Suicide & Spirits : The True Story of the Rise and Fall of the Lemp Empire

by Troy Taylor

Journey back in time to the opulent days of St. Louis in the Gilded Age and discover the true story of the Lemp family and its rise to power, wealth and extravagance. It's a story that has become legend over the years but one that few people truly know. Despite the fact that the Lemps, and their legendary mansion, have inspired books, ghost stories and television shows, the true story of their tragic lives has become a confusing and convoluted mess of myths, misconceptions, legends and outright lies, making it nearly impossible to separate fact from fiction - until now. For the first time, the story of the rise and fall of the Lemp empire can truly be told. This is the first book that has been written with cooperation from Lemp family descendants and features private stories and details, as well as rare photographs, that have never been told or seen before. The history of the Lemp family is a true American tragedy, one of triumph over opposition, hard work, perseverance, genius and madness, eccentricity and passion, horror, death, suicide and ghosts. It's a story that is played out against the backdrop of America's changing landscape of the late 1800s and early 1900s and is enhanced by the history of the beer industry in St. Louis, the German immigrant experience in America and takes a riveting look at the lives and deaths of those for whom money truly was no object. This is a tale that is purely American - of a haunted family and a haunted house - told as only Troy Taylor can tell it!

224 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2011

Reviews

[M]

The text reads like a fansite and something of an embarrassment--the author didn't vet two of the sources of information, who turned out to be con artists. What am I talking about? "This book could not have been written without the kind assistance of Cheryl Sochotsky and that of Andrew Paulsen and other descendants of the Lemp family." Andrew Paulsen has been exposed as a pretender and a fraud. There is an expose about how Paulsen and his friend Sochotsky were in this for profit.

Troy Taylor should stop perpetuating lies now that he knows better. This book should be withdrawn from publication until the author has time to take acknowledge that he was conned and and create an updated edition that removes everything Paulsen and Sochotsky said.

If you want to read some interesting stories about a sad family, but you don't care about knowing what's true, and you don't need real sourcing or footnotes, this may be just the book for you.

[Betty Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was well researched and provided an interesting history of St. Louis's brewery history. There were photos throughout which I believe adds a lot. The book is good if you are interested in history but there was very little on the ghost aspect. Also, this book needs serious editing. Lots of misspellings, grammar and pieces throughout could be arranged better, to make it seem more organized and easier to follow.

[Adam Gutschenritter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting overview of the Lemp story. The author does admit the original version was inspired by a con-man that had won him over. The author is also a ghost hunter/enthusist so that plays into the version being told. I still liked the overview of brewing from the Lemp angle the story tells. Will definately look for corroborating evidence before accepting much of what the book says.