Notes
Notes Introduction: The Dark City on the Edge of Civilization 1. Farwell, Reminiscences of John V. Farwell, 51. 2. “Chicago in the Thirties: Stories of the Times When Pelicans Were Shot within Corporate Limits,” Chicago Inter-Ocean, April 18, 1884. 3. “Foul Ewing Street,” Chicago Inter-Ocean, March 30, 1893. 4. “The Party of Revolution and Robbery,” Chicago Inter-Ocean, March 26, 1879. “Democratic leaders of Chicago confidently expect to carry the forthcoming municipal election. They insist that on a full vote . . . the city is largely Democratic; this false assumption paves the way for the repeaters and the ballot-box stuffers brigade. It means frauds are necessary to success.” 5. “The Wages of Sin,” Chicago Times, August 5, 1877. 6. Karabell, Chester Alan Arthur, 5–6. 7. Quoted in the Chicago Tribune, August 23, 1883. See also “Party Hardy,” by Tom Chalkley, online at www.citypaperonline.com for a historical review of the Gorman machine. 8. Chicago Daily Times, December 27, 1936. 9. William Marcy Tweed (1823–78) was the first “boss” of Tammany Hall, the Democratic organization of New York. From 1860 to 1871 he controlled all city patronage. His rise to power culminated in the election of Abraham Oakey Hall as mayor—who was subsequently indicted on a charge of neglect of duty in 1872. 10. Chicago Common Council, Journal of the Proceedings, December 4, 1871, 1–9. 11. Facing the grimy railroad freight yards, “Biler Avenue” sprung up almost immediately after the Chicago Fire, proving that not even a conflagration of that magnitude could block the relentless expansion of vice. Historians are not sure of just how Pacific Avenue (now LaSalle Street) acquired its dubious nickname, but with the construction of a Jewish synagogue in 1879 in the middle of the block and the determination of the Temple to rid the district of lewd women and objectionable saloons, vice operations shifted eastward to Clark Street where the notorious Custom House Place levee was taking shape. See the Chicago Tribune, October 8, 1879, for a further account of “Biler Avenue.” 12. Others have since staked their claim to the famous phrase, notably the famous 1920s Broadway show lounge maven and speakeasy owner, Mary Louise “Texas” Guinan (1884–1933). Guinan greeted patrons at the door of her 300 Club in New York with a 253 cheerfully familiar “Hello, Suckers! Come on in and leave your wallet on the bar.” In another version, historians credit Syracuse, N.Y., banker and promoter David Hannum who unveiled the “Cardiff Giant,” a 12-foot stone carving manufactured by hoaxer George Hull in 1868 at Fort Dodge, Iowa, and transported to Cardiff, N.Y., where it was retouched, put on display, and advertised as the remains of an ancient man. Hannum had purchased the object for $30,000 and looked forward to doubling his investment by capitalizing on the gullibility of the ticket-buying public who believed such nonsense. Phineas T. Barnum exposed the fraud and supposedly quoted Hannum’s exact words, to the effect that “There’s a sucker born every minute.” For further information, see R. J. Brown, “P. T. Barnum Never Did Say ‘There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute,’” History Buff.com, http://www.historybuff.com/library/refbarnum.html; and Asbury, Sucker’s Progress, 305. 13. “A Despicable Wretch,” Chicago Herald, October 27, 1882. 1. A Train Butcher Raising the Wind 1. A short biographical sketch of Mike McDonald’s father appears in the Chicago Tribune, March 26, 1895. Genealogical information about the McDonald family in Chicago , New York, and Ireland (while very fragmented and sometimes unverifiable) was obtained through the Mormon databases at their Family Research Center in Wilmette, Ill.; also the Population Census Schedules for Niagara County, N.Y., 1840–50, in the National Archives, Washington, D.C.; the Office of the Cook County Clerk; Mount Olivet Cemetery, Chicago; Latter Day Saints Genealogy Data Base; the generous assistance of Dorman Nelson of Granada Hills, Calif.; and Brenda Mason of Kincardine, Ontario. 2. For further information about this obscure incident of American history, see Robert Kostoff, “Patriot’s War Affected Niagara Area,” Niagara Falls Reporter,” July 22, 2003. 3. Chicago Tribune, March 26, 1895. 4. Saint Rafael became the Parish of the Sacred Heart in 1854 with 617 registered families. The parish church is located at South Avenue and 11th Street. Niagara Falls Gazette, March 11, 2008. See also Steele’s Book of Niagara Falls, 7th ed. (Buffalo, N.Y.: Oliver G. Steele, 1840), and Burke’s Descriptive Guide...
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