Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1899-11-16
HUNG HIMSELF
John Newhouse Passes
Over the Dark River
by Rope Route.
No Cause Known For His
Rash Act.

Friday Morning Was TIL,
Hour the Deed Was
Committed.
Ills most fearful .i,ii.y to witnes,
the flight Of the human soul in an,
shape in any mood, but when that am
pryeal spark leaves its habitstton O,
clay, Its going fastened by the person
IN whose keeping the soul was entrnat.
ed, it has certain undergraduate hor,
ror for all of mankind. Death the
eliminator of joys, the eradicator of
sorrows, comes to some with sudden.
ness, even when waited for at the ned.
side, but with others it procrastinates
l's coming, forcing the mortal sufferer
70 live year after year, waiting, watch.
ing for the coming of the haven of
mankind, death.
After waiting long tronblous wears.
for death to come and end his mortal
sufferings, John Newhouse. and old
man, for whom terrestrial happiness
mad turned to NORWOOD; an aged nil.
grim who had traversed that crooked
rocky path at the end of which there
there is broken hour glass, surround.
ed by dead, dried laure]s, who had wit
messed the death of his ambitions. and
the joy of living, passed through the
ethereal mists into the land of the be-
yond, by deed executed by his own
hands.
For the past few weeks he had been
ailing and as he was alone in the
world, he hired man to make daily
calls at his home on Second street and
supply his wants. Yesterday the man
went to the house several different
times, seeking to gain admission, but
all of his applications for admission
were unanswered and finally yesterday
evening, suspicioning something smiss
the attendant after procuring the as
sistance of q pedestrian, who was pas
sing the house. broke open window
and after entering the unpretentious
rooms of the deceased, found his fears
substantiated in most horrible man
ner. Suspended from short piece of
clothes line attached to nail driven
into the door casing. the eyes starting
from their sockets and the tongue pro-
trudlng as left in the agonies of death
we're the remains of poor John New.
house.
How long the body had been hang
ing will never be known. The physi
clan who examined the bndy stated
life had been extinct from eight to ten
hours
That the terrible deed had been
carefully planned, there is not the
less! doubt. Last Wednesday the de.
ceased spoke to Mr. Starlin, proprietor
of the marble works, telling him he
wanted monument erected on his lot
in the cemetery Immediately, adding
that when the work was finished, he
would find eongh money In the bank
to settle the account Last Wednes-
day afternoon he requested q friend to
procure the services of an attorney for
him, as he wished to make final dis
position of his property, as he would
not live much longer The friend
scoffed at Mr.. Newhouse's prediction
of his coming death and finally per
suaded him to postpone the signing of
the will until some future date. The
early part of the week when sending
to his attending physician for medi-
cine, he requested the latter to send
him strychnine as that would do him
more good than anything else.
Yesterday morning he arose early,
prepared his morning meal, after
which he left the house, and passing
into the yard of neighbor, conversed
with him for some time. He appeared
to be in the best of spirits, conversingl
freely and by no manner or deed show.
ed the terrible deed which was contem-
plated. The last seen of him was
about $3.50 yesterday morning when he
re entered his habitation loo king all the
doors and lowering all the wlndow cur
tains. His nearby neighbors sus
picioned nothing from his actions as
his general demeanor was such that
he would often seclude himself for
days at a time. The self execution
was a deliberate one After taking a |
farewell view of the beauties of nature
of the general happiness of mankind,
he Immediately set to work construct.
ing the device that was to end his mis-.
cradle existence.
First lie procured twenty penny
wire spike, drove it into the door cas-
sng after which he doubled clothes |
line made slip moose in one end and |
tied the other to the nail. Then pre-
sumsbly, he placed chair alongside |
the door, mounted it, placed the moose
around his neck and stepped from the |
chair. That his was q most determined |
suicide was evinced by the condition
the body was In when found. The
door was SIX feet high and when the
suicide stepped from the chair he |
could touch the floor fiat footed. &C |