A trip through the history of the Windy Cityâs lawless districts where you could lose your money and your lifeâfrom the author of Haunted Illinois. Â From the very beginning, Chicago thrived on its reputation as a wide-open town. After the Great Fire, no part of the city was rebuilt more quickly than the vice districts, where bribed cops and brutal force emboldened professional wickedness to celebrate itself with gala events like the First Ward Ball, begun in honor of a madamâs pianist and often so crowded that passed-out drunks couldnât even fall to the floor. Randolph Street was nicknamed Gamblerâs Row because men gambled with their lives by visiting it. In Little Hell, guns and knives could be rented by the hour. In these seedy areas only put to sleep by Mickey Finnâs knockout drinks or Gentle Annieâs knockout punches, it is no wonder that Detective Woolridge kept seventy-five disguises, made twenty thousand arrests and was shot at forty-four times. Â Includes photos!
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