The Sins of Kalamazoo: The Unsolved Murder of Louis Schilling, and the Crimes That Shaped a Community

Minutes before 1pm on March 21st, 1893 the body of respected businessman Louis Schilling was found mutilated in the office of his Kalamazoo meat market. Although there were no shortage of suspects, and experienced Kalamazoo officers like William S. Downey eager to pursue them, the killer was never apprehended. Over a century later the murder of Louis Schilling remains one of the great enduring mysteries of southwest Michigan, but it was neither the first nor the last shocking crime of its kind to scar the area. Since its inception in 1836 Kalamazoo has hosted a multitude of assassins, thieves, and villains who's deeds have threatened to impede Kalamazoo's progress. This is the story of the quest for justice in the Schilling murder case, the crooks and criminals who soiled Kalamazoo's early history, and the officers who pursued them.