posted by speedy_dee #
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Joan Vollmer Adams-Burroughs, arguably the most prominent female member of the early Beat Generation circle, was buried in this Mexico City cemetery after she was shot in the head by her husband, William S. Burroughs, on Sep. 6, 1951.
Joan Vollmer was roommates with Edie Parker (who later became Jack Kerouac's wife) while they both attended Barnard College. Soon the Beat circle would descend on the apartment, sparking drug-fueled marathon discussions that Vollmer would actively participate in. The people that frequented the apartment were many of the defining voices (and characters) of the Beat generation: William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Lucien Carr, Herbert Huncke, Vickie Russell, and Hal Chase.
Vollmer became the common-law wife to the predominantly gay Burroughs. They had one child, William Jr, and lived in several cities across North America.
On Sep. 6, 1951, an intoxicated Burroughs was trying a "William Tell routine" when he shot Vollmer in the head. Burroughs was arrested, tried, and bailed out back to the U.S. Vollmer was buried in the Panteón Americano.
