School and finally up to Prospect and finally got back to El Vista. It was going on one in the morning when we finally got home. It had been an exciting, sometime frightening adventure but we talked about that night for years. The next day the newspaper accounts put it all in prospective.

Actually according to what Police Chief Victor Klarich reported there had been only five injury cases reported. He put the entire police department into the downtown fray, and over all he was satisfied with the very few arrests his men had to make. They too celebrated, along with the war weary people of Peoria and the surrounding small towns.

We did see people heading for the churches and rallies at the Shrine and other buildings downtown to pray and thank God for World Peace. Tuesday and Wednesday every church in town, and there were over a hundred of them, held services of thankfulness.

At the moment of the great news 39 Peoria men were prisoners of war, and a lot of folks centered on them and the families that were hoping and praying to see their loved ones again. Downtown business remained closed and believe me the people that depend on the 72 restaurants that were in the downtown area were missed. Finally by early Wednesday good old Patriotic Peoria, Illinois was back in business but I can tell you there were a lot more smiling faces to look at for the first time since Pearl Harbor. It was quite some time when we learned that 662 men from this area never made it back home.

We were downtown Wednesday afternoon going to movies at the Columbia and the Apollo and the debris from that wild night was still blowing in the wind, followed by a small army of workers trying to catch up with it.

V-J Day, what a wonderful time was had. Guys my age, after seeing all our brothers disappear wondered if the war would last long enough for us to be part of all that ‘Glory.’ Sadly just five years later we all got our chance. For me it was 1951 and I ‘disappeared’ for four years. We never had a V-K day and except for the 52 Peorians killed in the Korean War, we too managed to survive. Will it ever end?
Editor’s Note: Norm is a true-crime, fiction writer and Peoria Historian. He welcomes your comments: norman.kelly@sbcglobal.net

GENERAL LARRY R. KEITH

GENERAL LARRY R. KEITH

NORMAN V. KELLY

Anyone who knows my work knows that I do not write about people unless they were born in Peoria, Illinois or lived here for a time. This year I have made a special effort to seek those folks out and talk about them on radio and in some cases I did a feature article on that person. Peoria has a long list of people that went on to be famous, infamous or a major celebrity. I would like to tell you about a man that I am certain you never heard of unless you went to school with him. After that there was only one big story about him that made headlines here in Peoria.

His name was Larry Richard Keith and he was born here on June 21, 1935. He went to McKinley Grade School and graduated from Manual in 1953. He was no great scholar and as a matter of fact was not very interested in school. He even ran away a couple of times, but his life was to turn around and lead him to a place a lot of young men can only fantasize about and that was the ‘Great blue yonder.’

Larry grew up here with his parents and his two sisters Gloria and Sherry, down in the South End of Peoria. About the only job I can remember Larry having was with a company called ABC. As I mentioned Larry was not crazy about school and it amazes me that he went on to get his degree in Economics from the University of Tampa in 1970 and his Master of Science degree from Auburn University in 1972, a remarkable accomplishment, I must say. Once he joined the United States Air Force he continued his advanced education by graduating from the Air Command and Staff College in 1973, Armed Forces College in 1974 and the Naval War College in 1979. It hurts my brain just to think about all that from a shy young man from Peoria, Illinois. Larry entered the Air Force as an airman with the 169th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron out at our airport. I remember talking to him and he was a long way from flying airplanes when he told me that basically what he did was just “wash the airplanes.” Larry had bigger plans than that in his head, and it did not take him long to begin an odyssey that would end beyond even his wildest dreams.

Just a year later Keith entered the Aviation Cadet Program in Texas and earned his pilot’s wings in Arizona in 1956. He was on his way and the only place to look was up. While in Arizona he graduated from gunnery school and then returned to The Air National Guard in Peoria as a fighter pilot. Young Lieutenant Larry Keith was done washing airplanes. In October of 1961, Larry joined the regular Air force and remained out at the 169th for another year. He was then sent to MacDill Air Force base where he flew the F-84 Thunder Jet and the F-4 Phantom. I remember playing golf with him at MacDill and he kidded me about looking at every airplane that flew over. “Norm, you can’t beat me if your mind is up there.”

Larry was assigned to an air base in Okinawa where he commanded a squadron before being assigned to an air force base in Thailand. From that base major Larry Keith flew 108 Combat Missions over North Vietnam in his F-4 Fathom. It was at that time during 1966 when he was credited with downing an enemy Mig-17. That hit the headlines here in Peoria and after that we never heard another word about the brave young pilot from Peoria, Illinois. His fearless leadership and combat skills earned him the Legion of Merit with oak leaf clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf clusters, Meritorious Service Medal and Air Medal with 11 oak leaf clusters. Colonel Keith also earned other medals from foreign countries.

Colonel Keith was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and was a vice-commander of an air base in Spain. In 1982 he was the group commander of a base located in Germany. He served as a general officer with the Air Force in the Pentagon and a commander of a base in Germany before he finally retired. General Larry R. Keith was a fighter pilot with just over 4,500 hours in the air serving his country and fulfilling his dream to be the best pilot and officer he could possibly be. My brother-in-law, and my wife’s brother, Larry Keith died of an inoperable brain cancer on June 21, 1999. He was a quiet, unassuming brave warrior without a boastful bone in his body. Editor’s Note: Norm is a Peoria historian, author and a monthly contributor to NEWS and VIEWS. norman.kelly@sbcglobal.net

NOBODY CALLED HIM DWIGHT

NOBODY CALLED HIM DWIGHT

NORMAN V. KELLY

I am not foolish enough to think that I have convinced everyone that the role of the so-called gangster was over rated and mostly a myth in Peoria, Illinois. But…I keep trying. I have written and lectured about Life in Peoria for thirty-two years, and believe me…I am running out of time. So I am trying to get most of my 300 plus stories on line since the books are no longer available for purchase. Let’s take for example Snooks Gordon. Now here is a man that has gotten a raw deal as far as local ‘historians’ are concerned. He was a ‘gangster’ according to these idiots and of course he was not. He was a gambler, a boxer, a very tough guy and a hard working business man. Also to add to his life he was a warehouseman and a successful contractor. I can tell you that he and his attorney Vic Michel sued the City Of Peoria to try to get back the slot machines that he said the city stole from him. Wow, he had a few slot machines so he must have been a gangster, of course. Yes, he was arrested once or twice for gambling and carrying a gun. So what…you should check out some of my relatives. A gangster was a man like Al Capone and men of his ilk. If you think our pet gangster Bernie Shelton was up there with Capone you are hallucinating. So…back to DWIGHT ‘Snooks’ Gordon.’ Oh, I forgot to tell you that he was a murderer too. Oh he killed someone once no doubt about that. What those myth makers do is omit the facts…and perpetuate the myth, and they are damn good at it. So am I, at telling the true story.

Snooks Gordon was a fixture in Peoria and I’d like to concentrate on him here in Peoria during the 1940’s, my favorite time. Mr. Gordon was a man that had a lot of friends as well as those folks that feared and hated him. Your opinion of him was based on what fence you were looking over…if you get my drift. Snooks was a damn good boxer and a lot of money was won and lost betting back in those days. He fought 56 bouts and won 47 of those, including winning 47 by knockouts. Boxing was big in our town, and many fighters made a pretty good living as ‘Amateur’ boxers and a lot of them, including Snooks would often fight under different names just to fool the opposition. I guess the surprising thing was that he rarely fought over 140 pounds. But once a fighter weighed in, what they did to gain weight was always a bit dubious.

Local newspapers wrote a lot about him, not only as a fighter, but never was there an article about him that did not refer to him as a gambler. So what? Every man that spent anytime downtown gambled. Now remember we had nine flat-out Casinos downtown and a total of 242 saloons. There was gambling of some sort in most of them and gambling here in Peoria was as common as cracks in the sidewalk. If you think Bernie Shelton had control of gambling in Peoria you have been listening to your grandfather’s myths. I had a lot of male relatives and I can tell you they were right there in the middle of the wild times in downtown Peoria, Illinois. Snooks just had more money than most of them and his flashy, confident persona attracted attention, which he loved.

As a private eye here in Peoria for many years, I can list twenty-five or thirty guys that most fools would call gangsters, but I know better. Anyway, Snooks could be a loyal friend, but if he did not like you he did not keep it a secret. He had his share of fights outside the ring and I know for a fact that this incident was true. It took place in the north-end at a small park called Morton Square in the north-end. He got in a shoving match with one guy and before it was over four other guys joined in against him. He got hurt, but he gave them all the battle they wanted. Snooks could come across pretty arrogant and cocky and his antics cost him a lot of money in attorney fees.

Gordon was married to Betty and they spent a lot of time together out and about the town of Peoria and I can tell you it was an exciting place in the 30’s and 40’s and especially during the years of WW11. Snooks had a lot of money: He was generous and had a tendency to flash the money around. But this story took place on a very hot day in July 1947. The couple took their nephew to the Glen Oak Zoo. Going south on Prospect a car whizzed past Snooks and according to Snooks, cut him off. Like all of us that sort of thing irritated him so he honked the horn and game the other driver the international sign. Road rage is not a new thing among the drivers now or way back then. “Hey, you want your half of the road in the middle,” he was quoted as yelling.

The other guy…his name was Emery Renzel…took exception to all this and the little ‘battle’ continued on down the road. Well, at McClure and Prospect these two fools pulled over to the curb to confront each other. I don’t even have to describe the scene…these confrontations should be avoided at all costs, but there they were.

“Take those sunglasses off and I’ll teach you how to drive.”

Snooks laughed. “I don’t want to fight with you…you’re too old.”

Now the rest of the story is based on which witness you talked to. Since I read the transcripts of the court reporter in the court files I can tall you that they did vary…that’s for sure.

Snooks claimed that Mrs. Renzel slapped him followed by an attack by her husband, Emery Renzel. One punch from Snooks flattened his opponent and when he got up Snooks knocked him down again. The man did not get up that time, and a quiet fear came over all of the people witnessing this fracas. As they gathered over the fallen man they could see that he had struck his head on one of the embedded streetcar tracks and died shortly after from head injuries.

Now once the fight was over Snooks went back to his car and drove off certainly unaware of the fatal injuries the man had received. Shortly after that police cars virtually surrounded Snooks’ home and he was soon under arrest. The newspaper articles told the story and the fact that Snooks had left the scene was really played up. Gordon quickly hired a prominent lawyer named Vic Michel, who at one time was the Mayor of Peoria. There was a big deal over the fact that his fee was $10,000.00. Now who would know that? Why your grandfather and the other myth-makers of Peoria…that’s who.

THE DAY OF THE TRIAL

It was a blustery, cold December in 1947 when a lot of curious folks made their way to the Peoria County Courthouse to see this big shot get his come uppance. Yep…that’s what a lot of people felt back in those days. You had money then you must not be a decent person. Sad…but that is the way we were. Oh, and on September 3, 1946, Mayor Carl Triebel finally announced that gambling would stop. Truth is it did. My point being that if gambling was Snooks’ big reputation he was out of that ‘business’ by then. Once the jury was picked the trial got under way. After the opening arguments the State called the medical examiner and the coroner. The medical examiner testified that there were bruises on the knuckles of Mr. Renzel among other injuries to his head and those proved to be fatal. When the defense put on its case, Michel reminded the jury what the medical examiner had said about Mr. Renzel’s knuckles. “Mr. Renzel got bruises on his knuckles by hitting the defendant.”

It was an exciting trial and witness after witness took the stand. Through out it all, Mr. Gordon sat there in a quiet, dignified manner and let the best lawyer in town battle for justice. Once the jury got the case, they went to lunch. After a very short period of debate they notified the judge that they had reached a verdict.

“Mr. Foreman, have you reached a verdict?”

“We have your honor we find the defendant Dwight ‘Snooks’ Gordon… Not Guilty!”

Snooks and his wife personally thanked each and every member of the jury as they stood to leave the jury box. Personal injury and wrongful death suits were filed, but they have a way of being settled. A lot of know it all ‘historians told me that “Snooks Gordon lived in fancy houses like a king.” What a pathetic joke. He lived at 412 Miller in Peoria heights. When he worked in a warehouse he lived at the fabulous address of 732 A, on the Boulevard of Kings, Fourth Avenue. He had a pretty nice house at 3845 Knoxville which he built to sell. Then he and his wife Betty in 1950 moved to 323 Pennsylvania Avenue. Yep…he lived like a king no doubt about it. Editor’s Note: Norm is a Peoria historian, author and a monthly contributor to ASO. norman.kelly@sbcglobal.net