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. Meyers, S.G.
Nicholson, J.W. Falconer
and W.A. Shaver.
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
David Allstott helps with cleanup at the Hardman Cemetery.
-Contributed photo.
Our team of local,
experienced
mortgage specialists
On a recent Thursday Odd Fellows Lodge held
on Hardman Ridge, several a work party at the histor-
members of the Heppner ic Hardman Cemetery in
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