Searching for The Lady of the Dunes, Author Talk with Christopher Setterlund(8-18-2023)

Cape Cod History: The Tragic Obsession Murders of Lizzie Coleman and Sadie Hassard

 

    The term murder-suicide is sadly something that is heard far too often in the 21^st century. The idea of a person murdering one, or more, people before ending their own lives is both selfish and cowardly. Killing oneself rather than facing the consequences leaves the families unable to properly achieve closure after such a heinous act.

    Unfortunately in many of these cases, there are warning signs, some quite blatant, that go unnoticed, or worse, unreported. In the end, it leaves the victims’ families with the same question: could the tragedy have been prevented?

    Murder-suicides and unreported threats are sadly not only a present-day issue. Nearly 130 years ago the quiet peninsula of Cape Cod saw two unbelievably tragic cases within a span of fewer than twelve months. Both crimes shook the Cape to its core and only after the fact did it become clear that lives could have been saved if the warning signs had been heeded.

    The stories of Osterville’s Lizzie Coleman and Brewster’s Sadie Hassard are similar but different. Both have the sad murder-suicide label. Both came down to jealousy. As stated above, unfortunately, there were warning signs that could have prevented both crimes.

Lizzie Coleman(3rd from left), and her family outside of their Osterville home. About 1890, she would have been roughly 9 years old.

    It began in Osterville at the end of 1894 when an infatuation was born. German laborer Henry Ledtke, who had been working for a few years on S.S. Leonard’s farm, spotted William and Lucy Coleman’s daughter Lizzie for the first time. Ledtke was a man over forty with a wife and three children back in Germany, Lizzie was thirteen and not yet in high school.

    Ledtke’s obsession with Lizzie grew slowly. He began spending more and more time at the Coleman house, on the corner of Main Street and West Barnstable Road, trying desperately to woo the affection of the girl nearly thirty years his junior. The courtship also included numerous gifts given to Lizzie. During this time Lizzie was seen in the company of Eben Harding, the literal boy next door, quite often. The powder keg was soon lit.

    As time passed and Ledtke noticed Lizzie and Eben’s budding relationship he grew wild with jealous rage. It was in May 1895 that Ledtke was told by Mr. Coleman to not come near his house or his daughter anymore. When his request that all of the gifts he had given Lizzie be returned was denied that was the last straw.

    Ledtke made threats against the entire Coleman family, brazenly admitting to Lizzie that he planned on killing her. Sadly she did not tell her father of the danger. Initially, Ledtke’s plan was to kill both    Lizzie and Eben after church on Sunday June 9^th. He even suggested a shortcut home to the young couple which would have led them deep into the Osterville woods where he would have ambushed them. When they refused Ledtke devised a blunter scheme that unfolded early the following day.

    At 8:30am on Monday June 10^th Lizzie walked to school with her two brothers when Ledtke struck. In broad daylight on a public street, he approached Lizzie brandishing a revolver. The first shot grazed her face while two shots missed her brothers. The three turned and ran but Ledtke pursued. He fired a shot that struck Lizzie in the back of the head, killing her instantly. Ledtke then turned the gun on himself. Both murderer and victim lay next to each other in the middle of the street. Incredibly Mr. Coleman had been contemplating alerting the police about Ledtke’s threats on Monday. He never got the chance.

Lizzie Coleman's grave at Hillside Cemetery in Osterville.

    The outbreak of grief and unimaginable sadness was immediate. Lizzie’s funeral was held the day after at the Osterville Baptist Church on Main Street. Her friends from school sang hymns while surrounding her casket. The situation was made all the worse by the fact that Lizzie Coleman’s murder likely could have been stopped if someone had contacted the authorities earlier. She was laid to rest at Hillside Cemetery on Old Mill Road in Osterville.

    342 days later, twenty miles away, with the tragic murder of Lizzie Coleman still fresh in the minds of Cape Codders, a similar story unfolded.

    The story of Sarah 'Sadie' Hassard is like the other side of the same coin. The main difference between her story and Lizzie’s is the belief reported at the time that Sadie and her killer were at some point romantically linked.

    Sadie and Frederick Alexander both lived in Brewster. She was a pretty and well-liked woman of twenty-five. He was said to be a relatively average young man working odd jobs around town at spots like local cranberry bogs. The pair became a couple with the thought being that they intended to get married at some point. It seemed like a perfect story of young love.

    Sometime early in 1896, there was a dissolution of the relationship. Reports at the time said that although Sadie didn’t have eyes for another she had grown tired of Frederick. The young man grew angry and jealous despite Sadie not starting another relationship.

    The impact was immediate as Frederick began making threats against her and her family which consisted of parents and four sisters. The nature of the threats was not revealed at the time. However, in a sad parallel to Lizzie Coleman’s case, the family refused to report the threats to the authorities for fear of unwanted notoriety. It was a costly mistake.

    On the morning of Sunday, May 17, 1896, Sadie and one of her younger sisters were at home on Lower Road in Brewster. She had been living with elderly Reverend Thomas Dawes for the previous two years, she was likely his caretaker as he was seventy-eight years old at the time. The morning church services were just beginning at the Unitarian Church a few hundred yards away on Main Street(Rt. 6A). As Reverend Dawes gave his opening prayer tragedy was unfolding.

    Frederick Alexander went to Sadie’s residence with malice on his mind and a revolver in his hand. He found the doors locked and attempted to enter through a window. Although he was not able to enter the house he managed to grab Sadie and drag her out through the window. She ran out of the yard through the front gate, narrowly missing being shot by Frederick.

    The sound of the shot startled the churchgoers at the Unitarian Church. Sadie attempted to flee to her parents' house further down Lower Road. Three more shots followed as Frederick gave chase. Sadie fell after being hit and before she could even move Frederick caught up to her, pressed the gun to her head, and fired the final shot. He immediately fled south as the church members approached finding young Sadie Hassard dead.

    After the initial shock of finding Sadie's body, the search was on. Chairman of Selectmen of Brewster, John Clark, and Deputy Sheriff Alfred Crocker, put together the search as it seemed to be apparent to those in the know that Frederick Alexander was the culprit.

Sadie Hassard's gravestone.

    The search party headed south, eventually crossing into what is present-day Sweetwater Forest campground. Along the shore of Snow’s Pond, Frederick’s hat was found. Inside it was the murder weapon and twenty-five unused bullets. There was no sign of the killer along the water’s edge but a boat was sent for and the pond was searched. Several passes found nothing. The search persisted and eventually, the body of Frederick Alexander was found about one hundred feet from shore in five feet of water. He had taken his own life.

    Once pulled to shore his person was searched. A bottle of strychnine was found. Also in his pocket was a note evidently written earlier in the day. In the note, Frederick said he planned on killing Sadie and would not be taken alive. He ended with an ominous threat that if he was cornered he would take others with him. This meant that if the concerned churchgoers had arrived a few moments earlier there could have been more losses of life.

    The outpouring of grief was immense in the quiet town of Brewster. Sadie Hassard’s funeral was held at the Baptist Church on Main Street on Wednesday, May 20, 1896. The church was overflowing with people from all over Cape Cod. Reverend Dawes, beside himself with sadness, gave a heartfelt prayer for Sadie’s soul, and the wounded hearts of her family and the town.

The Hassard house foundation at the head of the Eddy Bay Trail in Brewster.

    Sadie Hassard was laid to rest at the Brewster Cemetery on Lower Road. A few hundred yards east of the cemetery, where the Hassard family home stood, is now the Eddy Bay Trail conservation area. The stone remains of the home’s foundation still stand as a solemn link back to a sad and tragic event in Brewster’s history that possibly could have been prevented if only the threats had been reported.

    Lizzie Coleman and Sadie Hassard both had long lives ahead of them. Both of these young ladies had their flame cruelly snuffed out by jealous men. It is important to remember that there were warning signs in both cases. If you or someone you know is in a similar situation to Lizzie and Sadie before their untimely murders please reach out to the proper authorities.

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Previous Blog Posts:

Cape Cod History - The Great Hyannis Fire of 1904

In My Footsteps - When A Smell Sparks Up Nostalgia

Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com

Zazzle Store: Cape Cod Living

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Cape Cod's First Radio Station

     In 1903 the first transatlantic wireless communication took place in Wellfleet thanks to the invention of Guglielmo Marconi. It was the beginning of radio. 2020 will mark the 100^th anniversary of the first commercial radio broadcast. However it did not take place on Cape Cod but from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There have been many legendary radio stations on Cape Cod. 106 WCOD is still going strong since debuting in 1967, others like 99.9 WQRC and 107.5 WFCC have been supplying music to various audiences for decades. In 2019 there are an estimated 15,330 radio stations in the United States. Did you know that Cape Cod’s first radio station came in with a bang, make a quick splash, and left with barely a whimper?

     On November 2, 1920 Pittsburgh radio station KDKA aired the first commercial broadcast. The station had chosen election day in America so listeners could hear the results of the race between Warren G. Harding and James M. Cox which Harding won. The broadcast was a huge success. Within four years there were 600 commercial radio stations in the country including WNAC in Boston, the future WRKO, and WEEI. These stations, and infrequently WEAF out of New York, could be tuned in to on Cape Cod.

     News programming and musical shows were the norm with special guest performers. To offset the costs of paying the performers plus improving the radio station equipment stations turned to advertisers. The very first radio advertisement, a fifteen-minute real estate ad about apartments in Jackson Heights, aired on WEAF New York on August 22, 1922. Radio became big business with advertising and networks developing and sharing programming among affiliates.

     The rising popularity and profitability of radio led to Cape Codders longing for their own local station. Boston and New York stations were accessible to varying degrees however lacked the local feel and coverage. In July 1926 their wish came true. A station was created in Osterville through the efforts of James Henderson, the president of the firm of Henderson & Ross. It was a 200 watt station located at the Seapuit Golf Course, one of the first built in America, along South County Road. The station, which would operate on the 250 meter band, was to be known by the call letters WJBX, however it debuted with the letters WSGC possibly as a nod to Seapuit Golf Course.

     The job of running the new radio station fell to William Harrison who had been working as a broadcaster for WEEI in Boston. The hype for the opening night of Saturday July 24^th was palpable in all of the local newspapers. Harrison stated the station’s signal was strong enough to be heard throughout Cape Cod and Southeastern Massachusetts. An additional promotion was begun by James Henderson, it was a cash prize of $25 for the telephone call received at the station from the furthest away by midnight of the first day on the air. All other telephone callers would receive complimentary copies of Cape Cod Magazine (the original version which was in print from 1915-1927)

Aerial view of Seapuit Golf Course from 1892, courtesy of Marstons Mills Historical Society

     Opening night of the new WSGC began at 7:30pm with a half-hour performance from Joe Rines and his Sunkist Garden Orioles orchestra. Sunkist Garden was briefly the name given to the Mill Hill Pavilion located where DiParma Restaurant currently stands in West Yarmouth. The music was followed by a brief introductory discussion by founder James Henderson. He then threw it to a discussion featuring Massachusetts Amateur golf champion Freddy Wright and golf course architect Donald Ross among others. It was fitting for the station’s headquarters. From 9-11pm there was a collection of dance music featuring the likes of Jim Moynihan’s Orchestra, soprano singer Jean Hinkle, and pianist H.C. LeBrie. The night was deemed a success. More than 200 telephone calls were received by midnight with the furthest point heard from being Lexington, Massachusetts approximately seventy miles away.

     WSGC was to be on the air every evening except for Monday between 7:30-11pm typically following the same format of musical interludes and discussions of topics central to life of Cape Cod. The programming found an audience with letters coming in from as far away as Concord, New Hampshire by the middle of August. William Harrison continued to bring in big time local musicians like Chet Copp and the Eagleston Inn Orchestra out of Hyannis. On August 17, 1926 Harrison was contacted by the Department of Commerce from Washington D.C. informing him that the station’s call letters were originally supposed to be WJBX not WSGC and that the department was immediately changing them.

Program Listing for WSGC's Opening Night, courtesy of Boston Globe Archives

     The new WJBX continued on with its successful programming six nights a week throughout the remained of the summer. It was announced that as Labor Day passed the radio station would cease operating until the following spring. The final night of Sunday September 5^th featured a worship service led by Reverend H.P. Almon Abbott and finally a short recital featuring Jean Hinkle. WJBX closed for the season at 11:30pm. On September 13, 1926 the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) created the first national radio network, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).

William Harrison stated that due to the station’s success he was excited for the second season in 1927, promising new shows from outside the confines of the Seapuit Golf Course station. The likely relaunch was set for June 1927. Unfortunately the relaunch never came. It is unclear why but WSGC/WJBX ended up being nothing more than a flash in the pan, a test run for what would be coming in the decades that followed.

     James Henderson went back to focusing on his real estate while Harrison went back to Boston to continue his radio career. The Seapuit Golf Course slowly declined through the Great Depression before the entire property was purchased by Canadian ‘Aluminum King’ E.K. Davis. The golf course was abandoned after severe damage during a hurricane in 1944 and today there are very few, if any, reminders of the golf course left.

     Cape Cod would not see a new radio station until the formation of the Cape Cod Broadcasting Company in 1937. Two years later came a proposal by Joseph Goulding for a station on 8 ½ acres of land on South Sea Avenue in West Yarmouth in June 1939. He said the station would have the call letters WOCB for ‘Only Cape Broadcasting.’ A 195-foot tall radio tower was erected and the second-ever Cape Cod radio station went live on October 2, 1940. It ran out of money and folded in May 1943 before being brought back to life by new owners E. Anthony and Sons in May 1944.

A postcard for WOCB from the early 1950's, courtesy of American Radio History.com

     In May 1948 WOCB became Cape Cod’s first FM station. It remained in business until Hurricane Bob felled the radio tower in August 1991 and the owners could not afford to rebuild. The station was purchased by automobile dealer Ernie Boch Sr. to become the flagship station for his Boch Broadcasting. Its call letters were changed to WXTK and the station is still on the air today.

     Despite being the first radio station on Cape Cod nary a word is spoken about WSGC. Perhaps because it only last two months. Perhaps because its home base the Seapuit Golf Course is long since gone WSGC lends itself to being a mere footnote in the long history of Cape Cod radio. However in the legacy of radio stations on Cape Cod there had to be a first and that one was WSGC in Osterville.

View my previous blog posts: In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Sullivan's Donut Shop

In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - Angelo's Supermarket                                   

Cape Cod Sunsets 2020 Calendar available at Zazzle here: Cape Cod Living Store

Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com

My 5th book, Cape Cod Nights, is on sale at Amazon.com and through Arcadia Publishing

In My Footsteps: Trip 28: Centerville, Osterville, Cotuit, Mass.

In My Footsteps

Christopher Setterlund

Trip 28: Centerville, Osterville, Cotuit, Mass.

February 28, 2010

            Centerville, Osterville, and Cotuit are three small villages considered part of the larger town of Barnstable on the south side of Cape Cod that can easily be passed by on a trip from Falmouth to Hyannis.  Taking you on a trip through Cape history and passing some of the most amazing natural sites as well these three small villages must be seen and appreciated by any traveler to this area.

            Centerville was originally called Chequaquet by the Wampanoag Indians when it was purchased by Myles Standish in 1648.  The village has done a good job of hanging on to its history as Main Street still feels like a walk back through the 19^th Century.  The best example of this is the 1856 Country Store(left) located on Main Street.  It has been a general merchandise store since 1856 and still to this day sells homemade jams and jellies as well as classic penny candies that will bring you back to childhood days.  The store now sells its catalog online as it has kept up with technology, but nothing beats taking a walk down Main Street and stopping into the 1856 Country Store.

            For those not looking for trips through history there is the very popular and well known Craigville Beach to visit.   Craigville Beach lies on the similarly named Craigville Beach Road and is bordered on the east by the smaller Covell’s Beach.  It is also bordered on the north by a river flowing in from East Bay; there are many beautiful private homes along the river.  The Kennedy Compound is able to be seen after a long walk on the beach, Craigville Beach is a popular starting and finishing point for many road races and marathons on the Cape and Eastern Massachusetts. 

            Continuing west leads you into Osterville.  There are numerous summer residences here along the beautiful oceanfront and especially in the private Oyster Harbors section of Osterville.  There is a drawbridge connecting Oyster Harbors(below) to the mainland but it is a gated community and thus cannot be accessed by visitors unless they are residents.

            A great place that can be visited by anyone is the Osterville Historic Society Museum located on West Bay Road.  On the grounds sits the Herbert Crosby Boat Shop, it still contains many of the same boat building tools originally used by Mr. Crosby and his family in the mid 19^th Century.  The Crosby name is most synonymously associated with the Crosby Catboat which became a hit with sailors not too long after being developed in the latter half of the 19^th Century.  The Crosby’s themselves built over 3,000 Catboats from 1850 to 1970.  The Captain Parker House stands closest to the road and was built in 1824.  It belonged to the afore mentioned Captain Parker who like many 19^th Century Cape residents made his living on the seas as a fisherman.

There is also an authentic ‘jelly house’ on the grounds.  These were used along road sides mostly prior to World War II to sell all sorts of delicious jams and jellies to travelers.  Once gift shops began selling the same products the houses became obsolete and were sold to individuals.  It is a very unique look into Olde Cape Cod when you stand before this tiny shack that now contains a play set for children.  The grounds can be walked at anytime but the museum itself is open daily from mid-June to mid-September.

The third village of Barnstable to be visited was Cotuit.  As with Centerville and Osterville, a trip down through the Historic District of Main Street will give you a great vision of the town’s past.  Located in the same parking area along Main Street is the Freedom Hall, built in 1860.  There is a marker near the road which is dedicated to the memory of those who first settled the Cotuit area in 1648.  Next door is the Old Meeting House, built in 1846.  It now houses the Masons.

On the opposite side of Main Street sits the Cotuit Library, built in 1874 which sits next to the Cotuit Memorial Park.  There are benches giving a great view of one of the least densely populated areas of the Cape.  Along the roadside sits a stone with a plaque naming all of those Cotuit residents that served in World War I and the two who died during that horrible conflict. 

Directly across from the library and park is Oyster Place.  This short road takes you to the town landing where the dock gives you a tremendous view of Cotuit Bay.  Across the bay, almost straight south is the Col. Charles Codman Estate.  Built in 1870 by John Sturgis, it is part of the National Historic Register.   Col. Codman served in both World Wars and was an aide to Gen. George Patton during World War II.

The last spot to visit ended up being the most spectacular for me.  A little further down Main Street is Oceanview Avenue and Loop Beach.  The road itself is a one-way loop, thus the beach name.  The beach itself is nice but it is the walk back up the hill that is Oceanview Ave. that gives some of the most amazing views on the Cape.  Though mostly dotted with private homes there are still several open patches of landscape allowing for a view of Cotuit Bay, Oyster Harbors, and the Sampson’s Island Sanctuary(left).  It is easy to see why these people chose to live on such a spot.  It capped off a great ride through the western sections of Barnstable.

Barnstable has many small villages; each one has its own share of natural beauty and historical significance.  When the bustle of Rt. 28 and Rt. 132 have overloaded your senses, take a turn down Craigville Beach Road and start your journey through a simpler, quieter section of the Cape.  It is worth the trip.  Have fun and happy traveling!

 Directions:  Craigville Beach: From Rt. 28 heading east, turn right onto Old Stage Road.  Old Stage Rd. becomes Main Street, 1856 Country Store is on the left.  Continue on as Main Street becomes Craigville Beach Rd.  The beach is on the right.

Osterville Historical Museum: From Rt. 28 heading east, turn right onto Old East Osterville Rd.  Follow it to the end and turn right onto Bumps River Rd. bear left onto Pond St.  Follow Pond St. to Main Street.  Turn right at Yachtsman Circle, continue onto Parker Rd.  Turn right at West Bay Rd., Historical Museum is on the left.

Cotuit Memorial Park/Loop Beach: From Rt. 28 heading east, turn right onto Main Street just after end of Rt. 130.  Follow Main Street a mile and a half, Cotuit Library and Memorial Park are on the right.  Continue on about 1,000 feet, Oceanview Avenue is on the left, follow it to Loop Beach.

References:  1856 Country Store

            Osterville Historical Museum

            Mass Audubon - Sampsons Island

            Cotuit Cape Cod.com  

Centerville on Dwellable

Cotuit on Dwellable