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At America's worst theater disaster in 1903 Abraham Lincoln Day
had standing space on the north side of the first floor of the Iroquois Theater within a
few feet of the fire escape exits that led out into Couch Place (an alley that ran
east-west on the north side of the theater). See photo. At the coroner's inquest on Friday, January
8, 1904 Day testified that he was reminded several times by an usher to refrain from
standing in the aisle.
The son of William Savory Day and Angelica Paff Starr,
Abraham (1868–1958) was a native of Philadelphia. Two years before the Iroquois fire
he'd married a Wisconsin stenographer, Clara Fredericka Ebbensen (1877–1963). They
remained together throughout their lives.▼1 During most of
their years they lived in an apartment at 708 S. Maple Avenue in Oak Park. From 1928 to
1938 they traveled to Europe almost every year. On his passport he was described as 5'1"
tall with blue eyes, a straight nose, double chin, graying black hair and a dark
complexion.
At the time of the fire Abraham worked at the Boulevard Club.▼2 Abraham worked at a variety of jobs over his life, including as a
salesman, managing clubs, doing something with salad dressing, operating a catering
company, working as a baker and a bookie — for which he was arrested at age eighty-four
but the judge threw out the case because the police didn't have a warrant.
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Discrepancies and addendum
1. If Clara was at the Iroquois Theater with her husband it was not reported in the brief newspaper story about his testimony.
The death date on wife Clara's tombstone was not engraved, indicating she purchased
the stone at the time of her husband's death but then was either
buried elsewhere or there was no one to pay to have her grave stone updated. They did
not have children and she died in Los Angeles.
2. The Boulevard Club
had been incorporated in 1900 after a tumultuous beginning in which some of its original members and officers were
ousted for excessive talking and using a knive as a fork when eating. Upon incorporation
it was described as devoted to checkers, chess and billiards. It was located at 3972
Cottage Grove Ave.
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