Saturday, December 23 (2023). Good morning.
I hope everyone has nice plans for the end of this year and beginning of the next.
Where Were We?
Last week, I wrote about the conversations that took place the night that Harrison died. The game was on as to who would fill the mayor's seat and how. Each party was looking for an advantage in the judicial election the following week. Each also wanted an advantage in the presumed special election for mayor. Each side wanted a process for selection that favored their side. A Democrat had been mayor, but the Republicans had the majority in the city council. If the Council were to elect the mayor pro tem, the Republicans would win. That is, if the vote was above board, which was by no means certain.
Today we cover the events of Sunday, October 29: a city in shock and mourning and unofficial decisions disguised as official ones. The newspapers, too, were waking up to the fact that the Mayor’s death, in addition to all else, was a political crisis.
October 29, Sunday morning.
Those who had gone to bed early the night before or lived far from newsboys' cries woke to the awful news. Harrison’s paper, the Chicago Times, reported:
The hoarse shouts of the tireless newsboys as they penetrated every street and avenue of the city, far and near, brought the awful tidings for the first time to hundreds of thousands who had gone to their homes Saturday night before the rumors of the assassination reached the down-town hotels and resorts.
Awakened by these unwonted cries all Chicago knew long before church time of the irreparable disaster that had befallen it on the night before. The churches were all crowded in the morning with the regular parishioners and strangers eager to hear whatever eulogies or other references that might be made by the pastors to the dead mayor.
By the end of the day, the city would be dressed in mourning. With shops closed and bunting thus unavailable, many businesses put up flags at half-mast.
As both the Herald and Inter-Ocean reported, verbatim:
The pall of a great sorrow hung over the city yesterday and men discussed the terrible tragedy of the preceding night in whispers. The customary calm of the Sabbath seemed to have been intensified. Evidences of mourning were universal.
Calmer investigation failed to add any new aspects to the dreadful happening. The simple story of the appalling event, which was read yesterday in every portion of the civilized world, was truthful beyond the need of emendation. There is little to be added to the tragic narrative which has already taken its place as one of the saddest chapters of history.
The remains of the honored dead lay all day in the room which had always been occupied by Mr. Harrison as a sleeping apartment, in the second story of the south wing of the house on Ashland Avenue.
—Chicago Herald, Inter-Ocean October 30, 1893.
And the World's Fair, on its last full day, was weighed down with sorrow.
QUIET SUNDAY AT THE FAIR.
Death of Mayor Harrison Casts a Shadow on the Crowds.
Dreary and solemn looked the fair grounds yesterday. The angel of death spread her wings over the bright concourse, casting a pall over everything. At half staff the flags slowly swung in the breeze, telling in dumb language the story of a life departed…”
“…The music of the bands formerly so attractive jarred the nerves. In the band stand on the court of honor a gay march was being played which was quickly stopped and the players, chagrined at their lack of good judgment, quietly packed up their instruments and left.
“…In the morning a fire outside the grounds caused a black, heavy smoke to coil itself around buildings and draw a shadow over the face of the sun, casting a misty gloom over everything and clinging to the buildings in the way turned them an ashy gray in the bright sunlight…”
Later that day, Director General of the Fair, George R. Davis, wrote an order, canceling the closing ceremonies:
“In view of the assassination of the chief magistrate of the city of Chicago, the ceremonies which were announced to take place to-morrow, Monday, October 30, in connection with the closing of the World’s Columbian Exposition will be wholly dispensed with, except that all heretofore invited guests and the public generally are requested to assemble in the Festival hall at 1 pm as originally intended. “
Not everyone was mute with shock. The aldermen who had met last night had agreed that some number of them needed to meet, and soon, about what to do next. Only the (Republican) Inter-Ocean and the (Democratic) Times reported on this meeting that took place at 11 am at City Clerk Gastfeld's office.
According to the Times, the meeting consisted of six Democrats and six Republican aldermen. (The Inter-Ocean reported fewer Democrats.)
According to the Inter-Ocean, those gathered concluded that organizing the Mayor's funeral must come first. What no one could agree on was whether a mayor pro tem could be acted on at Monday night's regular Council meeting. Because the laws of mayoral succession hadn’t been cleared up yet, (and I suspect each side had an interest in stalling for time so they could get their political ducks in a row) they decided it would be wise put off formal discussion of succession until after the funeral. That did not mean that informal discussions did not take place.
At the request of the participants, Clerk Gastfield issued a call for a special meeting of the City Council to take place the next day at 10 am to discuss funeral arrangements. The call was dated October 28, not the actual date of October 29, because conducting business on a Sunday was illegal.
At least one newspaper did a bit of work on Sunday: The Tribune’s Monday papers were full of reports from conversations had the day before that had little to do with funeral arrangements and proper procedure and everything to do with gaming the results. It was clear who the Tribune thought should become mayor pro tem: another Republican, not George B. Swift.
Header: MADDEN FOR MAYOR
Subhead: Council Seems to Favor Naming Him Pro Tempore
The general opinion yesterday was that the choice would fall upon Ald. Madden of the Fourth Ward. As Chairman of the Finance committee, he is the recognized leader of the Council. He will probably be the choice of a majority of the Republicans, while at the same time, he will be acceptable to a majority of the Democrats. The most important business that can engage the attention of a Mayor of Chicago during the next thirty or fifty days will be the settlement of the financial dealings of the city with the World’s Fair directorate. Ald. Madden is perfectly familiar with these matters.
Swift Probably Not Acceptable
Ald. Swift has been mentioned in connection with the position, because of his honorary position as Chairman of the Council in the absence of the Mayor, and his recognized ability. But he would not be acceptable to the majority of the Democratic Aldermen. Messrs. Tripp, Ernst, and Gallagher might support him, but as they have been the recognized opponents of Mayor Harrison the mass of the Democratic Aldermen would decline to support any man whom they might choose as their candidate. Had the Democrats a majority in the Council they would doubtless select one of their own number for Mayor pro tem. But they have not, and they will therefore make the best of it and aid in the selection of a Republican acceptable to them.
It is understood that most of the Democratic heads of departments at the City Hall are opposed to Ald. Swift for temporary Mayor, while they say they will make no objection to Madden and will serve him loyally. This attitude of City Hall men practically will decide the Council as a whole in favor of Ald. Madden, though some West Side Republican Aldermen yet talk Ald. Swift.
Ald. Madden refused to discuss the question yesterday. “The city will not suffer,” he said, “if the discussion of this matter is postponed for a few days. In all decency, the talk of candidates ought to be deferred until after the funeral of Mayor Harrison. I will only say that I have no doubt the Council has the power to elect a Mayor pro tem., pending the election of a Mayor by the people.’”
Martin B. Madden, an Irishman, emigrated to Chicago when he was a teenager. He worked in the stone and quarry trades, becoming the President and Director of the Building and Traders’ Exchange in Chicago in 1889. That same year he was elected to the Chicago City Council. By 1893, Madden was chairing the Finance Committee. He had steered a number of gas and rail franchises through the Council, of questionable benefit for the city and its citizens but lucrative to Madden and his friends. Among said friends were several powerful Democrats, including members of the “City Hall Quartet,” (including Henry Donovan of the Chicago Eagle) who were said to pull the strings around Chicago. Madden had been presiding over City Council meetings until Swift was re-elected in 1892, when the honor was bestowed upon Swift. That may have been the cause of, but more likely was evidence of, the rift in the Republican party that would soon split wide open.
The Trib’s argument for Madden was pure gamesmanship on the Trib’s part. The Republicans didn’t need support from the Democrats to elect Swift. I don’t think the Trib had any interest in mollifying Democrats; I think that the Tribune either didn’t like Swift or had a special friendship with Madden. I’ll investigate this in the weeks to come.
A weird, sad coda.
This has nothing to do with the actual story, but one Sunday event that made all the papers was the inquest that took place that morning at the Harrisons’ home. The finding, by the Coroner, was expected: death from hemorrhage and shock from a bullet wound to the stomach. But I had to look up what an inquest actually was because the proceedings themselves seemed very odd, at least by today's standards. With Carter Harrison's body lying upstairs, and his family and fiancee at home in mourning, witnesses were invited to the house to testify in front of the quickly-assembled jury and "spectators." Because the inquest was organized in haste, the only jurors available at that hour (10 am) were those well-known to the organizers. To a man, they were all friends of Carter Harrison's, among those the neighbor W.J. Chalmers, who had been with the dying man the night before, and a well-respected judge, C.C. Kohlsaat (brother of the Inter-Ocean publisher H.H. Kohlsaat.)
Among the witnesses were Preston Harrison, Chalmers of course, and, finally, the murderer himself, Patrick Eugene Prendergast, who was taken out of jail and brought back to the Harrisons’ home. Indeed the Inter-Ocean describes Preston Harrison's appearance while testifying: "his eyes were red and swollen, his face was pale and haggard. His manner was calm and quiet as if from despair." Prendergast was brought into the room once for the maid Mary Hansen to identify him, and then for Judge Kohlsaat, the foreman of the jury, to ask if he wanted to say anything. He demurred, but when he saw Mrs. Chalmers walk by, he asked if it was Mrs. Harrison. He wanted to tell her, "I sympathize with her in her misfortune." It's hard to imagine how Harrison's loved ones - how any family - could have abided this investigation, and the murderer in their own home.
Housekeeping.
I’m taking the next two weeks off from original reporting. The first week, to take an actual break, and the second week, because I’m working on a book proposal and it’s hard to get the time to work on that and the substack at the same time. I might publish a couple of “re-runs,” though.
Thanks again to everyone who reads this! I hope the end of this year and beginning of the next is filled with at least some glimmers of hope and joy, and with any luck, a good deal more than that.