Andrew Kehoe
Andrew Kehoe | |
|---|---|
| File:Tbsd-001.jpg Photo taken c. 1920 | |
| Born | February 1, 1872 |
| Died | May 18, 1927 (aged 55) |
| Occupation(s) | Farmer, School board member, Treasurer |
| Spouse | Ellen "Nellie" Price Kehoe |
Andrew Philip Kehoe (February 1, 1872 – May 18, 1927) was an American mass murderer who perpetrated the Bath School Disaster on May 18, 1927.
Early life
Kehoe was born in Tecumseh, Michigan into a family of thirteen children. His mother died when he was young, and his father remarried; reportedly, Kehoe often fought with his stepmother. When Kehoe was fourteen, the family's stove exploded as she was attempting to light it. The oil fueling the stove soaked her, and the flames set her on fire. Andrew watched his stepmother burn for a few minutes before dumping a bucket of water on her. She later died from the injuries. The stove malfunction was left unresolved, and Kehoe was not charged.[1]
Marriage
Kehoe attended Tecumseh High School and Michigan State College (later Michigan State University), where he met his wife, Ellen "Nellie" Price, daughter of a wealthy Lansing family. Married in 1912, they moved around until 1919, when the couple bought a 185-acre (75-hectare) farm outside the village of Bath from Nellie's aunt for $12,000, paying $6,000 in cash and taking out a $6,000 mortgage.[2]
Personal
Kehoe was regarded by his neighbors as an intelligent man who grew impatient with those who disagreed with him. Neighbors recalled that Kehoe was always neat, dressed meticulously, and was known to change his shirt at midday or whenever it became even slightly dirty. Neighbors also recounted how Kehoe was cruel to his farm animals, having once beaten a horse to death.
Kehoe's neighbors were not impressed by the level of his farming ability. As neighbor M.J. "Monty" Ellsworth wrote, "He never farmed it as other farmers do and he tried to do everything with his tractor. He was in the height of his glory when fixing machinery or tinkering. He was always trying new methods in his work, for instance, hitching two mowers behind his tractor. This method did not work at different times and he would just leave the hay standing. He also put four sections of drag and two rollers at once behind his tractor. He spent so much time tinkering that he didn't prosper."[3]
Bath Consolidated School administration
With a reputation for thriftiness, Kehoe was elected treasurer of the Bath Consolidated School board in 1924. While on the board, Kehoe fought endlessly for lower taxes. He blamed the previous property tax levy for his family's poor financial condition, and repeatedly accused superintendent Emory Huyck of financial mismanagement. While on the school board, Kehoe was appointed the Bath Township Clerk in 1925, but was unsuccessful at retaining this position in the election later that year. During this time, Nellie Kehoe was chronically ill with tuberculosis, and her frequent hospital stays may have played a role in putting the family into debt. At the time of the Bath School disaster, Kehoe had ceased making mortgage and homeowner's insurance payments, and the mortgage lender had begun foreclosure proceedings against the farm.[4]
After the bombings investigators found a wooden sign wired to the farm's fence with Kehoe's last message, "CRIMINALS ARE MADE, NOT BORN," written on it.[5]
When they were done taking an inventory of the Kehoe's estate, investigators estimated that, prior to its destruction, the amount of unused equipment and materials on the farm could have easily paid off the Kehoes' mortgage.[6]
References
- ^ Gado, M. (2005) Hell Comes to Bath, Part 2, CrimeLibrary.com.
- ^ Parker, G. (1980) Mayday, History of a Village Holocaust 27. Liberty Press
- ^ Ellsworth, op cit., Ch. 3.
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ Gado, op cit., Part 5
- ^ Ellsworth, op cit., Ch. 2