Black Sheep Sunday - Frank Sirman Hart (1919-1984)

 The purpose of the Black Sheet Sunday prompt is to highlight a black sheep of the family tree.  Every one of us has skeletons in our closet, so to speak, but these black sheep had the unfortunate luck of their skeletons making the newspaper.  That's where I found the story.  There is always three sides to a story: his, hers and the truth.  I am not so naive as to believe that the news printed the truth, but most of the time, the printed news pieces are all I have to go by.  There is no judgment here; just sharing the stories.

On the evening of Thursday, July 24, 1975, Frank and his son, Stephen Sirman "Steve" Hart (1949-1975) were hanging out on the porch and drinking heavily.  This led to a big fight.  Frank's son-in-law, and Steve's brother-in-law, Carroll Key (who happened to be a police sergeant), broke up the fight.  Key lived in the neighborhood, so he went home and ended up on a telephone call.  Later, Key had just finished his phone call when a second fight between the father and son broke out.

Carroll Key told officers that he headed back to his father-in-law's house and while enroute, he saw Steve strike his father, Frank, several times.

Key reached the porch and saw a knife in Frank's hand. The next thing  he knew, Steve was groaning, grabbing at his back, and falling to the floor. 

Key took the knife away from Frank and notified the Key West police.  It was about 11:30 p.m. by then. 

Steve was rushed to the Florida Keys Memorial Hospital where physicians and emergency room staff tried to revive him.  However, the knife had penetrated his heart.  Steve Hart was pronounced dead at 11:55 p.m.

Published in The Key West Citizen
Key West, Florida
Friday, July 25, 1975, Front Page

  The article states that Frank was charged with second degree murder that night. In the morning, he was given a $5,000 bond and released to await trial.  Unfortunately that is all I know about the aftermath of this horrible incident that must have torn this family apart.  I haven't been able to find out if Frank served time, and if he did, how much.  All I do know is he died exactly 9 years later, on July 24, 1984.  

Steve's obituary offers no hint of the turmoil surrounding his death:

Published in The Key West Citizen
Key West, Florida,
Wednesday, July 27, 1975, Page 3

This is the most recent picture of Steve Hart that I could find.  It was from his Key West High School Yearbook in 1967.  He would have been about 17 in this photo; he was 25 when he died.

I wonder if Frank was ostracized for this in his community.  His family seemed to stay together, but the cost was probably great. Frank was only 64 when he died.  Was there guilt? Pressure from all sides? 

The most obvious lesson from this, in my opinion, is that the complicated relationship between a father and son and alcohol don't mix. What probably started as an enjoyable evening, hanging out, and drinking turned into a nightmare the family never woke from. 

                                                          ✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Steve was my half 4th cousin, 1x removed, and his father, Frank, was my half 4th cousin.  Our common ancestor was Canneth Swain (1770-1831).