The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1909-04-30
Was Loomer Who Shot Himself.

Was Loomer Who Shot Himself.
Plainview, Neb., April 49, Special
to The News: A man named f. F.
Loomer shot himself at o'clock yes
terday morning with 22-calibre rifle,
dying instantly. According to the tes-
timony brought out at the inquesr, he
got out of bed before T. dressed him.
self and started the fires. ne got
some potatoes and peeled them for
breakfast. He then proceeded to the
bed room, woke his wife and the chill
dren, took the rifle down from the
wall, passed into the front room,
placed the barrel against his right eye
and sent a bullet through his brain.
The tragedy took place in one of the
city.
Loomer married the divorced wife
of j. w. Triplett, who was the mother
of three children, the oldest ten and
the youngest year and half old.
Triplett and his wife were married at
Madison in June, 1900, and lived to-.
gether eight years. Mrs. Triplett then
got divorce on the grounds of non
support and cruelty. They lived at
Madison, Creighton Bazile and Winnie
toon before the divorce. After obtain
ing the decree of divorce and the GUS
tody of the children, Mrs. Loomer fell
in love with the quarter-breed Indian,
Loomer, at Niobrara and they were
married January /, 1909, Triplett
moved to Plainview, renting house in
the central part of the city. He had
the three children with him. After
residing a month in the house he rent
ed the one in the east part of town in
which the tragedy occurred. Mrs.
Loomer made several trips to see the
children and finally took them with
her. About month ago Triplett hired
out to G. |. Shaw to work on the farm
where he has been staying ever since.
Ten days ago Loomer and Mrs.
Loomer, with the children, arrived
and took up their abode in the Trip
lett residence. Triplett visited them
and the husband and ex-husband SEEM
ed to be on excellent terms. Triplett
paid the house rent, had the garden
patch plowed, aud made an effort to
get Loomer work on the new school
building. He stayed all night in the
home about week before the tragedy,
the guest of his former wife.
Coroner Oelke summoned jury and
made an exhaustive inquiry as to the
cause of the death of Loomer. The
jury found, after hearing the testi-
mony, that the deceased came to his
death from the wound of rifle shot
fired by his own hand.
Loomer's mother and sister arrived
from Spencer and they will take the
body back with them tomorrow. 1t
is said that Loomer has quartz" sec
ton of Indian land near Pine Ridge.
His wife claims that he expected to
receive from the government next
July, $500 in cash, team, harness and
wagon, twenty-four head of cattle and
other property that the government
usually gives to the Indians.
There is much speculation in regard
to the matrimonial tangle of the Trip
let's. Some hint that there was a
conspiracy to get rid of Loomer al
though there is little evidence to sup
port such belief. The suicide was a
cigarette fiend and since his marriage
INDUCED in protracted sprees. 1t is
claimed that he was respondent on
account of the shabby manner in
which his relatives treated him but
his wife testified that he had been,
during the past week, unusually cheer
full and happy. Neighbors agree that
she is correct in this statement. The
sheriff of Pierce county stated that
unless there is more evidence of a
conspiracy developed there will be
nothing further done with the case.