Category: Chicago

In 1856, a young woman entered the Pinkerton Detective Agency’s offices at 80 Washington Street in Chicago, Illinois, looking for employment.  According to his own accounts, Pinkerton politely told her he didn’t need a cleaner or a secretary, but she insisted she wasn’t interested in a traditional woman’s role.  She believed the detective service needed her as an agent.  After considering her compelling arguments, Allan Pinkerton hired her as his first female operative.  This is the story of Kate Warne, the first female Pinkerton detective.  Listen carefully, because this story is full of hard to believe details.

 

 

Works Cited

Bowlin, Ben, et al. “‎Ridiculous History: Kate Warne, the Pinkerton Detective Who Saved Abe Lincoln, Part 1: The Origin Story on Apple Podcasts.” Apple Podcasts, 30 June 2020, podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/kate-warne-pinkerton-detective-who-saved-abe-lincoln/id1299826850?i=1000480863548.

Enss, Chris. The Pinks: the First Women Detectives, Operatives, and Spies with the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. TwoDot, an Imprint of Globe Pequot, 2017.

“Kate Warne.” Civil War Wiki, civilwar.wikia.org/wiki/Kate_Warne.

“Kate Warne.” History of American Women, 22 Mar. 2011, www.womenhistoryblog.com/2011/03/kate-warne.html.

“Life and Exploit of Allen Pinkerton.” The St. Johnsbury Caledonian, 16 July 1884, p. 1.

Pinkerton, Allan. “THE SPY OF THE REBELLION.” The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Spy Of The Rebellion, by Allan Pinkerton., www.gutenberg.org/files/34973/34973-h/34973-h.htm#Page_45.

Rossen, Jake. “The Story of Kate Warne, America’s First Female Private Detective.” Mental Floss, 27 Nov. 2019, www.mentalfloss.com/article/606901/kate-warne-first-female-detective.

“Tributes to the Departed.” The Inter Ocean, 31 Dec. 1878, p. 8.

“Unsung Heroes: First Female Detective Kate Warne.” Pinkerton, 27 Mar. 2020, pinkerton.com/our-insights/blog/unsung-heroes-first-female-detective-kate-warne.

“Virginia Secession Cockades.” Mad Mimi, 16 Apr. 2015, madmimi.com/s/ecdc16.

Walsh, Robert. “The Untold Story of Kate Warne, America’s First Female Private Eye.” Explorethearchive.com, 17 Oct. 2018, explorethearchive.com/kate-warne-first-female-detective.

Yarlagadda, Tara. “Kate Warne: First Female Pinkerton Detective Thwarted Lincoln Assassination Attempt.” HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 18 June 2020, history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/kate-warne.htm.

The public was fascinated by the disappearance of Louisa Luetgert, wife of sausage manufacturer, Adolph Luetgert.  When authorities suggested he had disposed of her body in his sausage plant, the nation’s imagination went wild…and sausage sales took a huge hit.

Works Cited

“Action Line.” Chicago Tribune, 20 June 1981, p. 68.

“Experiement That May Determine His Guilt or Innocence.” The Buffalo Times, 7 Aug. 1897, p. 1.

“Jury Unable to Agree.” The Deadwood Evening Independent, 22 Oct. 1897, p. 1.

Loerzel, Robert. Alchemy of Bones: Adolph Luetgert, www.alchemyofbones.com/who/luetgertfamily/adolph.htm.

“Luetgert Denies It.” Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 1898, p. 4.

“Luetgert’s Stained Knife.” The New York Times, 9 Sept. 1897, p. 5.

Schechter, Harold. “The ‘Sausage Vat Murder,” 1897.” The Yale Review, 26 Jan. 2020, yalereview.yale.edu/sausage-vat-murder-1897.

“The Sausage Vat Murder.” Chamblee54, 21 Jan. 2020, chamblee54.wordpress.com/2020/01/21/the-sausage-vat-murder/.

USGenWeb Archives – Census Wills Deeds Genealogy, files.usgwarchives.net/il/cook/court/fischer62nwl.txt.

The first episode of Fact or Fiction’s second season features Tillie Klimek, the black widow of Little Poland.  In 1922, Tillie was arrested for poisoning her husband with a steady diet of arsenic-laced stew.  Investigators soon discovered there was more to the story of the woman renowned in her community for cooking a killer stew and predicting impending deaths.

 

McNamara, Joseph. “Black-Widow Killings.” New York Daily News. 13 September 1992, p. 31.

Monroe, Heather. “The Strange Murders of Tillie Klimek.” Medium, Medium, 14 Nov. 2019, heathermonroe.medium.com/the-strange-murders-of-tillie-klimek-effa70912b5b.

Tillie Klimek is pictured above.  I like this picture of her.

Monroe, Heather. “The Strange Murders of Tillie Klimek.” Medium, Medium, 14 Nov. 2019, heathermonroe.medium.com/the-strange-murders-of-tillie-klimek-effa70912b5b.

 

Works Cited

Blanco, Juan Ignacio. “Tillie Klimek: Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers.” Tillie Klimek | Murderpedia, the Encyclopedia of Murderers, murderpedia.org/female.K/k/klimek-tillie.htm.

Chermak, Steven and Frankie Y. Bailey. Crimes of the Centuries:  Notorious Crimes, Criminals, and Criminal Trials in American History. ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2016.

Estephe, St. Wholesale Killer of Husbands & Cousins : Tillie Klimek (Gbrurek) – 1922, 1 Jan. 1970, unknownmisandry.blogspot.com/2011/09/wholesale-killer-of-husbands-cousins.html.

“Hostess at Poison Banquets Gets Life for Her Crimes.” New York Daily News, 5 July 1925, p. 20.

“In Poison Case.” The Knoxville News, 17 November, 1922, p. 2.

“Jozef ‘Joseph’ Mitkiewecz.” geni_family_tree, 15 Jan. 2018, www.geni.com/people/Jozef-Joseph-Mitkiewecz/6000000074082231048.

Martin, Alison. “This Week in History: Chicago Serial Killer Tillie Klimek Dies in Prison.” Times, Chicago Sun-Times, 19 Nov. 2020, chicago.suntimes.com/2020/11/19/21563154/this-week-in-history-tillie-klimek-chicago-serial-killer.

McBride, Clare. “Chicago’s ‘Mrs. Bluebeard,’ Tillie Klimek.” SYFY WIRE, SYFY WIRE, 15 Oct. 2020, www.syfy.com/syfywire/chicagos-mrs-bluebeard-tillie-klimek.

McNamara, Joseph. “Black-Widow Killings.” New York Daily News. 13 September 1992, p. 31.

Monroe, Heather. “The Strange Murders of Tillie Klimek.” Medium, Medium, 14 Nov. 2019, heathermonroe.medium.com/the-strange-murders-of-tillie-klimek-effa70912b5b.

“Mystery Deaths in Poison Case May Reach 20.” Chicago Tribune. 14 November 1922, p. 3.

“Ottilie ‘Tillie’ Gburek KlimekHeather MO (1876-1936) – Find…” Find a Grave, www.findagrave.com/memorial/101602851/ottilie-klimek.

Selzer, Adam. “Tillie Klimek’s Many Victims (with Pictures).” Mysterious Chicago Tours, 16 Nov. 2015, mysteriouschicago.com/tillie-klimeks-many-victims-with-pictures/.

Swasko, Mick. “Tales from the Windy City.” Chicago Tribune, 20 October 2014, p. 33 – 36.

“Three Sons, Daughter Testify Against ‘Poison Cousin.’”  Chicago Tribune. 10 April 1923, p. 3.