chiflyguy

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:44:08 -0600

I totally remember Babs. It's been awhile, but I used to see her stalking up and down Broadway, usually muttering racist stuff to herself or whomever would listen. One time I saw her chasing two middle-aged asian women down the sidewalk, shouting something at them. You just don't get that kind of entertainment in Schaumburg.

mepps

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:09:41 -0600

"It's one of the best books on our city's wonderful history..." 2nded

Pinko

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 10:54:06 -0600

Does anyone remember Babs? This old crazy, homeless woman was a fixture for years in the Belmont/Clark area, easily recognizable by the black-framed eyeglasses she wore with no lenses... One of the local owners of a now-defunct coffee house told me that back in the day, she was a prostitute and later the madame of a brothel on Belmont. Apparently, she had contracted syphillis which went untreated and eventually left her mentally deranged. Despite being homeless, she had allegedly amassed a small fortune which she kept in a savings account in the bank at that same intersection... On one occasion, after bumming a cigarette off me, she went on to tell me how the Nazis were trying to take her money.(?!) It's been several years since I've seen her--I can only assume that she has either died or been institutionalized. At any rate, I miss seeing her shuffling up and down Belmont--she was definitely part of the local flavor of that neighborhood...

Chicagoist: Know Your Early 20th Century Chicago Madames

chiflyguy

mepps

Pinko