Greg Steffe and Shari Benyousky in front of Mex Express. Photo by Paul Finley.

By Shari Benyousky
Guest Columnist

Column Note: In the 72nd column in the Diners and Dives series, some Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Club members explore Ghosts and Mexican Express Food.

WARSAW — Thankfully, it was a brightly lit middle of the day when we met at the Mex Express Grill at 2601 E. Center St., in Warsaw, because the topic of the day would soon turn dark. But at the beginning, before the scary part, we ate enormously well.

The Choices

Outdoor dining patio.

Mex Express hasn’t been open long, and it’s easy to miss the place located down in that hollow next to Applebee’s, but I assure you that it’s worth your time to come in and enter the Chipotle-style line:

First you choose your entrée — tortas, quesadillas, taco salad, nachos, burritos, or bowls.

Second you choose your protein — steak, grilled chicken, carnitas, al pastor, chorizo, barbacoa, birria, shredded chicken, ground beef, or veggies and guacamole.

Third you choose from a huge variety of toppings — cheese, tomato, lettuce, sour cream, onions, cilantro, Pico de Gallo, salsa, guacamole, cheese dip, corn, etc.

The lovely Cass and the friendly owner Luis Dueñas created our masterpieces in front of us. Smiling Cashier Reuben checked us out. It was quick and easy at a great price. Entrees were served along with chips and salsa, and we settled into the comfortable booths under the sign Welcome Y’All. My bowl brimmed with Spanish rice, black and pinto beans, carnitas, Pico de Gallo, corn, onions, cilantro, and salsa Verde.

Are There Ghosts In The Old County Jail Museum Downtown?

But the great food and the nice people didn’t keep the conversation pleasant for long. Our wildcard Greg Steffe, co-director of the Kosciusko County Jail Museum checked his burrito wrap and shook his head. “Oh yeah,” he answered when asked if there were ghosts at the Old County Jail Museum.

Drive thru menu.

“That place is crazy. Three weeks ago, I went down to the basement for a tape measure. I forgot my glasses down there and just as I remembered, the door slammed shut. There’s no wind there. Nothing to make that door slam by itself.” He licked some of the cheese sauce from his lips. “I’ve heard screams, been called names, lots of whistling. Not a tune though. Just this whistling.” We shivered.

He added, “We have documentation of seven violent deaths in that old building. The first was a builder during construction crushed by a limestone block.” Wide-eyed, we crunched our tortilla chips and salsa. “Next, in 1880 there was the murder-suicide story of Annie Chaplin. The others were suicides.”

“No directors yet though right?” Realtor Jeff Owens waved his fork.

“No directors,” agreed Steffe. “But sometimes we do go through directors like elephants go through peanuts.”

Ghosts Of Old Biomet

Mex Express Owner Luis finally had a moment to breathe as the long line of customers temporarily died down. He came over to make sure we had everything we needed. Paul Finley thanked him for the great steak and rice bowl before another onslaught of customers queued.

“So, you’re retired from Biomet?” I asked Steffe. Steffe retired after 29 years at Biomet back before the merger in the early days with Dane Miller. He and Consultant Kris Williams compared stories of working there in the old days and how grateful they both were to have worked under Dane.

“Did you hear about the Biomet contest to design a flag?” Williams asked Steffe. “Some engineer designed one with the motto A fracture for you is a break for us.”

“That entry became company legend,” chuckled Jeff Owens as he began his second burrito. “But marketing said no!”

Watch Tower Charlie

Behind the Old Jail Museum you’ll find the watch tower, Charlie’s house.

We brought the fractured conversation back to Steffe and asked how he came to start a new career as co-director of the Kosciusko County Historical Society. “As a kid, my dad’s lumberyard was across from one of the three railroad switch towers,” Steffe finished his rice and beans and leaned back. “Now the last tower left, Watch-Tower-Charlie’s, is behind the Jail Museum. I saw that it needed to be painted, and one day I walked in and volunteered to paint it. Six years later and I haven’t left.”

As a co-director of the Historical Society, Steffe has grand plans. He would like to expand outreach to the schools with interesting artifacts and maybe an essay contest. Before COVID, schools did more field trips, but now that’s tougher, so he dreams of bringing things to the schools instead.

We remembered some of our kids enjoying their trips to the jail. “It’s actually the only time I’ve been in jail,” Consultant Kris grinned. “With my son on a field trip.” He gave me a look as I wrote that down, shook his head, and returned to scooping up chunks of tender El Pastor seasoned pork with chips.

“The spice level is just right here,” Kris savored his remains. “The spices aren’t dumbed down like some places, but it’s not too much either.”

Apparitions Spice Up The Place

“I’m very proud of my staff.” Steffe returned the conversation to history. “Ghosts are just a sideline of the important history we have. I mostly run the museum. Some visitors like to learn about ghosts, and some don’t. But once I really did see a vaporous mist shoot up through the floor through the ceiling.”

He plucked the last chip from his tray and pointed it at Paul’s Mandarin Orange Jarritos Soda. “We did some investigations a few years back. You should look them up on YouTube. We saw Orbs!”

I looked the videos up. You can view the first video with the folks from “Enter the Dark Paranormal” here.

Devilishly Good

After we licked the last of our amazing lunch platters clean, and thanked our Mex Express Grill hosts, Steffe offered us a tour of the jail immediately. Some of us took him up on it so we will include pictures of Watch Tower Charlie’s place behind the jail and Realtor Jeff locked up in the ancient solitary confinement cell (it used to have a bucket for a toilet and no lights).

The Old County Jail was originally made to hold a total capacity of 45, and, amazingly, it was still our local jail until 1982 holding far more than that. When you go, look for the graffiti in the cells of the bullpen where the men were housed and on the iron walls.
Now, of course, the jail is the museum with cool exhibits on John Dillinger’s traumatic visit to Warsaw or the Swearingen shooting much more recently. Next year there will be a special exhibit on the success of women in local high school athletics including the state championship teams.

Out Of This World

We ended our tour with Steffe telling us about a few of the full-body apparitions that folks have seen in the jail through the years, including one young boy who had a whole conversation with the ghost of a former sheriff named Hammersley. When they walked by the wall with the pictures of all the former sheriffs, the child pointed his picture out. “That’s him with the big glasses,” the boy said casually.

Haunted Ghost Tours

You can find the Old County Jail Museum ghosts and/or Steffe himself at 121 N. Indiana St., in Warsaw Wednesdays through Saturdays. Even better, you can check out the Haunted Ghost Tours there on Sept. 27 and 28 or Oct. 4 and 5. Experienced paranormal investigators will lead groups on 30-minute tours from 6-9 pm for $10. If you’re really brave, look for us Diners and Dives regulars to join you.

Either way, don’t wait for the Mexican Day of the Dead to celebrate some excellent food at Mex Express.

Do you know of an interesting place, restaurant, nonprofit, or person that you’d like to see us featured in Diners and Dives? Send Shari Benyousky an email at [email protected].