While recovering from an injury at the beginning of
the 1949 campaign, DiMaggio began receiving love notes from a woman he was not
acquainted with. At the same time, letters started turning up at the offices of
various New York gossip columnists. They were signed by a woman calling herself
“Junior Standish,” who claimed to be in a romantic relationship with the Yankee
slugger. DiMaggio was familiar with a Broadway dancer of the same name, but had
never actually dated her. When a handful of columnists reported that the two
had become a couple, DiMaggio and Standish both made public statements to the
contrary.
The
plot thickened when the mysterious letter-writer attempted to make contact with
DiMaggio at his hotel. After being turned away, she sent a note threatening
suicide if her efforts to meet him were thwarted in the future. Alarmed by this
turn of events, Yankee PR-man Arthur Patterson contacted the police and
enlisted the help of a bodyguard to protect Joe.
While
police were investigating the matter, another note containing suicidal threats was
delivered to DiMaggio’s hotel room. Hoping to produce some tangible leads
regarding the author’s identity, details were leaked to the press. A 30-year-old
woman was eventually taken into custody. While being interrogated by the
assistant district attorney in Manhattan, she suffered a mental breakdown,
screaming hysterically and threatening to kill herself. Police transported her
to a Bronx hospital for psychiatric evaluation. Doctors agreed to release her
into the custody of her father on the condition that she seek counseling and
leave DiMaggio alone. She agreed to the arrangement and never bothered Joe
again. Her identity was not disclosed to the press.
Incidents
of a darker nature had plagued major-league baseball on prior occasions. A few
weeks before DiMaggio’s stalker was taken into custody, a 19-year-old office
worker named Ruth Steinhagen shot Phillies’ first baseman Eddie Waitkus in a
Chicago hotel room. The troubled teen, who had developed an unhealthy obsession
with Waitkus, ended up in a state psychiatric hospital, where she remained for
three years. Waitkus recovered and played six more seasons. A similar scene had
unfolded in 1932, when Cubs shortstop Billy Jurges was shot at the Carlos Hotel
in Chicago by a showgirl named Violet Popovich. Jurges had broken off a casual
relationship with Popovich, prompting her to behave irrationally. The infielder
was shot twice—once in the hand and again in the ribs—but returned to action
that year. He played in the majors until 1948.
No comments:
Post a Comment