John Willard Bolte

On Wednesday, December 30, 1903, the Bolte family from New Trier township in Winnetka, Illinois, traveled into downtown Chicago for an afternoon theater matinee at the city's newest luxury playhouse, the Iroquois Theater on Randolph St. In the party were Charles and Jessie Bolte and their three children, John, Guy and Linda, and the family's domestic servant, Eleanor Elna Frandsen.

Their seats were in the balcony on the second floor, surrounded by teachers, children, and families who turned out to celebrate the last few days before the end of the holiday and return to school, a good place to appreciate the music, special effects, and aerial dancers. The Mr. Bluebeard fairytale pantomime production by Klaw & Erlanger had been imported from the Drury Lane Theater in London.

When a fire broke out on the stage, Charles picked up his wife, who had a lame leg, and told the boys to take care of their sister. He carried Jessie to the fire escape on the north side of the auditorium leading out to Couch Place alley (doors nos 29-31) where she was then helped by firemen. John and Guy tried to steer Linda out of the theater, but she became frightened and ran in the opposite direction, probably to the exit through which they'd entered the auditorium. Unable to find her, Guy and the boys followed Jessie out the fire escape exit.  Adding to the terror, Jessie's dress became frozen to the fire escape iron and firemen had to chop it free.  Jessie would later say during her harrowing escape down the fire escape that she bolstered her courage with the resolve of needing to live for her family she presumed had all escaped from the Iroquois.  Only Linda perished. Her body was identified by her uncle, John H. Willard, her mother's brother.