American Hauntings Podcast

In the fall of 1926, the best friend of Chicago gangsters returned to politics and got his name added to the Republican mayoral primary ballot. William “Big Bill” Thompson was back from political exile – he just couldn’t stay away. 
In early July, he sailed his yacht down the Chicago River and into Lake Michigan, carrying an motley crew of politicians, businessmen, beer-swilling clowns, assorted cronies, and a gangster or two. They were cheered on by thousands of people who lined the shoreline. The man was a walking punchline, but people loved him. 
He’d spent the last year or so rebuilding his political capital, knowing that Chicago was not a city that wanted reform as badly as the current mayor wanted to offer it. Al Capone was so enthused about the corrupt former mayor's return that he contributed $250,000 to Thompson’s campaign fund and introduced every form of bribery and terrorism imaginable on the man’s behalf. 
It was also during this campaign that Capone was credited with the Chicago’s most famous political slogan and one that’s still around to this day:
“Vote early and vote often.”

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If there was any one thing that motivated Hymie Weiss it was revenge. 
Since the murder of his friend Dean O’Banion, he’d been the de facto boss of the North Side gang that Dean had founded, mostly because none of the rest of the guys had wanted to be in charge. They were content to have Hymie make the decisions and if they weren’t sure what to do, they voted on it.
And their lack of initiative probably came from the fact that they seemed less interested in making money and more interested in sabotaging the operations of Capone and his allies – and, if possible, wiping them out. Hymie and his men had wounded John Torrio and chased him out of Chicago. They’d attacked Capone twice, killed Angelo Genna, and wounded and murdered dozens of enemy gunmen. 
But Capone retaliated next. He marked Hymie and Vincent Drucci for death -- and then he tried again. And then Weiss nearly got Capone, and back and forth it went, until the streets of Chicago ran red with blood and one of the men ended up in the grave.

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In 1997, 13-year-old John Ushman was found dead inside Room Five of the Southern View Motel in Springfield, Illinois. Authorities ruled that he died while playing Russian roulette with a stolen revolver.
But newly obtained police records reveal changing statements, hidden guns, a motel room reportedly wiped for fingerprints, and days of silence before John was finally found.
In this episode, American Dread reconstructs John’s final days and the troubling questions that still surround Room Five.
Check out our new American Hauntings Podcast Network for even more spooky shows.
Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859
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This episode was written and produced by Adam White.

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On August 5, 1994, Decatur Realtor Sherry Lewis left to show a home. She never came home. More than three decades later, her murder remains unsolved. In this special anniversary episode, American Dread revisits one of Central Illinois' most haunting cold cases and the ongoing search for justice. 
Check out our new American Hauntings Podcast Network for even more spooky shows.
Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859
New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytayloroddities
Check out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.com
Want an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon page
Find out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.com
Follow us on Twitter @AdamsLife365, @AmerHauntsPod, @TroyTaylor13, @CodyBeckSTL
Follow us on Instagram @AmericanHauntingsPodcast, @AdamsLife365, @TroyTaylorgram, @CodyBeckSTL
This episode was written and produced by Adam White.

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On the same day that the corpses of the last of the men who tried to revive the “Terrible Genna’s” operation was found, the Vice President of the United States, Charles Dawes, demanded that the U.S. Congress begin a federal investigation into the lawlessness that was occurring in the streets of Chicago...
Check out our new American Hauntings Podcast Network for even more spooky shows.
Have a question or comment? Text us on the Haunt Line @ 217-791-7859
New Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/troytayloroddities
Check out our updated website and sign up for our newsletter at AmericanHauntingsPodcast.com
Want an episode every week, plus other awesome perks and discounts? Check out our Patreon page
Find out merch at AmericanHauntingsClothing.com
Follow us on Twitter @AmerHauntsPod, @TroyTaylor13, @CodyBeckSTL
Follow us on Instagram @AmericanHauntingsPodcast, @TroyTaylorgram, @CodyBeckSTL
This episode was written by Troy Taylor
Produced and edited by Cody B

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