Among the notables of Pekin’s past is a man whose remarkable career trajectory extended from the vaudeville stage and the circus through several years running hotels, selling real estate and stock, and finally overseeing the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Department and County Jail.
Emil Neuhaus was born 29 July 1861 in Peoria to Pekin city treasurer Herman Neuhaus (1831-1918) and Susana Goehring Neuhaus (1838-1896). As a young man, Neuhaus became a vaudeville entertainer, also perfecting a slack wire and tightrope act and developing a circus clown act under the stage name of “Frank La Mondue.” His entertainment career led to him stages across the country and as far as Europe and elsewhere, and he even performed before the crowned heads of Europe.
By about the turn of the century, though, Neuhaus decided it was time to retire from touring. On 30 Nov. 1899 in Pekin, he married Clara Elizabeth Bruechner (1874-1941), and they had four children, Gilbert, Wilbur or Wilbert, Alfred, and Emily (Neuhaus) Stanko.
After his marriage, Neuhaus bought The Columbia Hotel at the northwest corner of Fourth and Margaret streets, renaming the hotel after his stage name: The La Mondue Hotel. The 1903 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Pekin shows the hotel under its original name, The Columbia, but by the time of the 1908 Pekin city directory the hotel is listed under its new name, La Mondue. The 1908 Sanborn map also shows the hotel under that name. By the time of the 1913 city directory, though, the hotel had been acquired by its former owner William Lauterbach, who changed the name back to The Columbia. Lauterbach later changed the hotel’s name to The Windsor in the early 1920s.
In 1922, Neuhaus was elected Tazewell County Sheriff, serving a single term in that office during the Prohibition Era. Susan Rynerson of the Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society prepared a brief sketch of Neuhaus’ life and his time as sheriff, which was published in the TCGHS Monthly (Aug. 2022), page 408. In her biographical sketch, Rynerson wrote:
“Emil seems to have been multi-talented. He was a vaudeville entertainer and circus performer that was known as Frank LaMondue the world over as he traveled in Europe as well as the U.S.A. Once he married, he settled down and was the proprietor of the Columbia, Tazewell, LaMondue and Windsor Hotels before being elected sheriff, serving in that capacity from 1922-1926. Census records also list him as a stock broker and a real estate agent. Neuhaus died 1 April 1941 at his home in Pekin and was buried at Lakeside Cemetery.”
Rynerson’s sketch of Neuhaus’ life shows that as one of Tazewell County’s Prohibition Era sheriffs, Neuhaus devoted much of his single term in office to battling the illegal booze and illegal gambling rackets in our county. For example, in November of 1923, Neuhaus and his deputies raided the Morton speakeasies and distilling operations of Frank Watts, Edward Springer, and Joseph Kuntz. Then in December of that year, Neuhaus raided the rural Cloverdale (East Peoria) stills of Joe Cardelli and Charles Curro, and also unearthed a very large still near Wesley City (Creve Coeur). The following summer, Neuhaus broke up an illegal baseball betting operation in East Peoria.
Neuhaus’ entertainment career, his hotel proprietorship, and his time as county sheriff, are briefly recalled in earlier publications on Pekin’s history, albeit with certain inaccuracies. In the 1974 Pekin Sesquicentennial, we find the brief comment that, “The Columbia was later known as the LaMondue owned by Emil Neuhouse (sic), sheriff during the ‘Roaring Twenties,’ and then the Windsor.” Similarly, the 1998 book “Pekin: A Pictorial History,” says, “Originally from Pekin, Frank La Mondue appeared before the crown (sic) heads of Europe in the 1920s (sic). Later, he returned to Pekin and bought the Columbia Hotel, then sold it and leased (sic – purchased) the Tazewell Hotel. He also served as Tazewell County Sheriff.”
As a retired circus clown and vaudevillian, it is perhaps fitting that Emil Neuhaus’ finished his course on April Fools Day in 1941. Following is his Pekin Daily Times obituary:
Emil Neuhaus Dies on Afternoon of Wife’s Funeral
Emil Neuhaus, 79, a former sheriff of Tazewell county, died shortly before 8 o’clock yesterday afternoon, while the body of his wife, who died only three days before, was being laid to rest at Lakeside cemetery. The funeral procession had just arrived at the cemetery from St. John’s Lutheran church, when Mr. Neuhaus, who was seriously ill, was unable to attend his wife’s last rites, died at the family residence, 505 Margaret street.
Mr. Neuhaus, who was formerly engaged in business in Pekin and Morton, had been ill for several months. He formerly operated the Tazewell and Windsor hotels. A democrat, Mr. Neuhaus was named as attendant at the Illinois state hospital at South Bartonville, a post he held for a period of five years. He also was engaged in the real estate business.
Was in Vodvil (sic- Vaudeville)
Many residents in the community knew Mr. Neuhaus when he was in vodvil. He was a tight rope walker and toured the United States and Europe. He appeared before many notables under the name of Frank LaMondue.
Mr. Neuhaus was active in the Masonic lodge. He was a member of Pekin lodge 29 and also was a 32nd degree Mason. He was born in Peoria July 29, 1861, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Neuhaus, but spent most of his lifetime in this community.
Funeral Thursday
Funeral services for the former county official will be held on Thursday at 2 p.m., at the Keucks funeral home where friends are invited to call. Dr. Arno A. Zimmermann will officiate at the rites and the Masons will be in charge at the grave. Surviving are two sons, Gilbert and Alfred Neuhaus, also one daughter, Miss Emily Neuhaus, all residents of Pekin. A son, Wilbert died in 1915.
