How we want to be remembered after our passing is something which occupies nearly everyone’s mind at one point or another. For a great many of us, what is key is that we linger in the memories of those we cared about. For others, a monument of some sort is desired, whether it be as physical as a carving in a mountainside or as ephemeral as a song.
Katherine Cross had a different memorial, thanks to someone with a taste for the poetic.
Grave markers are among the most traditional of all items. People wish to respect the dead if they’re willing to create a headstone, and it’s rare one sees anything beyond a carving or two to indicate particular interests of the deceased.
Cross’ grave, on the other hand, had her birth date (March 13, 1899), the date of her death (October 10, 1917), her name, the initials of the 18-year-old’s parents, and an inscription:
“Murdered by human wolves.”
The Konowa, Oklahoma epitaph drew attention. Stories were told to explain the statement: she was killed by the KKK, or by werewolves, or by a secret plot. Rumors became stories, and her death became a local legend over the course of decades.
The true (official?) story is that she was exhumed after having her cause of death written down as due to illness, and whatever the lawmen found caused them to charge the doctor who wrote her death certificate with causing her death via a criminal operation… likely, given the wording of the charge and the views of the time in Oklahoma, a botched abortion.
Her parents’ view of the physician was made clear on their daughter’s memorial.
In 2016, someone stole the grave marker. As yet, no werewolves have come forward to replace it.
Question of the night: How would you most like to be remembered?
