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The Young Boy Who Started A Violent Riot By Spreading A Rumor About His Friend
A child nearly caused mass violence after making up a story about a friend he couldn’t find
“Out of the mouth of babes” is a saying that is frequently used to describe the precocious nature of children. While youngsters are apt to say just about anything, it’s usually absent of any severe consequences. A notable exception was the case of a young boy named Thomas Mersick, who caused a violent riot in Chicago in 1900 after spreading a rumor that a local clinic had kidnapped and was torturing his friend.
The June 1, 1900 issue of the San Francisco Examiner reported on the wild happenings at a clinic located at 510 West Eighteenth Street in Chicago. It was there that police had to be summoned to break up a surging riot of recently arrived immigrants who had stormed the building after young Thomas spread the word that he believed his friend John Dubeck had been seized by surgeons and was being tortured and cut up behind closed doors.
Thomas and John were near the clinic when Thomas asked his friend to wait there while he ran a quick errand.The facility had long been a source of local gossip and rumor, with children and a number of adults alike believing that regular violent and evil acts were perpetuated…
