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The Man Kidnapped And Tortured For 5 Days By Prohibition Gangsters Because Of Mistaken Identity
In 1929, a Chicago man lived through a nightmare after a group of criminals became convinced he was someone else
The gangsters of Chicago during the Prohibition era were some of the most ruthless and terrifying criminals to ever intentionally break laws. Whoever got in their way of making vast sums of ill-gotten gains could face severe consequences, if not death. Therefore, it was best to avoid them if at all possible. Unfortunately, one man who had nothing to do with them found it was entirely unavoidable due to a base case of mistaken identity, leading him to spend five days being held captive and tortured for information he had no way of knowing.
In 1929, Chicago druggist Mathew Zimmerman went through a terrifying mix-up that nearly led to him losing his life. He explained to police how events unfolded:
“Last Tuesday night, the men with guns forced me into a car at a Northwest Side corner. I thought they were going to drive me to my drugstore and rob the register. Instead, they blindfolded me and drove a long time. I could tell when we went through Whiting and Gary.
“Around 20 minutes later we came to a small wooden shack where I…
