The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1907-11-21

Her tracks could be easily followed
in the road and when the boy rode down
the road he tracked her east past Nc
Laughlin's and on down to the Springer
bridge, her footprints showing in the
frost on the floor of the bridge. He
happened to glance down in the river
and saw his aunt lying stiff near the
east bank, SO he rode back as fast as he
could and gave the alarm. Mr.. Wood,
ard and Will Clymer Immediately start
ed to the scene, stopping at Walter
company them, but when they arrived
was dead, so Mr.. Clymer was placed on
Laughlins house and notified Coroner
Bowman and others over the phone.
1t was grewsome sight which greet
ed the coroner when he arrived. No
one had been permitted to go near the
body and when the coroner and the
newspaper man climed down the east
approach of the bridge and walked
down to the bank of the river, the first
thing noticed was two empty bottles at
the edge of the water where Mrs.
Woodard's tracks entered the water.
One had contained carbolic acid and
the other chloroform, the latter entire
ly empty and the former with about
half an ounce Of the acid left in the
four ounce bottle. The corks were
lying on the ground beside the bottles.
1t could be seen where she had first
stepped on the thin ice after taking
the poison the ice cracking at the
first step but not breaking until she
stepped out about three feet when it
gave way under her weight and let her
into the water which was probably
couple of feet deep. This was about
five or six feet north of the east end of
the bridge and she had waded down the
stream under the bridge, breaking the
ice as she went for a distance of sixty
five or seventy feet, and then turned
toward the east bank and fallen on her
face with her arms under her head the
body lying in water only four or five
inches deep. She was clothed in light
wrapper, skirt and underwear but
wore no wrap or anything on iler head.
After viewing the body the coroner
ordered it taken to the home half
mile west of the bridge, and post
mortem examination was made which
showed that she had died from the
effects of carbolic acid, her clenched
hands and drawn limbs indicating the
spasm following the effects of the poi
son. No water was found in the lungs,
or any marks of violence on her body
and the physicians said she had died as
she fell over on her face in the shallow
water.
The testimony at the inquest showed
she had been apparently happy and
contented in her home and only the
evening before went to Decatur City
and made a number Of purchases at
Meeker's store and Mr.. Meeker did not
notice anything unusual in her de-
meanor, and the only plausible reason
for her rash act was the condition of
her health and the further fact that
she was grieviDg over the death of Mr..
Thomas at Albany. She had probably
passed a restless night and as the gray
dawn approached was seized with an
uncomfortable impulse to end her life.
The carbolic acid and chloroform had
been in the house for some time, having
been purchased by Mrs. Woodard, who
used the the acid to doctor her chick
ems and was in the habit of using chlor-
oform for various purposes, the bottles
being kept on a shelf in the kitchen,
and their absence was first noticed the
next morning by the hired girl, who
then recalled the fact that she heard
the clicking of the bottles in Mrs.
Woodard's hand as she left the house.
The deceased was "a years of age,
her maiden name being Irene Swank,
an orphan, having no near relatives.
She was raised at Albany, Mo-, and
prior to her marriage to Mr.. Woodland
had been engaged in teaching school,
filling the position of principal of the
Pleasanton schools, but resigned on ac-
count of suffering from nervous pros
tration and was for time under the
care of physician taking treatment
for nervousness. Her remains were
taken to Albany Tuesday for interment.
The bereaved husband has the SYM
pathy of everyone in his sore bereave-
ment,