I spent a memorable night at The Lemp Mansion with my cousin, Cindy. It was memorable for me, because of the activity. Memorable for Cindy, because it firmly cemented in her mind that she would never return.

We stayed in the Charles Lemp suite. Charles was the last of the Lemp family to take his own life in the Mansion. Stories have circulated that he went downstairs and shot his dog then returned to his bedroom to shoot himself.

This is not true. He shot himself in the morning, on his bed. He was the only member of the Lemp family to leave a note, and the fourth to commit suicide. Three in the Mansion and a sister in her home in another St. Louis neighborhood. Charles stated that when found, 'blame no one but me'.

He left word that his last remaining brother, Edwin, was to have his body taken immediately, without any further preparation, and have it cremated, and to bury the ashes on his farm in St. Louis County. The burial spot of Charles Lemps' ashes will never be known. After the death of Edwin, all Lemp papers were burned along with valuable artwork and other items as requested by Edwin of his groundskeeper.

The night we stayed in Charles' suite, there was a party in the outside gazebo that lasted until around midnight. All...