Sean Paul Murphy, Writer

Sean Paul Murphy, Writer
Sean Paul Murphy, Storyteller

Friday, April 30, 2021

Grave Tales #16: Hyman Greenberg

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 find toppled monuments very depressing. Rightly or wrongly, it makes me feel that people lying beneath them are forgotten and unmourned. I nearly walked right past the grave of Hyman Greenberg at Knesseth Israel Anshe Kolk Wolyn Cemetery without notice. I'm glad I spotted it. And I'm glad I photographed the grave and researched him. The story of Hyman's death is worth retelling, and deals with one of most wistfully recalled institutions of Baltimore: The Streetcar. The last two streetcar lines were finally discontinued in 1963 in favor of buses. Old timers nostalgically recall the reliable electric trains and their steel rails which tracked throughout the city. Young urban planners would like to see them return in the name of environmental efficiency.  Hyman's story, however, shows how things could go horribly awry with streetcars.  Here it is:

The Evening Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 1 January 1919, Wednesday:


CAR SMASHES TWO BUILDINGS; 2 DEAD, 8 HURT
-----
Big Trolley Jumps Track And Plows Into Saloon And Residence
-----
CHILDREN TUMBLED FROM BEDS UNHURT
-----
Motorman, Under Arrest, Is Said To Put Blame On Airbrakes.
-----

     Two men were killed and eight persons -- six men and two women were injured when one of the heavy Bay Shore cars left the tracks at Fayette and Caroline streets, just as it was about to turn into Caroline, at 2:30 o'clock this morning.
     The car crashed into a one-story saloon at the northwest corner, plowed through the brick walls as if they had been made of pasteboard, crossed a 15-foot space, smashed into the front of 1436 East Fayette street and stopped within a foot of the bed in which two brothers, one 6 and the other 8 years old, were sleeping.

Sleepers Thrown From Beds.

     An elderly couple sleeping in the front second story of this house were thrown from their bed, as were the two boys, and they looked out of windows to find the car beneath them. If the vehicle had got two feet father than it did it would have crushed the sleeping boys, sons of Samuel L. Griebov.
     The passengers, dead and injured, as well as the motorman and the conductor, were imprisoned inside the car by the jamming of the doors and, when help arrived, it was necessary to take them out of the windows.


The Dead.

     Hyman Greenberg, 1122 East Lombard streeet. Dead when taken from under car. Body taken to morgue.
     Harry Ditlow, 19 years old, 137 North Exeter street. Died at St. Joseph's Hospital at 3:45 this morning.

The Injured.

     At St. Joseph's Hospital:
     Andrew C. McGiney , 3406 Belair road; laceration of the forehead.
     Mrs. Annie C. McGiney, 3406 Belair Road, bruised head.
     At Johns Hopkins Hospital:
     Keith W. Dressell, 42 years old, 1214 Brentwood avenue; laceration of the scalp and fractured knee.
     Elmer Schultz, 17 years old, 118 South Fulton avenue; laceration of scalp and face.
     Lieut. Thomas Crowley, 25 years old, of the Quartermaster's Corps, Camp Meade; contusion of left hip.
     At Mercy Hospital:
     Mrs. Catherine Brown, 3701 Centre Place; laceration of forehead.
     William C. Horsly, 22 years old, sailor, from Naval Hospital, Annapolis; bruises on legs and hands.
Harry Baughman, 46 years old, 3205 Ester Place, motorman of the car, was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital and treated for severe laceration of scalp. He was later arrested and is now held at the Northeastern Police Station on the charge of causing the death of Greenberg and Ditlow.
     Lloyd Horner, 228 North Caroline street, conductor of the car, escaped any injury.

Says Brakes Failed To Work.

     Harry Baughman, the motorman, says that the accident was due to the failure of the air brakes to work. The car, although of the Bay Shore type, was being operated on the Middle River line.

Witnessed Crash From Store.

     Emanuel Menash, 18 years old, living at 48 North Caroline street, who witnessed the accident from the door of Moritz Grossman's store, at 1441 East Fayette street, just across the way from the saloon, which is conducted by Leonard Plaesser, describes the accident as follows:
     "The car was coming down the incline on Fayette street toward Caroline at a rapid rate of speed. I stood in the door watching it as it came noisily down the street, with the lights all on.
     "And then when it reached Caroline street, instead of turning up that street I saw it smash across the street, its lights out all of a sudden, and I saw it smash into the east wall of the saloon, tearing the front wall out, drive across the 15-foot vacant lot and crash into No. 1436. Two telephone poles that were in its way broke off like pipe stems, the poles and the wires on them being dragged along with the car.

Trapped Passengers Scream.

     "Immediately there were frantic screams from the interior of the car. It was impossible for anyone to get out there because the car was jammed into No. 1436 with piles of brick and plaster on it and a couple of barrels which the car had picked up in the saloon. The back was closed by the telegraph poles which had fallen against it. I heard the conductor yelling, "Where's my motorman?" over and over again and I could see him running up and down the car in the darkness."
     Patrolman Harbourne and Sergeant George Wolper, of the Northeastern district, also witnessed the accident and tell substantially the same story that Menash does, saying that at one minute the car was running west on the downgrade on Fayette street at a rapid rate of speed, and the next it was jammed under the walls of the buildings, with passengers screaming for assistance from the interior of the car and the occupants of the flat in No. 1436 East Fayette street rushing from the building in their night clothes.

Helped To Get Out People.

      Menash says that he smashed a window in the car and climbed in. As he got his feet on the floor of the car a man who had been shaking plaster from his hat and his shoulders climbed out. A woman near him was shouting and Menash and the policeman got her through the window. He thinks that she was Mrs. Andrew McGiney, of 3406 Belair road, who was accompanied by her husband. Menash says that as soon as she found herself safe in the street she said she had lost a pocketbook containing $38 and a diamond ring. A man who was with her climbed back in the car and tried to find it, but could not do so.

Firemen Help To Free Victims.

     Pressing to the front of the car and stepping on the body of one of the dead men as he did some. Menash found the motorman buried under the debris of the front platform and of the walls he had been through, with two full-sized barrels picked up in the saloon, on the crushed-in front, helping to hold him prisoner.
     Sergeant Wolper and Policeman Harbourne were working busily getting the injured out. They had sent a call to No. 3 Truck Company, and it arrived on the scene. With searchlights to aid them, firemen and police continued the work of getting the passengers out of the windows. Greenberg was the last to be taken out. That was about 4 o'clock in the morning. His body was terribly mutilated. He wore a workman's badge, indicating that he had been employed at Sparrow's Point.
     Although Mrs. McGiney's purse and ring were not found Capt. S.V. Wise, of No. 3 Truck Company, did find a purse of $52 and a $50 Liberty bond belonging to Ditlow in the ruins f the car. The purse was in a pocket, which had been ripped away from Ditlow's clothes in the impact of the accident.

Children Alone In Flat.

      No one was in the saloon building. Plaesser lives at 2211 Federal street. A collie dog used as a watch dog, which was in the saloon, was killed.
     The children of Grisbov, who escaped injury, were alone in their flat, the two boys who were sleeping in the first-floor room at the front, a boy of 12 and a girl of 1 years. The 12-year-old boy wa sitting up in the kitchen in the rear, with his sister sitting on his lap asleep, his arms around her. The mother is in a hospital ill and the father was at work.
     This house has a wide hall. The car, in crashing into it, ground the east wall of the house and the hall into bits and bumped into the wall against which, on the other side, was the bed of the children. There it halted. The lads tumbled unceremoniously to the floor. The older brother and the sister were thrown to the floor. The younger children ran into the kitchen terrified.

Tumbled From Their Beds.

     In the front part of the second floor, Abraham Schwartz, his wife and their daughter Celia, about 20 years old, were treated in like manner. They could hardily believe their eyes when they looked out of their windows and saw the car underneath them. Simon Klitzer, his wife and son, were in the rear of the second floor. They were shaken up, as were Paul Levin, his wife and three children an John Klitzner, son of Simon, who were on the third floor.
     As it smashed its way through the saloon, the car played queer antics. It cut off a section of the bottled goods shelf behind the bar as cleanly as if the thing had been done with a knife, but left the cash register standing. It struck one end of the bar itself and shoved this before the car. It tossed the big 30-gallon barrels of liquor about.

Ropes Keep Crowd Back.

     Employees of the railway company got on the scene early and the car was taken away before 9 o'clock and the track cleared. Ropes were stretched about the wrecked buildings to keep the crowd at a safe distance and a squad of policemen mounted guard. 
     Private owned automobiles and the police ambulances of the Central, Eastern and the Northeastern districts had taken the injured to Johns Hopkins, Mercy and St. Joseph's Hospitals as fast as they were taken from the car.
     After the dead and the larger number of the injured had been taken away and some of the excitement had subsided. Horner, the conductor, went into Grossman's store to apply peroxide to his cuts, as some of the slightly injured had done, and suddenly collapsed in a dead faint.
     It is thought that the list of injured include all, save perhaps one or two, of those who were passengers on the car. Several persons who had been cut slightly about the hands and face applied peroxide and bandages to their wounds in Grossman's and then went to their houses.

Tells Story Of Accident.

     Elmer Schultz, 18 years old, 118 South Fulton avenue, one of the inured passengers, said the car was coming down the Fayette street hill at a rapid rate.
     Schultz was badly cut about the head and is now under the care of a physician at his home. He was able to give an account of the crash, this morning, but could not tell whether the car had gotten beyond the control of the motorman.
     "I was dozing," he said, "returning from a gathering in East Baltimore. I was seated in about the middle of the car and while I was not entirely awake I was conscious that the car was traveling down the Fayette street hill at a good speed. The next thing I knew I was jolted from my seat and through the window. My head and shoulders went through the glass and I was pinned down by bricks and wood. I must have lost consciousness."
     "The next thing I knew, a policeman was talking to me and digging me out of the debris. My feet and legs were still inside the car. When I got to the sidewalk I saw one man lying, apparently, dead. One of the arms was about four feet away. Another man I had noticed sitting in front of me was also lying on the pavement. They told me he was dead.
     "I was bleeding freely, and some one tied a cloth around my head. The patrol took me to Johns Hopkins Hospital. When I arrived there I saw at least 18 injured persons, some of whom were hurt in the car accident on the Belair road. Some of them were being treated."
     Schultz was detained at the hospital until 8 o'clock this morning, when he was sent home in an automobile. He was able to tell his mother all he knew of the accident before he became delirious.

Wow. What a harrowing and grimly ironic story. Think about it: It was New Year's Day 1919. Both Greenberg and Ditlow had survived both the horrors of World War I and the Spanish Influenza. 1919 seemed to promise the whole world peace, health and prosperity. Yet these men only got to enjoy the new year for a few short hours prior to their tragic deaths.

I was curious about Hyman's draft status. I looked him up on Ancestry.com. I found a World War I Draft Registration for a Hyman Greenberg living at his recorded address. Despite the fact that his tombstone said he was 22-years-old, his draft registration reported he was born in April of 1893 in Russia. He was exempt from the draft because of a unspecified physical disability. Although he was working at Sparrow's Point at the time of his death, Hyman was employed as a tailor when he filled out the form in 1916. Additionally, the form indicated that his mother was dependent upon him for support. That makes his death even more tragic.

Here's a story from the following day with more details:

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 2 January 1919, Thursday:


CAR SMASH PROBE IS ON
-----
Two Men Killed, 8 People Hurt And Building Wrecked.
-----
SAYS BRAKES DID NOT HOLD
-----
Motorman Explains Accident, But Officials
Believe Obstruction Was In Curve.

     Coroner J. Knox Insley, of the Northeastern district, is thoroughly probing the street-car accident which occurred early yesterday morning when a westbound Fairmount avenue car jumped the curved track at the intersection of Fayette and Caroline streets, plowing through the saloon at the northwest corner, occupied by Leonard Plaesser, and the next-door dwelling, 1438 East Fayette street, occupied by Samuel L. Grerob, killing two men and injuring eight other people. An inquest probably will be held tonight.
     The dead are: James Zitlow, 137 North Exeter street, and Hyman Greenberg, 1121 East Lombard street.
     The injured are: Catherine Braun, 3701 Centre Place, leg hurt; William Hoover, Annapolis, thumb hurt; Elmer Schulz, 118 South Fulton avenue, lacerated scalp; Lieut. Thomas Crawley, Camp Meader, leg bruised; Andrew McGeeney, 3406 Belair Road, bruised and shaken up; Mrs. Annie McGeeney, 3406 Belair road, bruised and shaken up, and Keith W. Dressler, 1214 Brentwood avenue, knee hurt and slight scalp laceration.

Motorman Being Held.

     After medical aid at Johns Hopkins and St. Joseph's Hospitals the injured were taken to their homes. Lieutenant Crawley was taken to Hopkins for diagnosis and on being told his injuries were not serious left for Camp Meade immediately. Motorman Harry W. Baughman, who was in charge of the car, after receiving treatment at Hopkins, was taken to the Northeastern Police Station, where he is held pending the action of the coroner's jury.
     Despite the drizzling rain thousands of people were attracted to the scene, which looked like the work of a bomb. A soldier's hat was found among the debris late yesterday morning and for a while it was feared that the body of a soldier might have been buried underneath, but a careful search revealed nothing.

Thirty Gallons Of Liquor Lost.

     The motorman was firm in his statement yesterday that his brakes did not respond to the wet tracks when coming down the steep Fayette street incline, which begins at Broadway. Said to be going at a rather high rate of speed, the heavy car, of the Sparrow's Point type, crashed through the corner property, which was completely demolished and tore the entire front from the house next door. Thirty gallons of liquor were strewn about. Telephone poles were thrown over like small trees.
     Patrolman Harbourne and Sergeant Wolper were eyewitnesses to the accident, having just left the corner. They say that the car was coming down Fayette street and instead of turning the corner it left the track. Loud cries were heard as the light went out, and when the building was struck brick and plaster began to fly in all directions, nearly covering the vehicle.
     The dead body of Zitlow was dug from the debris and Greenberg was found on the side, when it was observed that one of his legs had been cut off. He was rushed to St. Joseph's hospital, where he died shortly after 3 o'clock. Rumors said that Zitlow and Greenberg were not passengers on the car, but were parting on the corner after attending a dance. Sergeant Wolper stated that the men were found out of the car while the injured had not been able to make any escape.
     Clearing away the wreckage lasted until nearly 5 o'clock. The attention then was turned to the next-door building, where wall supports were placed. Four persons sleeping in the building, who were badly shaken up, explained the crash as sounding like a cannon.
     James R. Pratt, general manager of the Railways company, stated yesterday afternoon that the company is in receipt of information that a foreign obstruction was in the curve, which in all probability caused the derailment, for the gauge of the car and the tracks are are in first-class condition. The report is being investigated.

Two Injured In Other Accident.

     Another street-car accident occurred at 3.30 o'clock yesterday morning on the Belair road, near Herring Run, in which two men were injured. They were William Miller, 47 years old, Spring and Glen avenues, Overlea, and David Miller, 316 South Parrish street, motorman, who sustained lacerations of the scalp. The motorman was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital in the automobile of Frank Stark, 118 East Pratt street, and later to his home.
     The accident occurred when a car south bound failed to stop in time to prevent colliding with another car in the lead. According to the motorman the lights of the leading car were out at the time and he did not see it until he was directly on it.

That story added some gruesome details about dismembered limbs.  As you probably noticed, the name of the second victim was changed in the previous story and some subsequent ones. I researched the man and I believe his name is definitely Henry Ditlow. I found a Henry Ditlow buried in a Jewish cemetery who died on that day. I could find no records for a James Zitlow.

Here's the next story about the burials.

The Evening Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 3 January 1919, Friday:


CAR VICTIMS BURIED
-----
Persons Injured In Caroline Street Accident Reported Better.
-----

     James Zitlow, 137 North Exeter street, and Hyman Greenberg, 1121 East Lombard street, who were killed in New Year's morning when a Bay Shore car jumped the track and crashed into two buildings at Fayette and Caroline streets, were buried this morning in the cemetery of Lloyd Street Synagogue, on the Belair Road.
     Harry W. Baughman, 3205 Esther Place, motorman in charge of the car, is still being held at the Northeastern Police Station pending the result of the inquest which will be held Monday evening by Coroner J. Know Insley.
     The eight person injured in the accident were reported improved this morning.

Wait a minute.... Hyman Greenberg was buried in the cemetery of Lloyd Street Synagogue on Belair Road? How'd he end up at  Knesseth Israel Anshe Kolk Wolyn Cemetery? According to Jane B. Wilson's excellent book The Very Quiet Baltimoreans, the burying place of the Lloyd Street Synagogue is the B'nai Israel Congregation Cemetery on Southern Avenue, a few blocks west of Belair Road (which I could see from my bedroom window from my former home at 21 St. Helens Avenue). That cemetery is still operating. Was the newspaper mistaken? If not, why was Hyman moved? The monument I found was definitely for this Hyman Greenberg.

Interestingly, Henry Ditlow was also buried at a different cemetery than the one listed in the story. He can be found resting at Jehuda Amachby Lodge Cemetery on Hamilton Avenue in Rosedale.

Still, the story wasn't over yet. The fate of the motorman Harry Baughman still had to be decided:

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland),  11 Jan 1919,  Saturday: 


MOTORMAN IS EXONERATED
-----
Deaths in New-Year Car Wreck of Fayette Street Accidental.
-----

     At the inquest last nigh at the Northeastern Police Station conducted by Coroner J. Knox Insley on the death of James Zitlow, 137 North Exeter street and Hyman Greenberg, 1121 East Lombard street, when a street car of the United Railways jumped the track at the intersection of Caroline and Fayette streets early New Year's Day and crashed into the property at the northwest corner, the jury gave a verdict of accidental death. Harry Baughman, 3205 Esther place, motorman, was exonerated and released.
     The motorman testified that owing to the wet rails and the incline of Fayette street, which begins at Broadway, the brakes controlling the car did not respond and that he lost control of the car. Other testimony was given that on leaving the barn the mechanism was found in working order. Other testimony was given as to whether the men killed in the accident were standing on the corner or passengers on the car. Eight other persons were injured at the time.

So it was just an accident. No guilt was assigned to anyone. No one answered for the dead. And now Hyman's tombstone, his last earthly reminder, has fallen backwards to the ground.

I hope the caretakers of the cemetery see this blog and put it upright again. There appears to be active maintenance. I have photographed upright stones there only to find older photos on Findagrave that showed the same stones tumbled over. Hopefully they will get around to Hyman. He had a short life. he deserves a secure resting place.


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:

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Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast #65: Promising Young Woman

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 is one of those weeks when the podcast devolves into a group therapy session. We have a very passionate and sometimes heated discussion about Promising Young Woman starring Carey Mulligan and written and directed by Emerald Fennell, who won an Academy Award for her script. Ralph brought the film to table and let the feathers fly. You should check it out.

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:

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Grave Tales #15: Terri Lea Sain

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 was recently at Gardens of Faith Cemetery marking the locations of the graves of my family members using the GPS function on the Findagrave phone app. Gardens of Faith uses flat markers, and the Murphy family plot became difficult to find after a nearby tree was taken down. While walking away, I noticed the grave of seven-year-old Terri Lea Sain. I immediately checked the Findagrave app. Terri was already listed on the website, but there was no grave photo. I took one and uploaded it. When I got home, I had to find out what took the life of this little girl. The mystery deepened when I saw her death notice and the one listed above it.

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 05 July 1966, Tuesday:

Wait a minute. Two Sains? Both of whom died the same day with their funerals being at held at the same funeral parlor and their services at the same church. I instinctively thought that they were sisters, but death notices indicated they had different parents. What was going on? I knew they were a double tragedy but of what sort? I had to investigate further. The story began, as have so many of our summer tragedies, with a weather report.

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 04 July 1966, Monday:


MERCURY TOPS 100 AGAIN
-----

     The temperature in the city rose slightly above 100 degrees at 3:35 P.M. yesterday and Baltimoreans at home for the holiday sweltered into the third week of a heat wave.
     At the airport, the mercury hit a record high of 102 degrees, at 3:30 P.M., a full eight degrees above the previous high for the date set two years ago.
     No relief is forecast today by the Weather Bureau as temperatures are again expected to hover about the 100-degree mark.
     One youth drowned yesterday and two others were reported still missing late last night. Attempts to locate the body of a fourth person, missing since 8 P.M. Saturday night, were abandoned by the Coast Guard at 1 P.M. yesterday.
     City streets were virtually empty yesterday as Baltimoreans who were not at the beach apparently took refuge in public or private pools, or air-conditioned taverns.

Person Involved

     The four persons involved are:
     GERRY BOLDEN, 13, of the 1700 block South Charles street, who drowned about 8:45 A.M. yesterday while swimming in the Patapsco River at the foot of Light street near the Hanover street bridge.
     NORMAN BEAVER, 32, of Hyattsville, Md., who fell overboard about 8 P.M. Saturday while boating with some friends at Plum Point near Tilghman Island, about 15 miles south of Annapolis.
     JOANN LOUISE SAIN, 9. daughter of Mrs. and Mrs. Joseph C. Sain of the 4300 block Necker avenue, Perry Hall, Md., disappeared from a family party about 3 P.M. yesterday. Baltimore county police, after searching all nearby houses, roads and woods, presumed that JoAnn and her cousin must have fallen in the Middle River from the pier at her uncle's home in the 200 block Patapsco avenue. Ten skin divers from the county rescue squad searched in vain until 9:30 last night.
     TERRI LEA SAIN, 7, JoAnn's cousin and the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Sain of the unit block Ebenezer road in White Hall, Md.
      Bay Bridge traffic was reported as being relatively light compared with Saturday's record total of between 29,000 and 30,000 cars. The previous high was 28,499 cars, the State Roads Commission said.
      An outdoor concert performed by members of the Baltimore Symphony orchestra drew an estimated 8,000 persons to Goucher College last night and caused a traffic back-up for a short time between Dulaney Valley road and Towson.
     Elsewhere in the State, the only tie-ups were the result of concrete buckling due to the heat. The Harbor Tunnel police reported having to repair a slight buckling near the Potee Street entrance to the tunnel.
     In addition, State police said a stretch of concrete extending for several blocks on U.S. 40, between Gold Ring Road and Chesaco avenue, was raised in spots from 6 inches to a foot yesterday afternoon due to the expanding asphalt.
     Several emergency crews from the State Roads Commission were called to repair the damage and traffic was temporarily detoured, they said.
     State police also reported a slight slowing of traffic because of cement buckling in the northbound lane of the Baltimore Beltway, just below the Westland boulevard walkway in Wilkens.
     Hot weather and hotter baseball produced one case of heat prostration and one case of severe heat rash at Memorial Stadium. Local hospitals reported that their emergency rooms were treating many people for heat related illnesses such as headaches, stomach aches, sunburn and exhaustion.
     The Hopkins Hospital said that the traffic in its emergency room has nearly doubled during the past few days, apparently because of the weather, and that the normal daily crush of 150 to 200 persons was now upwards of 300.
     The Bolden youth drowned while attempting to swim from a barge, located about 20 yards off-shore in shallow water, to a sunken ship about a mile away.
      Southern district police said that the youth, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bolden, was apparently caught in the current in the shipping channel and was dragged under
     His body was recovered by police about one hour later and about 200 yards from the spot he went down. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter at South Baltimore General Hospital.

Wow. Another drowning. Little Terri and JoAnn have joined my previous subjects Isadore and Solomon Gold and James Tully as drowning victims. I had no idea drowning was such an ongoing and persistent problem. It makes me shudder at my own carefree summer attitude about water during my youth, whether it be pools or inner tubing down rivers and streams. 

The Evening Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 05 July 1966, Tuesday:


Pedestrian, 30, Killed By Car; Eight Drown

     A pedestrian was struck by a car and fatally injured yesterday in South Baltimore, raising the holiday death toll in Maryland to eleven, including eight deaths by drowning.
     The pedestrian who was crossing Hawkins Point road near the United States Coast Guard installation on Curtis Bay, was identified by police as James C. Davis, 30, of Marion S.C. He was pronounced dead on arrival at South Baltimore General Hospital at 5:45 P.M.
     According to police, the driver of the car that struck Mr. Davis, James K. Forster, 55, of the 1000 block of Webb court, has been charged with auto manslaughter and reckless driving.
     Two earlier weekend traffic victims brought the year's toll to 352, or 47 more than last year on the date.
     There were:
     BENJAMIN N. GLICKSTEIN, 53, of the 6900 block of Marsue avenue, killed early Sunday in a collision at Broadway and Madison street.
     DANIEL J. BRENNEMAN, 72, of Grantsville, MD., Garrett county, killed in a two-car crash near his home early Saturday.
Cousins Drown

     Drowning victims included two young cousins, Joann Louise Sain, 9, of the 4300 block Necker avenue, Perry Hall, Md., and Terri Lea Sain, 7, of the first block Ebenezer road, White Hall, Md. The girls' bodies were found in Frog Mortar Creek after they had disappeared from a family picnic at Middle River about 3 P.M. Sunday.
      Other drowning victims were:
     BRANTLEY LINDER, 27, of Washington, D.C., who apparently struck his head when he dived from a boat into 4 feet of water yesterday at Long View Beach, St. Mary's county.
      GERRY BOLDEN, 13, of the 1700 block of South Charles street, who drowned yesterday in the Patapsco river.
     NORMAN BEAVER, 32, of Hyattsville, who fell overboard from a boat Saturday at Plum Point, near Tilghman Island.
     LEON RICARDO, 18, of Timonium, whose body was recovered Saturday night in a water-filled quarry at Cockeysville.
     DOROTHY J. MITCHELL, 20, of Annapolis, who drowned about 8 P.M. in Spa creek.
     ALONZO D. GRATTON, 54, of Lusby, Md., who fell overboard while fishing from a boat in the Patuxent river Saturday.

Had just Terri or just JoAnn died that Fourth of July, I'm sure the Sain would have still been forever changed. The fact that the two children died together from the different branches of the family must have compounded the pain. I'm sure the uncle's house on the river, where the tragedy took place, was once a place of joyful family gatherings, much like my aunt and uncle's home on Wilson Point. I bet none of the Sains could ever step inside that house again without thinking of the girls.  

Nothing gives me more joy than seeing my little granddaughters playing in the pool with their cousins. I know I will be thinking about the Sain girls every time I take my little darlings to the pool this summer...

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:

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Saturday, April 17, 2021

Yippee-Ki-Yay Mother Podcast #64: Donnie Brasco with former Mafia associate Kenji Gallo

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 we examine the 1997 Mike Newell film Donnie Brasco, starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino with special guest Kenji GalloKenji is a former mob associate who wore a wire against the Colombo family in New York for eight years for the FBI. Kenji feels that Donnie Brasco best depicts life in the mafia as he experienced it. Listen to the podcast and hear why.

Be sure to check out Kenji's book about his life in the mob.

 

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:

Monday, April 12, 2021

Grave Tales #14: Ernest & Dora Blumenfeld


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 was recently at Ohr Knesseth Israel Anshe Sfard Cemetery with my lovely wife Deborah marking the locations of the graves of my previous subjects in this series using the GPS function on the Findagrave phone app. (Feel free to visit them and pay your respects!) She called to me when she spotted this ornate monument, saying "Sean, I found a young couple that died on the same day." Even before I saw the grave I knew it would be a grave tale. There's always a tragic story when a young couple dies together. I speculated that they probably died a house fire. Deborah said, "No, it was a car accident." She was correct. Here's the sad fate of Ernest and Dora Blumenfeld

The Evening Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 21 Nov 1931, Saturday:


3 INJURED, 2 BADLY, IN AUTO, BUS CRASH
-----
Vehicles Collide On Washington Boulevard, Top Of Dead Man's Curve
-----

     Three persons were hurt, two seriously early today when an automobile containing Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Blumenfeld, 1542 North Appleton street, was in collision with a Short Line bus on the Washington Boulevard at the top of Dead Man's Curve between Elkridge and Dorsey. One passenger on the bus, Fred Smith, of New Orleans, was cut on the mouth when he was thrown against a window.
     Blumenfeld, 30 years old, was taken to St. Agnes' Hospital with a fractured skull and internal injuries, while his wife, Dorothy, 24 years old, was sent to the University Hospital with similar injuries. Both were unconscious. A blood-transfusion operation was to be given Mrs. Blumenfeld today in an attempt to save her life.

Bus Driver Arrested

     Martin Luther Bewley, of Embreville, Pa., driver of the bus, was placed under arrest by State Policeman J.H. Doud and taken to the Halethorpe police station for an investigation.
      Bewley told the policeman that he was bound to Washington with three passengers and had just reached the top of Dead Man's Curve when the Baltimore-bound machine suddenly swerved in front of him. Bewley said it was his opinion that the driver suddenly fell asleep at the wheel of the car, causing him to lose control of the car, which crossed the painted white line in the center of the road.
     Following the crash, Bewley told the policeman, the other machine was pushed down the steep hill for some distance before he could bring his heavy vehicle to a full stop.
     With two unidentified sailors and Smith, the bus driver said he extricated the injured couple from the wrecked car and stopped passing motorists to take them to a hospital. Dr. Hubert Gurley, 5142 Park Heights avenue, happened along a few minutes later and gave first aid. Smith stayed on the bus and later went to a Washington hospital for treatment.
     Blumenfeld, a salesman, went to Washington yesterday on business and took his wife along for the ride, according to relatives, but left his two daughters Rene, 5 years old, and Beatrice, 8, at home in care of a maid.

Another Patient Arrives

     Soon after Blumenfeld had been admitted as a patient at St. Agnes' Hospital a motorist brought Leon Rice, of 1236 Eleventh street, Washington, to the hospital. The motorist said Rice had been injured in an accident on the Washington Boulevard.
     Police were trying to determine whether Rice was in the same accident. Blumenfeld's relatives said they did not know Rice, but that it was possible he was accompanying Blumenfeld home. The bus driver said he found only two passengers in the Blumenfeld machine.

Wow. That was an ugly crash. Obviously, although I knew the couple would soon die, they were still alive at the end of the story. I had to continue researching, if only to find out if the bus driver was indeed culpable for the accident.

The Evening Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 23 Nov 1931,  Monday:


Funeral of Motor Crash Victims Held
-----
Mr. And Mrs. Ernest Blumenfeld Were Injured Fatally In Bus Accident
-----

     Funeral services for Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Blumenfeld, who were injured fatally in an automobile crash Saturday, were conducted today at their home, 1542 North Appleton street, by Rabbi Moses L. Rabinowitz. Burial followed in the Hebrew Mount Carmel Cemetery, on the Philadelphia road.
     Mr. Blumenfeld died last night at St. Agnes' Hospital, and his wife, Mrs. Dora Blumenfeld, died at the University Hospital, where she had been since the crash. The couple are survived by two daughters, 7 and 9 years old.
     The couple were injured when their automobile collided with a bus near Elkridge.
     Martin Luther Bewley, driver of the bus, has been released in $2,000 bail for a hearing on December 7 before Magistrate Frederick Gill. The hearing will be held in Elkridge.

Of course, then as today, an accident that serious resulted in a lawsuit on behalf of the children.

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland),  04 Dec 1931 Friday: 


VICTIM OF CRASH AWARDED $12,500
-----
Miss Lillian E. Klingstine Injured In Automobile Accident in 1930
-----
LAID UP FOUR MONTHS
-----
Two Suits Ask $85,000 Damages For Death Of Couple, Killed When Bus And Car Collided
-----

     A verdict in favor of Miss Lillian E. Klingstine for $12,500 damages against Mose Edlavitch was returned by a jury in the City Court yesterday before Judge Eli Frank.
     Miss Klingstine was injured seriously July 23, 1930, while riding in Mr. Edlavitch's automobile on the Old Annapolis road near Linthicum Heights. The car ran off the roadway and overturned. Mr. Edlavitch lives at 2313 Wichita avenue.
     As a result of her injuries, Miss Klingstine, who lives at 3434 Virginia avenue, was incapacitated four months. She underwent a series of operations and treatments for her arm.
     Roland K. Adams and Herbert R. O'Conor were counsel for Miss Klingstine.

$85,000 Damages Asked

     Two suits, claiming a total of $85,000 damages for the death of Ernest I. Blumenfeld and Dorothy Blumenfeld, his wife, who were killed as the result of an automobile accident on the Washington Boulevard November 21, were filed in the Superior Court.
     The suits were instituted against the Great Eastern Stages, Inc., on behalf of Beatrice Blumenfeld, 7, and Rena Blumenfeld, 5, daughters of the couple, and Hyman Blumenfeld, administrator of their estate. Isaac Lobe Straus and Harry Coller, attorneys, filed the suits, which charged the bus company with negligence. The accident occurred when a bus collided with the Blumenfeld machine at the top of Dead Man's Curve between Elkridge and Dorsey.

The news in the following story didn't bode well for the Blumenfeld lawsuit.

The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 08 Dec 1931, Tuesday.

Hit By Auto As She Steps From Behind Trolley Car
-----
Mrs. Stella Salrokor Taken To Hospital With Possible Fracture of Right Leg

     Struck by an automobile as she stepped from behind a trolley car, according to the police, Mrs. Stella Salrokor, 2223 Harlem avenue, was taken to Franklin Square Hospital last night with lacerations and a possible fracture of the right leg.
     The accident occurred on Fayette street, near Carrollton avenue, at 7 P.M. John L. Lamkin, of Catonsville, driver of the automobile, was summoned on a charge of reckless driving.
     Martin Luther Beuley, of Embreeville, Pa., bus driver whose vehicle crashing into an automobile on the Washington Boulevard November 21, killing Mr. and Mrs. Ernest L. Blumenfeld, of Baltimore, passengers in the car, was exonerated yesterday by Coroner Frederick Gill, of Elkridge.

I could not find the results of the lawsuit, but on 15 April 1938, Beatrice and Rena received money in their guardianship accounts.  They also received additional money in 1941.

In April 1942, I believe Beatrice married Cecil Levinson. Here's the photo.

She looked happy. I'm glad. In these blogs, I have often considered the loss felt by parents when a child dies. This time I was forced to consider the trauma these two girls must must have felt when they lost  both of their parents. It must have been devastating. Somehow, I hope both of them managed to have long and happy lives.

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