Hazel Rogers commits suicide in a disreputable resort
I've been developing an idea for a Duluth/Superior history column called "Back in the Day." You might see it in a local periodical at some point, or maybe you won't. I'm publishing the pilot here and now, because it's specific to this month.
Back in the Day - February 1908
By Paul Lundgren
The average suicide is something media tends to ignore. As a rule, it’s acceptable to report the suicide of a public figure, or about suicide as a general subject, but when common people decide to take their own lives, it’s not news.
Back in the day, however, newspapers had a lot less apprehension about reporting things that now seem utterly distasteful. Take for example two articles from the February 5, 1908, Duluth Weekly Herald, and it becomes obvious what a difference 100 years can make.
Not only does the Herald report the suicide of a young girl named Hazel Rogers, but it does so under the headline: “Ends Life of Shame.” According to the story, the girl offed herself by overdosing on laudanum, a narcotic which consists of an alcohol solution of opium.
“Treated as if it were carrion, the body of Hazel Rogers … lies at Durkan & Crawford’s (morgue) unclaimed and unidentified by any of her former companions,” the Herald reports, noting the location of the suicide was the “disreputable resort run by Lucille Wells.” The story also speculates that the girl chose to commit suicide because she was “tired of the life of the under-world.”
Six days earlier, according to the Herald, Louis Ronning, a fisherman, was traveling from Duluth to Grand Marais aboard the steamer Moore when he climbed a rail and plunged into the icy waters of Lake Superior. “Jesus wants me; I am going to Him,” were reportedly his last words.
“He was not right in his mind, and recently has seemed to be insane on religious subjects,” the story points out. “The man has been more or less demented since being struck on the head by the limb of a falling tree about two years ago.”
Also in the news 100 years ago this month:
Feb. 3 | Bills were introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to authorize Interstate Transfer Co. to construct a double deck bridge from Duluth to Superior across the St. Louis River at Spirit Lake.
Feb. 4 | Roland Haven defeated Emil Tessman to become Duluth’s 21st mayor.
Feb. 5 | Duluth Street Railway Co. filed its annual report for 1907, disclosing that 12,645,634 nickel fares were collected.
Feb. 7 | Robert E. Denfeld, superintendent of Duluth Public Schools, was granted a three-year contract extension at the regular meeting of the Board of Education.
Feb. 14 | Duluthian John Evenson set the new American ski jumping record, clearing 116 feet in the national tournament at Chester Park. The Duluth News Tribune estimated the crowd on hand at 9,000.
Feb. 21 | Superior was granted a franchise in minor league baseball’s Northern League.
Feb. 22 | John Evenson broke his own ski-jumping record, clearing 122 feet in Ishpeming, Mich. During the same competition, fellow Duluthian Ole Feiring jumped 119 feet.
Feb. 26 | Members of the West Duluth Rod and Gun Club met with members of the Central Gun Club to discuss merging. The West Duluth club members were not in favor of the proposal.
Posted by
Paul Lundgren on February 4, 2008 05:35 AM | Permalink
Comments
From what I've studied from the turn of the century, suicide was a big story. Lots of people offing themselves for lots of different reasons. Check out the book Wisconsin Death Trip if you want to see how depressing and tough life was in the northern areas.
Plus, how do you know Miss Rogers wasn't locally famous? (or infamous)
Posted by: mr ashley | February 4, 2008 07:18 AM
If you are looking for encouragement - rock on Paul!
You may even dredge up some unsavery characters from my relative's past.
Any pictures or stories from the old downtown "bowery" days?
Posted by: heysme | February 4, 2008 08:43 AM
I agree, great idea. Especially if you keep it on the "new of the weird side" or maybe even the sick and twisted side. I might have a book you would like, I found it at the thrift store the other day, one month of bound Duluth News Tribune daily papers, original all from March 1918. Near the end of the first world war. Wow, did we hate the Germans around here then.....
Posted by: Loki | February 4, 2008 09:04 AM
baci
Posted by: baci | February 4, 2008 09:17 AM
Hey Loki--
I'd love to have a look at that book some time--relates to a novel I've been working on intermittently over the past few years.
E-mail me at [email protected] if you're willing to let me borrow it sometime (preferably in summer when I have more time for reading.) Thanks!
Posted by: David S. | February 4, 2008 09:54 AM
Paul--
I like the column idea--more substantively interesting than the drivel the DNT puts in its "yesterday" pieces.
Hey Loki--
I'd love to have a look at that book some time--relates to a novel I've been working on intermittently over the past few years.
E-mail me at [email protected] if you're willing to let me borrow it sometime (preferably in summer when I have more time for reading.) Thanks!
Posted by: David S. | February 4, 2008 09:55 AM
Cool stuff, thanks for sharing.
I'm oddly facinated by the history of the area and interesting news from it.
Posted by: Bad Cat! | February 4, 2008 10:35 AM
I don't think Hazel Rogers was famous or infamous. The Herald story is brief and actually says "little is known of the girl."
There are a lot of stories about the bowery. One of my favorites is about Lizzie Mitchell, who was picked up for the third time for public intoxication and -- get this -- deported to Ashland.
"Back to the old haunts, where she first tasted the veneered joys of the bright lights and the clinking glasses, she will go to live out her last days on earth," the Herald reported.
Posted by: Paul Lundgren | February 4, 2008 10:57 AM
ok..while I DO enjoy just seeing my name on these comments..I dont know why my previous comment didn't show up??
any way I wanted to comment that this is exciting! We have some students @ HCIS who love to (er..assigned to by me) pour over the library micro-fiche for old articles...
I LOVE this stuff!!
BTW - who'd like to rpg a turn of the century space1888 set in old Duluth?
Posted by: baci | February 4, 2008 11:16 AM
If you come across any cab-related stories in your browsing, I'm interested in them—especially anything relating to the business structure of the taxi business at the time.
Posted by: The Cheerleader | February 4, 2008 12:02 PM
cf. Edgar Lee Masters' "Spoon River Anthology"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoon_River_Anthology
Posted by: Swan | February 4, 2008 01:38 PM
first: baci's comment in which he just wrote his own name actually caused me to "LOL." i'm sorry to see it wasn't a planned move.
second: paul, i did some research for a book once, and i got to read old turn-of-the-century duluth arrest records. i noticed two things: one, there was one woman who was repeatedly arrested for "operating a house of ill repute," and two, when you got busted by the cops, they wrote down your heritage. lots of people had "irish" written next to their names.
Posted by: tony | February 4, 2008 01:53 PM
I'll LOL yer @$$ ...jkjk...
now come 'ere laddy I'll give ya whatfer
Posted by: o'baci | February 4, 2008 03:08 PM
I also chime in as loving the idea. I was at a party a couple years ago where an acquaintance held up spell bound with the story of how his (great?)grandfather's wife and many of his children downed during a social outing in the bay by Barker's Island. If you're column goes anywhere I could see if he is interested in talking to you about it. I believe the acquaintance is a product of the grandfather's second marriage. Good luck.
Posted by: Lucie B. | February 4, 2008 07:14 PM
Hey, Cheerleader--I recall from my readings of old local papers that there was a story of a cabbie murdered and his body left in the bushes (?) in the Hillside around the time of the lynchings. Can't be more specific on time, I'm afraid, since I scanned about four years of papers. but I do recall that there was a lot more violence going on around here then. (More people, natch.)
Great article, Paul. Having read a lot of old newspapers from @1920 all around the country, I'd say it'll work out well. Lurid was way in. There were always stories about weird deaths, comeuppance and just plain odd occurrences. I saw lots of evidence that girls in very rural boring places would make up stories of bad men to ... stir things up a bit. It must have sounded true then, but to today's eyes some of the stories are ludicrous.
Posted by: hbh | February 4, 2008 11:00 PM
Deported to Ashland--I love it.
Posted by: Mary | February 5, 2008 01:17 PM
I found this interesting
http://www.wahp-breckkiwanis.org/history.htm
Posted by: .... | February 5, 2008 05:40 PM