Louis J. H. Schmand: The Euclid Tragedy

Indulge me, because this has nothing to do with buildings or development and it's certainly not news, but it is intriguing. I hope you'll agree.

Sunday, April 29th, 1877, some locals were out having a walk when they spotted an object near the roots of a maple tree on a ravine on S.W. Dille's property. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed to be a dead body.

The corpse was nude from the waist down, and had a shirt pulled over his head. There was evidence of a campground and it appeared that heavy rains washed away leaves, which may have been placed over the corpse. Clothing had been burned in the campfire and a long branch, dotted with blood, was found nearby.

A Euclid Township trustee, H. Eddy, and a constable were summoned to the scene, they moved the body and notified the coroner and police. The coroner scheduled in inquest at 9 am the following day.

Talk about bankers hours.

Residents came forward with stories of 3 men walking around whom they did not know. A Mrs. Maxwell spoke of 3 boys from Texas looking for work. A Mrs. Chapman attests she gave a young man some soap to wash his clothes. Her son confirmed that man that took the soap was the youthful corpse in the ravine.

The victim had on his person a few items, making it clear he hailed from Buffalo, New York.  Dr. Burns post mortem examination and more information are in the article below, from April 30th 1877. It's long but truly worth the read.

The mystery man had died of trauma to the head, and it is clear he was hit fatally hard.

It did not take long for a positive identification to happen, as the teenager's father arrived from Buffalo and identified the body.

May 2 1877

In this clipping from a Cleveland news source, the boy was identified as Louis John Henry Schmand.

May 3 1877

 But in the Buffalo Courier, he is ID'd as Charles Schmand.

May 3 1877

On the same day in Buffalo that people were finding out the identity of the murdered person in Euclid, papers in Cleveland were reporting on 2 possible suspects, William Lesser and Henry Ditzel. Lesser's father had actually thought it possible that his son was the murder victim.

After a very speedy hearing, Lesser and Ditzel were released from any suspicion of the murder.

So who killed Schmand? He was 16 years old, did odd jobs, and apparently suffered from some wanderlust. Was he murdered for the little bit of valuables he had on him?

I searched quite a bit but I can't find that anyone was ever brought to justice for his murder.

He resided with his family at 440 Genesee Street in Buffalo, NY. Here's what 440 Genesee St. looks like today:

He is buried as Louis J.H. Schmand. Calling him "Charles" must have been a mistake. That was the name his father went by sometimes (and sometimes, he was put down as "Carl"), after all, and possibly a brother, as well.

Photo by Douglas King Sr

Photo by Douglas King Sr

His obelisk family marker says that he was born October 27, 1860 and died April 27, 1877. He is buried in Condordia cemetery in Buffalo, New York.

Three sides of the marker list numerous siblings and family members, but the fourth side is literally a curse upon Louis's killer. Translated from German, it reads;

The murderer who wickedly slew you and gruesomely gave you the deep, deadly wound will surely be hit by the High Judge's curse in a terribly serious hour.

Chilling and tragic.