Jan Raczkiewicz Was Shot in 1915

Jan had a big year in 1915 for some reason. I thought it was the year he married France but that was actually at the beginning of 1916. I found out he worked as a shoemaker and that information might have been good or bad -- was he fired as a cabinet maker or was he trying out something he hoped would be an improvement? The bad news that year is that he was shot -- two times actually, on the same night. The past year (2020) in Grand Rapids has seen a sharp spike in shootings and in fact there were 35 homicides in 2020 versus 18 in 2019. The pandemic and racial inequities are the probable reasons. It makes me wonder what was going on in 1915 in Grand Rapids and how safe was the city to which Jan and his brothers had recently immigrated. ***** Reading in the Grand Rapids Herald article (thanks for finding the article, Lori Longwell Peterson!) that the argument started at a wedding nearby made me think that alcohol was probably involved in this crime. I have personally been to enough Polish weddings to know about the heavy drinking that occurs. It is hard to say who was at fault -- either Jan or the two alleged shooters. I am not sure if the convoluted story reported to the police and inability to answer questions was related to alcohol or the fact that Jan’s English was probably not yet that good even though he had been in the country for about five years at the time of the shooting. It also could have been some other factor such as an unwillingness to provide the details to the police. ***** So what was going on in Jan’s life at the time? The same year of the shooting was the only year that Jan worked as a shoemaker rather than a cabinet maker. Jan had been working as a cabinet maker for Phoenix Furniture Company the year before. The year of the shooting, he had a brief career as a shoemaker with Adolph Montrim. Then by the following year, he returned to making cabinets again for a different company -- Johnson Furniture. He remained at that company for the next several years until I can’t find any more traces of him. I don’t know if he was fired or let go or if he was involved in some sort of business venture. He married Frances 11 months after this so I don’t know if they knew each other. . My grandfather Anthony might have also attended the wedding because they probably knew many of the same people. He was likely nearby during the shooting since the two brothers lived in the same house at the time. ***** Like other immigrants, Jan moved around quite a bit during the first five years he was in the U.S.. The first address I have for him is 409 Stocking Ave in 1913. Then in 1914, before the shooting, I can verify that both Jan and Anthony were living at 122 Winter. Later in 1915, apparently after the shooting, Jan moved to 255 Olive SW but Anthony remained in the house where the shooting occured. Then Jan and his wife Frances (along with his brother Joseph for a while) moved to 327 Gunnison where the couple stayed for at least four years. All of these houses are in the same general neighborhood. ***** The article says the wedding was near First Street and Stocking Avenue. It was more likely the arguing began at the reception rather than the wedding. There were two halls in that area which are possibilities: the Taxpayers Hall and Swantek Hall. Taxpayers was on First St. just east of Stocking. It had German roots and eventually burned down. Swantek Hall was on Stocking at Second Street and was a privately owned facility. My mother remembers as a young girl walking to one of these halls from her house to buy potato chips. ***** Feb. 16, 1915 https://grpl.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16055coll9/id/96099/rec/1 For Raczkiewicz. Below is the transcription on that page as it is hard to read. JOHN RACZKIEWICE ATTACKED IN FRONT OF HOME BY TWO MEN. John Raczklewlcz, 26 years old, 122 Winter avenue, N.W., is in Butterworth hospital suffering from bullet wounds in his left chest and left hand, the result of being shot while in front of his home last night shortly after 10 o'clock. The wounds are not believed tb be fatal. The police could learn little about the shooting. Their first report was that Raczkiewicz had shot himself, but when taken to the hospital the wounded man said he was fired upon by two men with whom he had quarreled while attending a wedding on First street near Stocking Avenue last night. When questioned by the detectives, Raczklewlcz was unable to tell who the men were with whom he had quarreled, or what the quarrel was about. He said he believed the men had followed him home and laid in wait for him. The wounds were Inflicted wth a 22 caliber revolver. One of the bullets Iodged In the hand, while the other entered the left chest, taking a downward course and came out about the middle of the side. Detectives Youngs and Bllnston are investigating.