York County: Road Hawgs Barbecue (Dillsburg) & The Unsolved Murder of Hazel Myers (York Springs)

(Addresses/Directions for stops at bottom of post)

The autumn weather was perfect for an adventure—so my husband and I jumped into the Jeep and set out south on Route 11 & 15 to Dillsburg to begin our journey on full stomachs by having lunch at Road Hawgs Barbecue. If you are hankerin’ for some amazing, filling foods and aren’t afraid of a few calories (it’s okay to splurge when adventuring), Road Hawgs is the place to be.

 

Road Hawgs Barbecue

You have to love a place 
with a sense of humor.

We were greeted by a young man eager to take our order as I suspected we were the first customers of the day since it was so early—only 11:30 a.m. We had turned the clocks back the night before, so it was really 12:30 and we were starving.

We ordered pulled pork sandwiches and French fries (but next time I’m getting macaroni & cheese and an order of hush puppies). OMG—hush puppies!

Delish!

Every. 

Single. 

Bite. 

Just a few miles further south and we pull into Sunnyside Cemetery (strange name for a cemetery, I thought) but what a beautiful, peaceful location. Graves are situated on a hillside that is surrounded on two sides by woodlands. Although it was a bit past peak leaf peeping season, they were still in bloom and it was a glorious site.

My heart sank a tad as we pulled into the cemetery, as it was a bit larger than I envisioned from looking at the Google maps image. I had no idea on the location of Hazel Myers’ grave – let the hunt begin!

Sunnyside Cemetery 

THE UNSOLVED MURDER OF HAZEL MYERS

Hazel Myers was eighteen years old in May 1914 and had gone from good girl to rebellion stage with complete abandon for the last three years of her short life. She bounced around among her parents’ home in York Springs, her aunt Lizzie Myers’ house (town unknown, but I believe it to be Carlisle or close by) and her grandmother, Mrs. John Myers’ place in Carlisle. All the while doing as she pleased, drinking and hanging out with the wrong crowd.

This got her arrested in 1912 (although the newspaper does not state what, exactly, she had been arrested for) when she was 17-years-old. However, she informed the authorities she was 19 and was sent to prison from which she escaped. She was captured and sent to Glen Mills Reformatory and eventually landed, once again, in Carlisle.

Late on the afternoon of Saturday, May 23, 1914, Mr. John Ludt arrived at an old farmhouse that he owned and used only for storing his farming equipment. He noticed that the basement door had been tampered with and hadn’t been closed properly.

Cautiously, he opened the door and peered down the steps. At the bottom of the stairs, he noticed a lump in human form. Assuming it was a drunken tramp who had been squatting at the unoccupied farmhouse, he shoved the body with his foot. Only then did he realize it was the corpse of a beautiful young woman—Hazel Myers.

The coroner reported Hazel had been dead for at least 24 hours and had died from a blow or blows to the right side of her head. By the position of the body, it was believed she was actually carried down the steps and placed on the ground. More disturbing, it was surmised that she was most likely still alive when placed in the cellar by the perpetrator and simply left there to die.

Witnesses placed Myers at Locust Grove the night (Friday night) before her body was discovered. Locust Grove (from what I can deduce) seems to be an area where young people would congregate for drinking and debauchery and is conveniently located about 100 feet from the abandoned farm house.

Locust Grove was searched by the police where they found women’s clothing splattered with blood, whisky bottles and evidence that a struggle had taken place.

The authorities had no lack of suspects for the murder of this wayward young lady.

The police received a letter written by “Bum” MacDonald who claimed he overheard one Cora Dayton of Harrisburg telling a man that Cora was going to “get square with the Myers girl over certain insults.”

An officer overheard another conversation while two tramps, Charles Kramer and Steve Noonan, were behind bars in Cumberland County Jail. Noonan claimed he might be able to tell who killed Myers but Kramer scolded him to keep quiet because someone may be listening.

One young man (who was never identified by name) with a violent reputation who was no stranger to the authorities (having been previously arrested for insulting women and disturbing the peace) reportedly told the police he would give them information concerning the murder in the morning (and not at the time due to his drunken state). However, by the sobering light of day, he suddenly didn’t remember what he was going to tell them. Supposedly, when an officer accused him of murdering Miss Myers, he reportedly replied, “Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t.” It was said this man had been seen with Hazel the night of her murder heading toward Locust Grove.

The man seen with Hazel was actually Salvatore Cramacelli (whether he was the previously mentioned suspect as well is unknown). Miss Myers had been seeing Cramacelli and her family was less than thrilled about the relationship although Hazel had told friends she had hoped to marry him.

The Thursday before Hazel disappeared she had spent at her aunt’s house until 7:30 p.m. when she left telling her Aunt Lizzie that she was meeting a friend at the Reading Station. On her way to the Reading Station, Myers came in contact with her friend, Annie Kauffman, who would write letters to Salvatore Cramacelli for her since Myers was unable to write.

According to Kauffman, Hazel told her, “Annie, I’m going to meet Ikey and going to have a hell of a time.” To which Kauffman cautioned her about looking out for herself or she may come to harm. 

Actually, she warned her about socializing with Italians. Remember, this is 1914 and since the late 1800s, Italians experienced prejudices due to the fact that they would replace the striking American employees in industry, mining, railroads, construction, etc. (People who take the jobs of striking workers are known as "scabs" and usually other unflattering names.) Italians were not generally accepted along side American workers until the late 1920s. 

Given this information, the police had another suspect to add to their list—the mysterious “Ikey.” Also, was it possible Cramacelli could have found out about Hazel’s tryst with Ikey and killed her out of jealousy?

Reading Station employees placed Myers there around 8:00 p.m. Friday night and claimed that she, indeed, was with a young man. They last spotted them leaving in a carriage heading toward Locust Grove.

While searching Hazel Myers’ possessions that were left at her grandmother’s house, the authorities came across a photograph of Cramacelli. On the back was written, “To My Love Hazel. Ikey.” So it appeared that Cramacelli and Ikey were the same man (perhaps “Ikey” being a pet name given to him by Myers).

Cramacelli was the last person Hazel Myers was seen alive with, but police couldn’t tie him to the murder any more conclusively.

On May 26, 1914, Hazel Myers was buried at Sunnyside Cemetery in York Springs. Some attendees were merely morbid curiosity seekers perhaps hoping to catch of glimpse of the murdered young woman’s body. They would go home disappointed as the funeral featured a closed coffin.

It was reported in the newspaper that there were no tears at the funeral or the burial except for a toddler who cried only due to the sun’s heat on his unprotected head. Man, is that cold. Cold. 

Of course, I also read one newspaper account of the murder that blamed a student at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (presently the U.S. Army War College/Carlisle Barricks). This same article also stated that Hazel’s body was discovered in an outhouse. It appears to me as though the entire article was sensationalized for shock factor and yet more ethnic bashing.

No tears were shed at the funeral or burial? I hope I can’t believe everything I read.

Craig and I scoured the entire cemetery—row by row, headstone by headstone (some really fascinating ones, too); but couldn’t find Hazel Myers’ grave. Craig did some quick research on his phone and discovered her parents names were Parker W. and Katie Myers. 




He soon located the graves of her parents and there, at the bottom of one of the stones was Hazel’s name.

 

Twin graves of Hazel's 
mother & father.

Hazel's name added at the 
bottom of her mother's stone.

Beautiful carving on the Myers' graves--
a depiction of the Pearly Gates of Heaven.

Standing at her burial site, I told her that she didn’t deserve what happened to her and that what she did deserve was justice. And that one day, perhaps, her murderer’s name would be known. I prayed that her soul was at peace.

The murder remains officially unsolved to this day.

A quick stop at Pine Grove Furnace State Park to view Laurel Lake and the fall foliage.

Then we meandered to the Cumberland/Adams County line to hike to Lewis’ Rocks—reportedly once a hideout of the legendary Davey “Robber”  Lewis, known in the mid-1700s as The Robin Hood of Pennsylvania. But that’s an adventure for another time.

Sources: 
The Gettysburg Times
History of Italian Immigrants at: 
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~molna22a/classweb/politics/Italianhistory.html#facing

ADDRESSES/DIRECTIONS:

Road Hawgs Barbecue is located at 43 South Baltimore Street in Dillsburg, PA.

To Sunnyside Cemetery/Hazel Myers Grave:

From Road Hawgs, head north on South Baltimore Street toward Locust Alley for 358 feet.

Turn left after Citizens Bank (on your left) go .3 miles.

Turn left onto US-15 South. Travel 7.5 miles.

Turn right onto Old Route 15/Harrisburg Road—which lasts for only 138 feet and turns into Van Scoyoic Road.

Travel 1.1 miles and turn right onto Town Hill Road for .2 mile.

Turn right onto Sunnyside Cemetery Road which ends in the Sunnyside Cemetery.

You can find the graves pictured above while driving in your car—they are right along the road. As you enter the cemetery, stay straight—the twin graves will be on your left-hand side in the second “block” of the burial ground. 

A sign you really don't want to 
see in a cemetery and yet ... we did.
"DUMP GROUND"

Spooky Exploring!

Melissa