The Big Story
Poker Game Ends in Death
by
A Chicago poker game robbery in May 1947 ended in the deaths of three men: two guests and one of the bandits. The armed robbers held up a gathering of more than 30 people, moving the women to the kitchen before attempting to take money from the tables. In the confusion, a court bailiff tried to reach a gun in a bedroom. Police pursued the perpetrators for weeks, and the identification of the dead bandit helped lead investigators to his brother and the other suspects.
Reporter Bill Doherty, one of six Doherty brothers working as Chicago reporters, covered the case. The story also follows the later fate of Albert Horodecki, who evaded police until 1948 and was eventually sentenced for the murders. Doherty’s reporting career continued at the Chicago Tribune, where an accidental disclosure of confidential-source details brought death threats and contributed to his retirement and move to California.
This installment of The Big Story turns a real crime report into a radio drama, pairing the investigation and its consequences with the human story behind the newspaper coverage. Its subject is both the violence of the robbery and the risks faced by the reporter who brought the case to public attention.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.