Bath School Massacre
The Bath School Massacre was a series of bomb attacks in and around Bath in the US state of Michigan on May 18, 1927. 45 people died in the attacks and 58 were injured, some seriously. Most of the victims were first to sixth grade students at Bath Comprehensive School. The bombings went down as the greatest school crime in US history.
The perpetrator Andrew Kehoe was a member of the school committee. Kehoe was upset about the property taxes that had been collected to finance the construction of the school building. He blamed taxes for his financial troubles, which resulted in a writ of execution against his farm. This event probably made Kehoe feel provoked to commit his attack.
On the morning of May 18, 1927, Kehoe first killed his wife and then set his farm on fire. When the first fire fighters arrived on site, an explosion shook the school building, killing most of the people inside the building. Kehoe used a time fuse to ignite the dynamite . As the rescue began, Kehoe drove up and blew up his metal-filled car, killing himself, the school principal, and others. During the rescue work, another 230 kg of unexploded dynamite was found in the undestroyed southern part of the school.
background
The parish of Bath
The parish of Bath is a small parish 10 miles northeast of Lansing , Michigan, which also includes the town of Bath. In the early 1920s, the area was mainly agricultural. In 1922 the residents voted for the establishment of a fund for the establishment and establishment of a comprehensive school, at the opening of which 236 pupils from the first to the twelfth grade were enrolled in the school.
In the early 20th century, many of the small schools in which different grades previously shared the same classroom and teacher disappeared. Educators believed that the children would benefit far more from a uniform school for all students in the region. The children could be taught more purposefully there in classes graded according to age. After several years of discussion, during which the parish of Bath emerged, property taxes were raised for this purpose. As a result, the tax burden increased, especially for farmers like Andrew Kehoe.
Andrew Kehoe
Andrew Philip Kehoe was born on February 1, 1872 in Tecumseh , Michigan, to an extended family of 13 children. His parents were Philip Kehoe (1833-1915) and Mary McGovern. Kehoe's mother died when he was young and his father remarried. It has been reported that Kehoe was in constant conflict with his stepmother. When Kehoe was 14 years old, the family's stove exploded and set the stepmother's clothes on fire. The oil from the stove was sucked into their clothing and the flames lit them. Andrew watched his stepmother burn for several minutes before putting out the flames with water. She later died from her severe burns. The cause of the furnace explosion remained unexplained and Kehoe was not questioned further.
Kehoe attended middle school in Tecumseh and the later Michigan State University , where he met his wife, Ellen Agnes "Nellie" Price (* 1875). They married in 1912 and moved to a 185-acre farm outside Bath in 1919, which they bought from Nellie's uncle for $ 12,000. Kehoe was described by his neighbors as an intelligent young man who quickly grew impatient with people who disagreed with him. He was also described as a neat, meticulous person who was known to change his shirts whenever a hint of dirt was visible. However, neighbors also described that Kehoe showed a penchant for cruelty towards his animals and had even beaten one of his horses to death.
Kehoe's neighbors were not convinced of his ability to run a farm. His neighbor Ellsworth described: “He never worked like other farmers do and he tried to do everything with his tractor. He was at the peak of success when he managed to use his machines or tinker with them. He was constantly inventing new methods in his work, e.g. B. to hang two mowers behind his tractor. After this did not work after several attempts, he simply let the hay stand. He spent so much time thinking about it that he couldn't get on with his farm. "
Because of his reputation as a thrifty person, Kehoe was elected to the Bath Comprehensive School Committee as treasurer in 1924. During his time on the committee, Kehoe fought endlessly for lower taxes. He blamed the last property tax collection for his own bad financial situation and accused school principal Huyck of financial mismanagement. During this time, his wife, Nellie Kehoe, had tuberculosis and was regularly hospitalized. This, too, may have played a role in the family's indebtedness. During the time of the attacks, Kehoe had stopped paying his mortgages and insurance, and the lender obtained a writ of execution against the farm.
Preparations for the attack
It could not be definitively determined when Kehoe had the idea to the stop and he started planning. The following investigation, based on the activities in the school and the procurement of the explosives , found that his plans may have been in place for over a year.
In the winter of 1926, the school committee asked Kehoe to do some maintenance at the school. He was known for his good manual skills, especially in dealing with electrical devices and installations. As a member of the school committee on repairs, Kehoe had free access to the school building and no one questioned his presence.
In early summer 1926 bought Kehoe over a ton pyrotol , an explosive substance during the First World War was used. Farmers used the means to remove tree stumps and to blast trenches. In November 1926, Kehoe went to Lansing and bought two boxes of dynamite . This, too, was a common commodity on farms at the time. Kehoe bought small quantities of dynamite and pyrotole from different stores and at different times so as not to arouse suspicion. Neighbors reported hearing explosions at Kehoe's farm, which Kehoe explained by using dynamite to remove tree stumps.
The day of the attack
There were few warning signs before the event. Kehoe handed out the paychecks the week before and told bus driver Warden Keyes, "Boy, you should take good care of the check, it could be the last you will ever get." Teacher Bernice Sterling called Kehoe two days before the attack to ask if she could use his meadow for a school picnic. Kehoe's reply was that if she wanted a picnic, she'd better do it now.
Before May 18, Kehoe had loaded the entire back seat of his car with metal parts. He piled up old tools, nails, rusted pieces of machinery, old shovels and everything else available that could splinter. After the back seat was filled, he placed a large box of dynamite underneath and a loaded rifle in the passenger seat.
Records from Lansing's St. Lawrence Hospital show that Nellie Kehoe was discharged on May 16. Between her release and the bombings two days later, Kehoe killed his wife by hitting his head with a heavy object. Her body was later found in a wheelbarrow in a corner of the chicken coop. Around the cart were silver cutlery, jewels, and a metal box with ashes from banknotes. Kehoe had completely wired the farm and placed a homemade pyrotole bomb in each building. The cattle were found tied up in the stables, apparently to ensure that all animals would die too.
At around 8:45 am, Kehoe set off these incendiary bombs. His neighbors noticed the fire, and volunteer fire departments from the entire area went to the scene of the fire. At around 9:45 am, a second explosion was heard that had taken place in the school building. The rescue workers who had gone to Kehoe's farm returned to town and school. Countless parents of the students also went to school.
First grade teacher Bernice Sterling described the explosion to a reporter as a terrible earthquake:
“It looked like the ground was jumping several inches into the air. After the initial shock, I was blind for a moment. What I then saw seemed like the air was filled with children, flying tables and books. The children were thrown high into the air, some were catapulted out of the building. "
The north wing of the building had collapsed. Parts of the walls were broken and the roof collapsed. Monty Ellsworth, Kehoe's neighbor, described the situation: “There was a bunch of kids, about five or six years old, trapped under the roof. Some had their arms outstretched, others just their legs, and a few had their heads free. Because of all the dirt, plaster of paris and blood, we couldn't see anyone. We weren't enough people to move the roof either. ”Ellsworth agreed to bring heavy machinery from his farm to raise the roof.
The scenario at the school was chaotic. One witness, Robert Gates, told how one mother after another came running to school to get information about their child. After seeing the lifeless bodies in the rubble, they burst into tears. In a very short time, more than 100 helpers were on duty to clear the remains of the school aside.
About half an hour after the explosion, Kehoe drove his car to the school, saw school principal Huyck and waved him over to his car. According to an eyewitness report, Huyck approached the car, whereupon Kehoe took his rifle and fired at the dynamite. Whether shot or otherwise, the dynamite ignited and the ensuing explosion killed Kehoe, the school principal, postal clerk Glenn O. Smith, and his father-in-law Nelson McFarren. Guy Cleo Claton, an eight-year-old second grade student who escaped from the collapsed building, was killed by a splinter from the exploding car. A number of other people were seriously injured by the fragments.
OH Buck, road construction foreman, described the scene after the last explosion:
“I started to feel like the end of the world had come. I think I was a little confused. Anyway, the next thing I remember is that I was out on the street. One of our men bandaged the mail clerk Smith's wounds. His leg was severed. I went back to the building and helped the rescue workers until we were told to stop while they looked for more dynamite. "
Operator operators stayed on their wards for hours to call doctors, undertakers, district hospitals, and any other auxiliary staff.
The resident doctor Dr. JA Crum, who had served with his wife, a nurse, in the First World War and had opened a pharmacy on his return to Bath, made it available after the explosions as a first camp for the triage of the patients. The dead were stored in the town hall, which was then converted into a morgue. Owners of private automobiles were recruited to serve as additional ambulances for survivors and to drive family members to the hospitals. By evening 13 ambulances had been in town to transport the injured.
Hundreds of people worked all day in the rubble hoping to find and save a few more children. Local contractors had sent all of their employees to assist, plus many others who had responded to the call for help. Finally, 34 firefighters and the head of the Lansing Fire Department came to the rescue, as did many members of the Michigan State Police who controlled traffic to and from the site of the attack. The injured and dying were taken to Sparrow Hospital and St. Lawrence Hospital in Lansing. The construction of the latter had been funded in large part by Nellie Kehoe's uncle, Lawrence Price.
The Governor of Michigan , Fred Green, reached the scene of the disaster in the evening and took part in the cleanup. A local bakery company sent a truck with sandwiches and cakes for the workers.
The bomb had destroyed the entire north wing of the school. During the search, the helpers found another 230 kg of dynamite in the south wing. The search was suspended to allow Michigan State Police to defuse the new explosive device. The police found an alarm clock as a detonator next to the explosives. The alarm clock was set for 9:45 a.m., the same time the explosion in the north wing took place. The reason why the second explosive device did not explode has not been definitively established. The investigators assumed that the vibrations of the first bomb had loosened some cables on the second bomb, so that it no longer exploded.
The police and firefighters also went to Kehoe's farm to investigate the fire. It was only a day later, on May 19, 1927, that investigators were able to identify the charred body of Nellie Kehoe among the rubble. Her body was so badly disfigured that hundreds of people did not notice it while walking right past it. All the buildings on Kehoe Farm had been destroyed and the animals had all perished as they were tied up in the burning stables. It turned out to be a tragic irony that the unused equipment and materials found on the farm could easily have been sold to pay off all mortgages.
Fatalities in chronological order:
Died before the bombing
1. Nellie Kehoe, age 52, wife of Andrew Kehoe.
Fatalities from the first bomb
2. Arnold V. Bauerle, age 8
3. Henry Bergan, age 14
4. Herman Bergan, age 11
5. Emilie M. Bromundt, age 11
6. Robert F. Bromundt, age 12
7. Floyd E. Burnett, age 12
8. Russell J. Chapman, age 8
9. F. Robert Cochran, age 8
10. Ralph A. Cushman, age 7
11. Earl E. Ewing, age 11
12. Katherine O. Foote, age 10
13. Margory Fritz, age 9
14. Carlyle W. Geisenhaver, age 9
15. George P. Hall Jr., age 8
16. Willa M. Hall, age 11
17. Iola I. Hart, age 12
18. Percy E. Hart, age 11
19. Vivian O. Hart, age 8
20. Blanche E. Harte, age 30, teacher
21. Gailand L. Harte, age 12
22. LaVere R. Harte, age 9
23. Stanley H. Harte, age 12
24. Francis O. Hoeppner, age 13
25. Cecial L. Hunter, age 13
26. Doris E. Johns, age 8
27. Thelma I. MacDonald, age 8
28. Clarence W. McFarren, age 13
29. J. Emerson Medcoff, age 8
30. Emma A. Nickols, age 13
31. Richard D. Richardson, age 12
32. Elsie M. Robb, age 12
33. Pauline M. Shirts, age 10
34. Hazel I. Weatherby, age 21, teacher
35. Elizabeth J. Witchell, age 10
36. Lucile J. Witchell, age 9
37. Harold L. Woodman, age 8
38. George O. Zimmerman, age 10
39. Lloyd Zimmerman, age 12
Kehoe's car blasted dead
40. G. Cleo Claton, age 8
41. Emory E. Huyck, age 33, headmaster
42. Andrew P. Kehoe, age 55, offender
43. Nelson McFarren, age 74, farmer
44. Glenn O. Smith, age 33, postal worker
Later died of the injuries
45. Beatrice P. Gibbs, age 10
aftermath
The American Red Cross , operating from the local pharmacy, took the lead in caring for the victims. Headquarters in Lansing was kept open all night to answer calls, provide information and update lists of the deceased and injured. The Red Cross also managed the donations to ensure medical aid for the survivors and also to make payments for the funeral expenses of the deceased. In just a few weeks, we raised $ 5,284.18 in donations, including $ 2,500 from the Clinton County, Michigan Board of Directors and $ 2,000 from the Michigan Legislature .
In contrast to the Littleton school massacre , no legal consequences that would have made it difficult to repeat the attack were drawn. Only the explosive pyrotol was withdrawn from the market some time after the attack, but there were other reasons for this.
A large series of funerals took place during the period after the attack, culminating in 18 funerals on May 22, 1927. The attack on the school dominated the headlines in the country until it was replaced on May 23 by Charles Lindbergh 's first transatlantic flight .
Web links
- The story of the massacre (English)
- Michigan Historical marker (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Andrew Kehoe | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers. Retrieved December 6, 2019 .
Coordinates: 42 ° 49 ′ 0 ″ N , 84 ° 26 ′ 57 ″ W.