The Boy Who Died Running From Kisses



In the tranquil gardens of Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, an unassuming grave marker bears the name of George Spencer Millet. For most people, that name is not familiar, but in 1909 it made the headlines. In 1909, Millet was working as an office boy for Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in New York’s Madison Square. On Millet’s 15th birthday, a group of female stenographers promised him that when the workday ended, they would kiss him once for every year of his age. At 4:30 p.m. they made good on their vow and descended on Millet to deliver the promised smooches. Millet tried to get away, but tripped and fell to the ground. As blood began streaming from his chest, an ambulance was summoned to transport Millet to New York Hospital, but he died from his injuries on the way there. It turns out that he had a 6-inch-long metal ink eraser in his pocket, and when he fell the sharp point of the eraser was driven into his heart.