Chief O’Neill’s Sketchy Recollections of…Chicago

Francis O’Neill was one of the most intriguing police chiefs Chicago ever had. In the early 1900s, he led the city’s bluecoats through four tumultuous years of violent strikes and sensational crime waves. O’Neill, a native of Ireland who had sailed the world as a young man, also collected tunes played by immigrant fiddlers and pipers, preserving much of the traditional Irish music that is still played today.

If it were possible to send an interviewer back in time to help O’Neill write an “as told to” biography, his story might make a terrific adventure. Alas, O’Neill’s memoir—Chief O’Neill’s Sketchy Recollections of an Eventful Life in Chicago—discovered by his descendants and published now for the first time, is not quite the page-turner one might hope for. An important addition to the list of narratives about Chicago in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it deserves a look from anyone studying the history of the police department or the city’s Irish community. However, it’s more of a historical source document than a book for the average reader.

Lesch, who is O’Neill’s great-granddaughter, and Skerrett add context with an introduction, a time line and numerous illustrations. The memoir reveals O’Neill as a man of sharp wit and intellect, but it’s a scattershot manuscript that barely touches on some major episodes in his life and career, even as he blurts out random thoughts on a variety of topics. Even the most knowledgeable history buffs will scratch their heads over some of O’Neill’s obscure allusions. He appears to have been a fairly honest official, even if he proved unable to rein in Chicago’s crime. When he writes about corruption and the challenges of policing a big city, his story feels relevant to today’s Chicago.

—Robert Loerzel