Bessie Darling

Bessie Darling (1885?-1933) was a socialite from Baltimore who was brutally murdered in her mountain property on Halloween night, 1933.

Bessie Darling (née Warren) was born to James and Nancy Warren in the mid-1880s. At some point Ms. Darling married, divorced, and had a son. It is possible that the son was a result of the marriage but this is unconfirmed. Wesley Warren, her son, took her maiden name.

During Joseph Pache's term directing the Baltimore Oratorio Society, Ms. Darling worked as his secretary.

Sometime in 1926, Darling became acquainted with George F. Schultz. Schultz and Darling were so close that Schultz went to see her family for Christmas in 1930. In the Fall of 1933, Schultz (then 62 years old) began to suspect Darling (then 48) of passing her time with other men. His suspicion was particularly directed toward Charles Wolfe, a 63-year-old widower who had just lost his wife in the previous year. To avoid his anger, Darling left Baltimore in September and stayed at the Valley View Hotel in Deerfield with her maid.

On Halloween night, 1933, Schultz took action on his suspicions. He hopped on a mail train to Thurmont which did not stop at Deerfied Station. (It was 10 minutes from the Darling residence). He then got a ride From a Clarence Lidie and insisted that Lidie take him to the Valley View Hotel, threatening Lidie with his pistol. After being informed by the maid that Darling was in her room, Schultz strode upstairs and forced open the door at which point he shot and killed Darling with the pistol. He then sent the maid to call the authorities. As she was doing so, Schultz attempted suicide by shooting himself. His attempt failed and he was captured and brought to the local hospital.

Schultz recovered from his self-inflicted gunshot wound and was tried on March 13, 1934. He was found guilty of second degree murder and was sentenced to eighteen years in prison. His plea during the trial was that the murder was in self-defense, as Darling had also been armed with a pistol, but the court decided that Darling had a reason to be in possession of her weapon as he had previously threatened her life.

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