Much of John Kernell's life remains unknown. The Massachusetts Reformatory sent Mr. Kernell to the hospital immediately upon his incarceration, and he died before providing any detailed statement. Records list his age at death, birthplace, and parents as unknown.
Authorities believed his real name was Fred Gardner and that his mother and sister possibly lived in Rochester, New York, at the time of his death. Mr. Kernell had brown hair, blue eyes, and stood just under 5'7". He bore multiple tattoos: two stars on his right wrist and the back of his right hand, a man on his left forearm, and the words "In Memory of F.G."
Mr. Kernell entered the Massachusetts Reformatory on May 7, 1896. He died of mania on May 13, 1896.
