Years ago, I sent query proposals to a number of small-press publishers. Not one of them said yes to the project. Discouraged, I put it all in a (large) box, archived the files on my computer, and moved on. Life... Work... Family.... Other things took priority.
A couple weeks ago, I happened to go out with a friend for tea. I happened to mention the incident and my research. She was fascinated and it re-awakened my enthusiasm. When I dug up the dusty box from the back of the closet today, I saw all of the work I've done. Holy cow. The hours that I spent at libraries, on the internet, and corresponding with the Library of Congress. I am literally the only person who has collected all this stuff, from all these various sources, into one narrative. My MSWord doc has 10 single-spaced pages of bibliography and footnotes.
So it is with great excitement that I announce, I am pushing forward to self-publish the story. It will take some time to get the manuscript proofread, formatted, and prepared to upload to Createspace.
My goal is to have it available in time for the 100 year anniversary of the shooting - which is in August this year!
Recently, my roommate and I returned to our investigation about the house that her family currently owns. We believe that it is the house at which the DeSaulles murder took place. Last night my roommate discovered tax documents on a Nassau County website that definitively identifies the home that her family owns as "The Box". This home was formerly owned by Boelsen, the person for whom the street on which it now resides was named, and prior to him was owned by Charles DeSaulles (and Emily Ladenburg). This house is located in what is currently known as Westbury (not Old Westbury, which is north of Westbury). It is within walking distance of a 900-acre park known as Eisenhower Park (formerly Salisbury Park). The house is also within walking distance of what was once known as the Salisbury School which was built on the oval track that Ladenburg built. Another tangential point worth noting is that the road that bisects Eisenhower park was once part of the Long Island Motor Parkway (LIMP) on which the Vanderbilt Races took place. One final piece of information is that my roommates family is in possession of Charles DeSaulles college diploma. Apparently it was discovered in the attic of the house by the Boelsen family and later framed and hung on the wall. I hope this information is helpful. If you are still in touch with Richard DeSaulles, please pass this information on to him. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Craig, this is amazing. I had assumed that everything was bulldozed long ago.
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