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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (May 13, 2020)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, May 13, 2020 -- THREE Grave at Hardman cemetery is resting place for horrific family tragedy A gravestone at the Hardman cemetery carries a gruesome history of the death of a family at the hands of a father who blew them all up with dynamite while eating breakfast at the kitchen table. The deed was done at Marquam Oregon, but the mother had originally been from Hardman where the couple were married. Following is the article from the June 11, 1909 Oregon City Courier newspaper describing the horrific incident. Thanks to reader Karen Wolff for the photo of the gravestone at Hardman and information for the story. Horrible Deed by Bert Garrett at Marquam Saturday Morning Kills Four LONE GIRL HAS NARROW ESCAPE Fifteen-Year-Old Stepdaughter is Alive Because She Did Not Feel Like Joining the Family at Breakfast Table. Saturday morning at seven o’clock, the residents of Marquam were startled by a deafening report, and upon investigation, found that Bert Garrett, a well know resident of that sec- tion, had placed a charge of dynamite under the kitchen of his residence, of the family were at the break- fast table, killing himself and daughter Beaulah, and injuring his wife and step- daughter, Lavilla Brown, so they died, the former living an hour after the explosion and the latter expiring the following day. Garrett, whose brothers and sisters are all respected residents of the county, had been acting in a somewhat peculiar manner of late, and had frequently inquired as to the quickest method of destruction, although no thought was entertained that he would ever attempt to carry out a plot to end his own life, much less try to destroy his entire family. Mrs. Garrett and her daughters, Lavilla Brown and Beaulah Garrett, were preparing the morning meal in the kitchen and were under the supposition that Garrett was still upstairs. He was seen at this time by Roy Ridings creeping along the edge of the kitchen and seemingly looking for something under the kitch- en, but in reality, placing thirteen sticks of dynamite under it. It is not known in what position he was standing when the explosion oc- curred, but as a result, he was blown 35 feet through the air, his head striking against a cherry tree and dashing out his brains. Beaulah’s head was sev- ered from her body, and Mrs. Garratt’s limbs were torn from the trunk, and suffering intensely, she lived for more than an hour. She believed her children to be unhurt and gave the neighbors instructions as to the care of them. Before expiring she requested that her remains be laid to rest beside her first husband, a Mr. Brown, who is buried at Hardman, Oregon. Gladys Brown, Gar- rett’s 15-year-old step- daughter, owes her life to the fact that she was not feeling well. Before going down stairs, Garrett had tried hard to induce her to get up and join the family at breakfast, but feeling indisposed, she refused and remained in her room. “He came into my room,” said the girl, “just as I awoke and told me to come down stairs. He seemed very anxious for me to join the family at breakfast and twice urged me to hurry before he went into the bedroom adjoining mine and carried down to the kitchen. “I had just arisen and was preparing to put on my clothing when the house reeled and I realized that something awful had happened. I was thrown up against the ceiling and stunned to badly that I did not know what to do, but I found my way to the stairway, only to see debris jammed against it and my way barred except through the window. He must had Hardman Cemetery gets spruced up preparation of Memorial Day weekend. Lawn mow- ers, weed eaters and trac- tors with bush-hog mowers moved in and in short-order had the cemetery looking ship-shape. Lodge members donat- ing their time, equipment and fuel were Frank Osmin, Merlin Hughes, Steve Pun- tenny, Joe Perry, Roscoe Qualls, Tait Gentry, Lane Bailey, Charlie Anderson, Colin Anderson, David Allstott and Tommy Wolff. The IOOF Hardman Cemetery is under the care and maintenance of Hep- pner Willow Lodge #66 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and has graves dating from 1888 to the present. Several cen- tury-old grave stones have very decorative and unusual inscriptions, with many pio- neer families interred there. had powder under the kitch- en for some time and failing to get us together, waited until this morning. “He surely felt that I had followed him down stairs, for he waited just about long enough for me to have reached the kitchen before setting off the blast.” Garrett had no knowl- edge of explosives and from the amount of damage done, it is estimated that at least 13 sticks were placed under the kitchen. The pow- der was bought at Mount Angel, and it is thought that he had the dynamite secret- ed under the kitchen porch for at least six days, as he had on several occasions endeavored to get the fam- ily gathered in that room. As a result of the blast, the entire back part of the house was wrecked, the roof and ceiling had crashed downward upon the oc- cupants, finishing the de- struction of life begun by the exploding dynamite. The explosion tore entirely away the kitchen portion of the house, wrecked the partitions in the main build- ing, broke every window in the entire house, threw the kitchen range across the room, tore a hole five or six feet deep and as large as a wagon bed under the steps where it had been placed and threw the body of Gar- rett 75 feet into the back yard, severing the head from the body by striking a tree about 20 feet from the kitchen door. In the front of the house, the mirrors were shattered and the front win- dows were driven from the building. The village church across the street was quickly transformed into a morgue and the women of the town became nurses. Homes were opened to the wounded; physicians were summoned and Coroner R.L. Holman was called from Oregon City. The pall of an awful calamity fell over the entire community. Dr. F.M. Brooks arrived in his automobile from Sil- verton and, assisted by Dr. S.D. Chapman, who had also been called, amputated Mrs. Garrett’s lower limbs and cared for the injured daughter. Garrett was born 34 years ago on the Garrett donation claim, about two miles from the spot where he ended his life. He mar- ried Mrs. Joyce B. Brown, a widow with two children, at Hardman, Oregon, and a few years ago, the family came here, buying a resi- dence a block from the post office. Over this property, which the mother held for her two girls, occurred the trouble which resulted in the tragedy of Saturday morning. Coroner Holman of this city hastened to the scene of the tragedy, accompa- nied by District Attorney Gilbert L. Hedges, and an inquest was held over the bodies of Mrs. Garrett, and her dead husband and baby. The jury inquired into all the facts that could be dis- closed and found a verdict that the deceased came to their deaths as a result of a dynamite explosion caused by the intent and the hand of B.B. Garrett. The jury consisted of G.W. Bentley, J.T. Drake, A. 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