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.
There's a place in Japan called Aokigahara forest. They call it the suicide forest. People come from all over the country to commit suicide within its dark confines. Until I stumbled upon the grave of John P. Brandau in Baltimore Cemetery, I didn't realize Baltimore possessed a similar place. Mr. Brandau took his own life in Druid Hill Park. He was not the first and not the last. In the late 19th and early 20th century, many Baltimoreans ventured into the park to take their lives. Here's the story of Mr. Brandau and many of the others who walked the same path.
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 1 June 1900, Fri:
The thirty-fifth suicide in the park? That meant there was slightly less than one suicide per year since 1862. However, the editors obviously thought the number was noteworthy. It must have been disturbingly disproportionate to the number of suicides taking place in other parks and locations in the city where people gathered. I felt compelled to take a look into some of the other deaths, but first a little history of the park.
Druid Hill Park was formerly the estate of Lloyd Rogers, who sold it to Baltimore City in 1860. At seven-hundred-and-forty-six acres, it rivals New York's Central Park and Philadelphia's Fairmount Park as one of the oldest large public parks in the United States. It was financed by a tax on the privately run streetcar lines. The Baltimore Zoo, which is still located on its ground, was created by an act of the Maryland State Legislature in 1876. However, its collection of animals began in the 1860s. Druid Hill Park provided the average Baltimorean a happy place of recreation. They could have picnics, play sports or simply enjoy the greenery away from the noise and grime of the city.
As John Brandau's obituary indicated, it was also a place of self-destruction. Here's the first story I could find about a suicide in Druid Hill Park:
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 10 July 1877, Tue:
Attempted Suicide in Druid Hill Park. -- Henry D. Gibson, attempted to commit suicide yesterday afternoon in Druid Hill Park by shooting himself in the head with a pistol. In the afternoon, at three o'clock, as Captain Cassell, superintendent of the park police, was making his rounds he saw a man sitting under a tree to the right of the main entrance, but noticed nothing particular in his actions. In passing the same place again at 20 minutes to five o'clock he saw the same man lying on the grass as if in great pain. On going up to him Captain Cassell found his head and face was covered with blood, which was also flowing from a wound in the right side of the head. A six barreled revolver was found on the grass near by, having one chamber discharged. Captain Cassell took the man to his house and had the wound dressed by Dr. Clemmens. Mr. Gibson said he lived at No. 99 Argyle avenue, but when he was conveyed thither the residents of the house said they did not know him. He was then taken to the northwestern station-house, and thence to Maryland University Hospital, corner of Lombard and Greene streets, for treatment.He later died. Here's the story:
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 16 July 1877, Mon:
Fatal Result -- Mr. Henry D. Gibson, who shot himself in the head with a pistol in Druid Hill Park last Monday afternoon, died at the Maryland University Hospital, Lombard and Greene streets, Saturday evening at six o'clock. The ball was embedded in the brain, and the physicians had no hope of his recovery, and he was in an unconscious state during the five days that he survived the infliction of the wound. No inquest was deemed necessary. Dr. T. A. Ashby, resident physician, requested that a post mortem examination should be allowed as the case was one of peculiar interest to medical science, but objection was made by relatives, and the body was delivered to them to burial. Mr. Gibson was in the 51st year of his age.The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 14 September 1878, Sat:
The funeral of Mrs. Christine Fablbush, who committed suicide in Druid Hill Park, took place yesterday afternoon from the residence of her husband, No. 145 Burgundy alley. The services were performed by Rev. F. Hennighausen of St. Stephen's German Lutheran Church, and the remains were interred in the Western Cemetery.The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 30 September 1880, Thu:
Supposed Suicide of a Merchant -- Dragging Druid Hill Lake. -- Ancel C. Perry, of Clark, Perry & Co., wholesale shoe manufacturers, No. 9 North Charles street, residence No. 220 East Chase street, is supposed to have committed suicide in Druid Hill Park on Tuesday night by drowning himself in Druid lake. Capt. Cassell, in making his early round of the Park yesterday morning, discovered a high-crowned silk hat inside the rail of the lake, opposite the fountain, next to No. 2 picnic grounds. Driving over there, the hat was found on the rip-rapping near the water's edge, with a stone in it weighing about two pounds. Officer Frank Doyle stated that as he left the park about 6.40 o'clock P.M. on Tuesday he saw a man in a high silk hat and dark clothes leaning over the railing of the lake, looking silently into the water, and that he changed his position as he passed him and went over in the direction of where the hat was found. Capt. Cassell had the employees of the park examine the lake about its edges to see if the body could be discovered, suspecting from the indications that some one had committed suicide. About noon, H. K. Love, father-in-law of Mr. Perry, came to the park at the request of Mrs. Perry to inquire for her husband, as he was in the habit of frequently visiting the park. The hat was shown to Mr. Love and readily identified. Feeling satisfied that Mr. Perry was in the lake Capt. Cassell communicated with Mr. Curran, water engineer, who has charge inside the rail, and received permission to use his judgment about dragging the lake for the body. Waiting until numerous visitors had left the park, Captain Cassell soon after night had set in commenced to drag the portion of the lake where the unfortunate man was supposed to have drowned himself. Several gentlemen from the store of Clark, Perry & Co. were in readiness waiting to identify the body when recovered. The dragging of the bottom of the lake was continued until a late hour last night, and numerous devices were used to render it effective, but all means were unavailing, and the efforts were reluctantly abandoned, to be renewed this morning.Capt. Cassell's guess was correct. It took a few days but eventually Mr. Perry's body was retrieved from the lake. Here's another story:
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 05 October 1880, Tue:
The Funeral of Mr. Ancel C. Perry, whose body was recovered from Druid Lake Sunday morning, took place yesterday, from his late residence, No. 320 East Chase street. Services were by Rev. Richard Norris, of Madison Square M. E. Church, and the interment was at Greenmount Cemetery. Among the pall-bearers were Messrs J. J. Tyler, H. S. Lithgow, W. H. Clark and P. W. Heath.The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 05 August 1887, Fri:
The hat and coat of the man found near the high-service reservoir in Druid Hill Park were identified yesterday as those of Andrew Hertel, a barber, by his sister-in-law, Mrs. Margaret Disney, 911 South Charles street. She also remembered the "A.H." in India ink on his arm. Hertel was 34 years old, and lived with his wife and two young children at 613 South Charles street. Last Saturday he came in from his barber shop at one o'clock and retired Sunday morning about four o'clock. Those living in the house heard him go downstairs in his stocking feet and enter the street, and nothing had been heard from him since. Hertel had frequently threatened to commit suicide while under the influence of liquor, and attempted it last year by laudanum. His family relations had always been the most pleasant. He was formerly in business at the corner of Pratt and Commerce streets. At the time of his death he kept a barber shop on Camden street, near Paca street, which was found open after he left Saturday night. His wife is at present visiting her brother in Dorchester county, and is unaware of her husband's death. The remains were interred yesterday at the county almshouse, on the York road, by Constable Reid, at the expense of the county. They will probably be removed when Mrs. Hertel arrives in the city. The case was regarded as a suspicious one by some persons, who advanced a number of theories as to how he met his death. At the inquest Redmond, who measures the reservoir, swore that he had measured the lake every morning and had not seen the body, coat or hat, which he thought impossible had they been there. Capt. Cassell says the body was floating in the corner of the abutment which projects from the rip-raps, and in a position where it could not be seen unless by some one very near it. Three measuring rods have been found in the reservoir, either of which may have been used by Redmond. Chief Engineer Martin, of the water department, has emptied the reservoir of six or eight million gallons, and will give it a good flushing. The reservoir was dragged yesterday to see if it contained another body, as it was thought the first did not belong to Hertel, but it was positively identified.
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 13 August 1887, Sat:
John Brehm committed suicide in Druid Hill Park, and a man supposed to be Henry Fels near Bayview Asylum.The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 15 November 1890, Sat:
Mr. Louis Camacho, a well-known Cuban, committed suicide in Druid Hill Park.
A subsequent story revealed Louis J. Camacho killed himself by swallowing a quantity of prussic acid.
There was no story about the next man's death, only the legal wrangling that followed.
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 26 March 1892, Sat:
John W. Lorenz and Michael Thron applied in Circuit Court No. 2, by J. Fred. Requardt and L. P. Hennighausen, attorneys, to have set aside a deed of trust for the benefit of creditors made by Ernest W. Bennett and to have a receiver appointed to take charge of the assets of the firm of Jacob Bennett & Son and of Ernest W. Bonnett individually and distribute them among the creditors entitled to receive them. The bill states that Jacob Bonnett & Son are indebted to Mr. Lorenz in the sum of $450 and to Mr. Thron in the sum of $1,200, both on overdue promissory notes. The firm was dissolved, it is said, by the death of Jacob Bonnett, who killed himself in Druid Hill Park on the 3rd of last June. On the 8th of June, the son made an assignment for the benefit of the creditors, which the bill declares is void.
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 22 December 1892, Thu:
The unknown man was identified the following week. He had travelled from Jersey City to kill himself at Druid Hill Park:
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 28 December 1892, Wed:
The man who committed suicide in Druid Hill Park last Wednesday was identified as Charles W. Meyers, of Jersey City.The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 25 August 1893, Sat:
Twenty-Ninth Suicide in Druid Hill, -- Frank Appleby, of Washington, shot himself in Druid Hill Park yesterday and died at the Maryland General Hospital, where he was taken in the patrol wagon. The shooting was witnessed by a number of persons and occurred back of the Washington statue, in one of the most frequented sections of the park. The ball entered the skull and lodged in the middle lobe of the brain. Appleby was unconscious when he reached the hospital and remained so until he died. A blazing handkerchief was found beside him in the park by Captain Cassell, who stamped out the fire. The initial or name appeared to have been torn from it. Mr. Appleby was about thirty-five years of age. The pistol with which he shot himself was of 32-caliber and only one chamber had been loaded. A box of cartridges was found in his pocket, 24 cents in change, a bunch of keys and a lead pencil. The body was taken to the morgue. This makes the twenty-ninth suicide in Druid Hill Park. Mr. Appleby was identified by his brother, who came over from Washington.The twenty-ninth suicide? Obviously, I missed quite a few of them my research. But there would be many more. In fact, there was another suicide attempt in the park the very next day:
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 26 August 1893, Sat:
In the next case, the victim traveled all the way from Charlottesville, Virginia, to Baltimore to commit suicide in the park.
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 13 March 1894, Tue:
Fatally Shot Himself in Druid Hill. -- A man about forty-five years of age was found unconscious yesterday, with a bullet wound in his right temple, on the path between the fish and sea lion ponds in Druid Hill Park. A 32-caliber revolver with one chamber discharged, was on the grass near by. Elijah Blizzard, keeper of the sea lions, discovered the wounded man. Captain Cassell was notified and the ambulance of the northwestern police district was called. The man was taken to the Maryland General Hospital and died soon after reaching there. Papers found in his clothing indicated that his name was Morris M. Spooner, and that he had been a resident of Charlottesville, Va. A policy in the New York Life Insurance Company, payable to W.B. Freeman, 1115 East Main street, Richmond, Va., was in one of his pockets. A lady's photograph and the inscription, "G. W. S. from S. H. B. -- 1880," were in the case of his watch. Money and other articles were also in his pockets. Coroner Baldwin considered it a case of suicide and decided that an inquest was unnecessary. The body was sent to the morgue. Marshall Frey took steps to communicate with the man's relatives. Mr. Morris M. Spooner was a Charlottesville architect. This makes the twenty-ninth suicide in Druid Hill Park.The twenty-ninth suicide? According to another story, Frank Appleby was the twenty-ninth suicide in the park the previous year.
Regardless of the accuracy of the count, it was clear that a disturbing number of people killed themselves in the park. However, I wonder if any record was made of the number of people who attempted suicide but failed. Here's one of their stories. Sadly, the young man did not give up after his first try. Like my previous subject Yetta Palatnik, he ended his life with a leap from a hospital window.
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 25 February 1895, Mon:
\There's a few things to unpack in that story. First, our victim apparently came from New York to Baltimore strictly to kill himself, and of all places he chose Druid Hill Park. Why? Secondly, I wish they elaborated more about their suspicions that he was the member of a suicide club. To me, that would make it even more disturbing. A suicide club that had a member travel to Baltimore and kill himself in Druid Hill Park.... Geez.
On a personal note, I want to make the point that just because a person attempts to commit suicide, they are not doomed to die that way. More suicides take place at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco than any other location in the United States. 625 reported. Perhaps 200 unreported. However, studies indicate that 90% of those people who failed at their attempt do not die a violent death. One hopeless moment of darkness need not define a person or guarantee their fate.
Case in point is my great-granduncle Frank Kostohryz. Broken-hearted, he attempted to kill himself at a nightspot where his ex-girlfriend worked in 1907. He survived, and ultimately lived until 1943. You can read his story here: The Public Suicide of Frank Kostohryz.
In a moment of weakness, I nearly took my own life. However, I have felt no real temptation to do so again and have managed, I believe, to live a relatively successful life. I wrote about my suicide attempt in my memoir The Promise, or the Pros and Cons of Talking With God. You can read the chapter about my near suicide online here: Chapter 15: Quarter To Midnight.
Pardon my public service announcement. Back to our story....
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 7 January 1897, Tue:
I'm not typing out this story. It's way too long. Most of the front page of the Baltimore Sun was devoted to this incident. Richard Cornelius was apparently a highly-esteemed and model citizen. His crime and death shocked the community. One story even speculated that he stole, not for his own benefit, but rather to give to charities.
There is one telling paragraph I would like to quote from the main story: As soon as Mr. D. Pinkney West received the intelligence that Mr. Cornelius was missing he was off on a hunt for him. At the bank Mr. John Pleasants had remarked casually: "Maybe Mr. Cornelius has committed suicide in Druid Hill Park."
That's fascinating to me. By 1897, Druid Hill Park was obviously so closely associated with suicide in the minds of Baltimoreans that someone could make that assumption.
Maybe Druid Hill was our Aokigahara forest after all.
Of all the stories I read about people who attempted but failed to commit suicide at the park, I feel the sorriest for this fellow:
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 27 January 1898, Thu:
William Pfaff, the cigarmaker, who attempted to commit suicide in Druid Hill Park on Sunday, January 15, has so far recovered that he will be discharged from the Maryland General Hospital in a few days. He will, however, be blind for the remainder of his life.
I don't know what inner demons drove Mr. Pfaff to try to kill himself, but I'm sure being blinded didn't make his life easier. (An earlier story revealed Mr. Pfaff had shot himself and the bullet had severed both of his optic nerves.)
Our next victim came from Buffalo, New York, to attempt suicide in the park.
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 26 March 1898, Sat:
The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 1 July 1899, Sat:
George J. Booze, 25 O'Donnell street, Canton, committed suicide in Druid Hill Park.
I'm stopping in 1900 with the death of John P. Brandau, who started me off on this dark journey. He was said to be the thirty-fifth suicide in the park. I only found stories about thirteen of the previous cases. Trust me, many more would follow in the 20th Century.
I have no idea why people went to Druid Hill Park to kill themselves. Maybe they didn't want to burden their families by killing themselves at home. Or maybe those troubled souls wanted to be in a happy place during the final moments of their lives.... Or, more practically, perhaps they hoped their bodies would be found more quickly in the busy park.... The more supernatural might instead speculate that there is a dark vortex in the park.... Who can say?
However, regardless of the reason, Druid Hill Park became associated with suicide in the minds of many Baltimoreans. Strange. I've lived in Baltimore all of my life and I never heard about our Aokigahara forest until now.
Please permit me one more public service announcement. If you are considering suicide: Please don't. Take my word for it. Tomorrow will be better, if you let it. There are people who are ready to help. 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.
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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