There were numerous murder mysteries in the recent past, including the little heard of West Hammond Resort incident. The newspaper article below comes from The Day Book, Friday, August 23, 1912 and details some of the people who went missing and mentions the hidden tunnel.
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 operated by Henry Foss, which long has been notorious.
The charge that it is a house of death is made by Virginia Brooks, the girl reformer of West Hammond.
It was in this resort that John Messmaker died suddenly. Mess maker was wealthy. He was married and had three children.
Early in August he left 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. Andrew Hoffman. At the hospital where he died, physicians declared his death was due to poison. They pointed to the mark of a hypodermic needle as proof.
The investigation in Messmaker’s death led to startling disclosures.
Esther Harrison, 22 years old, who came to West Hammond to work, visited Foss’ resort one night and disappeared. Her body has been dug 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 was shanghaied to the Foss resort, from there taken to a roadhouse and has disappeared.
George Davis, the girl’s father, went to West Hammond looking for her. He came to the Foss resort and disappeared.
Virginia Brooks says she believes there is an underground tunnel from the Foss resort to the cemetery, and that a full investigation will explain 20 mysterious disappearances from West Hammond 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 mayor Woscynski, who has been charged with bribery by the dive element, cast the deciding vote for the reform forces.
