Monday, March 29, 2021

Grave Tales #12: Solomon Goldman

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 the website 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.

If you've been reading my grave tales, you will have noticed I tend to be attracted to graves with photographs or the graves of people whose lives have been cut prematurely short. Obviously, that was not the case with Mr. Solomon Goldman. This permanent resident of Ohr Knesseth Israel Anshe Sfard Cemetery obviously doesn't fit my normal criterion. There was no photo on his monument and no one could accuse Mr. Goldman of not having lived a full life. At one-hundred-and-five years of age, he was the oldest person I have run across in my cemetery ramblings. I had to know his secret, and I think I found it: Humor -- despite what must been tremendous travails as a Jew in Czarist Russia and later an immigrant to a new land.

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 06 March 1928, Tuesday:


Hebrew Incurables Home "Humorist" Dies At Age Of 106
-----
Solomon Goldman Who "Rocked Companions With Laughter," Succumbs
In Sleep -- Was Retired Coppersmith And Native of Russia.
------

     Solomon Goldman, one of the oldest Jews in Baltimore, laid aside his Talmud, the book he never tired of reading and his greatest consolation for many years, and called for his pipe. To Dr. Sigmund Friedler, superintendent of the Hebrew Home for Incurables, this was a signal for another pleasant half hour. Each day the physician listened as Mr. Goldman, oblivious of his 106 years, reminisced and told stories of bygone days as smoke wreaths drifted slowly toward the ceiling.
     Yesterday the stories were told with the usual relish and wit that made the narrator the humorist of the institution. But suddenly the trend of the conversation changed. Mr. Goldman was an old man. The Jewish religion calls for a memorial service after a member dies, a service in which ten persons must participate. Were there enough of his old neighbors left to attend such a service?

Planned Nap Before Supper.

     Mr. Goldman felt tired. A little nap would help him. He would feel better, be in a jollier mood when supper time came. He would be more refreshed and enjoy more reading his Talmud before retiring. Dr. Friedler tiptoed from the room as the centenarian stretched himself in his chair and soon was lost in sleep.
     Shortly after 1 P.M. Dr. Friedler returned. Mr. Goldman presumably was still asleep. It was not until the physician went nearer that he discovered MR. Goldman had passed on to join the prophets who had been his spiritual companions during his old age.

Companions Mourn Death.

     Mr. Goldman's companions at the home could not believe it. It was only ten days ago at the entertainment that he had caused them to rock with laughter, to rise in their places and cheer as he danced on a table. Was it not that night that he told such funny stories that many of them still were laughing. When convinced of their friend's death a mournful silence enveloped them.
     Mr. Goldman's son, Benjamin Goldman, was summoned from his home, 822 West North avenue. With him went two daughters, Mrs. Minnie Berman and Mrs. Annie Glassner. Another daughter, Mrs. Nessie Gollant, of Fredericksburg, Va., was notified.
     When the son and two daughters had gathered at the bier they discussed their father's age. Although he was said to be 106 years old it was thought he was 110, but there was no certainty of this.

Was Born In Russia.

     Born in Russia, Mr. Goldman escaped military duty because of an early marriage. One of his favorite stories was how he evaded the persuasions of the Russian Orthodox Church when in his early youth it attempted to enroll all young Jews. As a boy he became an apprentice to his father, a goldsmith.
     The youth's talent soon attracted official notice and he was commissioned to do some work for the Czar. But even his success did not change his decision to emigrate to America. It was during the administration of President Harrison that Mr. Goldman left Russia for this country, landing in New York and coming to this city a month later.

Was Coppersmith Here.

     Shortly after his arrival here he entered the coppersmith business, designing until a short time before he entered the home four years ago.
     Besides his son and three daughters, Mr. Goldman is survived by forty grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held this afternoon.

What a relief to tell an upbeat life-affirming story for a change in this series! Thank you, Mr. Goldman, for living a full life anyone could be proud of. I only wish your family had put a picture of you on your monument. I suspect I might have seen a twinkle in your eyes!

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 & NobleChapel 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
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Subscribe on YouTube: Sean Paul Murphy

Friday, March 26, 2021

Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast #62: 3 Day Weekend with filmmakers Wyatt McDill and Megan Huber

Here's another 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 week our two special guests, writer/director Wyatt McDill and producer Megan Huber, bring their innovative indie mystery 3 Day Weekend to the podcast. Listen as we take a deep dive into the movie and the indie filmmaking process. Be sure to check out the movie on Showtime or Amazon, and, of course, our podcast.

Here's the trailer for the film:

    

Here's the podcast on YouTube:

              

Our Podcast is now available for download 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 Wojo's webpage: Wojo's World
And follow her on Twitter: @TheMicheleWojo

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:

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Redfield Arts Audio Podcast Interview


I virtually sat down with my old friend and colleague writer/director/actor Mark Redfield to talk about my book Chapel Street, and the actual haunting that inspired it, on the Redfield Arts Audio Podcast. It was a great interview, made all the better by the dramatic readings Mark gave segments of the book.  Mark previously supplied the great voice over to the book's video trailer

I hope you enjoy it. 

 

Follow Mark on Twitter: Mark Redfield
Follow Mark on Instagram: Mark Redfield
Subscribe to the podcast here: Redfield Arts Audio

Be sure to check out my novel Chapel Street. It tells the story of a young man straddling the line between sanity and madness while battling a demonic entity that has driven his family members to suicide for generations. It was inspired by an actual haunting my family experienced.

You can 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:


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

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

Tuesday, March 23, 2021

Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast #61: Wind River

Here's another 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're returning to our classic format as Drew takes us on deep dive into Taylor Sheridan's Wind River, a murder mystery/thriller set on an Native American reservation in Wyoming. The film is a stinging indictment of the way America has treated the indigenous inhabitants of the land.

Here's the trailer for the film:

 

Here's the podcast on YouTube:

            

Our Podcast is now available for download 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 Wojo's webpage: Wojo's World
And follow her on Twitter: @TheMicheleWojo

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:

Thursday, March 18, 2021

Grave Tales #11: James Tully

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 the website 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 am grateful that people are reading these blogs, and as a result I am starting to receive questions about the cemeteries and suggestions about stories. After my blog about Maria Monteferrante, Facebook friend Margie Kreiner Sweeney wrote that her grandparents, William and Mary Tully, were also buried at Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery. She also mentioned that their son James Tully had died tragically at the age of twelve in 1933. I had to investigate, and when I did I knew I had another grave tale, particularly after I noticed an uncanny coincidence to a tragedy in my own family. Here's the sad story of James Tully. 

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 17 July 1933, Tuesday:



HEAT CUTS OFF WATER AT LOCH RAVEN
-----
Engineer Denies Danger Of Shortage, Despite Long Hot Spell
-----
93-DEGREE RECORD TEMPERED BY WIND
-----
Boy Drowns In Fall From Rowboat While Reaching For Lost Oar
-----

     As Baltimore went through the second day of the current heat wave yesterday and a peak of 93 degrees was recorded, water ceased flowing over the dam at Loch Raven, a fact which the superstitious and those who use the dam's flow as a barometer may consider an ill omen.
     There are many residents of the city who believe when the water stops falling over the crest of the dam it is a sure sign that torrid conditions will continue until the end of the summer. Yesterday the face of the dam was as dry as the desert. Not a drop of water was to be seen.

Engineer Denies Shortage

     The water backed up behind the dam, however, was nearly on a level with the crest. A short time ago Leon Small, Water Engineer, said there was an abundance of water available for the summer with no shortage or drought was in prospect. Millions of gallons of water have gone to waste over the dam's crest since the first of the year. There is a further loss, it was said, through evaporation.
     The Weather Bureau yesterday said that there is a deficiency in precipitation of 1.54 inches since July 1 and that the accumulated excess in temperature for the same period is 64 degrees, or an average of 4 degrees a day.

One Drowning Reported

     One drowning was reported yesterday. James Tully, 12, fell out of a rowboat at a beach resort and was lost despite attempts of others to save him.
     The boy, a son of Mr. and Mrs. William Tully, 1906 Fairmount avenue, had gone to the beach with members of Boy Scout Troop 179. The beach is not their regular camp. According to Scoutmaster Meryl Stevenson, one of those who attempted a rescue, James went out in a rowboat against orders and fell when he reached for an oar.
     The crew of a Baltimore police boat dragged the sport, which is near Back River Neck road, unsuccessfully in the afternoon for the body. Coast Guardsmen continued the search last night.

The story continued about the weather, but I will stop here. James' fate was especially moving to me because my Rosenberger family experienced a similar tragedy at the same place on the same day exactly six years earlier! My 2nd great-granduncle John Rosenberger, Jr., and his fourteen-year-old son George drowned after their rowboat capsized in Back River on 17 July 1927. That incident had a deep and profound effect on the family. One day, I will have to tell John and George's story. They are also buried at Holy Redeemer Cemetery, but sadly no stones mark their graves.

Let's get back to James....

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 18 July 1933:


WARMER WEATHER IS DUE TOMORROW
-----
Temperatures To Remain Seasonable Today, Bureau Predicts
-----
DROP BELOW NORMAL
-----
Body Of Boy Who Fell From Boat Found In Back River After Long Hunt
-----

     One more day of "seasonable" weather for Baltimore was predicated by the Weather Bureau last night, but by tomorrow the mercury will begin another climb toward the 90's.
     Yesterday the maximum temperature was 85 degrees, reached at 4 P.M. The mean temperature was 77 degrees, 1 degree below normal. Much the same conditions will prevail today with the peak being 85 degrees or slightly higher.

Boy's Body Is Found

     The body of a 12-year-old boy was finally located in Back river yesterday after a police boat and a Coast Guard airplane and cutter had searched for it for nearly two days.
     Patrolman Wesley Hughes and Charles Ripken, of the Essex police, were in a boat dragging when the body came to the surface near them. The boy was identified as James Tully, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Tully, 1906 Fairmount avenue. He had gone to the beach with members of Boy Scout Troop 179. According to Scoutmaster Meryl Stevenson, James went out in a rowboat against orders and fell when he reached for an oar.

To me, there's nothing sadder than the death of child. They die before they taste the fullness of life, and their promise unfulfilled. They also leave without generations of descendants to honor their names. That's why I always make room for them here. Lest they be forgotten....


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 & NobleChapel 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

Monday, March 15, 2021

Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast #60: Vampire Film Showdown

Here's another 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 features a showdown between three Vampire Films. This week John is our returning champion from last week's Buddy Film Showdown. He brings the horror comedy/Real World spoof What We Do In The Shadows, which inspired a television series. His brother Ralph also goes the horror comedy route with the 1979 George Hamilton film Love At First Bite, which he found reminiscent of Young Frankenstein. (Good luck with Drew on that one!) I bring the only serious vampire film -- the 1972 TV movie The Night Stalker, which also inspired a television series.

This episode is a great dive into the rich vein of vampire cinema, here's the podcast on YouTube:

           

Our Podcast is now available for download 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 Wojo's webpage: Wojo's World
And follow her on Twitter: @TheMicheleWojo

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:

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Grave Tales #10: Oscar Goldstein

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 the website 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 am returning to  Knesseth Israel Anshe Kolk Wolyn Cemetery, one of my local favorites, to discuss the tragic fate of Oscar Goldstein. Oscar's grave can be found near the outer fence of the cemetery. When I first arrived, only his ceramic grave photo peeked through the covering vines. That photo was enough to beckon me forward. I used my bare hands to tear away the vines in order to learn his name and date of death. I couldn't resist the urge to look him up, and as a result I discovered what some people considered the price of a human life in 1933. It was twenty cents. The story also gives a taste of race relations and attitudes in Baltimore at the time.

Here's the story:

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 13 March 1933, Monday:


NEGRO KILLS TAXI DRIVER OVER 20 CENTS
------
Shooting Follows Passenger's Protest He Had Been Overcharged
------
SLAYER AND WOMAN COMPANION ESCAPE
------
Suspect Arrested -- Said To Have Been Recognized By Girl Of 10
------

     In protest against what he considered a 20-cent overcharge, an unidentified Negro shot and killed Oscar Goldstein, a taxicab driver, in the 1800 block Etting street about 8 A. M. yesterday.
     Late last night a suspect, Mack Nevers, 34, was arrested in the 1300 block North Stockton street. He had been drinking, however, according to Northwestern district police and held overnight for further questioning this morning.

Recognized By Girl

     He was arrested by Lieut. Nicholas Gatch and Sergt. Oscar Koch on information supplied by occupants of the house in front of which the cab had stopped. He was said to have visited there and to have been recognized by a 10-year-old girl who witnessed the shooting from a window.
     Her story, according to the police, tallied with that supplied by two other witnesses, though most of the residents of the narrow street -- in the heart of the Negro section -- professed ignorance of the identity of the Negro and the woman who accompanied him.

Flee In Different Directions

     The gunman and the woman, the police were told, ran in different directions as Goldstein, with a bullet to his brain, dropped to the pavement, clutching a crank handle he had grasped in an attempt to defend himself.
     Henrietta Gore and Ida Kirby, Negroes, who live at 1828 Etting street, told Lieut. Edgar Steinacker that the taxicab drew up at the curb across the street from their home and a Negro man and a young woman, about 19, stepped out of it.
     They said the driver and male passenger argued about the face, the Negro alleging he had been overcharged 20 cents. The fare, it was said, was 25 cents, plus 20 cents for waiting time.

Strikes Driver, Then Shoots

     Finally, the witnesses said, the Negro, apparently about 35, struck Goldstein in the face with his fist, and the driver disappeared into his cab to emerge with a crank handle.
     Then, they continued, the Negro drew a pistol from his pocket and, backing away, shot the driver. The bullet, examination disclosed, entered the head above the right eye.
     As the driver fell, the Negro woman ran along Etting street and turned into Laurens, it is said, and her companion, pocketing his weapon, crossed the street and disappeared in a narrow alley leading toDruid Hill avenue.

Found By Another Cab Driver

     Joseph Egan, another taxicab driver, was cruising in the 500 block Laurens street when he heard the shot. Investigating, he found Goldstein lying on the pavement beside his cab, about two blocks from the point where Egan had heard the shot. Egan, who lives at 12 North Wolfe street, did not notice anyone running from the scene, he told police.
     Goldstein was pronounced dead at the Provident Hospital, and the body later was removed to the morgue under orders from Dr. Ferdinand C. Link, coroner of the Northwestern district.
     Goldstein was 24 and lived at 3508 Virginia avenue.

Today, it is easy to discern the racial attitudes in the story above. African-Americans were always identified as Negroes, but the races of Goldstein and Egan were not mentioned. Also, the reporter seems to suspect that the residents of the street were not cooperating fully with the police. Was the distrust of the police in minority communities, endemic in Baltimore today, already evident at that time? I decided I had to research further, especially since the identification of the suspect seemed sketchy. The next story, however, made the identification more certain:

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 14 March 1933, Tuesday:

Inquest Will Be Held Friday In Case Of Slain Taxicab Driver
------

     An inquest into the death of Oscar Goldstein, 24-year-old cab driver, shot to death early Sunday morning during an argument over a 20-cent fare, will be held Friday at the Northwestern Police Station by Dr. Ferdinand C. Link, Northwestern district coroner.
     Mack Neville, 34, Negro, who, police say, made a full confession of the shooting to them yesterday, was ordered held for the action of the coroner when arraigned before Magistrate John M. Pohlhaus, in Northwestern Police Court.
     Neville was arrested several hours after the shooting in a house in the 1300 block Stockton street by Lieut. Nicholas B. Gatch and Sergt. Oscar Koch, of the Northwestern District. His drunken condition, however, necessitated their waiting until yesterday morning to question him and obtain his confession, the police said.

Although there was no story about the initial trial, Mack Neville appears in The Evening Sun on 01 July 1938. He is listed as appearing on the docket for the Parole Commissioner for the following day. The entry reads:


Neville, it seems, was convicted of 2nd degree murder and sentenced to fifteen years in prison. I am not a lawyer, but that seems a reasonable verdict considering the fact that there was an ongoing altercation which Goldstein had escalated by using the crank handle as a weapon. Still, that was no excuse for murder, as the jury obviously found. I was unable to find out whether Neville was successful in his bid for parole. Nor could I find any further references to him in any capacity. Of one thing, however, I am certain. By now he has joined Oscar Goldstein in death.


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 & NobleChapel 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

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