Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-11-08
John Eaton Attempted Suicide Last
Evening.
IT IS BELIEVED He WILL RECOVER.
A Deep Cash Over His JusuIar Vein
Required Four Stitches-WiII be Elk.
amined by the Commissioners Of In.
sanity This Morning.
[From Wednesdays Daily.l


John Eaton, demented resident OF
the West End, attempted suicide last
evening at the home of his brother.
Joe Eaton, who lives just west of the
Milwaukee crossing. 1t Is believed
tonight that he will recover, altho his
neck is badly cut and haggled ON
both right and left sides. DIR. Will.
liams was Immediately summoned and
dressed his wounds, after which he
was taken to the county Jail in pat
rol wagon. He is resting comfortably
tonight and it is expected that he will
be tried this morning on charge Of
insanity and will be sent to the asy.
lum, at Mt. Pleasant.
The attempt to kill himself was
made at $3.50 o'clock, Immediately af.
ter supper Altho Eaton's home ID
on Mill street, where he has wife
and child, he has been led, by the de.
mented condition of his mind, to stay
al the nome of his brother, Joe. Al
ter supper he went to the outbuilding,
and after an absence. of half an hour
Mrs. Joseph Eaton became worried
about. him and went out to look for
him. She called to him, and receiv-
| ing no answer she approached clos.
err to the building and still calling to
him heard him in the buil04ng. She
asked him what was the matter and
he replied, as best he could, II will
be all right shortly"
Mrs. Eaton then looked into the
building and saw him on the floor ana
observed a pool Of blood. She imme-
diately summoned aid and DOCTOR
was called by telephone. DR.. Williams
soon arrived and took four stitches in
the right side of his neck overthe jugu.
lar vein. This was the worst cash in.
flicted. The wounds on the left side
of his neck were not deep but he had
haggled, his throat on that side badly.
His life is undoubtedly due to the fact
that he used a small pocket knife
which had. the proverbial dull edge.
He had been bleeding perhaps twenty
minutes when found and had lost q
large amount of blood and had be.
come so weakened that he had sunk to
the floor. ....
The patrol wagon arrived before the
doctor had finished dressing the
wounds and. he was taken to the coun.
ty JAIL, where he is being given good
attention.
His mental detection has been no,
lticeable for the past year. He has re.
Gently been mono-maniac on tho
subject OF starvation. From day to
day recently he has declared that he
was starving and that there were hun.
dreds in Ottumwa who would not be-
able to get thru the winter. His lido
| syncracies have recently led him to
make pilgrimages on foot to Keosau.
qua, where his uncle. Perry Eaton, and
his daughter, Mrs. Martin, live. He
went down there recently and remain.
ed three weeks. He has been homo
from there only a week. He spent
Sunday with his family. His health
has been poor and he has been doctor%
ing. ..s.
He has had all and more work than
he could do. He was engaged in the
past in saving wood chiefly. He has
lived in Ottumwa for the past twenty
five years. His mother and sister live
on Main street opposite the Ruff1er.
| 1t was not long since that he was bes
fore the commissioners Of insanity
but he was. allowed to remain at homes
1t had been supposed that he would
recover.
At the county Jail last night he was
able to sit UP, but still expressed det
termination to end his existence, and
he repeated his story of starvation and
distress.