“He Blew Out the Gas and Threw Up a Snake”: John Swanay’s Untimely Death

As my grandmother used to say, “If it weren’t for bad luck, they’d have no luck at all.”

Such seems to have been the case for my paternal great-granduncle John Swanay. His life was short and ended in an unexpected and tragic manner.

The Short Life of John Swanay

John M. Swanay was born on 21 January 1861 in Tennessee, most likely in Greene County, where his siblings were born. The middle son of Albert T. and Susannah (Kizer) Swanay, he followed his father’s and older brother Alexander “A.B.” Swanay’s footsteps into the field of milling.[efn_note]1880 U.S. census, Greene County, Tennessee, population schedule, District 17, ED 56, page 29 (penned), dwelling 268, family 275, John M Swanay. Occupation “works in Mill.”[/efn_note]

John married Mary A. Hays on 16 November 1882, in Washington County, Tennessee.[efn_note]”Tennessee Marriages, 1796-1950,” FamilySearch, entry for John M Sweeney and Mary A. Hayes (1882).[/efn_note]

Together, John and Mary would have two (known) children. On 16 July 1885, daughter Fleta A. Swanay was born.[efn_note]”Tennessee, Death Records, 1908-1958,” Ancestry.com.[/efn_note] An infant son was lost, probably before Fleta was born, and Fleta would be their only surviving child.[efn_note]Find A Grave, “Infant Son of J. M. & M. A. Swanay,” undated grave marker.[/efn_note]

Just 10 months after her birth, John Swanay would be dead at the young age of 24.

A Very Strange Death

In mid-May 1886, John Swanay went to New York City to appear in a lawsuit about mill machinery.[efn_note]”Suffocated by Gas,” 20, (Jonesborough, Tennessee) Herald and Tribune, 20 May 1886, Chronicling America.[/efn_note] According to news reports, he checked into room 82 of the St. Nicholas Hotel late in the evening of Wednesday, 12 May. He reportedly had no baggage, but he left $150 in the hotel safe.[efn_note]”Blew Out the Gas and Threw Up a Snake, “The Buffalo (New York) Commercial, 14 May 1886, Newspapers.com.[/efn_note]

At 11:00 a.m. the next morning, John was found in his room “unconscious and gasping.” The gas jets were still turned on and the room was full of gas. It was assumed that John simply blew out the lights instead of turning off the gas, and he was suffocating.

According to local news reports, Dr. Fredericks arrived and “administered an emetic.” He was “horrified to see a worm ten inches long come wriggling out of [John’s] mouth.” Later that afternoon, a second doctor arrived. Both doctors worked to resuscitate John, but he never regained consciousness.

John died on Friday evening, 14 May 1886. His body was removed home to his home state of Tennessee for burial the following week. He is buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Greene County, Tennessee, along with his parents, his wife, and his two children. His wife Mary never remarried.

Who Really Died That Day?

Newspapers from New York to Tennessee carried the news of John Swanay’s untimely death.

However, reading these accounts is a bit like listening to a child’s game of Telephone. Each report was slightly different from the last, many included conflicting details, and some were simply wrong.

Adding insult to injury, many news reports didn’t even get John’s name correct. Numerous reports cited the deceased as John’s older brother, A. B. Swanay.

While A. B. was also involved in the family milling business, he definitely did not die in that New York hotel room. In fact, he eventually left Tennessee and moved to the state of Washington, where he went on to live for another 34 years. He died on 7 December 1920 in Sunnyside, Yakima County, Washington.[efn_note]”Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960,” FamilySearch, entry for Alexander B. Swanay.[/efn_note]

The “ten-inch worm” part of the story has only been found in one news article (linked above), though the same story was syndicated to several other newspapers. An autopsy report has not been found.

Heart Of The Family™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission if you choose to make a purchase, but it does not add anything extra to the price you pay. For more, please read my full Disclosure Statement. I appreciate your support! 

If you liked this post, please share it!