FADED INTO the MISTS of TIME

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I want to thank Jason Robinson personally for allowing the use of this story in it’s entirety for the genealogical enrichment of Faded Into the Mists of Time Website. Also a big thank you to him and the Ohio Exploration Society for their excellent investigation efforts which have led to the exact known location of the final resting place of Dr. James Howard Snook.  To view other stories and information at the Ohio Exploration Society click on the banner above.   

While this page is out-of-the-ordinary for what we normally post on the OES website, we felt it important to post due to the legend and mystery that surrounds the final resting place of Doctor Snook. It seemed that everyone knew that the infamous doctor was buried in Green Lawn Cemetery, but no one knew the exact location of his grave. Many speculated that he was buried in an unmarked grave for fear of retribution for his heinous crime. This was fueled by the Green Lawn Cemetery's office not releasing any information on the whereabouts of Dr. Snook's grave. After more than 75 years of secrecy, it is time that his grave site is revealed.

Doctor James Howard Snook was living the good life. He was a professor of Veterinary Medicine at the Ohio State University and a horse surgeon. He had many successes in life: a devout wife, a child, two gold Olympic medals for pistol shooting, and the respect of the entire city. Snook had a secret though, a forbidden love affair with OSU student Theora Hix.

It began in June of 1926 when Snook, then 46, offered Theora, 21, a ride back to her dorm room at Mack Hall one evening. Three weeks after they met, they became lovers. Early in their relationship, Snook and Hix often met at various locations around Columbus and would sometimes drive out to the country to have their relations. Between 1926 and 1929, Snook rented a rooming house at 24 Hubbard Avenue so he and Hix could have a more permanent meeting place. They would meet there as many as two or three times a week, usually between 6pm-9pm.

Many thought of Theora as an innocent victim of an older man, but she was no angel. She was often moody and disagreeable, stating to Snook that her other lover, Marion Myers, was sexually superior to Snook and gave her much more pleasure. She recommended that Snook study-up on sexual matters and referred him to several books, which Snook studied. Cleary Hix wore the pants of the relationship, often making demands of the doctor and, at times, could be very cruel. The doctor later stated that their relationship was purely sexual, neither loving the other. "We satisfied each other's needs," he later testified in court.

During the course of their relationship, Hix became frightened after a break-in at her dorm room. Snook gave her a Remington derringer for protection and the two often went to the New York Central shooting range on Fisher Road near McKinley Avenue to practice. It is in the weeds at that shooting range where the body of Theora Hix was discovered on June 16, 1929, by two 16-year-old boys. Her roommates, Beatrice and Alice Bustin, had filed a missing person report on Theora Hix earlier that day after she did not return home. They later identified Theora's body. Theora's roommates identified several of her "boyfriends", but it was not until Mrs. Margaret Smalley, who rented the Hubbard Avenue "love nest" to Snook, identified him as the man who rented the home after seeing his photo in the Columbus Dispatch. She stated that he rented the place as Howard Snook, saying that he was a salt salesman and Theora was his young wife.

Snook was arrested and his trial gained national attention. The courtroom was packed everyday with curious people wanting to hear the seedy testimony first-hand. Some began to wait as early as 3:00am on the street in front of the courthouse for a good seat. During the trial, Snook testified that he and Hix drove to the Scioto Country Club to make love. Once they got there, Hix determined that the spot was not suitable because she "would like to go someplace where I can scream." Snook then Drove his Ford coupe to the New York Central shooting range where they tried to have sex in the small car. They decided that it was unsatisfactory for both of them and Snook told Hix that he needed to leave to prepare a trip to his mother's house out of town.

Snook then testified that Theora became very angry saying, "Damn your mother. I don't care about your mother. Damn Mrs. Snook. I'm going to kill her and get her out of the way." Snook continued to testify that Hix continued to threaten his family, even to go so far as killing his young daughter. The doctor then stated that Theora grabbed open his trousers and began to bite and pull at his private area so hard, he could not tolerate the pain. Snook said that he grabbed the ball-peen hammer from his kit in the back of the car and hit her with it. When he freed himself from her grasp, Snook testified that Hix stated "Damn you, I will kill you too."

According to Snook, Theora then slid out of the car and began digging through her purse. Afraid that she was searching for her pistol, Snook struck her in the head several times with the ball-peen hammer until she fell to the ground. Snook's story of cutting Hix's neck varied. He first stated that he did not know how her neck had been cut open, but later said that he had cut her throat because he did not want to see her suffer. The cut across her jugular vein and carotid artery was so precise that only someone knowledgeable and experienced in anatomy could have made them.

The evidence was stacked against Snook. Theora's blood was found inside his car, on the clothing he wore the night of the murder, on his ball-peen hammer, and on his pocket knife. Snook had attempted to clean the items, but the cleaning job apparently was not thorough enough. The details of the case were so lurid that its dirty details were removed from "complete" transcripts of the trial published in the Columbus newspapers. Persons under the age of 18 were not permitted in the court room. In fact, one author stated "If this trial had been a movie, it would have been a blockbuster."

Snook's ghost is said to have been seen wandering the grounds from time to time, but the exact location of his grave had been kept a secret for fear of vandalism or worse. But after more than 75 years, it is time for Snook's grave to be revealed. After much dedicated research by the Ohio Exploration Society, the location of James Howard Snook is no longer a mystery. During the summer of 2005, the OES found Snook's grave. Snook is buried in Section 87 of the massive cemetery, his tombstone omitting his last name to only read "James Howard; 1879 - 1930." Photographs of his tombstone along with historical photos and scans of the documentation that helped us find Snook's grave are below.