Dr George Washington Fraker
This is perhaps one of the darkest chapters of our family’s history, and makes very sad reading. We know that Cyril was acting as an evangelical preacher and was studying further in this line very soon after travelling alone as a 17 year old boy to an unknown foreign country.
Dr Fraker is known as a diabolical character. There are several contemporary newspaper articles referring to a massive insurance scam, in which he faked his death to collect huge insurance payouts. We also know from the same articles that Fraker had involved a young lad called Jonnie Edmunds in the scam. Edmunds had been a ‘close’ companion of Fraker for several years. Once Edmunds became an adult (aged 19), their relationship soured. In 1897, when interviewed by The Kansas City Journal, Edmunds hinted at Fraker being a particularly unsavoury character, though he fell short of direct accusations.
You may also note that in this article, there was some question as to Fraker’s gender - he had previously asserted that he had grown up as a girl.
Kansas City Journal 27 August 1907
I don’t know the exact circumstance of the original meeting between Cyril and Dr Fraker. However, our first understanding is that Cyril moved in with Fraker in 1905 - at such a vulnerable time in Cyril’s innocent life, Fraker must initially have been seen as a friendly benefactor. Within two years of living with Fraker, Cyril had died.
Dr Fraker assigned his death as Brights Disease on Cyril’s death certificate. An inquest however overturned this, and decreed that Cyril had died from Septic poisoning, as detailed in this item.
Excelsior Springs, Missouri, 16 September 1907
Clearly the point at which a death may be considered suspicious was significantly different in 1907 from today’s standards!
It is also clear from this that if Cyril had an injury resulting in gangrene, then as a Doctor, Fraker was not necessarily the best person to be with. Previously, in 1895, the following accusation was made:
(Click for clearer image)
The Kansas City Journal, 13 March 1908
This is the last known picture of Cyril.
The annotation with the photograph says the person with him is Harry Hamlet. The sketch is a drawing of Fraker. These are strikingly similar.
We also already know that Cyril and Fraker took a trip to Canada in the months before Cyril’s death, as mentioned in the following excerpt:
Richmond Conservator, September 1895
Excelsior Springs, Missouri, 16 September 1907
If we are to accept that Harry Hamlet and George Fraker were the same person, then the story has yet another twist.
This postcard was sent to Claud in Canada, from someone whose name I cannot decipher, from Derby. In this, there is a comment “just remember me to Harry Hamlet, and if you drop across Cyril, just tell him I am well”. This postcard is dated November 1906, which suggests that Claud knew Fraker long before Cyril’s death.
In the face of all the evidence about Fraker, the only part of the story I do not understand is the part that Cyril’s brother Claud had.
Claud and Cyril were not living close to each other. Cyril was living in Kansas City, and Claud was in South Bend, some 600 miles apart. I don’t know why, but in July 1907, Claud bought a gun off a member of the Nourse family who he had been staying and working with (Yes a member of the same Nourse family, who had been so instrumental in Bob’s early life!).
On 19 August 1907, the Nourse ‘Ledger’, states that Claud heard of Cyril’s death (he having died on 13 August). When Claud heard this he immediately set off to find out what happened.
In spite of all the evidence which was available in the contemporary media, Claud it appears believed that Cyril’s death was not suspicious. He accepted Fraker’s story that Cyril had died from Bright’s disease. This from the Los Angeles Herald dated 19 September 1907.
Los Angeles Herald, 19 September 1907
Even more astonishing in this story is that Claud then went on to live at Fraker’s, apparently believing him to be a good family friend, as can be seen in the following clip.
Extract from the book Springing from History by Liz Johnson
Published in
The Excelsior Springs Standard
10 April 2012
In the fullness of history, it is a mercy therefore that Cyril’s parents, Bob and Selina, were unaware of the salacious and dreadful end of his life. In letters from both Bob and Selina to Claud, they both express their gratitude for Fraker’s care and attention towards their son.
Excerpt of letter from Bob O’Neal to Claud 17 September 1907
Excerpt of letter from Selina O’Neal to Claud 17 September 1907
The family story of Cyril’s death was that he had been struck by lightning - this can now clearly be seen as a white lie developed, probably over time, to prevent hurt amongst the family.
Let’s now draw a close over this desperate time. Claud eventually went on to thrive in the United States, and his family has grown. His however, is someone else’s story. We now will focus on the O’Neal family that remained in England.
Read the full article of Springing from History by Liz Johnson, Published in The Excelsior Springs Standard here.
