Ruth Ann Steinhagen
Encyclopedia
Ruth Ann Steinhagen shot and nearly killed Eddie Waitkus
, star first baseman
of the Philadelphia Phillies
on June 14, 1949.
Steinhagen watched Waitkus play baseball for the Cubs 1947
and 1948
baseball seasons. Ruth never approached Waitkus, but just kept to herself. Between home games, Steinhagen spent time in her Waitkus shrine, reading the hundreds of clippings and pictures of Waitkus she collected. Her mother said "she would spread them on the table and floor and spend hours looking at them". Steinhagen would also set a place at the dinner table for Waitkus.
After the 1948 season, the now All-Star
first baseman Waitkus was traded to Philadelphia. Steinhagen, by this time clearly obsessed with Waitkus, was very unhappy with this trade. When Waitkus returned to Chicago in 1949 with the Phillies to play the Cubs at Wrigley Field
on June 14, 1949, a bellhop delivered to Waitkus an invitation from a “Ruth Ann” to join her in a hotel room.
Thinking the note might be from a friend of a friend, Waitkus called the room listed on the note. A young woman answered and asked him to give her a half-hour so she could get dressed. About 11:30, he knocked on the door. A tall, pretty brunette opened the door, asking him to come in. She was "very businesslike," he remembered, completely deadpan. He walked over to a chair and asked her what she wanted. When he turned around, she was holding a rifle.
"You're not going to bother me any more," she said. Before he could reply, she shot him. With Waitkus lying on the floor with a hole in his chest, the girl laid down her .22 caliber rifle and called the hotel desk.
"I just shot a man," she said.
On June 30, Steinhagen was arraigned for the shooting and the Criminal Court jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity. She was committed to Kankakee State Hospital, a mental hospital
. The superintendent of the hospital would later say that Steinhagen had responded well to electric shock
treatments, and on April 17, 1952, less than three years after the shooting, Steinhagen was judged sane and released.
This near-murder was one of the first sensational examples of what came to be called stalker crimes
. Waitkus, 29, a World War II veteran of the New Guinea campaign
, was almost killed, but recovered from his injuries and several operations to remove bullet fragments well enough to be named the Comeback Player of the Year.
Bernard Malamud
took the basic elements of the Waitkus story and wrote the novel The Natural
. The book was released in 1952, upon which the 1984 film The Natural
starring Robert Redford
was based.
Eddie Waitkus
Edward Stephen Waitkus was an American first baseman in Major League Baseball who had an 11-year career . He played for the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies in the National League and for the Baltimore Orioles of the American League...
, star first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
of the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
on June 14, 1949.
Steinhagen watched Waitkus play baseball for the Cubs 1947
1947 Chicago Cubs season
- Offseason :* November 21, 1946: Jim Brosnan was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cubs.- Regular season :* May 18: 46,572 paying fans came to Wrigley Field to see Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers play...
and 1948
1948 Chicago Cubs season
- Offseason :* October 9, 1947: Randy Jackson was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cubs.* December 6, 1947: Don Elston was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cubs.* Prior to 1948 season :**Jim Pearce was released by the Cubs....
baseball seasons. Ruth never approached Waitkus, but just kept to herself. Between home games, Steinhagen spent time in her Waitkus shrine, reading the hundreds of clippings and pictures of Waitkus she collected. Her mother said "she would spread them on the table and floor and spend hours looking at them". Steinhagen would also set a place at the dinner table for Waitkus.
After the 1948 season, the now All-Star
All-star
All-star is a term designating an individual as having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry...
first baseman Waitkus was traded to Philadelphia. Steinhagen, by this time clearly obsessed with Waitkus, was very unhappy with this trade. When Waitkus returned to Chicago in 1949 with the Phillies to play the Cubs at Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field is a baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois, United States that has served as the home ballpark of the Chicago Cubs since 1916. It was built in 1914 as Weeghman Park for the Chicago Federal League baseball team, the Chicago Whales...
on June 14, 1949, a bellhop delivered to Waitkus an invitation from a “Ruth Ann” to join her in a hotel room.
Thinking the note might be from a friend of a friend, Waitkus called the room listed on the note. A young woman answered and asked him to give her a half-hour so she could get dressed. About 11:30, he knocked on the door. A tall, pretty brunette opened the door, asking him to come in. She was "very businesslike," he remembered, completely deadpan. He walked over to a chair and asked her what she wanted. When he turned around, she was holding a rifle.
"You're not going to bother me any more," she said. Before he could reply, she shot him. With Waitkus lying on the floor with a hole in his chest, the girl laid down her .22 caliber rifle and called the hotel desk.
"I just shot a man," she said.
On June 30, Steinhagen was arraigned for the shooting and the Criminal Court jury found her not guilty by reason of insanity. She was committed to Kankakee State Hospital, a mental hospital
Mental Hospital
Mental hospital may refer to:*Psychiatric hospital*hospital in Nepal named Mental Hospital...
. The superintendent of the hospital would later say that Steinhagen had responded well to electric shock
Electric shock
Electric Shock of a body with any source of electricity that causes a sufficient current through the skin, muscles or hair. Typically, the expression is used to denote an unwanted exposure to electricity, hence the effects are considered undesirable....
treatments, and on April 17, 1952, less than three years after the shooting, Steinhagen was judged sane and released.
This near-murder was one of the first sensational examples of what came to be called stalker crimes
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
. Waitkus, 29, a World War II veteran of the New Guinea campaign
New Guinea campaign
The New Guinea campaign was one of the major military campaigns of World War II.Before the war, the island of New Guinea was split between:...
, was almost killed, but recovered from his injuries and several operations to remove bullet fragments well enough to be named the Comeback Player of the Year.
Bernard Malamud
Bernard Malamud
Bernard Malamud was an author of novels and short stories. Along with Saul Bellow and Philip Roth, he was one of the great American Jewish authors of the 20th century. His baseball novel, The Natural, was adapted into a 1984 film starring Robert Redford...
took the basic elements of the Waitkus story and wrote the novel The Natural
The Natural
The Natural is a 1952 novel about baseball written by Bernard Malamud. The book follows Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy whose career is sidetracked when he is shot by a woman who seeks to kill arrogant athletes to "better the world"...
. The book was released in 1952, upon which the 1984 film The Natural
The Natural (film)
The Natural is a 1984 film adaptation of Bernard Malamud's 1952 baseball novel of the same name, directed by Barry Levinson and starring Robert Redford, Glenn Close and Robert Duvall...
starring Robert Redford
Robert Redford
Charles Robert Redford, Jr. , better known as Robert Redford, is an American actor, film director, producer, businessman, environmentalist, philanthropist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival. He has received two Oscars: one in 1981 for directing Ordinary People, and one for Lifetime...
was based.