Mexico weekly ledger., 1895-01-24
WIFE MURDER AND Suicide.


News was received here Monday
that I. Henry B~ratton, formerly o..
this city, had killed his wife and sui
cided at Tacoma, Washington, SUNDAY
night.
Henry Bratton vas formerly a dray-
man of this city, a hard working, hon
est and roughly educated man, who at
tended to his own affairs. He was as
harmless a looking ma as one ever
meets, his face never appearing to
show any signs of harbored thoughts
of murder or even ill will against any
one in the world. He had Il big heart,
loved his family and labored even too
much and often under too great diff
culties for the sake of his family.
About ten years ago Bratton mar
ried Miss Chopper, daughter of J. Fl.
Chopper, of this city, in Lincoln coun.-
ty, Nc. ;soon after they moved to this
city, where Bratton ran a dray-wagon
as q business.
In February, 1898, Mrs. Bratton died
at their home in north Mexico. A
sister of Bratton's from Montgomery
City, Mo-, then came up to attend TO
the two young children, both boys,
then aged about 6 and s years respect
lively. Miss Bratton remained with
her brother over year, till his depart
ure from this city last July.
Bratuon disposed of his team and
wagon to w. n. Boatman and his horae
to Gum Null, of this city, last July a-ad
left here TO settle in Tacoma, Wash
ington, so he told a LEDGER representa-
tive the day he left, after a short visit
to the family of his father, Peter Brat
ton, of Montgomery City's oldest
residents.
About the time of the death of Brat
toms wife, Il low, vulgar woman came
here from Middletowp, Montgomery
county, and located in a small house on
west Jackson street, just opposite the
Fire Brick Works, and stuck out as
a blind, her shingle on which she Hd-
vertised ''plain sewing" She was an
acknowledged strumpet of the lowest
class. Her name vas Lizzie Thomas.
she married II man by tho nannss of
Thomas several years before in Mont
gomery county, bore him a daughter,
was divorced from him and, with the
child, came to Mexico.
Some time before Bratton's depart
ure from Mexico, it was rumored that
he and this woman, generally known
as "Plain Sewing were quite init
mate. J. B. Chopper, father-in-law of
Bratton, went to the latter and remon-
strated with him upon his report
ed conduct, whereupon Bratton
showed the greatest surprise and fatty
denied the whole report about being
intimate with this low woman. But,
nevertheless, when he left Mexico she
did too, and they pleasantly met by
accident in Montgomery City, andleft
for Tacoma within three weeks after
they left here. 1t vas reported first,
that they married in Centralia on the
way there, and later that they hadthe
knot tied in the parlors of the Mer-
chants Hotel in Moberly. AT any rate
they lived together in Tacoma, from
which place Bratton occasionally wrote
to his relatives here. What his BUSH
ness there was is not known. In a let
ter from him to Mr.. Chopper, received
about two weeks ago, he wrote as if
everything was passing off smoothly
in the family; and in a letter to friends
in Middletown, Mrs. Bratton, the sec
| ond, alias Lizzie Thomas, alias ''Plain
| Sewing'' and alias Eft Cetera, wrote for
her membership letter in the Northern
| Methodist Church there, and said that
she had taught the oldest little boy to
say the blessing at the table when his
father was absent. She also wrote to
q male friend of hers in this city
that the only reason she married
| Bratton was because he had promised
to educate her little girl.
Bratton was formerly a member Of
the Maccabee Lodge of this city, from
which he procured a withdraw card
| since ne left here.