Rocky Ford enterprise., 1907-11-22
COMMITS
SUICIDE
BENJAMIN Haskell Takes His
Lie On Friday Last
TWO DAYS AFTER
his WEDDING
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( BENJAMIN Haskell. . young man
who has been employed in the Stauf.
fer meat market at intervals for sew
eEai years past. hanged himself las,
Friday evening In the barn In rear
Of ,he o. n. S,aufier home. where he
had gone to do the evening chores.
Haskell was \ brother OF Mrs.
S,safief and was married on We'd
nssday last TO Miss Clara Hansbar.
ser. a niece OF Mr.. S,auaer's who
lived in the S,auder home. The
marriage ceremony took place In la
Jun,a. Wednesday afternoon and the
newly wed couple came Immediately
to neat and comfortable little home
located just an the southwest, corner
OF the town limits: home which
Haskell had bull, and furnished for
the reception Of his bride. Haskell
was 81 years Of age and his bride 70.
They had known each other a long
time, The young man was indus
irious. strictly honest and thrifty. aud
had no debts except 4 small loan OBJ
legation TO Mr.. Siauncr. in whose
employ he was. The bride is pos
eCRhCa uE tiEHk 70 tcl THputaHu upl-
lars in her own right. and no reason
for tho taking of his life IL apparent
TO his ncarcs, relatives and friends.
He was employed as order and deiiv-
cry clerk OF the meat market and
some seven or eight weeks ago he
slipped and fell upon a loose door
step at house where he was taking
orders. striking the back OF his head
on sharp projecting corner. The
injury gave him some suffering for
several days. bu, the accident had
gone out OF mind with his relatives
until IL was recalled rs a possible
cause OF temporary arrangement
AIDING TO his suicide.
OOn Friday last, as now recalled.
Haskell said and did some slightly
unusual things. but only such as
would have passed out OF mind as in
consequential IL subsequent events
had not revived them. During his
morning round for orders he stopped
and urged a young woman acquaint-
ance of the families to agree to 60
and stay with his wife that night:
and at noon he told his wife he had
done this. At noon he ate his din
ncr in great haste and saying he was
going to the barber shop disappeared
ed at the Norton drug store and pur-
chased 4 bottle OF carbolic acid.
which was found in his poke, after
death. During Friday afternoon.
while alone in charge of the meat
market, he sat down and wrote let
ter to his wife telling her of his in
icntion TO take his life and giving as
reason i'll health. He wrote at some
length of his regret that he must
cause so much grief to his friends
and especially his dear old mother.
but since he could never enjoy life as
other men it was his only course.
In the evening Haskell joined with
Mr.. Ben. Stauffer in the doing OF the
evening chores at the barn as usual,
and it seems evident that while plac-
ing hay for the horses and cattle he
conceived the idea of adopting hang
ing instead of poison as his mode OF
exit out of life. Mr.. Stauffcr having
finished his part of the work in the
yard went around one corner OF the
barn into the house and Haskell turn
- the other corner down the alley
Tor home. At nine o'clock the bride
r Wednesday anxiously came to the
door OF the Stauffcr home to inquire
the whereabouts of her husband.
Then surmiscs of his being slugged
in the alley, or having turned back
for something and being kicked in
sensible by the horses arose in minds
of the relatives; and one after an
other the members of the household
followed each other ont to the barn,
the last being attracted by the
screams of the former, the wife of
the missing man, who found him
hanging lifclcss to a beam of the
building.
Haskell, it was then recalled, had
been most unusual time occupied
in pulling down the hay for the ami
mails and it is thought that he had
then conceived his plan and put the
for use after Mr.. Stauffer left him,
and that his starting down the alley
was a ruse to give Mr.. Stauffer time
to get in the house; that he then
turned back and Immediately carried
out his purpose, as the body was
quite cold when found just after nine
o'clock. The dead man had quite
evidently stood upon a box near at
hand while fixing the moose, and then
dropped off to effect his strangling.
The finding of the body was report
ed to Coroner Burr, who being ill
asked his deputy II. ]. Sprinkler, tc
act in the matter. Mr.. Sprinkler view
ed the situation and the body and the
act of self destructio being so evi-
dent he decided there was no need tc
incur the expense of an inquest. The
body was taken to the home of the
deceased and giving time for the new
made wife and near relatives to re-
cover somewhat from the shock the
tErial services did not take place I'M