Eddie Waitkus quickly became a popular media figure. He was well-educated and could speak fluently in Lithuanian, Polish, German and French.
The ladies especially loved him. One of them, Ruth Ann Steinhagen, became an obsessed fan who shot him at Chicago's Edgewater Beach Hotel on June 14, 1949, in what became one of the earliest recognized cases of criminal stalking.
She had been infatuated with him while he was with the Cubs, but got to see him during all home games. But now that he was with the Phillies, that was a rare instance. So, while he was in town, she checked into the Edgewater under the name of one of Eddie Waitkus' former classmates. She sent word to him that they needed to meet.
When he arrived at the room, she shot him with a .22 caliber rifle, just missing his heart. She immediately called the front desk to tell them there had been a shooting. When help arrived, they found her cradling his head in her lap.
Eddie Waitkus nearly died several times on the operating table before the bullet was removed.
Steinhagen was never tried but was in a mental institution for a short time.
--DaCootBang
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