The Day Billy Jurges Was Shot
ON THE MORNING IN 1932 THAT CUBS SHORTSTOP BILLY Jurges was shot in the Hotel Carlos, the team was scheduled to play a home game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The scene of the crime was not a surprise. Over the years, Cubs players regularly rented rooms at the hotel, which was within easy walking distance of Wrigley Field and various nightspots. In addition to Jurges, outfielders Kiki Cuyler and Marv Gudat had rooms there for the season.
Jurges, born in the Bronx and raised in Brooklyn, was known for hard-nosed play and a fiery temperament. He had been signed in 1929 by Cubs scout Jack Doyle and was more skilled as a fielder than as a hitter. In 1931, he met a woman named Violet Popovich at a party. Tall and dark-haired, she had ambitions to break into show business. She liked ballplayers and
