Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-04-11

( AIDert I. fC4COllD, q "e44-huo"H eiiu
! weu-to- do farmer of Vienna township
t before he went to his corn crib Sun
+ day morning and blew the top of his
! head off with a shot gun after setting
fire to the building His body was
burned almost beyond recognition as a
human form before il was discovered
that there was g body in the burning
F.. building.
Hoicon1b made his suicide doubly
sure. He took strong piece OF wire.
bent a loop in one end, and made a
hook on the other end. The loop he
fastened around the trigger OF a single
barrelled breech loading l6-gauge shot
gun. After setting fire 10 the straw
on the floor Of The corn crib Holcomb
placed the nluzzle OF the shot gun in
his mouth and pulled the trigger by
means of his foot against the wire
nook The mans head, from the up
per jaw up, was completely blown
sway.
Neishbors Makes Discovery.
Between and o'clock j. B. Baker.
VINO lives diagonally across the road
from the Holcomb farm, noticed smoke
coming from the small corn crib which
sets 10 the east Of the Holcomp house
and outbuildings Mr. Baker called his
son. Ernest c. Baker, and the TWO men
hurried 70 the corn crib TO see if they
could help extinguish the blaze. The
roof Of the crib had been blown off re-
Gently and was standing against the
south side OF the building, one end
resting on the ground. This and the
smoke shut off the view OF the in
terror OF the building. The Messrs.
Baker pulled the roof down, and still
Mr. Baker did not realize that there
was d human body being consumed in
the fire AS there was no danger TO the
other outbuildings, and the corn crib
was OF little value, the Bakers did not
make an effort 10 extinguish the blaze,
and kept looking for Mr. Holcomb,
whom they thought was down over the
brow Of the hill watering his horses.
Grewsome Sight Found.
AS the building burned away, and
the dry lumber of the crib was quickly
reduced 10 Goals and ashes. Mr. Baker
and his son saw in the center Of the
floor mass Of sometning-they hardly
knew what. BY getting closer, and
peering thru the smoke and blaze they
thought they could discern the folded
arms OF a man, as they lay across what
had been the breast Of human trunk.
The remains of the gun. with the stock
burned away, was also discernible in
The live Goals. The men then ran
home and telephoned the neighbors.
Wanted Witnesses to Scene.
The elder Mr.. Baker said to the
Times Republican Sunday that he did
nor know what TO do when he found
out 10 a certainty that there was a
body in the fire. He suspected at once
il was Mr.. Hoiconb. for he had Known
that the old man was not feeling well
nor had he been well for some time
Mr.. Baker said that his first thought
was 70 run and carry water from his
place and put the fire out, and then the
thought struck him that he did not
want TO be the only witness. with his
son, to such a find He telephoned
Seymour Lynx TO come at once, and
Lynx, who arrived few minutes later,
helped the Bakers carry water and pour
over the then smoldering body of the
dead man. There was no water on the
Holconb place, the well having gone
dry recently.
Neishbors Heard Shot.
After the news of the tragedy became
noised about the neighborhood, several
of the neighbors spoke of having re-
rnembered hearing the shot fred and
thought that IL was on the HoIconnb
place. They supposed, however, that
Mr.. Holcomb was out shooting at rats
bout the barn
Sheriff and Coroner Called.
Because it was not known at the
time just what developments would
prove. and Is yet no message from the
dead man had been found, Sheriff A.
A. Nicholson was summoned by tele-
phone. together with Coroner E. w.
Jay. Il was believed by some at first
that possibly some one might have
killed the old man and then fired the
corn crib to hide the crime. The note.
however which explained the deed.
was found by Will Stewart and Ralph
Diller before the officers arrived. The
note was written in pencil on the back
Of an envelope enclosing a recent let
ter from Mr. Folcomb's daughter. Mrs.
Olive Ernest. of Hum boldt, Kan. The
note was found in tin box lying in Mr..
Holcomb's desk, together with papers
Of value that Mr.. Holcomb kept in
his home.
Had Complained of Health.
Mr. Holcomb had been complaining
recently of not feeling well. To Ex-
senator John b. Classen, his nephew
by marriage, Mr.. Holcomb said a week
ago Friday that he was not feeling
well, and to Mr.. Baker, his neighbor,
last week, when talking of getting
some new evergreen trees, said that
he didn't believe ne would get them,
as he didn't feel like setting them out
The neighbors also tell of Mr. Hol-
combs dependency owing to matters
| that were really trivial for one in his
circumstances. One thing he worried
over great deal was the fact that he
had to drill a new well. Another was
| that he had bought a colt that he fin
ally decided he did not care to break
at his age.
/ Cid Resident 81 County
Albert c. Holcornb was one of the
pioneers of Marshall county, and had
lived here ffty-six years He was q
native of TrumbelI county, Ohio, where