Wanda Elaine Stopa (May 5, 1900 – April 25, 1924) was a Polish-American lawyer and murderer who committed suicide the day after committing her crime.
Life
![Y Kenley Smith](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/Y_Kenley_Smith.jpg)
Stopa was born in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
in 1900 but emigrated to the United States with her parents and siblings, ending up in Chicago's
Little Poland neighborhood. Her father was a clay sculpture modeler in Chicago and her mother came from a prominent Polish family. While living in her parents rigidly conformist home, she studied at
The John Marshall Law School, passed the bar exam and became Chicago's youngest and first woman assistant U.S. district attorney. Others described her as extremely smart and of a dominating emotional nature.
In search of a more individualistic and independent lifestyle, Stopa moved to a studio with other of creatives located in the Bohemian
Towertown
The Old Chicago Water Tower District is a historic district along the Magnificent Mile shopping district in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois. The district is located on both sides of North Michigan Avenue between Eas ...
neighborhood. True to the reputation of the
roaring twenties
The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultural edge in the U ...
, the studio was the site of late night parties and non-traditional lifestyles. Stopa lived at the studio for three years and for one summer, an advertising executive named Y. Kenley Smith and his wife, a pianist, lived there as well.
Also living at the artist's studio was a Russian man whom she married, variously referred to in the press as "Vlad" or "Ted", "Glaskoff", "Glasko", "Glasgow" or "Glaskow". There is also confusion about this Russian man's background. He described himself as a count who lost a fortune in the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
but Stopa's brothers portrayed him as a bootlegger and professional gambler.
Stopa and this man separated soon after marrying.
Smith financially supported Stopa as an intellectual and artist. At some point, Stopa and Smith began an affair but when Smith broke off the relationship, Stopa was extremely unhappy and demanded he leave his wife for her. Stopa traveled to the Smiths'
Palos Park
Palos Park is a village in southwestern Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 4,899.
Geography
Palos Park is located at (41.665682, -87.836633).
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Palos Park ...
cottage in the outskirts of the city and tried to shoot her lover's wife, named Doodles, but accidentally shot and killed their 68-year old gardener, Henry Manning. The husband, Kenley Smith, was at work in downtown Chicago at the time of the shooting and was quickly picked up by the authorities for his protection and for an interview. She fled the scene and led the police on a manhunt.
Death
![Grave of Wanda Elaine Stopa (1900–1924) at Bohemian National Cemetery, Chicago](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Grave_of_Wanda_Elaine_Stopa_%281900%E2%80%931924%29_at_Bohemian_National_Cemetery%2C_Chicago.jpg)
Stopa committed suicide by ingesting
cyanide
Cyanide is a naturally occurring, rapidly acting, toxic chemical that can exist in many different forms.
In chemistry, a cyanide () is a chemical compound that contains a functional group. This group, known as the cyano group, consists of ...
in a room in the
Detroit Statler Hotel
The Detroit Statler Hotel (also known as the Detroit Hilton Hotel) was a building located at 1539 Washington Boulevard across from Grand Circus Park between the David Whitney Building and the Hotel Tuller in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. In add ...
. Stopa's brothers speculated that her estranged Russian husband provided the poison and described his influence on her life as "evil".
Crushed by the loss of their friend, the artists from the bohemian studio asked to be involved with Stopa's funeral. Enticed by the juicy nature of a tragic love story, her funeral drew large amount of curious onlookers and gawkers, some figures say 10,000 people. She is buried at the
Bohemian National Cemetery.
Popular culture
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...
was a one time tenant and friend of Stopa's lover, Kenley Smith. After reading of the scandal in the newspaper, Hemingway privately reacted to it with dark amusement. In 2019, Stopa's story was featured in a Season 13
episode
An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption.
The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning t ...
of the American television series ''
Deadly Women
''Deadly Women'' is an American true crime documentary television series produced by Beyond International Group and airing on the Investigation Discovery (ID) network.
The series focuses on murders committed by women. It is hosted by former ...
'', with Kelsie Feltrin portraying Stopa.
The story of Wanda Stopa was also the subject of episode 108 of the Chicago History Podcast. The award winning blog ''1,001 Chicago Afternoons'' by Paul Dailing delved into story of Wanda Stopa in post number 283, named The Murderess Down the Block.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stopa, Wanda
1900 births
1924 suicides
1924 murders in the United States
Lawyers from Chicago
American murderers
American female murderers
John Marshall Law School (Chicago) alumni
Suicides in Michigan
Burials at Bohemian National Cemetery (Chicago)
History of Chicago
20th-century American lawyers
Suicides by cyanide poisoning
20th-century American women lawyers
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United States
Polish murderers
Congress Poland emigrants to the United States
19th-century American lawyers
1924 deaths
19th-century American women