The Tragic Fate of the Keller Family - Auburn, New York.

hey gang we are in new york the state of new york right now we're in a town called auburn auburn new york and we're actually on a street called burke street and back in the 1890s a very tragic murder suicide happened here a young woman who was married murdered her well she murdered her husband and very young child and then she killed herself right down the street here we're going to go to the house you've seen the famous picture now i'm going to give you the story behind it and then we're going to go to the cemetery so let's take a walk down this neighborhood a lot of these houses are original from the 1800s of course many have been refurbished but let's just walk down the sidewalk and let's take ourselves back to those early times those simpler times in auburn you can just imagine the street 1894 horses wagons carriages there was no asphalt it was gravel mud i'm going to actually read to you from the weekly news and democrat auburn new york wednesday 31st january of 1894 the article and it really gives you a feeling of how things were back then mr and mrs keller were natives of switzerland the former being from zurich they came to this country about five years ago and keller secured employment as a gardener in philadelphia he afterwards went to washington dc he was an excellent gardener and his work attracted a lot of attention something over two years ago he came to this city to take a position as a gardener at the osborne residence he had an excellent reputation for sobriety and industry and was highly esteemed by all who knew him he loved his wife devotedly and was never happier than when in her company this love was reciprocated and it is said that there was not a single hindrance to the marital blastfulness another child was born to mrs keller some years ago but it only lived 13 days mrs keller was a well-educated woman and a very fine pianist the zither violin and numerous other instruments were completely mastered by her and as her husband was also a musician of more than ordinary ability and was also a fine man keller was a member of the hermann lodge doh he had a hearty friendship of every member of the organization it is not known whether or not mr or mrs keller have any relatives live in the united states mrs keller's father it is said is living in switzerland he's 83 and he is engaged in teaching music adolf hickstein a piano maker residing at number 10 and one half bert avenue was playing games with other members of his family at his cozy home at 8 30 when he heard a report followed by a quick cry for help coming from the keller residence mr and mrs hickstein immediately went to the keller residence the kitchen door was open and prostrate upon the floor at its very threshold lay keller kitchen door was open and scarcely had the discovery been made when the report of a pistol was heard going into the bedroom mrs hickstein was horrified to see mrs keller her lower extremities in the bed and her head in the crib of her infant by her bedside and blood issuing from her forehead the clothes of the child were in flames which mr hickstein quickly extinguished neither he or his wife even at that time entirely comprehended the horrible spectacle presented both were excited and as soon as they had extinguished the fire in the child's clothing mr hickstein ran to the residence of ferdinand sibis number 24 elizabeth street and informed the family that a tragedy had been enacted but the details he could not tell mrs sibis at once went to the keller house and several of the neighbors arrived here at the same time mrs keller was still breathing but there was no life in her husband's form when he was raised from the floor a bullet hole in the left side told only too plainly what had happened strong hands raised mrs keller to the bed her right hand she clutched a revolver a 22 caliber weapon mississippis grabbed the infant whose pitiful cries had been neglected until this time hastily wrapping it up she carried it to her home no one had thought that any injury had befallen the child when mrs sibis reached her home however she was horrified to find a bullet hole in the little one's body the region of the stomach on the right side is where it was the bullet had gone clear through the little one's body and mrs cybus immediately took the child back to its home where in the meantime dr sheldon voorhees and j m jenkins had arrived the physicians found a wound in mrs keller's head just above the temple on the right side they saw it once that there was no chance for her recovery and preparations were at once made to remove her body to the city hospital a call was sent for the ambulance and it responded promptly the news of the tragedy had spread the wildfire like wildfire and a large crowd now gathered hit the house all willing to render assistance in their power but really impeding the physicians and those who were assisting them in their work policemen however managed to clear out the crowd when the ambulance arrived mrs keller was placed in it and removed to the hospital dr voorhees took the little one in his own buggy to the same institution [Music] coroner tripp was notified and ordered the body of mrs keller removed to gross undertaking rooms along with husband and daughter there is only one explanation advanced as to the woman's motive for the deed five weeks ago she was taken to the city hospital for treatment at this time she did not talk rationally and although she had never made any threats or acted in a violent manner it was thought best to have her undergo treatment she was taken from the hospital about two weeks ago to her home during the mother's day at the hospital the little one had been with her while the husband had boarded in the family of his friend saivus the husband seemed overjoyed when his wife came back home and the woman seemed to be entirely rational she too was happy at the thought again of being home and it seemed as if the cloud which had hung over them was dispelled she was bright and cheerful to her husband and to her friends the only strange action that was noticed thursday came to the attention of a caller mrs keller was seated at the piano fingering the keys mechanically and was crying bitterly the neighbor spoke of this to mrs keller and she made some remark to change the subject she cheered up considerably and said she felt well theories can only explain the circumstances of the tragedy generally accepted by those who knew the family well to this effect mr keller left us home every evening at eight o'clock to go to the residence of mrs d m osborne where he was employed as a gardener and attended to the fires in the greenhouses thursday night his wife retired early as was her custom mr keller started as usual to go to his work it was his custom to kiss his wife goodbye before leaving home and it was thought he went to her bedside that night and kissed her it is surmised that she raised up in the bed and fired the shot that cost his life just as he gave evidence of his love and we are at the house this is the house this looks to be the original house and it is unoccupied as far as i know as far as i can see and you can only imagine that that well this is the house you just have to imagine this is where it happened guys look at that roof detail it's probably the original and this is probably the bedroom where it happened right here [Music] well now you can see the place where it happened the famous picture guys 10 birth street auburn new york we're gonna head to the cemetery now and pay our respects we are at the cemetery it's called fort hill and i'm at the very very high point of the cemetery we're going to be walking down to the stone the stone is buried in the ground of course it's one stone for all three that are buried together very old we're in the old section of course a very old cemetery you're going to see so we're going to see some really beautiful monuments and topography also let's take the walk and i'm going to continue to read from the newspaper the story as we look at some amazing stones monuments dramatic view up here you can just feel like you're back in the 1800s i'll tell you so the story continues at the cemetery three in one casket emel keller wife and baby united in death shortly after six o'clock friday night death came to the relief of little anna keller at the city hospital of course little anna is the baby baby girl it was found that the bullet from the mother's revolver had penetrated the infant's right lung and had come out the left side the body of the child was removed to goss's undertaking rooms and prepared for burial with its parents throughout the day saturday throngs of people visited the undertaking rooms to view the remains father mother and daughter of course were buried in the same casket which was a special order about four inches deeper and nine inches wider than the ordinary and covered with gray embossed plush the plate read our darling the head of mrs keller rested on the left shoulder of her husband thus hiding from view the wound in her temple and partly covering a discoloration of the right eye there were traces of suffering in the woman's face but her husband looks as if he were in a slumber his left arm encircled the body of his wife while his right rested on his hip between the mother and father was the infant a handsome plump child its right hand was clasped by the left of its mother while it rested its left on the mother's left arm the mother and the infant were laid out in plain white shrouds while the husband and father had a coat and vest of plain black and trousers of a dark pattern viewed by thousands is the title as the article continues the keller family funeral was attended by a large crowd the last sad rites over the remains of emmel keller's wife mary and their baby annie were performed at the universalist church sunday afternoon it seemed as if half of auburn had turned out the crowd surrounding the goss's undertaking rooms in genesee street about half the universalist church in south street into lincoln and exchange streets and numbering several hundred half an hour before the time appointed the front doors of the universalist church were opened but it was scarcely three minutes before the church was crowded only the front seats in the center of the church were reserved for the members of the doh who attended the funeral in a body it required several police to keep the crowds in front from filling in the aisles of the church as the funeral procession entered the church the organist miss hattie chapel played a funeral march [Music] the communion table had been removed in front of the pulpit and heavy black covered pedestals occupied this central position and on them rested the casket during the funeral services on the cover of the casket were a number of beautiful floral designs from mrs d m osborne a wreath from mr and mrs henry wegman and a beautiful wreath of roses from florist alfred patrick the service opened with prayer by reverend o m hilton pastor of the church and the choir saying in german sweet and quiet is their sleep as an opening selection mr hilton followed with readings from the scripture [Music] after which he spoke of the sad event his remarks were full of christian love and sympathy and moved everyone [Music] a number of those who were present were brought to tears mr hilton said that on the 25th day of last june he met for the first time the three who lay in the coffin before him the father mother and child we were glad to welcome them to our church he said what we found in mrs keller a woman of rare intelligence [Music] we found that she was a thorough musician and she played at one of our concerts and later at the pastor's home we heard encouraging reports from her home she was a devoted and loving wife to her husband and child we next heard of her illness when she was taken to the city hospital for treatment we feared for her we feared for her when we heard that her mind was diseased but as she recovered and grew stronger all had hopes of her recovery the pastor and his wife visited her at the hospital and we next hear that she was removed to the home again and then we next year of this terrible tragedy and ask why god permitted it when we answer this question we answer all it was a plan of the infinite god who is full of love disease fasten itself on the brain of this poor woman and since god permitted it no responsibility rested on the woman at such a time as this there are true friends to sympathize true friends from the fatherland the different nationalities are forgotten at such a time as this and there was sadness in the hearts of all all here today the choir saying as a closing selection [Music] [Applause] is [Music] after the service the casket was removed to the vestibule of the church and the crowds in the church and all those on the outside were given an opportunity to view the remains [Applause] was roughly estimated that upwards of 5000 people viewed the remains at the undertakers and at the church and it was about 5 30 when the funeral procession left the church for fort hill cemetery where the internment took place and so when's the article we are at the home section here and their grave is is right over there and we're going to go down these stairs and pay respects well you have to imagine again the road we see before us the road we just crossed gravel and mud horses carriages imagine how many people were here five thousand at the church at least a thousand at the cemetery and they buried the family together right up here it's the first grave right on the side of the road again a road that you you sit here and you just imagine was lined all the way down there horses and carriages wagons probably all the way out to the entrance of the cemetery everyone dressed in black victorian style to the gilded age they came here to pay their respects and see them off and it was unloaded from the hearse right here there was a hole that was prepared and it is here where they were buried and there's the stone and you can see it says ammo maria anna ammo maria and anna and then a german probably a prayer if anyone can translate that that would be great second of silence i can see the the month january i believe 25th not sure then some writing below beautiful stone it was you can still read it but in a few more decades you won't be able to read it anymore [Music] it's sad that we only have one picture and that is a death picture i'm sure there were a lot of happy times at that house that they had together and let's try to let's try to imagine that rest in peace keller family is [Music] you

Channel: Faces of the Forgotten

Views: 1,453,062

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Id: 7U4f_ohWlt4

Length: 26min 5sec (1565 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 21 2022