John Doe No. 24
John Doe No. 24 | |
|---|---|
| File:John deo no. 24.jpg Possible portrait of John Doe No. 24 | |
| Died | November 28, 1993 Peoria, Illinois, US |
John Doe No. 24 (died November 28, 1993) was the name given to a deaf and blind man in Jacksonville, Illinois who was put in a mental institution in 1945 when he was a teenager. He had spent 30 years at the Lincoln Developmental Center, and was transferred several times, eventually to a senior center in Peoria where he died in 1993 at the apparent age of 64.[1] His life is covered by a book God Knows His Name: The True Story of John Doe No. 24 by journalist David Bakke and musician Mary Chapin Carpenter, the latter of whom wrote a song about him.[2]
Life
In early morning of October 11, 1945, two cops found a teenager who was possibly deaf and unable to communicate, wandering on the streets of Jacksonville, Illinois.[1] Upon asking why he was wandering the streets, he could only write "Lewis" which is supposed to be his name. No information could be found about him or his relatives. As such, a judge placed him in the Illinois mental health system where he became known as John Doe No. 24.[1]
After spending years in mental health institutions, Doe was transferred to the Smiley Living Center in Peoria in 1987. He died on November 28, 1993 at the apparent age of 64.[1]
Legacy
When American singer Mary Chapin Carpenter learned of Doe's life, she purchased a tombstone and placed it over his unmarked grave who also wrote a song "John Doe No. 24" on the album Stones in the Road which was released in October 1994.[2][3][4][5][6]
Books
- Bakke, D.; Carpenter, M.C. (2000). God Knows His Name: The True Story of John Doe No. 24. Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 978-0-8093-2327-2. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
References
- ^ a b c d "John Doe No. 24 Takes His Secret to the Grave". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 5, 1993. Sec. 1, p. 48. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
- ^ a b Draper, Nick (July 21, 2015). "Two mysteries still unsolved in Jacksonville". Jacksonville Journal-Courier. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ^ Huygen, Meg Van (2016-05-10). "7 Mysterious People Without a Past". Mental Floss. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
- ^ Warder, Robin (2013-06-23). "10 Creepy Mysteries Involving Unidentified People". Listverse. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
- ^ Browne, David (July 10, 1994). "Album Review: 'Stones in the Road'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ^ Trust, Gary (November 19, 2019). "Rewinding the Country Charts: In 1994, Mary Chapin Carpenter Smacked a 'Kiss' Atop Hot Country Songs". Billboard.
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