Postmortem Family Photos: The Keller Family

 

 

This photo is owned by Thanatos.net as you can clearly see on this, and every other copy of this photo in existence.

In the Victorian era, postmortem photography, also known as ‘mourning portraiture’ was a common practice. Often, these photographs would be sent to family across the country with the expectation that they would be proudly displayed as a way to remember the deceased. Due to the extremely high cost of film in the nineteenth century, death was often one of the few occasions deemed important enough to photograph a relative or friend and violent death resulting in disfigurement was not cause to forgo the photo op. These photos ranged from a portrait of only the deceased subject, to an entire family posing with one, sometimes more than one member who had recently passed. If an entire family was killed in a tragic event, the outcome was a rare, postmortem family photo.
At 8:30pm on January 25,1895 Adolph Hickstein, a piano maker, was playing games with his family in the living room of their home located at 10 1/2 Burt Avenue in Auburn, New York. At 8:30pm the entire family heard a gun shot followed by a cry for help in the residence of their neighbors, the Kellers, who lived at 10 Burt Ave. Immediately, Adolph and his wife rushed next door to investigate. The Hicksteins found the kitchen door open and lying there in the doorway, the body of 30-year-old Emil Keller. As soon as the Hicksteins made the grisly discovery, a second gunshot was heard. Adolph entered the bedroom where he discovered Mary Keller, 29,  with her lower body in the bed and her head leaned over the crib of the couple’s nine month old daughter, Anna. There was a large amount of blood coming from Mrs. Keller’s forehead and a 22 caliber revolver clutched in her right hand.

  An article published the following day in The Auburn Bulletin described the grisly discovery in horrific detail, “Going into the bedroom Mr. 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, the blood issuing from her forehead. The clothes of the child were in flames which Mr. Hickstein quickly extinguished. Neither he nor his wife, even at that time, entirely comprehended the horrible spectacle presented.” After the fire which was burning nine-month-old Anna’s clothing had been put out, Adolph ran to the residence of Ferdinand Sibus at 24 Elizabeth Street and informed the Sibus family, who had been close with the Kellers, of the grim discovery. Accompanied by Mr. Sibus and a small group of neighbors, Adolph Hickstein returned to the Kellers’ home, the police arriving soon after. A group of men raised Emil Keller’s dead body from the floor and found he had a bullet hole in his left side. They then moved the upper-half of Mary Keller’s body into the bed and found she was still breathing despite a self-inflicted gunshot wound located just above her right temple. Doctors Sheldon Voorhees and J.M. Jenkins who tended to the Keller Family knew there was no chance of recovery for Mrs. Keller. Mrs. Sibus found Anna Keller in the crib next to her mother, crying; She wrapped the baby up and took her back to the Sibus’ residence but shortly after arriving, Mrs. Sibus discovered the baby had been shot on the right side of her stomach and hastily returned to the crime scene where doctors were present. A large crowd of curious and concerned neighbors began to gather outside the Keller home, offering to assist in any way they could. Police asked the crowd to disperse and an ambulance was called to transport Mary Keller to the  hospital while Dr. Voorhees drove baby Anna Keller to the same hospital in his own car. When Mary Keller arrived at the hospital, no time was wasted in calling Coroner Tripp to take Mrs. Keller to Gross’ undertaking rooms. Mrs. Keller was still alive when she arrived at the funeral home, clinging to life until midnight. Anna Keller was made as comfortable as possible at the hospital, but she was not expected to survive the bullet which had penetrated her right lung and exited the left side of her body. She died the day following the incident at 6:00pm.
Emil and Mary Keller had left their native Zurich, Switzerland five years before the fatal tragedy. First living in Philadelphia, then Washington D.C., Emil was a talented gardener whose work attracted a lot of attention. He moved with his wife to Auburn, New York two years before his murder to work for Mrs. D. M. Osborne, mainly tending to trees in the greenhouse at her residence. When Emil left for work every evening at 8:30 pm, Mrs. Keller would already be in bed asleep. Every evening before he left his home for the Osborne residence, he would go into the bedroom and kiss Mary goodbye. Investigators believe on the night of the murder/suicide, Mary shot Emil as he kissed her. Emil cried for help as he stumbled 35 feet (10 meters) to the kitchen door, on his way to find assistance before collapsing on the floor. This was the gunshot and cry for help The Hickstein Family had heard from their  next door apartment. As they raced to the Keller residence, Mary leaned over her daughter’s crib and aimed the gun at Anna’s heart but slightly missed, her clothes being lit on fire by the blast. Mr. and Mrs. Hickstein entered the residence as Mary Keller turned the gun on herself. According to their friends and neighbors, Emil and Mary Keller loved each other and had a wonderful relationship. One friend of the couple described Mary as, “the perfect lady”; She was well-educated, an expert in the piano, violin and zither and well-trained in many other musical instruments; The two had shared a passion and talent for music. However, people also said Mary Keller was insane. One week to the day before the murder/suicide took place, Mary had just arrived home from a hospital where she had spent the last four weeks. Her physician, Dr. Hickey said when admitted, Mrs. Keller “did not talk rationally” and “was all run down, restless and could not sleep. She showed evidence of insanity in that particular but was not violent. Despite the fact that she was not violent and did not  make any threats, doctors “thought best to have her undergo treatment”. During Mary Keller’s stay in the hospital, her daughter, Anna Keller stayed with her. Emil Keller boarded with the Sibus’s during the month his wife was in treatment and it seems the family moved homes one week before Mary Keller’s release from the hospital. Previously, the couple had resided at No. 96 South Street and according to reports, had not entirely moved into their new home at the time of their unfortunate deaths. When Mrs. Keller returned home after four weeks of treatment, locals believed it to not be in the best judgment of Doctor Hickey. One doctor at the hospital told reporters he believed Mrs. Keller had needed, “Several months of quiet and rest to recover fully from her run-down condition.”. Emil Keller was happy his wife was back according to Mr. Sibus and said that after she returned, “she was bright and cheerful to her husband and to her friends.”.
A coroner’s inquest took place on the day after the murder/suicide in Undertaker Gross’ funeral home with jurors F. Sibus, Vol Astman, John S. Duanigan, Richard Boehme, William Doyle and James W. Pratt, H. Fliachman. The first witness called was Mrs. Emma Boehme, the wife of Juryman Boehme. She had been hired by Mrs. Keller to assist with the housework. “Mrs. Keller cried hard yesterday morning”, began Mrs. Boehme, “and said she had a stone in her stomach. She was very good and loving and threw her arms about my neck and kissed me. She was in her night dress ready to go to bed and I was talking with her husband when I left. I did the washing the day before. She took care of the baby.”. Next, Dr. J. M. Jenkins was called to provide his findings on the death of Emil Keller; Investigators discovered a hole through his clothing above his heart. The shot had penetrated his heart but Dr. Jenkins was certain he could have been alive for some time before succumbing to his injury. Officer Benjamin B. Roseboom then provided his account of the evening, “I reached the house about the time Mr. Silbus and some others entered. Found Mr. Keller on the floor dead and Mrs. Keller in the bedroom partly out of the bed with the revolver in her hand. Took it out and put it in my pocket. The smoke was fresh in the room at the time I arrived. Heard the neighbors and others say she was insane. The baby was in the crib crying when I entered the home. When Dr. Voorhees arrived he said that the woman could not live.”. Fred Meyer, a piano tuner, then testified that on the morning of the murder/suicide he had been to the Keller’s. He claimed that after he had tuned the piano, Mrs. Keller began playing the piano mechanically and “crying bitterly”. When he questioned her, she asked to change the subject then cheered up and told him she felt well. Fred Meyer that although the family was always happy and pleasant, Mary was always worried for the safety of her child, “very fearful that something might happen to it.”. The couple had a child together several years before Anna was born but the infant died after only thirteen days. This could have greatly contributed to Mary’s fear for Anna and her alleged “insanity”. John Thomas of Burt Avenue was called next to give his testimony. When the Kellers had first moved to Auburn, New York, they had lived with Mr. Thomas for a few weeks. He said, “They were always happy. She was a perfect lady.”, before revealing the reason behind Mary’s hospitalization and the family’s sudden move, “I met Mr. Keller on Christmas and wished him a Merry Christmas. He said it was a bad Christmas for him, that his wife was at the hospital. I asked what was the matter. He said that she was out of her mind, that she imagined someone was in the house and was going to kill her and the baby. He said he would get her out of that house as soon as possible. I met him yesterday and he said that his wife was feeling better but it would take some time before she would be well again.”. The inquest adjourned for 45 minutes after John Thomas’s testimony because bizarrely, Dr. Voorhees had wandered off and could not be found. Where he was found remains a mystery; A mystery which will haunt me to the day I die (I spent over an hour searching for the answer to that). With Dr. Voorhees located, Coroner Tripp turned things over to the jury who agreed, “That the deceased came to his death by means of a ball from a pistol at the hands of Mary Keller.”, but made no mention of the mental state they suspected her to be in at the time.

The Keller Family Grave, Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn, New York

The Keller Family funeral took place two days after the murder at 8:30pm at the Universalist Church. The casket was special ordered, 4 inches (10cm) deeper and 9 inches (23cm) wider than an ordinary coffin so that Mary, Emil and Anna could be buried together. The bodies were thoughtfully placed so as to hide any wounds; Mary’s head rests on Emil’s left shoulder in order to hide the gunshot wound above her right temple and the slight discoloration of her right eye.

Below is the original article from The Auburn Bulletin reporting the incident, courtesy of FultonHistory.com

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If you enjoyed this article, you might also like Life Before Death: Overcoming the Fear of Death Through Modern Postmortem Photography, Burying the Dead is Killing the Planet, Everybody Poops: The Postmortem Edition, and Pray the Decay Away: Incorruptible Corpses and Other Forms of Natural Postmortem Preservation

 

  
  
  
  

Pray the Decay Away: Incorruptible Corpses and Other Forms of Natural Postmortem Preservation

Ancient Egypt is widely recognized for their advanced process of “mummification” which successfully prevented natural decomposition. These purposefully preserved “anthropogenic mummies” have been found in various ancient civilizations throughout the world and were created by exposure to chemicals, extreme cold, extremely low humidity and/or lack of air. Spontaneous Mummification/natural embalming can occur under the same conditions. The oldest known natural mummification was observed in a 6,000 year old severed head discovered in South America in 1934 which was found to be of the Incan Civilization. Most people are familiar with the image of a “normal”, dried up mummy, a body which did not go through the process of Putrefaction due to dehydration of the corpse; However, there are many variations on spontaneous mummification/natural embalming which you may not be familiar with.

1. Consistently Cold Corpses
Mt. Everest, located in the countries of Nepal and Tibet is the highest mountain in the world and a frozen graveyard for over 200 bodies of climbers who perished during their expedition. Due to the severe temperatures and extremely high altitude, bodies of those who die on Mt. Everest are usually unable to ever be recovered. The persistent subzero temperatures prevent these bodies from fully decomposing and are used today as markers for climbers on their way to the peak. Take for example the body of George Herbert Leigh Mallory.

Body of George Herbert Leigh Mallory on Mt. Everest. Courtesy of Atlas Obscura.

Mallory and his companion died during a British expedition to the peak of Mt. Everest in 1924. Unfortunately, no one knew what happened to the two explorers until a team searching for their remains discovered Mallory’s corpse on May 1,1999. Despite having died more than 70 years prior, his remains were found in almost pristine condition, preserved by persistent subzero temperatures. If you make the death-defying trek to the peak of Mt. Everest, make sure to stop by and visit George Herbert Leigh Mallory.

2. Bog Bodies
Peat bogs, also known as “alkaline mires”, are wetlands abundant in mosses and wonderful environments in which to naturally preserve a corpse. In fact, the “Tollund Man”, considered to be the most well-preserved pre-historic corpse to have ever been discovered was found in a peat bog on the Jutland Peninsula in Denmark.

The Tollund Man

The Tollund Man, discovered in 1950, most likely lived between 375 BC and 210 BC during the Pre-Roman Iron Age. Although his body has shrunk and his arms and hands (aside from one finger) have skeletonized, his facial features were preserved perfectly. The right side of the Tollund Man’s body, which was fully submerged in his alkaline grave, shows less skeletonization and shrinking than the left. He was discovered wearing a pointed cap of sheepskin secured to his head with two leather straps tied beneath his chin, a leather belt and a leather noose around his neck. It was determined the noose had been cut from the remainder of the rope with a knife. Indentations found on the front of the Tollund Man’s neck indicate he died by hanging. It is unclear why he died by hanging (execution, suicide, etc.) and whether or not his body was intended to be preserved by the bog. Today, the Tollund Man is on display at the Silkeborg Museum in Denmark.

3. Soap People
Adipocere, also known as Saponify is an incredibly uncommon and fascinating form of postmortem preservation which occurs in an alkaline and/or warm, airless environment containing moisture. Saponification is a modification on Putrefaction in which the body’s fat converts into an acidic, insoluble soap which inhibits the growth of bacteria necessary for the body to putrefy. Generally, at the time of death a body contains 0.5% fatty acid, but in adipocere, levels of fatty acid rise to 20%. Within three months, bodies that saponify will contain 70% fatty acid. At first, saponified bodies will smell strongly ammoniacal. Curiously, people who have examined saponified bodies note that this smell will eventually wear off, but will return once more if the body is exposed to fresh air for two minutes or longer. Fresh adipocere appears soft, moist, white and translucent. Eventually, the body will become very brittle appearing to be hard, dry, cracked and will take on a yellowish color. Some internal organs may saponify as well, others will become similar to parchiment paper. Although the body may eventually decay if environmental conditions alter, usually the corpse will remain in a state of adipocere for at least a few decades after being relocated. A human body takes approximately 3-6 months to saponify completely, but it can begin to form in three weeks, given the right conditions. While it is unconfirmed, reports from India claim saponify has begun to form in as little as 3-4 days. The most well-known example of adipocere is the “Soap Lady”, whose saponified body was exhumed in Philadelphia in 1875.

The Soap Lady. Photo courtesy the Mutter Museum.

Originally believed to have been an elderly victim of the 1790’s Yellow Fever Epidemic (due to her lack of teeth), it was discovered in a 1987 X-ray that her clothing contained buttons and pins which were not manufactured in the United States until the 1830s. It was also determined this toothless woman was much younger, having died no later than her 40s, possibly as young as her late 20s. The Soap Lady is currently on display in Philadelphia’s Mutter Museum.

4. Volcanic Ash
In 79 AD (most likely August 24th, around noon) Mt. Vesuvius erupted destroying the cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii. While Herculaneum was immediately incinerated by the initial pyroclastic surge, at least 1,150 citizens of Pompeii were encased in a porous pumice shell leaving behind a macabre cast of their position at the time of death.

Bodies in Pompeii

Many people are under the impression that the bodies of those killed in the destruction of Pompeii remain encased in the pumice however, this is false. While their skeletal remains are inside, the soft tissue decomposed and eventually leaked out of the hardened ash. In 1864 Giuseppe Fiorelli was serving as executive director of excavations at Pompeii. He instructed his team to not remove bones of the volcano’s victims and to instead pour plaster into the pockets of ash left behind where the soft tissue had once been. After a few days the plaster hardened, leaving us with 150 “statues” of Vesuvius’s victims immortalized in the final, terrifying moments of their life.

5. Incorruptible Corpses
Until rather recently, the Catholic Church considered “Incorruptible Corpses”, bodies that do not decompose after death, to be a miracle. Once upon a time, holy figures which remained immaculate long after their demise quickly gained Sainthood. While lack of decomposition is no longer officially considered a “miracle” in itself, there is still the belief within Christianity that these faithful few whose earthly bodies are spared decomposition are still in some way touched by God. There have been many claims that these bodies smell sweet and floral and at times appear better postmortem than they did in life… Those of us who are not quite as full of… “The Holy Spirit” realize there are legitimate scientific reasons behind these bodies that for whatever reason, do not putrify. In modern times, it has been discovered that some of the tombs used as a resting place for devoted Catholic nuns and priests are more conducive to natural embalming than others. Temperature, moisture and even architecture all influence the tomb’s ability to naturally preserve a corpse. One of the most famous Incorruptible Corpses is that of Saint Paula Frassinetti who was buried in one such a tomb in 1882.

Body of Saint Paula Frassinetti. Photo courtesy of The Order of The Good Death

In 1906 her body was exhumed to be moved to another location. At that time it was discovered that St. Paula’s body had only slightly decomposed in 24 years time. In light of this, her corpse was displayed at Saint Onofria, the Dorothean motherhouse in Rome, Italy. Unfortunately, after her body was removed from its original tomb, St. Paula did begin to decompose. In an attempt to keep her body in its state of incorruptibility, Sisters at the convent washed St. Paula Frassinetti with acid which slightly melted her skin. It did, however, prevent any further decomposition. Incorruptible Corpses often receive such treatments in an effort to maintain the body. Her corpse remains on display to this day and those who have handled the body of Saint Paula Frassinetti claim she is still quite flexible.

Learn more about The Mutter Museum
Learn more about The Silkeborg Museum

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A Witness to Spontaneous Human Combustion & Other Stories of SHC

The body of Alexander Morrison covered in slates from the roof which fell on top of his remains after the fire.

The body of Ginette Kazmierczak

Jeannie Saffin 
The only known case of Spontaneous Human Combustion which was witnessed was that of Jeannie Saffin of London, England on September 15, 1982. Jeannie Saffin was 61 years of age but had the mental capabilities of a six year old and lived with her 82-year-old father, Jack Saffin. While in the kitchen, Jack noticed a bright flash out of the corner of his eye. Turning to Jeannie to ask if she had seen it as well as, Jack Saffin noticed his daughter was on fire, sitting perfectly still with her hands in her lap. Don Carroll, Jack’s son-in-law entered the house just in time to see Jeannie in flames. Jack and Don rushed her to the sink in an attempt to stop the fire from consuming her but it was too late. Jeannie went into a coma and died eight days later. The flesh on her face, hands and abdomen had entirely burnt away to the subcutaneous fat. Don Carrol claims he saw flames coming from Jeannie’s mouth and said she was “roaring like a dragon” although no burns were found in Jeannie’s mouth. While perhaps Mr. Carroll was exaggerating just a bit, many instances of supposed spontaneous combustion witnessed in the 1400s-1600s claim similar phenomenon. One example is the case of Polonus Vortius, a knight in Milan, France who died sometime between 1468-1503 during the reign of Queen Bona Sforza. The parents of Polonus Vortius claimed he drank “two ladles of strong wine” then vomited fire and was consumed by the flames. At the time of Jeannie Saffin’s death the only source of ignition was the pilot light in the gas stove. On the day of the incident, she was wearing nylon which investigators blame for her death. Jack Saffin had earlier emptied the ashes from his pipe before reloading it with fresh tobacco. Investigators theorized an ember fell on Jeannie, remained there for quite some time as Jack reloaded his pipe, only later to set Jeannie’s clothes on fire when Don Carroll entered the house and a gust of wind stirred the ember. Technically this would be possible but it is a bit of a stretch to explain away the incident. Jeannie Saffin’s official cause of death was recorded by coroner, Dr. John Burton, as “broncho-pneumonia due to burns”, reportedly due only to the fact that when Jeannie’s family attempted to explain the spontaneous combustion they had witnessed, he replied “No such thing.”.
More recently, “Spontaneous Human Combustion” had been reported as an official cause of death.
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Evidence Suggests Spontaneous Human Combustion is a Reality

The phenomenon of Spontaneous Human Combustion (SHC) has baffled open-minded scientists for centuries. One of the earliest claims occurred prior to April 4, 1731 when details on the death of Countess Bandi of Cesena (Italy) were published. Remains of the sixty-two year old Countess were discovered by her maid the morning after her demise when she failed to emerge from her room at her usual time. All that was left of Countess Bandi was three fingers, two legs from the knee down (still wearing stockings), a charred skull (parts of which had burned away completely) and a pile of ash. A foul-smelling, greasy, yellowish fluid was found dripping from the windows in the room and evidence suggested the Countess had calmly gotten out of her bed while on fire and walked several feet before succumbing to the flames. This case is most likely one of the many false accounts of spontaneous human combustion as the Countess was well-known for lathering herself in camphor oil, a highly flammable substance. Two burned-out candles were noticed near the bed when the Countess’s body was discovered. Unfortunately, due to the large volume of blatantly false claims of SHC skeptics tend to ignore evidence which suggests it is possible and jump to the conclusion that every case was caused by the victim standing too close to a candle or falling asleep while smoking a cigarette. In the 1700s and 1800s, spontaneous human combustion was a very popular writing topic; Many famous authors including Charles Dickens and Herman Melville mentioned this mysterious cause of death in their stories. In the 1800s, the belief was that spontaneous combustion became possible when a person drank so much liquor that their body was completely saturated in alcohol, causing the person to become flammable. Those with religious inclinations believed that it was “divine retribution” and victims of SHC had angered God and been struck down with a lightning bolt. Another less-popular theory at the time was that mystical lights referred to as “will-o’-the-wisps” which were sometimes seen rising from stagnant marshes were to blame. Astoundingly, the will-o’-the-wisps theory is closest to the truth. These strange lights, often mentioned in folklore, were caused by methane gasses being released from decomposing vegetable matter underwater. Humans and animals also produce and release methane, hydrogen and phosphate through bacterial action in the digestive system. Luckily, if and when these gasses come into contact with a flame, you will not spontaneously combust; If that were the case, people would be catching fire right and left. However, diphosphane, a substance related to phosphorus, would cause a person to spontaneously combust under the right conditions. Until rather recently, it was believed that human production of diphosophane was highly unlikely. In 2000 German researcher John Emsley published his findings on spontaneous human combustion in The Shocking History of Phosphorus. In his research he found that human feces contains both phosphate and diphosphane. In incredibly rare cases, diphosphane levels could build up in a person overtime and if it were to encounter oxygen in the body, could ignite a pocket of methane and phosphate causing a person to burst into flames from the inside out. This corroborates with convincing accounts of supposed SHC in which the fire appears to originate in the stomach area. Of course, it would be incredibly rare that this would occur; Brian J. Ford’s theory of what may cause spontaneous combustion is certainly more likely. Humans naturally produce acetone, a highly flammable substance. It is used to break down fat in the body and will evaporate into the air as a person naturally burns fat through exercise or other means. It has a very distinct smell, usually sweet and fruity as was described by Don Gosnell who discovered the remains of Dr. John Irving Bentley. One major fact used by skeptics when attempting to explain away possible cases of spontaneous human combustion is that the body could not burn internally when the human body contains so much fluid; Acetone, however, mixes well with water. Brian J. Ford explains, “There is one highly flammable constituent of the body that can greatly increase in concentration… If the body’s cells are starved (which can occur during chronic illness and even during a workout at the gym), acetyl-CoA in the liver is converted into acetoacetate, which can decarboxylate into acetone. And acetone in highly flammable. A wide range of conditions can produce ketosis, in which acetone is formed, including alcoholism, high-fat low-carbohydrate dieting, diabetes and even teething.”. This makes sense considering most who supposedly parish through spontaneous combustion are alcoholics, seniors and/or over-weight. In order to prove his theory, Ford conducted an experiment in which he created scale models of humans out of pork tissue, marinated them in acetone and clothed them before igniting the models which, “Burned to ash within half an hour.”. Ford went on to describe, “The remains- a pile of smoking cinders with protruding limbs- were exactly like the photographs of human victims.”.
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If you enjoyed this article you might also like A Witness to Spontaneous Human Combustion and Other Stories of SHC, Cause of Death: Spontaneous Human Combustion and Other Stories of SHC, Survivors of Spontaneous Human Combustion, Evidence Supports Sixth Sense in Humans, Scientists Have Answered the Question ‘If a Tree Falls in the Forest, Does it Make a Sound?, Everybody Poops: The Post-Mortem Edition, Thich Quang Duc: Monk on Fire, Pray the Decay Away: Incorruptible Corpses and Other Forms of Natural Postmortem Preservation, The Zombie Cat Parasite and Children’s Memories of Death in Their Past Life