Clarence Schwartz - 3

Benjamin Franklin was noted for saying, "Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see." In genealogy research, I have chosen to listen to the older ones and then attempt to confirm their story through documentation. We, as a family, need to realize that the death of Clarence Schwartz occurred 10 years before Catherine Schwartz Welborn was born. To me, that means, that Catherine is telling the story as she was told most likely her mother, Katie Harrington Schwartz.

As you can see, if you compare my version to Linda's version there is a similar thread, however, our versions are not the same. The key is to find the morsels of truth.

From my interview with Catherine, I logically should take away the fact that Clarence Schwartz was shot by another boy.  History reflects that anti-German sentiment began to occur around the beginning of World War I, maybe as early as 1914.  Now, it is possible that Catherine, herself, may have experienced the prejudices against Germans prior to World War II.  Most likely, in the year of 1905, Clarence did not experience anti-German prejudice. Clarence Schwartz was the second generation to live in the United States and most likely did not speak German.

I suspect the details of the case reflect why the Schwartz family believed that Arthur Hinsley murdered Clarence. Even though, the Appellate Court determined lack of evidence and freed Arthur Hinsley, there are clues mentioned that possibly with current forensic techniques could shed a different light.

I will share more later . . .