What is a death hoax?

Answer 1

I'll answer by way of a story. There was once a young man of about 22 years old. He lived in the 1800s when people still road horseback. His family wasn't well off, but he had a job selling eggs from a wagon as he and related family drove through rural towns. The day he got paid, he rode to town, showing off his cash. Later, he rode home--but never arrived.

Family went to look for him. They found his horse along the road and his hat. The saddle and hat were covered in blood. A manhunt began for the killers and the young man's body. The search was front page news for weeks in the local paper! Worse, the extended family he worked for and the young man had an argument that day. So those family members were accused of killing him! But there was no evidence.

Months went by. There were bad feelings throughout the town. That family's business suffered; no one trusted them or their word.

A year later, the newspaper editor got a letter. It was from the young man, boasting his death was "greatly exaggerated" -- he was quite well.

He had STAGED his death scene, hopped a milk train and went to Canada, before heading to California.

THAT is a death hoax.

True story from a collateral line in my own family tree. This stupid young man destroyed his parents with grief and destroyed the other family who were innocent. Even 150 years later, that line of the family will have nothing to do with any descendant from that young man's family line.