The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-01-16
WEALTHY MARSHALLTOWN At
TORNEY HANGS HIMSELF.
Was the Only Brother of Vim
Meeker, of Decatur City, Who
Just Returned From
Visit With Him.


Wednesday evening announcing the
death of his only brother, J. f. Meeker,
at his home in Marshalltown. Mr..
Meeker had that day returned from a
visit visit at Marshalltown at his
brothers home, having been called to
Tama country to attend the funeral of
his uncle Joseph Meeker short time
ago and from there went to Marshall
town to visit. He returned again to
Marshalltown the next day to attend
his brothers funeral. The following
account Of the death Of Mr.. Meeker is
taken from the Marshalltown Times
Republican:
]. f. Meeker, one of the Oldest and
best known attorneys of Marshalltown,
while suffering from temporary men,
tai arrangement, committed suicide on
Wednesday by hanging himself. The
discovery was not made till in the after
noon, when Mr.. f. L. Meeker, Mr.,
Meekers elder son, returned home and
was surprised not to find his father.
Mrs. Meeker had supposed her husband
to be in the Office as usual, and was also
surprised not to see him accompanying
his son home to lunch. An investigation
on the part of f. L. Meeker soon re-
vealed the fact of his fathers death.
When F. L. Meeker prepared to come
down town in the morning the elder
Mr.. Aeeker remarked to his son that
he did not believe he would go down.
Mr.. Meeker had not been feeling we'll
OF late, and this did not cause any
great surprise, altho usually he was in
his office, regardless of whether or not
he was feeling just we'll.
At about o'clock Mr.. Meeker put on
his coat and hat and left the house,
his wife presuming that he was going
to his Office. When z. L. Meeker re-
turned homo for lunch and found his
father not in the house, he Immediately
suspected that all was not right. Mr..
Meeker does not know why he did 80,
but he went to the barn the first thing,
and there found his fathers dead body.
Mr.. Meeker had tied the rope about
stall, and knelled forward. Mr.. Meeker
cut the rope Immediately, hoping that
possibly tho act had just been COM
mitted. He soon saw, however that life
was quite extinct. Coroner Nichols
was Immediately notified, but after in
vestigating the circumstances decided
that an inquest was unnecessary.
Since early in November Mr.. Meeker
had shown evidences Of a mental de-
preston. He was very melancholy at
times, and lacked interest in affairs and
events for which he had always shown
a marked interest before. He was we'll
physically, had nothing whatever..in the
way of family affairs to worry him, his
business was in the best of shape, and
his financial condition such that it need
never cause him worry. The only way
an explanation could be made by the
family was that Mr.. Meeker was grad
ually breaking down mentally, due to
his long life in the practice Of law,
coupled with IN extremely nervous
temperament. A western trip was
planed to see if his condition could not
be improved, and in November Mr..
Meeker loft for Vernon, B. c., to visit
his SOD, Guy A. Aeeker. From there he
went down the coast to Los Angeles,
and for ten days was with his daughter
in-law, Mrs. f. L. Meeker, who is spend
ing the winter with her children at
Ocean Park. Mr.. Meeker arrivedshome
few days before Christmas and for
few days appeared to be better and
brighter. The improvement was only
temporary one, however, and since
Christmas he had been gradually grow
ing worse.
Mr.. Meeker has had a remarkably
long and active business career, and
only Tuesday was in his office all day.
Next May he would have been prac-
ticing law continuously in this city for
forty years, and during that long period
has taken but very few resting spells
of any great length.
John Franklin Meeker was born in
Chenango county, New York, Dec. Is.
1887. He came west with his father and
his family at the age of 16, settling
near Sycamore, De Kalb county, Illinois.
on farm. There young Frank at
tended high school and graduated.
From there he went to college, at Hills
dale, Mich, where he also graduated
He had determined upon the practice Of
law, and accordingly went to Ann Ar
Dor, Mich, where he graduated with
the class of 1854.
Mr.. Meeker returned at once to his
old home at Sycamore, and formed a
co-partDership with the late Judge
Lowell. One year later at Hudson.
Mich, on July 5, 1866, he took as his
bride Miss Sarah Pierce, and began
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