5 days agoThe DoctorSome might find it creepy, but my family and friends have grown accustomed to my dragging them to cemeteries. Occasionally, I visit a loved one, but it hardly matters whether I’m acquainted with a permanent resident: For me, a graveyard offers an opportunity to shop for a story. I started…Cemeteries6 min readCemeteries6 min read
Oct 28The Widow AdkinsOn the evening of May 3, 1890, James Wiley Adkins, 31, left an Elm Street saloon called the Blue Front* and headed home to his family in West Dallas. Unwisely, he attempted to cross the Texas and Pacific trestle at the Trinity River just as a train was backing up. …Cemeteries9 min readCemeteries9 min read
Sep 30Madame Alexandra of EstoniaThe grave stone suggests a genteel lady who never left home without gloves and hat, who retained a charming foreign accent and accepted a gentleman’s arm when she left home for social engagements. Home, according to her death certificate, was a large Spanish-style house on Lorraine Avenue in Highland Park…Cemetery4 min readCemetery4 min read
Aug 3The CyclistAMERICA’S BEST COMEDY BICYCLE ACT is what an Atlantic City newspaper called James Curtis Booth’s troupe. …Vaudeville7 min readVaudeville7 min read
May 20Found Murdered at HomeOn the night she died at a Dallas motel, Emma Jean Stewart reportedly screamed, “Don’t kill me!” Another witness heard a child cry out, “Leave Mommy alone!” Neither deterred the assailant. On April 23, 1963, police found the nude body of the 31-year-old wife and mother of four lying dead…Murder Mystery6 min readMurder Mystery6 min read
Apr 15Bailey menOn Friday morning, January 18, 1963, Lesley Cortez Bailey pointed a French-made automatic pistol at his wife’s left temple and fired. He then rested the muzzle below his right eye and ended his own life. He did so fully aware his actions would orphan the couple’s 8-month-old daughter. Lesley, 32…Cemeteries8 min readCemeteries8 min read
Mar 21Olga Worth’s Final BowCan a human body spontaneously combust; that is, can a person suddenly burst into flames without an outside source of ignition? Is that what happened to Olga Worth? A well-known stage actress during the Roaring Twenties, Olga caught fire while sitting alone in a parked car on East Grand Avenue…Theatre History6 min readTheatre History6 min read
Feb 23The Outlaw’s DaughterLying side by side at Oakland Cemetery are Houston Rhode, the 15-year-old child of German immigrant parents, and Delores “Lola” Scurlock Herrera, the 25-year-old daughter of a notorious outlaw. The boy died from a heart condition; his parents buried him October 21, 1916. …Cemetery5 min readCemetery5 min read
Feb 15John and BeadieOn a rare snowy day in Dallas, a beloved red-haired stray dubbed Rusty abandoned his usual perch on the grand Samuell monument in Dallas’ historic Oakland Cemetery to keep company the lesser-known markers for John Allen Hill (1837–1910) and wife Beadie (1853–1899) in section one. …Dallas History3 min readDallas History3 min read
Jan 29Beloved AuntieThe wind serves only those who have set their sails… Were these the inspirational words an elderly aunt repeated to a favorite niece or nephew? Or did one of them — there were at least 18 — recognize Auntie Nellie’s ability to bear life’s buffeting winds? …Cemetery History8 min readCemetery History8 min read
