Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-03-10
DR.. FRY ENDS
LIFE By hanging
WELL.KNOW PHYSICIAN OF
CITY COMMITS SUICIDE
THIS MORNING.
WIFE FINDS BODY
TEN MINUTES LATER
Dependency Due to MeIanchoIa, De-
cIared Responsible For Actor. Fry
Worried Over Sale of BuiIdina-Had
Not Been Self Since Sons Death
No Inquest Held.


duced by melancholia, with which he
had suffered for the last four months,
Dr. Ira H. Fry, a well-known home
opathic physician of the city, commit
ted suicide by hanging at about $50
this morning. DR.. F'ry's body was found
ten minutes later, in the empty store
room at IL South First street, under
the apartments that the Drs Fry have
been occupying since the sale of their
business block at First and Main.
Drives Nails to Hold Rope.
Over the casing of the door DR.. Fry
had driven four or five strong nails.
to which he had tied a small rope that
he had doubled Adjusting the moose
over his neck he stepped on small
bench, and stepped Oft When found
one foot was still on the bench, and
the other was touching the floor. All
signs of life We're gone, and death was
produced by slow strangulation
Wife Works to Save Him,
When Mrs. Dr. Fry found the body
of her husband she hastily unloosened
the rope and made use of her profess
sional knowledge of resuscitation I'M
aided. She realized that if anything
We're to be done it must be done quick
ly, and lost no time in search for
help. After working fully twenty min
utes over the body Mrs. Fry gave up
in despair, and sent for DR.. H. H.
Nichols. DR.. Nichols found that life
was extinct, and thinks that DR.. Fry
must have passed away just before
Mrs. Fry found him.
Wife Had Feared Self Destruction.
DR.. A. c. Fry had feared that her
husband would seek to destroy him
self, but only from the fact that DR.
Fry was not himself. He had intimated
at different times that he was tired
of living. and Mrs. Fry had tried TO
cheer him with the thought that he
would take long rest, and when his
health had improved, he would come
back to Marshalltown. The Drs. Fry
were making preparations for an ex-
tended stay in the west, and had ex-
pected to leave the city within q few
days.
Despondent Since Sale Of Building.
Since the sale of his business build
ing to .McCombs Bros. DR.. Fry has been
showing signs of melancholia. He was
plainly not himself, and his friends no
ticed his haggard look. He worried
over everything but Mrs Fry says that
many of his worries were imaginary
His upperrnost worry was the thought
Of giving up his office and living
quarters in the building that he had
sold.
This morning DR.. Fry dressed as susal
and went to breakfast with his wife
Mrs. Fry went down the street to do
some shopping about o'clock, and was
not gone to exceed a half hour When
she left her husband he was standing
in front of the room which he picked
out for his death struggle, smoking
cigar. Upon returning and not finding
her husband up stairs Mrs. Fry started
to search for him. She found the dead
body ten minutes later.
Not Himself For Many Years.
DR.. Fry had not been himself for
about twelve years. or since the shock
produced by the death of his son,
Halsey, aged TO- who was killed by
falling from his pony in April, 1897.
DR.. Fry idolized his only son, and he
has never been the same DR. Fry since.
The loss of his last baby also preyed
upon his mind.
Native of Iowa.
Ira H. Fry was a native of Iowa,
having been born at Monroe, Jasper
county, Jan. IA, 1859. He came to this
city in 1868 from Clarinda. and entered
upon the practice of his profession AT
Jefferson, on Feb. l6, 1884, he was
united in maria e with Miss Arminda
c. McGwire, daughter of Rev and Mrs.
w. w. McGwire, now of Lincoln, Neb.
Five children were born to DR.. and Mrs.
Fry, and all but the son Halsey died in
infancy.
Aside from his wife DIR. Fry is sur
vived by his father. DR.. A. Fry, now of
Los Angeles, Cal, who for many years
owned the Fry Hotel at Colfax. D. c.
Fry. brother, and Miss Abbie Fry, a
sister also live at Los Angeles DR..
F'ry's mother died in 1898.
No Inquest Held.
Coroner e. W. Jay. who was notified
of the death, investigated the circum
stances and decided that no inquest
was necessary.
No arrangements for the funeral have
as &c. been made
Rev. Mr. and Mrs. MCGUIRE, who have
been here for seven weeks, left for
their home Tuesday.
AN ARTISTIC INTENT