I didn't know Harry or anyone who may have known him...He was not a relative or even a family friend. But he had a story and it looked like it needed to be told, as best it can be.
Harry had decent life going on - a wife named Lottie, a son named John, 3 sisters, and 2 brothers. He was a respected carpenter. And a car.
He had no reason to take his life, as far as anyone knew back then. He had parked his car in the middle of the span, then ran to the railing and took an Olympic-type dive. He wore no hat and his shirtsleeves rustled in the breeze. Back in the 1930s men simply did not venture out without a hat and a coat of some kind even if it was roasting hot. His death was caused by that running leap he took from a tall bridge (in the city of Washington, D.C.) known over the years for folks jumping from it. When the bridge was built in 1906 the intent was for others to enjoy the majestic view it afforded the public. In the late 1700s when the city was formed, my distant grandfather owned most of the area around the bridge and had several symbolic names for the vicinity.
But I digress...Ole Harry had his own thoughts whatever they might have been. He couldn't have foreseen that his burial would be one of the first in this new cemetery. He also would not think his demise would make the front page of the leading city newspaper, still a big deal today...
Harry had decent life going on - a wife named Lottie, a son named John, 3 sisters, and 2 brothers. He was a respected carpenter. And a car.
He had no reason to take his life, as far as anyone knew back then. He had parked his car in the middle of the span, then ran to the railing and took an Olympic-type dive. He wore no hat and his shirtsleeves rustled in the breeze. Back in the 1930s men simply did not venture out without a hat and a coat of some kind even if it was roasting hot. His death was caused by that running leap he took from a tall bridge (in the city of Washington, D.C.) known over the years for folks jumping from it. When the bridge was built in 1906 the intent was for others to enjoy the majestic view it afforded the public. In the late 1700s when the city was formed, my distant grandfather owned most of the area around the bridge and had several symbolic names for the vicinity.
But I digress...Ole Harry had his own thoughts whatever they might have been. He couldn't have foreseen that his burial would be one of the first in this new cemetery. He also would not think his demise would make the front page of the leading city newspaper, still a big deal today...
I didn't know Harry or anyone who may have known him...He was not a relative or even a family friend. But he had a story and it looked like it needed to be told, as best it can be.
Harry had decent life going on - a wife named Lottie, a son named John, 3 sisters, and 2 brothers. He was a respected carpenter. And a car.
He had no reason to take his life, as far as anyone knew back then. He had parked his car in the middle of the span, then ran to the railing and took an Olympic-type dive. He wore no hat and his shirtsleeves rustled in the breeze. Back in the 1930s men simply did not venture out without a hat and a coat of some kind even if it was roasting hot. His death was caused by that running leap he took from a tall bridge (in the city of Washington, D.C.) known over the years for folks jumping from it. When the bridge was built in 1906 the intent was for others to enjoy the majestic view it afforded the public. In the late 1700s when the city was formed, my distant grandfather owned most of the area around the bridge and had several symbolic names for the vicinity.
But I digress...Ole Harry had his own thoughts whatever they might have been. He couldn't have foreseen that his burial would be one of the first in this new cemetery. He also would not think his demise would make the front page of the leading city newspaper, still a big deal today...
Harry had decent life going on - a wife named Lottie, a son named John, 3 sisters, and 2 brothers. He was a respected carpenter. And a car.
He had no reason to take his life, as far as anyone knew back then. He had parked his car in the middle of the span, then ran to the railing and took an Olympic-type dive. He wore no hat and his shirtsleeves rustled in the breeze. Back in the 1930s men simply did not venture out without a hat and a coat of some kind even if it was roasting hot. His death was caused by that running leap he took from a tall bridge (in the city of Washington, D.C.) known over the years for folks jumping from it. When the bridge was built in 1906 the intent was for others to enjoy the majestic view it afforded the public. In the late 1700s when the city was formed, my distant grandfather owned most of the area around the bridge and had several symbolic names for the vicinity.
But I digress...Ole Harry had his own thoughts whatever they might have been. He couldn't have foreseen that his burial would be one of the first in this new cemetery. He also would not think his demise would make the front page of the leading city newspaper, still a big deal today...
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