This is the 12th Illinois chip in the “Illegal Of The Day” series. KY has the most with 13. The two states should stay fairly even as I have over 250 chips from each state.

I got this one from Weston Charles a few weeks ago. Another nice Illinois illegal. I am beginning to think being in the gambling business in Illinois was not the healthiest business to be in.

Enough of that:

Illinois:

William Hornstein
Gebhart Tavern
301 Court (NE corner of Court & 3rd)
Pekin, IL
Delivered in 1939

WH

The Gebhardt Tavern was located at 301 Court (NE corner of Court & 3rd). The structure which housed the address no longer exists. The place was owned by Andrew Gebhardt who had been running saloons and taverns in Pekin as early as 1900.

I’m not sure why William Hornstein had chips delivered to himself in Pekin in 1939 since he seems to have been a life long resident of Springfield (about 60 miles south of Pekin). William Hornstein, the son of Romanian immigrants, was born in Springfield in 1906 and died there in 1957. He doesn’t show-up in the 1939 or 1941 Pekin city directory. Andrew Gebhardt dies March 29, 1940--less than a year after the chips were ordered.

By 1941 his place at 301 Court has been re-named the C & G Tavern, operated by Chris Kalikatsos and George Bouris. If Hornstein operated at Gebhardt’s it doesn’t appear that he did so very long.

In March 1942 he orders more WH chips, these from Taylor, this time sent to Springfield:

My note: More than likely T molds, possibly Harp molds. I need these if anyone has traders. They will be attributed to the Eagle Tavern in Springfield, IL. The WH hubs could very well have migrated here with William.

The delivery address was a place in Springfield called the Eagle Tavern. The structure which housed the address near the NE corner of 6th & E. Washington no longer exists and the lot of ground upon which it stood is now part of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library complex. I saw info that the Eagle Tavern was operated in the early 1940’s by Sam Hornstein and the late 1940’s by Frank Hornstein—both brothers of William. In the late 40’s William was associated with a place called the Wayside Inn and in the late 40’s, early 50’s with a place called “Club Reo.”

William’s brother Frank had a son named Marvin who was active in Springfield gambling circles in the 60’s and 70’s. Marvin and his cousin Merle Hornstein operated a place in Springfield in the 60’s called the M&M Tavern (also The Smoke Shop).

Not sure if Merle was William’s son or his brother Sam’s son. In 1967 the 32 year old Merle’s dismembered body was found outside of Springfield along with another gambler. After his death, tales of Merle paying-off Springfield’s mayor made headlines.

My note: Another Illinois murder associated with illegal gambling. How many of these have we seen in “Illegal Of The Day” posts? I have lost count! I wonder if the brutal Shelton gang was involved? As we have seen they were involved with many murders in Illinois.