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Wilmettes 75th Anniversary 1872-1947WJLMETTE LIFEFire!village and were taken to the Wes- Murder! Was GrimSkipper Should Haveterfield home. Here, while wrappedin blankets and seated about theRecalled One if bygreat kitchen range, the captain re-Tale of Earlier TimesLandl Rule for LampWateesdt erhfioewld he had mistaken Mrs.s lamp for the light fur-Wilmettther south past the point.e did not have a Paul Re-No Solution but One Sus-vere nor did the British ever try toSeveral years ago when Wilmettepecindicted for that crime, as far asinvade the Village but a lightedharbor was dredged, two anchorst Left Town, Anotherlamp did play an important partand a chain were found on the lakeHangeI remember.d for Eastern Crimein the communitys history. This isbottom at the entrance of the har-"However, he was indicted forthe story as told by an Old Timer.bor. It is generally believed by oldI murder later in Philadelphia, and atExcitement thereAbout 1865, Rebecca Westerfield,timers that these anchors and chain was plenty ofI his trial it was developed that hewife of John Gedney Westerfield,were from this old wreckedthat, too, in the gooct old days. Ahad seven wives, marrying in NewYorlater first village president, wasschooner.k state, Illinois, Cincinnati, Cal-thrilling event of 1893 is told by Mrs.suffering from asthma and couldLifornia, and Philadelphia, and thatnot sleep. Near a window she placed. A. (Esther Dunshee) Bower, 1216in all of those localities he was ac-Ashlana lamp on a table.LAKE TRAGEDYd avenue, in her reminis-cused of murder for the purpose ofMore than 367 lives were lost incences.collectingOut on the lake this lamp was insurance. He was con-September, 1860, when the excursionvictedseen by a schooner captain who was in Philadelphia and hanged."One night I was awakened to seeHeraccustomed to seeing a similar lightsteamer, Lady Elgin, collided withe he left his wife and a daughtera bright glow across Lake avenue.further south and beyond Grossethe lumber vessel, Augusta, on aabout seven years old."(Mrs. Bower then lived in the housePointe. Seeing the light in the win-dark and stormy night oft the Win-built by her father at 1033 Elmwooddow and mistaking it for the othernetka beach. Hero of the occasionavenue, formerly called North ave-COMMUNITYone, the captain thought he hadwas Edward W. Spencer, a student HOUSEnue.) The house on the south side ofsafely rounded the point and steeredat Garrett Biblical institute, whoAs early as 1913, the need of athattoward shore.swam to the wreck 17 times through street just east of the alley be-community house in Wilmette washeavy surf. He died in 1923, havingtween Ninth and Tenth streets wasonpointedVolunteer Crew out. Shortly after the firstbeen an invalid for 60 years as the fire the flames leaping high. Itwaworld war such a center was estab-The schooner hit the sand barresult of exposure in the Lady Elgins occupied by a family by thenamlished, but it lasted only a fewnear the present Wilmette harborrescue work. He received no medale of Wheeler, and it developedmonths. Several attempts to reviveand vtfas wrecked. The captain andfor his exploit nor did any of thethat his mother-in-law had beenmurderethe idea were made in succeedingmost of the crew were rescued by asurvivors ever express their grati-d and the house set on fire.years.volunteer life saving crew from thetude to him."No solution of the murder wasever found, so far as I know, butMr. Wheeler was ostracized as sus-picion was leveled against him, andhe left Wilmette to reside in Colo-rado. I do not believe that peopleWILMETTES OWNever really believed him guilty, butit happened that the murderedwoman had in her possession thatnight a large sum of money whichBICYCLE & SPORT SHOPhad been collected from a mortgagewhich had matured.Had Own Theory"To my young mind," Mrs. Bowercontinues, "there was a much moreexciting theory connected with thiscase. A man known as Harry H.Holmes had been accused of killinghis wifes uncle on the south sideto collect insurance on his life. Ap-parently the evidence had been in-sufficient at the time to hold him."He had married a Wilmettewoman, whose father was engagedin the expressing business in the vil-lage and who had lived in a smallhouse next to the Congregationalchurch which then stood in the lotwhich is now Mr. J. M. Brownslawn . . .Whence the Lumber?"After the marriage that housewas either moved or torn down . . .and in its place the house nowknown as the Wilmette Inn waserected and known as the HolmesHouse. It was said to be pretty wellestablished that much of the lum-ber which went into that house wasstolen from across the street whereMrs. Mary E. Gates (mother of thelate Henry B Gates) was buildingthe home which she occupied forBEST WISHESmany years the house just southoHandling ato thef the present Congregationalchurch . . .CompleteVillage of Wilmette Line of"Mr. Holmes was supposed to bea traveling man, which accountedfor his freauent absences fromWXfoonen Its75th AnniversaryhomeThe Versino Bros., John and. I would see him once in awhileJim, are determined to serveSALES, and later viewed those oc-casions with considerable awe.SPORTINGtheir patrons in the future asandthey have the past 14 yearsHe was SuspectedEQUIPMENSERVICETwith the finest in Sporting"Largely, I suppose, because ofEquipment for outdoor and in-Bicycle Accessoriesfdoor use.Worhmeeelre raccusations, when Mr.s mother-in-law was mur-dered, suspicion was attached to Mr.Holmes, who seemed to be con-The Shop with the Sportsman in Mindstantly getting into deeper water.The police developed the fact thatsome person or persons had runthrough the alleys from the WheelerWILMETTE BICYCLE & SPORT SHOPhome to the Holmes house, and, asI remember it, there was evidence605 Green Bay RoadVersino Bros., Props.Wilmette 1404that Holmes had been in Wilmetteabout that time, but he was never