In the News! "Kills Father with Hammer"

 

Kills Father with Hammer

What an interesting newspaper title!  This is an article that came up when I was researching my grandfather’s little brother – Fred Schoenewald. Now that’s a show stopper!  What are they talking about???

Below I have included the newspaper articles that can be read in more detail; however, here are the highlights.

James Rau, 21, went over to Adam Schoenewald’s house where he met with Fred. He asked Fred to drive him over to the home of his sister and Fred agreed to do so. At that point, James told both Fred and Adam that he had killed his father. While Fred drove James to his sister’s house, Adam called the police and James was taken to the county jail.

James’ story to the police:

He had slipped up behind his father and killed him with a hammer, then cut his throat. The sheriff asked why. James replied “Oh, I don’t know. It just came over me that this was a good time to kill him and I did”.

When asked if he had stopped to think what would happen to him, he stated: “Oh perhaps electrocution or hanging, it did not make any difference as he was Christ and bound to hang anyway” James said he quarreled with his father about having a family.

What exactly happened after that, I am not sure as I did not do any additional research on this event. But it sure sounds like James must have been somewhat insane to kill his father and then be so calm about it.

Source: Page 1 of Northern Idaho news, published in  Sandpoint Idaho on Tuesday, May 28, 1929.

Who were those children listed in Fred's household?

The previous story is about Fred's life.

When researching Fred’s life, there were children listed on his 1940 Census with the relationship as niece and nephew. Who were these children? Why were they living with Fred and Edyth (wife) in Sandpoint, Idaho? 

It was a question that needed answered.

Based on my research, these were children of Edyth’s oldest sister, Edna Pearl who married R. E. Bemis on 03 June 192 at the age of 22.  He was 30 years old.

R.E. Bemis died on 26 Dec 1932 at the age of 38 from the Influenza and Pneumonia. He was totally disabled from a gunshot wound in WWI (1915 in France). He was a Canadian Soldier. He is buried in the Lakeview Cemetery in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Edna died on 16 May 1936 at the age of 34. Only 4 years after her husband. The death certificate needs to be obtained in order for the cause of death to be disclosed. She was also buried in the Lakeview Cemetery in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Understanding the death dates for the children’s parents explains why they were living with another household. Fred and Edyth were kind enough to take them in.

Also, the attached newspaper article regarding a foreclosure of mortgage states that Edith (Edyth) Schoenewald is the guardian of the persons and estate of Marjorie Louise Bemis, Ralph Edward Bemis, Norman Allen Bemis, James Leonard Bemis and Barbara Lois Bemis and the obituary in the newspaper.

A couple of more newspaper articles that help answer the question about the children.

Sometime before 1948, Fred and Edyth divorced. By this time the youngest child would have been 16. I have not researched Edyth’s life story any further than this.