Digital Transgender Archive

County Woman Kills Herself

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Content Warning: This item contains potentially sensitive material related to suicide. The text reads: "COUNTY WOMAN KILLS HERSELF Muskegon, Mich- (U.P.) - Authorities reported today a 29-year-old woman apparently doused herself with gasoline and died in flames because she feared her masquerade as a man would be betrayed. Coroner John A. Dehorn ruled that the woman, Myrtle Mapes of Bear Lake, died of self-inflicted burns and suffocation. Her body was found in her blazing, overturned auto in a desolate rural area near here last night. The auto was registered in the name of “Thomas Oliver Mapes” and officers indicated Miss Mapes was despondent over fear that a friend might disclose she was a woman. The remains indicated she was attired in a man’s clothing, Sheriff Axel Pedersen said. Melbourne Beebe of nearby Twin Lakes said Myrtle, whom he knew as “Tom,” brought him a sealed note late yesterday. “I’ve had an awful fight with my girl friends.” she told Beebe. “Don’t open this unless I don’t come back.” The note indicated she was “tired of living” and “wasn’t doing any good,” Pedersen reported. Later, she purchased a gallon of gasoline in a can, police said, and drove to a lonely road where she splashed the fuel over the car’s interior and set it on fire.”

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Item Information:

Identifier
tx31qh855
Collection
Newspaper and Periodical Clippings (1950-2000)
Institution
Digital Transgender Archive
Creator(s)
Manistee News Advocate
Publisher
Manistee News Advocate
Date Issued
Jan. 29, 1951
Genre
Clippings
Subject(s)
Axel Pederson
John A. Dehorn
Melbourne Beebe
Myrtle Mapes
Thomas Oliver Mapes
Places
Michigan > Charlevoix County > Melrose Township > Walloon Lake
Michigan > Muskegon County > City of Muskegon > Muskegon
Topic(s)
Crossdressers
Crossdressing
Death and dying
FtMs
LGBTQ+ newspapers
Suicide
Resource Type
Text
Language
English
Rights
Copyright undetermined
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