Love in the Cemetery

Death isn't the only thing we find in a cemetery. Sometimes, we find love.

Jon & Kristen met during a headstone dedication for John Crooms. They are getting married this Spring.

Julia F. Gamble

Tribune – Mrs. Julia F. Gamble, 87, died in her home here at midnight Tuesday. She formerly lived in Hutchinson, was born Nov. 20, 1866, came to Kansas in 1886.

Mrs. Gamble is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Bertha Kauffman, Tribune; a son Ralph

Tribune; six grandchildren, and eight great grandchildren.

Funeral will be at 10:00 a.m. in Tribune Methodist Church with burial in Eastside Cemetery, Hutchinson, after a short prayer service in Johnson and Sons Chapel at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Death Date: June 30, 1953

Submitted by Kathleen Dankanyin

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Lot 4

Frank A. Bradburn

Frank A. Bradburn, 61, formerly with the Bell Telephone Co. in Hutchinson, and for 20 years with The Bell at Wichita died Saturday evening at a Wichita Hospital. The body will be brought to Hutchinson for interment.

A brother and two sisters in Hutchinson survive. They are Mrs. Retta Redgate 309 East Av. G and Mrs. Lizzzie Redgate 201 Ave. West F. and James Bradburn, on East 4^th Street.

Death Date: April 26, 1937

Submitted by: Kathleen Dankanyin
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Lot 819

Esther Critchfield

Mrs. Critchfield Dead

     

Mrs. Esther Critchfield died early morning at her home in the College block. Mrs. Critchfield was born in Indiana 64 years ago and has lived in Kansas for twenty years.

Funeral services will be held tomorrow afternoon at the Salvation Army hall and the remains will be interred at Eastside Cemetery.

Death Date: January 5, 1903

Submitted by Kathleen Dankanyin

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Lot 533

Frank A. Brooks

Frank A. Brooks Dies by His Own Hand

     

Goaded to despair by financial troubles and despondent over the loss of his position, Frank A. Brooks took his life about noon today by shooting himself through the heart according to the family’s history he had complained of feeling unwell shortly after breakfast and went up stairs to his room. While his wife was in the coal shed getting a pail of coal about 11:20 she heard a revolver shot and hurried to the house. As she entered the hall way she smelled powder, smoke and fearing the worst she ran to the sidewalk screaming for her neighbor, Mrs. Jacob Brown, who lives just west of the Brooks home. Together the women ran upstairs and into the bedroom and there on the bed lay the unfortunate man gasping his last, with blood streaming from a bullet wound in his left breast. A revolver on the bed at his side with one chamber empty told the story. The dead man was only in his underwear, had lain down on the bed. Grasping the weapon with one hand he had pulled up his shirt with the other one and deliberately placing the weapon over his heart and pulled the trigger. Death followed within a few seconds.

     

The only reason that could be given over the suicide is financial troubles Brooks had lately being employed by Severance Bros., of the Queen City market, and meat deliverer. About a month ago his employers found it necessary to get a man to help the butcher as well as deliver meat, and this being something Brooks could not do, he was compelled to give up his position.

     

The loss of his job and his inability to secure other employment weighed heavily on his mind. To add to his troubles he had been gambling lately and was losing heavily. What money he had at hand was soon lost at the cards and Saturday he succeeded in borrowing a small sum. He got in a poker game with hopes of winning his lost money like so many times before, he played a game and his last cent was gone. He kept the matter quiet from his wife that night; they attended service at the Methodist Church. He complained at church of feeling bad, and seemed very despondent. This morning he got up early and did the usual chores but went to bed without breakfast. His wife took up a lunch to his room but he ate little. This was the last she saw him alive.

     

The bullet passed through the lower part of his heart, and death was almost instant.

     

Brooks had always maintained an excellent reputation, and although known to addict to gambling occasionally, no one suspected that he was in such desperate straits. He was not a drinking man, and his employers say he was a very faithful and steady workman. His sad affair is a shock to his acquaintances and especially so to his family.

     

He leaves a wife and two daughter, Miss Edith Brooks, a stenographer, and Miss Hattie, who is present in Galena. He was about 48 years of age.

     

Mr. Brooks came to Hutchinson in 1887 and was engaged in the grocery business with E. Edwards in the firm of Edwards and Brooks. Later he opened up a feed business under the name of Brooks & Co. After the dissolving of this firm he secured employment with Severance Bros.

     

He had been very unsuccessful in business, and he leaves his family little besides the insurance he carried in the Modern Woodmen order.

Death Date: July 31, 1899

Hutchinson Daily News 

July 31, 1899

Submitted by Kathleen Dankanyin

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Lot 130 

Moore Children

Note: I have been researching this sad story for a long time. One day it will be posted in greater detail.

Moore Family Murdered

Carl Moore, Pearl Moore, Charlie Moore, Mary Moore and Leo Moore

Children of Mr. and Mrs. John Moore were killed by their father.  The house was then set on fire to cover up what he had done.

Death Date…March 20, 1899

Hutchinson Daily News March 20, 1899

Hutchinson Daily News March 21, 1899

Hutchinson Daily News March 22, 1899

Submitted by Kathleen Dankanyin

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Lot 851A 

J. H. F Plate

J. H. F. Plate a Strange Suicide, While Members of His family was Coming Homeward for a Merry Christmas Reunion.

     

The well known Hutchinson grocer, J. H. F. Plate, committed suicide in his store at No. 113 North Main on Saturday night at some time between midnight and morning. The suicide is wholly unaccountable and came to his family as a shock too great to be described by words. The time of the sad occurrence was on the eve of a family reunion, the members from out of town being at the time en route to Hutchinson full of delight at the prospect of all spending Christmas together. There is no sense known for the self destruction of Mr. Plate. He was busy at his store all day Saturday. Saturday night the stores were kept open late and were busy waiting on the Christmas trade. When the time for closing the store came Mr. Plate said he would stay awhile and finish up his work so that he would not have to come down town on Sunday or Christmas day following. Those who saw him last remember nothing unusual about his appearance. About midnight the members of the family retired and it was not known until the following morning that Mr. Plate had not come home.

     

At about 6 o’clock Sunday morning Mr. Wilcox, Mr. Plate’s baker, came to the store and found his employer‘s dead body lying on the floor next to the desk. A 44-caliber revolver was near his side and a large hole penetrated his head from temple to temple. From appearance, Mr. Plate had finished his work and had then lain down on the floor. His head was pillowed upon a pile of sacks. From appearances, after taking this position, he shot himself thru the temple. The weapon had been held on the floor in his right hand and the ball after passing through his head had entered the desk a little higher up than where his head lay. One of his sons arrived just after Mr. Wilcox reached the store. It had been found that Mr. Plate had not come home and the son went at once to the store in search of him. Dr. Taylor the coroner was called in, and examined the place carefully. Although the deed is unaccountable it seemed to be clearly shown a case of suicide. Mr. Plate after the others had left the store, counted his money and the small change was all done up in packages, the amount of each written upon the outside. With the package of money was a note written in German in Mr. Plate’s handwriting telling the boys where to put the packages of money? The note was decided to be genuine by the sons, and seemed both to show that Mr. Plate’s mind was not right and that he was then premeditating suicide. The note merely said to put the package in a certain drawer at the house. It was decided by Dr. Taylor, the sons of the deceased, and others who were present that it would not be necessary to hold an inquest.

     

A sad feature of the affair was the arrival of the three children from Kansas City, yesterday morning. They arrived by the morning train in high spirits in anticipation of the family reunion and the Merry Christmas at home. Everything was supposed to be in readiness at the Plate’s residence at No. 200 Third Avenue East for the event. The three members of the family were met at the depot with the sad and shocking news. Instead of the old fashioned Christmas which had been planned they had come home to attend one of the saddest funerals that can be imagined.

     

J. H. F. Plate was born in Germany a little over fifty-seven years ago. His father was a farmer. When a very young man the son went to Hamburg and engaged in the grocery business. At the time of his death he had been in the grocery business for forty years.

     

The family moved to Hutchinson from Kansas City, in 1881 and at that time of his death Mr. Plate was numbered among the leading grocers of this place. From the best information which could be learned today his business affairs were in good condition at the time of his death. The family consists of a wife and six grown children, Alice Roland and J. K. C. Plate who are living at home, and the eldest son who has his father’s name, J. H. F., and Mrs. J. D. Moore and Mrs. C. E. Carson, all of Kansas City, who arrived here yesterday morning.

     

The members of the family say they can find no cause for the suicide. A few years ago Mr. Plate was held up while going to the store to his home and was robbed of a large sum of money. He has always brooded over this loss and has seemed changed since that time. Ordinary, however he was of an easy going disposition and not given to melancholy feelings.

     

The Plate home was a sad scene yesterday. It is a spacious building on Third Avenue. In one of the upper rooms was a large pile of presents, gifts which had been purchased by the members for each other and others sent in by friends? They were stored away from sight. All were too sad to look upon the gifts, which were to be a part of the man. The Christmas will not be enjoyed, but instead today is a Christmas filled with grief so great that the tender sympathy of friends can lighten but little.

     

The funeral will be held from the house on Tuesday at 10 o’clock a.m. The services will be conducted by the Rev. Dr. Irwin.

Death Date: December 24, 1899

Funeral Director…Johnson

Hutchinson News 

December 25, 1899

Submitted by Kathleen Dankanyin

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Lot 260