CHICAGO — On June 21, 1920, the city of Chicago was stunned by what appeared to be a tragic robbery turned double homicide in the vestibule of a North Side apartment. Army veteran Carl Wanderer told police that a “ragged stranger” had attempted to rob him and his pregnant wife, Ruth Wanderer — and that he shot the assailant in defense.
But within weeks, investigators uncovered a far darker truth: Carl had orchestrated the entire event, hiring the so-called “ragged stranger” to stage a fake mugging before killing both his wife and the man to cover up the murder.
The crime became one of Chicago’s most sensational trials of the 1920s — and still resonates in the city’s criminal history.
A Twisted Tale of Deceit and Murder
Ruth Wanderer was shot in cold blood, and the unnamed stranger — later revealed to be a drifter recruited by Carl — was gunned down by the same man who hired him. Carl Wanderer claimed heroism at first, but under pressure, he confessed to planning the entire scene to rid himself of his wife, whom he no longer wanted.
The case was dubbed the “Ragged Stranger” murder, and it captivated the public imagination. Newspapers at the time dissected every courtroom detail and motive. The double killing, staged as a street crime, was in fact a calculated domestic homicide, driven by betrayal.
According to a Chicago Tribune historical feature, Wanderer’s military background added another layer of horror to the crime, as many viewed him as a war hero turned killer.
June 21 in Chicago: Other Historic Moments
While the Ragged Stranger case marked 1920, the same date brought other major events across Chicago history:
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1921: Trailblazing pilot Bessie Coleman became the first Black woman to earn a pilot’s license, receiving her credentials in France two years before Amelia Earhart gained notoriety.
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1926: Soldier Field hosted 300,000 people during the first International Eucharistic Congress ever held in the U.S., placing Chicago on the global religious stage.
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1964: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed 57,000 people at Soldier Field during the Illinois Rally for Civil Rights, declaring nonviolence as the most powerful tool in the struggle for dignity and justice.
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1996: The Museum of Contemporary Art reopened in a new building on East Chicago Avenue with a 24-hour public opening that drew 25,000 visitors.
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2011: Tornadoes ripped through Mount Prospect and Downers Grove, causing severe damage — but warning sirens never sounded, drawing scrutiny and calls for reform.
Do you remember any of these historic events or know someone connected to them? Share your memories with us at ChicagoSuburbanFamily.com.
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