Flint is well known for its modern violent crimes but Flint's history is filled with little known stories that read stranger than fiction. Gruesome murders, weird accidents, and violent deaths. Join us every Thursday as Joe Schipani details some of the odd but true deaths he found in Flint's archives.
Austria vs Croatia Nationality Debate December 6th, 1923
Ivan Griski left his wife and two
small children in Austria while he came to Flint to start a new life for his
family.
Shortly after his arrival he
opened a pool hall on Leith Street. Business was doing well. Soon Ivan would have
had enough money to move out of the boarding house on Everett and St John
Streets and buy a family home so his wife and kids could move to Flint from
Austria.
Tom Bik moved to Flint from
Croatia. He too was planning to send for his family once he made enough money
but his wife and children decided that they didn’t want to move to Flint.
At first Tom had a hard time
finding work but he finally landed a job at one of the auto factories. But
without his family Tom was getting old and bitter.
On the night of December 6th, 1923
Tom was visiting some friends at the boarding house on Everett Street. Tom
rented a room at a boarding house on St John Street.
Ivan and Tom met and quickly got
into an argument about whose country was better. This was a common occurrence
in the neighborhood because there were many boarding houses filled with
immigrants.
But this fight quickly escalated into
the streets. Ivan was about eighteen years younger than Tom, who was fifty
two.
Ivan hit Tom hard. He really gave
him a beating, proving Austria was better. But Tom, determined not to lose,
pulled out a hunting knife and stabbed Ivan just below the left shoulder.
One of the residences in a boarding
house across the street witnessed the whole thing and called the police. When
the police arrived they found Tom standing over Ivan’s dead body. Tom quickly
confessed to the murder and told them after a twenty minute debate on
nationality, Ivan attacked him and he pulled his knife out of self-defense.
The police brought Tom and
several witnesses down to the station. Most of the witnesses agreed with Tom’s
statement of self-defense.
The two that claimed that it was
not self-defense were not taken seriously because of their Austrian origin.
Tom was set free and not charged
with murder.
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