In 1893, a large wooden crate marked “Household Goods” arrived at an address in Chicago. No one at the address knew what it was, and other than the vague description, it was unlabeled, so they refused the delivery. Three years later, in 1896, the crate resurfaced in an unclaimed freight auction (think: Storage Wars).
This was a blind auction, meaning bids were made without any inspection of contents. The two Chicago businessmen who purchased the unopened box, which was heavy, speculated it could contain a cast iron stove and put in the winning bid for just under $15. However, after prying open the wooden shipping crate, they found a zinc metal box, which accounted for the crate’s weight. It was sealed with spot welds and measured 32 x 22 x 18 inches. Inside, they found a desiccated body with a thick rope tightly binding its knees to its chest and pulling its head down into the body. It was a snug fit and, very clearly, bones had been broken to make the squeeze.
Courtroom illustrations of the two men, Carl Haas (left) and Frank Ahlgrim (right), who purchased the trunk at
a storage auction. Illustrations and clipping courtesy of Chicago Chronicle/newspapers.com
The discovery made national headlines and the ensuing investigation determined the box had been shipped from Salt Lake City. No return address, of course.
Which leads us to Franklin Avenue, the original name of a mid-block street connecting 200 South and 300 South in SLC (renamed Edison Street in 1906). According to the blogger Rachel Quist (Rachel’s SLC History, slchistory.org), when Franklin Avenue was at its heyday (the late 1880s and 1890s), it was home to the majority of African Americans in Salt Lake. Like other midblock alleys in the downtown area—Commercial Street and Plumb Alley—Franklin Avenue was considered a Tenderloin district. There were brothels and saloons on Franklin but also a multi-racial community living in boarding houses, as well as many businesses owned by people of color.
The case of the mummified remains was published in the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, 1898.
But back to that guy in the box. The body was (most likely) the origami remains of one Monsieur Prospier Chazal, a Frenchman who frequented saloons on Franklin Avenue. He was last seen flaunting large amounts of money and diamonds around town. And the trail ends there.
No one knows how M. Chazal met his end or what possessed whoever did the killing to gruesomely stuff his body into a metal box, weld it shut and ship it COD to Chicago.
Edison Street Today
Today, Edison Street is a popular spot with restaurants, bars, a hip record shop and, let’s not forget, the brand new shiny Utah State Liquor Store. One of the bars, Franklin Avenue Cocktails + Kitchen, was named in remembrance of the street’s former name and its spicy history.
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