Albert B. Armstrong was born March 13th, 1875 in
Monroe County, Kentucky to Lucas and Virginia Buford Armstrong. The family
eventually migrated to Collin County, Texas, where Albert married Minnie B.
Hundley on August 16th, 1896. The next year, he was the father
of a daughter, Beatrice. By the time he was 25 in 1900, the lie of his life
had begun: Albert decided he was a doctor, and he was going to practice as
such.
There is no evidence that Albert B. Armstrong ever received
any formal medical training. What limited repositories there are for seeking
out evidence of medical education for a person have been exhausted, and no
record for Armstrong has been found. It is possible that he had an apprenticeship
with a doctor at one point, but this would hardly have qualified him as a
learned and licensed medical professional. When for the 1900 Census in Dallas
County, Texas (1) Albert gave his profession as a “Physician”, he did so because that was what he
wanted to be considered, but not because that was what he was.
(1)
Albert was what was called at the time a “quack”.
This was a
person who engaged in “quackery”. Per Quackwatch (2),
we can learn a little more about these persons who claim to be and genuinely
believe they are medical doctors or professionals:
“Dictionaries define quack
as "a pretender to medical skill; a charlatan" and "one who
talks pretentiously without sound knowledge of the subject discussed."
These definitions suggest that the promotion of quackery involves deliberate
deception, but many promoters sincerely believe in what they are doing. … Most
people think of quackery as promoted by charlatans
who deliberately exploit their victims. Actually, most promoters are
unwitting victims who share misinformation and personal experiences with
others.”
While most quacks might fall into the latter described
category of “unwitting victims who share misinformation”, Albert B. Armstrong
belonged to the former category which most people associate with the term
quack: “charlatans who deliberately exploit their victims.” This assertion can
be demonstrated by the ample amount of evidence provided by newspapers
published during Armstrong’s heyday of swindling, fraud, and malpractice which
amounted to actual murder.
Armstrong was fully
aware of the fact that he was not an actual physician, but in pretending to be
one and presenting himself as one to unwitting “patients”, when his actions
caused the deaths of those patients, those actions amounted to premeditated
murder.
(3)
[Please note: As we delve into the evidence against Armstrong, for the
sake of full disclosure, this author acknowledges that as the nephew (several
generations removed) of one of Armstrong’s victims, the dialogue in this
article will be perceived as heavily biased. And it is. If it appears that that
I think Armstrong was a despicable, pathetic excuse for a human being, it’s
because I do. However, when subtracting all of the supplemental dialogue and
left only with the facts, one is sure to reach the same conclusion as I have:
That Albert B. Armstrong was not a doctor, but a fraud, a criminal, and a
killer that unfortunately escaped justice.
While he may now rest in relative peace below the ground,
this author has taken it upon himself to ensure that there is clear, succinct
and available evidence in existence of Armstrong’s treacherous and cowardly
legacy.]
The first of Armstrong’s legal transgressions occurred while
he lived in Texas, and came to light after he found himself in trouble with the
law in Oklahoma. For the sake of avoiding confusion, his earliest offenses in
Texas will be documented after his crimes in Oklahoma are, as that is the
timeline provided by the newspaper records that have been found.
(4)
It is unclear precisely when Armstrong came to Oklahoma. His
second daughter, Mildred, was born in Texas about 1902, and Albert begins
appearing in Oklahoma newspaper records by 1909. He is found in the 1910
Federal Census in Shawnee, Pottawatomie, Oklahoma (4).
He was still proclaiming himself a medical doctor in that year as well. In the
year before, 1909, Oklahomans got their first taste of Armstrong’s fraudulent
practices when he visited the town of Chandler, Oklahoma. At this time, he was
asserting himself as “Dr.” A. B. Armstrong. (5)
Albert proclaimed himself an “Assistant State Health
Officer” working for the state of Oklahoma. He conducted "investigations" of some local businesses in Chandler, claiming reports had been
received of there being unsanitary conditions in some of them. He cited
concerns with the conditions of some of the local businesses, and threatened
“that if the city health officer did not do his duty the state would”. (5)
“Without letting his business be
known he visited the different hotels of the city and made a thorough
investigation. He also noted the sanitation of the town at large, and after
consulting with the city health officer he stated that the city was in a very
bad condition and that steps should be taken to clean up from one end of town
to the other. He stated that the city should at once begin cleaning out the
sink from the depot to the north end of town and rid that part of the city of
the unhealthy condition.” (6)
At the end of his inspection of the town, he said “that he
would return to Chandler within a week or two and would take further steps to
enforce the laws if found necessary.” (6) He took his ruse so far that he appointed
a local doctor (an actual medical physician) named Dr. A. M. Marshal as the
“superintendent of health for this judicial district with authority of the
state board of health”. Eventually, it came to light that he either blackmailed
or accepted bribes from some of the local business owners so that he would
“quiet the matter at headquarters”. (7)
(6)
Unfortunately for Armstrong, someone in Chandler apparently grew
suspicious of his scheme and contacted Dr. J. C. Marr of Shawnee, who was a
genuine state health officer. Dr. Marr apparently informed the people of
Chandler that they had been had, and “Dr.” Armstrong was in no way affiliated
with the state health office. (7)
Armstrong was arrested and charged with gaining money under
false pretense and was fined $8.00 by the court. The criminal complaint of
impersonating an officer did not go through. After being fined, he was released
from jail, and his “wife and two children” accompanied him home. (8)
Not to be deterred by being prosecuted as a fraud, Armstrong
continued to practice medicine. He hired a nurse from Davenport named Willa
Keller to assist him with patients in Shawnee. (9) In April of 1910, he was still
listed as being “of Shawnee” when the spouse of an apparent patient published
an announcement about her “successful operation” of having a tumor removed.
However, this man, a J. N. Henderson, felt that he needed to add that he
published this announcement “without the solicitation of the doctor and not by
his request”, (10) an assertion which reeks of disingenuousness and indicates that
Armstrong did in fact ask Henderson to publish this proclamation. He likely did
so to demonstrate to locals that he truly was an actual doctor, when the truth
is that he likely just got lucky that he did not kill poor Mrs. Henderson since
he had no true medical training. His ruse apparently being convincing enough to
fool even actual physicians, he even received consultations in Davenport from a
Dr. Wade of Shawnee. (11)
(12)
By the month after the above profession of apparent
competency from the spouse of a patient, he was listed in the paper as being
“of Davenport”, which indicated he either fully relocated to Davenport, or was
operating practices in both towns. Apparently, the people of Lincoln County
didn’t realize exactly what they were dealing with the first time he came to
the area to victimize unsuspecting citizens. His first heinous act of true
disregard for human life (not counting however many other surgeries he had
conducted where luck was on his side and he did not permanently maim or kill a
patient) occurred that month, May of 1910.
“Mrs. Ed Berry who lived about two
miles north of Mud College died last Tuesday night. She will be buried today in
the New Zion cemetery south and west of town. County Attorney Davis drove to
the home yesterday, empaneled a [coroners] jury and an autopsy was held over
the body, with the result that Dr. Armstrong under whose treatment the patient
had been, was held pending further investigation.” (12)
(13)
And so the first known victim, 26-year old Carrie Berry, was
dead at the hands of a fraud that was hired to help her. Armstrong allowed
himself to be hired to perform a medical procedure knowing full well that he
was in no way qualified to perform such an operation. But out of either arrogance
or sheer greed for the poor family’s money, he took on the job and because he
was ignorant in the ways of proper medical practices, he killed her.
“Chandler - Dr. [Armstrong] of
[Davenport] was arrested there on the charge of malpractice and brought to
Chandler where he made a $3,000 bond and was released. Dr. Armstrong recently
paid a fine here, charged with impersonating an officer in granting an
inspection certificate to a butcher shop, purporting that he held authority
from the state board of health.” (14)
If Armstrong had any sort of conscience at all within that
unhinged mind, he would have stopped then and there. He would have dropped the
ruse, taken his punishment, and assumed the life of a normal person, taking up
farming or logging or some other type of profession; he clearly had some sort of oily charm to him to manipulate as many people as he did, so perhaps a career as a used car buggy salesman. But of course, he did not. He
fought the charges, and was convincing enough to sway at least a couple of
jurors of his innocence, leading to a hung jury.
“The trial of Dr. Armstrong in
which many Davenport people were interested was concluded Wednesday and the
jury disagreed, there being three who held out for conviction.” (15)
“The State against A. B. Armstrong
was tried and [testimony] in the case was given to the jury, who returned with
a report of no verdict due to disagreement. This case is one wherein a
physician is accused of malpractice.” (16)
And so, as he had to countless others, Armstrong manipulated
jurors of his position enough to lead to a non-verdict, and it does not appear
that the State attempted to charge the case a second time. This close call
would lead a reasonable person to conclude that if they continued on this path
of deception their luck would run out eventually. But Armstrong does not appear
to be a reasonable man by any stretch of the imagination, and he obviously
lacked the foresight to know his jig would soon be up.
(20)
Regardless of all past and present charges, and arrogant
enough to believe that he would either not be convicted or have only a fine
levied against him as a result of these newest offenses, Armstrong continued
practicing medicine as if the deaths of Mrs. Berry and Mrs. Mann had never
occurred. In January of 1911, it was an unfortunate newly-married couple that
crossed paths with this devil.
Louvica Barnett was born in Madison County, Arkansas to
Jackson Barnett and Phoebe Napier, natives of Breathitt County, Kentucky who
fled the feud violence of that territory.
She was orphaned as a young girl and brought to Davenport, along with
her brother Andrew, to be raised by her elder half-sister, Amanda Barnett Roberts,
and her husband, William. She married Richard Cunningham on December 7th,
1910 and began her new life with her new husband. The next month, she needed to
undergo an operation, which was reportedly an abortion. The reasons for this
surgery being necessary are not known. It is also unknown if the Cunninghams
were aware that in just the past few months, their hired “physician” had killed
another young woman and falsely led another family to believe that he could
save their matriarch. Regardless, they made their decisions, and these were certainly
not choices that should have warranted the tragedy that would befall them.
Amanda Barnett Roberts and her husband, William Roberts, and one of their children. This was taken by their home in Davenport, which would have been the home Louvica Barnett was raised in after her parents died.
But alas, tragedy did strike. Obviously performing another
operation for which he was unqualified, Armstrong left 18-year old Louvica
Barnett Cunningham dead. According to Newspaper records, the date of this
incident was January 30th, 1911. As previously noted, he was already
out on bond for other pending charges when he killed Vica Cunningham. And while
he had escaped justice once already in Mrs. Berry’s case, apparently he
realized his chances of exoneration yet again were slim after a second killing
in eight months, so he fled.
Louvica's handmade stone; taken in the 1900s by Debbi Mosher Malwick, a great granddaughter of Amanda Barnett Robers and niece of Louvica.
When a person is released from jail on bond while a court
hearing is pending, they must adhere to strict rules while out on bond. Among
these rules is one that disallows one from engaging in other criminal
activities, and not to leave a specified locale, usually restricted to the
county or town in which the offender resides or where the offense occurred. In
Armstrong’s case, he violated both of these orders, leading the court to issue
a warrant for his arrest on the charges for which he had been bonded.
(21)
Fortunately, Armstrong underestimated the ability of law
enforcement to recognize him from only a written description, and he was
quickly detained in Hollis, Oklahoma. He was initially detained by police there
on a warrant for having absconded bond for the aforementioned charges of
Obtaining Money Under False Pretenses and Practicing Medicine Without A
License. While in custody, a warrant for murder arrived.
Newspapers from Altus to Shawnee covered his arrest, finally
making his malevolent practices known statewide:
“A. B. Armstrong, of Shawnee,
Okla., was arrested at Hollis Monday morning by City Marshal P. M. Porter, of
the latter city, on a warrant from Davenport, Okla., charging him with obtaining
money under false pretenses and practicing medicine without license. The
marshal arrested the man when he came to town with a friend, the officer
recognizing him from a description from the sheriff’s office at Chandler, the
county seat of Lincoln county, where the crime was committed. The Lincoln
county sheriff was notified and O. C. Burgess, a deputy from Davenport, was
sent to take the prisoner back.
At Oklahoma City on his way here,
Burgess received a message that still another warrant had been issued for
Armstrong on the charge of murder by abortion, his victim being a Mrs.
Cunningham of Davenport, 18 years old and a wife of three months.
It is alleged that Armstrong, who
claimed to be a physician, induced the girl to submit to an operation which caused
her death on Monday. Armstrong was under bond at the time for obtaining money
under false pretenses, and left the county, coming to Hollis, where he had some
acquaintances. City Marshal Porter and his prisoner were met here by Deputy
Sheriff Burgess who took the man back to Lincoln county for trial.” (21)
“A. B. Armstrong, a fake doctor
hailing from Shawnee, was arrested on Hollis Monday, on a warrant from
Davenport, charging him with obtaining money under false pretense. He is also
charged with practicing medicine without license, and murder by abortion.” (22)
"The victim was a young woman who
had been married three months and her death resulted from treatment at the
Doctor’s hands.” (23)
The Shawnee paper was quick to distance its town from the
“fake doctor”, stating that “Armstrong has not resided in Shawnee for more than
a year, leaving here about twelve months ago for Davenport.” (18) And so Armstrong
was brought to Davenport to answer for his absconded bond.
“Dr. Armstrong who was under bond
to appear before Justice Robertson, Jan. 26th and did not put in
appearance was brought to Davenport Wednesday in the custody of Deputy Sheriff
Burgess. He had been detained at Hollis, Okla. He was in time to save the
forfeiture of his bond, ten days extension having been granted. The doctor was
taken to Chandler Thursday morning on a warrant issued as the result of the
death of Mrs. Cunningham four miles north east of Davenport, death having
resulted, it is alleged, from an operation performed by Armstrong.” (19)
Armstrong waited in the Chandler jail for his preliminary
hearing, which was set for March 3rd and then continued to March 15th. (24) On March 9th, in a despicable display of support for a convicted
manipulator, 25 or more people of Davenport gathered together to post
Armstrong’s $3,500 bond and he was released. (25) Deciding to go even further to
display their support for the known fraud, a reception in Armstrong’s “honor”
was held by some of the same folks who bonded him out. At this time, he was
back to being referred to as “Doctor” in the paper (the only paper continuing
to do so, indicating a probable bias by the paper’s editor in Armstrong’s
favor), and it was noted that “all enjoyed a pleasant day socially and did full
justice to the excellent dinner”. (26)
(26)
Speaking of justice, surely the Barnett and Cunningham
families were eager for some, and it is doubtful that they were having a
pleasant time while Louvica Barnett Cunningham’s and Carrie Berry’s murderer
was schmoozing it up with ignorant townsfolk.
(17)
It appears Armstrong’s murder charge was downgraded to
manslaughter, which surely strengthened the positions of support held by some
of the people of Davenport, illustrating to them that Armstrong was truly just
a man being wrongfully charged with a death they apparently deemed either accidental,
or simply irrelevant. So then it must have been to their great chagrin when
Armstrong was arrested on yet another warrant, this time issued from the state
of Texas.
“A. B. Armstrong of near Davenport
was Monday turned over to the sheriff of a west Texas county on an indictment
charging him with defrauding Irvin Park, a jeweler of Big Springs. The case was
fought out in court here, but he was given over to the custody of the Texas
sheriff in spite of all efforts to save him. He left Monday afternoon for Big
Springs. His wife returned to Davenport, and it is not known what her
intentions are.
Sheriff J. A. Baggett of Big
Springs, Texas, arrived last week with a requisition from the governor of Texas
to the Oklahoma governor, asking that Armstrong be turned over to that state on
a charge of defrauding. He was accompanied by Irvin Park who positively
identified Armstrong as the man who swindled him out of a large amount of
jewelry.
Armstrong, through attorneys, made
a strong fight to keep out of Texas. Governor Cruce honored the requisition
over a week ago, but habeas corpus proceedings were instituted at once by
Armstrong, and he fought every point that came up.
There were two or three cases
against Armstrong in this county, but the officers could not help but feel a
relief when he was ordered back to Texas. Armstrong brought trouble with him
when he came to Lincoln county, and it has followed him all the day of his
residence here. He blew into Chandler one bright spring morning and immediately
got busy, claiming to be an inspector of pure foods and sanitation. As a result
he left on the afternoon train, and took with him some of Chandler’s filthy
luere [sic]. But Chandler people got busy, too, and he was brought back the
next week on an indictment charging him with impersonating an officer.
After his release, he has been into
trouble ever since. One of his recent exploits, was when he accosted H. B. Mann
of Davenport and stated that he could procure a preparation that would cure
Mrs. Mann who was in the last stages of consumption. He stated to Mr. Mann that
this anti toxin was the only thing that could possibly help her but that it was
expensive. Mr. Mann told Armstrong to go ahead and get the medicine. Mr. Mann
states that Armstrong went to Shawnee and had a mixture of something fixed up
and sent to him at Davenport C. O. D. and that the charges were $56.00. This
was paid and the medicine administered but the patient died soon afterward.
Many other cases are pending
against Armstrong in Lincoln County, therefore we say that the officers and the
people both gladly bid him adieu, and wish for him many years of useful toil to
the Lone Star state.” (17)
Despite Armstrong’s claims that the charges against him in
Texas were a case of mistaken identity (28), his actions after his extradition
indicate he knew full well that he was about to be convicted, and then likely
sent back to Oklahoma for more convictions. The coward was no doubt convinced
that he was above being held accountable for his actions. And so he made his
escape. (27)
“Armstrong Out – Two jail birds,
who have been confined in the Howard county jail here for some time, took wing
last night at some unknown hour and at this writing are still doing their best
to continue their flight. They may not be making the speed of the average
skiyiator [sic], but its two to one, however, that they are going some. The two
gentlemen in questions, who have been watching the rain clouds through steel
lattice work, are A. B. Armstrong and J. M. Coley, both of whom are charged
with the crime of swindling, but who have, since their incarceration,
maintained they were innocent and not the parties under indictment. The scheme
they worked to gain their liberty seems to have been the old method of sawing
an iron bar of their cell and bending it so as to afford a sufficient opening
to crowd their bodies through. At just what hour this all happened is not known
but is supposed to have occurred about midnight. It is believed that they
received outside assistance, as a ladder that had evidently been raised to a
window to allow them to reach the ground was this morning found lying near the
jail. The tracks of a buggy were also discernable near the jail.
Armstrong defrauded I. H. Parks,
the well known jeweler here, and also succeeded in swindling the First National
bank of this city out of $100.00. – Big Springs (Texas) Herald.” (28)
Not satisfied with only being a lying, manipulative,
cowardly quack, fraud, swindler, murderer, and now escaped fugitive, Armstrong
added to the list of his criminal accomplishments thievery in August, 1911.
“Deputy Sheriff O. C. Burgess
received a letter this morning from L. S. Carrington, of Maramec, Okla., asking
assistance in capturing one Dr. A. B. Armstrong who left Maramec a short time
ago with a team carriage and $75.00 for the theft of all which, the letter
says, there is now a warrant out for the doctor. He is said to have started to
Shawnee to get his family and all trace has been lost of him. Several months
ago Dr. Armstrong was taken from this county to Big Springs, Texas, on a charge
of swindling a bank. He later broke jail and this is the first the public has
hear of him since.” (29)
(29)
The Davenport editor exposes his bias here again, deciding
to continue christening Armstrong with the title of “Doctor”, despite how clear
it had become that he was in no way an actual physician. The papers in
Chandler, Big Springs, and elsewhere took no issue with stripping Armstrong of
this undeserved title, but Davenport’s editor seems to have struggled in
letting go of this. Friends like this editor of the Davenport paper, all of
whom had clearly been taken in by Armstrong’s ruse, are likely what assisted
him in escaping jail, getting back to Oklahoma, laying low in Pawnee County or
wherever else for a couple of months, and then allowing him to cleanly gather
his family from Shawnee and remove them from the state. And this he did, as he
is not mentioned again in Oklahoma papers after the theft in Maramec.
But Armstrong did not disappear. He simply ventured where he
believed no one from Big Springs, Davenport, or elsewhere would think to look
for him. By March, 1912 Armstrong and his family had relocated over 500 miles
away from Davenport in Hickman, Kentucky. Hickman lies in far western Kentucky,
very near the borders to both Missouri and Tennessee. He set about practicing
medicine again there apparently as soon as he arrived, as he is noted as
treating a patient in Fulton County at that time. (30)
(31)
Another interesting note is that a few months after his
arrival in Hickman, Armstrong had to have surgery (presumably by an actual
licensed physician) to remove some ribs which “had been broken and
complications developed which necessitated the operation”. (31) Were these injuries
incurred during his flight from justice in Texas and Oklahoma? Given the
relatively short timeframe from August to May, it seems likely. Living life as
a fugitive murderer and criminal is surely bound to lead to occasional
injuries.
(32)
In September of 1916, he was charged with six offenses. On
one count of practicing medicine without a license, he was tried by jury and
fined $50. On one count of “violating local option law” (dispersing alcohol or
liquor illegally—he most likely did so in the name of “medical treatment”), he
was tried by jury and fined $60. On a second count of practicing medicine
without a license he was found not guilty. The other three cases were
continued. (33) In May, 1917, he was found not guilty of a third count of practicing
medicine without license, and the other two cases were continued. (34) The results
of these final two counts were not located.
(33)
Without being privy to the specific court notes to each
case, it is interesting that he would be found guilty of practicing medicine
without a license once, and then found not guilty on the same offense twice
after that. The only explanation seems to be that he sufficiently argued that
whatever practices he engaged in in those two cases did not meet the criteria
for “practicing medicine”, or else claimed that he gave unsolicited advice that
was not meant to be medical orders in nature. Regardless, the first conviction
of practicing medicine without a license sufficiently proves the assertion by
those in Oklahoma that claimed he did not have a medical license, and therefore
proves he was not a true medical physician.
Unlike Albert Armstrong in Oklahoma, “George” Armstrong was
able to stay off-the-radar more often than not in Kentucky. The only other
newspaper mention of him found was an announcement of his daughter Beatrice’s
marriage to a George Bradberry in Union City, Kentucky. (35)
(36)
By 1930, “George B” Armstrong, still posing as a medical
doctor, is found residing in Memphis, Tennessee with his wife Minnie (36).
Whether he chose to relocate to Memphis or was run out of Hickman when the
people there grew tired of his subterfuge is not clear. His daughter Beatrice
married a second time that same year in Memphis to a Clarence Pleasant, but
that is the only other located record of Armstrong or his family during that
time.
(37)
Apparently assuming either the statute of limitations on his
offenses in 1911 and earlier had run out, or simply believing that no one was
looking for him any long, Armstrong reverted back to using the first name
Albert by 1940, where he is found to still be living in Memphis and steadfastly clinging to his delusion of being a medical doctor. (37) Memphis
newspapers during this time period have not been digitized, so it is not known
at this time to what extent Armstrong continued to trick others into believing
he was an actual doctor, or if he was ever held accountable there for
continuing to practice medicine without a license.
(38)
In one of Karma’s greatest failures, Albert B. Armstrong
lived out his days in apparent peace, and died in Memphis on October 7th,
1948. He is buried there at Forest Hill Cemetery Midtown, under the false title
of “Dr.” (38), and an online record of his burial indicates his stone even bestows
him the nickname “Doc”. (39) And his official death certificate even reflects the lie that he stretched for nearly 50 years, bestowing upon him the unearned and undeserved title of "Dr." (38) But this sorry excuse for a human being was no doctor.
He was never anything but a fraud and a common criminal, and he should forever be
remembered as such.
This is a man who stole the lives of two young women, who
could today have had a number of descendants between them. My own grandfather,
who was quite close with his grandfather Andy Barnett and also knew his sister
Amanda Barnett Roberts, likely would have known Louvica as well. He could have
told me about her, had stories of who and how she was, and we would have
pictures of her to hang on our walls.
But instead, we’ve been left with nothing but the knowledge
that this lowlife ended her life and never paid the consequences for it.
But we will continue to honor and remember Louvica and the life she lived and
should have continued to live. Her handmade headstone, with her name written by
a finger in cement, sunk into the ground at Davenport Cemetery several years
ago. While visible through the 90s, by 2012 it could not be found.
On October 21st, 2016, cemetery caretaker and
local historian, after seeing a picture of Louvica’s stone taken in the 90s,
took it upon himself to locate the lost stone. And so after going to the plot
purchased by her husband Richard Cunningham, he pushed his shovel into the
ground until it hit something solid. And so her stone was found four inches
below the ground and brought back to light.
Update, 12/28/16: Cecil Barnett, grandson of Louvica's brother Andrew, went to Davenport and took Louvica's stone home. He reinforced it with new cement to prevent it from sinking below the surface again, and placed a container on the memorial so flowers could be left for her. It was put back in its place on Christmas Day, 2016. It is surely what Andrew and Louvica's other loved ones would have wanted, and their descendants will continue to ensure that Louvica is not lost or forgotten.
Update, 12/28/16: Cecil Barnett, grandson of Louvica's brother Andrew, went to Davenport and took Louvica's stone home. He reinforced it with new cement to prevent it from sinking below the surface again, and placed a container on the memorial so flowers could be left for her. It was put back in its place on Christmas Day, 2016. It is surely what Andrew and Louvica's other loved ones would have wanted, and their descendants will continue to ensure that Louvica is not lost or forgotten.
Finally, I encourage anyone who comes across this article
and has the time to pay respects to the three women whose deaths were tied this quack Armstrong, two directly at his hands and one by his
soulless promise of a cure. Be glad that your own people did not cross paths
with this pathetic excuse for a human being, and be sure to honor all those
innocent souls whose lives were stolen by the foulest of our kind, the
murderers like Albert B. Armstrong.
Bibliography
1. "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3L2-X63 : 22 January 2015), Albert B Armstrong, Justice Precinct 3, Dallas, Texas, United States; citing sheet 16A, family 283, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,241,626.
4. "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:ML77-M73 : 29 October 2015), Albert Armstrong, Shawnee Ward 4, Pottawatomie, Oklahoma, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 224, sheet 2B, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,375,284.
5. The New Era (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 39, Ed. 1, Thursday, October 21, 1909. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
6. The Chandler Tribune. (Chandler, Okla.), Vol. 9, No. 34, Ed. 1, October 22, 1909. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
7. The New Era (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 40, Ed. 1, Thursday, October 28, 1909. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
8. Carney Enterprise. (Carney, Okla.), Vol. 9, No. 16, Ed. 1, Friday, November 12, 1909. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
9. The Chandler Tribune (Chandler, Okla.), Vol. 10, No. 1, Ed. 1, April 15, 1910. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
10. Cushing Independent. (Cushing, Okla.), Vol. 9, No. 19, Ed. 1, April 7, 1910. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
11. The New Era (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 2, No. 45, Ed. 1, December 1, 1910. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
12. The New Era (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 2, No. 15, Ed. 1, May 5, 1910. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
13. Photograph from the Find A Grave Memorial of Carrie Berry, Memorial # 7279112, created 21 Mar 2003 by contributor Angie (#46507705). Picture posted 28 Nov 2010, taken by contributor ancestryhunter2 (#46949759). http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7279112
14. Carney Enterprise. (Carney, Okla.), Vol. 9, No. 43, Ed. 1, Friday, May 20, 1910. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
15. The New Era (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 2, No. 19, Ed. 1, Thursday, June 2, 1910. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
16. The Chandler Tribune (Chandler, Okla.), Vol. 10, No. 10, Ed. 1, Friday, June 10, 1910. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
17. The Chandler Tribune (Chandler, Okla.), Vol. 11, No. 5, Ed. 1, Friday, April 7, 1911. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
18. The Shawnee Daily Herald. (Shawnee, Okla.), Vol. 15, No. 152, Ed. 1, February 2, 1911. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
19. The New Era. (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 2, Ed. 1, February 2, 1911. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
20. Photograph from the Find A Grave Memorial of Anna Evelyn Blair Mann, Memorial # 17099437, created 20 Dec 2006 by contributor OkieBran (#46530611). Picture posted 21 Dec 2006, taken by contributor OkieBran (#46530611). http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=17099438
21. The Altus Times. (Altus, Okla.), Vol. 9, No. 4, Ed. 1, Thursday, February 2, 1911. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
22. The Blair Progress (Blair, Okla.), Vol. 7, No. 36, Ed. 1, Thursday, February 2, 1911. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
23. Hollis Tribune (Hollis, Okla.), Vol. 1, No. 25, Ed. 1, Friday, February 3, 1911. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
24. The Chandler Tribune (Chandler, Okla.), Vol. 10, No. 49, Ed. 1, Friday, March 3, 1911. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
25. The New Era. (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 7, Ed. 1, Thursday, March 9, 1911. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
26. The New Era (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 8, Ed. 1, Thursday, March 16, 1911. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
27. The Bryan Daily Eagle and Pilot (Bryan, Tex.), Vol. 16, No. 164, Ed. 1, Friday, June 16, 1911. Accessed through the University of North Texas' Portal to Texas History: https://texashistory.unt.edu/
28. The New Era (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 27, Ed. 1, Thursday, June 22, 1911. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
29. The New Era. (Davenport, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 36, Ed. 1, August 24, 1911. Accessed through the Oklahoma History Society's Gateway to Oklahoma: http://gateway.okhistory.org/.
30. The Hickman Courier (Hickman, Kent.), Page 5, Ed. 1, 28 Mar 1912. Accessed through Newspapers.com, owned by Ancestry.com.
31. The Hickman Courier (Hickman, Kent.), Page 16, Ed. 1, 23 May 1912. Accessed through Newspapers.com, owned by Ancestry.com.
32. "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHL8-9QP : 14 December 2015), Minnie Armstrong in household of George Armstrong, Hickman, Fulton, Kentucky, United States; citing sheet 8B, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,820,570.
33. The Hickman Courier (Hickman, Kent.), Page 4, Ed. 1, 21 Sep 1916. Accessed through Newspapers.com, owned by Ancestry.com.
34. The Hickman Courier (Hickman, Kent.), Page 8, Ed. 1, 3 May 1917. Accessed through Newspapers.com, owned by Ancestry.com.
35. The Hickman Courier (Hickman, Kent.), Page 9, Ed. 1, 4 Mar 1915. Accessed through Newspapers.com, owned by Ancestry.com.
36. "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SP7Q-3DH : 8 December 2015), George B Armstrong, 1930.
37. "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4CC-W8N : accessed 29 October 2016), Minnie Armstrong in household of Albert Armstrong, Ward 25, Memphis, Civil District 2, Shelby, Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 98-163, sheet 7A, family 163, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3965.
38. "Tennessee Death Records, 1914-1955," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NSNK-PKZ : 25 May 2014), Albert Armstrong, 07 Oct 1948; citing Forest Hill Cemetery, Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee, cn 22860, State Library and Archives, Nashville; FHL microfilm 2,137,402.
39. Find A Grave memorial #74022333. Created 27 Jul 2011 by contributor Ann Lindsey (#46801569). http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=74022333
33. The Hickman Courier (Hickman, Kent.), Page 4, Ed. 1, 21 Sep 1916. Accessed through Newspapers.com, owned by Ancestry.com.
34. The Hickman Courier (Hickman, Kent.), Page 8, Ed. 1, 3 May 1917. Accessed through Newspapers.com, owned by Ancestry.com.
35. The Hickman Courier (Hickman, Kent.), Page 9, Ed. 1, 4 Mar 1915. Accessed through Newspapers.com, owned by Ancestry.com.
36. "United States Census, 1930", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SP7Q-3DH : 8 December 2015), George B Armstrong, 1930.
37. "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K4CC-W8N : accessed 29 October 2016), Minnie Armstrong in household of Albert Armstrong, Ward 25, Memphis, Civil District 2, Shelby, Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 98-163, sheet 7A, family 163, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3965.
38. "Tennessee Death Records, 1914-1955," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NSNK-PKZ : 25 May 2014), Albert Armstrong, 07 Oct 1948; citing Forest Hill Cemetery, Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee, cn 22860, State Library and Archives, Nashville; FHL microfilm 2,137,402.
39. Find A Grave memorial #74022333. Created 27 Jul 2011 by contributor Ann Lindsey (#46801569). http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=74022333
