Mark Twain famously said that when the world ended, he wanted to be in Cincinnati because the city was so far behind the times. Unknown to outsiders, Cincinnati is rich with amazing ghost stories. One of Cincinnati’s most known ghost stories goes back nearly 100 years ago. The story involved a prominent attorney named George Remus who murdered his wife at Eden Park in Cincinnati.
But he won’t be remembered for his barrister skills. Instead, he is known as Cincinnati’s King of Bootleggers—a term that applied to illegal alcohol sales back in the early 1900s during Prohibition—a time when buying liquor was illegal.
Although alcohol was banned it didn’t stop Remus from making millions. He bought a distillery and then made and distributed his own alcohol. The government eventually busted Remus, shut down his business and sentenced him to two years in prison. Before he began his sentence, he placed his assets in his wife Imogene’s name and gave her his power of attorney. In today’s money, he had made millions on illegal alcohol sales.
Unknown to Remus, a former FBI agent named Franklin Dodge became aware of the Remus fortune. Dodge quit the FBI and began an affair with Imogene Remus to access her money. The couple eventually liquidated Remus’ fortune leaving him penniless. Imogene sought out to destroy George. Not only did she steal his money, she unsuccessfully hired an assassin to kill her husband and tried to get him deported. Imogene and her lover had it all. Next on her list was to divorce George.
This treachery didn’t sit well with George Remus who was not a forgiving person.
On October 6, 1927, Imogene had taken a cab to her divorce attorney’s office to discuss her divorce. George Remus followed Imogene in his chauffer driven car. Once Imogene realized George was tailing her, she had the cabdriver try to get away. George’s car hit the back of the cab to stop it. The chase ended in Cincinnati’s Eden Park. Imogene left the cab and tried to run away. In front of witnesses, George shot his wife once in the abdomen near the park’s gazebo.
Imogene was rushed to the hospital and died two hours later. George was eventually tried for killing his wife. He represented himself and claimed insanity. He used the argument that his wife’s deception led him to kill her. The jury acquitted Remus within an hour. Rumors swirled that George had bribed some jury members. Instead of prison, he was sent to a mental institution for two months.
Although Imogene Remus died more than 90 years ago, it’s believed that her spirit remains in Eden Park. For years, witnesses claim to have seen her ghost near the gazebo. Is it possible? Could Imogene still be angry that George Remus got away with her murder?
Witnesses claim they have seen a woman in black standing near the gazebo. The woman is crying. She has also been seen standing near the park’s reflecting pool staring into the abyss with sorrowful eyes. Whenever people try to approach Imogene she vanishes. No one knows why Imogene Remus remains in Eden Park.
But it’s not uncommon for ghosts to remain behind after someone dies under traumatic circumstances. It’s believed they have unfinished business. So what unfinished business does she still have with George? After all, he died in 1952.
An October 2013 issue of CityBeat listed some of Cincinnati’s most interesting ghost stories. According to the article, ghost hunter Dan Smith claims he has used paranormal equipment to record Imogene’s voice after asking her questions. If you could ask Imogene Remus a question, what would you ask? Supposedly, she is more than willing to provide answers.
Marc is a grandparent and longtime resident of Clermont County. Visit his author page at http://www.lifewithgrandpa.com. He also wrote Just Bite Me: A Guide to Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Walking Nightmares, which is available on Amazon.com.