FULL WIRE REPORTS OF THE UNITED PRESS
THE DAT BOOK
Fb
500 S. PEORIA ST.
TEL. MONROE 353
VoL 1, No. 284 Chicago, Friday, Aug. 23, 1912
One Cent
GIRL REFORMER CHARGES WEST HAMMOND RESORT
WITH BEING A DEATH HOUSE DIVES CLOSED
West Hammond may have a
death house, in comparison with
which the Gunness murder farm
will pale into insignificance.
The house is the resort oper
ated by Henry Foss, which long
has been notorious.
The charge that it is-a house. of
death is made by Virginia Brooks, was. shanghaied to the Foss re
.. ' i r ,,, , Vr sort, from there taken to a road-
the girl reformer of West Ham
mond.
It was in this resort that John
Messmaker died suddenly. Mess
maker was wealthy. He was mar
ried and had three children.
Early in August he leff his
wife saying he was going on a
business trip. He went to West
Hammond with a young woman.
He visited. Foss' resort, and died
there.
He was attended by a Dr. An
drew Hoffman. At the hospital
where he died, physicians declar
ed his death was due to poison.
They pointed to the marlc of a
hypodermic needle as proof.
The investigation in Mess
maker's death led to startling-disclosures.
Esther Harrison, 22 years old,
who came tq West Hammond to
work, visited Foss' resort one
night and disappeared. Her body
has been dug1 up. There is the
mark of a hypodermic needle on
the arm. No burial certificate
ever was issued for her.
Lotta Davis, 15 years old, came
to West Hammond to work. She
house and has disappeared.
George Davis, the girfs father,
went to West Hammond looking
for her. He came to the Foss re
sort and disappeared.
Virginia Brooks says she be
lieves theer is an underground
tunnel from the Foss resort to the
cemetery, and that a full investi
gatfon will explain 20 mysterious
disapeparances from West Ham
mond in the last seven years.
At a meeting of the council
last night all the West Hammond
dives were closed. Virginia
Brooks attended the meeting and
forced the issue on the council.
On each vote the council
split even, and on each split May
or Woscynski, who has been
charged with bribery by the dive
element, cast the deciding vote
for the reform forces.