Hazel Farris
Encyclopedia
The purported mummified
remains of Hazel Farris (c. 1880 - December 20, 1906) traveled the American South and were displayed for a long time at the Bessemer Hall of History
in Bessemer, Alabama
as Hazel the Mummy. After appearing in a television documentary, her remains were cremated
by her Nashville
owners.
with her husband and they were both hard drinkers. An argument over the purchase of a new hat led to blows and Hazel ended up shooting her husband. Hearing gunplay, the neighbors summoned the police, but Hazel dispatched the three responding officers as well. A deputy sheriff gained entry and attempted to restrain her, shooting off one of her fingers in the process. He was also killed. A Check of the ODMP listing however shows that no Kentucky -or any other-Lawmen were killed August 6, 1905-the date these killings are alleged to have occurred.
With a $500 reward for her capture, Hazel fled to Bessemer to begin a new life. She took up with a man (some say a police officer) who ended up selling her out for the reward, when Hazel told him who she really was. Hazel committed suicide by drinking gasoline
and arsenic
before the police could arrive. This was December 20, 1906.
s and functioned as a funeral parlor. No one showed up to claim her, but the body wasn't decomposing, either—supposedly an effect of the poison. With an endless supply of curious visitors the proprietor started charging 10¢ a gander to see the notorious outlaw. The corpse was later loaned out to various exhibitors, including Adams' brother in Tuscaloosa
, and Captain Harvey Lee Boswell, before it came into the possession of O. C. Brooks in 1907. He featured the well-preserved remains in his traveling show for 40 years. When he died, Brooks left Hazel to his nephew, on the condition that any money raised from displaying her be donated to charity.
As the story goes, Brooks' nephew used Hazel to raise money to build churches in Tennessee
before bringing her back to Bessemer, where she became an infamous attraction at the newly-formed Hall of History. After a long run, and an appearance in a National Geographic Channel documentary, Hazel's owners decided to finally lay her ashes to rest.
performed for the documentary indicated that the mummified woman died of pneumonia. A finger was, indeed, shot off about a year before her death. The procedure further determined that the body was replete with arsenic
, but it appeared she had been immersed in, not ingested, that particular poison.
Bessemer had no embalmers in those days, so any preservation bath would have been done by amateurs using materials at hand. The documentary makers found no archival evidence from newspapers of these events, leading to the assumption that the story was crafted to fit the remains.
Mummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
remains of Hazel Farris (c. 1880 - December 20, 1906) traveled the American South and were displayed for a long time at the Bessemer Hall of History
Bessemer Hall of History
The Bessemer Hall of History is a museum located in, and devoted to the history of, the city of Bessemer, Alabama.The museum is housed in the former Alabama Great Southern Railroad depot in downtown Bessemer. The depot, built by the AGS in 1916, served passengers until the Amtrak era began in the...
in Bessemer, Alabama
Bessemer, Alabama
Bessemer is a city outside of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States eight miles west of Hoover. The population was 29,672 at the 2000 Census, but by the 2009 U.S...
as Hazel the Mummy. After appearing in a television documentary, her remains were cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
by her Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
owners.
The story
According to a broadsheet Hazel Farris lived in Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
with her husband and they were both hard drinkers. An argument over the purchase of a new hat led to blows and Hazel ended up shooting her husband. Hearing gunplay, the neighbors summoned the police, but Hazel dispatched the three responding officers as well. A deputy sheriff gained entry and attempted to restrain her, shooting off one of her fingers in the process. He was also killed. A Check of the ODMP listing however shows that no Kentucky -or any other-Lawmen were killed August 6, 1905-the date these killings are alleged to have occurred.
With a $500 reward for her capture, Hazel fled to Bessemer to begin a new life. She took up with a man (some say a police officer) who ended up selling her out for the reward, when Hazel told him who she really was. Hazel committed suicide by drinking gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
and arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
before the police could arrive. This was December 20, 1906.
The corpse
Hazel's body was taken to Adams Vermillion Furniture which also sold casketCasket
A casket, or jewelry box is a term for a container that is usually larger than a box, and smaller than a chest, and in the past was typically decorated...
s and functioned as a funeral parlor. No one showed up to claim her, but the body wasn't decomposing, either—supposedly an effect of the poison. With an endless supply of curious visitors the proprietor started charging 10¢ a gander to see the notorious outlaw. The corpse was later loaned out to various exhibitors, including Adams' brother in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
, and Captain Harvey Lee Boswell, before it came into the possession of O. C. Brooks in 1907. He featured the well-preserved remains in his traveling show for 40 years. When he died, Brooks left Hazel to his nephew, on the condition that any money raised from displaying her be donated to charity.
As the story goes, Brooks' nephew used Hazel to raise money to build churches in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
before bringing her back to Bessemer, where she became an infamous attraction at the newly-formed Hall of History. After a long run, and an appearance in a National Geographic Channel documentary, Hazel's owners decided to finally lay her ashes to rest.
Questions
An autopsyAutopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
performed for the documentary indicated that the mummified woman died of pneumonia. A finger was, indeed, shot off about a year before her death. The procedure further determined that the body was replete with arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
, but it appeared she had been immersed in, not ingested, that particular poison.
Bessemer had no embalmers in those days, so any preservation bath would have been done by amateurs using materials at hand. The documentary makers found no archival evidence from newspapers of these events, leading to the assumption that the story was crafted to fit the remains.