The Oskaloosa herald., 1909-12-30
JOE LITTLE DIES
By HIS own HAND
Shoots Self In Temple With Recent
y Acquired Shot Gun.
LEFT LETTER TO HIS FRIENDS
The Family Lives At oIivet-Young
Man Had Gotten Into Trouble
and Had Become Greatly .N.
Discouraged.
LEFT LETTER TO HIS FRIENDS
Joe Little. a resident Of olivet. 50

PISA. committed suicide about
lock Sunday afternoon, near
u grounds, blowing away the
his head with charge from a
gun. The cause of the suicide
Il to have been over a woman
Whom he had become infatuat-
e intimated an intent to sui
b friends with whom he had
ssed during the day.
NE shooting occurred on North
Feet, about half block north of the
Entrance to the old fair grounds, and
about forty feet north of the fair
ygrounds house." the home of Mr.. and
Mrs. Andrew Rogers, better known
as Punk" Wing. Little had procur-
ed the shot gun with the pretense Of
going out to shoot rabbits. He met
Art Cooper during the day and had
asked where he could get gun. The
shot gun was secured of John Bird,
who operates gunsmith place.
Cooper accompanied Little on the
trip. They went to the northwest
part of town and started north along
the east side of the fair grounds.
Cooper stopped at the Wing home,
leaving Little standing in the roadway.
He states that when he, was in the
house he heard the report of the gun,
but did not go out until some one said
that Little had shot himself. So far
as can be learned no one was witness
to the shooting.
The word was soon sent to the may
MRS office that the man was shot. The
Shtrol was summoned and officers
. George Andrews and Ike Bush went
to the scene They found the man
still breathing, but unconscious. He
was placed in the patrol, but died be-
fore the wagon had gone far. The
front of the head above the eyes had
been shot away and it was a wonder
that the man was not killed instantly
The officers found the body lying In
the roadway just a little to the west
of the track made in the snow by
passing vehicles. Few people had
heard of the shooting when the Off
GERS arrived and not over a dozen hac
gathered at the place when the patro
arrived.
Little had evidently placed the muz
Zle of the gun at his temple and pull
ed the trigger with his thumb. The
side of his face was badly powdel
burned, showing that the muzzle hat
been pressed against it. The right
side of the forehead above the eye
brows had been carried away. The
man was lying on his back. The gur
was picked up fully fifteen feet from
the place where body was found.
The patrol took the body to the Nc
Curdy morgue, where it was caret
for. Mayor L. NJ. Bacon, Count!
Coroner ]. C. Barringer, Officers Gee
Andrews and Pearle Bacon returned
to the scene of the shooting to maxi
inquiry concerning the details and t
make examination Of the place. The!
found little discrepancy in the stor.
told by Art Cooper, who said he wa
in the house at the time of the shoot
ing and the story told by the Wings
house when the shot was fired.
A letter was found in the clothes o
the dead man, addressed to his father
Sflas Little, at Olivet, in which h
clearly stated that he would max
way with himself. The letter wa
dated Dec. 20, whether through ignol
ance of the actual date or purposely
cannot be known. The letter was a
follows:
December 90, 1909.
ITO all my friends in Olivet an
everywhere else: When this letter l
read will be dead, for l am going t
leave the earth today. l have dis
graced myself and everybody els
and am tired of life. l would soone
be dead than face the people VIII
have always been friends of mine an
who l have wronged, for the sake G
one is not worthy the name OF woman
/ am not drunk or crazy either vine
l write this letter, but am just tire
of life and want to die. l am in tn
chop house in Oskaloosa. Tell tn
boys I know that | have not forgo
ten them, and when they come t
town Saturday,, nights to think of m
and wsbHt ] thought l was hay
inr ~ eCne was only sinkin
..,deS q atper.
eH kbye to all, and when
am goHV Rqf!and think as kindly 9
me as I'd Yea. Tell father, Will, Jess
Fred. Ann b nd Alma and John goot
bye for meA
TSienedl Joe Little"
Cooper was with Little after he ha
completed the letter. He went wit
him to buy stamp at the Green
Bentley Drug Co. Cooper though
that Little put the letter in a maj
box. Little later told Frank Myer
that it was the last time he woui
have a chance to talk to him and h
had intimated to several other pal
ties that he was dissatisfied with nj
affairs in connection with girl, an
was going to put an end to matters
Along with the effects of the dea
man was a Rock Island ticket fror
oskaloosa to olivet. He had evident
ly intended returning to his home.