The Wrath of the Auto Vamp

     In the Summer of 1922, the streets of Chicago were greeted by a new horror: the Auto Vamp. Jeane Miller, the 21-year-old bodacious beauty that she was, had been making a habit of flagging down passing motorists, jumping in their cars, and then blackmailing the hapless men, who certainly wouldn't want their wives to find out that they'd been taking attractive young ladies for rides around town. In August, Chicago's Finest bravely put an end to the vamping by arresting Miller. Alas, she skipped bail. Fast-forward to the evening of January 17, 1923, and Ms. Miller was walking down Oak Street when a passing citizen decided to take matters into his own hands. Just as a citizen's arrest was about to be made, another passerby surmised that Jeane was being kidnapped, and immediately spirited her away to safety in his own vehicle. The first gentleman gave chase, and a pursuit was at hand. Heading east, a motorcycle cop saw the commotion and joined the pursuit. When the chase hit Lake Shore Drive, the policeman finally caught up to the situation, informed the two drivers that he would sort out the misunderstanding, and booked Ms. Miller for bond forfeiture. And never again would the Auto Vamp strike fear into the hearts of Chicago motorists.

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