Sean Paul Murphy, Writer

Sean Paul Murphy, Writer
Sean Paul Murphy, Storyteller

Thursday, October 20, 2022

Grave Tales #31: Thomas Bright

I am an avid genealogist. The past is very important to me. I spend a lot of time in cemeteries photographing tombstones to upload on website the FindAGrave.

I enjoy recognizing long dead people by putting memorials to them online. However, every once and a while something grabs me about a specific grave. It could be the name, or the dates or a ceramic photo. In those cases, I feel compelled to dig a little deeper. That's what this series of blogs is about: The tales behind those graves. Some of my subjects will be heroes. Some will be villains. Some will be victims. And some will linger in between, like most of us. However, don't be surprised if the tales are inherently tragic. These are grave tales. They all end in death.

The photograph above shows the final resting places of Thomas Bright and his six-year-old grandson Edmond Barnes McCaffrey. To the naked eye, their gravesites seems little different than the gravesites of the tens of thousands of other people buried within the vast expanse of Baltimore Cemetery but it is indeed unique. Every grave is the final resting place of the person buried beneath its soil. However, this gravesite was also the place of Thomas Bright's death. 

In my previous grave tale about the death of Walter Ross Jester, I wondered how a family survives the death of a beloved little child. The Brights weren't as fortunate as the Jesters. Little Eddie's death proved to be the first in a chain of premature deaths that decimated the family.


Let's start with Eddie's death. Here is his death notice from The Baltimore Sun dated 10 August 1896:

The key word here is suddenly. The word suddenly bespeaks tragedy. Something unexpected. Something shocking. Eddie did not succumb to a lingering illness. The family didn't have time to contemplate a life without him. According to his death certificate, Eddie died of papilloma of the larynx and pneumonia. The duration was a mere twenty-four hours. That was sudden indeed.

The shock of the boy's death was too much for his grandfather Thomas.

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 6 January 1897, Tue:


TWO MORE SUICIDES
-----
Grief at His Grandson's Death Drove
Mr. Thomas Bright to Self-Destruction
-----
PUT A BULLET IN HIS BRAIN
-----
And Was Found Dying Across the Child's Grave
-----
Said He Heard the Little One Calling Him -- A Man Who Registered
at the Hotel Rennert as V. W. Stiles, of Washington, Sat Before a
Mirror in His Room and Shot Himself.

     Mr. Thomas Bright, 1738 Oliver street, a well-known resident of Northeast Baltimore, committed suicide at noon yesterday in his lot in the Baltimore Cemetery by shooting himself through the right temple. His body was found lying across the grave of his grandson, Edmund Barnes McCaffrey, who was buried August 10, 1896.
     Mrs. Wm. T. McCaffrey, 1246 North Broadway, the mother of the child, said her father had grieved over the death of her son and had frequently said he could hear the child talking to him during the night and at times while walking along the street. He was always talking about the child.
     Mrs. Bright said her husband left his home at 8 o'clock in the morning. He said he had spent a restless night, and could hear his dead gandchild calling to him. He kissed her, Mrs. Bright said, and left the house, but returned in a few minutes and kissed her again and then went out, giving her to understand that he would return for dinner.
     Soon afterwards he was seen in the Baltimore Cemetery by Venzei Kares, one of the grave-diggers. Kares said Mr. Bright was standing in his lot., No. 405, in section B, and he (Kares) was with him until nearly 12 o'clock. He told Kares he was waiting for his wife, and several times said he was tired of waiting. He also got Kares to help him put the lot in order, and then, after taking a walk around the cemetery, went back to the lot. Kares said he left Mr. Bright kneeling on the lot attending to the flowers.
     About thirty minutes later Undertaker M. A. Daiger, drove into the cemetery with a funeral, and Frank Hawkins, one of the drivers of the hacks, saw the body of Mr. Bright lying across the grave. The man was not dead, but died a few minutes later.
     Superintendent John C. Park, of the cemetery, was notified, and sent for the patrol wagon. In Mr. Bright's pocket was found an envelope, on which was written his name and address. The envelope had no stamp upon it and there was nothing in it. His body was first removed to his home, but as the house was locked up and his wife was out, it was sent to the northeastern police station and was later sent to his home. The pistol with which he took his life was found covered with blood beside him.
     Mr. Bright was sixty years old and had been in the cake and cracker business for thirty years on Caroline street, near Orleans street. He also had a stall in Lexington Market. He was a member of Kedron Lodge of Masons and Monumental Council of Royal Arcanum. Three sons and two daughters survive him, with Mrs. Bright.
     Coroner Silljacks decided the case was one of deliberate suicide and would hold an inquest....

What a tragic tale. It's either sad and touching or sad and frightening, depending on your point of view. I hate to say it, but Mr. Bright's death could have come right off the pages of my novel Chapel Street, in which a demonic entity poses as a deceased loved one to lure victims into suicide. I'm not saying that happened here, but I couldn't help but notice the similarities.

The story was reported in newspapers all around the country, sometimes in connection with two other suicides in Baltimore the same day: V. W. Stiles, who was also mentioned in this story, and Richard Cornelius, who had drowned himself in the lake in Druid Hill Park. The newspapers reported it as an epidemic or mania of suicides in Baltimore. (I will deal more directly with Baltimore's suicide mania, and its main place of execution, in my next Grave Tale.)

Having lost two siblings to suicide I can appreciate, at least to a degree, Mr. Bright's grief. I'm sure he was not alone in his feelings either. I suspect many people in his family felt the same way or worse. Sadly, in his obviously distraught state, I doubt Mr. Bright realized how his own death would compound the emotional suffering of his family. 

Thomas Bright took his own life five months after his grandson Eddie McCaffrey died. Emma E. French, Thomas' daughter, died five months later on 19 May 1897. She was about twenty-seven-years old. Here's her obituary, which ran in the Baltimore Sun on 22 May 1897:

There's that word "suddenly" again. I wondered what kind of tragedy took her life so I found her death certificate. The cause: Intestinal Hemorrhage. 

About a year and a half later, Emma's brother Daniel B. Bright died on 26 October 1898. He was also about twenty-seven-years-old. Here's his death notice from the Baltimore Sun dated 27 October 1898.

Thankfully, the dreaded word suddenly was absent from this notice. His death certificate indicates he died of malaria. Still, there's no denying the Bright family suffered more than its share of premature deaths over a very brief amount of time. 

What happened to the rest of the family? Thomas' wife Hannah Barnes Bright married Charles H. Sprenkle in November of 1907. She died on 8 February 1919. Sadly, she lived long enough to see another one of her children die. Thomas Bright died on 7 July 1918 at the age of thirty-seven. Another Bright life cut short.

His cause of death was tuberculosis.

What about little Eddie's parents?

William T. McCaffrey and his wife Ida V. Bright McCaffrey were next mentioned in the newspapers in a story about their 15th wedding anniversary on 5 June 1902. Here's the story:

I was relieved to find the couple still married. Oftentimes the death of a child breaks up a marriage. Sadly, my relief was short-lived. Ida made her next appearance in the Baltimore Sun on 19 April 1905. The subject was divorce.

Here's the story.

William T. McCaffrey would die on 13 December 1927. His former wife Ida would survive until 19 November 1956. I don't know when the final Bright child, G. Harrison Bright, a minister who served mainly in Indiana, died. However, he seemed to live a long and productive life.

I guess my self-imposed prohibition against suicide stories in these Grave Tales has ended. However, I do want to remind anyone reading this story that suicide is never the only or best option. If you are contemplating ending your life, please reach out to someone who is able to help you right now. Just dial the number 9-8-8 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You're only three digits away from help twenty-four hours a day.

9-8-8.

I don't want to be writing about you....

Remember, there is a story behind every grave. You never know what you're missing when you walk past one....

Grave Tales:

My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble. Chapel Street is the tale of a young man battling a demonic entity that has driven members of his family to suicide for generations. It was inspired by an actual haunting. 


Learn more about the book, click Here.

Listen to me read some chapters here:


Read about the true haunting that inspired the novel here:

The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 1, An Introduction
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 2, The House
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 3, This Is Us
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 4, Arrival
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 5, Methodology
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 6, Clara's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 7, Clara's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 8, My Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 9, My Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 10, My Tale, Pt. 3
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 11, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 12, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 13, John's Tale, Pt. 1 
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 14, John's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 15, Come Inside!
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 16, Marion's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 17, Marion's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 18, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 19, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 20, Lisa's Tale
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 21, Recap, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 22, Recap, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 23, Recap, Pt. 3

Let's stay in touch:

Follow me on Twitter: SeanPaulMurphy
Follow me on Facebook: Sean Paul Murphy
Follow me on Instagram: Sean Paul Murphy
Subscribe on YouTube: Sean Paul Murphy
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Thursday, October 13, 2022

Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast #122: Sardar Udham

Here's another exciting mostly COVID-free ZOOM edition of the Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast, a lively discussion of the movies that sometimes devolves into a group therapy session. 

This episode we continue our "never seen" series and Indian film marathon. My lovely wife Deborah won the spin and picked a film highly recommended by our Indian viewers: Sardar Udham. Ralph requested a more grounded film than the gonzo action ones we have been watching lately. Sardar Udham was just what the doctor ordered. It is a true story about Udham Singh, an Indian revolutionary who travels to London to assassinate the British politician behind the grisly Jallianwala Bagh massacre. It's a tough watch but anchored by an amazing performance by Vicky Kaushal as Udham Singh. Check it out.

Here's the trailer for film:

 

Here's the podcast on YouTube:

 

Our Podcast is available on iTunes: Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcast
Subscribe to our YouTube page: Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcast
Check out our webpage: Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast
Like us on Facebook: Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast.
Follow us on Twitter: YKYPodcast

Check out our other episodes here:


My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.


Learn more about the book, click Here.

Watch the book trailer:

  

Listen to me read some chapters here:

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Monday, October 10, 2022

Grave Tales #30: Walter Ross Jester


I am an avid genealogist. The past is very important to me. I spend a lot of time in cemeteries photographing tombstones to upload on website the FindAGrave.

I enjoy recognizing long dead people by putting memorials to them online. However, every once and a while something grabs me about a specific grave. It could be the name, or the dates or a ceramic photo. In those cases, I feel compelled to dig a little deeper. That's what this series of blogs is about: The tales behind those graves. Some of my subjects will be heroes. Some will be villains. Some will be victims. And some will linger in between, like most of us. However, don't be surprised if the tales are inherently tragic. These are grave tales. They all end in death.

I was wandering through the expanse of Baltimore Cemetery and happened upon the grave of Walter Ross Jester. I had to stop. To me, there is nothing more tragic than the loss of a young child -- all the promise of life cut short before it barely began. Three-year-old Walter was someone's beloved son. His parents wrote on his stone that he was gone, but not forgotten. I wanted to remember the little boy too.

Here's his heart-breaking story....

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 24 November 1935, Sun:



BOY, 3, KILLED ON WAY FROM CANDY STORE
-----
Thrown Under Wheels Of Trolley
While Running Across Street
-----
OPERATOR UNAWARE THERE WAS ACCIDENT
-----
Witness Says Child Hit Side Of Car Turning Corner

     An after-dinner Journey to a neighborhood candy store ended fatally for a three-and-a-half-year-old boy early last night when the child was killed instantly by a street car as he ran across the street on the way home.
     The boy was Walter Jester, Jr., of 2412 Sisson street. The accident occurred on the northeast corner of Pratt and Exeter streets, and the motorman sped on apparently unaware that the boy had been hit.

Was Visiting Grandparents

     According to police, the boy was visiting with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Jester, at the home of his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Tony Jester, who live at 214 East Pratt street. After dinner the child said he wanted some candy, and was told he could go to a confectionary store half a block away.
     With the candy in his hand, the child started to run across Exeter street on the way back to his grandparents, when a westbound Pratt street car swung into Exeter street.

Thrown Under Wheels

     According to Julio Curleo, of 126 South Exeter street, who was standing on the corner, the boy ran into the side of the street car and was thrown beneath the wheels.
     Curleo called a municipal ambulance and the child was taken to the Mercy Hospital, where physicians said the boy's head had been crushed and that he was dead on arrival.
     Eastern district police and Baltimore Transit officials, under the direction of Lieut. Allen D. Crone and Sergt. Louis Cohen, immediately began a check of street cars which might have struck the child, and about 11 P.M. Thomas A. Dunn, said to be the motorman of the trolley which hit the boy, was placed under technical arrest.

Car Finally Identified

     Dunn, who is 40 years old and who lives at 2625 Francis street, told police he did not recall having struck anyone. It was said that seven street cars passed the corner at about the time young Jester was killed. Dunn's car, of the Pikesville line, was finally identified by a mark.
     The motorman was charged with causing the boy's death and was released for a hearing at 9 P.M. tomorrow night before Dr. Irvin B. Wallace, Central district coroner.

Critically Injured By Truck

     Earlier yesterday evening an 8-year-old boy, playing in the 300 block Albemarle street, was critically hurt when a truck backed out of a lumber yard and ran over him.
     The injured boy was Jerry Pellone,* of 909 Trinity street. Police said the truck was driven by Peter J. Paghughi, 29 years old, of the 800 block Eastern avenue.
     Paghughi told police he had noticed some children playing marbles in the street a short time before he left the lumber yard and that he supposed the Pellone boy had stepped behind the truck just as it backed into the street. The wheels passed over the boy's chest,
     At the Johns Hopkins Hospital, it was said the boy was suffering from internal injuries and possible fracture of the legs.

What a horrible tragedy! After a nice dinner and evening with his extended family, little Walter is struck dead after a being given the special treat of going to the candy store. The injuries seemed horrendous. I am sure no member of that family every forgot that day.

To make matters even more tragic, read the caption of the photo which accompanied the story:


Little Walter must have been enjoying a very happy day. In addition to the visit to his grandparents and the candy store, he had just been given a new coat which was proudly photographed by his parents. I suspect the words on his tombstone were true. He was obviously a "Beloved Son."

I don't know how his parents survived the tragedy, especially since his mother Bernice "Beatrice" Jester was only nineteen-years-old at the time.

Here's the results of the inquest:

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 26 November 1935, Tue:


Motorman Of Trolley That Hit Boy Exonerated
-----
Testimony At Inquest Shows 3-Year-Old
Walter Jester, Jr., Ran Into Side Of Car

     Thomas A. Dunn**, motorman of a street car that killed 3-year-old Walter Jester, Jr., on Saturday night as the child returned home from a candy store, last night was exonerated in an inquest conducted by Dr. Irvin B. Wallace, Central district coroner.
     The accident occurred at Pratt and Exeter streets. Police said the child ran into the side of the street car as it turned the corner, and the motorman, unaware of the accident, continued on.
     The child was a son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Jester, of 2412 Sisson street. He was visiting his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Tony Jester, of 914 East Pratt street, on the day of the accident.

That verdict wasn't too surprising. Aside from the hit and run aspect, poor Walter's death seemed entirely accidental. This story was another reminder how dangerous the street cars used to be. Two of my previous subjects, Hyman Greenberg and James Zacharski, were also street car fatalities.

The intersection of Pratt and Exeter streets today.

As I said earlier, I don't know how a couple survives a tragedy like this one. But they did. Walter's father, Walter Charles Jester, Sr., lived until 24 July 1984, when he died at the age of seventy-five. Walter's mother, known alternately in the records as either Bernice or Beatrice died on 20 October 1990 at the age of seventy-four.

Here's a picture of her in the newspaper in 1947 answering the question whether men or women make the worse backseat drivers:


She's right, of course.

From some cursory genealogical research, I think Walter still might have a few surviving siblings. I suspect they were too young to remember him personally, but I hope they are keeping his memory alive. I'm doing my bit here.

Remember, there is a story behind every grave. You never know what you're missing when you walk past one....

*Jerry Pellone survived his injuries. He is mentioned in the following newspaper story from 18 October 1937:

The accident apparently had no ill effects on his health. I believe his family moved to New York where he became a professional boxer under the name Tony Pellone. He was a serious contender.  Here's a picture of him:

**Motorman Thomas A. Dunn died in 1965. Here's his obituary:

Grave Tales:

My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble. Chapel Street is the tale of a young man battling a demonic entity that has driven members of his family to suicide for generations. It was inspired by an actual haunting. 


Learn more about the book, click Here.

Listen to me read some chapters here:


Read about the true haunting that inspired the novel here:

The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 1, An Introduction
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 2, The House
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 3, This Is Us
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 4, Arrival
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 5, Methodology
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 6, Clara's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 7, Clara's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 8, My Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 9, My Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 10, My Tale, Pt. 3
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 11, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 12, Natalia's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 13, John's Tale, Pt. 1 
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 14, John's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 15, Come Inside!
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 16, Marion's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 17, Marion's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 18, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 19, Jeanne's Tale, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 20, Lisa's Tale
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 21, Recap, Pt. 1
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 22, Recap, Pt. 2
The Haunting of 21 St. Helens Avenue, Part 23, Recap, Pt. 3

Let's stay in touch:

Follow me on Twitter: SeanPaulMurphy
Follow me on Facebook: Sean Paul Murphy
Follow me on Instagram: Sean Paul Murphy
Subscribe on YouTube: Sean Paul Murphy
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Friday, October 7, 2022

Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast #121: Baahubali: The Beginning


Here's another exciting COVID-free ZOOM edition of the Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast, a lively discussion of the movies that sometimes devolves into a group therapy session. 

We watched RRR last week and we were completely blown away by it. It was only natural that we would want to watch another Indian action film. Fortunately, the podcast was a huge success and many of our viewers recommended that we watch  S. S. Rajamouli's earlier film Baahubali: The Beginning. I am not one to disappoint our fans so I chose the film. It was another wild, exciting ride, but sadly not as universally appreciated as RRR. Check out our review.

Here's the trailer for film:

    

Here's the podcast on YouTube:

                 

Our Podcast is available on iTunes: Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcast
Subscribe to our YouTube page: Yippee Ki Yay Mother Podcast
Check out our webpage: Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast
Like us on Facebook: Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast.
Follow us on Twitter: YKYPodcast

Check out our other episodes here:


My novel Chapel Street is now available! You can currently buy the Kindle and paperback at Amazon and the Nook, paperback and hardcover at Barnes & Noble.


Learn more about the book, click Here.

Watch the book trailer:

  

Listen to me read some chapters here:

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