Evelyn Kane — Chicago’s "Vampire Queen" (7 photos)

Many people dream of high social standing, fame, wealth, and family bliss. What more could anyone ask for when they already have it all? Yet sometimes a dark alter ego takes over, driving someone to risk everything just to satisfy their criminal impulses. The story of American Evelyn Kane, dubbed the "Vampire Queen," is a vivid case in point.





A Good Marriage and Fleeting Happiness

Evelyn Kane was born in the late 19th century in Winnebago, Wisconsin. Raised in a well-to-do family—her father owned a rubber factory—she received a good education and worked as a schoolteacher. One day on her way to work, she crossed paths with Charles Romadka, who was out hunting. The young man came from a family of millionaires and possessed good looks, intelligence, and refined manners. What began as a friendship quickly blossomed into romance.



Evelyn Kane (Romadka)

However, Charles's parents were less than thrilled about the match. Like most Polish immigrants of the era, they were Catholic, whereas the Kane family attended a Baptist church. But Charles stood his ground, and his family eventually gave their blessing. A year after the wedding, the couple welcomed a baby girl.

The childbirth was difficult, leaving Evelyn gravely ill. Her condition required emergency surgery, and her husband spared no expense hiring the finest surgeon available. Mrs. Romadka made a swift physical recovery, but mentally she emerged a completely different person. She underwent a bizarre personality shift—and decidedly for the worse.

Fleeing in Pursuit of Adventure

Evelyn became obsessed with sensationalized tales of criminals published in the tabloid press. Her fascination with the underworld grew so intense that she became determined to rub shoulders with real crooks. In 1907, she abandoned her husband and five-year-old daughter and fled to Chicago—America's crime capital at the time. Checking into the budget Victoria Hotel, she pondered how to turn her dark fantasy into reality, spending her evenings wandering through sketchy neighborhoods on the lookout for shady characters.





The Victoria Hotel

Evelyn got lucky where she least expected it. At the hotel, she struck up a conversation with a Black bellhop named Albert Jones. When Jones pulled out a pocket watch in her presence, Kane immediately recognized that such an expensive item could only have been stolen. It was exactly what the thrill-seeker had been looking for. A romance sparked between them, and soon the former millionaire's wife was pulling off heists alongside her new lover.

Yet Evelyn's romanticized criminal career was short-lived. Later that same year, she was arrested for theft. The novice thief got caught entirely by chance: while pulling out a wallet to settle her bill at a Chicago restaurant, she was spotted by Police Lieutenant Larkin sitting at an adjacent table. Larkin instantly recognized the wallet as one reported stolen from the Beck household.

A Heartbroken Husband

On October 16, 1907, Kane was taken into custody. A search of her room uncovered additional valuables stolen from the Becks. Evelyn denied everything at first, claiming the wallet and jewelry were gifts from her husband. But Chicago police were adept at breaking far tougher suspects, and Kane soon confessed to everything.



Her scheme was simple yet effective: answering newspaper ads, she hired on as a maid in wealthy households. Once she located where her employers kept their valuables, she swiped them and vanished. Albert Jones was soon picked up as well; wasting no time on chivalry, he immediately shifted all the blame onto his partner. Investigators established that Kane had stolen jewelry worth a staggering $25,000 at the time. Jones, leveraging his network, had successfully fenced nearly all of it.

Upon learning of his wife's arrest in Chicago, Charles Romadka rushed to her side. He was appalled to discover she had been living with a career criminal. Devastated, he had no choice but to divorce the woman who had brought disgrace upon his family. Evelyn and Albert were put on trial and convicted. Both were sentenced to prison, though Kane's stint behind bars would be brief.



As a first-time offender, she was released after serving just three years. Unsurprisingly, the experience taught Evelyn Kane nothing. Upon her release, she lay low until her probation ended. She then bade a fond farewell to her probation officers, assuring them she was moving to Canada to live with her sister. In truth, Evelyn had no sister across the border and had zero intention of leaving.

The "Vampire Women" Gang

Staying right in Chicago, the thief assembled an all-female gang. Dubbed the "Vampire Women" for their predatory methods, the respectable-looking ladies would target wealthy men. After drugging their victims' drinks, they cleaned out their pockets and occasionally looted their apartments. The gang managed to evade the police for a long time, but their luck eventually ran out.



A comic strip from The Chicago Examiner detailing the "vampire" gang's methods

One evening, Edmund Gaitlin, a young millionaire from Kansas City, arrived in Chicago on business. At a local restaurant, he struck up a conversation with a charming brunette, who offered to show him around the city's nightlife spots. He accepted, and they were joined by her friend and Gaitlin's associate, Mr. Sweeney. The following morning, the millionaire woke up with a pounding headache and empty pockets.

This time, police secured detailed descriptions of the two women. The rest was routine police work: before long, 13 suspect women were being interrogated at the station. They revealed that the ringleader was a certain Mrs. Graves. A mugshot search quickly confirmed her true identity: none other than Evelyn Kane, who had supposedly left for Canada.



Wanted poster for Evelyn Romadka

However, police failed to capture Chicago's "Vampire Queen" this time around. Kane had fled her hideout in the nick of time, taking along nearly all of the gang's stolen loot. Despite extensive efforts, law enforcement never managed to pick up her trail. Evelyn Kane was never heard from again.