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Boy Hangs Self Believing It Was A Requirement Of Joining The Boy Scouts
A tragedy of unimaginable proportions occurred when a naive boy fell victim to a joke by his parents
A common rite of passage for many years has been joining the Boy Scouts. Even in today’s technical age, there’s still much interest in participating in the group that focuses on the outdoors and working with your hands. In the earlier days of the organization, not everyone knew exactly what they were getting into. Sadly, a century ago, a young boy hung himself and died because he had been jokingly told by his parents that he had to go through such an experience to prove he was tough enough to become a Scout.
In 1924, Walter Wessel, Jr. of Jersey City New York was 13 and had looked forward to joining the Boy Scouts for some time. He was known to have saved up pennies over time in order to cover the entry fee that was required.
Unfortunately, when he told his parents how he intended to throw his hat in the ring with the popular group, his father jokingly told him, “You can’t join unless you go through a fierce hanging in your initiation.”
It’s not clear why Wessel, Sr. responded in such a dark tone, but his son clearly was raised to believe what his parents told him. The boy’s once high excitement level for becoming a Scout was marred by the prospect of having to endure a frightening physical test to prove his worthiness.
Over the course of the next several days, young Wessel frequently asked his parents if they thought he was tough enough to go through the horrifying trial he was now aware he would have to overcome. Perhaps thinking he was simply continuing the joke, they would laugh and tell him they guessed that he was.
Sadly, it was no laughing matter. Fully believing that such a prestigious organization must have stringent requirements, he steeled himself to be tested. Later in the week, after coming home from school, he took a length of wash line and went to his room. Determined to do a trial run, he made a noose and jumped from a chair with it around his neck.
When Wessel’s mother called him for dinner and he failed to show, she found her dead son hanging in his room. The police investigation determined that while it was a suicide, it was most likely that his misperception about what he needed to do to join the Scouts played a role in his death.
