Lights, Camera, Action - Live Theater in All Saints Cemetery

A chill spread through the night air and a slight breeze accompanied visitors who attended the second "Voices from the Past" Cemetery Walk at All Saints parish in St. Peters, MO.

After assembling in the gymnasium and being given instructions by Diane Valentine, producer of the night's event, our group of Bunco friends, former co-workers, family members, husbands, and new friends turned on our flashlights and followed Jo Ann Prinster, one of seven docents dressed in period costumes.

Our group's first stop was inside All Saints Church--the "newest" of our four parish churches, whose cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1874. The original church, founded in 1823, is the ninth oldest parish in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Inside, we heard about the parish's rich past and were able to get a close-up look at some historic documents and vestments, like the hand-stitched one shown here, which was on display for this special evening.

From the church, we trekked to the cemetery to hear first-hand accounts from actors depicting men and women whose lives shaped the story of All Saints. The characters included mothers, widows, farmers, immigrants, a Civil War soldier, a murder victim, a nun who began her religious life at 16 and served for 72 years, and the beloved pastor who founded the first school.

The noteworthy deceased portrayed during "Voices from the Past" and the years of their deaths were:  Gerturde Auchly (1920), Joachim Ohmes (1880), Aloys Schneider (1940), Sister Frowine Schneider (1931), Christina Schulte (1858), and Father Nicholas Staudinger (1883). If you noticed a lot of German names in that list, it's because many German immigrants and their families have a rich tradition in All Saints parish.

All the actors did outstanding jobs, but for selfish reasons I was especially interested in the performance of Aloys Schneider (on the left), played by Don Goeller. Don did an excellent job capturing the essence of Schneider's sad story.

Aloys Schneider had the bad luck of being husband number six of the infamous Emma Heppermann, also known as the Potato Soup Black Widow, who made headlines in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

While we were instructed not to take photos of the actors, I was given permission to take one of Goeller in the character of Schneider because he is the character whose script I wrote.

After the performance, I spoke with Goeller and told him what a great job he did as Aloys, and he told me how much he enjoyed playing the role. I have to admit, seeing and hearing my words and stage direction played out in a live performance was thrilling.

After our tour, we joined the six other groups of visitors, along with the actors, docents, and helpers in the Parish Center, where we were treated to hot apple cider and donut holes. Yum!

It was an inspiring and educational evening spent with many old friends and a few new ones. The proceeds of the special night will be used to help support the restoration work on the church and cemetery.

I'm already looking forward to the first weekend in October 2017 for the third "Voices of the Past" cemetery walk.

Writing about Death by Potato Soup and Other Curious Adventures

Have you ever read a story or heard a story and wanted to know more then you mentioned it to someone else and that person wanted to know more and before you knew it you were writing a script?

That's how I wrote a script about husband number six of the infamous St. Charles Potato Soup Black Widow for All Saints Parish's second "Voices of the Past" cemetery walk.

Let me back up a bit.

Two years ago our parish presented its first "Voices of the Past" cemetery walk. A few members of our parish writing group were asked to write scripts for historic characters who are buried in our parish cemetery. Actors, who also were parishioners, dressed in period costumes and portrayed the characters, using those scripts.

For our first cemetery walk I wrote about George Gaty, Revolutionary War hero and founder of St. Peters, Missouri. It was my first attempt at script writing, and although it was daunting, it turned out to be mind-stretching fun. Everyone who attended the October 2013 event said all the actors were remarkable. Unfortunately, I was out of town and unable to attend.

Earlier this year, during one of our writing group meetings, I mentioned an article I'd read about a farmer buried in our parish cemetery who had been murdered back in the late 1930s by the St. Charles Potato Soup Black Widow. Next thing I knew, I was doing research, interviewing a 90-plus-year-old parishioner who vividly remembered the event, and writing a script about Aloys Schneider for the cemetery walk.

Aloys Schneider was an unsuspecting farmer who had the misfortune of marrying a woman advertising her services as a housekeeper through a want ad in a St. Louis newspaper. The marriage to Aloys, husband number six, ended when he died shortly after their wedding. His family suspected his bride had poisoned him, but they lacked proof. It wasn't until a year later, after Tony Heppermann, husband number seven, died that the Potato Soup Black Widow was charged with double murder.

Aloys Schneider is one of many characters who will be portrayed during "Voices of the Past" cemetery walk on Oct 3 and 4 at 7 p.m. in the parish cemetery, 6 McMenamy Rd. St. Peters, MO. You can purchase tickets for $10 at the Parish Office, and more info can be found on the link above. Visitors are asked to arrive 15 minutes early and wear comfortable shoes.

I've already bought my ticket for the Oct 4 performance, and I can't wait to see all the actors play their roles.

If you are unable to make the event but are curious about Emma Sarana Heppermann, who laced her potato soup with arsenic and was suspected of murdering five of her seven husbands, one of her mothers-in-law, and even one of her own children, click on the link above.