Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-03-12
suicide.
r,;euds Of the deceased, at Pleas

..s.he Dallas county Gazette, publish
I.r Ad.l. giving an account of the
,,;eide Of Miles j. White, a promi-
ami merchant of Van Meter, in that
.,,uty. The letter accompanying
he paper says the object in ask
ing publication here is to correct
n,isapprehensions among the friends
afMr. White, many of whom reside
:, Knoxville and Pieasautville. De-
oeased was son-inIaw Of Il. Haynes,
ESQ. OF the latter place. fhe insur-
auee money referred to in the letter
balow. ga, 900 in amount, has been re-
ceiyed BY the widow. The follow
;ng we gather from the Gazette:
The body of Mr.. White was found
in the Scale Office of his elevator
ut Van Meter, at 10 a. M, ON the
morning Of Jan. III, 1874. The cors-
ner. being Immediately notified, re-
haired 10 the place and summoned
a Jury, who returned verdict saying
that they believe deceased came to
his death from pistol shots fred by
his own hand.
Mr.. White was about 35 years OF
age, native of Illinois. In the
early part Of 1869 he moved to Van
Meter, and was engaged as clerk
in Z. ID. Russell's drug store, at that
place. from the spring of 1869 to Sep
tember, 1870, since which time he
has been engaged in buying and
shipping grain. To accommodate
his business he erected large grain
elevator at that place, and did Il pros
porous business up to the time it was
burned, a little more than year and
a half since A short time after
ward he rebuilt the elevator, but
having become badly Involved, and
being very ambitious, he could not
bear misfortune. For several weeks
he had shown signs of trouble, and
persons who were with him stated
that it appeared difficult for him to
transact business. He was married
i'm July, 1872, and leaves wife and
one child. For some months past
he has thrown out hints to his wife
of what he was about to do, but she,
not knowing OF his financial troubles
aud his dependency, gave them no
attention at the time.
When found, about IL O'Clock on
Saturday, he was sitting in his arm
chair, i'm the scale Office, with his
head thrown back, reclining on one
side Of the chair. His revolver Ia
small seven shooter) was lying upon
the desk with but one charge in it.
Two balls were found to have enter
ed the anterior portion of the fore
head, but did not penetrate the
skull; two more balls entered his
breast, about three inches apart, the
lower ranging downwards near tue
region of the heart, which it is
thought must have caused almost in
slant death. Upon his desk was
found a letter addressed to his "wife
and Others who it may concern"
which we print in full. 1t will be
seen by that that the deceased had
fully resolved to take his own life,
and there can be but little doubt that
he had allowed financial difficulties
to bear upon him SO heavily, that he
had become insane, and, as he says
i'm his letter, he committed the act
"to rid himself Of his troubles"
His letter is as follows:
Dear Wife and Friends:
God forbid chat any man shall ever
90 through the trouble ! have; my
ruin is now at hand. The cause is
not my own fault, but that OF my own
folks. The parties that now seek my
ruin are those that have had the ben
eft of all that | owe, except what is
back on grain accounts. So far as
money is concerned, God for my wit
ness / have none, while my own
folks claim that | have plenty. l
know not that have wronged sin
gle party out of one cent in this wide
world, while il is not so on the other
hand. While ! look at these things
in this light. / know of no other way
to rid myself Of the trouble that now
surrounds me onlyto commit an act
that my Maker, hope will overlook
and pardon. 1T has always seemed
to me that / have always been a dis
grace to the White family and It's
connections. / call God for my wit
ness, the assertions against me are
false and without cause.
MY dear wife and baby, one word
to you, and it is this: Should you
come in possession of a few thousand
dollars by way Of life insurance be-
ware of few men in this town for
they will seek to deprive you Of all,
and bring you to utter ruin. Wouid
like for you. to pay Ira what is COM
ing to him, for he has been dear
good boy to us. The deed for that
H. L e.. IL .a.xf