Francis Leavy was a dedicated firefighter during the 1920s. He loved
his job, and his peers loved him. He was a pleasant man, always
ready with a smile and a helping hand. On April 18, 1924, Francis’s
colleagues became aware of a change in his demeanor. Suddenly,
he was an unsmiling, grunting guy washing a large window at the
Chicago Fire Department, not looking at anyone or talking.
After a few minutes, Leavy suddenly announced that he had a
strange feeling—a feeling that he might die that very day. At that
very moment, the phone rang and broke the heavy atmosphere
brought on by the fireman’s words. A fire was raging at a building
quite a long way from the fire department, and no time was to be
wasted.
In just a few minutes, Francis Leavy and his fellow firefighters were
on the scene, assessing the situation and helping those trapped on
the top floors. Everything seemed to be on track to rescue everyone
from the building. Then, suddenly, the flames engulfed the lower
part of the building, and the roof caved in. As soon as this
happened, the walls came crashing down, pinning many people
under the rubble—including Leavy. Leavy’s grim premonition came
true. He lost his life that day trying to save others.
The very next day, trying to come to terms with the loss of Leavy,
his colleagues sat at the firehouse thinking about the events of the
previous day. Suddenly, they noticed something strange on one of
the windows. It looked like a handprint smudged onto the glass.
Eerily, it was the very same window that Francis Leavy was busy
washing the day before.
The firemen cleaned the window again, but the print stubbornly
refused to disappear. For many years, the handprint remained on
the window in spite of chemicals used to try and remove it. The
strange mystery remained unsolved, but came to an abrupt end
when a newspaper boy threw a paper against the window in 1944,
causing it to shatter into pieces.Francis Leavy was a dedicated firefighter during the 1920s. He loved
his job, and his peers loved him. He was a pleasant man, always
ready with a smile and a helping hand. On April 18, 1924, Francis’s
colleagues became aware of a change in his demeanor. Suddenly,
he was an unsmiling, grunting guy washing a large window at the
Chicago Fire Department, not looking at anyone or talking.
After a few minutes, Leavy suddenly announced that he had a
strange feeling—a feeling that he might die that very day. At that
very moment, the phone rang and broke the heavy atmosphere
brought on by the fireman’s words. A fire was raging at a building
quite a long way from the fire department, and no time was to be
wasted.
In just a few minutes, Francis Leavy and his fellow firefighters were
on the scene, assessing the situation and helping those trapped on
the top floors. Everything seemed to be on track to rescue everyone
from the building. Then, suddenly, the flames engulfed the lower
part of the building, and the roof caved in. As soon as this
happened, the walls came crashing down, pinning many people
under the rubble—including Leavy. Leavy’s grim premonition came
true. He lost his life that day trying to save others.
The very next day, trying to come to terms with the loss of Leavy,
his colleagues sat at the firehouse thinking about the events of the
previous day. Suddenly, they noticed something strange on one of
the windows. It looked like a handprint smudged onto the glass.
Eerily, it was the very same window that Francis Leavy was busy
washing the day before.
The firemen cleaned the window again, but the print stubbornly
refused to disappear. For many years, the handprint remained on
the window in spite of chemicals used to try and remove it. The
strange mystery remained unsolved, but came to an abrupt end
when a newspaper boy threw a paper against the window in 1944,
causing it to shatter into pieces.Francis Leavy was a dedicated firefighter during the 1920s. He loved
his job, and his peers loved him. He was a pleasant man, always
ready with a smile and a helping hand. On April 18, 1924, Francis’s
colleagues became aware of a change in his demeanor. Suddenly,
he was an unsmiling, grunting guy washing a large window at the
Chicago Fire Department, not looking at anyone or talking.
After a few minutes, Leavy suddenly announced that he had a
strange feeling—a feeling that he might die that very day. At that
very moment, the phone rang and broke the heavy atmosphere
brought on by the fireman’s words. A fire was raging at a building
quite a long way from the fire department, and no time was to be
wasted.
In just a few minutes, Francis Leavy and his fellow firefighters were
on the scene, assessing the situation and helping those trapped on
the top floors. Everything seemed to be on track to rescue everyone
from the building. Then, suddenly, the flames engulfed the lower
part of the building, and the roof caved in. As soon as this
happened, the walls came crashing down, pinning many people
under the rubble—including Leavy. Leavy’s grim premonition came
true. He lost his life that day trying to save others.
The very next day, trying to come to terms with the loss of Leavy,
his colleagues sat at the firehouse thinking about the events of the
previous day. Suddenly, they noticed something strange on one of
the windows. It looked like a handprint smudged onto the glass.
Eerily, it was the very same window that Francis Leavy was busy
washing the day before.
The firemen cleaned the window again, but the print stubbornly
refused to disappear. For many years, the handprint remained on
the window in spite of chemicals used to try and remove it. The
strange mystery remained unsolved, but came to an abrupt end
when a newspaper boy threw a paper against the window in 1944,
causing it to shatter into pieces.