County Woman Kills Herself

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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